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ABOUT THE COVER East Matagorda Bay’s speckled trout fishery is thriving! Many longtime anglers credit regulations that reduced the bag limit to five fish, enacted in 2014.

Cameron Scheps was very pleased to land this beautiful specimen recently.

MARCH 2020 VOL 29 NO 11

CONTENTS

FEATURES

DEPARTMENTS

10 16 22 26

32 36 40 44 48 50 51 52 56 80

My Accident Gateway Events Window of Opportunity, or Just a Peephole?

A Survivor’s Guide to Partyboats

Michael Escamilla Kevin Cochran Chuck Uzzle Joe Richard

26

Let’s Ask The Pro Shallow Water Fishing TPWD Field Notes Kayak Fishing Chronicles TSFMag Conservation News Fishy Facts Science & the Sea Extreme Kayak Fishing & Sharks...

Plastic & Water Don’t Mix Boat Repair & Maintenance

36 WHAT OUR GUIDES

HAVE TO SAY

62 64 66 68 70 72

Dickie Colburn’s Sabine Scene The View from Matagorda Mid-Coast Bays with the Grays Hooked up with Rowsey Wayne’s Port Mansfield Report South Padre Fishing Scene

Dickie Colburn Bink Grimes Shellie Gray David Rowsey Wayne Davis Ernest Cisneros

REGULARS 8 Editorial 60 New Tackle & Gear 74 Fishing Reports and Forecasts 76 Catch of the Month 78 Gulf Coast Kitchen

74

66 6 | March 2020

Jay Watkins Scott Null Joel Anderson Dave Roberts CCA Texas Stephanie Boyd UT Marine Science Institute Eric Ozolins Everett Johnson Chris Mapp

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 SOCIAL MEDIA COORDINATOR Jen Shive Jen@tsfmag.com Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine is published monthly.

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HOW TO CONTACT TSFMAG: PHONE: 361-785-3420 FAX: 361 792-4530 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.

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EDITORIAL

FINALLY - STATE MANAGEMENT OF RED SNAPPER Southern flounder have dominated fisheries management discussions over the past several months but I want to remind our readers to not take their eye off developments within the red snapper fishery.

During the past decade Texas recreational anglers endured a most disappointing trend of drastically reduced fishing opportunity in federally managed waters, to the tune of a proposed three day season at one point, while anglers in other states were given more liberal seasons and commercial fishermen barely missed a beat.

Speculation was rampant that Texas was being punished for TPWD’s decision to manage red snapper within Texas Territorial Waters that allowed a 365-day season and a four fish bag limit. Whether this is true is now moot. We still have our Territorial fishery and, finally, much expanded fishing opportunity beyond the nine nautical mile boundary.

On February 6, 2020, NOAA Fisheries gave final approval for individual gulf states to manage the recreational red snapper fishery beyond territorial boundaries. This is a huge victory for anglers, state management agencies, and all the businesses that thrive upon Gulf of Mexico recreational angling. We owe a great debt of gratitude to our legislators both state and national for their exceptional efforts in this fight, CCA and other organizations for their unflagging efforts in angler advocacy, the American Sportfishing Association, and many others.

State management of this fishery is a boon to recreational fishermen, no doubt, but we must never forget what got us into this mess in the first

place. NOAA Fisheries, backed by a Gulf Council stacked with commercial fishing interests, insisted for years that the recreational sector was the main culprit in the decades long decline of the fishery. Well, we had no choice but to take that one on the chin because frankly, we had never been diligent in reporting our landings while the commercial side has always been tightly regulated and monitored in this regard.

So, all that’s changed – Hallelujah! Our fishing opportunity expanded greatly under an Exempted Fishing Permit during the 2018 and 2019 seasons and hopefully, under state management (and possibly a slightly larger harvest quota), it is expected that we will again be able to fish a seventy or eighty day window beginning June 1, 2020.

I must stress, though, that individual trip harvest reporting will be a huge factor in our ability to continue to enjoy more generous fishing opportunity going forward. Some might say that harvest reporting was our undoing during the shortened 2019 season but I must disagree. The best and surest route to greater fishing opportunity will always lie in angler willingness to report their landings. If you haven’t already learned, simply Google i-Snapper.com and get on the ball!

Another thing that we must get a better handle on is regulatory discard mortality. Snapper brought to the surface frequently exhibit barotrauma and unless they are handled properly they will surely be wasted. While venting these fish is the time-honored method, a descending device such as the SeaQualizer does a far better job. Every snapper boat needs one!

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T N E D I C C A A ESCAMILL A L E A H MIC STORY BY

Editor’s Note: Capt. Steve Hillman has been unable to write for us this month as his mother suffered a severe injury and has been hospitalized nearly two weeks in ICU. Steve has been maintaining a bedside vigil and reports that she has begun responding favorably to treatment. Please join us in prayer for a swift and full recovery. We have a very inspiring story in Capt. Steve’s stead, written

by Michael Escamilla. Michael is a burn survivor and his tale is a wonderful testament to his passion for the fishing lifestyle and how yearning to get back on the water helped him accomplish a miraculous recovery.

G

rowing up, I would have never dreamed that fishing would someday save my life. Let me give you a little backstory.

In my youth, fishing was more of a once a month hobby that my father and I would do together, never a major priority or something that was emphasized above other activities. As I grew older it became something that I would do more frequently to escape the hustle and bustle of the 9-to-5 work schedule that most of us fall into. I soon grew tired of fishing from the bank as many people often start off doing, and yearned to be out there on the water.

I started looking into kayaks. I purchased a used Ocean Kayak Prowler 13. It was a great starter kayak, affordable and very fast, but before long I wanted something more stable. A kayak that would allow me to stand and sight-cast, which led me to check out the Vibe line of paddle boats. The Vibe Sea Ghost was well within my price range and reviews from owners were very positive. I purchased one in orange camo and began to enjoy my adventures on the water more than ever.

Then I caught the offshore bug. Seeing guys bringing in giant kingfish and red snapper from oil rigs offshore had a grip on me and I had to get in on that type of action. So, with heavy persuasion from a close friend, I went all in and bought a Hobie Outback 17. And, well, the rest is history.

The Hobie opened a whole new world to me. Possibilities became nearly endless with the ability to go farther with less effort. But before I had the chance to venture offshore, I had a get together at the house with some close friends to break up the everyday hustle and hassle of the work week.

TSFMAG.com | 11

Everything was going great, friends were laughing and having a great time, sharing stories and cracking jokes. Against my better judgement I decided to light a brush pile that I had been saving for such an occasion. Bonfires are always fun.

The wind was blowing stronger than I anticipated, but with the help of friends, we kept it contained and continued enjoying the evening. The night turned into early morning and friends started to tire and one by one started to leave, only a handful stayed behind.

The fire was dying to only a few embers. Doing something I’ve done more than few times, I grabbed a gasoline can and walked over to the fire. I leaned over a branch that had a small red glowing section, pulled back the nozzle and poured fuel directly over it. That’s when my world came to screeching halt.

I remember a loud poof, kind of like standing in front of a large concert speaker when the drummer hits his bass drum really hard during a solo. A blinding light overwhelmed me while the feeling of a warm hug engulfed me. I realized I was on fire.

So, as they teach you in grade school to stop, drop, and roll; I did that. But that doesn’t work when you’re drenched in gasoline.

My saving grace was the few friends that had stayed behind. Without hesitation they raced to put out the flames. Who knows how long I would’ve been rolling around if they weren’t there to smother the flames. Lying there staring up at the stars, my friends continued to ask if I was OK. I knew I was in bad shape. Luckily though, my body went into shock and I wasn’t feeling the pain I knew I should have been feeling.

With the majority of my skin being burned away, the rush of cold air began to sting as if I was butt-naked in the middle of Alaska. The paramedics arrived and that’s the last thing I remember from that night. I woke up two weeks later in ICU at Brooke Army Medical Center

12 | March 2020

here in San Antonio. With burns over 43% of my body, I spent 52 days in the hospital with the majority of it in the ICU; fighting infection, three blood clots in my lungs, and 30 days with a feeding tube down my nose pumping nutrients into my stomach since I couldn’t eat real food due to the two tracheotomies that I had.

Most days were filled with rehab nurses coming in, stretching my muscles and trying to keep my body flexible since I didn’t have the strength or motivation to do it myself. Nights were spent fighting nightmares induced by the pain medications that were prescribed to help lessen the constant needle-like feeling I would get if any part of my body touched anything other than a pillow or blanket.

I had constant support from family and friends. I look back, realizing now how many people actually cared about me. Family and friends would come in and pray for me as I laid there wondering, WHY ME? One of these friends happened to be David Ortega, who was also an accident victim. David turned his life around and started a fishing guide service called Second Chance Fishing here in San Antonio, so I knew there could be a means to an end.

Still I kept asking, when is this going to end, when is this going to get better? I remember the day the lead doctor tending to me came in and told me it would be a year and a half to two years before I would return to work. I couldn’t believe him. Didn’t want to believe him.

By the end of my hospital stay I had grown very weak, so weak that I had to learn how to stand up and relearn how to walk, relearn how to feed myself and do simple things like brushing my teeth. Everyday tasks that most take for granted became real-life struggles. After what seemed an eternity I was finally released to go home and that’s when the real challenges started.

I left in a wheelchair, barely able to walk more than thirty feet

TSFMAG.com | 13

before losing my breath and becoming lightheaded. I was placed on a five-day-a-week rehab schedule, two hours each day. I slowly began regaining strength and basic motor skills. The greatest challenge was learning to work with my hands again. They had taken the brunt of the explosion and the heat had seared off a lot of the nerve endings in my fingers.

The nerves in my hands had become hyper-sensitive to the extent that everything I touched, even the hair on my head, felt like needles puncturing my skin.

I had overcome injuries before. Sprained ankles, broken bones, even a few cuts that required stitches, but this was different, and different can sometimes be very terrifying. For weeks, each session was more painful than the last, some days I thought about making up an excuse not to go but I knew that I had to keep going.

Therapy consisted of desensitizing my hands and stretching them to regain flexibility. Every day was a struggle but I had family and friends that believed in me and continued to push me to get through it. During my visits to rehab I started developing relationships with other burn patients, two of which have become my inspiration in life to never quit, to never give up on myself. Blake Deleon, who was involved in an accident identical to mine, and Joshua Robertson.

Both these gentleman were burned a great deal more than me and continue to live life and strive to improve their abilities each and every day. They don’t know this but I truly look up to them. Weaker men would have given up and thrown in the towel a long time ago.

Rehab became monotonous for me and the physical therapists noticed. They asked me what hobbies I had prior to the accident and without hesitation I told them fishing, particularly kayak fishing.

Learning this, they assigned me homework; I was tasked to learn again how to make leaders. My worst fear was whether my fingers would ever heal and become nimble and strong enough to change out rusty treble hooks on my fishing lures. I looked at them and laughed because at the time I could barely brush my own teeth, much less tie loop knots or deal with split rings and treble hooks.

Raised up as a child to never be a quitter; I took the challenge.

Seeing my closest friends overcoming their own fears told me there was no reason for me not to dive in headfirst. I started out simple with making some heavy-duty bull red leaders, learning again to use the crimping tool, to fashion tackle I could use when fishing from some of the piers down in Corpus. After becoming proficient with these tasks it

was time to regain strength to be able to load and unload my kayak… if I was ever going to get back on the water.

What once took ten minutes was now an hour-long process that left me wondering if mastering this was even worth the hassle. But I wanted to get on the water and I wanted my freedom back. So I continued and managed to push through the pain and struggles. I continued making progress and finally made it out to one of the local lakes near San Antonio.

I didn’t catch anything but finally being back on the water gave me a glimmer of hope and that’s all I needed. With the dream of someday going offshore and hooking up with a kingfish still in the distance, I decided to venture into making my own stinger rigs. That was a challenge. Bending wire can be tough with good hands; doing it with hands that barely worked made it even tougher. After going through yards and yards of wire due to failed haywire twists, I eventually became halfway decent at it.

Around that same time, a close friend invited me to join an offshore kayak trip. Getting the OK from rehab, I thought to myself, it’s now or never. So, as it turned out, I landed my first kingfish less than six months after being released from the hospital!

Having set that as a goal and crushing it is what gave me the motivation to never give up on myself. Trust me, there were days that I didn’t want to get out of bed, lying there wondering over and over, WHY ME? But fishing saved me. Fishing gives me a way to challenge myself every time I’m out on the water. My getaway from the world; completely focused on becoming a better person; learning not to dwell on that which I cannot control.

Fishing has helped me rebuild my physical endurance and regain the fine motor skills that are needed in everyday life. Most of all it has helped me overcome the anxiety of being a failure. Fishing has helped me regain the confidence I once had, not only physically, but mentally as well.

I no longer ask, WHY ME? I now ask, WHY NOT ME? I believe I was put through this whole ordeal for a reason; to be a role model to give others hope. To show others suffering great affliction, that no matter what you’re going through, you must NEVER give up on yourself.

You have greater strength within you and you are capable of greater things than you could ever imagine. If I can inspire just one person to never give up and to believe in themselves, I believe I will have fulfilled the true reason for having survived my accident.

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GATE EVE

WAY NTS

STORY BY KEVIN COCHRAN

W

hen people recall famous events, they often focus on signature, final moments which record their significance. Millions remember the video which shows Buzz Aldrin leaping off the steps of Apollo 11, taking “One small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.”

But, while cherishing the importance of the main event, many forget all the foundational efforts which facilitated its existence.

A similar tendency to focus sharply on high-points occurs when people recall famous sporting events. When Vince Young dashed to his right and crossed the goal line in the last minute of the 2006 Rose Bowl, he helped Mack Brown’s Longhorns complete a comeback victory and win a BCS Championship. I’ve spoken to many football fans about it; most mention the indelible image of VY standing in the corner of The Coliseum, his arms raised in triumph, after scoring the winning touchdown. They often say, “It was inevitable. We all knew he would get it done, one way or another.”

While I share the sentiment which fuels such a statement, I’ve also watched the replay of the game several times since, and I recognize other gateway events which made the iconic play possible. When the USC Trojans possessed the ball before the Longhorns’ last drive, they held the lead when they faced a fourth and one near mid-field. Leaving their Heisman Trophy tailback on the sidelines, they handed the ball to Lindale White, who blasted into the middle of the line, trying to earn a first down which would likely have sealed the deal for them. Texas’ safety Michael Huff read the play early, shuffled to his right and stuffed

White short of the line to gain. If Huff does not make the play, VY’s seemingly inevitable run to glory probably never happens.

Similarly, gateway events helped Tiger Woods sink a putt on the 72nd hole of the 2008 U.S. Open, played on the oceanside fairways of Torrey Pines Golf Club, in La Jolla, California. Stepping onto the tee at the par-5 finishing hole, Woods knew he had to make a birdie to tie Rocco Mediate and force a playoff the following day. He drove left, into a fairway bunker. With a drive in the fairway, Tiger would likely have chosen to go for the green on his second shot on the shortish hole, to set up a two-putt birdie. But a squirrelly lie in the sand caused him to fear the pond fronting the green, so he chose to lay up.

