November 2016

November 2016

Only $3.95

TSFMAG.COM

TIDE PREDICTIONS & SOLUNAR FEED TIMES INSIDE!

We Live Hunting & Fishing

WWW.FOREVERLAST.COM

Like us on facebook (361) 798-1530

Tail-Gaiter Portable Grii

Models

100% composite 7 year Hull warranty

Our boats are designed and built to maximize horsepower efficiency, shallow water capability, quality of ride, and fish ability.

Come design the JH model that’s right for you!

3925 FM 359 Richmond, Texas 77406 Ph: 281-238-0060

WWW.JHPERFORMANCEBOATS.COM WWW.JHPERFORMANCEBOATS.COM

Whether you are in the surf searching for your next trophy or stalking the flats for redfish, the Tsunami Barrier combos are designed to take on the harshest punishment that saltwater gamefish can inforce on tackle. Each combo is factory balanced to provide anglers with the best setup possible to insure the ultimate experience while on the water. Built for both monofilament and braided line, Barrier combos feature a light weight graphite reinforced reel body and rotor while 4 shielded stainless steel bearings provid smooth operation. A durable graphite composite or tubular glass rod provide the perfect combination of weight and balance for casting and fighting fish.

Combo Features: • Graphite Composite & Tubular Glass Blanks • Stainless Steel Guides with Aluminum Oxide Inserts which are ideal for both mono and braided lines • Cork & EVA Grips

• Machined Anodized Aluminum Spool • 4 Shielded Stainless Steel Bearing System (IAR) • Thick Anodized Aluminum Bail Wire

WHEN ONLY THE BEST WILL DO.

W E B R E A T H E B L U E WA T E R ProtectUV® Mega Solar

ea t ur i wf no

Now available at

ng ar two

TM

TM

50+

rk b y

800.606.4003 · denaliperformance.com 800.606.4003 · denaliperformance.com

about the Cover November sets the stage for trophy trout season. Jake Rucka of Houston landed this great Baffin specimen late-winter 2016 using a Shimano NRX rod paired with a Lew’s speed Spool Light reel.

November 2016 VOL 26 NO 7

Contents FEATURES

DEPARTMENTS

10 Following Seasonal Patterns…

16 Transitions and Traditions 22 Rants and Lessons 26 Defining Insanity 32 Fishing at Night 46 Are You Good With Your Hands?

50 Let’s Ask The Pro 54 Shallow Water Fishing 58 TPWD Field Notes 60 Fly Fishing 62 Kayak Fishing Chronicles 66 TSFMag Conservation News 70 Fishy Facts 74 Inshore | Nearshore | Jetties | Passes 78 Extreme Kayak Fishing & Sharks...

104 Boat Maintenance Tips 106 Science & the Sea 37 Holiday Gift Guide

Steve Hillman Kevin Cochran Martin Strarup Chuck Uzzle Joe Richard TSFMag Staff

46

WHAT OUR GUIDES

HAVE TO SAy

82 84 86 88 90 92 94

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

88

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

50

REGULARS 08 Editorial 80 New Tackle & Gear 96 Fishing Reports and Forecasts 100 Catch of the Month 102 Gulf Coast Kitchen

102 6 | November 2016

Jay Watkins Scott Null Jason Ferguson Scott Sommerlatte Dave Roberts CCA Texas Stephanie Boyd Curtiss Cash Eric Ozolins Chris Mapp UT Marine Science Institute

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 Linda Curry Store@tsfmag.com Design & Layout Stephanie Boyd Artwork@tsfmag.com Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine is published monthly.

Subscription Rates: One Year (Free Emag with Hard Copy) Subscription $25.00 E-MAG (electronic version) is available for $12.00 per year.

Order on-line: www.tsfmag.com Make checks payable to: Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine Attn: Subscriptions P.O. Box 429, Seadrift, Texas 77983 * Subscribers are responsible for submitting all address changes and renewals by the 10th of the prior month’s issue.

Email store@tsfmag.com for all address changes or please call 361-785-3420 from 8am - 4:30pm. The U.S. Postal Service does not guarantee magazines will be forwarded. how to contact tsfmag: Phone: 361-785-3420 fax: 361-785-2844 Mailing Address: P.O. Box 429, Seadrift, Texas 77983 Physical Address: 58 Fisherman’s Lane, Seadrift, TX 77983 Web: www.TSFMAG.com photo gallery: photos@tsfmag.com Printed in the USA. Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine (ISSN 1935-9586) is published monthly by Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine, Inc., 58 Fisherman’s Lane, Seadrift, Texas 77983 l P. O. Box 429, Seadrift, TX 77983 © Copyright 1990 All rights reserved. Positively nothing in this publication may be reprinted or reproduced. *Views expressed by Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine contributors do not necessarily express the views of Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine.

Periodical class permit (USPS# 024353) paid at Victoria, TX 77901 and additional offices.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine, Inc., P. O. Box 429, Seadrift, TX 77983.

EDITORIAL

We Made It!

The run of miserably hot weather that started in July and continued into the last week of September sticks as the worst in my memory.

Of course the suffering of the moment has a way of distorting memory. So I googled weather records just to see and learned that the National Weather Service ranks August 2016 hottest-ever in their 136 years of recordkeeping. I’ll take their word.

The first decent norther of the season arrived in the wee hours of September 30. I was out at Karnes City for a morning dove hunt and, let me tell you, it was awesome - the doves and the weather.

When we rolled up right at sunrise the temp gauge on my dash said 56-degrees. I pulled out a Frogg Togg rain jacket for insurance against the cool north breeze and was glad I did.

This past Saturday and Sunday were both fall weather dandies as our second norther of the season reached the coast. We waded wet in water that felt warm on our legs. If you’ve ever experienced this you know that wet clothes and north wind can set your teeth to chattering. Lucky for us the trout and redfish were feeding like a bunch of piranhas so nobody complained.

November on the Texas coast can be the stuff of legend with excellent fishing and generally great weather. Northers will chase us off the water a few days but the recovery to near-perfect conditions

8 | November 2016

is brief, sometimes only one day. Barring an unusual rainfall event, salinity is very good throughout the month in nearly all our bay systems while water levels remain generous enough for all the backcountry lakes and marshes to be in play. Tides are also generally favorable, delivering waves of bait and gamefish to shorelines and mid-bay reefs alike. Jetties and passes also shine like diamonds in the pleasantness of November.

Perhaps greatest of all is the relatively light fishing pressure and boat traffic we find this month. Hundreds of thousands of sportsman will be in deer and waterfowl blinds all across the state, leaving the water wide open for a change.

November also gives us Thanksgiving, a great time for spending time with family and friends. Thanksgiving around my home is always a delight as we mix good doses of duck hunting and fishing in the morning with feasting and football games in the evening. Kids, grandkids, friends and neighbors all gather to thank The Almighty for the many blessings he bestows.

Get outdoors this month and make memories with your family!

Dad fighting his behemoth red like the old pro that he is.

STORY BY STEVE HILLMAN

TO FINDTHAT

L

ate summer and early fall can present some challenges as unsettled weather along with weak fronts tend to disrupt the predictable trout patterns we’ve enjoyed most of the summer.

It’s very unsettling to roll out without a reliable game plan knowing that the fish you were catching yesterday have probably relocated. But you can’t get discouraged because much like the weather here in Texas - just wait five minutes. As early November approaches, stronger cool fronts will gradually ease trout into a more stable pattern. This is fantastic news for those who realize the effects and know what to look for when such changes occur. Knowing that you have a plan when you leave the dock is the best feeling in the world. Predictability breeds confidence and allows all parties involved to have a more enjoyable experience on the water.

Here along the upper coast patterns can be broken down into six phases.

These are the approximate time frames in which I believe trout patterns change and require strategic adjustments. There are variables which may slightly affect the timing, but this seasonal pattern “cheat sheet” should put you in the ballpark.

Mid-October – November In recent years November has been more reminiscent of October due to mild weather. White shrimp migrations lasted well into December last year and even into January in some areas. Our pattern is almost always the same. However, the timing can vary based upon rainfall amounts, water temperature, etc. As water temperatures drop, specks instinctively migrate to high-percentage food source areas such as river mouths, soft-bottomed areas with deeper guts and bayou openings realizing that food supplies will decrease with each passing front.

Just about any option is an option. Wading shorelines especially near marsh drains is productive for trout, reds and flounder and you may luck into a big trout. The MirrOlure C-Eye Pro Dog topwater has really impressed me with its medium pitched rattle and easily employed side-to-side cadence. Going below the surface with a MirrOlure Marsh Minnow provides a great shot at flatfish and reds.

If wading isn’t your thing then open-water drifting can be stellar during this peak time of white shrimp and shad migrations. Working birds is always popular and provides lots of bites, but working them correctly provides the right bites. Never approach a school of trout under birds using your outboard. Always stop at least 100 yards away

and proceed with your trolling motor. Take notice of the direction the school is moving, then approach laterally while casting into the front of the school. The majority of the larger trout are almost always leading the pack. Throwing soft plastics into the schools are a nobrainer but don’t be afraid to throw topwaters. We quite often weed out some of the smaller trout by doing this.

Fishing slicks are most definitely still a great method for catching trout during this period, especially the larger ones. Learning how to set up on slicks based upon wind and current will enable you to maximize opportunities. Simply put, the fish are closer to the small slicks versus the larger ones. Distance yourself behind larger slicks leaving room for smaller ones to appear between you and the old (large) slick.

December – February Cold water pattern - Mullet become the primary food source as many smaller forage species have exited the bay. Slicks are not as prevalent as during the warmer months because of less frequent feeding due to lowered metabolism. Mud and silt bottoms lined with scattered shell near deep guts are the best areas to target. Contrary to the popular belief that trout will move to very deep water, most trout will stage in 3 to 5 feet barring any extreme water temperature drops. Target color changes My dad, Clifford caused by wind or current using mainly Hillman, with a slow-sinking plugs such as MirrOlure’s monster 45 inch Paul Brown Originals, MirrOdines and soft red (CPR). plastics rigged on light-weight lead heads.

Late afternoons and early evenings can produce better results a couple of days after strong northers.

Wading is most often the best option, but plenty of opportunities exist drifting on the calmer days as well. In my opinion, this is the beginning of big trout season on this part of the Texas Coast as trout are hefty from gorging throughout the fall.

March and April Spring to early summer transitional pattern – This period of time can result in some of the toughest fishing on Texas’ upper coast. If instant gratification is your thing then you may want to keep your boat on the trailer. The silver lining is that the ceiling is high for your chances of catching This 42 inch giant (CPR) was trophy trout. This is a time a pleasant surprise for Aaron well-suited for true grinders and Wilde on a day that required a lot of relocating while preferably those who don’t mind nickel and diming trout getting out of the fiberglass during the Late September – as trout tend to occupy grassEarly October “grind” period. lined shorelines and coves with scattered shell. Swollen spring tides tend to push trout very close to shorelines making drifting such areas difficult and less productive especially during springtime stiff winds. Speaking of wind, a brisk wind can actually aid in targeting and catching trout as wind-induced color streaks provide ambush points. The increased turbidity also absorbs heat from the sun’s rays.

Forage species mainly include tiny brown shrimp,

12 | November 2016

newly-hatched Gracie tricked shad and glass several nice trout minnows. as we dodged early fall storms.

Oftentimes trout are finicky when feeding upon such tiny prey. Persistence is key during this time and the best feeding periods are likely during the late afternoon hours.

Suspending plugs, small topwaters and soft plastics rigged on 1/16 ounce or H&H Flutter Jigs will increase your chances. Soft plastics or Berkley GULP rigged beneath a rattle cork can also be very effective for these hard-to-trick trout when all else fails.

Late June – Early September Water temperatures in the low to mid-eighties tend to keep trout in deeper water over hard shell. Occasionally schools will migrate away from structure to seek the comfort and increased oxygen level provided by cool deep-water mud. Slicks will lead the way. Schools tend to not move very far from day-to-day making them somewhat predictable and easy to catch. MirrOlure Provokers, Tidal Surge Split Tail Mullets and Saltwater Assassins on 1/8 or 1/4 ounce jig heads are go-to baits. However, the topwater bite can be outstanding as well even while drifting in 7 to 10 feet of water. The best locations are mid-bay reefs and channel spoil banks. Tide movement is paramount during this time period.

Late September – early October This summer to fall transitional can frustrate even the most seasoned angler. Working multiple areas rather than focusing on one or two will lead to more productive days as trout tend to spread out a bit leading up to a true fall pattern. Trout are definitely on the move during this time. This period bears some of the same characteristics of the March through April period except my personal experience leads me to believe that there is probably a higher percentage of fish in deeper water when making the comparison. Deep reefs, 14 | November 2016

8-year-old Malia Vicknair with the first keeper trout of the day on a stormy morning and her first ever on artificial!

shorelines and back lakes are all good for a few fish here and there, but don’t expect to just pull up to a spot and catch all you want. To me, a lot of learning takes place during this stretch. Soft plastics and noisy topwaters such as MirrOlure’s She Dog are employed quite often during this period. My clients may disagree but the added challenge can make you a more astute angler in the long term.

Summary Predictability is the blueprint for success. Pay attention to changes that positively or negatively affect feeding patterns. The two main factors affecting trout movements are water temperature and salinity. The lifeblood of our estuaries originates in marshes, backlakes, bayous, coves and rivers. These are the starting points and ending points over a 12 month period. Once you’ve grasped the seasonal patterns and know what to look for, you’ll be able to find your pot of gold on a regular basis.

Steve Hillman

Contact

May – Early June This is an exciting period of time for trout fishermen as everything starts to come to life. Forage species have now grown to a larger size and are more concentrated.

This combined with warming water temperatures triggers trout to actually start forming legitimate schools again. Increased metabolism from the warmer water can induce some of the most violent strikes of the year. Wadefishing is still productive and openwater reef fishing finally comes back into play. Target slicks and birds. Patterns are almost identical to those experienced during the late October through November period. Topwaters and tails are tops on the list.

Steve Hillman is a full-time fishing guide on his home waters of Galveston Bay. Steve fishes the entire Galveston Bay Complex, wading and drifting for trout, redfish, and flounder using artificial lures.

Phone 409-256-7937 Email captsteve@hillmanguideservice.com Web www.hillmanguideservice.com

Russ Lane: Bassmaster Elite Series™ Pro

“Winn overwraps help me as a tournament angler in so many ways. They’re great in all weather conditions. I don’t have to physically squeeze my rod during a cast as hard as I did with cork or EVA. That gives me a better degree of accuracy with less fatigue. Multiple color options also allow me to organize different rod actions and lengths using different colors. I honestly could never use a rod again without my Winn overwrap!”

winngrips.com 1-877-854-7601

WinnGrips.com, Winn, and the Winn Brand Symbol is a registered trademark of Winn Inc. © 2016 Winn Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Available at

& other fine tackle shops

STORY BY KEVIN COCHRAN

D

uring the weeks spanning from the middle of November to the middle of January, several socially and culturally significant events, seasons and traditions take place in Texas. Most of us in the Lone Star State celebrate major holidays: Thanksgiving, Christmas and the ringing in of a New Year. Many of us also participate in time-honored rituals related to the open seasons for hunting deer, ducks and doves.

For lure-chunking trophy trout enthusiasts like me, this transitional window signals the end of another style of fishing and the beginning of our most productive time-frame. Normally, during these eight weeks, water temperatures all over the state’s estuaries fall into the fifty-something degree range, often staying at those values for days at a time.

Obviously, such a change in average temperatures brings warm-water, bait-soaking patterns to a screeching halt, while generating scenarios favorable to lure chunkers. Cold water tends to make trout behave predictably, stirring their survival instincts and sending them to the same places repeatedly.

Typically, the best fishing for trophy trout at the end of autumn and into the first part of winter occurs near deep basins where stunned trout ride out the chilling effects of strong cold fronts.

The best places lie in the lee of land, close to north shorelines which buffer the water from bitter blasts of frigid air. In spaces like these, wind exerts less influence on wave action, and the water tends to stratify better than depths on windward shorelines and in areas without protection from the breeze.

Sometimes, calm pockets in the lee can hold water several degrees warmer than surrounding areas.

In such situations, trout which sat dormant on the bottom in the basins while water temperatures dropped eventually rise and begin searching around shallow structural elements in these pockets for something to eat. Often, their hours or days of inactivity make them ravenous indeed. Catching them can become stupid-easy for a while, as the warming waters urge them to gorge voraciously.

Many times, these short-lived frenzies happen as nightfall descends on coastal waters, particularly if bright skies have allowed the shallows to warm rapidly a couple days after a strong front raked Rob Tortorice with a prized across the waterways. Astute anglers also recognize the trout caught at the end of a fact that ultra-clear water exaggerates the tendency of long January night, in the big trout to feed nocturnally. Accordingly, many head out hours prior to the passage of a cold front. in the afternoon and continue fishing until the blanket of darkness fully envelopes the shallow estuaries.

I’ve made many memorable catches during these transitional weeks on the calendar by fishing around shallow structures near wintering basins in the gloaming and under starry skies. Slow-sinking twitch baits in dark colors usually work best to trigger strikes from hungry trout which rise off the bottom and head for these places with their jaws snapping recklessly. Some of the best spots border on area shorelines, while others fringe shallow sand bars, reefs and rock formations lying farther from land. Most of the best bite occurs in water from about knee to waist-deep in scenarios like these, urges make fish behave predictably, so catching big trout around when trout first shake off the numbing effects of a strong front and shallow structures at dusk and into the early hours of night often vigorously feed. proves quite easy when weather makes an upturn after a harsh front Some trophy trout hunters say to begin a search for prime places during the holiday season. to encounter hungry fish in cold weather by focusing on the type Throughout most of the early part of the cold season, catching of bottom in the area. Specifically, they assert the bottom should trout in the dark after nightfall does happen more easily than catching consist of soft mud. I certainly have caught many big trout over a them in the hours immediately prior to dawn. But I’ve had ample muddy bottom in chilly conditions, but now believe the availability experiences catching numbers of big trout at the end of the night of food trumps any other consideration for trout in winter. Coldduring cold weather too. On several of these occasions, I chose to stunned specks won’t search out a particular type of bottom when fish for a few hours at the end of a nippy night because I knew a big they become gluttonous; they’ll search for food and attack it where tournament would blast off just prior to daybreak. they find it.

In one instance, I and my customer Robert Tortorice and his father If sand or grass covers the bottom at the closest likely feeding and friend focused our efforts near a shallow sand bar lying next to an station (shoreline grass mat, oyster reef, sand bar or rock pile), the fish won’t likely notice, blinded by their urge to feed. They need to eat and old, silty dead-end channel in the Upper Lagoon in January, tossing to do so without wasting energy. Lacking cognitive awareness of these sinking Fat Boys around potholes in depths of about three feet. Rob caught a trout just under 30 inches, his friend caught one of similar facts; they operate out of biological necessity and instinct. Strong size, and both bit before the first rays of light glimmered in the east.

