June 2018
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ABOUT THE COVER Alex Plambeck is our cover angler. Alex landed this beautiful redfish while sight-casting with a weedless-rigged soft plastic Z-Man DieZel Minnowz lure.
JUNE 2018 VOL 28 NO 2
CONTENTS FEATURES
DEPARTMENTS
10 Fun with Twitchbaits! 16 Adjusting to the Heat 22 Bodie Goes to England: Part XI 26 Check the Box – Yes or No 32 Keeping it Sporty with Kingfish
44 Let’s Ask The Pro 48 Shallow Water Fishing 52 TPWD Field Notes 56 Fly Fishing 60 Kayak Fishing Chronicles 64 TSFMag Conservation News 66 Fishy Facts 70 Inshore | Nearshore | Jetties | Passes 74 Extreme Kayak Fishing & Sharks... 80 Plastic & Water Don’t Mix 103 Science & the Sea
Steve Hillman Kevin Cochran Martin Strarup Chuck Uzzle Joe Richard
10 48
Jay Watkins Scott Null Tom Wagner Scott Sommerlatte Dave Roberts CCA Texas Stephanie Boyd Curtiss Cash Eric Ozolins Everett Johnson UT Marine Science Institute
WHAT OUR GUIDES
HAVE TO SAY
88 Dickie Colburn’s Sabine Scene 90 The Buzz on Galveston Bay 92 The View from Matagorda 94 Mid-Coast Bays with the Grays 96 Hooked up with Rowsey 98 Wayne’s Port Mansfield Report 100 South Padre Fishing Scene
Dickie Colburn Caleb Harp Bink Grimes Gary Gray David Rowsey Wayne Davis Ernest Cisneros
REGULARS 8 Editorial 86 New Tackle & Gear 102 Fishing Reports and Forecasts 106 Catch of the Month 108 Gulf Coast Kitchen
108
100 4 | June 2018
EDITOR AND PUBLISHER Everett Johnson Everett@tsfmag.com VICE PRESIDENT PRODUCTION & ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Pam Johnson Pam@tsfmag.com Office: 361-785-3420 Cell: 361-550-9918 NATIONAL SALES REPRESENTATIVE Bart Manganiello Bartalm@optonline.net REGIONAL SALES REPRESENTATIVE Patti Elkins Patti@tsfmag.com Office: 361-785-3420 Cell: 361-649-2265 PRODUCTION COORDINATOR Donna Boyd Donna@tsfmag.com CIRCULATION SUBSCRIPTION – PRODUCT SALES Vicky Morgenroth Store@tsfmag.com DESIGN & LAYOUT Stephanie Boyd Artwork@tsfmag.com Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine is published monthly. Subscription Rates: One Year (Free Emag with Hard Copy) Subscription $25.00 E-MAG (electronic version) is available for $12.00 per year. Order on-line: WWW.TSFMAG.COM MAKE CHECKS PAYABLE TO: Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine Attn: Subscriptions P.O. Box 429, Seadrift, Texas 77983 * Subscribers are responsible for submitting all address changes and renewals by the 10th of the prior month’s issue. Email store@tsfmag.com for all address changes or please call 361-785-3420 from 8am - 4:30pm. The U.S. Postal Service does not guarantee magazines will be forwarded. HOW TO CONTACT TSFMAG: PHONE: 361-785-3420 FAX: 361-785-2844 MAILING ADDRESS: P.O. Box 429, Seadrift, Texas 77983 PHYSICAL ADDRESS: 58 Fisherman’s Lane, Seadrift, TX 77983 WEB: www.TSFMAG.com PHOTO GALLERY: photos@tsfmag.com PRINTED IN THE USA. Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine (ISSN 1935-9586) is published monthly by Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine, Inc., 58 Fisherman’s Lane, Seadrift, Texas 77983 l P. O. Box 429, Seadrift, TX 77983 © Copyright 1990 All rights reserved. Positively nothing in this publication may be reprinted or reproduced. *Views expressed by Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine contributors do not necessarily express the views of Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine. Periodical class permit (USPS# 024353) paid at Victoria, TX 77901 and additional offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine, Inc., P. O. Box 429, Seadrift, TX 77983.
EDITORIAL
June Promises Wide-Open Fishing Opportunity
Headlining the list this month has to be red snapper. I’m still pinching myself – who’d have ever dreamed we’d be enjoying a projected 82-day season this summer? The season will open June 1 and, if all goes according to TPWD’s harvest estimates, should last through August 21. Projected is a key word. The harvest calculation includes factors such as fishable days, angler participation, angler success, and average weight of red snapper brought to the dock. The private boat recreational angling allocation is based on pounds, not actual numbers of fish. So, while the season has been projected to run 82-days, any significant variation that might arise from the host of factors that influence the actual harvest could possibly bring a closure earlier than August 21. The opportunity to enjoy the full 82-day projected season can be enhanced through voluntary angler harvest reporting. The feds are always padding harvest projections in attempt to preclude overharvest of allocations. Recreational anglers should take heed and report their catches via iSnapper and other trip reporting apps so that accurate harvest data can be obtained. They should also be courteous and provide accurate information if asked to participate in dockside or on-the-water surveys. Release mortality is another big factor and it’s also in the projection. Anglers are encouraged to use descending devices to release snapper suffering obvious signs of barotrauma. That old trick of stabbing them with a deflating tool does little more than convey a death sentence, even if the fish appears to swim away. Bottomline: This is a great opportunity to enjoy longer red snapper
seasons – let’s try not to blow it! Also headlining June opportunity will be some of the year’s best nearshore opportunity for king mackerel, ling, Spanish mackerel, and those line-stretching bonita. There’s nothing quite like finding kings prowling the end of the jetties on light tackle. And who’d ever want to pass a shot at tarpon rolling off the third bar? Bay and surf opportunity for trout and redfish can be nothing short of a guarantee in June. Tides are generous, especially around new and full moons. We like to hit the Port O’Connor jetty for bull reds and jack crevalle at first light on strong incoming tides and then while away the rest of the morning looking for tripletail around platforms and channel markers in West Matagorda. Perhaps more than anything, June is a fantastic month for family fishing trips. The weather will be pleasant most days – unlike the sultry days coming later in summer. If you haven’t already taken care of this, you need to get the whole family registered for the CCA Texas STAR Tournament…before making the first big trip of summer! College scholarships for winners of the youth division are up for grabs and what family budget wouldn’t welcome some help when it’s time for the kids to begin higher education? The popular STAR Tagged Redfish Division offers five lucky anglers the chance to win a truck-boat-motor-trailer package, and five additional boat-motor-trailer prizes. Get on the water!
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STORY BY STEVE HILLMAN
There’s something about this whole situation that just gets my blood pumping!
I
would be willing to bet that the majority of saltwater anglers who exclusively throw artificials rely on soft plastics more than any other type of lure when trying to trick speckled trout. I can certainly say that this has been the case with me for years. Most of us tend to lean more on MirrOdines, Catch2000s and similar slow-sinking plugs only during the colder months, then such baits begin to collect dust with the onset of summer. While catching fish on soft plastics is a proven high percentage play, I’ve yearned for something different for a while now - something a little more exciting. The old tried and true twitchbaits and a few that are new on the fishing scene are providing the adrenaline rush I needed. In the last couple of years I’ve begun to use twitchbaits (mainly of the hard plastic variety) more and more during the warmer months. I’ve not only had great success but it’s taken my love for fishing to a whole new level. It’s almost become an addiction for me. The jolt of a solid trout or red hammering my lure during the pause after two hard twitches sends electricity through my rod, hands, arms and shoulders then eventually up my neck before manifesting itself into a giant smile on my face. The feeling is truly bad to the bone! There are many varieties of hard plastic twitchbaits and each is suited for different scenarios. While they come in all shapes and sizes, the characteristic that ultimately allows us to categorize them is buoyancy. There are three main categories – floating twitchbaits, suspending twitchbaits and sinking twitchbaits. Having an in depth understanding of what controls your target species’ behavior will help you figure out which style to use. Salinity levels, water temperature and depth of forage species are a few things that determine where speckled trout will suspend in the water column. There are other factors such as dissolved oxygen levels and current velocity that can have an influence as well. Determining whether trout are upper, middle or lower in the water column can be accomplished a number of ways. Visual confirmation of surface feeding activity is an obvious one but more often than not we’ll have to probe the depths using various lures and retrieval methods. Size of forage species, especially shad and glass minnows, can influence the depth of feeding trout. During spring and early summer (at least here in Galveston Bay) the shad are tiny and congregate near the surface. This causes the trout to suspend just beneath where they can simply ascend and grab an easy meal whenever they want. Floating and suspending twitchbaits work great under these circumstances. The erratic side-to-side darting action coupled with a high-pitched internal rattle can drive a trout crazy. One particular floating twitchbait that I’ve absolutely fallen in love with has its roots in Southeastern Brazil where it has proven to be deadly on peacock bass and other species. Along with a few other guides, I’ve been testing three particular baits from the Borboleta family
of lures. The Perversa, TanTan and LeLe’ have become part of my that I truly believe will put me and my clients in the best position for daily arsenal with the LeLe’ (smallest of the three) getting most of my success. It’s no coincidence that some of my favorite baits happen to attention. I recently had a day where the trout would simply not eat be from companies that have been around a very long time. This tells a soft plastic. The surface was dead calm and there was very little tide me that they must be doing something right and I’m apparently not movement. To make matters even more challenging, our trout had the only one who thinks so. gorged on shad under a 98% full moon the night before. My clients It’s always exciting to mix in different styles of baits and strategies and I were able to trick more than a dozen very solid trout using on my trips. It adds a different twist to tricking trout, one that lots of mainly LeLes, on a day when most of the lure guides really struggled. clients have never experienced. The main thing is that we’re having It’s one thing to catch fish on a new lure when everyone is catching fun – especially when we’re throwing twitchbaits! left and right, but when a lure can trick a stubborn full-bellied trout when not much else can really says something. Special thanks to my friend Bob Hardy for introducing me to these intriguing lures and to Jimmy Burns at Waterloo for stocking them. Visit the Waterloo Pro Shop in Victoria, Texas or www.waterloorods.com to give them a try. As water temperatures warm over the course of the summer, fish can seek cooler water lower in the water column. This is when sinking twitchbaits such as My current top 10 MirrOlure’s 52 and 51 Series can be quite effective. I like favorite twitchbaits the 52s when I need to get down below 5-feet or so and from left to right – the 51s when the fish are 3 to 5 feet below the surface. Perversa, TanTan, As with any lure, salinity will have an effect on the sink LeLe’, Rapala X-Rap Subwalk, Rapala rate. The higher the salinity the slower the lure will sink. X-Rap Twitchin’ I can remember chunking a Catch2000 (slow-sinking Minnow, Rapala suspending twitchbait) in West Galveston Bay one time X-Rap Twitchin’ when the salinity was so high that it actually floated. Mullet, MirrOlure Catch2000 C-Eyes Current and wind velocity must be taken into account as Pro Series, MirrOdine well when choosing the right plug. If there’s more of either C-Eyes Pro Series, influence present, a sinking twitchbait may be used in 51MR HP, 52MR HP. place of a suspending lure to accomplish the same result. In my opinion, a fast action rod works best as opposed to softer tipped rods when working twitch baits. I prefer Eric Orril with a nice trout he duped with a my 6’ 6” Waterloo Ultra Mag for making the quick short Rapala X-Rap Subwalk. jerks. There’s also a benefit to using a higher gear ratio reel. This enables you to stay in contact with the lure after making erratic twitches. My Concept TX and Concept Z are perfectly suited for the job with their quick 7.3:1 gear ratios. They are both strung with 30lb Seaguar Smackdown Tournament braid, topped with 20lb Seaguar fluorocarbon leaders. As with most plugs, I use a loop knot to allow for a more natural side-to-side motion. One other thing worth mentioning is the position of my rod while working a twitchbait out of the boat versus wading. I keep my rod tip pointed downward towards the water when I’m retrieving twitchbaits while drifting. While wading I typically keep my rod up at about a 45-degree angle as I work the lure. If I notice the lure trying to pop upward rather than wiggling side-to-side down below the surface, I’ll adjust my rod angle to run almost parallel with the water. The key is to find the proper rod angle and cadence to make the lure do its job. I have used many different brands and styles of lures through the years. Each one had their place and time Jon Fotorny with a good one This solid trout attacked my X-Rap for the task at hand. Some were more effective during on a morning when twitchbaits Twitchin’ Minnow on a very tough day colder months while others were better suited for warmer were king. MirrOdines, Perversa’s while we waded grass beds loaded periods. Regardless, I continue to use only the ones and Lele’s saved the day! with tiny glass minnows and shad. 10 | June 2018
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You know the tiny shad are thick when this happens!
This 23-inch trout exploded on my LeLe’ as it floated back to the surface after several hard twitches.
CONTACT
STEVE HILLMAN
12 | June 2018
Steve Hillman is a full-time fishing guide on his home waters of Galveston Bay. Steve fishes the entire Galveston Bay Complex, wading and drifting for trout, redfish, and flounder using artificial lures. Phone 409-256-7937 Email captsteve@hillmanguideservice.com Web www.hillmanguideservice.com
The captain caught this pretty, long trout during low light conditions on a hot July morning.
STORY BY KEVIN COCHRAN
A
t the end of the spring and start of summer, while the month of June winds down, wise trout anglers adjust their strategies and the locations where they spend the majority of their time attempting to catch fish. During the mild months of the transitional season between winter and summer, we normally target specks in shallow areas holding copious amounts of forage species, often in places far removed from deep basins and channels. As the days become longer and hotter, most of us begin looking for fish around shallow structural elements lying closer to water of greater depth. Part of the beauty of spring fishing results from the ability to trick spotted seatrout on a variety of lures in water barely deep enough to cover their black backs. Big trout hooked in shin-deep water usually thrash at the surface and/or leap free of the water entirely, providing visual thrills to accompany the tactile sensations they create while they pull against our weight. Few things provide greater satisfaction to a trout hunter than squaring off with monster trout in water so shallow we have difficulty landing them without dropping to our knees. Normally, we locate specks in places like these by first finding the forage species on which the predators feed. This typically occurs when we see expansive rafts of large mullet numbering in the thousands. In many cases, once we start walking around among the mullet, we see numerous other species with them, sometimes including glass minnows, menhaden, ballyhoo, needlefish and pinfish. Most likely, the variety in the food sources available to the trout accounts for why we can regularly catch them on several different types of lures. Floating Paul Brown Fat Boys and Originals work well to trick trout in super shallow water, given the stealthy aspects of their attributes and design qualities. Rattling topwaters of various kinds work better than the silent ones at times, particularly when strong winds muck up the water and reduce visibility. Soft plastics rigged on light, shank-weighted hooks also effectively target large trout holding in the tight spaces created by super shallow water. Over time, the efficacy of each of these lures varies, depending on the feeding mood of the fish and other environmental factors, meaning the amount of sunlight beaming from the sky and velocity of wind and associated wave action/water clarity. Weather elements do more to dictate lure choice and presentation than location. Windier days often improve the effectiveness of erratic presentation styles which include speed as a primary component, whereas calm days elevate the productivity of slower, steadier, more rhythmic presentations. TSFMAG.com | 15
During the relatively mild months of spring, time of day influences the ability to catch trout less than in the harsher seasons preceding and following it. Productive trout anglers make a conscious decision to stay around concentrations of bait in some of the shallowest parts of the estuaries in which they fish, knowing they can urge strikes from the trout they seek any time of day. Effectively targeting and catching trout in spring often requires anglers to cover lots of water in search of a relatively few bites, since
Charles Williams caught this 8.25-pound trout in water closer to waist than shin-deep, a somewhat unusual occurrence in April, when large female specks often prefer super shallow water.
16 | June 2018
the shallow flats preferred by the fish generally hold plenty of water of the same depth and with similar bottom features scattered around over long distances. Stealthy anglers making slow, steady marches through areas like these and making the longest casts possible usually prove most consistent in catching fat trout in skinny water. When summer arrives, aspects of these truths change somewhat, starting with the basic move to locations lying in closer proximity to deeper water, in some places, water moved regularly by the eternally restless hands of the tide. In any estuary lying within a few miles of a strong tidal source, spoil banks and other shallow structural elements close to ship channels or the intracoastal waterway provide the right elements to hold trout throughout the hottest months. The predictability of summer weather proves conducive to our efforts as lure chunkers. On a typical summer day, the latenight breeze dies down around the time the sun peeks over the eastern horizon, and a calm lull or light, westerly zephyr prevails for most of the morning. During the lull, conventional floating plugs worked with generic, rhythmic, medium-paced movements often urge aggressive strikes from speckled trout. On some days, especially the dead-calm ones, slowsinking twitch baits like Paul Brown Fat Boys work better than topwaters, especially when worked at medium pace without too much spastic movement employed. Light winds facilitate the observation of signs of activity in the water, due to the lack of confusing wave action on the bay’s surface. Often, during the hot season, soon after daybreak, we observe concentrations of mullet and other bait species packed tightly together atop the shallowest portions of structural elements like sand bars, oyster reefs, rock formations and grassy humps lying adjacent to deep water. In these cases, tossing Rick Morgan caught three lures in the midst or along the fringes of the concentrations of specimens similar to this nervous bait often produces steady hook ups. one, and two slightly smaller ones on an April Normally, as the sun climbs higher in the sky in the middle outing, all on slow-sinking of a summer morning, onshore winds of medium speed come Paul Brown FatBoys. singing off the Gulf, changing the nature of the catching tune. Eventually, the light penetration and heat produced by the bright ball in the sky tend to send the predators toward the edges of the structural elements, close to where the deeper water provides cooling layers. Catching the trout during these transitional times often requires a short shift in location, sometimes achieved by throwing lures along the edges of the shallowest parts of the structures, where bait presence becomes less obvious and prolific, sometimes requiring a short walk to slightly deeper areas close by. Along with the slight change in place, subtle alterations to lure choice and/or presentation also generally result in more consistent catching. On some days, switching from conventional topwaters to slow-sinking twitch baits will keep moving the predators’ mouths, while on other days, changing the movement pattern of the floating plugs will achieve the same goal. On many hot mornings, when onshore winds first stir wave action on the warming surface of a Texas bay, small topwaters worked erratically, with lots of starts and stops and variable speed, will urge violent strikes from trout moving from super shallow water into cooler depths for the heat of the day.