With a middle iron, he successfully removed his ball from the bunker, but it again failed to stop on the short grass.

From wiry strands of grass in the right rough, the determined champion faced a tricky pitch over the pond to a front-right hole location. He executed the shot admirably, controlling its distance perfectly, but the ball finished nearly twenty feet above the hole to the right, on a slippery slope. Of course, after The Cat’s ball predictably found the bottom of the cup on his fourth shot, Jim Nantz’s famous voice asked all who watched, “Did you expect anything different?”

No, Jim, we did not. In fact, I sensed one thing all along.

The unconquerable man in the blood-red shirt would use precisely four shots to complete the hole, no more. The image of an exuberant Woods clenching and shaking his fists while shouting into the sky resonates with golf fans to this day, and will for as long as the game is played. But, if Tiger had chosen to gamble and go for the green on his second shot from the sand, or if he’d failed to control his wedge approach-shot to Fishing early in the morning, before the break of day, sometimes produces bites from the pin, we’d never have seen him hole that putt. big trout in clear water. Clint Shack caught this beauty on a green Paul Brown Fat Boy. Recently, it occurred to me how all this relates to the sport of fishing. I can recall significant events in my own career which transpired mostly because other gateway events opened up a symbolic doorway through which they could walk. Like the time in late-February of 2010, when I caught a ten pound trout, a day on which I earned just four bites over a period of about seven hours. In the shallows on the ample, muddy flat, I’d caught trout over nine pounds the previous two days. With temperatures on the rise, the bite had slowed measurably. Though I coaxed at least twenty bites the first day I found the big ones on the flat, I had only half that many the next. When I parked the boat at the edge of the area the third day, I made a prophetic announcement to the customers in my boat. “If we get a bite in the first two hours, we’ll be here all day. One of those monsters is probably still around.”

Forty-five minutes into the wade, a fish made a somewhat tentative move to take my pearl/pink Fat Boy, the same one I had used all week. The weak strike came on a super-slow, straight retrieve, which I executed after shaking my rodtip vigorously several times, to cause the lure’s head to wobble from side to side. Half an hour later, I caught a four pounder, using the same presentation style. “Hope y’all like the scenery,” I proclaimed, while releasing the fish. “We ain’t movin!”

We spent most of the remainder of that day circling around On trips made in the days and weeks prior to production of this piece, Captain Kev and slowly, covering the entire area as thoroughly as possible, his customers experienced several days on which the trout bit Fat Boys aggressively. subtly tweaking the presentations with our Fat Boys, changing

18 | March 2020

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James Bump caught this beautiful specimen on a windy day in March by making a persistent effort with a soft plastic on a light jighead.

cases, making subtle adjustments to pace of movement or choosing to pass back through an area more than once might serve as the stimulus for a memorable catch.

In the end, when an iconic event unfolds and a picture of a smiling angler holding a big trout appears on the internet, our memories usually struggle to adequately recall all the details related to it, some of which contributed to it, or allowed it to happen. The human mind tends to permanently etch extremes into the database, while discarding seemingly less important details. Most likely, this innate tendency helps us save space on the metaphorical hard-drive of the brain. Because of this prevalent behavior, I repeatedly tell people to take the time to record details in fishing logs.

Anglers who choose not to keep detailed records will fall prey to a predictable habit of generalizing results and exaggerating outcomes, both positive and negative ones. They’ll remember extremes and big events, but will forget many of the factors which facilitated them.

Anglers who record the right kinds of data stand a better chance of winning the fight against this universal tendency. The astute few who learn to identify and document gateway events which open doors for iconic events will likely become more productive than all others in the end.

KEVIN COCHRAN CONTACT

the direction of our casts, trying to stay focused all the while.

A couple hours later, one of my customers caught the biggest trout of his life, which stretched the tape to about 29 inches.

Eventually, almost five hours into the grind, I caught the fattest 30-inch trout I’ve ever seen, within no more than forty yards of where I’d caught my first and only other trout of the day.

My mind clearly recalls the vicious strike of the ten, the way she stubbornly pulled sideways like a redfish, the elation I felt upon the moment I succeeded in pulling her close enough to see her dappled back and wide yellow mouth, also the satisfaction that followed, when the Boga Grip accurately measured her weight.

If I’m not careful, I tend to forget some of the gateway events which facilitated the catch of the gloriously fat trout. If I’d been less thoughtful and creative with my presentation and failed to urge the two strikes not long after starting the wade, I might have left the area, and in doing so, failed to connect with one of the best fish of my career. In fishing, as in many other endeavors, making good plays and decisions can lead to bigger and better ones, sometimes reaching a crescendo, culminating in an unforgettable, iconic event.

I can describe several ways in which this truth exerts influence on a daily basis for anglers who deploy artificial lures. On some days, things play out predictably, in exactly the ways we want them to and believe they will. Sadly, those days don’t represent the norm. On average, a day of fishing requires anglers to make adjustments in response to unexpected elements or outcomes.

Most often, the conditions and/or bite attitude of the fish do not meet our expectations, so we must tweak elements of our strategies to offset and overcome the unexpected realities of the moment.

A captain can sometimes successfully conquer the seemingly malicious effects of negative weather and other elements by refining lure choice and/or presentation style, to prove a few fish swim within the scope of the anglers in the group. Using sound operating principles and considering the time of year, prevailing weather elements, water quality and other factors, a thoughtful angler sometimes figures out some creative way to earn a few strikes when doing so proves quite difficult. This might lead one to correctly favor staying in a place and waiting for an improvement in the feeding mood of the fish over moving to a new spot.

If the adjustment to lure choice and/or strategy includes trying something well outside the normal procedures, like deploying a soft plastic dangled under a cork, adding a rattle to a jig, or incorporating some radical aspect of movement into a presentation, the action might well serve as a gateway event which leads to a memorable catch later in the day. Even a subtle adjustment to movement pattern in a presentation, or to size or color of lure, might do the same.

Such scenarios most likely play out when the person making the adjustment strongly believes a decent number of the “right” fish swim within reach, either because of productive recent efforts made in the place, or because numerous slicks, mud-stirs, swirls and similar signs indicate the presence of plenty of fish.

Conversely, a captain seeing scant signs of life in a place where recent stops have yielded positive results might scan the horizon in search of greener pastures. In some cases, bait jumping in the distance might correctly call for a short move. Such a decision can become a gateway event, leading to catching something significant. In other

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

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Window of

Days when we get into them cast after cast definitely stick in the memory.

Opportunity, OR JUST A PEEPHOLE? STORY BY CHUCK UZZLE

H

ow many times have you had it happen to you? Grueling hours of fishing; changing baits, changing tactics, changing everything but your underwear; and then it finally happens. The fish finally decide to cooperate and all is right with the world again. The period of euphoria that follows, however long it lasts, wipes away all memory of boring hours spent probing acres of empty water.

It’s the opportunity we all seek but only a few find on a consistent basis. Those few fishermen who routinely find these brief periods of glorious rampage feeding activity, the kind average guys can only dream of, rapidly achieve legendary status in the fishing community. The “underground” of the fishing world buzzes with the stories of these

fishermen. Exploits surrounding sessions when every cast was met with a bone-jarring strike circulate at the boat shows and each time the story is told the stringer always gets bigger. Every coastal angler dreams of fishing trips like these but most don’t understand what it takes to achieve these results.

Redfish will crush lures during solunar feeding periods… removing the bait without injuring the fish can be tricky.

If you ever get a chance to talk to the really good fishermen along the Texas coast you will find that most of them are very detail oriented and they keep some sort of records. The records consist of all the obvious things like tides, temps, weather, bottom structure, presence of bait, and other pertinent details. The records offer up valuable information that can help anglers find a consistent fish-catching pattern.

During the winter months, the type of feeding activity we’re talking about typically does not last very long. The factors and variables tend to align for brief period of time and that’s when memories are made. These small windows of opportunity are quite

24 | March 2020

Waterloo’s new Phantom will debut at the Houston Fishing Show.

often the key to being successful during the tough stretches in January, February, and March. Many anglers fish all day in hopes of finding fish while others make shorter trips based on the patterns from past years and through careful study of weather patterns and other local conditions. Nine times out of ten, the guy with the most complete fishing logs and understanding of how to define and apply productive patterns will catch more and bigger fish.

On Sabine and Calcasieu, seasonal patterns tend to hold true year over year much the same as they do farther down the coast.

Warmer water on incoming tides late in the day are a favorite of many. The combination of these factors can be extraordinary, especially when you know you can count on the bite being consistent. The afternoon incoming pattern works well and is probably the favorite but, what happens when you don’t have these conditions?

The outgoing tide can also deliver warm water onto productive TSFMag’s Solunar Calendar is a great tool for accessing windows of fishing success. flats, provided you have some marsh areas nearby. Water from the back lakes and marshes heats up during it’s the best gathering of fishing people and the day and is usually protected from wind, fishing stuff in Texas – bar none! so it holds heat for longer periods of time.

There will be all kinds of stuff on display and On the outgoing tide, this warmer water many new items worth looking at. One that rushes out onto the flats and bars carrying I’m particularly looking forward to seeing is with it bait fish and other food that speckled the new Phantom Series rods from Waterloo. trout, redfish, and flounder thrive on. These These rods will feature new cosmetic touches, sudden temperature changes coupled with components, and actions sure to appeal to tidal movement will often kickstart a feeding every fisherman. Jimmy Burns and his crew at spree, and if you happen to be there when it Waterloo are always on top of the game and happens you may well end up the subject of this year will certainly be no different. If you the next great fish story. get a chance to get by the show you won’t I have been on the fortunate end of career regret it, it’s a great time for Texas anglers. days using both the incoming and outgoing The coming weeks will be full of potential, tides during the winter months and these some good and some bad. The opportunity trips help erase the thoughts of the bad days to catch a fish of a lifetime will certainly be which we all inevitably suffer. All you can do there as will the chance to run into some as a fisherman is to put the most odds in your Some reds have nasty weather and conditions. Mentioning favor and put your time in on the water. As multiple spots; we occasionally see the month of March and not stressing the fact unpredictable as the winter can be it’s awful them with no spots. that the weather can turn on a dime would nice to know that there is the possibility of This one has a white be foolish. Many folks will make their first predicting when and where the fish will bite. dot within a spot. trip of the year this month, so the potential Looking at the month of March the first for boat trouble is high, especially after sitting dormant through thing that comes to mind is run off from the lakes to the north and the winter. Have your boat checked before you head out and by all what kind of effect it will have on Sabine and Calcasieu. As it stands means keep that personal floatation device handy. It could make the right now all the water levels on the inland lakes are several feet below difference between life and death in an ugly situation. Enjoy your full pool level, which means the potential for big runoff events from time on the water and be safe. spring rains are low. The stable water levels and low runoff should allow for Sabine Lake to both clear up and get salty, which would be a welcome change. The flurry of speckled trout activity during December and January gave some hope to local anglers that Sabine may be ready to bounce back and begin recovering from a couple of devastating Chuck fishes Sabine and Calcasieu years. Hopefully the conditions will be favorable and it won’t take too Lakes from his home in Orange, TX. long for Sabine to get back to something close to normal.

His specialties are light tackle and fly March is a great month full of opportunities and promise; it ushers fishing for trout, reds, and flounder. in the warmer months and really gets folks excited as they come out of the winter doldrums. One event that everyone will look forward to Phone 409-697-6111 this month is the annual Houston Fishing Show held at the George R Email wakesndrakes@yahoo.com Brown Convention Center. All the latest gear, guides, and boats will be Website wakesndrakes.com on display for everyone to see. I always look forward to this show as

CONTACT

CHUCK UZZLE

TSFMAG.com | 25

A SURVIVOR’S GUIDE

TO PAR T Y B O ATS STORY BY JOE RICHARD

Some of the 1980s partyboats were recruited from the offshore oil and gas industry. Big Momma operated out of Sabine Pass and the Chip XI from Port O’Connor.

S

ometimes it’s just best to go back to the partyboats, the big “headboats” that can fish dozens of people far off the Texas coast. Case in point: Years ago in March we tried to push the offshore season, easing out eight miles in a 22-foot AquaSport, before tying off to a Gulf platform. Our plan was to run further out if the weather cooperated but by 10 a.m. we were caught in a harsh, unexpected northwest wind with whitecaps crashing through the rig’s pilings. Time to go! Only one problem, we couldn’t make headway against those head-on seas—the Sabine jetties were directly upwind. So, we had to skate off to starboard into Louisiana waters, all the way to the beach. Protected by beach and distant jetties, we turned and ran along the light surf back to Sabine. It was a good thing we didn’t run further offshore; on that same day off Freeport there were boating fatalities. The following weekend we were back to fishing on our local partyboat.

These big craft are sturdy and safe, able to handle almost any weather the Gulf can dish out on short notice. On the day of that cold front, I wasn’t exactly a stranger to these bigger vessels, having fished them going back to high school days in 1968. Back then they were slow, filled with cigarette smoke, hot and uncomfortable. Yet, we kept coming back for more. No fish limits in those days; you could keep almost anything. If there was a deckhand on board, he spent most of his time fishing, unless someone hollered for the gaff. The captain might be sleeping, after driving most of the night. There were partyboats all along the coast.

The scene is quite different today, with our lines, work fast and haul in the snapper only two Texas ports (Galveston and Port like crazy until….a loud honk of the horn Aransas) still hosting partyboats. Both at noon signaled it was time to leave. We’d ports are centered around major tourism, hit that honey hole for exactly a half hour, which provides a steady flow of customers, and the captain was hoping to convince even though red snapper season, their anglers there really was good fishing out bread and butter fish for a century, is there, if only they’d return. (That spot was closed through much of the year. somewhere on the Calcasieu Rock).

Today, there are four-hour jetty trips, Today, partyboats on these medium longer snapper trips of 8-12 hours, and distance trips go after anything they can then the serious overnighters that run keep. Galveston boats often return with a hundred miles offshore that cost far more than 500 spadefish, for instance. more. Generally speaking, angler fishing These fish are said to concentrate around experience increases at least ten-fold, aluminum, and sunken wrecks, versus between the short jetty and long tuna bubbling rocks where snapper congregate trips. Jetty trips may catch nothing even more. Unfortunately, countless except tiny sharks, but it’s a good way for snapper are caught and thrown back newbies to get the lay of the land and during the off-season. Whether they’re see the Galveston jetties. The quality fish being vented and the gas let out of them stay close to the rocks, but an expensive before dropping the fish overboard is partyboat won’t anchor close to waveunknown. (A descending device works washed, cruel granite that has also best but a steel hypodermic can also be snagged countless, expensive anchors. effective if inserted into the swim bladder Instead they anchor at a safe distance, but without penetrating digestive organs.) beyond casting range.