I remember us chuckling later, as the Here’s Ari Schwartz about to tournament boats raced by us on their way south, handle one of three big trout he where brown tide tainted the waters, instead of caught while fishing with the staying in the gin clear stuff in which our giants author on a dreary December day, had bitten. No one caught trout as big as ours using a plum Bass Assassin rigged on a sixteenth-ounce jighead. in that event. In fact, the heaviest fish the guys in the tourney brought in weighed around six pounds, if memory serves me. Part of our success came from our willingness to head out early and fish the ridiculously clear water when darkness provided the big fish a way to ambush their prey.

Other, similar experiences further convince me of the efficacy of targeting monster trout in the darkness before dawn, even on cold days in December and January.

Targeting them this way while conditions deteriorate makes little sense, but once an upward turn occurs after the passage of a strong front, smart anglers won’t pass up the opportunity to catch some fish late at night and into the early morning hours. Of course, prolonged warm spells during the weeks from Thanksgiving to just after the New Year create different scenarios and patterns. In the best situations, the feeding mood of the fish elevates rapidly, and floating plugs draw strikes repeatedly.

Warm, calm weather in December generated an opportunity for customer Adrian Valdez and me to sight-cast a bunch of big trout 18 | November 2016

one day a few years back. We couldn’t see the specks in the water, but could clearly discern their impact on the fish they attempted to eat.

Every time we’d see a mullet jump out of the water, we’d watch a mudboil emerge at the site. Once we put two and two together properly, we stopped fan-casting and stood on point, searching for a mullet leaping within casting range.

On numerous occasions, lures plopped down into the muddy spots produced vicious strikes from trout measuring up to 28 inches.

We caught about fifteen fat females and hooked and lost a few true heartbreakers on the eerily serene day; they danced on their tails and agitated the silvered, slick surface of Baffin Bay, throwing water valiantly. I’ve experienced other epic topwater bites in Dark, sinking twitch late-fall and early-winter, mostly during warm, windy baits like Paul periods, sometimes for an hour or so immediately before Brown FatBoys work and after the passage of a cold front. well to trick big The whistling of fresh north winds signals the passage trout in clear water. of a front and can create one of the best times to throw large floating plugs at monster trout. I label anything which reliably stirs up a bite as a “stimulator”, and a frontal passage fits the description clinically. I’ve seen a stale bite turn to champing madness instantly, when howling, new winds first blast onto the scene. Normally lasting for just an hour or so, this short-lived boost in feeding activity can provide the opportunity of a lifetime for people tossing topwaters in places known to hold trout of magnum dimensions.

On most occasions, fishing from the middle of November to the middle of January does not involve encounters with fish showing such high levels of activity. More often, lethargic sows display limited willingness to rise and take any lure skimming along the water’s surface. Like on the day my old tournament partner Ari Schwartz schooled me on the need to drag a soft plastic on the bottom, when I figured a sinking Fat Boy would urge plenty of trout to take a bite.

I added up the details of the day incorrectly, assuming the over five times as high for the two colder months, compared to the recent warming trend would stir the fish into moving around and warmer ones. To make the whole scenario sweeter, many people who hunting. Dark skies and water temperatures in the high 50s buoyed will return to the bays in February stay distracted by holiday bells my confidence in slow-sinking twitch baits. I didn’t catch much, in and whistles, pulled afield to participate in campfire rituals during the end. Ari caught a couple dozen fish, including three trout which December and January. For these reasons, I’m never able to fill my averaged about seven pounds, by rigging a plum Bass Assassin on books entirely during these statistically sterling months. a sixteenth-ounce jighead and slowly dragging it along the bottom, Those of you reading this who’d like to take a legitimate shot at short-hopping it up briefly every few feet or so. catching a lifetime-best trout on waters not covered by clamoring This lure choice and presentation have worked beautifully for me crowds should call and come fish with me during this transitional time, on many days since. I’ve learned to start most days off with a low and when serenity, solitude and the consistency of catching run high, and slow approach during these weeks on the calendar. If the catching the number of anglers on the water dips to the lowest point of the year. becomes easy on soft plastics hugging close to the bottom, I’ll switch up to other offerings eventually. On several memorable days, I’ve been able to catch fish first on worms, then on Fat Boys and last on large topwaters like Super Spooks, matching my lure and presentation to an Kevin Cochran is a full-time fishing guide upswing in the feeding mood of the fish. at Corpus Christi (Padre Island), TX. Kevin On these days, things changed rapidly, right before our eyes. During is a speckled trout fanatic and has created several books and dvds on the subject. this transitional season, responding to rapid changes provides a key Kevin’s home waters stretch from Corpus to consistency, for anglers who make catching trophy trout the goal.

Christi Bay to the Land Cut. Surely, placing a priority on tracking and tricking monsters makes Trout Tracker Guide Service perfect sense this time of year. My data indicates a much higher Phone 361-688-3714 likelihood of handling fish which meet or exceed the eight pound Email kevxlr8@mygrande.net mark in December and January, compared to October and November.

Web www.FishBaffinBay.com Specifically, the frequency with which we catch them stands

www.captainkevblogs.com

Contact

Kevin Cochran

20 | November 2016

STORY BY MARTIN STRARUP

I

’ve slowed down some.

I know it and so does my son who berates me at times for drifting over a muddy bottom instead of getting out and wading it. I simply tell him that I can cover much more ground by drifting and while that’s true he knows that I’m getting older and my knees and back are not what they once were.

The truth is that I have never liked wading in the muddy stuff and I’ve mentioned that fact before in this magazine. Even when I was in my teens I hated wading in the sucking muck that would steal wading shoes and leave your stockingfoot waders vulnerable to oyster shells. More than once in the cold winter water I had to crawl out of seemingly bottomless mud and vow never to do it again. Once I reached the comfort of the boat or hard ground I would forget that vow and be back in it soon enough.

No more though, those times are well behind me and I do not miss them. I seem to catch just as many quality fish on good hard bottom or from drifting in the boat so to me it’s a no brainer to stay away from the mud.

I guess that in life one adapts to the age of his body and one avoids those things that cause a person grief.

I know that I do, well most of the time anyway.

I used to be on the water well before daylight. In some cases this was because I wanted to beat the crowd but some of the time it was to be there in the water fishing at the crack of dawn. Now days though, I study the tides and the moon phases and I fish the major and minor periods with much success. Heck I even have my son doing the same thing and he’s every bit the diehard fisherman I once was. I rather enjoy heading out well after my friends have left and getting into the fish in a matter of minutes, and it is especially gratifying to learn later that they really didn’t catch many until the solunar feeding period rolled around.

I call it fishing smart but some say it’s just lazy fishing. Maybe I’m not as mad at them as I once was or maybe, just maybe, I like a relaxed lazy day of fishing. Okay, I do enjoy a lazy day of fishing when my mindset is that I don’t care if I catch anything at all as long as I am out on the water. You youngsters will understand that statement some day if you don’t already.

I spend enough time traveling on land running here and there, fending off tailgating morons and others who never learned how to drive or what the word courtesy means; I do not want to put up with that on the water. Mac Davis had a hit single back in the early 70s, “Stop and Smell the Roses” and, just like the song says, getting in a hurry while on the water just doesn’t appeal to me. And while I may not smell any roses I might

TSFMAG.com | 23

So most of my rants are over now but I reserve the right to add to the list at a later date. Just enjoy the time that you get to spend on the water and share that time with others when you can. Treat everyone as you would want to be treated and instead of getting mad at the ramp or anywhere out on the water, just smile and understand that some folks just don’t know any better and some folks just don’t care.

Make sure that you know better and that you do care and Karma will be good to you.

I turned 59 this past August and while that may be my age I don’t feel like it, which is a good thing. I do look forward to making it to 60 and God willing I’ll celebrate that milestone in 2017. I would like to be on the water on that special day. I want to see the sun rise over the Lower Laguna and see the lights of Port Mansfield as I head back to port in the evening. I want to see, hear and feel a nice trout blow up on my topwater fishing with my son on my 60th.

Be safe.

Martin Strarup

Contact

catch a whiff of that wonderful watermelon scent that tells me trout are feeding nearby. In fact, when fishing, the only place that I do hurry and wish everyone would is at the boat ramp. Slow down. Get up earlier if you need to be at a certain fishing spot by a certain time.

Boat ramps – now there’s a topic that can spin me right off into being a cranky old salt. I mean really folks, how hard is it to have all your gear in the boat, the plugs in, the transom straps removed and the boat ready to float? Blocking the ramp for fifteen minutes while doing all these things only irritates those waiting to load or unload and there’s no reason for it.

Also, if you haven’t had your boat out in a while you really should hook it up to the water hose at the house or boat barn and crank it up.

Blocking the ramp while you try to start the motor until the battery is dead just isn’t cool. Put all your gear into the boat while parked anywhere but on the boat ramp. I’ve seen grown men blocking a ramp while one of their party spent five minutes cast-netting for bait right where everyone had been unloading.

And if you can’t back a trailer…learn! The boat ramp isn’t the place to practice when others are waiting for you to get out of the way. If you can’t do it, just admit defeat and ask someone to do it for you.

They won’t mind helping you and it will speed things up and help them to get unloaded and out of the way.

And while I’m on the subject of boat ramps…don’t park your boat in the middle of the ramp while you walk off to get your trailer. Tie the boat off so it doesn’t prevent someone else from loading or unloading.

Courtesy goes a long way and most will repay you with the same if given the opportunity.

Martin Strarup is a lifelong saltwater enthusiast and outdoorsman.

Martin is also a collector and dealer of vintage fishing tackle and lures, especially those made in Texas.

Email

Trouthunter@swbell.net

Coastal Bend Marine – Authorized Alumacraft Dealer – 361.983.4841 | Open Mon-Sat 7:30am - 5:30pm | coastalbendmarine.com Fax - 361-983-4676 | 1808 West Adams Ave. | Port O’Connor, Texas 77982

24 | November 2016

Breaking out the fly rod and chasing schooling trout is not a bad option.

STORY BY CHUCK UZZLE

I

n the words of the great physicist Albert Einstein, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.”

Fishermen in general are often considered crazy – fishing in cold and windy weather, rising before the chickens, and other unusual behaviors. There is also a large group of fishermen, according to Einstein, that would be considered not just crazy but absolutely insane.

We see it on a daily basis and it’s about as predictable as the sun rising in the east and income taxes; fishermen running to all the same spots hoping to recreate past successes. The thought of actually going to a new location means letting go of the security blanket and many anglers are not willing to chance that for fear of striking out. The funny thing about that notion is that they could just as easily strike out at their regular spots and potentially miss out on a really good trip. In order to become a better fisherman you have to be willing to change and adapt when the time comes and, more often than not, many anglers simply won’t go there.

Years ago when I started saltwater fishing I would wait every week for the Thursday newspapers because that’s when the outdoor reports would be featured in the sports sections. I lived and died by those articles and took the fishing reports as gospel. Slowly but surely I recognized a pattern, any cove or reef the outdoor writers talked about would be inundated with traffic the following day. Now an increase in traffic would be expected, but problems arose when an area would not support the traffic and the anglers who were late to the party had that, “What do we do now?” look on their faces.

Instead of anglers taking the variables from the report such as which tide was best, what depth the fish were in, or any type of structure that was mentioned and then formulating their own hotspot, they went blindly to one spot that they had read about and expected everything to be perfect with fish jumping in the boat. Placing too much faith in the report was the downfall of many an angler and led to some bad trips, when the situation could have easily been avoided.

After reading those reports for many years I got the opportunity to start writing and I promised myself I would never do those types of articles in hope that I could enable the readers to become all-around better fishermen. Instead of the article that screams “Go to such and such reef, it’s awesome right now,” I wanted to tell folks why it was good and let the reader figure out a pattern that fit their water. In most cases it’s more important to know the variables around the report rather than the specific area, that way the reader can say, “I know a spot just like that and that’s where I will start my day.” Instead of being just another boat at a location, the reader has become better educated and more likely to try and replicate that pattern, which in turn leads to more successful days on the water.

TSFMAG.com | 27

Now where the problem comes in for many folks is that they have now figured out a pattern on their own but they continue to fish that same area and pattern when conditions dictate otherwise. The fact that at one or two times these particular areas produced fish outweighs the notion that maybe this area is not the best location for the day in question.

For instance, trying to fish a deep water program early in the year when runoff from the big reservoirs to the north has the salinity reduced to near zero. Instead of looking at the conditions and targeting an area of more favorable salinity, they doggedly probe water that will likely be out of play for several weeks, or longer. I can totally understand the comfort level factor and I respect that thought process because it leads to confidence and that leads to anglers fishing (above) Greg Hobbs fooled harder. With that being said, this solid trout during near perfect conditions. however, it’s also a shame because these anglers waste time and effort that could be used much more effectively in better areas by simply being willing to make a boat run to a better area where the odds would be much more in their favor.

Since we have now established the fact that many anglers are unwilling to change their thought process and continue to probe the same areas, maybe we can convince a few to change their thinking. The fall months are the absolute perfect times for discovery trips and opportunities to learn new water. The stretch of time between late September and Christmas often produces some of the best days of the year for anglers as it seems the entire bay system, marshes, and even several miles up both the Sabine and Neches rivers comes alive with each passing cold front. Shrimp and baitfish are purged into the wide open expanses and ambushed by schools of speckled trout and redfish taking advantage of the free buffet. It’s incredible to listen to the conversations at the cleaning table or boat ramp as anglers recount their success from all different parts of the estuary. The ease at which hungry and willing fish will be found should be more than enough to encourage anglers to seek new areas and become familiar with them for future reference, and maybe immediate success.

Virtually every pattern will work during these magic months before 28 | November 2016

Water levels in the marshes have finally dropped out after each successive cold front and that means the shrimp have nowhere to hide.

winter truly sets in and I have a hard time determining my favorite. The thought of a short boat ride down the Sabine River to anchor on a major break or dropoff and having quality trout and redfish crawl all over live shad or soft plastic bumped along bottom always puts a smile on my face.

The relaxed style and social aspect of sitting anchored in the river is certainly appealing and I look forward it every fall.

A little farther downriver, in the wide open lake, is the chaos known

as “fishing the birds.” Huge flocks of gulls and terns will shadow even more impressive opportunity. Bull redfish, black drum, and big schooling trout and redfish as they gorge on shrimp that have been trout in the surf top the list for these areas and every now and again dumped into the lake with the passing of a cold front. North winds a mystery fish will show up and run off with all your tackle, leaving coupled with low tides will empty marshes and backwaters while nothing but a great story. jumpstarting the feeding frenzy. This is the absolutely worst time If for whatever reason you can’t pry yourself away from fishing in the world to be a shrimp, everybody from a redfish to a Cajun the same old water day after day, I’m afraid I cannot help you. The is chasing you and there is no such thing as catch and release. incredible options afforded by the fall months are about as good as it The numbers of fish you can catch at this time can be absolutely possibly gets and there is no reason not to take full advantage. About mindboggling and many folks wait all year for the pattern to develop. the only thing you could possibly do wrong right now is to not go As you go farther south, your options continue to fishing. If you fall into that “insane” category, same spot trip Ron Begnaud knows increase as the jetties and the beachfront will offer after trip, you owe it to yourself to do some exploring and try all about finding new something new because, I guarantee…it will be eye opening. water and big fish like this 22-pound redfish he caught on fly.

Contact

Chuck Uzzle

Whether you’re fishing or just stopping at the sand bar to have some fun, adding a Power-Pole anchor to your pontoon boat adds reliable anchoring at the touch of a button.

30 | November 2016

Chuck fishes Sabine and Calcasieu Lakes from his home in Orange, TX. His specialties are light tackle and fly fishing for trout, reds, and flounder.

Phone 409-697-6111 Email wakesanddrakes@yahoo.com Website wakesndrakes.com

www.power-pole.com

For over 40 years FUJI® has designed and built the most capable, most durable rod components and reel seats in the world. Legendary frame strength, rings that stay put for the life of your rod and the most advanced reel seats in the business. If you don’t want to think about guides, think about looking for the FUJI® tag at the tackle store or order FUJI components for your next rod building project.

Choose FUJI® - and never think about guides again. www.anglersresource.net www.pointblankrods.com foley, AL 251.943.4491

Charterboat making the dawn patrol. There is a good reason these boats seldom leave in darkness.

They’re in this for the long haul.

STORY BY JOE RICHARD

T

he recent death of Miami’s star baseball pitcher Jose Fernandez, while in a boat running at night, left me pondering all the night trips we’ve made over the years, running around out there with a few close calls and near misses. Fernandez was said to be quite the fisherman, and was riding with friends at high speed near Miami’s rock jetties, which are piled in heaps. Texas jetty rocks are made of granite cut in rectangular chunks and fitted together fairly neatly. Boats have hit them before, even crewboats, but they generally ride up on top and stay on an even keel. Fernandez’s boat hit a jumble of rocks not made for walking, and it careened the boat upside down, leaving no survivors. It was a terrible thing, adding to a long list of night-time fiascos for boat owners.

I must be getting older and maybe a bit wiser, because lately on my evening trips in the boat, I’ve made it back to port during the last few minutes of daylight. What a difference that makes, compared to darkness: That’s when a channel marker, crab buoy, floating log, dredge pipe, sandbar, ICW barges or a fishing boat running without lights can reach out and grab you, causing varying amounts of damage. When we somehow get delayed out there,

perhaps fighting a huge tarpon until long after dark, which we have done on a few occasions, we always carry a powerful flashlight, even on day trips. You can’t always beat daylight back to the boat ramp.

As for heading out before sunrise, that can be a great thing but it often means leaving the dock in darkness. And the same hazards listed above are out there, waiting. Guides and others hoping to claim that honeyhole first, especially on crowded Saturday mornings, know what I’m writing about.

The only means of fishing after sunset, and then catching first light without running all over creation in darkness, is to spend the night out there. That means sleeping on a cabin in the bay, or in your boat, or on some bug-infested barrier island. If you’re going to do this, I highly recommend going during a full moon, which makes a huge difference.

The new moon, on the other hand, makes for the blackest of nights, and things can get turned around real quick, and mistakes made. And then there are quarter moons, which are better than nothing. When in doubt, slow down and turn on the Q-beam. I used to take pride in my night vision, which brought me home many times without shining a

34 | November 2016

big light, but that might not spot floating debris.

And then there are today’s onboard navigational aid charts, showing an angler where to run fast at night. I must be old school, but I don’t really trust them. How many boats have clipped the last 10 feet of jetty rocks, or hit a floating tree? That’s why we ran at 10 knots on our long Gulf trips, if we had to run at night. The theory was that if we thumped a tree or barrel, the damage would be slight. We once took five days to cross the Gulf from Mexico to Port Aransas in a 56 Bertram, stopping to fish deepwater Louisiana rigs for tuna, and had no problems. It took eight guys to keep that boat safely running 24 hours a day, though. A friend and I stood watch from 2-6 a.m. each night and we were vigilant as any U-Boat crew. Well, almost. We played some great music on the overhead while the rest of the crew lay comatose in their bunks.