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18 | June 2018
bottom and up the slopes works well on a consistent basis during the hotter parts of a summer day. Basically, a shift from spring to summer patterns means moving from expansive flats with relatively uniform, shallow depth to smallerscale structural elements with more vertical depth components. In response to the presence of depth elements, the switch from spring to summer involves a conscious decision to adjust lure choice from top to bottom on an hourly basis, rather than throwing a smaller set of shallow-performing plugs all day. In terms of strategy, summer fishing encourages movement over short distances, with tight focus on casts made to specific parts of the structures targeted, while spring strategies usually involve making relatively long, slow-paced treks over longer distances, covering water of a constant depth.
KEVIN COCHRAN CONTACT
Specifically, Super Spook Juniors and Baby Skitter Walks perform well in these cases, perhaps because their light weight and sleek design features facilitate fast presentations; they skim easily across the surface and dart around in spastic patterns when pulled forward quickly by rapid turns on the reel handle. I like to execute what I call “speed bursts” with these lures by holding the rodtip in a fixed position and making six or seven fast turns with the reel handle. When the little plug stops after the surge, I generally allow it to come to a full rest for a couple seconds before walking it rhythmically out of the “hole” for a few strokes before pausing again. After two or three short sessions including several strokes of the rodtip, resulting in side to side movement in the head of the lure and the typical clicking sounds they produce, I like to repeat the speed burst and pause again. Many of the strikes produced through such a presentation prove aggressive and impressive, often occurring upon the moment the lure stops at the end of a speed burst, or just as it resumes movement again after briefly bobbing atop the waves. On many summer mornings, I have no problem catching trout on top in these ways after the blow ups on slower, more typical presentations become almost impossible to induce. On some occasions, fast, erratic presentations with topwaters continue to produce strikes from trout steadily into the middle of the day, as wind speeds ramp up and the sun hangs high overhead. More commonly, a switch to soft plastics on conventional jigheads works better. Throwing the worms around the edges where structural elements taper off into greater depths and short-hopping them off the
Kevin Cochran is a full-time fishing guide at Corpus Christi (Padre Island), TX. Kevin is a speckled trout fanatic and has created several books and dvds on the subject. Kevin’s home waters stretch from Corpus Christi Bay to the Land Cut.
TROUT TRACKER GUIDE SERVICE Phone 361-688-3714 Email kevxlr8@mygrande.net Web www.FishBaffinBay.com www.captainkevblogs.com
Part XI STORY BY MARTIN STRARUP
T
ommy looked across the table at Bodie. “I’m not eating fish eggs in my ‘tator,” he said, trying to scrape away the roe with his fork. “Ugh! It STILL tastes like fish, Bodie!” Red and Bodie exchanged glances as Doug realized the boys were not going to eat the dish. Calling to the waiter, he asked that he bring three plain baked potatoes and told the boys not to worry about it. “It’s definitely an acquired taste, boys. The waiter will bring you a plain potato instead.” Tommy was gulping wine, swishing it around in his mouth, trying to get rid of the taste. “More wine, Tommy?” Doug asked. Tommy shoved his empty glass toward Doug for a refill. “Man, that stuff sticks with you like burnt roux in gumbo!” Doug chuckled at that. Bodie and Red began laughing as well, and then Tommy joined in. The chef arrived with the shrimp, chard and venison about the time their potatoes without roe arrived. Doug watched as each of them signaled approval at the first taste and he began to relax. “Now this stuff is good!” Tommy said. “I’d like to shoot me one of these Scottish deer. It’s tender and tastes good!” Red chimed in, “Maybe Doug will fly you to Scotland and you can shoot one with that new elephant rifle you’re talking about buying tomorrow.” As soon as he said it he regretted it and the glare Bodie gave him almost caused him to lose his appetite. Well, almost. “Can I do that, Doug?” Tommy asked excitedly. “Man, that would be something, to shoot a Scottish deer with an elephant rifle. Can we do it if I buy one tomorrow?” he pleaded. Doug looked to Bodie for some help and Bodie said, “I think that Doug is doing plenty for us, what with inviting us on this trip, Tommy. And besides, you’d probably have to wear a kilt to hunt in Scotland.” “A kilt? You mean one of those dresses that men wear over there?” “Yep,” Bodie offered nonchalantly. “I believe that’s the custom,
Tommy Boy.” “Well, that just ain’t going to happen, so scratch Scotland off our list, Doug,” Tommy assured him. Doug chuckled some more, Red rolled his eyes, and Bodie let out a sigh. The crew finished their meal and desert with Tommy telling everyone repeatedly that while he didn’t care for the figs, the Scottish venison was the best he’d ever eaten. “Would you boys care to join me for a nightcap when we get back to the hotel?” Doug asked. All three answered in the affirmative as they got back into the car. “Hey Doug, can we go get a drink at that sky pod bar place?” Tommy asked. Everyone looked at Tommy as Doug answered, “Why, of course, Tommy. It’s a beautiful place with a spectacular view of the city. I go there often.” Doug told the driver to take them to the Sky Garden as Red quizzed Tommy, “So how do you know about this bar, Tommy?” “I saw it advertised in a magazine and it looks like a neat place to go, and besides, they have a red drink I want to try,” Red replied with his customary eye roll. Bodie looked at Doug and winked, and the group settled in for the ride to Sky Garden. The driver let the men out of the car and Doug spoke to a doorman who led them to an elevator that took them to the thirty-fifth floor. They were met by the bar manager who shook hands with Doug and exchanged pleasantries. “Man, this place sure is way up there,” Bodie commented as he removed his hat. A very pretty young lady approached and asked Bodie if she could take his hat. Bodie looked at Doug who nodded and Bodie handed the girl his hat. “That’s a new one that I haven’t had a chance to get dirty, so be gentle with it,” Bodie smiled to the girl. Returning his smile, she asked, “Begging your pardon, sir. But are you a real cowboy?” TSFMAG.com | 21
22 | June 2018
“We need to get to bed so we can have an early breakfast before we go gun shopping,” Tommy announced with excitement. Doug paid the tab and the group walked toward the door. “I have taken extra care with your hat, sir,” Pamela said smiling at Bodie, handing him his hat. “Pamela, I don’t think the two of you have been properly introduced,” Doug said. This is Bodie Allen from Texas.” “I’m pleased to meet you Mr. Allen,” Pamela said, shaking his hand. “Pleased to meet you, Miss, uhm, I mean Pamela,” Bodie stammered. Holding her hand just a bit too long. “We’re going elephant gun shopping in the morning if you want to go with us. And we’re gonna have fish-n-chips and black pudding for lunch!” Tommy told Pamela rather glibly. “Well sir, while I certainly appreciate the invitation, I’m afraid that I have previous plans for tomorrow. But I have no plans for the evening,” she answered. Looking directly at Bodie. “You turned redder than a Case tractor!” Red laughed as they were getting into the car. “I did no such thing,” Bodie shot back. “Oh yes you did, too. Redder’n a beet!” Doug and Tommy agreed. “Keep it up and see where it gets you,” Bodie replied, but with a slight grin. Everyone was tired from their evening of gourmet food and good liquor and headed straight to their suites upon arriving at the hotel. Bodie sat on the side of bed, staring at the napkin with Pamela’s phone number. “Nah, there’s nowhere for this to go. What with her living in England and me in Texas,” he muttered. He was about to turn in when the telephone on the nightstand rang. Thinking it was Red, Tommy or Doug with more ribbing about Pamela, he picked up the phone and said, “I told you that you were gonna regret it!” Pausing momentarily, a voice came on the line, “Mr. Allen, this is Pamela, we met this evening…” Caught totally off guard, Bodie managed to stammer an apology, “I, I am very sorry, Pamela. I thought you were one of my friends playing a joke.” “Oh, I see,” She replied. “No sir, I decided to give you a ring and ask if you might like to have dinner tomorrow evening…since I do not have to work.” Bodie was stunned and all he could say was, “I would like that a lot, Miss, uh, Pamela.” “That’s wonderful. So, shall I meet you at your hotel around 8:00?” she asked. “I think that would be fine, Pamela, and I’ll be looking forward to it.” To be continued...
MARTIN STRARUP
CONTACT
“He sure is. He rides horses and ropes cows and has a ranch that is miles wide. Maybe bigger than London!” Tommy blurted. Bodie looked again at the girl and politely said, “Yes ma’m. I’m a cowboy and I work for a man who owns a very large ranch. I doubt it’s as large as London, though.” “I think you have an admirer,” Doug whispered to Bodie as they were seated at a table beside a floor to ceiling window. “She’s sure a pretty filly at that,” Bodie whispered back, just as he and the young lady made eye contact again. Getting seated, Red ribbed Bodie, saying, “Maybe you should invite her to visit the gun shops with us, she seems to like you.” Bodie grinned back at Red while Tommy admired the night view of London through the tall window. “Hey guys, I bet you can see Scotland from up here!” Tommy commented, jerking his thumb toward the window. Doug ordered Scotch on the rocks, Bodie ordered bourbon, and Red decided on gin and tonic. Tommy informed the waiter he wanted whatever that red drink was that he saw in the magazine ad. The waiter thought for a moment and said, “Let me ask the bartender if he knows what that might have been. I’ll be right back.” “Tommy, you could just have something normal, maybe a Scotch like Doug is doing,” Bodie said. Before Tommy could reply, the waiter returned to say the red drink was probably their signature watermelon margarita. That’s it. That’s what I want!” Tommy replied gleefully. When their drinks arrived Tommy said, “See, I told y’all that it was a pretty red.” The others asked in unison, “Well, how does it taste?” Tommy took a sip and smacked his lips, “Delicious!” Turning quickly, he advised the group he’d be right back. “Where ya going now?” Red asked. “To ask the bartender if they import their watermelons from Texas.” Doug, Bodie and Red just looked puzzled at each other and Red said, “Well, it is a pretty drink, and it does smell like watermelon.” Doug asked the waiter to bring three more watermelon margaritas. With Doug, Red and Bodie all engaged in conversation, Tommy found the pretty young lady that had taken Bodie’s hat and told her that Bodie liked her. He then asked if she might want to give him her phone number so that he could give it to Bodie. She smiled and blushed a bit, and then scrawled the number on a cocktail napkin. Handing it to Tommy, she glanced toward Bodie who was looking on, wondering why Tommy was speaking with her. Surprised that Bodie was watching, she gave him a quick wave and smiled approvingly. Of course, Bodie had to quiz Tommy what was going on. “Her name is Pamela. Here’s her phone number and she will be expecting your call,” Tommy announced, proud of himself. Bodie had bourbon coming out of his nose, Red was choking on gin, and Doug was having a giggling fit. “Tommy, I don’t need a matchmaker and especially not here in England,” Bodie chided his friend; trying to sound more irritated than he actually was. “Oh, you should definitely ask her out, Bodie.” Red chortled. “I must say that I have to agree with these other gents, Bodie. She’s a real looker and she seems more than a tad interested in you,” Doug added. After more than a few rounds, Bodie said he’d had enough for the night and everyone agreed.
Martin Strarup is a lifelong saltwater enthusiast and outdoorsman. Martin is also a collector and dealer of vintage fishing tackle and lures, especially those made in Texas. Email
Trouthunter@swbell.net
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Capt. Chuck releases a nice marsh red. Check the boxes and you should be able to enjoy more of this more often.
STORY BY CHUCK UZZLE
I
have always been of the opinion that indecisiveness (see Once anglers know the pattern they can find their own water also: gray areas) will eventually get you into trouble. Simple and learn in the process, instead of being completely dependent on is often better, less cluttered, and easier to navigate. Think others for information. Ask the right questions, check the boxes, and about when you were a kid, just like in the great George hopefully catch more fish. Strait song, “Do you love me? Check yes or no.” Having a One of the lists I use most often centers around chasing fish in crystal clear – no doubt about it answer – is what we are all the marshes between Sabine and Calcasieu. There are a handful looking for, but things like life and fishing are not always that clear. All of factors that are almost non-negotiable for me when it comes to you can do is ask the important questions and go forward. finding and catching fish in those vast expanses of salt and brackish That mental question and answer process is how I try to approach marshland. There is not a doubt in my mind that there are other my time on the water and it’s worked well for me over the years. patterns or methods that will catch fish in these areas, it would be Clearing out the clutter and finding the important factors usually crazy to think that only one way was the end all or be all program. In enable me to establish a better pattern, or at least rule out bad water, fact, I am always intrigued when I talk to other fishermen who come and most of the time that’s half the battle. up with their own little nuances that work for them because I enjoy Over the years I have been asked on numerous occasions how or the discovery as much as anything. I can’t tell you how many times why I started writing and my reply has always been the same, “Because I got tired of reading stuff in outdoors articles that was of little or no value to fishermen and hunters.” For years I hung on practically every word published in the outdoor sections of the Houston Chronicle and Houston Post, those guys were the best of the best in that era and they always had great information on a wide variety of outdoor topics. I craved the same from my local newspapers, and more often than not they fell short. A typical Thursday column would be filled with reports of fish biting at such-and-such spot, and on Friday all the locals would be piled in there with no clue why they were there, what to do once they got there, or where to go now that the whole world was crowded into a small location. Instead of saying “go to this place” it would’ve been much more informative to give a true pattern such as “three feet of water over There he is; check the box! shell on an outgoing tide.” TSFMAG.com | 25
26 | June 2018
Grass helps improve water clarity while providing a home for crabs and shrimp.
happens to everybody. But more often than not, if you can just stick to a simple plan you will be amazed at how much more productive your time on the water will become.
CHUCK UZZLE
CONTACT
I’ve been enlightened by other anglers to a specific pattern or area, and it’s always interesting and fun when that happens. Okay, let’s put our “yes or no” checklist to work and try to find some redfish. Easily for me, the first thing I want to check off my list is water clarity. If at all possible, I prefer enough visibility in the water column to be able to see the species I target regularly - redfish, sheepshead, and drum. While all three species can be caught in murky and even muddy water, given the chance, I will press on to a cleaner stretch, and the reason may not be what you might think. Remember this - clear water tends to have more bottom and standing vegetation growing in it, and Stanley Ribbit being that usually means more places for snaked across the forage species such as crabs or shrimp top of eel grass. to hide and thrive. So, on my list, clarity gets the nod. Author’s son, Hunter, shows Once I locate some water that I off a marsh bully. like, clarity-wise, the next box I want to check off is the type of vegetation present. Shoal grass, widgeon grass, turtle and eel grass, and possibly others, help prevent bottom sediments being stirred and suspended in the water column. These grasses provide areas for crabs, shrimp, and other bait to live and congregate. So, if “find the bait and find the fish” is a valid premise, then certainly grass-bottomed areas in the bay and marsh are good places to begin your search. My preference on finding bait, given that I mentioned my target game fish species would most likely be reds, sheepshead and drum, you would do well to look for crabs. Crabs of any size, but especially crabs that fit in the palm of your hand. All three species absolutely love them. It’s a rare day when I have decent clarity, suitable bottom grass, and a healthy population of crabs, that I do not soon encounter my target species. Now, at certain times of the year crabs can be scarce in the marsh, and I may switch over to looking for shrimp or even mullet. It’s no secret that redfish, especially, are not real picky when it comes to their groceries. Over the years I have found all manner of things inside their stomachs at the cleaning table – crabs, shrimp, mullet, occasional grasshoppers, and even plastic snack cake trays. If those copper-colored bullies are hungry and feeding, all bets are off and nothing is sacred. Now, checking off those three boxes might seem kind of simple but that’s the way I like it. Streamlining the process of finding fish is what we are all looking for, and to be able to boil it down to a few nononsense questions in my opinion is more than helpful. Not every outing will result in success and there will certainly be times that you can check off all the boxes and still not catch fish, it
Chuck fishes Sabine and Calcasieu Lakes from his home in Orange, TX. His specialties are light tackle and fly fishing for trout, reds, and flounder. Phone 409-697-6111 Email wakesndrakes@yahoo.com Website wakesndrakes.com
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STORY BY JOE RICHARD
K
ingfish are summer’s gamesters off the Texas coast, a fast-hitting racecar of a fish that can jump and run and maybe spool a reel while scorching a rookie’s thumb. This is a strong fish, but they can be caught on sporty tackle— something lighter than standard 4/0 Penn partyboat tackle, which is sturdy gear meant for controlling fish and (hopefully) not tangling other lines. Some of the best days I’ve ever seen with kingfish (when we weren’t tournament fishing) happened while using lighter tackle. Lighter being relative: not ultra-light gear, but reels like the Ambassadeur 6500 or something equivalent, packed with 20-pound line. Mounted on medium-heavy action, seven-foot rods. And dark-colored, 69-pound wire leader with a tiny black swivel. Using this type of tackle on kingfish is great for developing angling skills. It requires finesse; you’d better be quick on your toes, adjusting the drag, avoiding all obstacles before finally stopping the fish. Twenty-pound line is tough in the right hands, but these fish aren’t called “kings” for nothing. Even schoolie fish, averaging maybe 12 pounds, will make you work. And what a great bargain they are; a flashy fish and a serious fighter, followed by a fine meal afterwards. Hook a bigger king on this gear, and you’d better have the boat cranked and following that fish within 10 seconds or so, because they can easily spool a reel. If practicing catch-and-release, lighter gear does present a challenge. To avoid catching and wasting these fish, they have to be landed in a timely fashion before growing too tired to swim. Ideally unhooked and returned to the water headfirst within 20 seconds or so, because they expire quickly. If you toss one back and it sinks, that’s dinner for sharks. The best method we’ve found for landing kings without harm is to grab their hard, bony tails and lift or swing them into the boat, onto a cleared space. Eight-inch needle-nose pliers really help removing the hook, preferably a single hook with the barb mashed flat, instead of treble hooks. If done properly, releasing kingfish works and this isn’t just speculation; we’ve tagged and released several hundred Galveston kings and had interesting recaptures in faraway lands, from the Yucatan to Cape Canaveral. Keeping smaller kings, say 8-10 pounds, is great for a backyard cookout. The smaller fish are safer to eat because they carry less mercury, compared with bigger kings. We’re quite fond of round-cut, kingfish steaks on the outdoor grill, after soaking them for an hour in Italian salad dressing. Bigger kings should be released, except in a tournament situation. This year’s 40-pounder might be next year’s STAR tournament winner. One year we tagged and released a 30-pounder, and a year later friends caught it about 12 miles away. It actually won money that weekend in a Galveston tournament, which required a three-fish stringer total. It was one more example of kingfish karma.