People report that, these days, snapper The medium length trips take hours to and amberjack released without proper reach offshore, and may result in only a venting can be seen floating behind Metal stick jigs are well suited for partyboats, third of the trip seeing fishing time. They partyboats, constant food for dolphins, because they sink fast and can be jigged vertically. could run faster, but that means burning sharks and large kingfish. more fuel. If a captain gets on a serious bite, he may not stay there Occasional floating anglers may be seen; a recent video on YouTube long, hoping to preserve the spot for the next day’s trip. Why clean it showed a guy who actually fell off a Galveston partyboat, which I didn’t out? Instead, he’ll move the boat around, which can see a sudden loss think was possible. Folks who were there said he was top-heavy and of fishing action. Back in the day off Cameron, Louisiana, we learned leaning over the rail when a whitecap rocked the boat. The guy can be that pattern on the Sunrise III and after a slow morning, the captain seen paddling feebly in blue water with a life ring around him, and a always announced at 11:30 we’d try one last spot. We’d cut bait, ready six-foot hammerhead shark darting around, chomping on a floating amberjack and then a sizeable snapper. In zero current, it took some time to haul him back aboard. One wonders what might have happened with a strong current.

On the more serious overnight trips, most anglers carry their own high-quality tackle, instead of rental gear, mainly after tuna, both blackfin and yellowfin. They also get a shot at deep-dropping for sizeable grouper in depths of 700 to 900 feet, if they bring their own window or sash weights, ideally weighing from 6 to 8 pounds. It’s a more relaxed bunch of guys, not as crowded as the medium-range boats. There is time to sleep, or get up in the middle of the night and have plenty of deck space. The tuna mostly bite at night, but not everyone can stick it out.

With the Ides of March approaching, I’ve assembled a few pointers and lessons learned after fishing from 12 different Happy angler holds up his amberjack, with the help of a friendly deckhand. partyboats in the past 50 years.

28 | March 2020

TSFMAG.com | 29

>Don’t book your trip a week ahead of time, instead wait for a favorable 24-hour weather forecast. Great weather certainly helps, as angry whitecaps can be pure misery. >Take a Bonine Motion Sickness pill before heading down to the docks, just to be sure.

They’re a trip-saver, if the wind picks up. Just don’t take two of these pills, or you will wind up near-comatose. Dramamine is easier on the system; start off with two, unless they’ve changed the dosage. (My record is 6-7 pills in one night when we were caught in 12-foot seas in a 26-foot boat, tied to an offshore rig in deep water. I was still able to jump up and work on deck 2-3 times that night, when called upon.) >Try to grab a stern spot on the partyboat, if possible. All that scent and chunks of lost Catamaran partyboats are popular these days, because they’re fast and don’t rock like monobait drifting astern in the current will attract hulled vessels. The New Bucaneer is out of Galveston and Wharf Cat docks in Port Aransas. predator fish, and you’ll have the first shot at them. Don’t assume that tying your rod to the stern railing will nail down a spot, however; I’ve had people move my tackle while I was bunked out. I always grab a bunk ASAP, as far from the howling diesel engines as possible. Much better to sleep in a bunk, versus a boat’s bus seat, with nice ear plugs.

Other times we’d fish at the bow, which offers the most casting room. >Essentials should include a sharp fillet knife, small cutting board, rough fish towel, and a few metal stick jigs that sink fast, different sized hooks, weights and leaders.

Not sure what the current rod nomenclature might be, but if you have a stiff 8-footer and go up towards the bow where it’s less crowded, the deck crew may let you fling almost un-weighted baits far from the boat, where big snapper and kingfish lurk. Or even a passing ling. Standard partyboat rental rods Sweaty angler gets a workout from a big fish. are 6-foot broomsticks that really can’t be cast, to be introduced to Gulf offshore fishing without spending a small they’re relegated to straight up and down fishing using 16-ounce lead fortune on an offshore boat, tackle, tow vehicle and then learning how weights. If you’re going to sling 2- or 3-ounce leadhead jigs or cigar to fish. It’s also a way for anglers to make new friends. minnows (bought back in town) at the horizon, use a reel that won’t backlash easily and will hold plenty of 40-pound line.

In doing so we’ve caught partyboat kingfish up to 51 pounds, and lots of amberjack. Also “black snapper” from 10-12 pounds, which are mangrove snapper, swimming near the surface behind the boat, Joe Richard has fished the Gulf since 1967, starting out of Port Arpicking up scraps. We’d hide a small 4/0 hook inside a drifting bait, and thur, but his adventures have taken him up and down the entire coast. they couldn’t resist. Smaller 2/0 hooks are needed at mid-depth for He was the editor of Tide magazine spadefish and vermilion (beeliner) snapper, as well. for eight years, and later Florida Sportsman’s book and assistant Be sure to dress right: Forget the shorts, the AC may be cold inside magazine editor. He began guiding the cabin, or a night wind can be chilly. Wear comfortable deck shoes, out of Port O’Connor in 1994. His no flip-flops. Long-sleeve shirt, for the sun. Even a wind-breaker. Keep specialty is big kingfish, and his latest book is The Kingfish Bible, in mind that the further offshore you go, the warmer it should get.

New Revelations. Available at Crews way offshore in January have reported fishing without shirts.

Seafavorites.com Whichever option you choose and regardless of their limitations, partyboats mean a day spent on the water. It’s an inexpensive way

CONTACT

JOE RICHARD

30 | March 2020

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Lisa Laskowski was our redfish queen this day.

J AY WAT K I N S

ASK THE PRO

HOW I BECAME A

TEACHING GUIDE Over the past couple of years I have had an increasing number of people hiring me to teach and coach them to become better anglers. Funny how my career has changed over the span of nearly 40 years. My qualifications as a teacher or coach did not come by design. My dad was both a teacher and a coach but that hardly qualifies me as either one. I certainly possess the mentality common in good teachers and coaches. That is the mentality to produce winners in life; and that is what sports of all kinds is supposed to instill in a person.

Sports can be seen as a preview to life; practice makes closer to perfect; we learn to overcome failures and to be humble when we win. I started as a guide that tried to put my clients on the best and most fish I could each day. I was a single dad on and off, so at day’s end I went home to spend time with Jay Ray and Ryan. I seldom ever socialized with clients then, or now for that matter. Being dad came first and the fishing was secondary.

32 | March 2020

While on the water I gave each group the effort they were paying for. Not always the attention they were due but that came as I matured. It was said that I showed up to the dock with my game face on. That came from what I learned playing sports. I was not a star athlete nor do I consider myself a star guide. I am however a product of WANTING to be the best that I can be and it just so happens that is a fishing guide.

For the record, I know that my footprints on the shorelines were by no means the first. In fact, I am honored to have even had opportunity to step where so many greats before me have trod. Rockport old-timers like Bill Bardwell and Alve Wyatt, just to mention two.

I mention them because my dad knew them and was always talking about their wade fishing adventures in Copano and Port Bay, where we fished most often in my youth, and also because their careers predated the positive influence of GCCA, now CCA.

The guide business has changed incredibly over the years. Rockport alone now has hundreds of fishing guides and there are hundreds more up and down the coast. The plain truth is that fishing pressure is changing the patterns of fish in our bays and only those willing to work outside the box can expect to achieve consistent results. These changes have allowed me opportunity to start teaching and coaching those interested in becoming better anglers. With the investment we make nowadays just to get on the water, it only makes sense to get a little coaching if you’re struggling with your game.

I guess the teaching thing began with me making a statement one day that all my talking during a charter is really just me thinking aloud.

Those that paid attention gained a little something each day. One of my groups made the comment after a successful but very windy day that they missed all the talking. Oh, I was talking, the wind was just keeping them from hearing me. I know there are probably days that some clients pray for the wind to pick up.

To be a good teacher and coach I must have students willing and wanting to learn. An open mind toward what I believe the best approach to the day is vitally important. Successful teachers and coaches typically have students that BELIEVE in them. I am very fortunate to have many anglers that believe in my fishing knowledge.

While teaching, I privately make mental notes on the type of rods, reels, and line the clients are using. Earlier in my career I was quick to express my opinion of their tackle. Maturity has taught me this is not a good way to start the day. I still revert to this once in a while but I am learning to hold my tongue. I still see some guys fishing with monofilament line which I no longer use. If you must

Eric Kuhn about to release a solid wintertime trout.

use mono, please at least use Seaguar Invizx in shallow, clear water.

I am a braided line guy but was probably one of the last to switch.

In addition to their line I also make note of their knots. The weight and hook size of the jighead is also huge in my opinion for the water conditions and type of fishing I do.

I also focus on how my anglers rig their soft plastics on the jighead.

So many ways to get it wrong and wrong just makes it more difficult.

Add a tough bite and wrong turns difficult into nearly impossible. I believe it’s the little things that make the real difference.

Once in the water with my guys lined up for a wade, I observe continuously while I fish. I don’t want them spread out so far that I cannot see what they’re doing as we fish our way forward. They likely don’t even notice this. I can typically tell when someone gets a bite they did not detect. It’s crazy what the human eye can pick up once trained to see it.

I always try to watch and see if, after a bite, the angler checks the lure. Many times a bite tweaks the lure just enough to cause it to run improperly during the next retrieve. Just another one of those little things to look for that can cause you to miss an opportunity.

I don’t change my Corkys, MirrOlure Lil Johns and Provokers when catching fish until the bait just won’t run or sink properly.

I honestly change baits very little during the day. I have a good working knowledge of what’s working under each day’s weather and water conditions, which is definitely an advantage. Changing lures constantly tells me the angler lacks confidence in their lure selection, which opens the door for a teaching moment. Confidence in lure selection comes with experience. I often tell clients that I would rather see them work on technique versus lure selection and color.

In order to truly teach and coach, it is imperative that I put my clients where they have the best chance of getting bites. Without bites every aspect of coaching goes out the window. Anglers must have confirmation that the lure they are presenting and the way they are working it are effective; receiving bites is confirmation. Sometimes a single bite is all it takes to kick the learning process into high gear.

My wife Renee said it best many years ago on one of our first fishing trips together. I explained that on that day I was not husband but coach. Coaches bark at players to get their attention and to gain respect. Respect by the way is earned through the coaching process as players start to see successes. Anyway, with Renee, things were pretty easy as she was a very good athlete in both high school and throughout her adult life. Despite a bum knee she was still playing co-ed softball when we met. She understood coaching but we still had to work on the separation of me being her partner and her coach. I wanted her to catch them worse than she did, so I really had to concentrate on my coaching skills and not let my emotions play into the equation.

At one point during the fighting of a really good fish, I was telling her to get the rod tip up when the fish surged downward and then to the side when it came to the surface. Of course I was barking instructions. Finally, after repeatedly telling her how to fight the fish, she stopped and looked at me, “Which is it; UP or DOWN?” I learned a ton about coaching that day. What was obvious to me was totally foreign to her at her experience level. Today, I allow the day to develop, and as each situation presents itself I coach that situation at that time. It’s been one of the most rewarding things I have learned in the fishing business to date.

I love teaching all ages of anglers. I like kids. Well, let me rephrase; TSFMAG.com | 33

C O N TA C T

I like kids that have respect for their elders and those who spend their time and money trying to raise them up to become responsible adults. Have to say I am not a big fan of entitlement attitudes. One should be willing to work to achieve and more often than not worthy achievements require hard work.

I have guys that want me to take their kids, wives, and girlfriends and teach them the basics so they can better enjoy their days on the water together. I had a guy tell me one day that I was his son’s hero.

“Gotta fix that,” I said, as we pushed off from the dock. “You need to be his hero and I’ll do my best to help with that.” I still fish with the now 44-year-old son and his dad is definitely his hero.

I look forward to each group that starts the day off by saying they are not so much interested in catching a bunch of fish as they are in learning something that will help them become better anglers.

It’s rewarding that they believe I am qualified to provide that. This business continues to be the best thing that ever happened to me.

May your fishing always be catching. -Guide Jay Watkins

Lindsey Laskowski enjoying a terrific afternoon wade.

34 | March 2020

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

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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

SHEEPSHEAD:

TOO WEIRD FOR CONFIDENCE I have a love-hate relationship with sheepshead. In fly fishing circles they’re jokingly called “Texas permit.” This is fitting since I feel similarly about tropical permit. Both species will eagerly take a look at your fly, giving you a rush of adrenaline, just prior to fleeing as though insulted.

As willingly as they’ll take live or dead bait, it seems odd they’d be so difficult on artificial.

I will never claim to have sheepshead wired and I would cast serious doubt upon anyone who claims otherwise. These fish are just too weird to allow total confidence. I have, however, learned quite a bit about what sometimes works and what never does. If you’ve read this column for any length of time you know that I’m addicted to sight-casting. I’m generally chasing redfish, but I have no aversion to dropping a cast in front of anything that might eat.

Throughout the first few years of owning a poling skiff I threw flies to literally hundreds of sheepshead. I did the textbook things. I used the suggested flies, threw way ahead of them and resisted moving the fly more than just a wiggle. Fish after fish would approach and then flee for no apparent reason. Then one day I was casting a spoonfly to redfish when I spotted a huge sheepie tailing on oysters. What the hell. The bright shiny spoon-fly is the furthest thing from the typically suggested drab sheepshead flies as you can get. The wind did what it usually does to a spoon-fly and sailed it several feet off target. To top it off, it splatted down way too hard. I cringed at my pitiful presentation. But the crazy fish rushed straight to it and snatched the spoon on the run. Go figure.

After that encounter I threw that same spoon to dozens of sheepshead, all of whom fled in terror. Then one day while scouting I spied a nice big sheepshead nosing into the marsh grass. I tossed my Buggs jig in front of the beast and he instantly inhaled it. Hmmm.

That afternoon the olive colored Buggs accounted for several more with better than 50% success ratio.

For those that don’t know, a Buggs jig is a lead head jig tied with rabbit fur the same as you would a fly.

The jig “breathes” in the water with even the slightest movement. I’d throw it in the path of the sheepshead just close enough to get his attention and then let it sit on bottom until he found it. As he approached I’d give it the smallest movement possible by just wiggling the rod tip and bam. Fish On. This gave me an idea. A fly tied like a Buggs that was originally tied like a fly. Full circle; the Convict 36 | March 2020

Killer was born. I’m sure this fly is nothing new and somewhere there’s an identical fly with a prettier name, meant for more glamorous species. Regardless, I tied up a few and went to try them out. I’d like to say they were gobbled up by every fish in the marsh. Alas, sheepies are still sheepies and never fully cooperative. But at least I upped my batting average to a respectable number.

The fly is dead simple to tie. Start with a small, sharp hook. I’ll use a #8 or maybe a #6 depending on the brand.

Sheepshead have a relatively small mouth that is hard as a rock and difficult to set a hook into. Smaller hooks seem to work better; make sure it’s super-sharp.