But all it takes is a few minutes of darkness, to get into trouble. Our late friend Mark Puryear just missed daylight while letting a friend drive his 31 Bertram on a Gulf crossing. His boat smashed into shallow coral on the only real island way out in the Gulf – Alacran Reef. Twenty minutes later, it was daylight and they found themselves parked on an Fishing at night off the Texas coast atoll 16 miles long, with an is a young man’s game. Here’s a island and lighthouse whose big blackfin tuna caught at the Boomvang Rig by Blaise Moy from light they had ignored. They Falls City, while fishing aboard the were about a hundred miles Slightly Dangerous. Tuna anglers off the Yucatan coast, and do much of their fishing at night. the Bertram’s bottom was ripped out. With the help of commercial fishermen, then the local Navy base, they eventually hitched a ride to the mainland with few possessions left. Where they were turned over to the Federales. They eventually flew back to Houston with only the clothes on their backs. As a reminder, Mark named his second Bertram Alacran, and kept fishing. Just 20 minutes of darkness had cost him that first boat. In later years he kept Alacran in Costa Rica and fished gentleman’s hours on the calmer Pacific, catching many marlin and mahi.

We don’t often run aground but when we do, it can be a headache. I once left Port O’Connor just before dawn, and The center console boat managed to run dry at Decros Fernandez was riding on Point on Pass Cavallo. Twenty at night. Miami’s jetties minutes later it was light, and we are jagged, and those sat there feeling foolish, the boat rocks flipped the boat. tilted in wet sand. But friends following us, salty veterans from Port Arthur, slowed their 18-foot HydraSport in time and soon pulled us right back in the water.

In later years when I lived in POC, I came back countless times in darkness from Pass Cavallo, and without a hitch. Yet another night, a friend stayed out there a little past dark, and ran his 26 Mako way up on the shore about 70 yards south of the old Coast Guard station ruins on Saluria Bayou. (Lucky

Smooth, Dry and Fast

No Wood!

Limited LIfetime

Warranty

PERFORMANCE BAY BOATS

2220 GTS

675 Ultimate Bay

New Designs

Latest Innovations Custom Electronics

2420 GTS Designed By

FiShermen For FiShermen!

1

#

New GTS Console

Raised Console

Blazer Dealer

in the USA 361-651-BOAT

w w w. w a y p o i n t m a r i n e . c o m 3033 S. Padre Island Drive Corpus Christi, Texas

he didn’t hit the concrete ruins). He called and we were up most of the night, using two boats to wiggle that big Mako back and forth a thousand Running through or around Texas coastal times, back into shallow water. jetties is a breeze during daylight hours. But Didn’t want to leave a fine boat don’t try this at night at full speed. These rocks are planted in a fairly smooth fashion, out there where somebody might favorable for rock-walkers. If a boat hits them, “salvage” it. as sometimes happens, they simply ride up Offshore trips. Fifty years onto the jetty wall without overturning. ago, guys in my Port Arthur neighborhood were fishing the Gulf rigs at night. They’d spend the night out there, it was gas efficient and they had lots of fishing time. And no bag limits. You could sell your fish, too. It was pretty ballsy, considering how poor weather forecasting was back then, and the lack of radar. And the small boats that were used.

Enter the 1980s offshore kingfish tournaments, when the fleet was turned loose at midnight or 4 a.m. in a mad rush for the Gulf. Looking back, it didn’t make much sense, because the tournaments lasted two or three days, and there was plenty of time to fish before returning to port. Why run in the dark? At least one good-sized boat crashed into the Galveston jetties and was wrecked. The owner said he thought he’d cleared the long jetties, turned left and saw funny-looking whitecaps ahead. Turns out it was water breaking on the rocks. The boat was wrecked and people banged up.

Offshore for several nights aboard small boats in these tournaments, we then had to survive. If we anchored over a snapper This angler would rock, we could be run down by a passing shrimpboat rather fish at night or ship. (And almost were, by a group of out-of-state aboard a big, safe shrimpboats speeding towards the Texas coast for the partyboat, than risk his own boat.

July shrimp season opener). So, if we tied up to a nice big well-lit platform, we were safe from ship traffic. But the current changed every night, and could swing your boat into the platform. If the boat got jammed up under the rig in choppy seas, it was finished. If a storm hit, we had to scramble out of our sleeping bags to untie and figure out where to tie up next. You can bet we never left a rig and ran off into darkness—we stuck real tight to those friendly overhead platform floodlights until dawn appeared.

Well, we’ve made it this far. My friends are all now in their 60s, some even older, and we no longer run around in boats at night. Daytime fishing and evening’s happy hour back at the house—that seems to be the program these days.

Joe Richard

Contact

Joe Richard has fished the Gulf since 1967, starting out of Port Arthur, but his adventures have taken him up and down the entire coast.

He was the editor of Tide magazine for eight years, and later Florida Sportsman’s book and assistant magazine editor. He began guiding out of Port O’Connor in 1994. His specialty is big kingfish, and his latest book is The Kingfish Bible, New Revelations. Available at Seafavorites.com

36 | November 2016

C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

An American Original.

Join our Off The Hook Club E-mail List and receive 15% off your first order when you visit our site.

B A P T I S M S D O N ’ T TA K E P L AC E I N FACTO R I E S . T H EY B E LO N G TO T H E WAT E R . F U L L I M M E R S I O N I N A B E L I E F S Y S T E M T H AT S AY S A F L AW L E S S D R I F T W I L L R A I S E T H E L A R G E S T B R O W N .

F A I T H T H AT W I N D W I L L S U B S I D E . T H U N D E R W I L L F I Z Z L E . A N D H I G H LY- C O N S I D E R E D G E A R W I L L S E E Y O U C O M F O R TA B LY T H R O U G H T H E B E AT- D OW N . R I V E R S A R E W H E R E W E R E C A L I B R AT E A N D C O N N E C T. T H E Y ’ R E W H AT W E M A K E O F T H E M . A N D T H E Y I N S P I R E W H AT W E M A K E . S O I T ’ S N O S U R P R I S E T H E W O R L D ’ S B E ST WA D E R S A R E H A N D C R A F T E D B Y A N G L E R S . B E C A U S E I T TA K E S O N E T O K N O W W H E N T H E Y ’ R E R I G H T.

SIMMSFISHING.COM

C L AY K R U L L , L E A D C U T T E R ,

WA D E R

M A K E R

MAKING THE WORLD’S BEST WADERS IS 99% INSPIRATION.

# WADERMAKERS

CLIENT: SIMMS

DATE:

9 / 28 / 16

W A T E R P R O O F

S Y S T E M

100% WATERPROOF STORM SHELTER. Instantly breathable + completely waterproof = 100% awesome. eVent® DValpine™ 3-layer laminate is perfect for staying dry and comfortable on the water.

SUPERFABRIC® ARMOR TECHNOLOGY.

®

SuperFabric® is constructed with armor plates that are bonded to the fibers of the base fabric, providing a flexible barrier against abrasion, scuffs and scrapes while acting as a tough, protective layer against harsh elements.

THE CORD LOCK, REDEFINED. Cohæsive™ simplifies cord management to its most intuitive form. This technology hides the traditional hardware used to tighten your hood or hem, letting you make fit adjustments on the fly.

WATER REPELLENT ZIPPER. Providing substantial protection from the elements, the YKK AquaGuard® water resistant zipper features a polyurethane laminated tape combined with VISLON® technology.

LOCATE A DEALER AT AFTCO.COM

ANYWHEREALOHA

®

NOHE A MOK U in Black

AVAILABLE AT:

Olu16511_Coop_Ad_FishTackle_Final.indd 1

10/3/16 2:27 PM

Give a gift subscription to your favorite angler!

Call 361.785.3420 or order online at www.TSFMag.com

STORY BY TSFMAG STAFF PHOTOS BY TERRY JONES

Christianna Clingerman demonstrating crosswrapping skills at the age of 11 during FTU Rod Builder’s Expo.

D

eep within the soul of dedicated outdoorsmen and women lurks a creative spirit seeking expression. And while we all dream of a life afield or on the water every single day, the reality of managing a career and perhaps raising a family dictates otherwise. But we can dream and we can live vicariously. This is the portal through which our creativity creeps and leads us into gratifying hobbies that fill gaps and fuel interest between outdoor adventures.

Some take up wildlife and nature photography. Fly anglers get into creating their own flies.

Hunters get drawn into crafting their own ammo, and some delve as deeply as custom gunmaking.

Pluggers become involved in customizing fishing lures and sometimes turn original ideas into amazingly effective fish catchers. Is there a better example than Paul Brown’s Original Corky?

Now there are myriad reasons for “rolling your own” …taking up hobbies and crafts related to outdoor pastimes wherein we actually make things we can use. But to explore only a few, consider that there are situations where nothing on the market fills the niche we perceive, or at least none that works as well as we think it should. And let’s face it, even if we only set out to replicate a readily available product in quality and performance, it is always gratifying to admire one’s own handiwork. So – if catching a fish on your own fly or a set of trophy antlers taken with hand-crafted ammo heightens your enjoyment of outdoor sport – have you ever considered building your own fishing rods?

Rod building can be as simple and easy or complicated and artful as you care to make it. Terry Jones, accomplished rodbuilder and manager of the rodbuilding department at Fishing Tackle Unlimited’s store at 12800 Gulf Freeway in Houston, puts it like this: “My first rodmaking goal was simply to build a few rods as good as those by CastAway at the time. But, it soon led to more, much more…”

Collection of custom Danny Meyer, partner and brother of Joe Meyer (who founded builds displayed during a FTU to become the largest independent tackle retailer in the recent Rod Builder’s Expo.

TSFMAG.com | 47

GETTING STARTED I had been a long-time customer of Fishing Tackle Unlimited, shopping at both their stores since the ‘90s, when they were Cut Rate. In 2007, I was in the Gulf Freeway store when I happened to notice a department I had always walked past and never paid any attention to– rod components. But this time something caught my eye and I actually entertained the thought of trying my hand at rod building.

I had always used the more popular brands of rods for trout and reds but they never really seemed to have exactly what I wanted. So I compromised. “It’s just a fishing rod, right?”

But thinking about building my own, it occurred to me...We buy the best boats and expensive reels, lures by the hundreds and the latest fishing clothes.

Then we compromise on the most important item – the rod. Most don’t really understand the terminology used in describing rods.

Well, I was all in, right there. I am pretty good with my hands and I can usually figure out anything. I bought the equipment I needed and picked out a blank and components to get started. I was really unsure about a lot of things since I was new, but there is plenty of info on the internet and plenty of knowledge at FTU to help. After a few bumps, I actually found it to be pretty easy to do.

People usually spend $30-$50 on their first rods because they see impending doom for their project. In reality, first rods are actually very fishable rods. People take different routes on what they like to do most, threadwork, custom grips, and high performance. When you do combinations of them, you get some really unique rods that will make your buds green Also, with new products, technology, and building techniques, you will be able to build rods that will be more articulate, sensitive, cast better, and can even be more comfortable to use. Why do I bring up comfort? Because if the rod doesn’t fit your hand correctly, if it’s not balanced properly, if the blank and guides do not suit you, you will be uncomfortable and get fatigued very quickly.

You will be thinking more about the discomfort, than paying attention to your fishing. A comfortable rod will just disappear in your hands, leaving you to concentrate totally on fishing.

I have seen many ardent fishermen that are shocked when they get a high-performance fishing rod in their hands...a custom rod can take your game to the next level.

-Terry Jones

country) built his first rod at the tender age of eight, some sixty years ago. So how difficult can it be?

Danny has been building rods all his life but says he has slowed down in the last few years. “There was a time,” he recalls, “when this store was on Telephone Road, I was putting out more than three hundred rods a year. Before the rod companies that supply us today.

Custom big game tournament rods were a big thing, and surf rods, tuna rods, kingfish and popping rods, fly rods, you name it. Custom one-of-akind with fancy wrappings and also common stuff we sold off the racks.

I was building all day at the store and had a shop in my house where I worked at night. Eighteen to twenty hours a day…I rarely got a day off during busy season.

Our discussion turned to what aspect of rodbuilding initially attracts the most hobby builders. Terry started by saying that just building something, putting something together with your own hands, that you could use in everyday fishing, probably draws as many or more than anything else. “Anybody who is good with their hands can do it,” he said.

“You have always been able to build better rods than you could buy,” Danny added. “Especially when an angler wants something rather unique or to suit a specific fishing application. Even with all the offerings from the top-name brands today, and those guys are all turning out great products; more styles, actions and lengths than ever. Custom rods are like tailor-made suits and handmade boots; you can build exactly what you want. That’s what attracts people to it.

FTU is home to the largest retail inventory of rodmaking components and supplies available in the southwest and southcentral U.S., with rodbuilding departments in each of their three locations – Gulf Freeway, Katy Freeway, and the newest on Southwest Freeway at Sugar Lakes. The Gulf Freeway store alone maintains an inventory greater than four thousand assorted rod blanks.

Reel seats, handle materials, guides of

One of a half-dozen aisles of rod blanks. FTU’s rod blank inventory at the Gulf Freeway location exceeded 6,000 pieces the day we visited.

Reel seat and handle components - most anything you could want or need for a project or repair.

Danny Meyer inventories wrapping thread.

48 | November 2016

Sources of Rod Building Components & Supplies American Tackle Company www.americantackle.us

Trout-Redfish Wade Rod by Terry Jones - Rod and reel together weigh less than a Curado CU200: Phenix K2 Toray Carbon Fiber 6’8” Medium Light, FUJI Titanium SIC Micro Spiral Guides, custom grips and reel seat.

American Fishing Tackle Company www.aftco.com

every style and size, wrapping thread and glues – products to suit everyday casting and spinning all the way to the fanciest works of art that might never go fishing.

So, how to learn more and maybe get started? Rodbuilding classes ranging from beginner through intermediate and advanced are also a large part of FTU’s involvement in rodbuilding. “We started holding classes here at Gulf Freeway,” Terry said, “but before long we had more interest than we could accommodate and decided to move it to the Katy store.”

Kenny Murph heads up the rodbuilding classes at FTU-Katy Freeway. The 2016 schedule for Kenny’s Rodbuilding Classes included eight events that began back in April and continue through December. Remaining on the schedule are an Advanced class on October 29 and an Intro/Intermediate session slated for December 3. Admission is free but space is limited. Earlysignup is definitely advised. Phone 713-827-7762 or email warren@fishingtackleunlimited for details and reservations.

Another great attraction for the rodbuilding curious, as well as those actively building from across Texas, has been the FTU Rod Builder’s Expo. This two-day event, held in mid-April the weekend following their famous Salesman’s Sample Sale for the past nine years (at the Gulf Freeway location), has grown phenomenally in both interest and participation. This event is simply too big to host indoors, and to keep costs low for the vendors and exhibitors who participate, the giant tents that house Salesman’s Sample Sale are held over to accommodate the expo. Manufacturer’s and other suppliers to the trade come together to meet and greet the public and also present detailed seminars and classes. Whether you are merely curious, ready to take the plunge or already building, this is one event you do not want to miss.

Drop by FTU or contact any of the suppliers in the accompanying sidebar. If crafting your own fishing rods piques your interest, consider signing up for a Kenny Murph class. Bring your wife, a child or a buddy. It’s a great way to increase your fishing enjoyment when you cannot be on the water!

Trout-Redfish Show Rod by Terry Jones: St Croix 5C70M 7’ Medium, FUJI Titanium SIC Micro Spiral Guides, Custom Foam Core Grip (epoxy skinned and air brushed.)

Anglers Resource (Fuji) www.anglersresource.net Batson Enterprises www.batsonenterprises.com Mud Hole Custom Tackle www.mudhole.com North Fork Composites www.northforkcomposites.com Pacific Bay International www.fishpacbay.com REC Components www.rec.com

Seaguide Corporation www.sea-guide.com VooDoo Custom Rods www.voodoorods.com

Winn Grips www.winngrips.com

Rod Builder Organizations & Publications Custom Rod Builders Guild www.rodguild.com RodCrafters Journal www.rodguild.com

Built to customer specs by Terry Jones: FTU IM10 7’ Light, FUJI Micro Spiral Guides, Custom EVA Grip, marbling, and painted reel seat.

TSFMAG.com | 49

Very nice CPR red fish caught

by Ray Boazman out of large school of oversized fish.

J AY WAT K I N S

ASK THE PRO

Another C’mon Man Article I have been thinking it might be time for another C’mon Man piece. I ran one several years ago and people on the boat still comment and laugh about it. The guiding business is a rich environment for providing me material in this respect. I want everyone to know that in this piece I am laughing with you way more than laughing at you (just in case the shoe happens to fit). And for the record, I have always believed laughter is life’s best medicine.

More on best medicine, I don’t think I ever laughed more than during the old TroutMaster days. There might be a funnier guy than Capt. Mickey Eastman but I have yet to meet him. Put us together with a beverage or two and get ready to laugh until you cry. That’s Mickey. And he’s great on the radio, isn’t he? No formal broadcast training, he just sits down at the mic and does it.

Now before singling out C’mon Man-worthy actions of others, I need to say a few things about Jay Watkins.

Closing in on 60 I find myself more set in my ways than ever. Most of my clients, Jay Ray’s too, understand that there are actually two of me – Dock Jay and Bay Jay. Dock Jay can be short to the point of rudeness at times, especially if you show up poorly prepared. By this I mean 50 | November 2016

tackle not rigged and not dressed to wade, among other things. It just starts me off wrong. I see it as not being excited to be going fishing. Get me a half mile from the dock and I calm down and start rattling about what I plan on doing that day and why. The teaching starts and teaching (for me) is truly just thinking out loud.

Maybe it’s Little Man Syndrome that brings out Dock Jay. I never had that problem earlier in life; I used to think I could whip the world. Growing older, I guess maybe all the pounding from the boats and saltwater has drawn me up a little because I now look and feel much smaller than I ever remember being. Mike McBride saw me one day with a very large gentleman beside me at the console running across the bay. He said we looked like Yogi Bear and Boo-Boo. I laughed like hell but…C’mon Man! There was a group that showed up after a half-dozen e-mails explaining exactly how I fish, wanted them to fish, and what I wanted them to bring. They showed up at the dock with only an 18-pack saying a guy at the bar told them they did not need to wade to catch fish. And guides usually supplied all the tackle. C’mon Man!

www.superstevesuperdeal.com ON ALL IN STOCK!

1

NEW 2015 GMC SIERRA 4 DOOR TEXAS EDITION 2

AT THIS PRICE & SAVINGS!