Kingfish season is here and I’ve been thinking about memorable light tackle days over the years. Canepole Kings Ever catch a king with a canepole? Hook up with a king with only 20 feet of line on a Calcutta canepole, and “It’s just you and him,” as my Cajun friends would say. Talk about focus and attention…and hanging on for dear life. Anyway, one summer aboard one of Captain Elliot’s partyboats out of Freeport, they were using canepoles to catch kings and bonito. Schoolie kings were chummed alongside the boat, and then baited hooks dropped overboard. Each canepole took a mighty bend, sometimes halfway under the boat, as each fish went into overdrive. People screamed and hung on and somehow none of the canepoles were lost that day. It was brutal action at point-blank range. They must have been using 200-pound line that, aided by the canepole’s mighty flex, just would not break. Topwater Lures Several times while anchored over a snapper rock offshore, and chumming, we’ve had great action targeting surface kings when we switched to topwater plugs. Poppers and “walk the dog” Spooks worked well, with kings jumping all over them until one was hooked. Fighting the fish and then unhooking two treble hooks was fatal to the fish, however. When we’d boxed limits, I solved the problem by removing the hooks. From then on it was pure fun, jumping many kings up to eight feet high. If one got a solid hold of the plug, it
Members of the Churton family visiting from out of state, throwing spoons and neck-deep in kingfish off Sabine Pass. Photo by Pete Churton.
30 | June 2018
would bolt 20 or 30 yards before dropping it. Whereby more kings would jump over it. My record was four different kings grabbing that plug on a single cast. At the end, the plug was filling with water and completely fuzzy with tooth marks. (I kept it as a memento on my desk for years.) Those fish were chummed down-current with shrimpboat cull. Drift-fishing After the Gulf shrimp season starts in July. Ideally the shrimpboat you’ve picked is anchored, left its running lights on after pulling all night, and the crew is busy sorting and dumping the leftover cull, attracting all sorts of marine predators. The technique is to pull right up to the tires on the shrimp boat’s stern, peering down into the depths for ling. Your boat’s engine is cut, or left idling, while (ideally) a moderate current slowly carries you away. Toss out cigar minnows with baited hooks, let them sink deep, and wait. The strikes from kings, bonito and jacks are sudden—they just grab and run. And fighting them on 20-pound line is a workout. It can be more savage action than a summer’s worth of bay fishing. Years ago Joe Doggett and I were guests aboard Capt. Howard Horton’s boat off Galveston and that’s exactly what we did, fought those fish all day, chasing them around the boat. And we were using the same Ambassadeur 6500 reels still used today. As Doggett would say, “It was a good session.”
Throwing Spoons As mentioned before, friends of mine in Beaumont have been slinging big silver spoons with this same tackle for 35 years, catching and releasing kings up to 55 pounds. When they take out-of-state relatives offshore each summer, it’s the same deal, a pure slugfest on days when the fish are biting. They either hook their boat to platforms or drift close by them when the current is light. Their spoons go deep and cover the depths, right back to the surface. Slamming spoons into three and four-foot kingfish, The Reynolds family team Vidor’s Dale sometimes at close range, from Port Neches, about Fontenot admires a is exciting work. It should to release a big king. kingfish just landed. be noted here that working plugs, jigs or spoons back to the boat through feeding kingfish can be a little hazardous. They may jump after the lure just as you lift it from the water, traveling right into the boat or completely over it. I’ve had one land on the gunnel next to me, and I shooed it overboard with my rod butt. Also had a jumper hit me in the back of the
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neck, while I was swimming alongside the boat with a camera. That king jumped after someone’s jig about 15 feet away, flew a rainbow arc and hit me and the boat with a smack and a blinding splash. My buddies saw the incoming king and were slack-jawed. Somehow I wasn’t scratched. It pays to stay alert offshore, when dealing with kingfish. And when using lighter tackle, you’d best be on your toes. Pete Churton with a spooncaught kingfish off Sabine Pass.
David Bullock with a Port Aransas kingfish, about to be released.
JOE RICHARD
CONTACT
Joe Richard has fished the Gulf since 1967, starting out of Port Arthur, but his adventures have taken him up and down the entire coast. He was the editor of Tide magazine for eight years, and later Florida Sportsman’s book and assistant magazine editor. He began guiding out of Port O’Connor in 1994. His specialty is big kingfish, and his latest book is The Kingfish Bible, New Revelations. Available at Seafavorites.com
32 | June 2018
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J AY WAT K I N S
ASK THE PRO
LEARNING & PLAYING
THE SHELL GAME Unusually low tides following late but strong cold fronts hampered fishing for a few days this past month but, overall, fishing remains very consistent. Trout are in full spawning mode which makes it more important than ever to release upper-end fish after a quick photo. Winds continue very strong most days with 20+ SE more the norm than the exception. As spring leads into summer we will begin experiencing calmer wind overnight and during early morning. Time to play the shell game! To me, reefs are the easiest of structure types to fish. I cut my teeth on Copano’s mid-bay reefs as a young boy with my dad. You will note than many reefs lie in a crescent shape and this is created by predominate SE wind. I doubt there is a bay in Texas that does not have a reef called Half Moon, and most generally lie east to west. We also have reefs that run north and south. These were more often than not formed by dredging along the ICW, sometimes referred to as spoils or dumps. We also have spoil islands but that’s another topic for another time. I prefer reefs that allow water to be pushed around points or through guts within the reef itself. Water movement is critical and the points and guts act as funnels that direct the flow and increase velocity. Bait Derrick Jarzombek with a fat springtime trout – CPR!
44 | June 2018
presence is also an essential element in this game but remember that not all the bait the fish might be feeding on can be seen with the human eye. During strong tidal movements, shrimp and menhaden will be ushered around points and through the guts. Gamefish stage both up-current and down-current of these structure features, lurking along the current seam for forage to be delivered to them. Gulls, terns and pelicans working over these features often provide clues for anglers to key on when bait is not otherwise visible. I have reefs in several bay systems that I fish ONLY when birds are present, and others where I wade and work obvious ambush points ONLY when I see bait active on the surface. As mentioned earlier, I grew up fishing mostly reefs and mostly during the summer months. My dad was a high-school athletics coach and summer was when he had the most spare time. My neighbors, Mr. and Mrs. Edwards, had a small skiff that we would use occasionally to wade the shallow reefs in Copano. I remember the mullet being stacked on top of the reefs when trout were present and no mullet when the trout were not there. Years later, Don and Donnie Frels and I would fish these same reefs and the same was true. Mullet stacked on top of the shell…trout present. No mullet…no trout. It’s still that way 35 years later on the very same reefs. I have not put much effort into reef fishing since Harvey but expect considerable changes in reef configuration in Copano, Mission, and St. Charles as those bays were in the direct path of the storm. I do know that major reshaping occurred in Carlos and Mesquite bays – and very much for the better as far as catching is concerned. Sharper drop-offs along reef edges, deeper passes between reefs, and new washouts within the reefs are clearly evident. The sharper edges and washouts seem to be the most attractive ambush points for gamefish. Cedar Reef and Ayers reefs now have significant washouts that form points extending into deeper water. These points were formed by shell swept from the reef and deposited at the ends of the reefs, which left corresponding low spots where water now flows through. Terrific ambush points all for trout and redfish, I might add. The magnitude of Harvey’s tidal surge added muchneeded contour to many of the reefs in this area, and it is the contour that directs the amount of water and velocity of that water that so dramatically improves the fishing. During the summer months I look continuously for strong
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TSFMAG.com | 45
water movement that will improve my odds of catching fish in elevated water temperatures. I also want to talk about a pattern I have mentioned in the past but deserves mention again when fishing mid-bay reefs located in proximity to the ICW and other major channels. The key to this summertime pattern is the displacement of water created by barge and ship traffic. I call it manmade tide. Current is current no matter the source, and days without strong natural tide movement can be especially challenging. Reefs and spoils create structure where fish will congregate but we need water movement for them to feed, and this is where manmade tide enters the picture. Many have been the days when wading an ICW spoil reef that we received no bites until a barge passed and triggered a brief feeding flurry. Once the line where the fish are holding has been established we would continue to catch a few here and there until the next barge came by and gave us another flurry. I have actually made a practice of picking up when the flurry ceased and motoring ahead of the barge, setting up before it arrived on the next spoil reef in its path. I know this might sound farfetched but it works. The same is true on the Ship Channel spoils in Corpus Christi Bay. However, ships are a totally different animal. One must make certain that the boat is positioned in an area where large waves created by the ship’s displacement will not swamp or leave your boat high and dry. I have had both occur in early years and was lucky to learn quickly
without anything too serious happening. I remember bailing water from my old Majek one day years ago with a large Dallas Cowboys plastic cup while my guys continued to fish. Close call for sure. I like to anchor on the protected side of the reef. Try placing your Power Pole or anchor where the shell is mixed with sand or mud for better holding capability. Leaving the boat on the Power Pole alone works in many situations but deploying a Danforth or similar anchor WITH the Power Pole is even better. Should your boat ever get loose while fishing a reef or spoil area; NEVER attempt to swim after it. Worst case scenario: Boats can be replaced but you are too valuable to your family and friends to take the risk! I like to walk off the reef where there is less shell on the bottom. Fish can definitely feel and/or hear you coming if you’re walking on shell. My dad called this, “crunching them off” and I use it frequently when teaching clients the finer points of wadefishing reefs. You also want to give the reef a chance to settle once you’ve pulled up and gotten into the water. I think it may take as much as 20- to 30-minutes for the inhabitants of the reef to settle down and resume normal activity, especially feeding. Drifting in quietly and setting anchor or Power Pole off the shell can reduce the time required for the reef to settle. Allow the bite to develop around you by wading slowly and fishing with purpose. Do these things during the summer months when fishing your favorite mid-bay reef and I‘ll bet you’ll see some improvements in not only numbers but also the size of the fish you catch. May your fishing always be catching! -Guide Jay Watkins
C O N TA C T
T.W. Hedfelt – 11-pound-plus – CPR!
Paul Jarzombek solid speck – CPR!
46 | June 2018
Jay Watkins has been a full-time fishing guide at Rockport, TX, for more than 20 years. Jay specializes in wading yearround for trout and redfish with artificial lures. Jay covers the Texas coast from San Antonio Bay to Corpus Christi Bay. Telephone Email Website
361-729-9596 Jay@jaywatkins.com www.jaywatkins.com
TSFMAG.com | 47
Small bonefish flies can be effective when the reds are feeding on micro shrimp.
C A P T. S COT T N U L L
S H A L L O W W AT E R F I S H I N G
READING SUBTLE SIGNS I’m a pretty simple guy when it comes to what I typically throw to redfish. I’ve seen all sorts of things in their stomachs over the years and often refer to them as the garbage disposals of the flats. During teal season I cleaned one that had a shotgun hull in his belly. I know lure manufacturers don’t want to see this, but most days I don’t think it really matters what color or shape the lure is. From my position atop the poling platform I’ve watched thousands of redfish eat and honestly it is more about location and movement. A cast that puts the lure or fly in their feeding zone and then retrieved in a way that appears somewhat natural will generally get eaten. My typical lure box for a day of chasing redfish will have
Match the hatch with small crab flies.
48 | June 2018
some topwater plugs, weedless gold spoons, a couple different sizes of paddletail plastics rigged weedless and some DOA shrimp. Color-wise, it doesn’t look like a box of Crayolas. Most will be in somewhat natural colors with the exception of some of the paddletails having a chartreuse tail. If I were in a position where I had to live off of what I caught and could only have one lure, it’d be a three to four-inch paddletail with a dark-colored back, lightcolored belly and a chartreuse tail rigged on a weedless eighth-ounce hook. For the life of me I don’t know what that tail looks like to a fish, but it works. As for flies, I’ve got my go-to Redfish Crack fly tied in a couple different colors and sizes. It has all the attributes that make a fly work. It pushes water, has contrast, and the tail moves with the slightest twitch. It’s a simple fly to tie and it works. If conditions allow, I’ll throw a popper in there too; not because it is more effective, but because they’re fun. I think some of my customers are disappointed when they peak into my arsenal and it looks so…well, blah. It isn’t real sexy, but it gets the job done. Except when it doesn’t. Of course, there are days when the fish just aren’t eating for one reason or another. Maybe they had a huge feed on a hard-falling tide the day before. Perhaps there was a serious drop in temperature that has them a little stunned.
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C O N TA C T
I’ve seen them get really lethargic norther and pulling water out of the DOA now offers a smaller shrimp that is worth a shot when when the water gets extremely hot pipe from a brackish marsh. That you find the reds digging small shrimp out of the grass. and oxygen levels drop. When they water carried with it a cloud of tiny get like this all you can do is keep shad, so tiny that they looked more banging on them and hope you can like glitter than baitfish. The reds irritate one into eating. Sometimes were just slashing through the clouds these days just turn into sight-casting for a mouthful and not targeting practice and it doesn’t matter what individuals. We threw everything you throw at them. Thank goodness in the boat at them without much it doesn’t happen very often. luck. As far as we could tell there Then there are days when you can was no way to duplicate a really see really active reds feeding but large ball of pinhead-size shad and can’t buy a bite. These are the days we left defeated. that can drive you nuts and lead to I’ve had this same scenario crop up a pile of lures stacked on the dash. in the past, but the bait was slightly Most often these situations occur larger, about the size of a dime. In because the reds are keyed in on a those situations, I absolutely wore very specific prey. You can change them out throwing a bass-style colors, lures and flies all you want, spinnerbait with a white rubber skirt. but if you don’t figure out what I guess it was a reasonable enough they’re feeding on it won’t matter. imitation of a small school to get This tends to happen most often them to eat. I’ve also had luck with in the spring when there are sudden a small spoonfly allowed to flutter flushes of a certain food source due down as if wounded. to a large hatch but can occur any One other situation to be aware Small flies don’t time of the year. When there is an of is a crab hatch. I haven’t had it always lead to over-abundance of a certain prey happen yet this year, but it likely will small fish but... the fish will key on that and ignore at some point. There will be a time everything else. Fly guys on the rivers when the reds are slowly cruising the Charlie Parker with a always talk of “matching the hatch” edges of the marsh grass as singles solid sight-casted red. and it is crucial to their success. or maybe a loose group of three or Just recently I’ve run into a couple four. They’re active but there’s no situations where there was a need to obvious signs of feeding other than match the hatch. One worked out, occasionally poking at the bottom or one didn’t. mud banks. They’ll appear to be easy I pulled onto a glassy-smooth targets yet refuse to eat the typical grass flat at daybreak and lures or flies. If you run across this, try immediately spotted a line of reds throwing a small crab fly way in front pushing the shoreline toward us. My of their path and slowly crawl it in customer hopped up on the bow and front of them. I poled the boat into position. The I figured that scenario out years reds kept coming. We could see them ago after finally catching a single fish making short dashes and kicking through three frustrating days. Even up small splashes. Everything was though I couldn’t detect any feeding perfect…until it wasn’t. Three good activity, this dude’s belly was bulging. casts to the front of the pack went totally untouched. I swear it looked I kept that sucker for dinner and checked his stomach to find it stuffed like they parted to go around the fly. No problem. There was another full of nothing but very small crabs. It pays to watch what’s going on school of tailers not far away. Same results. around you all the time, but particularly when the fishing gets tough. Well on about the fourth school I saw the problem. There were what Sometimes it’s a really subtle clue like a micro-sized shrimp jumping. I would call micro-shrimp jumping out of the water ahead of the fish. Then again, it might be a belly jammed full of tiny crabs. They were keyed in on those and wanted nothing else. I keep a box of tiny bonefish flies for these situations. A size 8 Crazy Charlie was the Capt. Scott Null is a devout shallow water fisherman offering ticket to a damn good day. Had we been throwing conventional gear it guided adventues via kayak, poled skiff, and wading. would’ve been tough to match the size, but one of the new 2.75” DOA Telephone 281-450-2206 shrimp in Near Clear or Gold Glitter would’ve been worth a shot. Email captscottnull@gmail.com The other situation occurred when a friend and I found a bunch Website www.captainscottnull.com of reds feeding at the mouth of a culvert. The tide was falling with a 50 | June 2018
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B y To m W a g n e r | B i o l o g i s t | R o c k p o r t M a r i n e L a b
FIELD NOTES
WHO’S THAT LADY? Have you ever cast out into the flats or surf, felt a hard tug followed by a thrashing of water, seen a shiny flash breaking the surface, and felt your heart begin to pound in anticipation of a fight with a tarpon? You may have just hooked the tarpon’s less glamorous cousin, the poor man’s tarpon or ladyfish. But there is not much about this fish that is lady-like…expect blistering runs, aerial displays, and a “never say die” attitude while on the end of your line. The ladyfish (Elops saurus, Figure 1), a common species found in Texas bays, passes, and the nearshore Gulf, are commonly known as skipjack, horse mackerel or
tenpounders. Kin to the more popular gamefish tarpon (Megalops atlanticus), these two species belong to the Order Elopiformes, and Families Elopidae (tenpounders) and Megalopidae (tarpons). The origin of the Latin name Elops saurus comes from the Greek words ‘ellops’ (a kind of serpent) and ‘sauros’ (lizard). Ladyfish, a saltwater and brackish water species, range from the North Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean Sea, to the Atlantic coast off Brazil, and Fiji in the South Pacific. Off the Texas coast, the females spawn in the Gulf during the spring, the eggs develop into a unique larval form known as ‘leptocephali’, and the adults can reach a maximum length of almost three feet. Present in coastal waters yearround, their greatest abundance occurs in late spring to early fall. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) Coastal Fisheries Division monitors ladyfish abundance through gill-net surveys in spring and fall, and angler harvest via year-round creel surveys at area boat ramps. Gill-net data show the greatest abundance on the lower coast, with Corpus Christi Bay (23%), lower Laguna Madre (20%), and upper Laguna Madre (16%) comprising nearly 60% of all ladyfish caught from 2000-2016 (Figure 2). Gill net catches have increased 252% coastwide through 2016, with Galveston Bay (4,225%), Matagorda Bay (481%) and upper Laguna Madre (431%) showing the greatest increases. Abundance of ladyfish since 2000 has increased in all major bay systems on the Texas coast except Sabine Lake. Recreational angler harvest of ladyfish has increased 344% from 2000-2016 (Figure 3), with the upper Laguna Madre (867%), San Antonio Bay (533%), Aransas Bay (500%) and Galveston Bay (480%) showing the greatest increases. Ladyfish caught from the upper Figure 1. Ladyfish Laguna Madre (29%), Aransas Bay (TPWD/Chase Fountain). 14%), Galveston Bay 13%) and lower Laguna Madre (13%) account for
52 | June 2018
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nearly 68% of coastwide catch by number. Ladyfish are not desirable as table fare, but provide great sport, and make excellent cut bait for red drum, sharks, and stingrays. They school in large numbers in the surf during the summer and fall, and are often caught under “working” birds. Despite their aerial acrobatics, ladyfish often frustrate trout and redfish anglers, as demonstrated by the following comments from fishing blogs: “The best way to catch a skipjack is to go fish somewhere and try to catch trout and reds.” “These fish should be used for fertilizer; I can’t stand ‘em!” Love them or hate them, more and more anglers are recognizing their value as cut bait for other species. During our angler surveys at boat ramps, TPWD staff have noted that it is fairly common to observe a cut up ladyfish alongside a limit of red drum in anglers’ coolers, evidence that anglers are taking advantage of ladyfish as red drum bait. The current state record for ladyfish is 5.70 pounds, 28.75 inches, caught in Aransas Bay in 2008 using live shrimp. Water body records are in place for most Texas bays and the Gulf of Mexico, although there are several fly fishing, bowfishing, catch and release, and junior angler categories with no current listing for ladyfish. TPWD certification methods for state and other records can be found at http://tpwd.texas. gov/fishboat/fish/programs/ fishrecords/categories.phtml. Next month Galveston Bay biologist Glen Sutton will discuss blue crab biology.