I use a small or extra-small lead dumbbell near the eye of the hook. Secure it with a few extra thread wraps and some super glue. Next cut a short strip of olive rabbit strip with black barring, about an inch and a quarter long. Poke the hook point through from the underside of the hide about an eighth inch from the end. Slide it to the start of the bend and secure with several thread wraps.

Now tie in a strip of olive cross-cut rabbit over the base of the tail strip. Make sure the fur is lying toward the rear of the fly. At this point I’ll put a very light bit of glue on the Sheepshead earn trophy status with fly anglers due to their unpredictable nature.

TSFMAG.com | 37

Never pass an opportunity to toss a fly to a sheepshead; every encounter is a learning experience.

Convict Killer; easy to tie and as effective on sheepies as anything I’ve ever thrown at them.

Buggs Jig was the original concept for my Convict Killer.

38 | March 2020

stuck on one spot I’ll make each follow-up cast a little closer hoping they’ll hear the splat. Eventually they’ll either come investigate or spook. If they turn on the fly, follow the same procedure as above.

Big singles in the marsh grass are the highest percentage shot in my book. I have worked out a technique that pays off more often than anything else I’ve tried. These fish are usually keyed up and feeding so they’ll be more aggressive. While those on the flats are rooting around for crabs and such, marsh fish nosing into the grass are likely hunting shrimp. Given that, I like to land the fly fairly close and tight to the shoreline. If they hear the splat they’ll turn quickly. If they don’t respond, hit it a little closer until they do. This is where it gets interesting.

Once you know he saw the fly and has shown some interest, quickly pull it away with a backcast. An aggressive sheepie will start frantically searching for the disappearing shrimp. Immediately splat the fly right back on him. This often results in a solid strike that would make a redfish proud…or he freaks out and you never see him again.

As I said earlier, I don’t pretend to have them figured out, but if you’ll dedicate some time to pursuing them you’ll eventually be rewarded.

Now if only I could get lucky on a permit.

C O N TA C T

base thread to help hold the rabbit strip. I don’t know that it’s needed, but my flies never come apart so I keep doing it.

Carefully wrap forward slightly overlapping until you reach the weighted dumbbell. A few wraps to secure it and then snip off the excess. Continue with several more wraps to fully secure the tag end of the cross-cut rabbit, pass over the dumbbell and then whip-finish at the hook eye. A little head cement and you’re done. I can easily knock out a dozen in half an hour.

Having this fly tied on isn’t a magic elixir, they’re still spastic little boogers with unpredictable personalities. With time and experience I’ve learned to read sheepshead a little better. Some will be found tailing over structure similar to reds, others will be cruising the flats and the ones in the marsh will often be found nosing along edges of salt grass. They can be single or in loose schools.

I have had the least success on the larger schools on open flats.

Love a school of reds, but with sheepies it usually ends with one spooked fish zigzagging through the rest of them and a suddenly empty flat. When taking a shot at a roving school you can try throwing way out front of the lead fish and then waiting patiently for them to mosey over. Once they’re close enough, give a couple little twitches to get their attention and let it sit again. If you get a positive response, give it the slightest little movement by stripping maybe an inch or just wiggle the rod tip. At this point they’ll either crush it to the bottom or change zip codes.

Single tailers over structure are somewhat easier. Since their heads are buried and they’re preoccupied you’ll need to get the cast in a little closer. How close is the million dollar question. I’ll start by dropping in a couple feet away, but in the direction I feel they’re headed. If they’re

Capt. Scott Null is a devout shallow water fisherman offering guided adventues via kayak, poled skiff, and wading.

Telephone Email Website

281-450-2206 captscottnull@gmail.com www.captainscottnull.com

TSFMAG.com | 39

Image 1. A black drum can be recognized by stripes that fade with age and barbels, or “whiskers�, which are sensory organs located under the lower jaw (inset).

By Joel Anderson | Natural Resource Specialist, Perr y R. Bass Marine Fisheries Research Station, TPWD

FIELD NOTES

UNIQUE ENVIRONMENTS DRIVE UNIQUE FISHERIES:

THE CASE OF BLACK DRUM IN BAFFIN BAY

Baffin Bay is a small section of the Upper Laguna Madre bay system, and it is located south of Corpus Christi along the Texas coastline (Figure 1). Baffin Bay and the Upper Laguna are separated from the Gulf of Mexico

by North Padre Island, and they have limited water exchange with the Gulf. Since there are no rivers or streams that input fresh water into this area, this entire system can occasionally be hypersaline, which is when

bay water becomes saltier than oceanic seawater. In fact, surface evaporation in the summer combined with persistent drought can cause Baffin Bay to be one of the saltiest marine systems on earth. Often, organisms that inhabit ecosystems with such extreme environmental conditions adapt by changing basic features of their biology. These changes can be driven directly from experiencing environmental cues in real time or indirectly through genetic changes in the population over multiple generations.

Figure 1. Baffin Bay is found in a remote part of the Texas coast that is south of Corpus Christi Extreme salinity conditions are likely to drive and adjacent to the Upper Laguna Madre. both types of change in organisms that inhabit Baffin Bay, and among them, black drum (Image 1) are a great example of fish adapting to their environment.

The uniqueness of black drum in Baffin Bay was glaring in 2012, when there was a mass emaciation event in the population that corresponded with extreme hypersaline conditions. During this event, fishery researchers, anglers, and commercial fish houses alike observed malnourished black drum from Baffin Bay; individuals showed symptoms of gelatinous fillets, reduced muscle tissue, and empty stomachs. The problem was so widespread that commercial fish houses in the area would not purchase black drum landed in Baffin Bay. Research into this event suggested that it was caused by the black drum population becoming so large that it became overcrowded, and exceeded the capacity the bay could support. In fact, Baffin Bay supports a black drum population that is several times denser than anywhere else in the surrounding area (Figure 2). Due to this heavy burden on the system, occasional

40 | March 2020

TSFMAG.com | 41

Figure 2. Black drum are caught at a higher rate in Baffin Bay than other bay systems in the area. The catch rate in Baffin Bay can be twice that of the adjacent Upper Laguna Madre and up to eight times the expected catch in Corpus Christi Bay and the Lower Laguna Madre.

hypersaline events, like the one in 2012, can result in a temporary drop in the number of prey species inhabiting the bay, meaning the numerous black drum may not be able to find enough food to support such an expansive population.

Additional research performed by biologists from the Harte Institute at Texas A&M recently found that movement of black drum in Baffin Bay is heavily restricted when extreme salinity conditions are reached, making them less likely to move out of the area. In addition, the timing of spawning of black drum in Baffin Bay is also unique.

Research by TPWD has shown that both males and females become sexually mature at an earlier age (and hence a smaller size) in Baffin Bay than other bays, and this was true even when black drum from Baffin Bay were compared to black drum from the adjacent Upper Laguna. Fishery theory suggests that spawning at an earlier age and smaller size can be a common adaptation in unstable or extreme environments. Spawning earlier in life allows fish to have more spawning opportunities, and it increases the odds that their offspring will support the next generation.

After observing the unique biology of black drum in Baffin Bay, a question that intrigued fishery researchers was whether or not there were underlying genetic differences between black drum from Baffin Bay and those found elsewhere on the Texas coast. If the adaptations of black drum from Baffin Bay are coupled with genetic change, that change can potentially be thought of as being “hardwired� into the biology of the Baffin Bay population; in other words, black drum that migrate in and out of Baffin Bay may be less fit to handle the different conditions they encounter in their new environment.

Alternatively, individuals that migrate into Baffin Bay may be less fit when conditions become extreme. Therefore, understanding more about potential genetic differences between black drum populations across the Texas coast is important because it can provide information on how individuals might be affected if they move between areas, and this might have conservation and management 42 | March 2020

implications. To test for genetic differences, our TPWD research team examined several short segments of DNA that can be used as indicators of genetic uniqueness. What we found is that there are indeed discrete genetic differences between black drum from Baffin Bay and those from other bay systems, and these differences were even observed when fish from Baffin Bay were compared to those from the nearby Upper Laguna Madre. Observing genetic differences between adjacent populations on such a small geographic scale is somewhat unusual in marine systems, and implies that black drum in Baffin Bay may be a true biological oddity.

The findings from this work are preliminary, and the implications for management of black drum in Baffin Bay are not yet entirely clear.

However, this information can be used by fishery managers to make predictions about whether black drum in Baffin Bay might respond differently to environmental change than those elsewhere in the Laguna Madre or beyond. At the very least, our finding supports the idea that black drum in Baffin Bay are different than other populations in Texas, and they have unique biological features not seen anywhere else. The next time you cast a line in Baffin Bay and hook up with a big black drum, take a moment to marvel at the potential that the fish you just caught is a bona fide Texas original!

Check the TPWD Outdoor Annual, your local TPWD Law Enforcement office, or tpwd.texas.gov for more info.

TSFMAG.com | 43

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

KAYAK BUYER’S GUIDE Every time I begin to think about the sport of kayak fishing, I can’t help but think how far it has come in such a short time. I know when I began ten years ago, the idea of having a cheaper alternative to a power boat was quickly gaining traction in the fishing world. By the time I got into it a few manufacturers were offering a handful of options.

Prior to me getting into a plastic boat, the older anglers who had been fishing from paddle boats made do with the few brands and the few options available at the time.

All of that has changed.

Kayak fishing has now become a worldwide sport and it never ceases to amaze me what anglers are accomplishing in these tiny boats. Hell, earlier this month, an angler in Panama fought and landed a 600-pound black marlin. The fight lasted a little over six hours and the angler was dragged around for seventeen miles. If that’s not pushing the limits then I don’t know what is.

The sport seems to be limitless and, thanks to anglers telling manufacturers, “this is what we need,” they are designing and offering kayaks for virtually every kind of fishing.

I would like to discuss the various types of kayaks and explain some of the variations and options available in the market today. Presumably, for those new to the sport and contemplating their first kayak purchase some of this might be a bit overwhelming.

So, first off, when you look at kayak designs, one of the main differences is in the way they are made. One of the ways is where a mold is constructed for the top half of the boat and another for the bottom half. The halves are then thermally-fused to become a kayak.

44 | March 2020

The other primary method of construction is a process called rotomolding. This is where plastic pellets are placed into a mold, the mold is closed and then rotated as heat is applied. When the process is completed and the mold cools, it is opened and a one-piece kayak with uniform wall thickness is removed. The greatest advantage of rotomolding in kayak manufacture is the inherent durability of the product. You can drag them across oyster reefs, boat ramps, to and from your vehicle for launching, and a host of generally rough treatments without causing structural damage. I have even seen one launch from the top rack of a truck doing 70 mph and sustain only minor scratches. The downside is that roto-molded kayaks tend to be a bit heavier and cost a bit more. Personally, even if I was going to purchase an economy-priced starter kayak, I would definitely opt for a rotomolded boat versus any other option.

Another key factor when selecting a new kayak is the matter of length and width. I have had many people ask my opinion about buying a ten-footer and I will say this. If you are buying a kayak for an adult, I recommend one at least twelve feet length. Ten-footers are OK for youngsters or smaller adults, but adults of average size and larger need the extra two feet of length. The reason being is that the length of the kayak is directly related to how well it tracks. With every paddling stroke, the bow of the boat will be pushed in that direction. So, the shorter the boat the greater the tendency to cut a zig-zag path with each forward stroke. This leads to more paddling as you must then include a stroke to correct the last stroke you made.

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completely confident in getting in a smaller kayak, I would highly recommend that you take a look at this one.

I could go on for pages about all the boats available today and the various attributes of each. But there are three main factors to consider in a kayak; speed, maneuverability, and stability. You can have any two in most any brand and model but finding all three in one boat is nearly impossible – there simply is no perfect boat that does it all. However, if you have any doubts, always demo a boat before purchasing. If you have any questions on anything I have discussed here do not hesitate to reach out to me and I will try to answer any questions you may have.

Tight lines and be safe on the water!

C O N TA C T

Conversely – the greater the length the greater the tendency for the boat to go forward in a straight line. Moving on to width, it can be generally stated that the wider the boat the more stable it will be. This allows for standing and sight-fishing, greater seaworthiness in choppy waters, and also the ability to accommodate larger people without the tendency to be tippy. It is hard to say which width is the most ideal for any given individual as it also includes size and weight of the paddler and their level of athleticism and balance. Having said that, though, length is everything.

Now for the age old question – paddle vs peddle?

I say age old but, besides Hobie, almost every major kayak brand has begun offering peddle propulsion of one design or another during the past few years. In my opinion the type of fishing you are planning to do most often should be the main consideration in the paddle vs paddle decision. If you fish mostly for bass, like to fish offshore, or cover large distances in open water, I would say a peddle drive boat would be your best choice. If you fish mostly shallow water chasing reds in the backcountry and on the flats where you frequently encounter oyster reefs, clumps of oysters, and heavy grass in shallow water, paddling is definitely the way to go. In the end though, what it actually boils down to is the way you fish most often and personal preference… and there is no wrong answer.

When it comes to paddling, there are some great offerings out there worth considering. My personal favorite brand is Jackson Kayaks and they offer a range of paddling boats to fit most every angler’s needs.

Their new YuPIK looks perfect for the way I like to fish – it’s length is 12’-2” and the 35” width provides plenty of stability. I also like the open deck concept so I can lay my rods in front of me. It also provides a great platform for fly fishing if I choose to do that. Viking Kayaks are another brand of paddling kayaks that have come a long way. Their Profish Reload is a slender kayak that will be quick on the water and will cut easily through chop. The length is 14’-9” and the width is 30”.

For peddle-crafts, Hobie was the original and they pretty much nailed it from the get-go. ‘The Mirage Outback is a middle of the road model and a very good all-around fishing kayak. The length is 12’-9” and the width is 34”; a good compromise for both speed and stability.

Another peddle-drive that is gaining a lot of attention is the Blue Sky Boatworks. It is a dual-hull catamaran-style craft with the Jackson Flex Drive. The length is 13’-4” and at 48” wide tipping over is not likely to be a concern. It is actually a quick boat for its size and can still cut through chop with ease. If you are approaching middle-age and not

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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CCA Texas continues to work closely with TPWD to help ensure sound fishery management and enhancement. Photo Courtesy of CCA Texas.

Story by John Blaha

T S F M A G C O N S E R VAT I O N N E W S

NEARSHORE REEFING & FLOUNDER HATCHERY DEVELOPMENTS Nearshore reefing efforts continue to grow along the Texas coast. CCA Texas partners, Friends of RGV Reef (FRGVR), continue to lead the way in reefing efforts, and are currently in the middle of another large deployment that began in early January. CCA Texas has also partnered with Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s (TPWD) Nearshore Reefing Program for two efforts that will take place in 2020 at Galveston’s Big Man and Kate Reef areas, and in Sabine at the Sabine HI20 site. These partnerships remain a driving force in the effort to create and restore critical marine habitat in the nearshore waters along the Texas coast.