27,930

$

or

11,300

$

SAVINGS OFF MSRP MSRP $39,230, SAVINGS INCLUDE: $2500 FACTORY REBATE, $8800 BECK MASTEN DISCOUNT OFF MSRP

MSRP $39,230, $2500 FACTORY REBATE, $8800 BECK MASTEN DISCOUNT OFF MSRP

2

NEW 2016 GMC SIERRA 2500 HEAVY DUTY 4DR

AT THIS PRICE!

32,984

$

MSRP $39,080, $1000 FACTORY REBATE, $5096 BECK MASTEN DISCOUNT OFF MSRP

NEW 2016 GMC CANYON 4 DOOR

5000

$

2

AT THIS SAVINGS!

SAVINGS OFF MSRP

MSRP $46,963, SAVINGS INCLUDE: $500 FACTORY REBATE, $4500 BECK MASTEN DISCOUNT OFF MSRP

NEW 2015 GMC YUKON

10,000

$

2

AT THIS SAVINGS!

Stop by Beck and Masten to Register to Win A FREE GUIDED FISHING TRIP with two time trout master Charlie paradoski

SAVINGS OFF MSRP

MSRP $76,225, SAVINGS INCLUDE: $1750 FACTORY REBATE, $8250 BECK MASTEN DISCOUNT OFF MSRP

Home of...

FREE WATERLOO ROD

with Every New Truck Purchase!

281-960-2651 FREE DELIVERY Anywhere in Texas and parts of Louisianna!

Ask For Super Steve!

1) 0% APR w/Approved Credit, 72 Months Financing, $0 Down + TT&L, $13.89 Per Month Per Thousand Financed. W.A.C.See dealer for details.

52 | November 2016

good fish that was lost. Not taking your children fishing whenever you can. Not setting good examples for the younger fishermen out there that are watching us. Finally, understanding that if everyone would simply treat one another in the manner they would like to be treated, this ol’ world would be such a more pleasant place. To all of these…C’mon Man. On a fishing note, it is still very hot but we have had a few days with NE wind that brought slightly lower humidity and cooler rides across the bay. Our water is in tremendous shape and the trout, redfish and flounder of all sizes seem to be flourishing here in Aransas Bay. Be thankful for several mild winters, two years of abundant rainfall and the much needed reopening of Cedar Bayou. Very nice trout still holding over shallow submerged grass beds along barrier islands and ICW spoils. I am still seeing a lot of slicks around areas where I have large schools of bait located.

It seems that the bait for some reason is holding tight in certain areas, not moving for weeks, making the start to my morning much easier. Large schools of oversized reds are still along San Jose and Matagorda Islands.

May your fishing always be catching! -Guide Jay Watkins

C ontact

Or the group that showed up planning to wadefish in Frio River water sandals. C’mon Man. How about the guy that brings a $400 rod and $500 reel, and a $29.95 combo with 40-pound mono he spied at the checkout counter at the grocery store, for his wife. Add to this his wish for her to land a trout of a lifetime. C’mon Man! People that show up asking if we ever get checked by game wardens and then say they didn’t think you need a license to fish with a guide in Texas. Some states you don’t, (I think), but what kind of logic is that?

C’mon Man! The group that somehow always forgets the checkbook. C’mon Man! The guy in the group that wants to wade out in front of everyone else.

Dale Combs with solid trout fishing deeper submerged C’mon Man! grass beds and potholes.

People that insist on using a net but, not one big enough to put a keeper fish in. C’mon Man! The people that try to wade WITHOUT some type of spandex or bike short between their crotch and wading pants. OUCH, and C’mon Man! Dipping your squeaking reel in the water to lubricate it and then complaining about the lack of durability after a few trips. C’mon Man! How about the guy that shows up with his rod missing the tip. Yes, the tip. C’mon Man! Wading WITHOUT wading boots, trampling oyster shell in only the neoprene booties of Simms breathables. REALLY? C’mon Man! What about never learning just a couple basic fishing knots? Your line is the only link between you and the fish. C’mon Man! What about me handing you a package of Bass Assassins and you taking out only two to make the wade. Thanks for the vote of confidence but…C’mon Man! Even better is the guy with no spare jigheads on a long wade.

C’mon Man! The other side of this is the angler with ten bags of Assassins, eight Top Dogs, six Custom Corkys and a bucket of Gulp in a shoulder pack and wading belt that NASA designed to carry enough gear for a trip to Mars. Looks like a wading one man band and sounds worse.

C’mon Man! Running 60 mph in the dark staring at your GPS. Stupid! C’mon Man! Leaving your head lights on when backing down the launch ramp.

C’mon Man! Leaving the dock with the hot horn just a buzzing. C’mon Man! And this one really gripes me – spending half your charter on social media. C’mon Man! On a more serious note, let’s stop treating people badly on the water or at the boat ramp. And discarding your used soft plastics in the water. Looking the other way when a boat in distress is waving you down. Not helping the older fisherman around the launch when you see that help is needed. Being upset with your child for a

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

Morning full of promise; hoping to see a bunch of these in November.

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

Right tool for the job Every job requires tools. Picking the right tools for the job will make things easier and much more enjoyable. You can drive a nail with a wrench if that’s all you have handy, but a hammer obviously does the job more efficiently.

Going a step beyond that, choosing the correct hammer is better still. A heavy framing hammer is great for driving home a large nail with a minimum amount of effort, but it isn’t going to work out so well when tapping a finish

You could not ask for better conditions, being hooked up makes it even prettier.

54 | November 2016

nail into a piece of trim.

Rods, reels and line are the staples of the fisherman’s tool box. Walk into your favorite tackle store and you’ll be confronted with a dizzying array of choices. Through the years I’ve spent a good amount of time talking tackle with a wide variety of folks in fishing shops, at trade shows, seminars and on the water. I’m always surprised by how many saltwater anglers don’t spend much time thinking about matching the tools to the job they hope to accomplish. They’ll fret and fuss over getting the latest killer lure in the perfect color, but then not think twice about how the rod they choose to throw it with will affect the presentation of that lure.

I’m certainly not throwing a blanket over everybody, but I’ve fished with a lot of people who show up with a quiver of rods all in the same length and action with a wide variety of lures attached to the business end. In essence they have a box of identical hammers and they’re going to use them no matter the size of the nail. There’s a reason the manufacturers provide us with such a

S E R I ES HIGH PERFORMANCE MARINE LOUDSPEAKERS

REVO 8-SWW

REVO 8-XWB

REVO 8-XSS

THE LOUDEST ON THE WATER. Available in 6” and 8” configurations. 8 different Grille options.

• RGB LED TWEETER GLOW KIT included, for hundreds of custom color options • THE INDUSTRY’S ONLY SANTOPRENE RUBBER SPIDER - impervious to water saturation and dry rot • 1” TITANIUM TWEETER for crisp, clear high frequency details • WET SOUNDS EXCLUSIVE NYLAS (NYLON REINFORCED FIBERGLASS) - high stiffness composite frame to withstand even the harshest environments

WET SOUNDS ELECTRONICS

WS-MC1 2-PIECE MARINE MEDIA CENTER SYSTEM

WW-BT-RS BLUETOOTH ROCKER SWITCH

MC-MD MC-TR

(optional)

MC-BB

Wet-Sounds

wetsounds

1-877-938-7757

@wet_sounds

WETSOUNDS.COM

wet sounds

wide variety of rod choices.

I’ll admit that many years ago I was that guy. I liked the feel of a 7-foot medium-light. I was generally throwing a 1/8 to 1/4 ounce jighead or spoon. My main goal was to fling it as far as I could and cover as much water as possible while looking for trout. That rod worked fine. Then along came the trend of throwing big topwaters.

With that same rod I could just about empty the spool on my old Shimano Bantam reels with a Jumpin’ Minnow, but within a couple hours my forearms would be screaming from the constant pumping of the rod to make that lure walk. There was simply too much play in the tip to efficiently transmit my desires to the lure.

One day while wading alongside an older and wiser fella he suggested I might want to try a little shorter and stiffer rod. His reasoning was that you weren’t going to lose much casting distance and with the stiffer action you didn’t have to move the rod tip as far to get the lure moving. My next day on the water was much more enjoyable and the light switch had been turned on.

A lot of lure types and techniques have come along in the thirtysomething years since that day. There have also been incredible advances in rod materials, blank design and manufacturing techniques. Bass anglers have always been at the fore of matching rods to lures and techniques. In my opinion some of these guys take it to a level that’s a bit insane. Keeping ten rigged rods on the bow would be inviting a disaster of splintered graphite if I were aboard, but the general idea does have merit.

These days most of my fishing revolves around sight-casting.

Getting max distance to cover more water is no longer a priority… it’s all about accuracy. I spend a lot more time pitching and tossing lures at shorter distances than I do trying to hit the horizon. It more closely resembles bass fishing than traditional saltwater tactics. A lot of bass fishing involves finessing a lure into tight spots and then wresting the fish out of thick cover. With that thought in mind I started looking to the variety of rods offered in the bass world. What I found were rods designed with somewhat softer tips that load with less force while still maintaining stiffer mid and butt sections. My favorite for throwing 1/16 to 1/8 ounce jigs is what the bass guys refer to as a “drop shot” rod. For me it is the perfect action to gently toss a lightweight jig onto the nose of a redfish, yet still has the strength to control a really mad eight-pounder.

I’ve also taken this same line of thinking into my fly fishing. I used 56 | November 2016

Never hurts to have a bigger stick onboard…just in case.

to carry one stick, an 8-weight nine-footer, with a weight-forward floating line. It is considered by many to be the standard for Texas inshore saltwater fishing. It will certainly get the job done and if you’re only going to have one rig, this would be a good bet. But where’s the fun in that?

A couple years back I started playing around with setting up different rigs for specific conditions or situations. My first venture was directed at finding a set up for hitting those reds that suddenly show up really close to the boat. We don’t always have those perfect conditions of light wind, cloudless sky and clear water. When conditions are less than perfect a lot of the shots are too close for the old standard rig. You can’t get the rod loaded for the cast without enough line off the tip and, you thus end up spooking the fish with a poor cast.

What I came up with was pairing Temple Fork Outfitter’s Mini Mag 6/8-weight with an 8-weight Bermuda Shorts line by Royal Wulff. Much like the bass rods I lean toward, this eight-foot rod is designed for casting accurately into tight spaces with enough butt strength to yank a big fish out of thick cover. The Bermuda Shorts line has a very short 22’ head instead of the standard 30’ found on most lines. You won’t win any distance casting competitions with this rig but it excels at the short game. Having the ability to quickly load the rod with a single backcast and deliver the fly to the red without spooking it has put a lot of fish in the boat that would have been difficult, if not impossible, to pull off with a standard set up.

Since then I’ve added a 7-weight with a bonefish line set up for long distance shots on calm clear days, a brutish 10-weight for tossing bigger flies when the reds are eating big crabs or large mullet, and a cool little 4-weight for playing with the rat reds. Having a wide variety of rods at the ready may not be everybody’s cup of tea but I’ve found it to make me a more productive fisherman and I don’t get frustrated trying to make a rod do something it wasn’t designed to deliver.

Step outside the box and you might be surprised how much more enjoyable your time on the water can be.

C ontact

Slot reds are easily handled with the 8-weight.

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

Telephone Email Website

281-450-2206 scott@tsfmag.com www.captainscottnull.com

Sales Manager: Alan Ratjen

Fence Company

Commercial & Residential

Project Manager: Larry Stanley

CHAIN LINK • WOOD • PRIVACY • RAIL * Free Estimates * We Accept All Major Credit Cards Bonded & Insured Public Sales Welcome!

979-265-5122 979-864-3775

www.fosterfencefreeport.com

By Jason Ferguson | Lower Laguna Madre Ecosystem Leader | Coastal Fisheries Division

FIELD NOTES

Are live croaker really the best bait for catching spotted seatrout?

At the risk of starting an all-out war, I’m going to reopen an old debate. Are croaker really a better bait for catching spotted seatrout, and do they give anglers an unfair advantage?

Over the last twenty years or so, this has been a hotlycontested issue among Texas anglers. If you have spent significant time fishing along the Texas coast, I’m sure you have argued—or have at least had to listen to other anglers argue about— the use of live croaker to catch trout. One side claims that using live croaker is equivalent to cheating, and harms the overall trout population.

They claim that croaker catch not only more trout, but larger trout, which are generally females that produce proportionately more eggs than smaller trout. The other side claims that the trout population has been very healthy in recent years, and that even if croaker do catch more fish, they are only allowed to keep the daily limit just like everyone else.

While anglers on the Texas coast have been using live croaker to catch speckled trout for decades, in recent years it has become a much more common practice on the Lower Laguna Madre where I work due to the increased availability of croaker at local bait shops.

Consequently, the debate has been raging a little more intensely on my home waters. So in the interest of peace, and out of scientific curiosity, I decided to see if our (TPWD) data could help shed some unbiased light on the subject. I used TPWD harvest data to investigate the issue. This data is collected at boating access sites along the coast from anglers as they return from fishing

trips. Those who fish often and utilize public ramps have probably been surveyed a time or two by our staff. For those not familiar with these surveys, we ask a series of questions in order to obtain basic information about your fishing trip and then measure and count any fish that were landed. One of the questions we ask during these surveys is what type of bait or baits the angler(s) used to catch the fish they landed. Unfortunately, the survey design doesn’t distinguish between different types of live fish used for bait (i.e. we code live mullet or pinfish the same as live croaker). The exception to this was a special study conducted in 1995-96, which did use specific codes for different types of live bait fish. However, this study was primarily focused on bait type usage, and did not examine other variables such as catch rates among bait types.

To remedy this, I instructed our staff here in the lower Laguna Madre to begin recording whether or not live croaker were used by anglers intercepted at harvest surveys. We conducted the study during the month of July, when croaker are readily available at most of the major bait shops. During July 2015, we conducted 15 surveys and 251 interviews in the Lower Laguna Madre.

Of those interviews, 244 were private-boat trips and 7 were guided trips. Granted, this is a relatively small sample size, but it did allow us to compare croaker usage with the results from the study done in 1995, as well as make direct comparisons of speckled trout catch rates between croaker and other bait types. In addition to usage and catch rates, it allowed us to examine the average size of the trout caught by each bait type. We compared 6 bait types: dead fish, dead shrimp, live Figure 1. Average number shrimp, other live fish, artificial baits, of spotted seatrout caught and of course croaker. by different bait types.

Not surprisingly, the results showed that the usage of live bait fish by private-boat anglers in the Lower Laguna Madre has dramatically increased over the last 20 years, going from 0.9% to 19%.

The percentage of those live fish that were croaker also increased from 0.5% to a whopping 83%. Looking at the data, it may appear at first glance that croaker were more effective at catching speckled trout than all of the other bait types except for the other live fish category (Figure 1).

58 | November 2016

However, statistical analyses of the data showed that croaker were only better than dead shrimp and that artificial baits, live shrimp, and other live fish are statistically as effective as croaker at catching speckled trout.

As for average size of trout caught, croaker did not statistically catch bigger trout than any of the other bait types (Figure 2). In fact, the only statistically significant differences were between other live fish and live shrimp, and other live fish and artificial baits.

Obviously this study was limited in scope both geographically and in terms the number of observations, and therefore we are somewhat limited in what we can infer from the results. However, it does provide some insight into the relative effectiveness of various bait types. Despite what many anglers believe, the results from this study suggest that croaker are not the most effective bait for catching more and larger trout. At the very least, this information should temper the criticism of those who are strongly opposed to using croaker for bait for conservation issues, while at the same time demonstrating that you don’t have to buy croaker to catch more or bigger trout and that other baits may be equally effective.

Figure 2. Average length of spotted seatrout caught by different bait types.

Personally, I like the idea that I don’t have to dish out $12 a dozen to buy bait and go through the extra effort to keep them alive all day in 100-degree weather to have a successful day out on the water.

Check the TPWD Outdoor Annual, your local TPWD Law Enforcement office, or www. tpwd.state.tx.us for more information.

TSFMAG.com | 59

S C O T T S O M M E R L AT T E

F LY F I S H I N G

Slam!

Fly fishermen all have some aspect of the sport that we either identify most closely with or that consumes us.

For me it’s tarpon. I would readily pass on a day of fifty redfish to hook a single tarpon. In contrast, I have a friend whose passion is simply catching fish, no matter the species, on his handtied flies. Another friend is obsessed with perfecting his cast. He cares little what he catches, so long as his cast is perfect. Neither of these individuals are guides, yet both are obsessed with the sport, albeit different aspects. Now, with that being said, and while I have my own obsession to live with, I have a vastly different obsession as a guide.

As a guide, my obsession is to put as many anglers as possible on what we call a “slam.” In layman’s terms, a slam is three significant species caught during a single day of fishing. Significant is key here as significance varies from angler to angler.

Now before I get too much further into this I should recognize that IGFA (International Game Fish Association) has numerous categories – inshore, billfish, bass, salmon, etc., in which they recognize and record angling achievements. To receive such honor, you must catch three fish within specified categories the IGFA deems 60 | November 2016

significant or worthy species. Personally, I couldn’t care less what the IGFA recognizes as worthy, and even less about receiving an award from them. I just want to enjoy my day on the water and challenge Mother Nature every chance to put my customers on the best day possible.

Moving on. Growing up in Texas I knew of only the Texas Slam, which consists of a redfish, trout and flounder.

It was not until I became a dedicated fly angler that I learned of substituting a black drum for a flounder. On my skiff we now recognize both combinations as an accomplishment. We have also caught, on numerous occasions, what I like to call a Gulf Nearshore Slam, which consists of a combination of any three – tarpon, redfish, cobia and jack crevalle. Then of course there is what I like to call the POC slam – tarpon, redfish and trout. The other slam we strive for on my skiffs is a Backcountry Slam.

Remember, I also guide in Florida.

So a Backcountry Slam consists of a tarpon, snook and redfish. As an angler I have personally achieved this only once. To add even more significance, it included fishing in two states! The tarpon and snook came on a morning trip in Florida and then, hopping a flight home, I arrived with just enough time to launch my boat here in Seadrift and

of them landing a few baby tarpon and a decent snook or two. As we continued our search I made the comment that it would be awesome if one of them, preferably both, could catch a redfish to complete their slams. I seem to remember some discussion as to why I was intent on making it happen…“I have an ego that needs to be stroked now and then and a slam is a great way to get it done.”

A few hours passed and we were poling down the last stretch of what I call Snook Alley. Tiffany was up and working the mangrove edge perfectly when we arrived to a bottom swag, fish often hold in the slightly deeper water there, maybe twenty yards from the mangroves. I instructed her to begin landing her cast further away from the mangroves and a little ahead of the boat so that we could fish the area thoroughly. She did, and a few casts later the water boiled and a fight ensued. I quickly noted that the fish was not fighting like a snook. Maybe a red, and at that point I began chanting, “Please be a redfish, please be a redfish, please be a…YES!” I was ecstatic. Tiffany and David probably both thought I was a certified idiot after my exuberant display but, I’m quite certain that they enjoyed the experience just as much.