Check the TPWD Outdoor Annual, your local TPWD Law Enforcement office, or tpwd. texas.gov for more info. 54 | June 2018
Figure 2. Gill net catches of ladyfish by bay and year from 2000 through 2016.
Figure 3. Sport-boat landings by bay and year from 2000-2016.
TSFMAG.com | 55
S C O T T S O M M E R L AT T E
F LY F I S H I N G
“YOU GOTTA BE FRICKIN’ KIDDING ME!” Every now and then, when you do what I do, something really frickin’ cool happens. So, in this month’s column I’m gonna tell a story that I find pretty amazing. Now, before getting into the story, I need to set the stage. There are certain rules within the guiding community. You will not find them written anywhere but they are nonetheless essential to your success and your reputation. You don’t poach other guide’s customers. You don’t poach other guide’s fishing spots. And, should the opportunity or need for either ever arise – you ask permission, not forgiveness. It’s that simple! However, if you and another guide happen to be very good friends, you might sometimes share customers and spots. Fellow guide and longtime friend, Wright Taylor, and I have such an arrangement as regards a gentleman by name of Fred Kahn. Fred books fishing trips with both of us. And when I refer to Fred as a gentleman I am understating the facts. He is truly a great guy. On with the story... So, one day I’m fishing a client in a well-known tarpon 56 | June 2018
hole, call it a “public” spot. Despite the angling pressure the spot receives it still holds a lot of fish. We worked them over pretty good, jumping a couple and boating one. The next day, knowing I was booked for a snook trip, I mentioned to Wright that he might take a look at it, doubting he would, given that it’s such a public fishing spot. All the same, I thought he would like to know. At the end of the next day, arriving back to the dock and cell phone service, I was feeling proud of our snook success when my phone dinged. It was from Wright: I think I broke Fred. My reply: ??? I waited several minutes. Dying to know the story I decided to dial Wright. Turns out – Wright and Fred were fishing that same day and things started off pretty good but shortly went downhill. Not wanting to give up, Wright decided to check the tarpon spot, knowing I was snook fishing and wouldn’t be there. Upon arrival, it was apparent the fish were still there and very happy. It didn’t take long before Fred was hooked up. Boating the fish, Wright was back on the
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58 | June 2018
distant, shadowy pocket. It took a while but we got there and I said, “Okay Fred, I have seen a thirty to fifty pounder roll in this corner twice...give me a couple casts up in there. Start on the left side and work right.” First cast nothing. Second cast nothing. Third cast – snot gobbled by 90 pounds of raging silver! “I’m guessing I need to have my eyes checked,” I said jokingly. We both laughed as the Mako screamed, the Helios flexed and the SA line stretched. We leadered the fish and relaxed into the boat knowing that we (Fred, Wright, and I) had just lived one of the coolest stories in the history of fly-fishing. Now, one final thought. For years I have preached that you get what you are willing to pay for. I am a big fan of Tibor reels, G Loomis rods and Scientific Angler lines. The Tibor and Loomis thing are very personal choices based on quality and reliability but most of all, longtime relationships and friendships. In regard to the Scientific Angler thing, I have said for years that they are, in my opinion, the most durable fly lines made. In the story I just told you all, the one thing I omitted was how well the rod, reel, and line held up after being dragged a half-mile through mud and oysters, not to mention having been underwater two days. We never realized how cut up the line was until we landed Fred’s 90 pounder. And, here’s the takeaway: You simply cannot beat a quality product – no matter what name is on it.
C O N TA C T
platform and spotted another laid-up fish and Fred’s cast landed in the zone. Bingo – tarpon number two was in the air. This is when things got crazy. Not having been there I cannot tell you for sure what happened. However, as I understand it, Fred had a solid hookup and the tarpon made it onto the reel pretty fast and was heading for the horizon. While a fish is making a long run is the best time to step down from the casting platform, or in Fred’s case, misstep. Kaboom! Fred was on his back in the cockpit of Wright’s skiff. Wright was off the poling platform in a flash to check on Fred and they were both in dismay as they watched Fred’s Helios 2 rod and Mako reel skiing across the surface of the water behind a greyhounding tarpon. Now, if you’re up to speed on fly tackle, you already know that an Orvis Helios 2 is a premium rod with a hefty price tag. But not nearly as pricey as the Mako reel that was attached to it. Fast forward a couple of days and I am in the same spot but about a half-mile further in. I had just finished telling my customers the Fred story when I saw a high-floating poon. The guy on the bow made a good cast. It followed, ate the fly, and was in the air. At the end of the fight I was crouched at the port gunwale to land the fish. With the leader in hand I asked if all was good and the client said yes. Wrapping the leader around my gloved hand I gave a good, hard yank. The leader parted and I rose to begin the search for tarpon number two of the day. But, doing so I noticed something in the water. “You have got to be frickin’ kidding me,” I exclaimed; although frickin’ was not the expletive I chose. LOL! Taking hold of a Scientific Anglers Grand Slam fly line, the first thing I pulled up was a purple and black tarpon fly and the next was…you guessed it…a nearly $3000 fly outfit. Piling the mess on the deck, I immediately snapped a photo and sent it via text message to Fred and Wright. The caption read: Laws off international salvage apply here. “You have to be frickin’ kidding me,” Wright replied. But, like me, he didn’t say frickin’. If you didn’t already know, fishing guides tend to have sailor’s mouths. So, if this wasn’t a cool enough story already, I got a call from Fred asking if I had any open dates before he left to go home. I had one planned and very much needed day off but, considering what had just happened I couldn’t say no. We met before sunrise three days later and we were off to our first spot of the day. Upon arriving there we found three or four lazily rolling tarpon along a shoreline, so I rigged his “special” outfit with a new leader and fly and started poling. Shortly after climbing onto the platform I saw a fish roll in a
Scott Sommerlatte is a full time fly fishing and light tackle guide, freelance writer and photographer. Telephone Email Website
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DAV E R O B E R T S
K AYA K F I S H I N G C H R O N I C L E S
EXPLORING NEW WATER One of my favorite things about kayaking is that there is almost always a place to launch. No matter where you may be, finding a place to put your kayak in is just as easy as it is to load it up. Through this option alone there is no shortage of places an angler can explore. Now, I will be the first to say, I do tend to get stuck in that old comfort rut and will typically fish my go-to spots. I guess it’s human nature to rely on the knowledge that you can go to a trusted spot and find fish. However, it is also refreshing and challenging to venture away and try something new. So, when that itch for adventure needs scratched, I’m all about getting out of my typical routine and changing things up a bit. Doing so will challenge you as an angler by making you go out and find fish, no matter what the area may be. One of the other benefits to this is if you find a few fish, you then have new spot to add to your repertoire! The first thing that needs to happen when wanting to explore a new area is identifying the general location. Two things to be considered before you take off to the new spot – where will you launch and how might you 60 | June 2018
configure a route to allow fishing in multiple locations along that route. One of the best tools an angler can use for this is Google Maps. This is a must-have and will make finding new areas super easy. The good thing about Google Maps is you can use it on your computer or you can download the app on any smartphone. Make sure you get “Maps” and not “Earth.” When it comes to finding a new launch point, the “street view” option is a really cool aspect that I use often. Street view is almost as good as being there in terms of sizing up parking space available and the general surroundings. I always try to determine how much shoulder is on the side of the road for you to safely park, whether there might be a fence or gate blocking the way, or any other obstruction that may prevent you from launching. These are good things to know before making a long drive to an unknown area and then having to turn around because you are blocked by a gate. It is also a great tool for determining the general safety of the area. Nobody wants their truck or SUV burglarized or vandalized while they’re fishing! So, once you find your launch location, it’s time to
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62 | June 2018
C O N TA C T
figure out where you want to fish. Everyone has different styles of fishing but I will give my two cents on what I like to look for. I personally like to look for bayous coming off of main lakes or other major channels that lead back into ponds or flats. I also like to look for ponds that have a single entrance; the narrower the better. In my opinion, I believe that these ponds tend to have resident fish in them, meaning they don’t swim in and out of them daily. I also like them because they can be overlooked by other anglers, which often means there will be less pressure on them. On top of that, I believe they will retain rain water better than other ponds that have more tidal influence, which will tend to allow aquatic vegetation to grow faster. Another trick that I have learned throughout the years is looking up information about the area. One of the best places to do this is on the Texas Kayak Fisherman forum. There are years of forum topics about every kayakrelated fishing spot in Texas. You can go to the search bar and look into the archives and read about the area before making the trip out there. There is a lot of good information on TKF. Now that I have an area picked out with a solid game plan, it’s time to execute. I will usually have a good array of lures tied on, mostly because I am not sure what I am going to get into. Typically, I will have a popping cork rig, a gold spoon, and a KWiggler rigged on a 1/4-ounce jighead. A little bit of everything for fishing a bayou, main lake, or shallow flats. When I arrive to a new spot, there are three things that I look for and I believe they are all “must haves” if the area will hold fish: good tidal flow, structure (reefs, grass, etc.) and a generally healthy habitat. If these three things exist, then I believe it is worth fishing and putting a little time into exploring the potential of the area. Also, what I mean by healthy habitat is that the area has plenty of bait, a number of shorebirds, seagulls, terns, and other wildlife. If it will sustain life above the water, then it will surely sustain life below! When I fish these areas, I like to hit the points of the bayous and also on the backside of the bend as these places tend to be deeper and can hold some good fish in the right area. I also like to fish guts and potholes that lie within the flats, especially the windblown ones. Other than that, I try to hit as much area as I can until I pick up a few fish and perhaps put a pattern on them. The whole time that I am blind-casting though, I am keeping an eye out further ahead and looking for pushing fish, scattering bait, tailing reds and any sign of life. This can be a productive method when it comes to finding fish in unknown waters. The major challenge found when fishing a new area is the uncertainty of it. It’s a gamble, but to me, that’s what draws me to these places. You just never know what you may find. It could be barren water or you just might stumble upon a redfish mecca. Regardless, you get to spend the day on the water fishing something different and if it doesn’t pay off, no worries. Just go back to the map, pick another spot, and keep exploring.
Dave Roberts is an avid kayak-fishing enthusiast fishing primarily the inshore Upper Coast region with occasional adventures to surf and nearshore Gulf of Mexico. Email: TexasKayakChronicles@yahoo.com Website: www.TexasKayakChronicles.com
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Snapper congregated on oil rig converted to artificial reef.
Story by Shane Bonnot
T S F M A G C O N S E R VAT I O N N E W S
RECREATIONAL SNAPPER SEASON LONGEST IN YEARS Last September, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), a branch of the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), informed the five Gulf States of its willingness to follow U.S. Senate Report 114-239 in the 2017 Consolidated Appropriations Act, which directed NOAA to “develop and support a fishery management pilot program that allows states to lead reef fish management activities in designated zones over artificial reefs in the Gulf of Mexico, specifically
red snapper.” One way to gather data for such a “pilot program” is the use of an Exempted Fishing Permit (EFP), which is generally used for conducting research, data collection and fishing-related activities otherwise prohibited by federal regulations. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) responded to this request with an EFP application seeking exemption from the federal season to test data collection and quota monitoring methodologies during 2018 and 2019. Under
Red snapper hanging on still-active oil well structure in western Gulf of Mexico.
64 | June 2018
the EFP, recreational anglers fishing from private vessels will have an 82-day season in federal waters and a 365day season in state waters off the coast of Texas in 2018, beginning June 1. Charter for-hire (CFH) vessels were not included in the final version of the EFP, therefore recreational anglers fishing on a charter trip will only have a 51-day season in federal waters. The removal of the CFH from the EFP was not the desire of TPWD nor that of the public. Texas anglers dominated the public comment period on the Federal Register, accounting for 47.1% of nearly 1,700 comments received. A total of 98.8% of the individuals from Texas who commented were in favor of keeping the CFH in the EFP. Despite this overwhelming majority, NMFS once again ignored the voice of the recreational angler and forced Texas and Louisiana to remove the CFH from their plans, a move that segregates the recreational fishery. The EFP will allow TPWD the opportunity to demonstrate they have the ability to effectively manage the recreational red snapper fishery by using current data collection methods such as the Texas Marine Sport Harvest Monitoring Program (TMSHMP), and incorporating new self-reporting tools such as iSnapper. Under this EFP they can utilize these tools to make management decisions to stay within the quota by closing the season when the quota is met, and they have the flexibility to propose red snapper season dates that are generally more suitable for offshore navigation and/or in conjunction with historical high-use dates. If the assigned quota for 2018 is exceeded, TPWD can make necessary adjustments in red snapper regulations in 2019 to account for the overage. If utilized properly, the EFP should serve as a model for the Gulf of Mexico Fisheries Management Council in the development of the more comprehensive state management amendments that will hopefully give states permanent authority over all aspects of the fishery off their coasts. How Can You Help? All recreational anglers are encouraged to be active conservationists by participating in dock-side TMSHMP creel surveys, utilizing the iSnapper app to report snapper landings, and practicing safe catch and release with descending devices. TMSHMP Creel Surveys You can help TPWD estimate sport fisheries abundance and harvest pressure simply by answering a few questions when approached by TPWD staff at your local marina or boat ramp. Creel surveys are conducted throughout the year from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm at specified boat-access sites along the entire Texas coast. In attempts to increase and refine the data collection efforts from offshore anglers, TPWD has increased the samplings at Gulf launch sites by 300 percent. A typical creel survey includes questions relating to the fishing trip and counts/ measurements of the catch as quickly as is practical. In addition, one randomly selected angler from each fishing party will be asked about the species of fish sought and the level of satisfaction with the trip. iSnapper Good data in, good data out. With more accurate data, buffers that
Young angler shows off a great eatingsize red snapper.
are incorporated into the recreational catch projections could be reduced, ultimately providing a greater amount of fish to be harvested over a longer season. The iSnapper mobile app is a user-friendly tool available to anyone with a smart phone. CCA Texas encourages all recreational anglers to download the app and use it to help improve red snapper management by providing scientists with the best data available. With the app you can log catches and trips, save favorite fishing photos, get a local weather report, generate trip statistics and share updates on social media. TPWD will use the data from iSnapper in conjunction with their established fisheries data collection methods to estimate harvest rates and, if necessary, when to close the recreational season and avoid going over the quota. Barotrauma and Descending Devices Catch and release mortality of red snapper is highly dependent upon the depth from which the fish was landed. As fish are reeled to the surface, gases in the swim bladder expand because the pressure decreases. Fish brought to the surface from any depth greater than 90 feet can exhibit symptoms of barotrauma such as expanded abdomen, bulging eyes and the stomach protruding from the mouth. The gas expansion also increases buoyancy, which can make the fish an easy target for predators. A simple and effective method to decrease mortality involves the use of a descender device, which will rapidly descend the fish back to a prescribed depth on a weighted line to recompress the swim bladder, alleviate barotrauma symptoms without having to vent the fish, and minimize predator interactions at the water’s surface. The device can be a weighted hook, lip clamp or box that will hold the fish while it is lowered to depth. It will either release the fish automatically, release the fish by actions of the operator of the device, or will allow the fish to escape on its own. Since minimizing surface time is critical to increasing survival, descending devices should be rigged and ready for use while fishing is occurring. One of the more popular devices on the market is called the SeaQualizer, which can be purchased online for approximately $60. Descending devices are an excellent conservation tool that are scientifically proven to minimize discard mortality, which can ultimately result in increased allocations (longer seasons) for recreational anglers. TSFMAG.com | 65
Photo by Justin Pawlik.