FRGVR has set the standard for reefing efforts along the Texas coast. At 1,600 acres, the Rio Grande Valley reefing site is the largest nearshore site in Texas waters.

The current effort will deploy 10,000 tons of materials in the 400 acre nursery area called the CCA Nursery. This deployment will consist of 54 low-relief reef patches.

Each patch is made up with 25 tons of concrete railroad ties, 25 tons of broken concrete and 6 pallets (420 blocks) of cinderblocks. In addition, there will be 16 patch reefs made up of 250 tons of concrete railroad ties each in a line north of the reef to provide protection to the nursery reef. Capping it all off will be another 1,500 tons of material placed in the SE corner of the reef site, known as the CCA Corner. This deployment phase should be reaching its final stages as this issue reaches the newsstands. To date, CCA Texas and Building

48 | March 2020

Conservation Trust have provided $611,000 in funding to reefing efforts in the Rio Grande Valley Reef site.

CCA Texas and Building Conservation Trust have partnered with Texas Parks and Wildlife on two projects in the Upper Texas Coast. CCA Texas, BCT and Shell Oil Company are providing $329,000 in funding for reefing efforts in the Galveston Big Man and Kate’s Reef areas that will provide an additional 155 pyramids and additional low-relief modules. This additional funding will supplement a $1.5 million effort by TPWD that will deploy 845 pyramids and 180 low-relief modules in these two sites. Funding Partners, CCA Texas, BCT and TPWD will deploy 150 pyramids into the Sabine HI20 Site. This $230,000 project will be funded by $100,000 from CCA Texas and BCT, $100,000 from Sempra Energy, and $30,000 from Cheniere Energy. CCA Texas will continue to work with these local partners and Friends of Sabine Reefs to provide marine habitat along the nearshore coastal waters. These partnerships are crucial and CCA Texas is proud to be a part of the efforts.

If you have any questions about CCA Texas and Building Conservation Trusts habitat efforts, please contact John Blaha at jdblaha@ccatexas.org for more information.

Flounder Hatchery News With two new buildings coming online, Texas Parks and Wildlife will soon ramp up their southern flounder stock

enhancement efforts. The climate-controlled flounder buildings at the CCA Marine Development Center in Flour Bluff and Sea Center Texas in Lake Jackson should allow hatchery staff to expand production into months that were previously impractical due to constraints in infrastructure and other fish production priorities. The building at Sea Center Texas was made possible in large part by a generous donation of $325,000 by CCA Texas members and industry partners.

broodstock collection.

• $40,000 to the Sea Center Texas Hatchery in Lake Jackson for flounder larvae culture equipment.

• $325,000 to the Sea Center Texas Hatchery for a flounder larvae culture building.

For more information about flounder and other work that CCA Texas is involved in, please visit www.ccatexas.org.

“CCA Texas continues to be a proud partner of the stock enhancement program,” said Robby Byers, executive director of CCA Texas. “Our hope is that with increased production capabilities, stock enhancement can aid in the recovery of the flounder fishery. TPWD has repeatedly expressed grave concern for the status of flounder stocks and we want be a part of the solution by supporting the department and raising awareness amongst our membership.”

• CCA Texas has donated more than $1 million to support flounder research and stock enhancement projects: including: • $740,000 to the University of Texas Marine Science Institute for facilities and equipment to support larvae research.

• $14,000 to Texas Parks and Wildlife Department for a skiff to aid in flounder

TPWD and CCA Texas, along with other supporters, will deploy 300 plus pyramids and 70 plus low relief modules into the Sabine HI20 and Kate’s Reef site in Galveston in 2020. Photo Courtesy of Lisa Laskowski Photography.

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Photo by Freshwater and Marine Image Bank– University of Washington

STEPHANIE BOYD

F I S H Y FA C T S

SOUTHERN STARGAZER The stargazers are a family of fish characterized by eyes on the top of their heads. There are about 50 extant species found worldwide in shallow seas and oceans.

The southern stargazer, Astroscopus y-graecum, is our local family member. It’s genus, Astroscopus, is from Latin and means “one who aims at the stars.” This unusual and stout fish has completely adapted to spending most of its life buried in the sand. Its eyes, gill slits, nostrils, and mouth are on the top of its body, so that they are above the substrate while the rest of the fish is underneath.

The eyes are capable of protruding for a short distance, appearing stalked, allowing the stargazer peer above the substrate more easily. Water comes in through the nostrils to breathe. (Most fish species bring in water through their mouths.) The nostrils are also protected from loose substrate particles by fleshy, comb-shaped fringes. The gill slit is narrow and drawn backwards and upwards into a baggy tube. The stargazer’s body is blackish-brown and covered with white spots that gradually increase in size towards the tail, which sports three dark, horizontal stripes. Scales are absent on head, but are present on body. They can reach up to 1.5 feet in length. Two largish venomous spines are located behind their ears / above their pectoral fins. And if that’s not enough to deter you from grabbing one, these fish also possess a pair of electric organs behind the eyes, which can emit a shock of up to 50 volts. Stargazers are unique among electric fish in not possessing specialized electroreceptors. Instead, their organs developed from modified eye muscles. Shocks are used primarily to ward off predators, rather than for capturing prey.

The southern stargazer occurs in the western Atlantic Ocean from North Carolina and the northern Gulf of Mexico, south to the northern coast of South America.

It is a demersal species that lives most of its life inshore, preferring silty, sandy, or soft-rubble bottoms up to 50 | March 2020

about 300 feet in depth, though usually shallower than 200 feet. Living a largely solitary existence, stargazers can disappear within a matter of seconds by using their pectoral fins like shovels to bury themselves in the substrate. They lie in wait with only their face protruding.

As a predatory species, the southern stargazer feeds on smaller fish that have the misfortune of swimming near it.

Prey capture does not involve the electrical organ. Instead, the stargazer relies on its camouflage and ambush technique. When a suitable meal passes overhead, the stargazer lunges upwards and instantly sucks it in. They feed primarily on small fish and invertebrates. Flanges on the edges of the stargazer’s upturned mouth prevent the inhalation of sand and may also entice prey by mimicking a tasty treat. (Some stargazer species have an actual lure protruding from the floor of their mouths, but the southern gazer has to suffice with fringy lips.)

True to its benthic nature, the southern gazer spawns on the bottom during the late spring and early summer months. The small, transparent eggs slowly float to the surface, and hatch into equally small, transparent larvae that live in the water column. At this stage, they’re bilateral, with an eye on either side of the head. The pelagic larvae grow rapidly, feeding off the yolk sac until they reach about 6-7mm in length. Then they switch to feeding on other larvae in the water column (including other stargazer larvae). They also begin to darken in color, except for a bright yellow spot that appears on the chin.

The electric organs begin to form when the larvae reach about 12-15mm in length, which is also when they move inshore to sandy bays and head for the bottom. Here the larvae become juveniles and develop the characteristic adult patterns. The eyes, which were on the side of the larval head, migrate to the top of the head. When the juveniles reach about a foot in length, they’re considered adults and generally move offshore.

Stargazers are taken as bycatch in seine and bottom trawl fisheries and are especially susceptible to red tide events in Texas bays and nearshore Gulf beaches. If approached by a diver, they generally will not move unless disturbed. However, because of their venomous spines and ability to produce electrical currents, live specimens should be handled with care.

Photo by Freshwater and Marine Image Bank–University of Washington

Science and the

Sea

TM

A Feast for Cuttlefish Eyes The last time you saw a film in 3D, you probably weren’t grabbing for a tasty meal that seemed to hover just in front of you. But that’s exactly what happened when scientists put 3D glasses on cuttlefish and showed them a movie—all in the name of science.

Where I learned about southern stargazers, and you can too!

Texas Marine Species txmarspecies.tamug.edu/fishdetails.cfm?scinameID=Astroscopus%20 y-graecum Fish Base www.fishbase.se/summary/3704 IUCN Red List www.iucnredlist.org/species/190348/1948667#text-fields World Register of Marine Species www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=159252 The South Texas Map www.stxmaps.com/go/stargazer.html Florida Museum www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/discover-fish/species-profiles/astroscopus-ygraecum/ Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute biogeodb.stri.si.edu/caribbean/en/thefishes/species/3928 National Park Service www.nps.gov/pais/learn/nature/fish.htm JSTOR www.jstor.org/stable/7905?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents iNaturalist www.inaturalist.org/taxa/179509-Astroscopus-y-graecum

Scientists put 3D glasses on cuttlefish to test their vision.

Credit: P Gonzalez-Bellido/Wardill Lab The experiment may sound bizarre, but it actually led to an exciting discovery about the eyes of these invertebrates. Octopus and squid, cousins of cuttlefish, see only in two dimensions, so they lack depth perception. But since cuttlefish eyes often focus synchronously and their field of vision overlaps, biologists suspected cuttlefish might have 3D vision like humans. So they tested this hypothesis.

After carefully gluing red and blue shades on a cuttlefish’s brow, scientists returned it to a tank and projected a video of shrimp on the tank wall. The video made the shrimp appear to hover at different distances from the cuttlefish, just as 3D movies for humans can make objects appear closer or further away.

When cuttlefish hunt, they thrust out tentacles that have suckers on the tips, but they only succeed if they’re just close enough for the suckers to strike the prey without overshooting. When the shrimp in the video appeared close, the cuttlefish backed up a bit before springing its tentacles forward to capture it. When the shrimp appeared further away, the cuttlefish moved forward before attacking. And when scientists altered the video to make the shrimp appear invisible to one eye, the cuttlefish hesitated before doing anything, as though it was struggling to gauge its distance from its prey.

As with most scientific questions, the answer to whether cuttlefish see in 3D has led to many more questions, starting with how and why. Only more experiments will tell.

What’s That Fish? www.whatsthatfish.com/fish/southern-stargazer/1711#5 AquaViews www.leisurepro.com/blog/explore-the-blue/stargazer/ Animal Planet animalplanet85.blogspot.com/2018/04/stargazer-fish.html

www.ScienceAndTheSea.org © The University of Texas Marine Science Institute

TSFMAG.com | 51

Youthful Oz showing off his “grand tarpon.” The fish he says helped him build a relationship surf-fishing icon Billy Sandifer.

ERIC OZOLINS

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

SALTWATER FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH I’ve been blessed, fortunate to follow my lifetime passion down many different roads. I get to enjoy the daily adventures of an outdoor life, spending ample time near and sometimes in the water. From beloved vantage points, I encounter nature’s wildlife in its most pristine forms.

Though I’ve been pursuing this wildlife for decades, I really haven’t lost a step. These days, I feel healthy as an ox, full of abundant energy to tackle a long day’s outing with ambition and desire. The past year especially I’m healthier and more fit than ever, because I began consuming a smart, clean diet. A looming benchmark urged me to pay closer attention to the foods I eat; as I typed this, I celebrated my 40th birthday! Most of the time now, I feel like Superman.

I certainly don’t feel 40. I have no idea where the time goes, but when I reminisce about my years of adventure, reality sets in. I’ve experienced a lion’s share of grand memories. When I first came onto the coastal fishing scene at around the age of 20, I gravitated towards older people, hoping to absorb some of their knowledge and skills. Today, some of those people say they can’t believe the kid they helped get his start fishing on the beach has now doubled in age.

52 | March 2020

I wish my beach vehicles had fared as well as my body and mind. I’ve burned through a few, but I remain ready and able to walk eight hours a night gigging, or to kayak several grueling miles a day in the surf. An energetic eighteen-month-old daughter enhances my youthful feelings; she also inspires much love and pride. From both the physical and mental standpoints, I still ride the coastal crazy train, racing headlong toward the next big adventure.

Recently, I took an opportunity to reflect on a catch I made in my early years which affected me profoundly. It feels like this single event, more than any other, led me down the road to where I am today. The story of the catch starts with me in the beginning phase of my beach-life.

The year was 2002, during my Ramen noodle-fueled college days. Just a couple years into my surf-fishing experience, I’d recently graduated from dedicated pierrat status and evolved into a mobile surf angler, after absorbing some online inspiration from David Williams.

The dawn of social forums spawned my interest in fishing the surf for sharks.

My childhood friend Nick Tullos and I had planned a weekend surf-fishing trip down Padre Island National Seashore. I called in sick at my job around midnight,

leaving a message on voicemail right before I lost phone service while driving through the park entrance. We hit the beach armed with the traditional setup used in the 90s and early-2000s. Some of today’s younger generation don’t realize we didn’t fish with an arsenal of fancy, expensive lever-drag reels back then; we mostly used primitive big game reels like Penn Senators for shark fishing. We placed our rods and their now archaic reels at ground level, in PVC holders—those were the days before high-altitude truck platforms began to dominate the beaches.

I had no way of knowing the events that developed on the night of July 10th, 2002 would shape the course of the rest of my life. We arrived at our hopeful honey hole just before dark, and I kayaked a couple medium-sized shark baits out beyond the breakers. When

Back in the day; Oz and friends on the beach near Port Mansfield.

darkness fell, the environment turned openly hostile. On this blazing hot, muggy night, mosquitoes attacked with painful precision. The situation became miserable in mere minutes. When just about all hope was lost, I hooked a strong fish on my 6/0 reel, which kept making short, fast bursts. Initially, I thought I’d hooked my first big scalloped hammerhead. Under a completely black sky, with no moonlight to illuminate our actions, Nick turned his vehicle to shine his headlights on the water. By then, I had begun winning the battle with the fish, though it still fought with stubborn strength.

After a fight of respectable length, I pulled the fish near the shore, then handed the rod to my fiend and moved down the line to the leader. My inner voice kept saying, “It’s game time,” and I was ready to drag my first big toothy critter onto the beach. As I walked onto the first sandbar and approached it, I saw two Another of Oz’s must treasured memories giant eyes reflecting back at me. I did a – his first surf-caught mako shark. double take, but soon realized, to my great surprise, I was staring straight at a tarpon!

The silver king inspired pure awe in me. Almost seven feet from nose to tail, the beast weighed roughly 200 pounds, a true giant. After a few seconds, I snapped out of my mesmerized state, realizing we needed to release the fish alive. Maneuvering her wasn’t easy, but we managed to quickly snap a few photos and send her back into the inky abyss.

The elation I felt upon releasing such a welcome, unexpected prize overwhelmed me. To this day, I crave the opportunity to relive such moments.

Ultimately, the catch of that tarpon became important to me for various reasons. At the time, it was my largest fish caught from the beach, easily topping all the mid-size sharks this kid had caught over his first couple years fishing the surf. Perhaps more importantly, the catch gained the attention of quite a few people, most notably the late Billy Sandifer. I remember him mentioning the events of my catch in one of the articles he published a short time later.

Though I was really just getting into Texas saltwater fishing, I already knew of Billy Sandifer. I vividly remember seeing his photos and the iconic tiger shark postcard he displayed. I remember the article written about him in the Austin American Statesman; it covered two full pages. While I had encountered him briefly on more than one occasion, he didn’t know me from any other Joe on the beach. So his acknowledgment of me in his article spurred a great sense of pride. The whole scenario made me want to go out there and land another monster fish; it also made me long for TSFMAG.com | 53

another personal moment with the next worthy beast.