You know, over the years, I have on occasion mentioned my appreciation for not only my friends and customers, but also the many people I have met who love fly fishing as much as I do. In fact, I would go as far as saying that 99% of the fly fishermen and women I have met over the years are the best of the best. David and Tiffany are at the very top of that list and it was a shear delight to not only have the chance to guide them, but to have the opportunity to share in the experience known as The Slam.

C ontact

caught a Texas redfish. Kinda proud of that, BTW. Anyway, over the past eight years of guiding in Florida during spring, I have managed to put at least one angler on a Backcountry Slam (on fly) annually. This past spring season I pulled it off twice, and even more special, they were both lady anglers. One was from Texas.

Setting the stage. Years ago I had the pleasure to meet one of the finest human beings I know, David Yeates. This past year I had the chance to guide David and his wife Tiffany, (nee Fluitt), who most Texas fly anglers know as the proprietor of Gruene Outfitters.

Until that time I knew her only through reputation. As for why I consider her to be of great importance to our sport, Tiffany not only owns and operates one of the few remaining “mom and pop” fly shops in Texas, she is also an incredible angler and fine role model to women who aspire likewise.

Long and short of it; I was fired up when she called and said, “Scott, I want to book a few days with you down in the ‘Glades to surprise David.”

It took some work but we were finally able to arrange three days in June, just prior to my departure to Texas. We focused on big tarpon on day one and two, but unfortunately that didn’t happen. So for the third day, I recommended that we take the little boat and head deep into the backcountry for some baby tarpon and snook fishing. It did not take much convincing and early that morning they met me at the historic Everglades Rod and Gun Club.

David quickly did a number on a decent-sized snook at our first stop. From that point everything seemed to fall into place with both

Scott Sommerlatte is a full time fly fishing and light tackle guide, freelance writer and photographer.

Telephone Email Website

979-415-4379 vssommerlatte@hotmail.com www.mangrovefly.com TSFMAG.com | 61

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

Dodging the Duck Hunters I hit the water this morning planning to search for shallow water redfish and was greeted at the launch with a cool north wind in my face. It was a familiar feeling that

62 | November 2016

I have been missing for several months and it was nice to finally be reunited with it. It was also a great reminder of things to come in the near future; cold weather, trophy trout, redfish stacked in deep holes and, of course, the yearly migration of waterfowl.

Though the wind felt great it is a bittersweet feeling because it signals the time for kayakers to share the marsh with other outdoorsmen searching for limits of ducks.

It is inevitable this time of the year but, no worries; there are plenty of other options for kayak anglers.

When the marsh flats that we typically fish are scattered with duck decoys and mud boats, I have found it is best to just stay out of their way. Duck hunters take their sport very seriously, and rightfully so. Waterfowl hunting has become an expensive pastime that requires a lot of work and they only get a limited window in which to harvest their ducks. The last thing they want is for someone to come into range of their spread and start flaring the birds. That would be

64 | November 2016

for a fun day of fishing and can be quite a workout while having to paddle to keep up with the school as they follow the food source.

The topwater bite is without a doubt the most exciting way to catch schooling fish but it can also prove to be the least efficient.

When you have two treble hooks buried in a fish it is often quite time consuming to remove all the barbs. Treble hooks also have a nasty tendency of becoming tangled in a net, and there is also the possibility of having a trout thrashing trout in the kayak sticking a hook or two in your leg or hand. For these reasons I try to stay with soft plastics and spoons. Plus, a Johnson gold or silver spoon will never wear out. You do not have to worry about replacing the lure, as with plastics, when the bite is on.

You can certainly catch plenty of fish this time of year. It may not cater to our favorite styles of fishing but it is a great transition period preparing us for winter. This will be one of the last times to find schools of trout and reds under birds and it is undoubtedly the best time for catching flounder. Early-winter is about to settle upon our coast and the duck hunters will be out in full force. Let them have the marshes and enjoy the relative absence of anglers that crowd the water in warmer months.

C ontact

equivalent to us stalking a school of tailing reds and having a mud boat burning through the marsh and spooking them. It can be very frustrating when scenarios such as this occur, especially when they can easily be avoided.

I am a firm believer that when several duck boats start roaring through a marsh the redfish will quickly move out. Like anything else, they don’t like the commotion and will leave to the main lakes and deeper channels.

Though some might disagree, this situation can actually be turned around to become a fun day in a kayaker’s world. At this time of the year the reds are usually feeding voraciously and not apt to miss a meal, no matter where they end up. My strategy then is stay off the back-lake flats and target bayous and main lake reefs and drains.

Bayous at this time of year can be very productive areas to fish. Add a strong north wind that has been blowing for a few days and that will just make it better. The wind will blow the majority of water off the flats, which will force the redfish to move into the channels. It also forces the remaining bait species to exit the flats, in turn making them easy targets for hungry reds. Whenever possible, I try to target what I call funnel points – areas where the bayou necks down and forces the bait to gather more closely together. Feeding in these zones becomes almost effortless for the reds and we sometimes find a stack of them lying in ambush amid all that bait.

The greatest thing about this season is that redfish will eat just about anything they can catch and typically do not dine alone.

An angler can expect to pull multiple reds out of a particular hole or drain that is carrying baitfish out to the main lakes or bays. My favorite lure to throw at them is a Norton Sand Eel on a 1/4 ounce jighead or a Chickenboy rigged the same way. Throw your lure into the mouth of the drain or cut and slowly drag it out into the channel and be sure to hang on.

Targeting these areas in bayous can also be very productive for catching your personal beast flounder. Throwing a Chickenboy lure is a great way to appeal to hungry reds and to also get the attention of a big flattie. Some of the bigger flounder I have caught and seen caught have come out of the same funnel point or drain that I was pulling redfish out of. They too seem to be fattening up for winter and also for their yearly spawning migration to the Gulf, so missing a meal is not an option.

Another area to target is the reefs and scattered shell patches in the main lakes near where bayous dump into a main waterway. The trout and redfish will be stacked up here waiting for big groups of shrimp and other bait making their exit to the Gulf. Often times their locations will be given away by gulls trying to snap up shrimp driven to surface by hungry gamefish feeding below. This always makes

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

PacBay’s PacBay’s Fishin’ Fishin’ Awesome Awesome

Gulf Gulf Coast Coast Lineup Lineup

Build Great Fishing Rods Build Great Fishing Rods

Titanium Zirconia Ring Titanium Frame Frame Zirconia Ring

TDZVG TDZVG

Rod makers Finishing Technique Using Mad Swirl.

Rod makers Finishing Technique Using Mad Swirl.

Rigid-Core Rod Grips.™ Rigid-Core Rod Grips.™

Titanium Alloy Frame with Stainless Steel Ring Titanium Alloy Frame with Stainless Steel Ring

Available At These Fine Retailers Available At These Fine Retailers

Fishing Fishing Tackle Tackle Unlimited Unlimited

Rod Rod Room Room

Mudhole Mudhole Tackle Tackle

www.fishingtackleunlimited.com www.fishingtackleunlimited.com

www.therodroom.com www.therodroom.com

www.mudhole.com www.mudhole.com

Houston, TX Houston, TX

Foley, AL Foley, AL

Oviedo, FL Oviedo, FL

Story by John Blaha | Photos by Lisa Laskowski

T S F M a g C onser v a t ion N ews

Volunteers Participate in Marsh Grass Planting Volunteers comprised of CCA-Texas staff and members, along with volunteers from Texas Parks & Wildlife Department’s Dickinson office and NRG’s Cedar Bayou EcoCenter recently participated in a marsh grass planting project. The event was conducted at the Bird Island Cove Marsh Restoration Site, located in West Galveston Bay. Construction at the site was completed in February of 2015 and since that time several grass plantings have been accomplished and more are planned.

Building Conservation Trust, CCA National’s Habitat Program, was able to secure a $3,000 mini-grant from Restore America’s Estuaries. This grant was made possible

66 | November 2016

through CITGO’s Caring for Our Coast program. Some 2,500 spartina alterniflora sprigs were planted during the event to add needed protection and encourage future grass growth to the exterior marsh mounds of the restoration project completed last year. This event coincided with National Estuaries Week, in which similar events took place all along the Gulf Coast.

The Bird Island Cove project directly benefits approximately 114 acres of existing coastal wetlands in the Bird Island Cove area. This project includes approximately 4,000 linear-feet of segmented breakwater that protects existing estuarine marsh. In addition, hydraulic dredging was used to pump sediments from a nearby designated borrow-area to restore the site to intertidal marsh elevations.

These materials and elevations provide suitable elevation for restoring native salt-flat marsh/sand flat habitat in addition to intertidal Spartina alterniflora marsh and allows for the migration of intertidal marsh to higher elevations in response to sea level rise. The methods used in this project have shown much success in West Galveston Bay, including similar

ROY’S Bait and Tackle Outfitters

361-992-2960

7613 SPID Corpus Christi, TX 78412

Simply put, Aldebaran redefines the lightweight, compact low profile baitcasting reel category. Weighing in at a mere 4.7 ounces, Aldebaran delivers unmatched smoothness and precision with our S3D, SVS Infinity and new SilentTune technologies. While Aldebaran is light in weight, it is by no means a lightweight when it comes to durability in the most demanding fishing environments. This reel is equipped with our X-SHIP gearing system and is housed in an electro-coated magnesium frame. Aldebaran excels at fishing jerkbaits, light crankbaits and a variety of finesse baits.

Introducing Shimano’s latest in comfortable and light weight footwear - the Shimano Evair Marine/Fishing shoes. The Evair are an ‘open’ style shoe, meaning they’re quick drying and allow your feet to breathe even in the hottest day time conditions. A non slip sole gives the wearer added confidence when navigating slippery decks.

www.roysbait-tackle.com

The new Stradic FK utilizes Shimano’s latest technology while drawing on ways of the past. Hagane cold forged drive gear combined with X-Ship provides a smooth, powerful and durable reel. The sleek G-Free body provides a better weight balance to reduce fatigue. Every part has been designed to improve the anglers experience on the water.

Open 9 am - 6 pm 7 days/week

For the avid fisherman and tournament bass angler the new Metanium baitcasting reels are LOW PROFILE all about lightweight versatile performance. Weighing in at 6-ounces (6.2 oz for XG model), Shimano offers three gear ratios to have the optimum retrieve speed to fish jigs & worms, jerkbaits, spinnerbaits, and the XG for flipping or punching.

TSFMAG.com | 67

projects at Jumbile Cove, J-Cove, Delehide Cove, Starvation Cove, Carancahua Cove and McAllis Point.

Texas coastal wetlands are one of the most important parts of the ecosystems up and down the Texas coast. These wetlands serve over 95% of fish species found in the Gulf of Mexico and the intertidal marshes serve as nursery areas for species such as brown and white shrimp, blue crab, sand seatrout, Gulf menhaden, southern flounder, red drum, bay anchovy and many others. Coastal wetland loss in Texas and the Galveston Bay system in particular is significant and an ongoing concern because of the important and necessary roles that the wetlands play. TPWD, CCA Texas and other organizations recognize the importance of these wetlands and are working continuously to protect and restore these resources. TPWD takes the lead in this effort and CCA Texas is there to provide community matching dollars for federal and state grants, outreach to heighten awareness of the roles these resources play, and also a source of volunteers for marsh grass planting events and other types of habitat improvement projects.

Another Great CCA - STAR Tournament The 27th CCA Texas State of Texas Anglers Rodeo (STAR) was another plus days of competition was landed by a Houston angler – second great event, attracting a near record 47,500 registered anglers and heaviest ever weighed in STAR’s twenty-seven-year history. netting nearly 7,800 new members for CCA Texas.

There was also a tagged redfish caught around the Galveston “We had another very successful STAR,” says Gina Rice, STAR’s Causeway the Friday before the tournament ended. “We sure do Operations Director/Scholarship Director. “But not without some wish we could be more excited for this angler but, sadly, he wasn’t challenges; torrential rain, floods and vibrio, to Father/son team of Troy and name a few. Thanks to the Ashton Sumrall took their respective gafftop divisions. determination of anglers from across the Lone Star state, who count down the days until the Memorial Weekend kickoff, they still registered for STAR and went fishing!”

The Sumralls of Orange scored big in the in the Gafftop Divisions, with dad winning a boat and his son Sydney Greaves - STARTeens Mia Guerra winning a $50K scholarship!

Middle Coast Trout STARKids Flounder Young lady anglers also scored big in all three of the scholarship divisions, with one 10-year-old from San Antonio winning a $50K scholarship for biggest flounder, another 16-year-old from Palacios winning a $25K scholarship for largest TroutMiddle Coast, and a 17-yearold from Kingwood winning a $25K scholarship for largest Gafftop. Great job, Girls!

The winning kingfish weighed during the 10068 | November 2016

registered and will not be receiving a 2016 Ford F-150 Texas Edition XLT SuperCab, 23’ Haynie Big Foot rigged with a Mercury 150L Pro XS OptiMax motor and Coastline trailer,” commented Rice.

STARTeens Gafftop Yes, STAR releases a total that’s a redfish, but Jordan of sixty tagged redfish also landed the STARTeens along the Texas coast winning gafftop. and eight of these found their way into angler’s hands. Disappointingly, only Jeff Myer of Houston and Mike Boyer of San Antonio qualified for the fabulous prize packages this division provides.

The CCA-Texas STAR Tournament committee has announced that including the 2016 event, STAR has now provided a whopping sum of $5,556,000 in scholarships to winners in various Texas STARKid and STARTeen divisions.

THE STICK SHADD IS BACK...

STRONGER, BETTER LOOKING AND A NEW LOWER PRICE!

Ronny Beall

St. Charles Bay 30” First Redfish!

Caught on fresh-dead horse mullet

Marty Strakos & son, Sean Fishing with Cajun Phil

Visit Sebile.com to view the full collection

TSFMAG.com | 69

Photo credit: Chris Ledford, TPWD, Artificial Reef Program

STEPHANIE BOYD

F I S H Y FA C T S

Lionfish

Lionfishes are among the most distinctive of all coral reef fish, notorious for their long, showy fins, stripy patterning, and venomous spines. Most scorpionfishes are colored to camouflage with their background. However, the lionfish is a notable exception with its extravagant dress and bold behavior, its seeming indifference to the potential threats posed by other reef-dwelling predators. Pretty much everything about the lionfish, including its cantankerous demeanor, says, “Don’t touch!”

Members of the genus Pterois – collectively known as lionfishes, turkeyfishes, and firefishes – are natively found in the Indo-Pacific, but have found their way to oceans worldwide. They live in warm marine habitat types, including hard bottom, mangrove, seagrass, coral, and artificial reefs, from depths of less than 1 foot to 1000 feet. Our local invasive lionfish species is Pterois volitans, the red lionfish, also known as the butterfly cod, peacock lionfish, red firefish, scorpion volitans, and turkeyfish. Its many names are probably due to the fact that the species is widespread, easily observed, and potentially dangerous to humans. It is often mistaken for the devil firefish (Pterois miles). A relatively large lionfish, red lionfish can grow up to about 18 inches in length.

Lionfish have 18 venomous spines – 13 long spines are located along the front of the dorsal fin; 2 short spines 70 | November 2016

are located on the pelvic fins (one on each side); and 3 additional venomous spines are located along the front edge of the anal fin. The large, featherlike pectoral fins and the tail fin do not have venomous spines. Venom glands are located within two grooves of the spine. The venom is a combination of protein, neuromuscular toxin, and a neurotransmitter called acetylcholine. A sting from a lionfish is extremely painful and can cause nausea and breathing difficulties, but is rarely fatal. It is comparable to the venom of a stingray’s barb. Treatment is also similar: the affected body part should be submerged in hot water (113 degrees F) for 30 to 90 minutes to denature the toxin. Medical attention is advisable. Luckily, the lionfish’s venom is purely defensive. It relies on camouflage and quick reflexes for attacks, so people are mostly stung when they are trying to handle the fish. Also, the venom is contained in the last quarter of the spine, so it does not contaminate the meat.

Red lionfish live in small groups as juveniles and while mating. However, for the majority of their adult life they are solitary. Though lionfish typically finish supper within the first hour of night, they usually remain out and about until day. When the sun comes up, they retreat to ledges and crevices among the rocks and corals. Males are fiercely territorial while courting, which is often. Lionfish can

Trokar_TexasSaltwaterFishing_TK619_Yellowfin_Nov.pdf 1 10/3/2016 8:16:38 AM

C

E E V G I A T I T T N E A P V D M O A s Hook ors’ petit m o C KAR

TRO

tage van 9 d A t h e K 61 Get h the T wit

PE

TES A R NET

2EXTTER B

LLY D A C I G NE SURHARPE OLOGY S CHN TE

IT ET MP CO

N IO

KS OO L H E V LE

©2016 EAGLE CLAW FISHING TACKLE | DENVER, COLORADO | EAGLECLAW.COM TSFMAG.com | 71

Spear fishing for lionfish.

Photo credit: Chris Ledford, TPWD, Artificial Reef Program

spawn every four days, year round. Females can produce 30,000 eggs a month, each of which can hatch in four days. The young grow to a large body size early in life, so they are less likely to be attacked by predators, and their chances of mating successfully increase. They reach sexual maturity around 1 to 2 years. When lionfish are ready to reproduce, the physical differences between the sexes become more apparent. Males turn darker and the stripes become less dynamic.

Females become paler, their belly, throat, and mouth becoming silvery white, making them easy to spot in the darkness. Lionfish live an average of 10 years in the wild.

As any aquarium enthusiast who ever put one in a tank with other fish discovered, lionfish are indiscriminate hunters. They are carnivores that feed on almost any crustacean or fish smaller than them, including the young of many important commercial fish species, such as snapper and grouper (that incidentally keep the reefs clean of algae, as well). They also adapt to new prey items quickly, which allows them to infiltrate almost any habitat with ease. Researchers have found that over a period of 5 weeks, a single lionfish can decrease the recruitment of new juvenile reef fish by almost 80 percent. Their stomachs can expand over 30 times in volume to binge feed when prey is plentiful, and they are capable of long-term fasting for periods of over 12 weeks when prey is scarce. Lionfish are ambush predators, primarily, though they will also stalk and corner smaller fish by spreading their feathery pectoral fins and herding the prey into a confined space for easy capture. Meals are ultimately obtained with a lightning-quick snap of the jaws and swallowed whole. This attack is so smooth that if the victim is among a group of fish, the other fish in the group may not even notice what happened. The lionfish can then continue to hunt 72 | November 2016

the other unaware members of the school.

In the Indo-Pacific, the native ocean of the lionfish, sharks are known to prey on them with no ill effects to their health, but since they aren’t native to Atlantic waters, they have very few predators. Native sharks and groupers are willing to eat the invasive lionfish, but sharks have yet to incorporate them fully into their diet, and unfortunately, Atlantic populations of grouper are currently suffering from over-fishing. There is hope that, through management, sufficient levels of groupers will return, providing an effective and natural means to help control lionfish.