STEPHANIE BOYD
F I S H Y FA C T S
RED SNAPPER Red snapper are a well-known fish along the Gulf Coast, easily recognized by their rosy red complexion, classical almond body shape, and red eyes. Although they closely resemble the blackfin snapper, the red snapper lacks the distinctive black spot on the pectoral fins of the blackfin. Small red snapper also resemble lane snapper; however, lane snapper sport narrow yellow stripes that run the length of the fish and have a rounded anal fin instead of the red’s angular one. Juvenile red snapper sometimes exhibit stripes, but they tend to be in the bluish spectrum. The preferred habitat of this species changes as they age. Juvenile red snapper are widely distributed over areas of open benthic habitat. Near one year of age, they migrate to intermediate-relief habitats, and then on to high-relief reefs the next year. Around artificial reefs, the fish are segregated by size, with the smallest spending time in the upper water column and the larger, more mature, fish in the deeper areas. Though they can be found in schools close to the ocean floor on rocky outcrops, ledges, artificial reefs, etc., at depths up to 620 feet, the larger fish typically don’t allow smaller individuals to share this territory. Red snappers are a mix of active and ambush predator styles and eat just about anything smaller than them. The snapper group gets its common name from their ambush hunting style. The fish will wait motionless until prey comes within striking distance, then snap its jaws shut on the unsuspecting meal. The mouth is densely packed with 66 | June 2018
short, sharp, needle-like teeth (called villiform teeth) and also features several canines – characteristic of all snappers, though red snappers have somewhat smaller upper canines than others like the mutton, dog, and mangrove – which are ideal for tearing smaller fish apart. Food habits vary by age and season. Juveniles consume mainly zooplankton. As they mature, their diet switches to larger prey, such as shrimp, squid, and octopus. Fish are always on the menu for adults, but crabs are most common in the spring, and mantis shrimps in the winter. They also have daily feeding patterns, preferring to hunt in the very early morning hours. In their preferred habitats, red snapper are one of the top predators, but adults are eaten by sharks, larger bony fish, and marine mammals, and juveniles are prey for a wide variety of creatures. All snapper are oviparous, meaning they lay eggs to reproduce. Spawning in the Gulf of Mexico extends from April through September, with peak spawning occurring in June through August in our neck of the woods. Red snapper reproduce via broadcast spawning, meaning females and males release their eggs and sperm, respectively, simultaneously into the water column above the seafloor, typically in depths of 60-120 feet over flat sand bottom. This method decreases predation of fertilized eggs near the seafloor as the eggs are relatively quickly carried away by currents. Individual fish may spawn several times during a season, and females may produce over 9 million
Your Catch Counts!
Report your Red
Snapper Landings
Get involved. Help manage the red snapper fishery for future generations.
At the end of each day’s trip, parties that land red snapper are strongly encouraged to report their landings via a mobile app or online. It’s fast, simple and easy!
load n w o D pp the a ! today
Download the free app at
www.iSnapper.org or report online at iSnapperonline.org Each submittal is important to the management of the red snapper fishery off Texas shores and beyond.
Anglers fishing from party boats are exempt as the captain reports for you.
FOR INFO ABOUT THE REPORTING PROGRAM Harte Research Institute iSnapper@sportfishresearch.org www.sportfishresearch.org
FOR INFO ON THE RED SNAPPER FISHERY TPWD Coastal Fisheries cfish@tpwd.texas.gov TSFMAG.com | 67 www.tpwd.texas.gov
eggs during a single spawning event. Fertilized eggs float and hatch in roughly a day. Larvae are planktonic and float around for about a month before settling out of the water column. Young snapper can reach eight inches in their first year, then typically grow about four inches per year after that. Sexual maturity is reached between two and five years, between twelve and sixteen inches. However, they won’t reach full reproductive maturity until after ten years of age. Red snapper off the coast of Texas have been observed to reach maturity faster and at a smaller size than populations off the Louisiana and Alabama coasts. They can weigh up to fifty pounds and live up to fifty years. Red snapper are one of the most sought-after offshore fish. They are caught recreationally from reefs, rigs, and banks along the entire Texas coast and are highly prized table fare. Though rare, there have been reports of ciguatera poisoning from consumption of red snapper. Ciguatera toxin is produced by dinoflagellates and concentrates in fish that ingest the dinoflagellates (or fish that eat the fish that have ingested the dinoflagellates, as would be the case with snapper). Possibly of more concern, genetic studies have shown that many fish sold as red snapper in the USA are not actually Lutjanus campechanus. In 2015, the Congressional Research Service (a legislative branch agency within the Library of Congress), reported that 77 percent of red snapper being served in the country was not red snapper at all – Pacific rockfish and tilapia being the most common counterfeits. Additionally, red snapper doesn’t retail for cheap, meaning that most diners around the country are shelling out big bucks for a fake. Because they are such a popular menu item, red snapper conservation and regulation is highly contentious. Lutjanus campechanus is currently classified as Vulnerable by the IUCN Red List, due to the population being subjected to heavy exploitation by both recreational and commercial fisheries throughout its range. The shrimping industry has also had an impact on snapper populations due to by-catch of juveniles in shrimp trawls. This has been a source of conflict between shrimpers and snapper fisheries. The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council implemented a Reef Fish Fishery Management Plan in 1984 to rebuild declining reef fish stocks, including red snapper. The red snapper portion of the program aims to restore the stock by 2032. The population is recovering rapidly, and anglers are seeing increasing numbers of red snapper. Anecdotal and stock assessment reports both indicate higher abundances of snapper, yet season lengths are repeatedly reduced. This has led to heated conflicts, particularly between recreational anglers and federal regulation setters. But here’s the explanation: the somewhat unpredictable recreational catch rates force managers to build in large buffers to prevent overfishing. Even so, the recreational quota has been greatly exceeded in eight of the last ten years. When that happens, fishery managers are supposed to subtract the overages from the next year’s quota, leading to shorter seasons in order to give the population a chance to rebound. And we’re behind in our ‘paybacks.’ Additionally, the extended federal season in 2017 (39 extra weekend and holiday days) has possibly delayed the red snapper’s target recovery up to six years, from 2032 to 2038. The good news is you can help improve the season length and alleviate some of the controversy by providing much-needed recreational catch data. The Marine Recreational Information Program (MRIP) has made significant improvements to the recreational data reporting process, but there is still a need for timely in-season and real-time data collection. With more accurate data, those buffers created to reduce the risk of overfishing could be scaled down or even eliminated, resulting 68 | June 2018
in more fish to be harvested and more days in the season. A good way (maybe the best way) to do this is to download the iSnapper mobile app. It works in combination with current MRIP data collection to provide rapid in-season (and out-of-season) catch information that would otherwise be impossible. In addition to catch statistics, iSnapper will generate data for parameters that are typically difficult to collect (like fish discard rates, depths fished, etc.) to optimize the fishery’s full potential. Citizen science apps like iSnapper – that can generate real-time, validated, and usable data – are a great tool for people wanting to preserve access to important fisheries, like the red snapper, for years to come. Where I learned about red snapper, and you can too! Texas Parks & Wildlife Department tpwd.texas.gov/huntwild/wild/species/redsnapper/ tpwd.texas.gov/apps/ apps.tpwd.state.tx.us/snapper/ IUCN Red List www.iucnredlist.org/details/194365/0 Florida Museum of Natural Sciences www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/fish/discover/species-profiles/lutjanus-campechanus/ Louisiana Fisheries www.seagrantfish.lsu.edu/biological/snapper/redsnapper.htm Texas Marine Species txmarspecies.tamug.edu/fishdetails.cfm?scinameID=Lutjanus%20campechanus World Register of Marine Species www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=159795 Center for Sportsfish Science & Conservation sportfishcenter.org/research/projects/isnapper International Game Fish Association wrec.igfa.org/WRecordsList.aspx?lc=AllTackle&cn=Snapper,%20red FishBase www.fishbase.org/summary/1423 Encyclopedia of Life eol.org/pages/216388/overview Animal Diversity Web animaldiversity.org/accounts/Lutjanus_campechanus/classification/ Mexico Beach Artificial Reef Association www.mbara.org/pdf/2009%20Red%20Snapper%20Pertoleum%20Platforms%20 and%20Artficial%20Reefs.pdf Ocean Conservancy oceanconservancy.org/blog/2013/05/20/10-key-facts-about-red-snapper/ Oceana oceana.org/marine-life/ocean-fishes/northern-red-snapper Science Magazine www.sciencemag.org/news/2017/12/extending-red-snapper-season-might-havebroken-us-law National Fishing Association blog.nationalfishingassociation.com/tag/red-snapper-facts/ Pew Charitable Trusts www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/blogs/compass-points/2017/06/23/gulfof-mexico-red-snapper-may-be-headed-for-deep-trouble
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CURTISS CASH
I N S H O R E | N E A R S H O R E | J E T T I E S | PA S S E S
OFFSHORE SEASON KICKS OFF The big story this month is definitely red snapper. TPWD has announced a projected 82-day federal water season for private recreational anglers. The season is set to open on June 1 and run through August 21. The projection is based on National Marine Fisheries Service’s allocation of red snapper to the recreational side of the fishery and harvest estimates. Should it be determined (see also – guessed) that recreational anglers have achieved their quota before August 21, the season could be closed earlier. As snapper anglers are keenly aware, angling success is highly dependent upon the smallboat fleet’s ability to access the fishery – weather, rough seas, etc. The red snapper bag limit in federal waters will remain 2-per person per day, with a minimum length of 16-inches. In Texas state waters, out to nine nautical miles, bag limits will remain 4-per person per day with a 15-inch minimum length and a 365-day season. Texas state licensed fishing guides are not allowed to participate in the 82-day season with paying customers
70 | June 2018
on the boat. These captains cannot legally fish for or possess red snapper in or from federal waters without a federal for-hire permit. The Federally Permitted For-Hire Vessels have been allotted a catch season beginning June 1 and ending July 22, 2018. All boats operating in the for-hire fishery must be federally licensed, permitted, and abide by the rules set by National Marine Fisheries Service. KINGFISH June typically puts the inshore/nearshore king mackerel season into high gear as large aggregations of kings generally follow the schools of bait into shallower gulf waters. It’s not unheard of to catch them within a couple miles of the beach or at ship channel jetties. The combined keys to their location are clear water, concentrated baitfish, and strong inshore tides. The new and full moon phases consistently produce the strongest inshore tidal flow. For prime times, plan for a couple days before or after the moon phases. The powerful tides concentrate and overcome the baitfish, which in turn attract the kings. If calm wind conditions persist days prior and during these tides, clear water is a good possibility. The kings are typically sight and motion feeders, clear water and moving bait are favorable. The 2018 season brings Texas anglers an increased daily king mackerel bag limit in Texas waters. It is now legal to retain up to three fish per person with a minimum length of 24-inches. TPWD enacted these new limits to better mirror the federal regulations for the species which is also 3-fish per day. Dead baits can be trolled or drifted, but live baits on the drift can be deadly. My favorite rigs are one live menhaden or two live croakers hooked individually near their tails. The croakers put out bright flashes and vibration fighting against each other. Shiny ribbonfish are some of the most productive kingfish baits, trolled or drifted in any area kings are frequenting gets a bend in the rod. Personally, I like to use two hooks only on my bait rigs. A pair of #4 Mustad 3592HD Kingfish trebles, rigged 7 inches apart keeps toothy fish attached. Rigging with 40- to 60-pound single strand wire gets the most bites. Egg weights from 1-3 ounces can be slid in front of the #7 black barrel swivel for additional depth coverage. For artificial lures, I have used many brands and styles over the years. Depending on conditions and water depths, various sizes and colors come into play. Shiny
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Gregg called up this nice flounder with a VersaMaxx Bolt model float.
This 36-inch kingfish preferred a Rapala CD-14 deep diver.
This 36-inch kingfish preferred the #17 Tony Acetta Pet Spoon.
chrome surfaces are always good, lighter natural colors like dorado/ sardine in clear water and brighter colors used in more murky areas. Over the last couple of seasons I’ve scaled down my lure sizes to coincide with the kingfish targeted. The best table fare comes from those less than 40-inches long. Two of my best producers for smaller kings and larger Spanish mackerel are the #17 Tony Accetta Pet Spoon and the Rapala CD-14 deep diver. Rig these with a 30” length of #6/61lb single strand wire. An appropriately-sized ball bearing swivel keeps line twist to a minimum. If bigger kings are your target, increase the lure’s one size to a #18 spoon and a CD-18. Larger lures target larger fish and #8/93lb test wire works well. These lures pull well with speeds 4-6mph and allow you to cover lots of water. Many times I use this combination of lures, either size, to hunt for fish schools. Once we hookup or get a strike, I mark the area on the GPS and fish back through the area, sometimes several passes. Drifting with the natural baits mentioned earlier can result in multiple hookups per school. Chumming once a bite starts can help keep the school following the boat as you drift.
72 | June 2018
NEW PRODUCTS Being on the water many days allows me to fine tune my fishing arsenal. Rod and reels, sunglasses, shoes, lures and terminal tackle are all well-tested. Many do not make the cut and, out of fairness, I only report on the ones that excel. The following are a few items that have made my outings more successful. SoftScience Foot Wear- Hands down, these have been the best fishing shoe brand I have ever worn. On the boat, at the dock, or around town. I have been wearing the Fin original and 2.O version for two years now- no complaints. They are the most comfortable and fast-drying shoes I’ve owned. I purchased them from Roy’s Bait & Tackle and directly from SoftScience. Online sales offer a “Supreme Comfort Guarantee.” Take up to 60-days to try out your shoes. If you don’t love them they will exchange or refund them, includes free return shipping. What better service could you ask for? Penn Battle II Reels- These spinning reels really take a beating and keep going! Very smooth drag system and a loud drag clicker that I love. The clicker alerts me if a fish is taking drag or if my customer is reeling against it. This allows me to make immediate adjustment to keep the fish on the hook and coming to the net. The 3000 series loaded with 20lb Spider Wire Stealth braid is perfectly sized for regular duty trout and redfish fishing. Versa Maxx Fishing Floats- I’ve been fishing this float all spring with live shrimp. The Bolt model allows for quick and easy depth adjustments with a “spool” incorporated into the design. I rig with about 40-inches of 25-lb mono wrapped around the spool and adjust as needed. The spool design is cool, but the click this rig makes sounds like a shrimp popping. Light pulls on the line when adjusting slack out of the drift is all that is needed. Minimal effort for maximum results makes for an easier day on the water.
C O N TA C T
Bull reds have been plentiful this year. Roland Haas is having a replica mount of this beauty.
Capt. Curtiss Cash offers charters in the Port O’Connor area; specializing in fishing the bays, passes, jetties, surf and nearshore waters. Species targeted include speckled trout, redfish, flounder, tripletail, black drum, bull reds, sharks, snapper, kingfish, ling and tarpon, when seasonally available. Phone
361-564-7032
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E X T R E M E K AYA K F I S H I N G & S H A R K S F R O M T H E S A N D
ERIC OZOLINS
TWO WEEKS OF HEAVEN & HELL Perhaps one of the greatest advantages Texas surf anglers enjoy over counterparts on other coasts is that we get so much time to prepare…waiting out unfriendly weather patterns. What keeps us going is the knowledge that the fishery will be phenomenal as soon as the weather gets right. The unusually cold 2018 winter lagged into a sputtering spring season. Even March fishing was abnormally slow. Jack crevalle were scarce when they should have been frenzy-feeding along the beach. Sharks, aside from leftover winter sandbars, also seemed reluctant to move inshore. Light finally appeared at the end of the tunnel in midApril as cold fronts began to lose their sting. Southerly flows began to send us warmer currents and water temps slowly began to rise. Continued lack of sargassum heightened our expectations. Ever eager to collect shark baits, on April 18, I embarked on a jack crevalle mission. I ended up at the Port Mansfield jetties and found the water churned to chocolate milk by strong north wind. My original plan was to toss lures for the jacks and waited until almost sunset, but they never showed. I finally noticed activity in the middle of the channel as fish were blowing up menhaden and mullet in the raging current. In my head, I kept thinking, “Man, that sure looks like tarpon.” I resumed my plugging and my lure was smashed as a 74 | June 2018
silver missile of maybe 100-pounds shot from the water. I was speechless as tarpon landings in mid-April are virtually unheard of. I continued plugging and jumped another tarpon, this one straightened the hook. Another made three jumps before spitting the hook. Frustration mounted as fish after fish came unbuttoned. Finally, I managed a solid hook up and spent 15 minutes hopping rocks like a mountain goat, trying to subdue the tail-walking five-footer. Being solo on the rocks with no cell phone or camera, my only memento of this rare silver king was a single scale plucked during the release. To my knowledge this was the first Texas tarpon of 2018 and the earliest in the year I have ever caught or heard of. I couldn’t help but believe it was a good omen. I prepped for a three-day beach charter the following day. Though the surf was still raging I ended up getting several kids on big blacktips. Three were hooked and landed on that trip during a single afternoon while casting into the first gut. With an aggressive current and semi-dirty water, the sharks were in very close. Even so, the water temps were still below normal for the date. This became evident when one of the clients landed a very healthy 42-inch redfish. I returned home in anticipation of the week ahead which, luckily, had been forecasted to provide an extended period of calm conditions. My plan was to give it a day’s rest and then head back
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down the beach on a personal trip. I prayed that with possibly five or six days of calm conditions, something we hadn’t seen in months, the fish would be hungry. That night, instead of staying home to rest, I opted to head to the back bays and wade with the flounder gig. If nothing else, I could get a few stingrays for fresh shark bait. The floundering was slow but the rays were plentiful. Within a couple of hours I collected a half-dozen that averaged 25-pounds, the last of which created a great murky cloud around me. Throwing that one in the kayak, I continued on and, just a few feet away felt my foot sliding from under me – I had stepped on a large ray!