After that catch and after the appearance of my name in his article, Billy came to know me. I knew he could pick me out of a crowd; I was no longer just another guy. He’d stop and talk to me if he saw me on the beach. During those conversations, we built a mutual, respectful bond, and the guru of the seashore became my friend and mentor. Anyone who knew Billy will agree you had to prove yourself to him before he would let you into his circle of friends. Once I earned his respect, I remained in for years, until his days came to their end.

That fateful tarpon became responsible for many things, including fueling an obsession which lingers and gets stronger, even after eighteen years.

The moment served as a launch pad for what happened just one year later, when I caught my first mako from land. Like the tarpon, the mako earned me recognition from strangers, but on an exponentially larger scale, propelling me rapidly toward my current lifestyle and profession. I feel like I’ve crammed enough living for several people into these 40 years, like I’ve bathed in a saltwater fountain of youth. Cheers to the next 40! I look forward with eager anticipation to meeting more of the ocean’s great beasts and living big adventures.

C O N TA C T

Oz’s daughter Aurora, his newest beach fishing buddy.

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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TSFMAG.com | 55

EVERETT JOHNSON

P L A S T I C & W AT E R D O N ' T M I X

TSFMAG CONSERVATION KUDOS TO BILLY RAY WAGNER’S SALTWATER SOUL SHORE PATROL So, everybody’s heard of the three Rs. Back in grade school it meant; Reading – Riting – Rithmetic.

Now that we are engaged in trying to improve the marine environment by practicing better plastic management, the three Rs have new meaning; Reduce – Recycle – Remove.

56 | March 2020

Reducing our personal usage of plastic can be accomplished in a variety of ways. We have passed along some good ideas in this column over the past year. One of the most practical for keeping plastic out of waterways is – Don’t Take It On The Boat And It Won’t End Up In The Water!

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Recycling is another no-brainer, provided that you live in a community that has recycling programs and you take time to learn how to sort plastic refuse.

Remove So, when it gets right down to it, we can only control our own actions, and it turns out that it’s only a few of us against millions of them. Them being the careless people who do not practice proper plastic management. That’s where the third R (Remove) comes into to play. But you can’t get it done by simply talking about it; you have to dig in and get your hands dirty to make a difference.

Billy Ray Wagner is a man on a mission and has been making a huge difference on Galveston Island and surrounding neighborhoods. We mentioned Billy’s trash removal efforts in an earlier segment of this column – Saltwater Soul Shore Patrol. Billy has thus far staged five cleanup events that have attracted 150-plus volunteers. These are common people who have great passion for improving marine environments. They do not get paid, there is no fanfare, no notoriety to be gained. They crawl around on hands and knees cleaning drainage ditches and storm sewers, picking refuse from rip-rap, and disposing of it properly because they absolutely hate seeing waterways getting trashed. Kudos also to the City of Galveston for handling the disposal.

I trust the attached photos will be inspiration for all who read this. Follow Saltwater Soul Shore Patrol on Facebook and YouTube to learn more.

58 | March 2020

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TSFMAG.com | 61

DICKIE COLBURN

DICKIE COLBURN’S Sabine Scene

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

“We haven’t caught the four flounder we came for,” said Delvin Garret, “but there was a time when we would have considered this to be a helluva fishing trip.”

We were two links of cold boudin, a stale pack of crackers and easily forty trout into a very entertaining trip when he recently offered that assessment. Having given up on any hope of baked flounder for supper, we were relegated to drifting the Louisiana shoreline and catching and releasing trout darn near every cast.

I was doubtful that I would ever be able to say this again, but the smaller trout have rebounded even faster than expected. Del’s comparison to a trip years ago was painfully accurate in that we caught incredible numbers, but very few big trout back then.

With the exception of a small contingent of anglers that scoured the oyster shell north of the Causeway for bragging size trout, the lion’s share of local anglers were more than happy to drag a plastic tail anywhere else in the lake and catch 12 to 16 inch trout non-stop.

The big sow trout that have been taken for granted for so long are now incredibly scarce, but nonetheless, our bite has drastically improved. We

have been forced to change both our approach and techniques to consistently exploit this bite, but the catching part is still a lot of fun.

The biggest change for me has been the fact that we have waded very little this year. Quietly dissecting a small area is too restricting when the trout smacking topwaters and Corkys are no larger than the fish we can catch drifting.

The key to catching these trout has been more about technique and covering a lot of water than knowledge

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of structure. There was a time when it involved little more than drifting a tail rigged on a quarter ounce head across any scattered shell.

There was oyster and clam shell all over the lake that is now buried in mud thanks to the last two hurricanes. That technique will still work when you can locate an isolated patch of shell, but we are currently doing much better drifting and simply casting a 4-inch Sea Shad or Lil’ John under a cork or swimming a 5-inch Assassin or Down South tail on a lighter jig head.

Surface activity is helpful, but not necessary when fishing this program. A Power Pole or Talon, however, is the real difference maker. There was no such thing back in the day and I now realize how many concentrations of hungry fish we unknowingly drifted over!

We have also gone back to launching lengthy casts with minnow type jerk baits and keeping them just below the surface the entire retrieve. Virtually every hit occurs as the lure is floating back to the surface. My two most productive jerk baits have been a Long A or Thunderstick in chrome/ blue back or fire tiger.

We also seem to miss far fewer fish using a softer rod action and mono or fluorocarbon rather than braid. I

personally favor a seven- foot medium light Laguna rod and 12 pound mono with a couple of feet of twenty pound leader. Attaching the lure via a loop knot maximizes the lure’s darting action.

Our redfish are equally crazy about the jerk bait and they will often completely inhale it on the strike. For that reason alone, I clip off the one barb opposite the other two on my treble hooks without noticing a decrease in the number of solid hook-ups.

It isn’t unusual to find redfish mixing with the trout when drifting flats in 4 to 6 feet of water, but they will start homesteading the marsh drains by the time you read this and that program can produce quick limits.

I prefer to fish a three-inch Usual Suspect Swimbait or Gulp curly tail when fishing the drains as a flounder is the fish I most hope finds my bait first. That has not been the case over the past couple of months as our flounder bite has been as inconsistent as I can remember.

That is not to say that a few anglers have not occasionally done well, but most of the dedicated flounder fishermen I talk with have voiced the same complaint. The saving grace has been the size.

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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

64 | March 2020

Some March mornings I have fished for hours and caught only a handful of undersized redfish. I keep plugging. Then, magically, the fish appear with the incoming spring tide. Patience is definitely a virtue in March.

As is often the case this time of year, the prevailing incoming tide is the strongest in the afternoon. Hence, many captains wait until early afternoon to make a wade. There’s no sense in fighting it - the fish are going to show with new water flowing on the flats. So we get a few more winks, eat a little breakfast, read the paper and get to the dock around lunch.

Tides are a key variable but winds are just as important. It is tough to find fish when only 25% of fertile fishing grounds are available due to high wind and low water. The good news is better tides arrive this month, along with sunshine and excited Spring Breakers.

Winds from the north drop tides and put us in redfish mode. Back lakes dumping water also dump lots of redfish. I have had some mornings

when my charter makes six casts from the boat and catch six redfish.

For waders, we like to work the guts in West Bay for reds. When tides are low enough to expose sand bars, we find redfish stacked in thigh-deep water. By stacked I mean every cast.

This spring we hope the water gets the glass minnows going. March is a bit early for glass minnows,

but with warm weather the first trickles of these bay anchovies might show toward the end of the month.

It has been a warm winter. Many days in February we took springlike approaches with soft plastics and a few really good days with topwaters. That’s fine by me – mild winters jump-start the spring earlier than normal and gives our bays another year devoid of a fishkilling freeze.

Mid-bay reefs in East Matagorda Bay will be our target area for trout when the wind allows. You hear, “deep shell, deep shell” in just about every report you read. Well, there’s a reason - the bounty of trout are hanging on deep shell. We will tempt them with Bass Assassins, Down South Lures, Gamblers, Lil’ Johns, Corkys and Texas Custom Lures.

When boat-fishing is a must, some will begin to toss live shrimp under a popping cork and make long drifts along the east and west ends of the bay.

Pier anglers along the beachfront and stationed close to the ICW find the spring black drum run.

Cracked blue crabs are the prized bait, with fresh table shrimp a close second. Lots of large redfish will be roaming with oversized drum at the jetty as well.

As tides begin to swell later in the month, look for the far east end of West Bay to shine near Shell Island, Twin Island, Crab Lake and Oyster Lake.

Sunrise Lodge will be at the Houston Fishing Show at the GRB March 4-8. This show is the largest fishing show in the country and a great kickoff to spring.

Everything you want or need to make a cast or spend a day on the water can be seen or had.

Come by and say hello. We will have hats and books on sale. Capt. Tommy Alexander will probably give you a bite of whatever he is eating…if you ask nicely.

Follow our reports on Instagram @ matagordasunriselodge and on Facebook @ binkgrimes.

TSFMAG.com | 65

CAPT. SHELLIE GRAY

MID-COAST BAYS With the Grays

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

66 | March 2020

Winter on the Middle Coast has been very mild so far.

Spring will begin officially with the Vernal Equinox on March 20; seasoned anglers however tend to say spring begins March 1, and I agree. I would normally be talking about bone-chilling cold lingering forever and how it can complicate fishing patterns, but with the mild winter we have experienced I will instead discuss what to expect during the early arrival of spring this year.

Lots of positives over the last few years lead me to believe we could be in for an epic spring fishing season. First – The five trout limit has been in effect since September 2014 and it appears the fishery is very healthy. It’s a no-brainer; take fewer and you’ll have more.

Second – I almost want to bite my tongue mentioning this, but we haven’t had a fish kill from red tide since 2010-2011. Third –

Another mild winter means we experienced no fish kills due to freezing weather. Fourth – No floods or serious droughts; salinity levels were normal throughout 2019, which contributes greatly to healthy fisheries.

No surprise that March will be windy – it always is.

March’s strong winds will have us seeking protection in Matagorda Island back lakes.

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Higher water levels allow the redfish to roam up into shoreline grasses.

Fishing guides sound like broken records in their complaints; it’s the same song every year. We complain not because high winds shut down the bite; we complain because the wind dictates where we CAN fish, which so many days is not where we would CHOOSE to fish. The wind is cruel to everybody, so anglers stack along protected shorelines and cram into back lakes. Pack your patience and remember the Golden Rule.

Finding slightly off-colored water we always look for will not be a problem. The problem most days will be water with too much color – see also: muddy. Fish can sense vibration through their lateral lines, which helps them zero in on spastic and wounded baitfish. In heavy surface chop and murky water conditions I recommend noisy baits and baits that give off lots of vibration to get their attention.

Popping corks can be great tools under such conditions. I prefer the Bass Assassin weighted Kwik Cork with the length of my leader adjusted for the depths I am fishing, usually about half the depth when fishing shallow back lakes. The paddletail of the 4-inch Bass Assassin Sea Shad rigged under a cork creates vibration of its own while the chugging of the Kwik Cork calls them in to investigate. Scented baits add even more attraction.

If you are a topwater enthusiast, like me, then get ready because this is the time of year when topwaters really begin to shine. I have always said, by far, I believe soft plastics catch more fish on average, but only because fish are more likely to play with a topwater than actually try to eat it.

Another downside of topwaters is the tendency for fish to get loose after being hooked. Foulhooking is a big part of this; they weren’t trying to eat it, they got hooked while swatting or body slamming it. But, man oh man, how I just love the blow ups and slurps.

You need to make a bigger statement with your topwaters in choppy springtime surface conditions. I usually opt for louder plugs, even downright obnoxious to make that bigger statement.

Bomber’s Badonk-A-Donk HP, Mirrolure’s She Dog, and Rapala’s Skitter Walk are all good choices.

And don’t forget topwaters have better action if they are attached to your line using a loop knot.

My go-to areas during spring will almost always be the back lakes. We will have seasonally higher than normal water levels in springtime, so venturing out to the farthest reaches on Matagorda Island will be possible this month. I have already started seeing good grass bed development in some of the backwater areas and these become havens that attract lots of baitfish, juvenile shrimp and crabs. We normally see seagrass at this stage about a month later than we have observed this year.

Gary and I will be attending the 45th Annual Houston Fishing Show at the George R. Brown Convention Center from March 4 through 8 in booth 624. Feel free to stop by and talk fishing, ask questions, or book a trip. There will also be some of the latest and greatest fishing tackle on exhibit. If you’re contemplating purchasing a new fishing rod, Waterloo Rods will have all their offerings on display. Pick one up and give it a shake to get a feel for which rod is best for you. If you are considering a new boat there will be some beautiful Shallow Sport Boats to drool over as well.

Hope to see y’all there.

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TSFMAG.com | 67

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

68 | March 2020

"Springtime is the land awakening. The March winds are the morning yawn.” -Lewis Grizzard Well said, Lewis! March must have had a long night; the winds are predicted to be formidable this season. No big deal, as we always can count on them every March. Let’s just say we’ve grown use to it. The upside is that all things living still have to eat, and that includes trout…and the healthiest of them come from this windy month. Between gorging on the limited bait supply before late season cold fronts, and bellies full of roe, March is best month of the year to capture your heaviest trout ever.

True that there will be days just too windy to go out and play, but for those willing to gut out higher than normal winds, great rewards can often be gained. On some shoreline in Baffin someone will be walking up in skinny, dirty water that is full of mullet and stick a giant trout while she was contemplating her first spawn. It happens every year like this. Myself and others have done it many times over. You used to only hear rumors of it, maybe an occasional picture in print to confirm such great landings. Tom Nix (RIP), founder of the Saltwater Angler here in Corpus, was

like a field reporter and would track down the rumor of a legendary trout being caught, and would, many times, be your only chance of getting to see a picture of these fabled giants. It was easy to fly under the radar back then. For a man that didn’t run his mouth and boast, you could be locked down on big fish for the whole month without pressure from others. It goes without saying, but social media and dock gossip has eliminated much of the solitude that we used to enjoy.

That’s just the way it goes, I guess. But trout will still spawn on some grassy shoreline, and I will be there with my clients to hopefully be blessed by a few giant trout. If only for a few days alone.

Short of an unusually strong cold front, my days will be spent pretty shallow (in case you haven’t gathered that already). From December through May, the sole item on my agenda is targeting trophy trout. That’s what I love to do and why my wonderful clients charter me. Always sacrificing quantity of bites for quality of fish. March through May equates shallow, grassy waters that heat up fast and are ideal for trout to release their eggs. Of course you will catch all sizes of fish throughout this process, but

it is, without doubt, where your best chances will be greatly multiplied to cross paths with a lifetime-class fish.