NOAA researchers have agreed that marine invaders, like the lionfish, are nearly impossible to completely eradicate once established. Instead, resource managers must help the ecosystem find a new balance where the invader is suppressed and plays a minor role, rather than overwhelming everything else.

Lionfish arrived in the South Atlantic in 1985, most likely released by private aquarium owners (experts speculate that people have been dumping unwanted lionfish from home aquariums into the Atlantic Ocean for over 25 years). The first official recorded occurrence of red lionfish in Texas was documented in 2011, though personal accounts date back to 2000. Currently, the red lionfish has a strong foothold in the Bahamas where, between 2008 and 2010, they reduced the biomass of 42 other fishes by an average of 65 percent. Efforts continue to prevent exponential growth in the Virgin Islands, Florida Keys, and Gulf of Mexico. The REEF Environmental Education Foundation organizes derbies: competitions across the U.S. and Caribbean for scuba divers to kill as many lionfish as they can. Tournaments have shown to be highly effective at reducing invasive lionfish populations, though with lionfish reproducing every four days, the effect doesn’t last long.

Conservationists wrestling with the problem of invasive lionfish have suggested that recreationally and commercially harvesting the species for food could put a big dent in its numbers. Other fish populations have been decimated through overfishing for consumption, why not a fish that actually needs to be controlled and is sustainable? Plus, lionfish meat tastes good and lends itself to many recipes! (Although the lionfish is one of 400 species that can cause ciguatera poisoning, it poses no greater threat than others commonly eaten, including snapper, grouper, and hogfish.) The downside is, since lionfish must be killed one at a time, it’s expensive to serve in restaurants. States have certainly done their part to encourage consumption. Texas allows unlimited removal by spear, net, or hook and line in state waters. The public can help spur demand (and perhaps commercial fishing innovation) by requesting lionfish. You can also report sightings to the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department, the US Geological Survey, the Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF), the USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species website, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Whatever you do, if you happen to catch one, DON’T RELEASE IT! (How often do you hear that these days?)

Where I learned about lionfish, and you can too!

Texas Parks & Wildlife tpwd.texas.gov/huntwild/wild/species/exotic/faq_lionfish.phtml Texas Lionfish Control Unit texaslionfish.org/ Texas Invasives www.texasinvasives.org/animal_database/detail.php?symbol=14 Galveston Bay Invasives www.galvbayinvasives.org/Guide/Species/PteroisVolitans Global Invasive Species Database www.iucngisd.org/gisd/species.php?sc=1050 Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF) www.reef.org/lionfish Invasive Lionfish Web Portal lionfish.gcfi.org/education-outreach National Oceanic & Atmospheric Association (NOAA) oceanservice.noaa.gov/education/stories/lionfish/factsheet.html oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/lionfish.html US Geological Survey nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/FactSheet.aspx?speciesID=963 US Dept of Agriculture www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/aquatics/lionfish.shtml Florida Museum of Natural History www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/discover/species-profiles/pterois-volitans University of Florida miami-dade.ifas.ufl.edu/documents/LionfishFactSheet.pdf Scientific American www.scientificamerican.com/article/does-eating-lionfish-work/ www.scientificamerican.com/article/invasive-lionfish-arrive-in-the-mediterranean/ National Geographic animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/fish/lionfish/

NEW STEALTH BLUE CAMO BRAID FOR SALTWATER ADVENTURES SPIDERWIRE® STEALTH™

SPIDERWIRE.COM TSFMAG.com | 73

CURTISS CASH

I N S H O R E | N E A R S H O R E | J E TT I E S | P A S S E S

TERMINAL TACKLE - PART ONE Accused of being over-prepared or carrying too much tackle aboard is nothing new to me. A dozen and a half rod and reel outfits and a 94-quart tackle storage compartment full of lures and terminal tackle is standard on every outing. You just never know exactly what the day may offer. Over the years I’ve found that you better have what it takes to get the job done, or stay close to the dock.

There are times when subtle changes in terminal rigging allows for a more effective presentation and gets more bites. The components at the end of the line connecting the bait can make a huge difference.

The hook, swivel, weight and leader material may all be fastened in many ways. Certain methods of leader construction and makeup can increase your odds of success. Here in part one I’ll discuss hooks that I use most often.

The Hook Hook selection is the cornerstone of catching – the first link in a chain of components between you and the fish.

Choose wisely.

Three hook styles in a range of sizes catch 90% of my fish. These all-time favorites for the Gulf Coast are: O’Shaughnessy (J-hook), wide gap (Kahle type) and circle.

These can sometimes be used interchangeably but, in 74 | November 2016

general, a specific style and size will increase our success.

When shopping for hooks I look for several qualities and features: 1. Finish- The finish applied to a hook may adversely affect the survivability of a fish that is released with the hook left in it. Black nickel plating has become my favorite as it is a good middle of the road coating. Rugged and smooth, black nickel resists rust better than regular nickel or bronzed, but not as rust-free as tin plated.

2. Sharpness- If I look at a hook and think it needs to be sharpened, I’d just as soon trash it. Right out of the package the hook needs to be sharp enough to penetrate with minimum force. Hooks that are chemically sharpened are normally much sharper in comparison to ground points.

3. Value- It’s difficult to put a value on each fish landed but you can sure put a price on not catching them. Cheap hooks will fail (break or straighten) more often and dull hooks score fewer hookups. The highest priced hooks increase your tackle costs, and sting the most when they are lost. Offer me good quantity at a fair price and I’m sold.

Over the years I have “fished around” with many brands but I always come back to Mustad. Mustad offers quality, value, consistency and a variety of styles to improve most any fishing situation. I reach for Mustad with the Ultra

Point design when available. These hooks are made with a chemicallysharpened conical point designed for quicker penetration.

MU

AD ST

9

17

4

MUSTAD 9174 The O’Shaughnessy 9174NP-BN (J-hook) is easily my all-time favorite. It works equally well with live or dead finfish and shrimp.

Variations include 3X Short, 2X Strong, forged and non-offset.

3X Short- The decreased shank length increases strength and is less prone to bending. The shortened shank also lessens the possibility of the bait getting “double hooked.” When a fish eats, the bait is less likely to slide down on the hook shaft and allow the point to penetrate back into the bait.

2X Strong- As the name implies, the larger diameter wire greatly reduces the possibility of bending or straightening.

Forged- The sides of the hook shaft are flattened similar to a knife blade. The forging increases strength while reducing breakage, bending or twisting under pressure.

Non-offset- The straight shaft increases leverage needed to dislodge from the fish. In addition, the non-offset hook shank keeps the bait straight and minimizes twist and spinning in current.

MUSTAD 37160 The wide gap hook is known by many names. Croaker hook, shiner hook or Kahle seem to be most popular. The MUSTAD 37160 wide gap hook is what I use most often. This hook comes in several finishes, including but not limited to black nickel, red, tinned and stainless steel. I prefer the black nickel or tinned myself, the red finish is nice, but personally I have realized no real advantage. After a few fish the red wears off leaving a shiny silver hook. I prefer not

TSFMAG.com | 75

M

to use stainless steel due its durability, taking too long to rust out should we wish to release a deeply hooked fish or the line breaking.

The 37160 includes a turned up eye, slightly reversed twist and a wide gap for cradling the bait.

U

AD ST

371

60

Turned up eye- The eye placement on this hook is important to keep the bait in-line with the hook. This helps in the presentation of live bait when free-lining or fishing in a current. The turned up eye is also convenient for snelling.

Reversed twist- The offset incorporated into the shank allows for a slight rotation when pressure is applied. The rotation helps bury the hook point into the fish upon hookset. The drawback to the offset is that it may cause twist when a bait is threaded onto the shank (dead shrimp) and fished in current.

Wide gap- The space between the point and shank bend is increased. This allows the live bait more wiggle room when pinned.

In addition, the gap reduces the possibility of the hook pinning back

STA

D3

99

MUSTAD 39940 and 39941 The circle hook may be the best design ever for ease of hookset and catch and release fishing. There are many versions on the market today and after testing many of them I have found this Mustad design to be superior to all others. As with most circle hook designs it is best to just apply pressure to the line to set the hook instead of a hard sweeping hookset. Placing the rod in a holder and allowing the fish to hook itself probably works best of all. My experience while using these hooks with live bait is that fish are hooked in the upper lip or corner of the mouth 90% of the time. With dead or cut bait on other hook types we see about 25% embedding in the throat or gullet. Both the 39940 & 39941 Demon Circle come in kirbed, point curved in, and different strengths.

Kirbed- This designation tells us that the hook point is turned in pointing toward the shank at an approximate 90⁰ angle. This downward angle focuses the hook point directly into the fish’s flesh.

Point Curved In- The point is slightly offset as it extends toward the shank. This offset helps the hook dig in as it scratches the surface while the kirbed point finds purchase.

1X Strong (39940)- This hook is made from smaller diameter wire. I use sizes 1/O though 4/O when fishing with smaller baits.

Live and dead shrimp pinned with the hook located in the center of the back is extremely effective for sheepshead. The sheepshead more often than not will pinch a shrimp in half with on the first bite. The circle hook catches them on the lip or near the teeth in the upper jaw.

2X Strong (39941)- The larger diameter wire from which it is made lends additional strength. I use this hook in sizes 6/O through 9/O on larger baits, live or dead. The increased diameter is occasionally needed when using braided line. I haven’t had one of these bend or break yet.

Next month, Part-2 will cover swivels, leader materials and specifics on leader design.

40

C ontact

MU

into the bait and double hooking itself. Both tail and nose hooked baits ride well with this design, aptly named the croaker hook.

76 | November 2016

Capt. Curtiss Cash offers charters in the Port O’Connor area; specializing in fishing the bays, passes, jetties, surf and nearshore waters. Species targeted include speckled trout, redfish, flounder, tripletail, black drum, bull reds, sharks, snapper, kingfish, ling and tarpon, when seasonally available.

Phone

361-564-7032

FallBlow Out Sale Up to 50% off in store

2800 W. Main St. Ste G League City, TX 77573 Get up to OFF at www.hookspit.com Using coupon code: HOLIDAY Ends Black Fiday

TSFMAG.com | 77

E X T R E M E K AYA K F I S H I N G & S H A R K S F R O M T H E S A N D

ERIC OZOLINS

Surviving the Odds: Part 1 Whether as a hobby or career, life on the water always poses risks. Commercial crab and lobster fishermen have some of the most dangerous jobs on the planet. Yet they do it for their love of the sea and quest for adventure.

Down here in warmer climes, catastrophic conditions are not nearly as common - minus the rare tropical weather event. Nonetheless, this is still Texas and our weather is as wacky as it gets. Our conditions while tough at times, are generally conducive to a range of outdoor pursuits and participation is high year around. Typically, your light tackle outings are relatively safe, accidents are statistically low and few are life threatening.

My sharking career spans 15 years on a recreational level and my fascination with these creatures has always been strong. Having handled hundreds, if not thousands of sharks, you continually gain respect and further knowledge regarding the various species. Each species utilizes a specific set of behaviors and each specimen has a unique personality. It is quite astounding that with such large numbers of people taking to the water along the Texas coast that we have such a tiny number of 78 | November 2016

shark attacks. Swimmers and fishermen parade around in shallow surf yet the staggering numbers of sharks present rarely cause any sort of issue, let alone an attack.

Our Florida counterparts are not so lucky, with a number of gruesome attacks annually. Is this due to lack of bait and/or even higher shark populations? Regardless, Texas remains fairly safe when it comes to shark incidents. In truth, your average Texas beach user has more to fear from stingrays and jellyfish.

Then enter the small but fearless percentage that are Texas shark fishermen and danger escalates off the chart.

There are so many variables to land-based shark fishing.

You just don’t have the sharks; you also have the seas to deal with. Anglers kayak out huge baits, sometimes in dangerously raging surf. Anglers are often dumped from the kayak after getting smashed by a large wave breaking over a sandbar. When lucky, they simply flip the kayak over and reset. For the unfortunate, you might end up pierced by large hooks and a trip to the hospital. When an angler does land a shark, the worst of the encounters usually result in only minor shark rash. It is well known

would have to be performed immediately. When I awoke the next morning my hand was wrapped, and sore. With all the uncertainties of what happened, having been put under anesthetic, I was relieved to learn that I did not lose my fingers, nor hand. Recovery was fairly lengthy and included physical therapy but I healed well. Present day, I have very minor evidence that the incident ever occurred. The surgeon preformed a remarkable operation, nearly all the motion of my fingers was restored and I have very little scarring. I was soon back to sharking and my luck in avoiding danger held for nearly ten years. I also want to relate the story of an earth shattering incident that could and probably should have left me dead on the spot. But for that, my friends, you have to wait until next month.

C ontact

that sharks are often unpredictable and will use their great bulk and teeth in unthinkable ways. Bad accidents, though they can occur, are rare.

In March of 2006 I had an interesting run-in with a sandbar shark at the Port Mansfield jetties.

A buddy and I were utilizing the protection of the jetty against the strong south wind. This had been a system we developed and experimented with when all other areas of the beach were blown or weeded out. As expected, we were having action, very good action. We had just landed and released our first couple of sharks in early afternoon and things were getting off to a good start. We were missing hook-ups but the fish were definitely there - and hungry. Then my buddy hooked up on a solid shark.

We were very prepared for what we were doing, and were not new to catching and releasing sizable sharks from the jetties. This particular fish came in quick and was landed on a flat, sea level slab of granite. This six-and-a-half-foot sandbar was feisty and rogue swells were rolling the length the jetties to add a hint of danger. We got the fish tagged and made some photos. The shark then spit up a small portion of its stomach (a defensive measure) and had to be dealt with before release.

I was positioned between the shark and the water on the granite. When reaching down to lift the snout with one hand and push the stomach back in via de-hooker with the other, a wave came rolling through. The second this volume of water hit the shark, she responded and curled up, as if trying to maneuver back into the water. At that moment I felt something as the shark swiped its head. I looked down and saw severe lacerations on my hand. Upon further inspection I could see tendons and bone on two of my fingers. Instantly I knew this accident (not an attack) was quite serious. My buddy and l looked at each other wide-eyed and then quickly pushed the shark back into the water “as is” for the release. The trip was over. We knew I had to get to the hospital immediately. Problem was, we were 60 miles down the beach in March, with billowing tides peaking to the dunes. We were in a race against time to save my hand. After nearly a half-hour of gathering gear and getting off the jetty, we hurriedly headed north.

Timing could not have been worse. The drive was extremely slow as my buddy fought rising water lapping against the dunes. In addition, a high volume of seaweed and debris blanketed the beach.

Things were very stressful. We stopped after a few miles, within range of the Port Mansfield cellular towers to notify the hospital we were on our way. Then bad luck struck again with vehicle problems, the truck was literally dead in the water with electrical issues. The starter was shorting out and had completely melted the lead off the battery terminal. Thinking to myself this can’t be happening, we put our heads together and “MacGyvered” the cables and got the truck started. Nearly three hours later we made it off the beach. My hand was swelling badly and I was trying to remain calm, but it was tough.

The entire time, my left hand was wrapped in a white t-shirt. With the blood-stained shirt, it looked more like I was fleeing a crime scene versus a fishing adventure.

At the hospital, X-rays revealed severed tendons on my middle and ring fingers, not to mention numerous other lacerations. Surgery

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 runs Kayak Wars; one of the largest kayak fishing tournaments in the world.

Email Websites

oz@oceanepics.com extremecoast.com | oceanepics.com | kayakwars.com

TSFMAG.com | 79

NEW

TACKLE & GEAR Tsunami Shield Combos The Tsunami Shield combo was built with the hardcore saltwater fisherman in mind. The Shield combo features 10 seals on the 3000/4000 size to shield critical components from harmful saltwater intrusion. The CF3 carbon fiber drag system and sealed stainless bearings are wrapped in a hybrid machined aluminum body which includes the heavy-duty bail system and braid-ready spool.

The 3000 and 4000 combo rods are made up of graphite composite blanks, Sea Guide® wind knot resistant guides and durable cork handles. The 5000 and 6000 consist of graphite composite blanks, Sea Guide® wind knot resistant guides with EVA and rubber shrink grips. The combination of these top-notch components are what make the Shield combos an all new contender!

MSRP: $129.99-$144.99 www.BiminiBayOutfitters.com

YETI Brick Bottle Opener Friends, Consider this your trophy bottle opener. This small-but-mighty bottle opener is made of cast stainless steel and weighs almost a full pound. It’ll be right at home on your bar, in your office, or den.

So put it to good use – we recommend grabbing your closest cold one and getting to work but, hey, we’ll leave the details up to y’all.

Cheers, YETI www.Yeti.com

Z-Man EZ ShrimpZ™ Available in rigged and unrigged versions, the new 3.5” EZ ShrimpZ™ is an ultra-realistic shrimp imitator that is equally at home whether fished beneath a popping cork, free-lined, or hopped along bottom.

Durable, buoyant ElaZtech construction outlasts other shrimp imitations and facilitates a slow, controlled fall on slack line that produces the look and movement of the “Real McCoy.” The rigged version sports a heavy duty, weighted Mustad® UltraPoint® hook that rides snugly in its molded body cavity while the unrigged EZ ShrimpZ can be rigged on a variety of jigheads and weighted hooks. A 2-pack of rigged EZ ShrimpZ retails for $6.99, while a 4-pack of unrigged EZ ShrimpZ sells for $5.99. www.ZManFishing.com

80 | November 2016

products

Denali Introduces Osprey Board Shorts™ Brand New for 2017 in the Denali Performance line are their Osprey™ UPF 50+ ProtectUV™ four-way stretch board shorts. Osprey™ shorts are super lightweight for unparalleled comfort.

Designed for serious all-day blue water fishing with functionality at the core, they feature zippered pockets, drawstring and ballistic-lined tool pocket.

Available now on Amazon. www.DenaliPerformance.com

HydroBikes The pedal-powered HydroBike is the perfect watercraft for fishing beach, bay, lake or river. Easy to ride, safe, unsinkable, and with 400 lbs. flotation, virtually impossible to tip over. With little effort you can cruise, troll baits and fish handsfree at over 5 mph, even the windiest and waviest conditions. You won’t worry about losing your balance as you might in kayaks or stand-up paddle boards.

Operates in only 18 inches of water and poles or drifts in less than 12 inches.

Plus – hands free forward or backward pedal movement while fishing!