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Almost instantly it stuck me in the calf. The ray thrashed violently for a second or two until the barb was forcefully pulled out. I was fairly confident that the barb did not break off in my leg, it did however pierce my waders and drove roughly 2-inches into my calf muscle. In a flash I hopped in the kayak and paddled furiously to the boat ramp, and then home. I cleaned the wound and soaked it in hot water to neutralize the pain. While my calf was swelling somewhat, the pain was semi-bearable. The pain lessened the next day and I could apply some weight on it, even though some swelling remained. I decided to take some antibiotic meds and stay off of it for the day and rest. Thankfully, I have a strong immune system. With healing in progress, the weather window we had been waiting for was almost upon us. So, the next morning, the truck loaded, Alexis and I hit the Padre surf for sharks. The surf was still kicking but the clarity was improving. We reached a promising location just before dark and hurried to get some baits in the water. I rigged a whole ray obtained from the night I’d been stuck and deployed it. Getting back to the beach, that bait was picked up within five minutes. Shark on! I knew instantly it was a bull shark. A 20-minute fight brought it to the beach, my first 8-foot bull of the year, and in very healthy condition. We made a hasty and successful release but we were unfortunately out of daylight, no time to deploy more baits for the evening. We got an early start the next day and very shortly were into blacktips and bulls. It seemed as if the nicer the conditions became the more the blacktips would interfere with our fishing. We did however land a final bull of 7-feet 9-inches, which is still an impressive shark. We kept baits out until dark and the wind began to pick up. All baits would get smashed within a couple hours but no hookups. We decided to call it a trip and head out a day early, given that the forecast had been revised to include strong wind for the next 24 hours. I decided to take a day off for rest with another 3-day weekend charter coming up. As per pre-arrangement, I headed back down the beach half a day early to await the arrival of my clients. This gave me ample opportunity to find a good spot and even fish for myself for a few hours in what I knew were absolutely prime conditions. Finding a stretch of promising water, I hurried to run out several large baits. I could almost sense the shark presence. An hour later I hooked and landed a 6-foot 10-inch bull. Not massive, but a good start. I had a couple of baits get picked and dropped. A couple hours later I hooked an even better fish. After a respectable battle I succeeded in tagging and releasing a fat bull that taped 7-feet 10-inches. Nice! I decided to run one more big bait for the day and it was picked up within minutes. The bounce in the rod tip told me it was likely a blacktip or small bull. Little did I know the shark was just sitting there, eating the bait. Suddenly the reel was screaming and I hopped up on the rack and strapped in. The shark acted rather strangely throughout the battle but I could tell it was big. I fought it to the first sandbar where it decided to make a powerful surge parallel with the beach. Another ten minutes of tug-of-war, I was finally able to hop down and go out and leader the shark. My first good look at it came as I was about to grab the leader. Two large dorsal fins… LEMON!
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C O N TA C T
I applied the tail rope and got it leadered. A mature 9-foot male lemon. Large males of both bull and lemon species are extremely aggressive. This shark had a massive head and solid girth, neither of which were done justice by the photos. I got him tagged and released and on his way. Awesome! After that fish, I decided to the leave the remaining baits still in good shape for the clients who were due shortly. The surf went almost calm as glass the remainder of the trip and the bite completely died, save for a few blacktips other small sharks. As I write in mid-May and looking forward to June, each available weather window holds promise of excellent large shark action. And, barring any unforeseen weather patterns, it should continue right on into July. Already this year, to the best of my knowledge, I have landed the first tarpon and first lemon shark in Texas. Hopefully, this is a sign of more great things to come. Knowing when and where to fish plays a critical role in taking advantage of weather windows. Personally, I am expecting great things for the next couple of months and foresee some large sharks being landed on my charters.
78 | June 2018
For the past decade Eric ‘Oz’ Ozolins has been promoting shark catch and release and assisting various shark research programs. Eric offers guided shark fishing on Padre Island National Seashore. Also renowned for extreme kayak big game fishing, Eric is the owner of Catch Sharks Tackle Company. Email Websites
oz@oceanepics.com oceanepics.com | catchsharks.com
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P L A S T I C & WAT E R D O N ' T M I X
EVERETT JOHNSON
CHANGING OUR WAYS I will forever remember Billy Sandifer’s words in reference to fisheries conservation, “If we don’t leave any there won’t be any.” Typical Billy logic expressed in terms everybody could understand, full of truth and wisdom. I sure do miss him. So, borrowing from Billy, I want to say that if we will endeavor to reduce the amount of disposable plastic containers and packaging used on fishing trips, the chance of leaving plastic litter behind on the waterways will decline in direct proportion. I know some readers will see these words and think, “Well, he must be talking about somebody else because I bag all my trash on the boat and dispose of it at the dock.” Fair enough. And to be honest, the amount of litter in our bays did not come from one boat. However, if we are not willing to change our ways and set good examples, how will the message ever catch hold with the nearly 1.5 million Texas fishermen - a large slice of whom are not so conscientious. In this article I will discuss some of the traditional failures in plastic management among fishermen, with a few words of encouragement to also change our reliance on plastic in everyday life. I am a wade-fishermen and quite often my strolls in the water take me a surprising distance from my anchored boat. Unless fishing my way back, I like to get on the shoreline for a quicker and easier return walk. It is rare on these treks that I do not come upon some amount of litter and too often I find fishing lure packages. Pretty good giveaway that a fellow angler was less than diligent in minding his trash. Heck, I have found unopened packages of soft plastics a time or two. Rather than allowing packages of baits and/or empty packages to accumulate on the boat console where they 80 | June 2018
can blow around in the wind, let’s apply a little twist on Billy Sandifer’s conservation message. “If we don’t take the packages on the boat, they cannot blow out.” In the accompanying photo you will see a Plano lure box and several packages of plastic baits. Make a habit of opening the packages before the fishing trip and storing them in a similar container, and always dispose of the packaging in a proper manner. Oh, and those chewed up plastic lures, please don’t discard them in the water. Empty ice sacks floating in the water are some of my greatest pet peeves. Ever had one wrap your outboard’s lower unit and block the cooling water pickup? The best solution for this problem is to eliminate the problem before it has a chance to happen. There are many brands of reusable ice packs on the market and my favorite is Arctic Ice. Place a few of these in your Yeti Softside and enjoy your sandwiches and snacks chilled and fresh, not sloshing around several hours in icy-slurry. Soggy sandwich, anybody? Ice is never a good investment, even if you own a premium ice chest. The Arctic Ice pack is reusable – I keep a half-dozen in the kitchen freezer, ready to go all the time.
On the left side of this photo we see the traditional Cokes and bottled water. Great way to remain hydrated
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through a hot day of fishing but – empty plastic drink containers are perhaps the most common type of plastic litter in our bays, waterways, and along our highways. Here again – the logic of “If we don’t take any we won’t leave any” rings true. The best no-plastic solution I have found and use quite often is seen on the other side of the photo. I fill my Yeti Rambler Jug, (gallon size) with ice water, sweet tea, and a variety of powdered drinks before leaving the house and drink them from my Yeti Rambler Tumbler. When I was a kid I loved black cherry Kool-Aid. Still do!
If you cannot kick the carbonated soda habit, try to at least purchase your beverages in aluminum rather than plastic containers. Best case scenario – plastic is going to end up in a landfill, whereas you can save the aluminum cans and turn them into cash. I mentioned in the beginning that I’d pass on a tip or two for reducing dependence on plastic in everyday life – here goes! Plastic shopping bags are everywhere you look. Blowing across parking lots, caught in weeds and brush along roadways and, unfortunately, we find them on shorelines. Yes, these bags can be
handy for a multitude of uses after the groceries are unloaded, too often, though, they become litter. Best way to deal with them is “Just say no!” In the photo above you see my cheery HEB cashier sacking my groceries in a reusable HEB shopping bag. Note the HEB logo art message – Take Care of Texas!
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Headed to the Chandeleur Islands with Two New Reels! I was first introduced to two new baitcast reels at ICAST last summer and was immediately anxious to get my hands on them. That these two reels stood out among the other myriad offerings is remarkable in itself as ICAST is indeed the granddaddy of fishing tackle trade shows and the exhibitor list reads like a Who’s Who of the industry. All the major manufacturers and brands are represented for the purpose of announcing their latest and greatest goods to the marketplace. The pace of the four-day event can be a bit dizzying, miles of aisles and many hundreds of booths. I end up spending virtually every minute the doors are open on the show floor and also attend morning and evening meetings – 16-hour days are the norm. In addition to my show activities as a member of the media, I am also a hopeless tackle junkie. In other words, I’m like a kid in a candy store, every minute for four days. The two reels that so greatly piqued my interest during ICAST are: Shimano’s updated K Series Curado – 200 KHG, and 13 Fishing’s Concept Z. The intent of this piece is in no way an attempt to stage a head-tohead comparison as such a format would hardly be fair – the Shimano is a 200 series and the 13 Fishing is basically what the industry would call a 100. This alone would preclude an honest head-to-head in casting and other capabilities. Following a 30-year career in steel forging and automobile manufacturing, where staying abreast of the manufacturing and material science technology curve is paramount to survival, what I found most interesting was the incorporation of state-of-the-art technology these reels bring to the game. I also found the modest MSRPs very interesting for reels with so much technology and so many features – Curado KHG lists at $179.99 and $200 for Concept Z. The new Curado K is the beneficiary of MicroModule gearing technology “trickle-down” from its higher-priced cousins, which contributes to exceptional smoothness in a reel of this price point. It also includes a four-pin casting brake with an external fine tune feature to enable long casts without overruns, especially useful when switching between lures of varying weights or turning to fire a quick cast into the wind. The profile of the new KHG 200 is smaller and easier to palm than we are accustomed for 200-size reels and 84 | June 2018
includes a spool opening I would describe as very user-friendly. Weight management is enhanced through the use of carbon fiber and graphite side plates. The frame is aluminum. The gear ratio is 7.4:1 and the weight is 7.6 ounces. The 13 Fishing Concept Z has created an incredible buzz in the fishing community ever since the initial prototypes were unveiled at ICAST. In 13’s words, “The Concept Z is the first ever high-performance casting reel manufactured with zero ball bearings. The Concept Z utilizes American made CBZ (Concept Zero Bearing) polymer technology to deliver shocking results.” Think about that – this reel uses polymer bushings – no ball bearings. I haven’t used a reel without ball bearings in nearly 50 years! I’m a saltwater wade-fisherman and my reels get wet more than I would like to admit. I will also readily admit that I do not enjoy working on reels. As such, my reels need frequent professional servicing and ball bearings that get neglected as mine do need replacing often. So, here’s what I think it boils down to: If CBZ space-age polymer technology proves successful, it could very easily revolutionize the fishing reel industry...not to mention lower reel repair bills. The Concept Z boasts 22 pounds of drag with a gear ratio of 8.1:1. The 6 Way Centrifugal Casting Brake is almost infinitely adjustable simply by flipping the side plate. The Z tips the scale at only 6.4 ounces. While the complete list of features and capabilities of these two reels are too extensive to be included here, I would encourage all TSFMag readers to visit their local tackle dealers and manufacturers websites to learn more…fish.shimano.com -- 13fishing.com. The TSFMag team is packed up and heading to the Chandeleur Islands next week for our annual three days of fun aboard one of Southern Sports Fishing’s motherships. I have my new Curado KHG and Concept Z, both spooled with new braided line, ready for action. Three days is no test of fishing reel durability but, hopefully, we’ll find the speckled trout and redfish hungry and willing, and maybe a few bull reds to test the drags. Even if the fish have lockjaw, I will be making lots of casts. Watch for a performance and durability update on the Shimano KHG and Concept Z in coming months...
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Tormenter Tackle – “Side To” Board Short Tormenter’s “Side To” Board Short line, in addition to: Mahi, Marlin, Wahoo, and Tuna, now includes a beautiful Redfish model. As with all of Tormenter’s fishing shorts models, the “Side To” includes the only dedicated cell phone pocket known on a pair of shorts. This is located on the left hip with a large zippered cargo pocket below. Also, located on the right hip, is a plastic-coated fishing pliers pocket and a separate keys and coins pocket. These attractive and functional shorts are 8-Way Stretch and very fast drying with an SPF 35 Rating. These shorts are found at Texas retailers in Houston and most every coastal town. www.TormenterOcean.com 86 | June 2018
P R O D U C T S
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DICKIE COLBURN
DICKIE COLBURN’S Sabine Scene Always Something New
S ab i n e
Dickie Colburn is a full time guide out of Orange, Texas. Dickie has 37 years experience guiding on Sabine and Calcasieu Lakes.
Telephone 409-883-0723 Website www.sabineconnection.com
A week of lighter winds was apparently all it took to light-off the trout bite in Sabine Lake. The water hasn’t cleared up that much, but several local anglers I have talked with have been able to fish areas that have received little or no pressure since early-January and they report better catches as well. I didn’t catch a trout over four pounds all week long, but we limited on 17- to 20-inch fish, every day but one. The first day we were naïve enough to think that we had ferreted out our own cove full of fish. The following day we decided that it was the lure making the difference as several other boats were fishing the same area but catching fewer fish. By the time Friday rolled around, however, we had fished one or two other areas and the trout were there as well. We caught them on a
variety of different lures and colors, but a Catch-5 and a MirrOlure XL were hard to beat. A short visit with Steve Simmons over at Outcast Tackle in Groves was all it took to confirm that I was actually a couple of weeks late in my assessment as to when the bite started coming around. I was talking with a couple of Jefferson Schools out and County anglers when another fishing is in! young angler stepped up and introduced himself. “When the wind hasn’t blown me out I have caught trout almost every day since lateMarch,” he politely informed me. “I am primarily a bass fisherman, but I stop and fish the revetment wall on the way home from work most every afternoon. I won’t put my bass boat in saltwater, but I like catching trout…so I just walk the rocks.” I was returning to my truck a few minutes later when he walked up once again and made me an offer I couldn’t refuse. “I
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will be out there tomorrow afternoon if you want to meet come meet me and see what I am doing. It’s a little different.” When I couldn’t find his truck, I decided that what I had perceived to be an opportunity may have been little more than a snipe hunt. I gave it thirty minutes after driving to the end of the north revetment wall to no avail. I was ready to leave when I snapped to the fact that he hadn’t said which revetment wall he was fishing. I never fish the south revetment wall, but not even checking it out would only further guarantee a wasted trip. Sure enough, about half way down the wall I spotted his truck. He was just getting out when I pulled up behind him. “Tie one of these on,” he said before negotiating the short band of rocks. “Thanks,” I replied, “But I didn’t even bring a rod. I just wanted to watch you fish a little while.” It took him less than a half-dozen casts before hooking the first of several trout. The conditions were far from perfect with a light wind increasing as we stood there, but he was still catching fish when I drove away. “If the wind gets any harder than this I can’t catch trout on this lure, but you’ll know when the waves are too rough,” he told me. It was not the fact that he was catching fish on the south wall, but the lure that he was catching them on that surprised me the most. He was using a Whopper Plopper and doing nothing more than casting it out and reeling it in on a steady retrieve. “I was going to cut one off after a tournament on Toledo Bend, but decided to make a few casts. It’s the only lure I have fished for the past month!” “You can throw it a mile,” he added, “and that’s important when you are fishing from the bank. It’s kind of like a cross between a Devil’s Horse and a Hunchback, but I never catch fish letting it sit.” The lure has been the talk of the bass fishing world for the past couple of years, but I had never seen anyone fishing it in saltwater. It should come as no surprise, however, as everything from ‘Traps to crankbaits have proven to be as deadly on trout and reds as they are on bass. Not unlike Corkys, they are a little too expensive to be throwing in amongst schooling redfish but seeing is believing and I will offer the trout my first one on my next trip! TSFMAG.com | 89
CAPT. CALEB HARP
THE BUZZ on Galveston Bay
Galve s t o n
Capt. Caleb Harp has fished the Galveston Bay System since childhood and, now a charter captain and fishing guide, he uses his knowledge to enable clients to enjoy the excellent fishing the area offers. His specialty is the yeararound pursuit for trophy trout and redfish with artificial lures
Telephone 281-753-3378 Website harpsguideservice.com
June is a favorite month of many Galveston anglers and I have to agree. Honestly, any time spent fishing is a good time but June’s consistent weather and good catching in most all corners of the bay complex is what makes it a favorite of mine. June can be a fantastic time to adventure around and find new schools of fish, given that the weather is generally friendly and the “tide runners” usually appear in strong numbers. Wade fishing can be a great tactic during summer on sand flats and close to passes. The redfish action is usually consistent and widespread. I almost hate to talk about how well our salinity is improving because it seems every time I do it brings bad juju on us. Of course, I’m writing this story a couple of weeks before you’ll be reading it, but I do think that we’re finally going to be in good shape. I hope to see good fishing in the northern stretches of our bay system this summer. Our tide-runner trout seem to be arriving late this year as most patterns are a month behind schedule due to late cold fronts that we battled weekly in April. My prediction is that by mid-May we should see promising signs of new recruits and they will be most welcome. As the shrimp and other forage migrate into the bay,
these trout will follow and ride the tides in search of easy meals – hence their nickname. Sooner than you’d expect, these new fish will be coming up the ship channel, and hopefully all the way to Trinity Bay. Until the tide runners get fully positioned in the northern parts of the bay, the normal summer patterns are always going to be a good bet. Drifting the oyster reefs in East Bay is always going to be a ticket to finding lots of trout throughout the summer. Most all of the oyster reefs in East Bay are marked with PVC poles signifying the oystermen’s leases within those reefs. Using your sonar, you can find particular high spots and fingers that jut from major reefs, features that concentrate schools of trout. Drifting with soft plastics is always going to be the best choice for getting bites. I prefer MirrOlure Lil’ Johns and Soft Shads. Try downsizing your jigheads as much as you can get away with. Often, I see people throwing 1/4 and 3/8 jigheads out of habit. I find substantially greater success throwing 1/16 to 1/8-ounce jigheads and I believe it’s due to the slower sink rate and more time in the strike zone. These fish suspend toward the top of the water column more than some anglers believe. Wade fishing should still be great in West Galveston
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Bay, towards San Luis Pass and on grassbeds along the north shoreline. The north shoreline has lots of grass, potholes, and moguls, which all make for great trout and redfish habitat. These fish will use the potholes or sand pockets within the grass as ambush points. Throwing topwaters whenever there is a lot of active bait at the surface is a good plan but, I find a soft plastic paddletail such as a MirrOlure Marsh Minnow on a weedless flutter jig more consistent. Always be on the lookout for spastic mullet and don’t be surprised it if it’s a school of reds chasing them. The Houston Ship Channel region will become a steadier player as the summer season develops, simply due to the consistent effect of tidal currents and deeper structure that surrounds the channel. Fishing the channel is often a hot spot for the croaker crowd but, believe me, you can get them on lures there, too. Nearly all the spoils along the ship channel have some amount of shell and can provide consistent fishing once you get the bite figured out. The Exxon A-Lease gas wells between Smith Point and the ship channel are also known to hold lots of trout toward the end of June and into July and August. Be advised though, there are lots of submerged pipes and other hazards around those wells. You don’t want to get into a hurry bouncing from well to well and knock your lower unit off. Don’t let this scare you, just navigate slowly and with caution.