Depending on the water quality, wind conditions, floating grass, etc., will determine what lures I will be utilizing in attempting to catch these larger trout. Outside of floating grass conditions, my favorite plugs are going to be a floating Corky by MirrOlure - Original and Fat Boy models. I prefer the slimmer Original in calmer weather, and the Fat Boy in choppier conditions. Another top choice is the Double D by Texas Custom Lures. The Double D really shines when there is tall grass growing up from the bay floor, as this lure has a shallow darting action but floats back up, and away from the grass. Clients and myself have had great success with the Double D this year.

As far as topwaters go, I prefer big and loud in rough and dirty water. The MirrOlure line of “Dog” lures is an obvious choice for sound and its great “walk the dog” action. If you find yourself with a calm day and wanting to throw topwaters, I would simply say scale the size back from larger to smaller and add lots of pauses. If you have fished with me or know me, you know that I’m not getting anywhere near the water without my 5” Bass Assassins. I love to rig them on Pro Elite 1/16 oz. jig heads for fishing shallow, grassy water.

“Game fish are too valuable to be caught only once.” -Lee Wulff Y’all remember that quote while you are catching all of the big spawners. Handle them and all other trout over 20-inches gently as possible to allow them to survive and pass on their superior genetics. Be proactive for the fish and fishery.

Remember the buffalo! -Capt. David Rowsey

Brian Thompson with a sunrise big’un. Bass Assassin. Released!

TSFMAG.com | 69

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

70 | March 2020

March is such an interesting month; it can be cold, hot, windy, and all the while produce some of the heaviest trout of the year. This was just the case last year when client and friend Glen Ellis landed his double-digit beauty. March is also considered a transitional month, where we go from winter to spring. The degree to which we have to deal with fish transitioning from habitat type to another is also a weather-dependent factor.

February gets lots of trophy trout hype but March also provides legitimate shots at giants. Potential for a lifetime fish also looms in April but, based on results the past couple years, I’m hanging my hat on March for the heaviest weights. Our trout bite is presently very strong and redfish action remains good as well. Trout pulling the Boga to just over eight pounds have been the heaviest thus far but I am hopeful to see some nines and maybe even a legit ten or two here shortly.

I’d like to do a recap of a recent trip where I witnessed how 100 yards can make a world of difference. I was fortunate to have two new clients who I rate as good anglers. We worked through the first half of the morning picking up some keeper trout and reds but nothing real exciting. The weather was not ideal –

Brian Starcich’s personal-best trout taped 29-inches – CPR.

Dustin Sisk landed this beautiful specimen recently with Capt. Wayne – CPR.

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clear skies and moderately-high pressure had me thinking we likely had our work cut out for us.

We made a move and settled in about 100 yards from another guide (good friend) and his group. He had four anglers and I had three, which some might say tipped the odds of catching slightly in his favor. Structure within the target area was much the same for both groups, depth change might have been a few inches, if that.

Easing out of my SCB we noticed them hooking up; some doubles and one time a triple. We could clearly see they were good fish, some qualifying as big, all of them trout. This went on for about two hours. We stayed with it and had a total of three bites. I caught a keeper redfish and the two new anglers, Brian and Dustin, landing personal best trout. Brian’s was a little over seven pounds. So, it worked out, but just by the skin of our teeth.

This event put my brain in overdrive trying to figure out what was going on. Why were they catching and, more importantly, why weren’t we? They were throwing the exact same baits and we were nearly in the exact same water depth on identical bottom. The only obvious answer was that they were 100 yards away.

Case in point, and I’ve said it before; 100 yards can sometimes make a world of difference. So, next time your guide or fishing buddy wants to wade or drift the same area again and just move over 100 yards or so – I’d say do it! You just never know.

After we finished up, I walked over and chatted with the other group. They had landed more than 25 trout (no reds) in excess of five pounds with the largest going 7-plus; not counting missed bites and fish getting loose. It’s humbling for sure but better in the long run to have such learning experiences.

I’ll be expecting some breezy days in March, which I hope I can use to my advantage. Winddriven current lines, ridges along flats and small drains will be areas I will be focusing on.

Additionally, I will be working these areas very slowly with KWigglers Willow Tails and Ball Tails on 1/16 ounce black nickel 2/0 jigs, sometimes 1/8 ounce, depending depths. If it’s cloudy and the water rises above 65° I’ll try a One Knocker to see if I can get one to slurp it under.

The Houston Fishing Show will be at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston March 4 - 8. I along with other guides and fishing enthusiasts will be helping in the Fishing Tackle Unlimited booth. I always look forward to this event as it is without a doubt the premier trade show in Texas. I look forward to seeing you at the show.

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TSFMAG.com | 71

CAPT. ERNEST CISNEROS

SOUTH PADRE Fishing Scene 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

Comparing the speed of a snail with that of a cheetah; the snail is capable of traveling about 0.013 meters per second (m/s) which can also be stated as 0.03 miles per hour. The cheetah has been clocked at 31 m/s or 70 miles per hour. The snail is barely inching forward while the cheetah disappears in a blur. The reason I mention this is to get you thinking about how fast you move through the water while wade fishing.

How quickly you move through a given area makes all the difference in your ability to observe bait activity and signs of game fish feeding. Moving like a cheetah means you’re probably only hitting a piece of structure with a single cast and likely missing many of them. This becomes especially critical in late winter and early spring as fish are coldblooded creatures and cold water slows their metabolism and willingness to put on a speed burst to snag a finger mullet or your lure. Slowing down and firing multiple casts at each piece of structure increases the chances of actually getting it in their face.

Now there can be exceptions to this rule, such as peak feeding periods or water being warmer than normal. Still, for the most part, moving forward at a slower pace and making slower presentations will

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frequently lead to catching more fish during the timeframe mentioned.

How do I handle a particular area during times of cooler water temps? First – I’m looking for bait, either swirls or actual surface activity. Next – I want to determine how much bait is present. More bait usually translates to more game fish in the area.

Finally – the amount of bait and the way it’s behaving dictates the speed of my wade whether I’m targeting trout or redfish.

I typically begin at a slow to moderate walking pace and the first bite is a signal to stop or slow down until I can better assess what is in front of me. A second bite tells me to stop and begin fanning a dozen or more casts across a tighter zone. If I receive no more bites, I fan my casts over a wider area. Still no bites, I resume my original pace until I reach another pocket of fish and then repeat the process. Quite often I zig-zag about fifteen yards left and then right to explore the area more completely.

Each wade can be a learning experience and the more attentive you are to details such as fish and bait patterns, water conditions, depth and structure changes, and the very nature of the bites you are

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Brian Grey was very pleased to land a nice wintertime linesider – CPR!

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receiving, the more you will learn and then be able to apply to future fishing efforts. You should also be aware of the day’s solunar major and minor feed periods. This collection of information prepares you to make smart decisions in lure selection and whether that lure should be hugging the bottom or worked higher in the water column.

Redfish began showing in good numbers in December and we have been enjoying steady catches ever since. Trout fishing has also been very consistent and the tactics I have described here can also be applied when you’re targeting them. My best advice is to target potholes on grass bottoms for both species. Our best baits for trout and reds have been KWigglers Ball Tails and Willow Tails on light jigheads.

I love springtime fishing because each day is different and the fish tend to be heavier on average. I suggest you take time to do some research, take notes, and explore new areas this spring. I know that heavier trout are due any day; in the meantime we will grind it out and wait patiently for the trophies to show up.

In other news, I look forward to March and catching up with old friends and making new ones at the Houston Fishing Show. The show will be held in the George R. Brown, March 4th through 8th.

I will be working in the Fishing Tackle Unlimited booth all five days. Also, on Tuesday March 3rd, I have accepted an invitation to speak at the Alvin Pearland CCA meeting. This event will begin at 7:00 pm at Spring Creek BBQ in Pearland. I will do my best to share valuable fishing information I have learned through hundreds of days on the water.

In the meantime, figure out if you’re going to be a snail or a cheetah on your next wade. Hope to see you soon at the Fishing Show.

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TSFMAG.com | 73

FISHING REPORTS

Trinity Bay - East Bay - Galveston Bay | James Plaag Silver King Adventures - silverkingadventures.com - 409.935.7242 James had been catching lots of speckled trout on trips made in the days and weeks prior to giving this report. “We're catching our bigger trout in a little deeper water lately, after the cold fronts blow through.

We had about 40 fish yesterday, working areas out in the middle, over a shell bottom, a real good percentage of solid keeper trout, up to a little over four pounds. Even out there, we're catching bigger fish better on slow-sinking lures like Catch 5s and Paul Brown Lures in natural colors, also the regular-sized MirrOdine in pink/gold/chartreuse. The bite out of the boat is also good on soft plastics like Bass Assassins in natural colors, darker on the back, lighter on the belly. We're also doing pretty good wading in the afternoons on the warmer days. That pattern will become the ticket more of the time as we get into March, when tides usually come up some, water temperatures rise, and the fish out in the middle move into shallower water. This month, we usually catch quite a few big trout over more of a muddy bottom, especially in places with some grass beds scattered around.”

Jimmy West - Bolivar Guide Service - 409.996.3054 Jim says the catching has been pretty steady for him lately, working a couple different patterns. “We're catchin' 'em better than we did last year. We've got some salty water to work with in several different places, so that's an improvement. We've been doing pretty good throwing tails in the bayous. In there, we're catching mostly smallish keeper trout, up to about three pounds, and a good many reds. We rig our soft plastics on eighth-ounce heads most of the time, unless the current's really strong, and we have to go to heavier ones. We've also been having pretty good luck wading shorelines late in the afternoons, into the first hour or so of the night. On that pattern, slow-sinking twitch baits and topwaters have worked a bit better on average, and the trout are running bigger. I like to fish that way in March too, leaving the dock late, fishing up to dark and a little beyond. But, if we have warmer weather and the tides are moving good in the mornings, I'll go back to more of a leave early and come in early plan. Especially after spring break, when crowds begin to increase again.”

West Galveston - Bastrop - Christmas - Chocolate Bays Randall Groves - Groves Guide Service 979.849.7019 - 979.864.9323 Randall had been catching bigger than average trout on a regular basis just before he gave this report. “We're wading most of the time, targeting the big trout with slow-sinking twitch baits like Paul Brown Fat Boys. Not catching a whole bunch of fish on most days, but the average size has been really good. The best colors lately have been ones with silver glitter in them. Several of the MirrOlure colors and some of the custom ones have silver, and they are all working well. The water has been pretty clear much of the time, and that may be why these colors are producing best. In March, we'll still be wading most of the time; it's a great month to catch fish in the shallows. We'll throw the twitch baits plenty, but we'll also start using topwaters more of the time. Warmer water makes the topwaters work better on a more consistent basis.

I like the Skitterwalks in colors like pearl white and the old Woody Woodpecker, white with red head. We will also be watching for the influx 74 | March 2020

ORECASTS F from Big Lake to Boca Chica

AND

of glass minnows this month. When they roll in, the Norton Sand Eels will start working like a charm.”

Matagorda | Charlie Paradoski Bay Guide Service - 713.725.2401 “March is one of the best months to fish in the Matagorda area,” Charlie says. “It's a great month to target the big trout. The wading, lurechunking people have a shot at some real wall-hangers this month.

Most of those will be caught in coves and shallow areas of East Bay, some around shell humps close to the ICW, if the weather's colder than normal. West Bay usually kicks off a little better once March arrives. The wading over there is great, with lots of shoreline coves and pockets to target both trout and reds. Fishing around the shell humps on the north side, and over the artificial reef can be productive too, especially if winds are light to medium. Fishing out of the boat in East Bay produces some nice catches this time of year too, when winds allow the water in the middle to clear up. We usually see shrimp coming back into the bays this month. Some people like fishing with live shrimp under corks better than anything else. If we don't get a lot of rain, the water in the river will clear up too, giving us another option to work with.”

Palacios | Capt. Aaron Wollam www.palaciosguideservice.com - 979.240.8204 Fishing has been steady and productive in our area lately, even with all the heavy rains we've had. The freshwater flowing out of the rivers has pushed the fish out of the deep holes and onto shorelines close to town.

The North Seawall and Camp Hullen shorelines have been holding decent numbers of solid, keeper trout. They're hanging in depths of three to five feet, over a shell bottom. Three-inch Gulp! shrimp in white rigged about three feet under popping corks have been getting plenty of them to bite. Redfish have been biting steadily on area shorelines too, also out in front of drains, and in the marshes and lakes, in areas with a mix of mud and shell on the bottom. Quarter-ounce gold spoons have worked best for them. In March, we see a continued shift in our patterns away from deep holes and mudflats to flats with sand and grass beds. We'll be on the lookout for glass minnows and shrimp returning to the bays. When they arrive, staying close around them is the best way to catch more trout and reds. Normally, they show up this month in eastern portions of South Bay. Port O’Connor | Lynn Smith Back Bay Guide Service - 361.983.4434 March is a transitional month for Lynn, in a couple of ways. “Early in the month, we'll still be targeting the big trout in places with a bottom of mixed mud and shell, usually close to shorelines and drains, throwing lots of slow-sinking twitch baits like Paul Brown Lures, Catch 5s and SoftDines. We'll focus on areas which are holding plenty of bait, mostly rafts of mullet. All of the back lakes have great potential this month.

If the mullet are jumping regularly, we'll switch up to topwaters. They start to work better on a daily basis once water temperatures warm up in the second half of the month. As spring arrives, I'll also change my daily routine some. During fall and winter, when the water's cold, I like to leave the dock late in the mornings and fish through the afternoon hours, letting the sun heat up the flats before we head out. But, as the weather warms in March and afternoons become windier than mornings

on average, I'll go back to getting up earlier and fishing hard soon after daybreak on a more consistent basis.”

Rockport | Blake Muirhead Gator Trout Guide Service - 361.790.5203 or 361.441.3894 Blake says the fishing has been outstanding all winter for him in the Rockport area, especially for redfish. “I've been on the reds steady for months now. It started with duck season, when I found a bunch back in the marshes. It's about as good as I can remember it, with reds all over the place now. We've started targeting trout more often lately, and we've already had some really good days. I expect it will only get better as spring arrives and the water warms up more. In March, I like to fish shorelines in bays like Aransas, Mesquite and St. Charles, where there's a mix of sand and grass on the bottom. We throw topwaters quite a bit. I like the small ones this time of year. I seem to catch more fish on 'em, and not just small fish. I especially like the chrome/black and chartreuse/silver Baby Skitterwalks. On days when the fish don't want to blow up as good on those, we throw the Gulp! Jerk Shads a lot, in bright colors like white/chartreuse and white/pink. Word is the Corps of Engineers plans to begin dredging Cedar Bayou again in April; that should be good for our fishing in the future.”