832-427-7644 – david@hydrobikesoftexas.com www.HydrobikesOfTexas.com

Salt Life Aviator Eyewear Aviators were originally developed in 1936 to protect pilot’s eyes when flying. Salt Life Aviators take these classic sunglasses to a whole new level with Italian frames and Zeiss lenses. Our 5-Layer anti-reflective coating completely eliminates glare and allows you to spot fish faster – a major advantage for shallow water anglers. Exclusive integrated tangle-free adjustable nose pads allow you to place our sunglasses on the top of your head…without getting caught in your hair. Order your pair today and see the difference. www.BiminiBayOptics.com

TSFMAG.com | 81

Dickie Colburn

DICKIE COLBURN’S Sabine Scene

Sabine

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

82 | November 2016

Right on cue, our bite improved the first morning that I had to run back inside to grab my Frogg Toggs to break the chill of the pre-dawn boat ride to the lake.

We were back down to T-shirts and shorts by midmorning, but the cooler surface temperature and a stiff north wind were enough to light the fuse!

It certainly wasn’t as if we had been struggling to catch fish up until then, but flounder and redfish were carrying the load. Either we couldn’t find the trout at all or they were too small throughout the summer. We enjoyed only a handful of good trout trips last winter prior to the non-stop infusion of more fresh water last spring than we could have ever imagined.

As you would expect with that much fresh water, the only semi-dependable trout bite was taking place south of the Causeway and it was a virtual daily carnival as desperate trout enthusiasts squeezed into Lighthouse Cove hoping to stake out enough real estate to work on small keeper trout. For all practical purposes, the jetties offered the only shot at a nice trout and that was iffy at best.

I am pleased to report, however, that we are finally catching trout, reds and flounder all over the lake.

Most of the specks have been 16 to 20-inch fish, but

that is pretty normal for this time of the year. We will get even more excited when we begin to see shrimp skipping across the surface, but thus far the trout are running down shad and finger mullet.

The combination of far less local rain and little or no water pouring out of Toledo Bend has greatly contributed to the improved bite as well. We have more grass to deal with, but lower levels in the surrounding marshes have forced the bait and fish into the bayous and main lake.

If there is any complaint at all about the redfish bite it is that many of them are oversized. Many of the schooling reds in the main lake are over the 28inch mark, but fishing is not all about the next fish fry. Bone jarring strikes and initial runs that threaten to empty the reel are hard to beat and make for an enjoyable day!

For those of you headed this way, this is what I expect to find well into late December. The most consistent schooling activity for both redfish and trout will be taking place from mid-lake south to the Causeway. It is all about finding the birds and staying put once the surface activity subsides.

I enjoy that action as well, but I will be spending

most of my time drifting the shallow flats adjacent to the mouths of the bayous or those bordering the Intracoastal on the north end of the lake. Tide changes impact those areas quicker and the bite can just explode immediately. An Isolated patch of shell can be a gold mine when drift fishing these shallow flats so be prepared to quickly plant your Talon or Power Pole.

Topwater lures like the She Dog and Spook are exciting to fish and generally produce our larger trout, but we spend a great deal of time with a TKO cork and a tail tied beneath it. Four-inch Assassin Sea Shads, Lil Johns and Vudu shrimp are all hard to beat. It seems like every other day a different color works best, but chicken and glow chartreuse are very reliable.

Anyone that doesn’t believe that the flounder bite has improved on Sabine Lake over the last two years has simply not targeted them.

Not only have the numbers improved, but the size of the fish as well.

Even with the two fish limit, culling is seldom even a consideration as your first two flounder are usually very nice fish!

I don’t think there is a more dependable lure on Sabine for flounder than GULP, but we also fish a lot of H&H Usual Suspects and 4-inch Die Dappers rigged on Assassin 1/8-ounce swim hooks.

Both lures doctored up with a little Pro Cure scent and retrieved very slowly across the bottom will dupe not only big flounder, but trout and reds as well.

Do you have a rod and reel or any fishing tackle that is currently just taking up space? If so, make a youngster’s day and invest in the future of fishing!

TSFMAG.com | 83

Capt. Caleb Harp

The Buzz on Galveston Bay

Galveston

Capt. Caleb Harp has fished the Galveston Bay System since childhood and, now a charter captain and fishing guide, he uses his knowledge to enable clients to enjoy the excellent fishing the area offers. His specialty is the yeararound pursuit for trophy trout and redfish with artificial lures

Telephone 281-753-3378 Website harpsguideservice.com

84 | November 2016

November brings a much awaited weather pattern for shorelines on the south side of the bays. big trout enthusiasts. Each cold front will stage fish Managing expectations and waiting patiently is shallower over mud bottom, setting us up for winter the name of the game in November; we must wait wade-fishing. The anticipation for this is very strong for the water temps to drop and the fish migration to for those of us who have been boat-bound and driftdevelop. They don’t move shallow overnight. Driftfishing deep structure since April. fishing can still be very good in certain areas during As November approaches, the fall and early-winter, and that Old-school 51M MirrOlures can be fronts push bait from marshes will be our Plan B. Sometimes the ticket when they’re feeding near and bayou drains where they after a hard norther and the the surface but won’t hit a topwater. stage on bay shorelines and tide gets blown out, drifting this in turn draws the trout is the way to go adjacent to a to the same areas. Once the drop-off or ledge. But we also water temperature stabilizes have to deal with the high in the high-50s to low-60s, the atmospheric pressure that sets fish will be drawn to the mud in following most fronts; this where it is warmer. Fishing a always makes for a day or two north shoreline in the days of tough bite conditions. When following a front can be you walk outside and don’t see especially productive as the a cloud in the sky, the pressure sun will be lower in the sky, is high and most likely the fish shining more directly upon the aren’t going to be jumping in north shorelines, and causing the boat. Generally speaking a warming trend that is often though, two days after a front, 6- to 8 degrees higher than fishing can really turn on given

that they haven’t fed since the front arrived.

East Galveston Bay East Bay has been very tough of late and I have to point a finger at the massive fish harvest that has happened there over the last two summers of fresh water inundation in the upper parts of the Galveston Bay system. There are a few pods of fish hanging around but it’s pretty slim pickings. Hopefully after the first few hard fronts we will see some fish moving out of the marshes and coming through Rollover Pass.

November is known for excellent wade fishing in the back of East Bay. The Anahuac Wildlife Refuge shoreline all the way to Oyster Bayou has been legendary around Thanksgiving Capt. Mickey lands another one that time. My favorite lure choices for this style of couldn’t resist a Fat Boy. fishing are the Corky Fat Boy in bright colors such as a pink-pearl or tequila sunrise. The 51M MirrOlures can be deadly too, when the fish are active and feeding in the upper part of the water column but won’t eat a topwater very well. Outgoing tides around bayou drains are usually the best. Drifting mud-shell bottom in 3- to 4-foot depths can also be productive when the fish are staging a little deeper.

Trinity Trinity Bay has been steadily improving since the flood but it’s not nearly as good as we’ve

seen in years past. I’m fully convinced that the majority of the Trinity trout that fled south to saltier reefs during the floods went home in ice chests and will not be returning. I sincerely hope I am wrong but it is beginning to look like all we have left are some stragglers coming home. Old-timers are likening it to the freeze of ‘89; we are fishing hard for the survivors of a tragedy. If the numbers should somehow miraculously improve, it could be really good because there are literally tons of bait in the upper end of Trinity Bay. Generally, we plan on fishing in Jack’s Pocket and surrounding coves and inlets during the month of November. Redfish have been thick in the back of the bay along grass beds and bayou drains on MirrOlure’s Marsh Minnow paddletails.

West Bay West Bay, which was least affected by the floods of last spring, has been our best producer through late-summer and early-fall. Luckily the San Luis pass feeds the west-end with fish during the summer months, so it stays pretty stocked up. As the water temperature continues to cool, I’d look to the south shoreline coves and mid-bay reefs such as Confederate and similar areas. If you’ve got plenty of bait in the area, you’ve got fish. Throwing rattails rigged on a super light jig can be really good during the fall anytime you are not experiencing decent topwater action.

Redfish are still thick in the marshes.

2016-TX-NOV-sd-sdxl-trout-02.pdf

“Two New Colors for Soft Dine’s!”

Soft-Dine™ SD-19 2-5/8" Long, 3/8 Oz.

Soft-Dine™ XL SDXL-24 3-1/4" Long, 5/8 Oz.

Designed for fishing the shallows and catching trophy size Trout and Redfish...Paul Brown’s Soft-Dine™ and Soft-Dine™ XL have added two new colors. Both feature a built-in reflective foil insert for added realism and a special sonic-rattling chamber for more vibration and noise.

L&S Bait Company • 1415 East Bay Drive • Largo, Florida 33771 • Tel 727-584-7691 • www.mirrolure.com TSFMAG.com | 85

Bink Grimes

The View from Matagorda

Matagorda

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

It feels good picking up the paper in the November morning. The first real cold front of the fall will appear this month, rejuvenating with chilly air and the breathtaking portrait of clear, autumn sunrises.

With fresh recruits of nippy air blowing from the north, water temperatures plunge, tides recede and marshes dump the year’s hatch of shrimp, shad and crabs.

The next month should provide the best fishing opportunities of the year and there is not one bay system in Texas more prolific than Matagorda in November. Here are a few hangouts to target: Obviously, the mouths of bayous and marshes on a falling tide are fall hotspots. Places like Oyster Lake, Crab Lake, Horse Trailer Lake, Boggy Lake and Lake Austin are all good choices.

Live shrimp under a popping

WASHINGTON ST.

• 3/2.5 move in ready, waterfront • Maintenance Free exterior • $300’s

• Spacious Open Floor Plan

KRUSE AVE.

• 3 bedrooms/shop

• 100” lighted t-head pier w/Boat Lift

• 250’ bulk head Waterfront • 2.64 Acres

• $300’s

ALAMOBEACHTX.COM TOM TUCKER

CELL (361) 550-3937 TOM@TUCKERRS.COM WWW.TUCKERRS.COM 86 | November 2016

Waterfront & Bayfront Lots Available too.

Lavaca and Matagorda Bay Complex Excellent Fishing – No crowds or pressure Minutes from Shopping and Dining

SCENTED SHRIMPZ,™ PADDLERZ,™ JERK SHADZ™

3" Scented ShrimpZ are deadly when fished under a popping cork, or slowly twitched or crawled along the bottom.

4" and 5" Scented PaddlerZ’ segmented body and thin paddle tail produce a subtle swimming action, even on slow retrieves.

5" Scented Jerk ShadZ perfectly emulates darting, erratic baitfish action at all water-column levels.

The Entire Scented BaitZ Lineup Is: Constructed of proprietary ElaZtech material Infused with 100% natural Pro-Cure Super Gel scents Extremely soft for lifelike swimming action, yet incredibly tear resistant Non-toxic, containing no phthalates Made in the U.S.A.

CAPT. C.A. RICHARDSON

Charter Captain and Host of Flats Class TV

“

“Whether sight fishing the clear shallows of the Laguna Madre or probing the murky waters of the Everglades, Z-Man gives me a true competitive edge. The lifelike action and realistic profiles of the Scented ShrimpZ, PogyZ, Jerk ShadZ, PaddlerZ, and Curly TailZ routinely fool the most discriminating saltwater gamefish. Plus, each bait’s proprietary 10X Tough durability is unparalleled, withstanding the harshest marine environments. Once you experience the Z-Man advantage, there’s no going back!”

“

cork, roach-colored plastics or small topwaters worked across points are excellent offerings.

Don’t be surprised if birds work in the back lakes, especially on an ardent falling tide. Stay back from the pack and gingerly work the covey so not to spook the fish. I can recount past autumns where one flock of birds filled a limit of both trout and reds.

Waders should work the same terrains, but more methodically. In East Matagorda Bay, Boiler Bayou, Kain Cove, Hog Island, Catch-All Basin and Brown Cedar Flats hold solid trout since all of these spots have a mud bottom. Super Spooks, She Pups, Skitter Walks, Catch 5s and your favorite soft plastic gets the job done.

If you prefer staying in the boat and anchoring with live bait, the fall offers excellent redfish and black drum action. Shell Island, Twin Island, Mad Island Cut and any other piece of shell holds fish with live shrimp under a popping cork. Watch for oyster boats dredging shell and remember that spot for another day. Harvested reefs are especially good the next day when things have settled out after being overturned by the dredging.

There is always the bull redfish run if you prefer to tangle with a brute. Large reds are caught at the jetties and passes on cracked crabs.

Sight-casting to redfish along a muddy grass-line is always fun, too.

Watch for ripples, wakes and jumping shrimp near the grass and wait for the freight train to pass. Then toss a spoon, shrimp or soft plastic in front of the school and loosen your drag. Listen for crunching jaws when a large school of reds work through the grass. Small crabs do not have a chance.

For flounder, work soft plastics, Gulps or soft plastics tipped with shrimp over muddy bottoms of marsh drains and bayous. Tandemrigged grubs tipped with shrimp around the locks is always a hotspot.

Don’t forget the flounder limit drops to two per person per day in November, and gigging is not allowed.

If you can’t get out in the morning just wait for the afternoon. I love fishing from about 2 pm till dark. Once duck season gets going Nov. 5, that will be my normal schedule. Crowds are gone and those last two hours of daylight are usually magic.

Follow our catches on Instagram @matagordasunriselodge.

zmanfishing.com

TSFMAG.com | 87

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 14 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

88 | November 2016

Fall fishing season is in full swing with mostly beautiful can concentrate efforts in muddy back lakes or sandy weather on the Middle Coast. So many exciting changes outside shorelines with equal success, perhaps even are occurring. While leaves turning color are definitely some of the many shallow reefs in San Antonio Bay. eye-catching, I am more excited about the changes With all that being said, if we do happen to on the water. With cooler temperatures, every living get a really chilly cold front that drops the water creature seems to have a little more zip in their step and temperature overnight, then the areas you will want fish are becoming more active and willing to accept just to concentrate your fishing on will be different. The about anything thrown at them. warmer muddy bottomed back lakes are where fish Now we all know that with cooler weather comes will seek refuge from the cooler air temperatures since cooler water temperatures but just how cold the water the muddy bottoms attract more radiation from the is, or will be, is dictated by how frequent November is known for its and severe each passing cold front will beautiful weather but there be. A sudden 10-degree drop in water could be a few powerful fronts temperature can be the deciding factor in reaching the coast. Smart-phone weather apps are your friend! where you will need to concentrate your fishing efforts.

Let’s discuss our options. If we are enjoying great fall weather and a cold front has not passed in a week, more than likely the water temperatures will be hovering around 70-degrees and this opens many doors. This temperature is neither too hot nor too cold. Bait should be plentiful everywhere and game fish have no reason to seek warmer or cooler locales. Anglers

These waders are enjoying a perfect November sunrise.

sun and the water will be warmer. Fish will also congregate along deeper drop-offs and deeper reefs for the warmth deeper water provides. Are you getting the picture?

This is the season when artificial lures really shine. On a recent trip with a client we discussed the degree to which bass fishing techniques and freshwater lures have influenced saltwater angling. One lure we discussed in particular was the 4-inch Stanley Ribbit frog rigged on a 5.0 Mustad Ultra Point hook. I laugh a little when I think of this funny looking lure. Many years ago when Gary and I were competing in as many redfish tournaments as our schedule would allow, one of our secret weapons was the Stanley Ribbit. I have to admit it’s not a glamorous lure but it is irresistible to big fat redfish that live in the back

lakes. Even though it can be used in very grassy areas, I have more success with the Ribbit when the grass has started to die off and the water temperatures are not summertime hot.

Mann’s Waker is another lure that came to light after some of us discovered the Baby 1-Minus and Mid-Minus freshwater crankbaits.

While the Minus plugs proved to be good producers in saltwater, the downside was they would tend to dive too deep and foul bottom grass unless fished very slowly. Designed with shallow saltwater in mind, the Waker does not have this problem. You can slow roll it or burn it.

The diving depth is only about 3-inches either way, and you can cast it a country mile. The croaker color has been the one that I’ve had most success with, probably because it mimics so many of the redfish’s preferred forage species.

Another tried and true performer is the good ol’ gold spoon that’s been around a lot longer than any of us. On days when I drift back lakes I keep at least one rod rigged with a 1/2-ounce weedless spoon. Not only are these babies real eye candy to redfish, they are also an easy lure to cast and make perfect presentations with. To avoid line twist it is best to include a barrel swivel, either between your braid and leader or with a split ring on the spoon itself. With the swivel on the spoon you can also tie direct with your braid – they both work. If you get a chance try one or all of these baits in the next couple of months when searching for hardpulling redfish, I firmly believe you will not be disappointed.

I know that November can be a busy month with so many focusing on deer and waterfowl, and of course Thanksgiving will be here before we know it but, you really need to squeeze a few fishing trips into your schedule as well. The weather between fronts can be just gorgeous and the trout and reds will be feeding like no other time of year.

TSFMAG.com | 89

david rowsey

HOOKED UP WITH Rowsey

Upper Laguna/ Baffin

David Rowsey has 20 years experience in the Laguna/ Baffin region; 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

90 | November 2016

My anticipation of winter trout fishing is hard to camouflage as November rolls in. We will start seeing some of the big, heavy trout this month, and the guys that can push through this preseason will be rewarded. Speaking of being rewarded, my 2017 winter and spring calendar dates are now available for booking. If you are anticipating fishing for giant trout during the cooler months, pick a day ASAP‌they will not last long.

November is the true kickoff month for all good things to come to fishermen that are willing to brave Mother Nature’s mood swings and temper tantrums.

The water temperature has to drop and stabilize in the 60s or lower. To get that to happen we are going to have to withstand some mighty frontal passages that will keep most people off of the water for a day or two. The days following these fronts will bring primo conditions that will allow water temperatures to fall into that magical range where large trout become gluttons. This behavior is more than your typical feed mode; it is an attempt to gorge on anything they can swallow to build winter reserves for much cooler temperatures to come. Almost overnight we will begin to see trout with bellies resembling Larry the Cable

Guy and shoulders like J.J. Watt.

When it comes to finding the best and largest fish for this time of year, a little imagination will go a long way. Some of the traditional areas may be showing some signs of life, but the biggest part of the fish, and catching for that matter, will be on the fringes of their favored staging areas for nighttime feeding.

Deep drop-offs in the Laguna and Baffin are and will continue to be key areas of interest for my charters as we stalk the big trout that are staging to congregate in true winter fashion.

Boat traffic should be relatively low in November, so finding prime water should not be an issue. That being said, and in the event someone has beaten you to your favorite spot, try Power-Poling down on some areas you may not have fished in the past. November is known for its surprises.

Focusing on deep guts than run through spoil islands is a great place to start. Spoil Islands that have quick drop-offs versus tapering bottom are also great focus areas. If you happen to locate the guts and drops that have bottom grass, you are really doing yourself some good. One of the most underutilized structures in the Upper Laguna for the trout grinders

A great example of what November can provide.

Bass Assassin - Released!

is the natural gut known as Emmord’s Hole. The broken, grassy edges of this natural contour line will be jammed with quality fishing in November; however, some of it has to be done out of the boat as it is too deep to wade. On that same line of thought, the grassy drop-off known as Rocky Slough offers a very similar scenario and should be a solid producer. For the brave, Rocky Slough is wadeable, but it is a tricky place, considering all the obstacles (rocks) that you have to weave through. Guess it just depends on how bad you want it. The Power-Pole and Motor Guide definitely viable options here.