Toward the end of June we should see Trinity Bay’s Sun Oil and Exxon C Lease gas wells holding lots of trout. That’s a long guess on my part but definitely something to keep your eye on. Always remember to have fun and enjoy your fishing. Throw ‘em back if you don’t need ‘em. Follow us on Instagram @harpsguideservice.
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BINK GRIMES
THE VIEW FROM Matagorda
M ata go r d a
Bink Grimes is a full-time fishing and hunting guide, freelance writer and photographer, and owner of Sunrise Lodge on Matagorda Bay.
Telephone 979-241-1705 Email binkgrimes@sbcglobal.net Website matagordasunriselodge.com
92 | June 2018
Often, the toughest decision captains have to make is which way to go and which way to fish. East or west? Wade or drift? Flip a coin. It’s June – my favorite month to wade and throw topwaters. When the weather allows, I will also hang out within sight of the Port O’Connor water tower. Flats sandwiched between the jetty and Pass Cavallo often see the best tides and the fastest action. We toss topwaters, Bass Assassins, Down South Lures and MirrOlure Soft-Dines in some of the most beautiful water you will ever wade. We enjoy the dolphins, turtles, occasional tarpon and sometimes deal with sharks. Working close to the jetty also offers us quick access to the beach. The surf normally gives us a few days to fish in June and there is nothing better than watching a plug get crunched in the foam. This year has already been a good one for the surf as we enjoyed 3-4 days in April and May along the beachfront. We wade the first gut on an incoming tide but choose to drift out of the boat when tides are falling so we can safely fish the outer bars in 4-6 feet of water.
When wading the bay, we traditionally focus on the grassbeds during the summer. Most of this terrain can be found on the lee of southerly winds and tend to remain fishably clean even with gusty wind. June normally affords ardent incoming tides in morning hours, perfect for walking a She Pup or Super Spook Jr. over the flats. We don’t forget about the jetty, either. Some days it’s large trout, others it’s all redfish. Then there’s East Matagorda Bay. With light wind, all of East Bay is in play, including the productive mid-bay reefs. Few bays in Texas rival East Matty for its potential to grow large trout; and, when the weather allows you to wade one of those coveted reefs in the middle of the bay, you better hold on. I can’t tell you how many arm-length trout I have released over the years while tossing a topwater or Bass Assassin. Our bays continue to thrive as the result of the generous rainfall we received the past 4 to 5 years. There have been so many tiny minnows and shad flooding our bays this spring; and, at times, this abundance of baitfish has actually made it tough to get a bite.
I don’t mind dealing with it, though – the greater the bottom of the food chain thrives, the greater the quantity and quality of gamefish in our estuary. It’s not all about wading all the time. Some of our best big-trout days come while drifting over scattered shell in East Bay. We normally see an influx of sand trout in June and I believe those larger trout shadow the sandies and dine on them often. Of course, on those days when the bite is a bit slower, the larger 15to 18-inch Gulf trout fill in quite well with some of the tastiest fresh white fillets to ever hit peanut oil. Don’t be afraid to call or text if the weather looks good and you can get away for a last-minute trip. If I am not available, I can normally find you another hardworking, competent Matagorda fishing guide. Follow our catches on Facebook and Instagram and weekly on the Texas Insider Fishing Report on Fox Sports Southwest. www.matagordasunriselodge.com Check out Sunrise Lodge video: http://vimeo.com/m/58631486
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CAPT. SHELLIE GRAY
MID-COAST BAYS With the Grays From what I have been seeing here lately on the middle coast, I would have to say Mother Nature is about a month behind her normal schedule. My dad, who built and runs Charlie’s Bait Camp, is struggling
Port O'Connor Seadrift
Captain Shellie Gray was born in Port Lavaca and has been guiding in the Seadrift/Port O’Connor area full time for the past 16 years. Shellie specializes in wading for trout and redfish year round with artificial lures.
Telephone 361-785-6708 Email bayrats@tisd.net Website www.bayrat.com Facebook @captsgaryandshelliegray
94 | June 2018
to get decent sized baitfish (croaker). The croakers are averaging only about two inches and by the second week of May they are usually three inches or better. As of the second week of May, I still haven’t noticed the presence of more than a few menhaden in our bays. I normally plan my wades on shorelines where these menhaden raft and follow the contours of the shorelines. Instead, I have had to continue my search for wading spots based upon larger mullet presence. Another source of forage that has been relatively scarce are the finger mullet. I am not sure why the baitfish migrations are behind schedule but I would bet that Hurricane Harvey and the two major freezes we suffered here on the middle coast could have a lot to do with it. What affect does my bait theory have to do with fishing patterns? As far as I can tell, it has not hurt any of the normal trout migration or feeding patterns. I have not had to downsize my lure selections to “match the hatch” as they say. I am still throwing the same lure I would be throwing if the normal baitfish presence was occurring. As far as our annual trout migrations, they seem to be right on schedule. The size of the bait in the area
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hasn’t seemed to change where the trout are or where they are going to feed. While the baitfish size and presence may be lagging behind schedule, believe me, the trout size seems to be ahead of schedule. We are regularly releasing fish over twenty-five inches on our wades throughout the major bay systems. There are shorelines in all our major bays that are holding trout that are no smaller than twenty inches. I have also had days wading where we never caught an undersized trout. Over the past two weeks I have fished three different bay systems and what I have found is that West Matagorda, San Antonio and Espiritu Santo bays are all heavily stocked with solid keeper trout. Areas where I’ve had the most success always had larger mullet present and always have patches of grass and rolling sand bars. During one wade session, while throwing at a grassbed about four feet in diameter, I caught four trout between nineteen and twenty-two inches and missed another. I had one of my clients join me and he snatched two more of the same size from the same grassbed. I’m sure that lesson of throwing at the patches of grass on a shoreline will stick with him from now on. Now, I am writing this article for the month of June, and we know what June means to my fishing program – SURF! In the next few weeks you will see the bow of my Shallow Sport X3 pointed to the surf every chance I can get. There are many reasons that I choose to make the run to the surf rather than staying in the area bays. First and foremost would have to be the attitude of the reds and trout that we catch in the surf versus the same species we catch in the bays. Surf trout and reds are far more aggressive than their bay-bound brethren during the sultry summer months of June, July and August. The water in the surf is more oxygenated and remains cooler than local bay waters. Redfish have made a strong showing in the surf over the last couple of years. In past years we would catch our limits of trout and then go searching the secret grassbed-laden bars further south hoping to get in on some redfish rodeos. Well, those days are gone. More times than not we have to make a move to get out of a ravaging school of hungry reds to go finish out our trout limits. What a terrible problem to have. If you're still feeling frisky after catching your reds and trout, head off the beach about 400 yards and look for birds working. If you’re lucky you may stumble upon schooling tarpon, along with a mix of jack crevalle and bull reds. Whether you decide to head to the surf or plan on staying in the bay during the month of June, you should be pleased at how our fishery has blossomed into one of the best on the Texas coast. Fish hard, fish smart!
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TSFMAG.com | 95
DAVID ROWSEY
HOOKED UP WITH Rowsey
Upper Laguna/ Ba f f i n
David Rowsey has over 25 years in Baffin and Upper Laguna Madre; trophy trout with artificial lures is his specialty. David has a great passion for conservation and encourages catch and release of trophy fish.
Telephone 361-960-0340 Website www.DavidRowsey.com Email david.rowsey@yahoo.com @captdavidrowsey
If you have not paid a visit to the Upper Laguna and Baffin Bay since March, you will like what you see when you get here. March and April winds turned the entire bay system upside down, lifting dead grass from the bottom and brewing the water into a tea-stained mixture many mistook for brown tide. Well, it’s May and things have settled down. The new moon in April started a big push of clean water from down south (Mansfield), and by mid-May our local waters were restored to a gorgeous fishy-green. That is huge if you are a lure fisherman and like to cast to visible structure. Yesterday I found myself on the south shoreline of Baffin on a dreaded slack wind day. For those of you who don’t know, the Upper Laguna and Baffin rely on wind-generated current to move the water. When the water is moving, gamefish are much more apt to eat. Slack wind days are good for boat cruising but some of my least favorite to fish. After a fruitless wade in potholes where I knew trout were holding, I shifted my party to rock structures in deeper water. As I have learned over the years, especially in warmer months, trout and occasional reds will pull off of the flats during calm conditions and sulk around nearby rocks.
They are not necessarily active, but if you can get your lure in tight without hanging up, you can hit them on the head and make them eat. The bites are generally pretty quick or within 15’ of the rock pile. If you think you might want to try this theory for yourself I’ll give you some tips. First, use the shortest shank jighead you have. I prefer the Bass Assassin Pro Elite in 1/16-ounce. Another option is a weighted worm hook. A nonweighted hook will work, but much slower to get to the bottom where the fish are. The second tip is that rocks are no different than any other type of structure. Bait presence is a huge plus and mullet around rocks are almost a homerun in summer. You can catch some trout with no bait present but your odds are much greater when they’re there. The last thing to remember is to never crowd the rocks. Stay a cast away and don’t walk on them – go around. If you happen to get your lure hung up, break it off and re-tie. Once you have walked up on the trout in the rocks they’re done! Keep your distance to be successful. As the old saying goes, “Change with the times or
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1
4/5/18 2:59 PM
Ryan Whitley of Corpus Christi shows off a pig of a trout taken on the first wade of the morning recently Bass Assassin - Released!
be left behind.” For years I abstained from social media (and still not a fan), but I felt I had to get on Facebook a year and a half ago for my charter services. I will admit it has been beneficial, especially for filling cancellations. I remember someone telling me, “Don’t do it, Rowsey. You are not going to like what you see.” Boy did they ever nail that one. Being more adept at how the FB engine works now, I can see what they meant. Point being; the number of meat hauls and dead fish photos from our area since the kickoff of croaker season is amazing (negative context). The winter and spring season of 2018 was way off from the norm for myself and others. The numbers were down in general and the giants were fewer still. For those of us on the water every day, it’s very obvious that things have changed. Could it be that this semi-landlocked bay system has been pounded by croaker for over 20 years now? Or maybe it’s the 300% rise of charter captains since croakers became so popular and anybody can do it? Maybe it’s the tripling of saltwater license sales over the past several decades? Maybe it’s not the bait, guides, or fishing pressure at all - just the fact that most kill everything they catch to endorse themselves on social media? Croaker is a big part of the problem, no doubt, but that’s like blaming the gun for a murder. The truth is we live in a “Me First” world and most are not concerned with how our bays have declined from their glory days. All that matters is how good they look on FB or at the cleaning table. With the convenience of cell phones and waterproof cameras, there is no excuse for killing so many fish if you want a real future in quality catching. Be a steward rather than a problem. Practice catch and release. Remember the Buffalo, Capt David Rowsey TSFMAG.com | 97
WAYNE DAVIS
WAYNE’S Mansfield Report
Port Mansfield
Captain Wayne Davis has been fishing the Lower Laguna-Port Mansfield for over 20 years. He specializes in wade fishing with lures.
Telephone 210-287-3877 Email captwayne@kwigglers.com
Greetings from Port Mansfield! About 50 miles south of the Sarita checkpoint on US-77 and 23-miles east of Raymondville on TX-186, lies this sleepy fishing village where folks come from all across Texas to relax in a slow-paced atmosphere and enjoy the fishing experience – hopefully to include a trophy seatrout. If you come to Port to fish with me, I’ll do my best to help you accomplish your trophy quest and let the slow-paced atmosphere take care of itself. As of this writing, our fishing has been very good one day and then working hard for every bite the next two or three. It’s been an unusual spring; late-season northers followed immediately by strong southerly wind reaching 30-mph, and the fish are challenging me to a degree I haven’t seen in quite a while. Bottom line: I am currently unable to truly pattern fish on a consistent day-to-day basis. The old saying, “Fish have tails and can swim,” has never been more-true. But, it’s not all doom and gloom, either. We are catching some great fish and most trips have been giving up at least one career-best specimen for my anglers. Additionally, there are a few signs of normalization within the patterns. I think that
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98 | June 2018
PHOTO: TYLER WOOLCOTT
by the time this hits the newsstands, fishing patterns will have become more stable, the fish will be where they should be and feeding more predictably. Water levels are currently below normal and the back lakes are pretty much off-limits, most days. Having said that, I have adapted to fishing off-colored water, simply because when tides are low and the wind is strong, nearly everything becomes murky. Now, the upside is that fish are not scattered way back in the lakes and can be found holding in shoreline depressions and along deeper grass lines. Other places that are working for us are waist-deep potholes surrounded by thick grass. Some of our heavier trout have been found in knee-deep water with mud bottom and scattered grass. The only common denominator is that you must have some amount of bait present. A year ago, I wrote about a twist on the fishing tournament format called Blackjack. I think it important to mention it again as I recently participated in this annual event hosted by Dr. Ken Ellis, who also serves as president of CCA’s Galveston Chapter. The rules are simple – No redfish, trout or flounder longer
than 21-inches are allowed to be weighed-in and there is emphasis Blaine Conn shows off a really solid springtime speck. on catch and release. The object of the game is to land one of each species with combined length closest to 63-inches. Let me tell you, this is a very challenging format. Case in point: The winner of this year’s event took the tournament crown by less than one inch. What a great concept. Our best fish have been coming on KWigglers Willow Tail Shads and the ol’ reliable 4-inch KWigglers paddletails in Honey Gold-White and Strawberry-Cool Tip have also been great for us. Both of these baits perform very well in shallow water conditions. Best colors in the Willow Tails have been Texas Roach, Turtle Grass and Padre Punch. In about a month you should find the KWigglers Ball Tail Shad picking up steam as we will be fishing deeper on average where the quicker sink rate and darting Rodney Ryza fished shallow action of the Ball Tail works so for this Lower Laguna beauty. well in attracting feeding as well as curiosity strikes. Consider colors like Flo Mingo, Plum Blue Metal Flake-Chartreuse and Mansfield Margarita. Our topwater bite has been spotty and I have noticed more fish just slapping at it rather than eating it. Keep this in mind, if a fish wants to feed and you are throwing topwaters, they will get hooked – plain and simple. But, when all they want to do is slap at it, make the switch to a soft plastic and see what happens. You should be pleasantly surprised. As we move into the summer season, expect a lot more boat traffic and please try to have a little more patience with other folks on the water. I often wonder what people are thinking when they run between my waders who are facing and fishing a shoreline when they have the entire bay to run behind us. A friendly reminder to my fellow boaters: Wade fisherman generally fish with the wind on their back. So, as a general rule, the safest way to navigate around a group of wading fishermen is to swing wide behind them to avoid disturbing the water they are using. Just a friendly little tip to consider. Until next time, stay safe and be courteous on the water. TSFMAG.com | 99
CAPT. ERNEST CISNEROS
SOUTH PADRE Fishing Scene I cannot recall ever being so anxious for June…I’m just so sick of spring wind! The wind during nearly all of April and now the first week of May has been just dreadful. And, because of it, the fishing has been inconsistent and unpredictable.
Arr o y o C ol o ra d o t o Po rt I sa bel
A Brownsville-area native, Capt. Ernest Cisneros fishes the Lower Laguna Madre from Port Mansfield to Port Isabel. Ernest specializes in wading and poled skiff adventures for snook, trout, and redfish.
Cell 956-266-6454 Website www.tightlinescharters.com
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We’ll no sooner have a decent day and the next two or three are blown out. The wind finally gives us a break but the fish we were on are gone. Erratic doesn’t begin to describe the fish patterns we’ve been trying to unravel. Even with specific knowledge of “normal” local movement patterns, tide predictions, solunar feeding periods, lunar cycles, etc., we are struggling to find a consistent bite of keeper fish on most of our trips. For the past month it seems that only one out of five trips is a good day. If we could somehow take the wind out of the equation, I believe the lure anglers would be enjoying great days because our fishery is very healthy. Fishermen who use bait are doing much better but that is a whole other discussion. So, looking into June, I’m praying that summer weather will set in and the daily wind will lay down, at least below 20 mph. Count on the days being longer and hotter, and keep that in mind as fish begin to stage deeper in general, especially during the hottest times of the day. Early mornings and evenings will be ideal periods to find fish most active during daylight hours. I would also like to point out that, as of this writing,
The owner of Diamond J, James Rosalis, was a partner in Circle J Enterprises at the time our office and son’s home were built by Circle J. Workmanship and attention to detail were both excellent! – Everett Johnson, Editor/Publisher, Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine
Recommend spooling your reels with Seaguar Smackdown Tournament Braid and their Fluoro-Premier for leader material.
I have yet to see the amount of bait present in our bays as we are accustomed to observing during May. I expect this will change very soon as the bay waters warm and increasing numbers of menhaden and mullet migrate through the passes from the Gulf. As we saw last year, redfish numbers again seem to be lower than normal this spring. I say this not only because we are catching fewer, but also because I’m seeing fewer on the flats. Yes, there are some schools here and there and we bump into scattered reds during our wades. Looking at the whole Lower Laguna, from the Land Cut down to Port Isabel, the numbers are just not there. During the past two months, I can count on my two hands how many times we have run into small schools of redfish and just flat out caught them. The most consistent redfish sightings have been on the east side of the ICW. However, given the prevailing water clarity on that side, it’s no easy trick to sneak within casting distance, let alone get them to take a lure. I do expect the numbers to improve as our winds lay down, weather stabilizes, and our bait schools return to our bay system. Gold spoons, Super Spook Jrs, KWigglers Willow Tails and Ball Tails on 1/8-ounce jigs, will be the lures to throw at them. While redfish action was also slow at this time last year, the consistent trout bite and size of trout we caught more than made up for it. This year is a different story. The trout bite is not quite as slow as the reds are at present, but it’s certainly not near the quantity or the quality we experienced last year. Spoils, the deeper water along the ICW, and associated guts and channels, have been our daysavers lately. Again, the bait is not nearly abundant or congregated so far this spring to attract the number of fish we are so accustomed to seeing and catching. To increase your chances of catching trout this month, focus on moving tides, fish early, and fish late. You should begin to see slicks popping pretty regularly, so keep your eyes and nose in tune to cash in on the action. Topwaters will be an excellent choice to draw explosive strikes on the surface of waist-deep and shallower water. Flounder are beginning to show in drains and channels but our catches remain mostly incidental, mostly on the flats. Snook fishing is showing great promise with numerous specimens longer than 30-inches and lots of others just a bit shorter. Here’s a tackle tip I would like to pass along. Having used Seaguar Smackdown Tournament Braid several months now, I find it to be excellent in several categories – thin diameter, exceptional strength, and easy to untangle if you throw a bird’s nest. Seaguar is also recognized as the originator of fluorocarbon line and I find it be excellent for leader material. Boat traffic is definitely on the rise. Use caution and be courteous on the water. Best fishing to you!