Upper Laguna Madre - Baffin Bay - Land Cut Robert Zapata – rz1528@grandecom.net - 361.563.1160 When March arrives, everything seems to be on the rise. Air and water temperatures are up, and the fish move up into shallower water more of the time. When they do, catch rates also tend to rise. This time of year, I switch my focus from muddy bottoms to areas with ample potholes with sand and gravel bottoms, in depths of two to three feet. The water in the Upper Laguna Madre is in great shape, and this makes it easier to see the bottom and also signs of life like jumping mullet or predators swirling on the surface. We also see quite a few slicks this time of year. I throw natural looking topwater lures and slow-sinking twitch baits like Catch 5s a lot in March. These attract the attention of aggressive fish easily, if there's not too much floating grass to work them through. Bass Assassin Die Dappers in colors like salt and pepper silver phantom, sand trout and plum/chartreuse work better in the clear water if the grass becomes a nuisance. Chicken on a chain produces better in murky water. I rig these on sixteenth-ounce spring -lock jigheads most of the time.

Corpus Christi | Joe Mendez – www.sightcast1.com - 361.877.1230 Fishing has been pretty good lately in the Upper Laguna Madre and Baffin Bay. Water clarity is best in parts of the ULM closer to the JFK Causeway, more affected by brown tide farther south. In the clear water, we've been able to sight-cast on the better days. This time of year, catching big trout mixed with red and black drum on the shallows works well on a consistent basis. When targeting the fish in the shallow, clear water, keeping the trolling motor running slow and quiet helps.

Normally, once the fish are spotted, they're fairly easy to target and catch with paddletails in natural looking colors rigged on light jigheads, either sixteenth- or eighth-ounce. Casting the lure out in front of and beyond the fish, then reeling them in steadily so they pass close to the fish works best. When we're fishing the murkier water farther south, we like to work long power drifts, throwing at rocks, grass edges and potholes, and replacing the natural-colored lures with brighter ones and ones with more contrasting colors, like black and chartreuse and red and white. Overall, March is a great month to fish in the Corpus Christi area.

P.I.N.S. Fishing Forecast | Eric Ozolins 361-877-3583 | Oceanepics.com At the end of winter, big changes happen in the surf. In spring, many

species make their way back into the shallows to feed, after spending the cold season at greater depths. We should continue to see little tunny in the surf, where they stayed all winter.

Locating them is easy, when they're chasing small fish and pushing tall wakes. Tiny spoons, flies and speck rigs work best to catch 'em. Red drum will show up in March, when we usually get a run of over-sized specimens. Large cut chunks of mullet or live mullet produce bites from them. If we have a warm March, jack crevalle will show up in numbers, ready to put our tackle to the tests. Other fish expected this month will be black drum of various sizes and sheepshead, whiting and pompano.

Small baits like peeled shrimp and Fish-bites entice strikes from all of these. We might see an invasion of cownose rays, feeding in the shallows on coquina clams. Certainly, we'll see the mature black-tipped sharks arrive, along with smaller numbers of big bull sharks. March weather is often foggy, and when the pea soup rolls in, driving slowly pays dividends.

Port Mansfield | Ruben Garza Snookdudecharters.com – 832.385.1431 Getaway Adventures Lodge – 956.944.4000 March is one of my favorite months, especially if the goal is to upgrade the personal best trout. Many anglers will use Paul Brown Lures when targeting the trout of a lifetime; topwaters will play a role as favorites if water temperatures stay on the rise. Super Spooks, Spook Juniors, One Knockers and Skitterwalks all work well to trick big trout. My all-time favorite is a pink/gold and bone One Knocker. I also rely heavily on K-Wiggler Willow Tails and Ball Tails, rigged on eighth-ounce heads.

This month, wind inevitably effects the fishing. On lighter wind days, I favor the west shoreline, from the Oak Mottes to Long Island Slough, fishing from tight to the bank out to depths about belly deep. I focus on stretches with good pothole systems and bait activity. Peyton's and West bays are good options when winds blow harder, as are The Saucer, Pipeline, Weather Station and Wagner's Bar. The deep gut in Glady's Hole is a famously productive spot if a strong, late norther blows the tide out.

Look for K-Wigglers new color, Getaway Lodge's jalapeno popper, in the Fishing Tackle Unlimited booth at the Houston Fishing Show.

Lower Laguna Madre - South Padre - Port Isabel Aaron Cisneros | tightlinescharters.com – 956-639-1941 Fishing's been great lately, mostly thanks to pretty weather and warm water temperatures. Trout have been biting steadily in two to threefoot depths, with topwaters working extremely well on the warmest days, under overcast skies. Bone Spook Juniors have regularly earned the best numbers of blow ups, worked at a slow, steady pace. On lots of days, fish that strike and miss on the first try will come back for a second or third look. Soft plastics have been working better on the bright days. K-Wiggler Ball Tails rigged on eighth-ounce, screw-lock jigheads have been earning lots of strikes when tossed into bright potholes on the flats. We've been seeing a few really big trout while motoring around between wading spots, but catching them has proved difficult, as the warm weather has them widely scattered.

Redfish have been abundant and biting regularly on the eastside sandflats. Groups of white pelicans diving, and feeding have led us to the pods of reds. Like the trout, the reds are staging in potholes. With continued warming weather and rising tides, we should see increased bait activity on the surface. Sometime soon, floating grass will force us back to single hooks on our topwaters.

TSFMAG.com | 75

Cash Thompson Rockport - 22” first keeper red!

Victoria Rocha Matagorda - 32” personal best bull red!

Katie Davis 27” redfish CPR 76 | March 2020

Barney Drozd Anahuac Wildlife Refuge - 44” bull red

Conrad Adix Keith Lake - 30” redfish

Mason Moore 23” & 21” trout

Mike Gavlik Rockport/Aransas Bay - 31” redfish

Jesse Moreno Galveston - 21” 4.66 lb flounder

Lynn Haigood Aransas Pass - 24” flounder

TSFMag

Catch of the Month

PHOTO CONTEST Beginning with the March 2020 issue, TSFMag will be running a monthly photo contest.

Winners will receive a Yeti Rambler 18-oz bottle.

Burke Aubele sheepshead CPR

Blane Aubele sheepshead CPR

Sharon Gilbert Galveston West Bay - bull red CPR

Email your catch & release photos to photos@tsfmag.com for a chance to win!

Include "Contest" in the subject line.

Emily Rockport - 22” redfish

Brady Coleman Port O'Connor - first flounder!

Photo Gallery Guidelines

Beckett Aubele sheepshead CPR

Melanie Grantham 31.5” first bull red!

First come – first published!

Photos are judged on artistic merit and sporting ethic displayed. No stringer, cleaning table, or hanging board images allowed.

Digital images only. Adjust camera to high or best quality. All images become property of TSFMag. Email to: Photos@TSFMag.com Include short description of your catch with name, date, bay system, etc.

TSFMAG.com | 77

PAM JOHNSON

Gulf Coast

Got ideas, hints or recipes you’d like to share?

Email them to pam@tsfmag.com or send by fax: 361 792-4530

Creamy Shrimp Spaghetti SHRIMP INGREDIENTS

PREPARATION

2 pounds fresh shrimp – peel, devein, remove tails

In large frying pan, bring olive oil to medium heat. Sauté onions until translucent. Add garlic, shrimp, and chicken bouillon powder. Cook one-minute, stirring until shrimp begin to turn pink both sides. Remove from pan and set aside. Shrimp will cook further in baking step below.

1 medium onion - chopped 6 cloves garlic – chopped fine ¼ cup olive oil 1 Tbsp Knorr Chicken Bouillon 16 ounce package angel hair or linguine - prepared al dente per package 1½ sticks butter 8 ounce box mushrooms – thin sliced 1 stick celery – chopped /3 cup flour

1

1 cup chicken broth 10.5 ounce can cream of celery soup 10.5 ounce can cream of chicken soup 16 ounces half and half 1 stick butter 11 ounce box Cheese Nip Crackers – crushed 1 tsp black pepper 78 | March 2020

In same pan, melt 1-1/2 sticks butter. Sauté mushrooms and celery two minutes. Add flour; make sure there are no lumps before adding chicken broth, cream of celery, cream of chicken, and half and half. Additional broth can be added if mixture seems too thick.

In separate frying pan; melt stick of butter and add crushed Cheese Nips. Continue at sauté temperature, stirring until golden brown. Careful – they burn easily.

In large bowl; fold gently to mix all ingredients. Transfer to large baking dish. Sprinkle with browned crackers.

Bake uncovered 20 minutes at 350°F. Makes six adult servings. Great with tossed green salad and garlic bread.

TSFMAG.com | 79

S P O N S O R E D B Y C O A S TA L B E N D M A R I N E

C H R I S M A P P ’ S R E PA I R & M A I N T E N A N C E

DEVELOPMENTS AT COASTAL BEND MARINE I have been studying hull designs very intently the past few months because, in December 2019, I purchased Flats Cat Boats of Rosenberg. The original Chris Mapp, owner of owner, Bill Allison, patented the Coastal Bend Marine. design of the hull in the 1990s.

Evinrude, Suzuki, Yamaha, The lengths currently offered Mercury, Honda, BlueWave, are 17, 19, and 21-foot models and SilverWave, Shallow Stalker we are working on a new twentyBoats, Coastline Trailers, four foot design. Many of the hull Minnkota & Motor Guide Trolling Motors. designs I have looked at with the Great Service, Parts & Sales designer allow us to insert different “What can we do for you?” dimensions and evaluate the results on a computer screen for each hull characteristic selected.

The characteristics we are attempting to hone in on are the boat’s agility; shallowest draft possible, stability for the anglers onboard, ease of planing, a good turning radius, and reducing the stern from sucking down during initial take-off. All within the framework of a 10-year hull warranty.

Our current boat design allows the skeg to stay above the bottom of the boat, preventing scarring of delicate seagrass beds, allowing anglers to glide over juvenile fish and oysters and, when in deeper water, posing no risk of propeller injury or death to dolphins here or manatees in Florida.

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Fishing to me is about conserving what our grandfathers left us, and what we will leave to our grandchildren. Our goal is sustainability; to build a boat that reflects the values of anglers and naturalists while providing fun and recreation for the fishing enthusiast.

In conclusion, using updated composite materials blended with modern techniques and with new colors, Flats Cat is an attractive, wellconstructed Texas-built flats boat that does not require high horsepower to perform well.

Have a great spring season, and see you on the flats.

Chris Mapp chris@flatscat.com – coastalbendmarine.com – 361-983-4841

LET US SHOW YOU HOW TO

BUILD YOUR OWN RODS

WWW.MUDHOLE.COM/SALT-KIT GET A FREE CATALOG! MUDHOLE.cOM/CATALOG

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TEXAS SALTWATER FISHING HOLES GUIDE SERVICES M ATA G O R D A B AY Speckled Trout / Redfish

USCG Licensed Captain Stan Sloan

832.693.4292 www.fishfcc.com

• Bay Fishing, Offshore, Floundering, Waterfowl, Dove • Night Fishing off Lighted Pier • Right On The Water • Lodging with/without Meals www.matagordasunriselodge.com 979-241-1705

TROUT REDFISH FLOUNDER

Capt. Lynn Smith’s Back Bay Guide Service Port O’Connor Area

Wade & Drifting the Back Bays & Surf

Call 361.983.4434 (cell 361.935.6833) Email lynn@tisd.net (tswf.com/lynnsmith)

Designer & Manufacturer of Specialized High Performance Fishing Rods Office: 361.573.0300

805 B. South Bridge Victoria, TX 77901

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Fax: 361.573.0304

PESCADO PARK RV PADS & BOAT STORAGE

Baffin Bay

near Kaufer-Hubert Boat Ramp DAN WARD 832-860-4600

dwpb@comcast.net

TSFMag MEMORY MAKER

A Great Tale of Angling Success & Conservation I would like to share a proud Daddy moment. Attached are photos of my daughter Kylie Traub with her 27.5” trout caught in Matagorda Bay. Kylie is mostly a momma’s girl, but loves when I have a chance to get her out on the water. The transformation from girly stuff to fishing with Daddy is mild but it happens. She still has to have matching outfits and bedazzle items all the way down to her James Avery charm bracelet. I guess you could say she gets it done in style.

Kylie dreams of becoming a marine biologist or a game warden.

She’s a great student and wants to learn more about the actual fish than how to catch them. How long do they get? How many babies do they have? Why do they have speckles? What do they eat? Where do they live? All are great questions that after researching the answers for her have actually helped me understand the movements and tendencies of trout, making me a better fisherman. I must say, I have been fishing most of my life and actually started guiding a few years ago and have had several customers and friends land trophy trout. I was a proud guide when they did, but nothing compares to the proud Daddy moment I experienced when Kylie hooked into this beauty.

Our crew on the day Kylie caught her big trout included my buddy Ryan, his 10-year-old daughter Savana, who is Kylie’s best friend, and 12-year-old son Aiden. I had been running to the surf with flat calm conditions several days and we hoped to take the kids out there for the excellent bite we had been enjoying – but the surf was rough that morning and to East Bay we went. We drifted several areas and picked up some keepers but never really found what we’d hoped for the kids.

Keeping youngsters excited can be a challenge when the fishing is a grind, but Kylie never gave up.

I expected the bite would improve toward midday. Kylie was beginning to fade on me and I did my best to encourage her to hang in there. She said OK and continued casting that pink cork and 3” white Gulp shrimp. A few minutes past noon she asked me to hold her rod while she grabbed a drink. I told her to make just a few more casts as were coming to the end of our drift.

She was standing on the back of the boat fishing her heart out while I was tying a new jig head on my line. I had been randomly checking her cork; when the fishing is slow her eyes tend to wander. When I noticed her cork going under I honestly thought it was probably another hardhead. I told her she had a bite and she quickly made a hookset that would have made Bill Dance proud.

I heard her drag screaming as she shouted, “Holy Moly Dad!” I thought she had a redfish until that big trout came thrashing to the surface. She fought like a pro, following the lessons I’d given her over the years, and guided it toward the net I was holding.

This is where the story gets interesting for you but a bit embarrassing for me. Jubilation turned to despair as Dad missed it with the net – not once but twice. Everybody was screaming encouragement; the drag was still squealing, the cork was banging the side of the boat, the leader was rubbing against the hull, and the fish was making another hard run trying to shake itself loose. All I could think was that I’d blown it on my daughter’s trophy trout. Kylie somehow kept her cool way better than Dad and finally we had the big fish safely in the landing net.

I knew we had to act fast to get our pictures and try to get Kylie’s trophy released while it still had enough strength to survive. Ryan grabbed the measuring stick and we were elated when he declared it to be 27-1/2 inches. Kylie already had her on the Boga Grip and asked, “Dad, we should release her, huh?” I said absolutely sweetheart. This little girl who is already extremely interested in marine biology was just as excited about releasing this fish as she was about catching it.

Fishing is one of my greatest passions and I want to say nothing could be more satisfying than what I experienced that day. The time spent with my daughter and the excitement of that day will never be forgotten. She’s definitely hooked on fishing now and Mom is trying to find a speckled trout charm for that James Avery bracelet.

Proud Daddy – Cory Traub

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