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FISHING REPORTS
ORECASTS F from Big Lake to Boca Chica
AND
Lake Calcasieu Louisiana Jeff and Mary Poe - Big Lake Guide Service - 337.598.3268 We look forward to excellent trout fishing in June. Opportunities arise all over the estuary to catch trout. However, most of our efforts will be focused on the south end. The southern ship channel will become a superhighway for trout. Oyster reefs along the edges of the channel will produce most of the fish, but any current breaks such as points or docks will also produce. Eddies are created by these land masses or structures, which in turn create the perfect ambush point for trout. In these currents, use the lightest jighead possible for the situation. You want your bait to flutter freely, but you also want to be able to maintain contact with the bottom. We usually stick with quarter-ounce heads, but three-eighths are sometimes necessary. We'll use lighter ones, but the tide is usually completely slack if we do. Choosing what sort of plastic to throw is important, due to each style's rate of fall. Paddletails sink slower than rat tails, so for heavy currents, paddletails aren't ideal. For slack currents they often produce more bites. Trinity Bay - East Bay - Galveston Bay | James Plaag Silver King Adventures - silverkingadventures.com - 409.935.7242 In the Galveston area, it's possible to catch plenty of trout and redfish in numerous places and in many ways during the month of June. “The beginning of summer is a great time to fish the coast. People who like to wade along the beachfront can key on rafted bait and working birds on calm mornings. Other folks who like stalking fish in the shallows will find fast action on the flats behind San Luis Pass, especially on incoming tides which aren't too strong. Shorelines on islands close to the ship channel produce some good catches this time of year for wading anglers too, especially for some of the bigger trout coming up out of the depths. And, we usually see the fishing out in deeper parts of the open bays perk up, especially in Trinity and East Bays. People who would rather fish from the boat can usually find plenty of fish by keying on slicks, nervous bait and birds. This works best when winds are light enough to make running around in deep, open water safe and comfortable. Overall, June is normally a really productive month.”
June forecast. “We got in the surf for the first time today, and it was on fire. All the fish we caught were solid keepers; they were in great shape. Best catching was on 51M MirrOlures. We had good luck with several different ones having pink on them. Natural colors like black and green also worked well. Locating the fish with topwaters like gold and pink Super Spooks is a good plan. The sinking twitch baits often produce a much better hookup ratio once the fish are found. I expect to hit the surf any time winds and currents are right over the next few months. When we can't get out to the beachfront, we'll target our trout and reds in open areas of the bays, where water depths run from four to about six feet, with a mix of shell and mud on the bottom. When fishing this drill, we like to key on areas with large rafts of bait, slicks, and birds of some kind picking at the water. Soft plastics often perform better than hard baits when we're working this kind of pattern.” Matagorda | Tommy Countz Bay Guide Service - 979.863.7553 cell 281.450.4037 “When I'm wading in June, I'm usually in West Matagorda, focusing on the grass beds in the cool water close to the shorelines early, then moving out to deeper beds when the sun gets higher. MirrOlure Lil' Johns with chartreuse tails on sixteenth-ounce jigheads work great when we're working this pattern. As always, we key on slicks and jumping bait. During the middle of the day, we try to be persistent, making repeated casts around the same grass beds we fished earlier. In East Bay, we fish out of the boat most of the time, in places near Half Moon Shoal, throwing live shrimp suspended about three feet under a popping cork. If the water has good clarity, I prefer throwing paddletails in dark colors with light tails rigged on heavier jigheads, to keep contact with the bottom. The same drill works on the deep, artificial reefs in West Bay early on June mornings too. Also, we are itching to get into the surf when conditions get right. And, I'm anticipating exciting action on tripletail hunts. June marks the beginning of the season for those brutes.”
Jimmy West - Bolivar Guide Service - 409.996.3054 In June, Jim expects to find good fishing in open water around the reefs in East Bay much of the time. “With all the wind we've had this spring, you really have to be willing to wade to have much of a chance to catch fish at all. Normally, in June, the winds dies down on more days than not, and we can get at the fish out in the middle more of the time. When fishing out around the reefs, we usually key on slicks and places where lots of mullet are jumping. When the water gets green and clear, we also have good luck targeting schools of reds when they are creating mud-stirs. Birds work better when the wind lays too, and we have good days targeting trout under the gulls. People willing to work the surf have been doing well already, especially when the wind is from the west, or just really light. I expect a typical run of summer fishing coming up. When it's windy, waders will do better, but when it's not, we'll catch plenty in open water, mostly throwing topwaters when lots of bait is jumping and tails the rest of the time.”
Palacios | Capt. Aaron Wollam www.palaciosguideservice.com - 979.240.8204 Winds have played a big role in fishing our local waters lately. When the winds have been howling, we've been fishing up bayous and sloughs and catching good numbers of reds and drum with live shrimp rigged under popping corks. On calmer days, we've been chasing trout out in the bay over shell reefs. Down South Lures in blue moon and dirty Tequila rigged on eighth-ounce heads have accounted for some good fish over deep shell. Floundering has probably been the most consistent fishing we have had with all these north winds. Area shorelines protected from the winds have coughed up solid fish from sixteen to eighteen inches almost daily. June should be fantastic as winds start to lay, and we can work shell pads out in West Matagorda Bay and start hitting the surf. We have a great hatch of bait in the bays with lots of brown shrimp moving in and tons of shad. Tides play a big role in catching during the summer months. Try to get out and fish when the tides are falling or rising to help increase your chances to put some fish in the box.
West Galveston - Bastrop - Christmas - Chocolate Bays Randall Groves - Groves Guide Service 979.849.7019 - 979.864.9323 Randall mentioned one of his favorite fishing patterns when he gave this
Port O’Connor | Lynn Smith Back Bay Guide Service - 361.983.4434 Lynn likes throwing a wide variety of things at the fish in June, everything from live bait to topwater lures. “We spend a lot of time
102 | June 2018
Science and the
Sea
TM
Revamping Their Venom One of the most effective treatments for a venomous bite or sting in humans is anti-venom, which is manufactured from the venom itself. But what if a creature’s venom changes over time? That’s exactly what scientists recently found in the starlet sea anemone, and it raises important questions about the way humans use venom, especially in medicine.
The starlet sea anemone changes its venom throughout its life cycle. Credit: Michael J. Layden, Fabian Rentzsch and Eric Rottinger. The starlet sea anemone, found in shallow, brackish water along the East and West Coasts, is a relative of the jellyfish that can grow up to a little more than 2 inches long. A group of scientists studied this sea anemone, scientifically named Nematostella vectensis, throughout its life cycle to learn more about the venom it produces. The anemone starts out as a tiny oval larva, an attractive meal for predators passing by. But when a predator swallows the larva, it spits it back out because the larva’s powerful venom—passed along to it from its mother—is poisonous. Then, as the larva metamorphoses into an adult, the composition of its venom changes too. The adult starlet sea anemone is a predator that stings small fish and shrimp to feed on them. But even adults do not rely on producing just one type of toxin. The venom’s recipe shifts according to the anemone’s environment, diet and needs. Past research has found that cone snails and scorpions use one type of venom for defense and another for catching prey. The new findings from the starlet sea anemone suggest that other animals might also have different toxin concoctions—and that could mean new opportunities for researchers to develop new medicines.
www.ScienceAndTheSea.org © The University of Texas Marine Science Institute
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fishing along shorelines with plenty of grass and sandy pockets breaking up the bottom cover. It's always effective to throw a live finfish into the middle of a bright spot on the bottom and wait for a trout to attack it. Of course, for people who enjoy the thrill of making the fish strike something artificial, topwaters do tend to work well this time of year. Early in the morning, especially when the tide is coming in, topwaters cast in shallow areas close to the bank draw plenty of strikes from both trout and redfish on flats adjacent to deeper water where the fish can easily retreat to beat the heat. As we do every year, we'll keep a keen eye on the surf this month. Standing on the second bar and tossing either a live baitfish or a topwater into the first gut soon after daybreak is a great way to catch a trout in June. Over all, this is one of my favorite times of year, because of the consistent action and the patterns in play.” Rockport | Blake Muirhead Gator Trout Guide Service - 361.790.5203 or 361.441.3894 Blake hopes to be fishing mostly with artificial lures in June, though he normally switches over to using live croakers some too. “In June, I generally fish some of the same areas in the same bays as I do in other months, though I tend to move out a little deeper from the shorelines. I do like to fish the sandy, grassy stretches close to the bank early in the morning, but I tend to move out to navel to chest-deep water a little earlier than I do in the spring. I also like to fish some of the areas with lots of reefs, like Copano, St. Charles and San Antonio Bays. The midbay reefs with deep, cool water close by usually hold plenty of trout in June. It's a great month to catch fish on topwaters, especially early in the mornings, when winds are usually calm. One place where the topwaters seem to work well is the surf zone. Maybe it's because we tend to head out there when the weather is nice, meaning pretty calm, but topwaters do work most every time we find ourselves moving along the beachfront looking for trout.“ Upper Laguna Madre - Baffin Bay - Land Cut Robert Zapata – rz1528@grandecom.net - 361.563.1160 There are two words I use to describe the month of June, consistent and confident. The nice weather conditions lead to consistently better catches that are evident at the end of the day. The better catches make my confidence soar to incredibly high levels during June. The topwater action is great in the early morning hours, with MirrOlure SheDogs and then as the sun gets higher in the sky, the MirrOlure Catch Fives will work better as the fish tend to suspend a bit below the surface of the water. If we have too much floating or suspended grass for these hard baits, I'll switch to the Bass Assassin Die Dappers in colors like salt & pepper/chartreuse or chicken on a chain rigged on sixteenth-ounce Spring Lock jigheads. The choice for live bait during June is free-lined croakers on #5 Mustad Croaker hooks attached to twenty inches of twenty-pound test fluorocarbon. For those who like to sight-cast in shallow water, shrimp-flavored Fish Bites rigged on sixteenth-ounce jigheads will produce reds, black drum and trout. Corpus Christi | Joe Mendez – www.sightcast1.com - 361.877.1230 In June, Joe typically expects to find trout and redfish in a variety of places. “Early mornings, when winds are calm, finding reds on expansive grassy flats can be pretty easy. Often, the boat will spook them at quite a distance, causing them to push large wakes as they move right under the surface. If and when we see this, we'll circle around in front of the school, meaning in the direction we see the wake moving, and set up a drift/troll strategy to intercept them. Usually, when they're feeding aggressively in the shallows, catching them is pretty easy if you can place a lure right in the midst of the school. Normally, we use paddletails on medium-weight jigheads. Heavier heads allow for longer casts, but are also tougher to keep out of the grass. If we're targeting 104 | June 2018
trout, especially later in the day, with the sun higher, we often have good luck throwing soft plastics around deep grass edges and rocks this time of year. One key is to flutter the lure close to the edge of the grass or face of the rock, where the trout often look to ambush their prey.” P.I.N.S. Fishing Forecast | Eric Ozolins Early summer is a great time for a variety of fish in the Texas surf. Speckled trout should be abundant, inhabiting the shallows of the south Texas surf zone. MirrOlure topwaters have long been a favorite for trout – chartreuse/chrome and black/chrome. Find areas with deeper holes in close and what we call suckouts: cuts through sandbars where swells drain back toward the Gulf. As summer weather patterns develop, we should see improving water clarity. This will bring Spanish mackerel and lots of skipjacks and jack crevalle when bait is abundant. Hooking a tarpon is always possible when running live mullet for redfish. Fish Bites will produce whiting, pompano and small stingrays. The largest sharks enter the surf zone this month – giant bulls, lemons, hammerheads, and tigers – all but the tigers roam the shallowest waters. Waders are cautioned to keep a sharp lookout, even thigh-deep. Stingrays will be abundant, so shuffle the feet to avoid stepping on one. We're hoping we can all enjoy a great summer in the surf after a cool spring. Port Mansfield | Ruben Garza Snookdudecharters.com – 832.385.1431 Getaway Adventures Lodge – 956.944.4000 June is a great month at Port Mansfield; bays and offshore can both be on fire. Trout can often be found waist-deep from the weather station to Butcher’s. Start early with a bone One Knocker or SkitterWalk. When the surface action fades, try a KWigglers Ball Tail Shad in Mansfield Margarita or the new turtle grass on an eighth-ounce jighead. On slow days, I often move to deeper water along the ICW, especially the spoil humps. Allow your lure to sink deep and slowly drag it back; this is a great way to find bites when they’re not feeding aggressively. Another option is to head to the east-side sand flats for reds – gold weedless spoons are usually dynamite. Never pass up the west shoreline on calm days. Cover all the water from the bank to waist-deep. For something different, head to the jetties for tarpon, kingfish, jacks, sharks, or maybe schooling redfish. As long as the tide is moving, there will be action. l look for pelicans and gulls diving and frantic baitfish. You’ll need wire leaders, as lots of toothy critters roam the shallows out there! Lower Laguna Madre - South Padre - Port Isabel Janie and Fred Petty | www.fishingwithpettys.com – 956.943.2747 Boat traffic continues to increase as tournament season settles in, making weekend mornings seem like a war zone on the Lower Laguna Madre flats. Freddy says, “If you know which way the wind is blowing, then you should stay on the upwind side of someone’s drift and if you don’t, then stay in the marked channel! Although this seems pretty much common sense, it’s also common courtesy.” We’re still catching limits of reds plus oversized most days, some really nice trout and even a few flounder popping FP3 trailing Berkley Gulp! Live three-inch shrimp on an eighth-ounce screw-tight jighead with about eighteen inches of leader. If you need instructions on rigging your FP3, check out Captain Freddy’s video on FishingWithPettys.com on Facebook. The lessons to be learned are the basics of respect for the law and your fellow anglers. So, drive less, and stay at least the legal limit of safe distance from other vessels that are not under way, but stopped and fishing. More motorized traffic always equals less fish in shallow water. Let’s stop open bay dredge disposal.
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Aden Johnson Seawolf Park - bull red
Cooper Truxaw Padre Island National Seashore - drum
Edith Bunker Matagorda surf - 27” first redfish!
Shelly Baker Matagorda - 27” red & 28” trout 106 | June 2018
Isaac Carroll Galveston - redfish
Adrian Johnson Seawolf Park - mangrove snapper
Brenden Smith Matagorda - redfish
Charlotte Smith Matagorda - redfish
Tyler Juarez Lower Laguna - 27” speckled trout CPR
Pierre Johnson Seawolf Park - stingray
Chip Jelliffe San Luis Pass - 42” 25.14 lb bull redfish
Christie Ambriz Port Mansfield - 25” flounder
Robert Hooker West Galveston Bay - red
Tripper Isaac West Bay - flounder
Merlin Henry Kemah - bull redfish
Nate Vrana Crystal Beach surf - 43” redfish
Trisha Truxaw Padre Island National Seashore - 24” red
Gavin & Andrew POC jetties - 34” & 37” reds CPR
Analeigh Turner Bolivar - 16” speckled trout
Forrest Clark ICW - black drum
Trevor Mote East Matagorda Bay - 25” trout Lindy Bingham Sargent - 23.75” flounder
Juan Cantu 37” personal best bull red
AnnaCarolina Garza 34” first drum!
Please do not write on the back of photos.
Email photos with a description of your Catch of the Month to: Photos@tsfmag.com
Robert Pattie Galveston Bay - redfish
Kenny Evans Aransas Pass - 43” first bull red! CPR
Mail photos to: TSFMag P.O. Box 429, Seadrift, TX 77983 TSFMAG.com | 107
PAM JOHNSON
Gulf Coast
Got ideas, hints or recipes you’d like to share? Email them to pam@tsfmag.com or send by fax: 361-785-2844
Baked Redfish with Honey Mustard and Pecan-Panko Crust INGREDIENTS
PREPARATION
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1. Preheat oven to 450°F and place oven rack in the middle position. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and coat lightly with nonstick spray for easy cleanup.
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted 1 tablespoon honey 3/4 teaspoon salt, divided 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1/4 cup panko 1/4 cup finely chopped pecans 2 teaspoons finely chopped parsley 4 (8-oz) Redfish fillets
2. In small bowl, whisk together, mustard, melted butter, honey, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper. Set aside. 3. In another small bowl, mix together, panko, pecans, parsley, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. 4. Spoon the honey-mustard mixture evenly over the fillets. (Don't worry if it drips down the sides a little.) Sprinkle pankopecan mixture over the glaze, pressing it lightly so it adheres. 5. Bake 10-12 minutes. If the topping is browning more than you’d like before the fish is cooked through, cover loosely with foil. Serve hot or at room temperature. 6. Make Ahead: The fish can be glazed, coated with the pankopecan mixture, and refrigerated up to 3-hours ahead of baking. Yields four servings.
108 | June 2018
TSFMAG.com | 109
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110 | June 2018
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100% composite 7 year hull warranty Our boats are designed and built to maximize horsepower efficiency, shallow water capability, quality of ride, and fish ability . Come design the JH model that’s right for you!
3925 FM 359, Richmond, Texas 77406 • Ph: 281-238-0060
WWW.JHPERFORMANCEBOATS.COM