For those who must wade (don’t blame you), I would consider Big Grassy, the Badlands, the natural gut in the Meadows, Compuerta Pass, and any of the spoil islands in the Upper Laguna. Any and all of these have potential to be big time producers in November, but they are not all going to be good every day. A huge part of being successful is taking the time to scout, using the appropriate lure for the conditions at hand and a food supply to keep the trout in the area.

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, my favorite scouting lures are the 5” Bass Assassin (rattail) and their Turbo Shad line. These two lures find fish fast, and big trout just love to eat them. My go-to topwater will be the She Dog by MirrOlure. I like to select lure color according to water clarity and food source in the area. As a general rule, I stay as natural as possible in the real clean water and go to darker and brighter colors as the water clarity decreases. When the sun is up on clear, high-pressure days, the Bass Assassins in alewife and bone diamond are hard to beat.

Remember the buffalo! -Capt. David Rowsey

“We contracted the construction of the TSFMag office building with Farrell Jackson. Jackson also built my son’s bay house here in Seadrift. We were completely satisfied with both projects…a professional and trustworthy contractor.” ~ Everett Johnson Editor/Publisher, Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine

361-576-3825 Office | 361-576-3828 Fax 36 Hunters Circle, Victoria, TX 77905

Barndominiums • Metal Buildings • Boat and Mini Storage • Metal Frame Homes • Commercial Buildings

www.RafterJConstruction.com A previous owner of Circle J Enterprises, Inc.

TSFMAG.com | 91

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

92 | November 2016

All is well in Port Mansfield, no sign of red tide yet, despite the chatter you might have seen on social media. I do not anticipate any red tide issues as we move further into fall, but Mother Nature is still Jay Gillock Mother Nature so keep proved big things can your fingers crossed. happen just As I mentioned last before sunrise. month we have begun to see the first signs of fall. Northerly breezes feel awesome with less humidity, and that cool air puts a little more spring in your step.

Captain Ernest Cisneros and I recently traveled to Florida for an event that included guides from around the country. Costa Sunglasses, Yeti Coolers, Simms Fishing and many more help put this event together each year and

make it a huge success. The focus of the Slack Tide Guide Event was conservation of our fishing recourses (catch and release) and limited use of plastic water bottles that linger nearly forever to degrade habitat.

We had the opportunity to wadefish “eastern” waters near Jensen Beach and St. Lucie Inlet for all the species we are used to seeing here.

Topwaters and soft plastics produced snook, reds, jacks, and even two bonefish.

Believe it or not I even got a barracuda on soft plastic.

Having said all that – I still wouldn’t trade what we have right here at home.

I experienced some great fishing and thoroughly enjoyed the experience from brackish backwaters to gin-clear flats, similar to what we are used to in the

Florida snook busting mullet in the shadow of mangroves.

Lower Laguna, but I still believe we have a better fishery. Bias? Maybe, but with the similarities to the Laguna Madre I was able to relate it pretty closely to our bay system. A barrier island blocks the Atlantic (Gulf for us), mainland to the west, miles and miles of wide open bay stretching north and south. Ernest and I had some serious conversation about this and we agreed that our Mother Laguna is a more pristine and prolific fishery.

Catch and release is common practice in Florida. As we were heading in one afternoon after wading crystal-clear water, I chatted with a local guide about his clients and whether they keep many fish. He seemed somewhat puzzled, stating that if his clients wanted to keep fish he wouldn’t even know where to start looking for his filet knives.

Something to learn from this? Absolutely. Let’s face it, we have all held stringers high over our heads, over our shoulders and spread over the deck of a Shallow Sport. Great at the time, no doubt, high fives flying and all that. However, after experiencing another perspective, maybe we should consider more catch and release. Something to think about. This Florida trip really opened my eyes.

Now for some Port Mansfield fishing. As of this writing the water temperature has dropped about three degrees which has triggered some activity in the bays. The fishing has been good, the water is still on the high side and the fish are currently staging in the normal areas. Reds have been found in pretty good numbers near East Cut along with some big trout. Our flounder have been holding along the drains and sand flats, also near East Cut. We are still catching some nice flatties way up north and even some south. I will say if you have a group of four or five wading near East Cut its highly likely someone will nab a flounder or two.

We have been getting an early start, and it sure seems easier these days with the sunrise coming almost an hour later than a couple months ago. Topwater action has been very good before the sun breaks the horizon. We recently connected with a solid eight-plus trout just before sunrise.

How awesome is that?

When the surface bite tapers off we have been fishing Ball Tail Shads and 4-inch paddletails with a variety of colors producing very well; notably Mansfield Margarita, Flo Mingo and Olive Red Metal Flake/Chartreuse. Lighter jigheads seem the best setup, the new 1/16 ounce 2/0 spring locks have been very good for us. With lighter jigs you can keep any plastic in the strike zone longer and out of the grass. The fish seem to be holding in greatest numbers in knee- to thigh-deep water as of late, over lots of grass.

Hope you all have a Happy Thanksgiving. My buddy calls this time of year “Nocember” as with holidays in both November and December they just seem to run together.

Stay safe out there and be courteous to your fellow anglers.

TSFMAG.com | 93

Capt. Ernest cisneros

SOUTH PADRE Fishing Scene A rr oyo C olorado t o Port I sabel

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

94 | November 2016

I have some bad news and some good news. Luckily, the good far outweighs the bad.

Let’s start with the bad. Right after my last article we learned that our South Padre gulf-side beach was tainted with red tide which, for the record, is a bit earlier than in previous years. Water temps at the time were running 84- to 91-degrees. This worried me as red tide blooms very rapidly at higher temperatures and cooler weather was still weeks away.

A moderate fish kill first appeared on the beachfront, then moved into the ship channel and across to South Bay and canals near Port Isabel.

It spread to the SPI Causeway and eventually to Laguna Vista. Dead fish could be seen but most were bait species with only a few flounder, redfish, snook, trout and ladyfish. Nobody likes to see a fish kill but at least the game species dodged the bullet, so far. The arrival of the first cold front pushed the water temps down into the 70s and this seems to have stalled the spread of the killer algae.

So the good news is that the event is nowhere near as widespread as last year. Hopefully with the continuation of cooler weather it will soon disappear.

Fishing Tackle Unlimited has three stores for all your Simms wants and needs.

I wrote last month that Tommy caught this Capt. Wayne Davis and I nice redfish on a would be traveling to Jensen K-Wiggler on a calm fall morning.

Beach, Florida for a gathering of guides from all over the country. Called the Slack Tide Gathering, it is sponsored by Costa, Simms, Yeti, and other companies. The gathering was very informative and what impressed me most was the commitment to preservation and conservation of our fisheries and natural resources. Marketing is not their only focus, they are truly on a mission to preserve and conserve. All the locals and guides in attendance were very eager to invite us aboard their boats and show us around their waters. I’m already looking forward to next year’s event.

More good news. Fishing has really picked up and water conditions are great. I have noticed that many areas void of grass since the 2010 floods are now flourishing and this contributes greatly to water clarity. Redfish are finally schooling in good numbers and can be found in traditional places. The sand on the east side has turned on with schools of redfish roaming the flats. Lower water temperatures and cloudy days have helped keep the fish on the sand longer. Water levels remain high, which is ideal for targeting reds on the flats of the west side lakes. Early morning shoreline wades have been giving us lots of redfish on topwaters, kneedeep. Plastics and spoons are the way to go in the real skinny stuff. Stealth is the keyword when their backs are showing.

I still get questions on whether the five-trout limit implemented in 2007 has benefitted us. My response to that is, “Absolutely!” It seems that throughout the year we are catching more trout in more places. And, here’s the kicker, we have caught and released more big trout than prior to 2007. I would say our Lower Laguna trout fishery is in great shape and we need to continue fishing conservatively to keep it that way!

Trout fishing continues to be outstanding. Lots of small fish but no problem catching a limit of keepers, some pretty nice ones, too. Everything is in play right now; flats, potholes, edges of the ICW and spoil islands. We have been finding the steadiest action in thigh- to belly-deep water most days. Keeping the lures low near bottom seems the best retrieve. In past years, it’s right after Thanksgiving that we will begin to see and catch bigger trout on the flats. They will take just about any lure but the surface bite always seems to explode right about that time.

I’m excited about my association with K-Wiggler and their unveiling of a new bait I have been waiting for. I have field-tested several prototypes and I think they have finally found the right action and length. I have caught good fish right here in my home waters and also off the coast of Florida with it. Keep your eyes open because this bait is sure to become a must-have in your wade box.

Come the third week of November we will be in waders, if not sooner. If you want the best waders, bar none, Simms Gore-Tex are the only way to go. Forget about cheap and leaky; Simms stands behind their products. Fishing Tackle Unlimited with three stores in Houston is the largest retailer of Simms products in the world. Whatever Simms product you need, you can bet they have it. If you have never been to any of the three locations, it’s worth stopping. You will not be disappointed!

TSFMAG.com | 95

FISHING REPORTS

Lake Calcasieu Louisiana Jeff and Mary Poe - Big Lake Guide Service - 337.598.3268 November is an excellent month to fish Calcasieu Lake for trout, redfish, and flounder. School trout up to two pounds and redfish will dominate the catch on the northern end of Calcasieu Lake. These fish will readily take a MirrOlure Lil’ John rigged on sixteenth or eighthounce jighead. Oyster reefs adjacent to bayous or the ship channel on the northern end of the lake will hold lots of trout, some big ones. Most of the trout will have vacated their deep summer homes so shallow reefs are a good place to search for them. MirrOdines, SoftDines, FatBoys, Devils, and Storm ThunderSticks are great lures to fish over reefs. Redfish will be a nuisance in November. They’ll ruin the dreams of many waders looking for giant trout. Slowly drifting banks adjacent to bayous will more than likely produce lots of reds.

The weirs are also an excellent place to catch them on falling tides, using soft plastics on three-eighths ounce heads. For that drill, our mainstay is chartreuse three-inch Gulp! Swimming Mullet on a quarter-ounce head.

Trinity Bay - East Bay - Galveston Bay | James Plaag Silver King Adventures - silverkingadventures.com - 409.935.7242 James was washing the boat on a hot afternoon after fishing when

SAVE

10% using code:

TSF10

UPCOMING TEXAS ROD BUILDING CLASS: HOUSTON, TX 9/10/2016

WWW.MUDHOLE.COM/TSF • (800) 498-4216 Must create free account to use coupon code. First Order Only. 10% off, excludes Sage and OKUMA. Retail sales only. Expires 12/31/2016.

96 | November 2016

ORECASTS F from Big Lake to Boca Chica

AND

we talked. “I caught ‘em pretty good today. I think we had twenty two trout and a few reds. We’ve had a decent topwater bite at times lately, mostly on small ones like the ShePup in pink/silver. Of course, we are also catching some fish on soft plastics like Bass Assassin Sea Shads in colors like slammin’ chicken. Seems pink has been a really good color on all our lures lately. Fishing has been slower than it was back in the middle of the summer, now that the bays are all salty and the fish have scattered out again. I know what will happen, though. We will get some harder cold fronts in the end of October and into the first of November and the marshes will drain. We’ve got a great shrimp crop this year, after all the rain. So, when the marshes dump out, the trout and reds will be much easier to find under the working birds. I expect the fishing to return to the normal easy limits once the weather cools down and the tides and temperatures go down.”

Jimmy West - Bolivar Guide Service - 409.996.3054 November is Jim’s favorite of the year to be in the outdoors, he says.

“We have so many productive opportunities for outdoor activities this month. I generally fish during the week and on the days when the weather is nicer, and hunt when the weather isn’t so good and on most Saturdays. Duck season will be here in November, and that’s always something I look forward to. Cooler temperatures should perk

up the fishing somewhat. We’ll see more of the fish move into the shallows, where we will have better luck wading for them than what we’ve had in this hot weather early in the fall. Normally, when the tide drops out and the weather cools off, we experience a good run of fishing in the shallows around drains and in other places in East Bay. We’ll catch some of the best trout of the year, most likely, throwing topwaters and slow-sinking twitch baits quite a bit. Soft plastics work well on the days when the barometer is high and skies are clear.

Overall, I expect to see good times ahead in November.”

West Galveston - Bastrop - Christmas - Chocolate Bays Randall Groves - Groves Guide Service 979.849.7019 - 979.864.9323 Randall’s enthusiasm for fishing in November runs high. “We have lots of fun fishing in the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving. Normally, this is a great time of year to target fish under birds hovering over the shrimp migrating from the back bays into the Gulf. On most days, we have plenty of flocks to lead us to the feeding fish. When working the birds, we like to throw Norton Sand Shads and Bull Minnows rigged on three-eighths ounce Norton Screw Lock jigheads. At times, we also use topwaters to cull out the smaller fish and catch some of the bigger ones. Slot reds and trout in the 20-something inch class seem to prefer floating plugs to the smaller soft plastics at times.

When throwing topwaters at schools of fish feeding under the gulls and terns, I prefer a full-sized Skitterwalk. The woodpecker color pattern, the white one with the red head, and the chrome/ blue/orange ones seems to work well for me this month. We should also be able to target and catch plenty of flounder along the guts in the sand bars behind the pass.”

Matagorda | Tommy Countz Bay Guide Service - 979.863.7553 cell 281.450.4037 “Looks like we have a lot of shrimp in the bay and marshes, so once we get some stronger fronts, we should have birds working all over the place in November. When they aren’t working, we normally drift around reefs in East Bay. I like to use a slightly heavier jighead when drifting in November at times. It’s important to keep the lure close to the bottom, bouncing in the mud.

We have really good luck early in the mornings fishing topwaters close to the shorelines near drains leading into the marshes in West Bay. When the tide is falling out, this is a really productive pattern. Normally, we’ll move out toward the outer grass beds and sand bars as the day wears on and switch over to soft plastics to keep catching. Of course, the river can produce excellent catches of both trout and reds this month too. As long as we don’t get a bunch of rain to freshen it up too much, it should be good. We’ve been catching reds on topwaters up there already, and the trout fishing should improve once cooler weather settles in and stays for a while.”

Palacios | Capt. Aaron Wollam www.palaciosguideservice.com - 979.240.8204 Redfish, redfish, and more redfish! We are having some crazy days, with incredible numbers of slot reds being caught. We have been catching them on live shrimp, VuDu shrimp, gold spoons, and small topwaters. Shorelines close to local rivers have held good numbers, back lakes and creeks off major bays are also holding lots of fish. The best trout bite has been in the surf lately and the mid-bay reef bite has shut down almost entirely. The early fronts blowing through have flattened the surf, and we have been catching easy limits of trout on the beach on topwaters and Paul Brown Lures. Flounder fishing and gigging has also been good, with lots of fish between sixteen and eighteen inches showing up. North winds have cleaned the water and put the fish on the move.

November should continue to hold good fishing action as the bays are full of bait from one of the wettest years on record for Palacios. As temperatures drop, be on the lookout for bait on mudflats close to our local rivers, and also in the deep holes in the Palacios Harbor.

Port O’Connor | Lynn Smith Back Bay Guide Service - 361.983.4434 Lynn says he expects to be targeting bigger trout in southern parts of his area in November. “We will probably be wading the flats in warm periods between the cold fronts. I like to stay in shallow areas which are close to deep water. On a normal day, we like to wait until mid-morning to leave the dock. This time of year, the trout tend to stay deeper overnight and come out onto the shallow flats as the sun warms up the water. We like to work areas with a soft muddy bottom and dark grass beds when fishing this way. Once the water cools down a bit more, we should see an improvement in the bite on slow-sinking lures like Paul Brown FatBoys, MirrOlure Catch 5s and Catch 2000s.

These plugs look like small fish and are effective for catching larger than average trout, because TSFMAG.com | 97

the big trout like to eat more fish than crustaceans.

So, another thing that’s important to keep in mind this time of year is the location of bait, or the food the trout like to eat. It’s not necessary to have rafts of mullet, but the presence of mullet or other fish is a key.”

Rockport | Blake Muirhead Gator Trout Guide Service - 361.790.5203 or 361.441.3894 Blake will be smack dab in the middle of cast and blast season come November. “I spend a lot of time in the air boat, running in the back lakes where we do our duck hunting. Lately, I’ve been seeing a lot of trout in the shallow backwater areas, in knee-deep water. If it stays warm heading into Thanksgiving, they will probably stay shallow like that. What’s weird is the redfish thing, lately. I’ve been catching reds out in the surf near Cedar Bayou all summer. They are still out there right now. A few trout too, but the reds have been more consistent.

I’m actually catching more out there than in the bays lately. Of course, in the cooler weather next month, I also like to focus on shorelines where the back lakes dump out into the main bays. In the afternoons, with the tide moving out, areas like that produce some hot action at times. I like to throw topwaters quite a bit this time of year, and of course my soft plastics come into play regularly as a backup. I’ve been throwing Norton Sand Shads quite a bit on recent trips, in the strawberry/white color.”

Upper Laguna Madre - Baffin Bay - Land Cut Robert Zapata – rz1528@grandecom.net - 361.563.1160 It’s time to pull out the breathable waders and check them for leaks, because the water temperatures are on the way down, making it a little uncomfortable to wade wet. And don’t forget your ForEverLast

Subscription

Form

Sub1116

To order subscriptions simply fill this form out below and mail it to the address below, fax, email or go online.

361-785-3420 Monday – Friday 7:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

FREE EMAG WITH HARDCOPY PURCHASE E-mail required

AM EX

12 months print - $25.00 or 12 months digital only - $12.00 Subscribing for more than yourself? Please write additional information on a separate sheet of paper.

98 | November 2016

All subscriptions come with yearly autorenewal.

Ray Guards. With deer hunting season about to start, the boat traffic should be on the decrease, and this will translate into the fish catching being on the increase. The trout will be feeding on perch, shrimp and finger mullet in three to four feet of water. I’ll be fishing with suspending lures like the MirrOlure Catch 5 in natural colors, but I will keep my Bass Assassin Die Dappers rigged on eighth-ounce Spring Lock jigheads close by. The redfish population is in great shape, and they will be traveling in groups of two to four in water depths of twenty four inches or less, along the edges of grass lines, drop offs and channels. Live shrimp under a popping cork will work very well for trout and redfish. Sight-casting in less than twelve inches of water with green, shrimp-flavored Fish Bites continues to catch reds and drum.

Corpus Christi | Joe Mendez – www.sightcast1.com - 361.937.5961 Tide levels continue to be extremely high in the Upper Laguna Madre and Baffin Bay at the time of this report. This tends to scatter fish into extreme corners of the hypersaline estuary, according to Joe. “I have been seeing redfish with their backs out of the water in places which have been bare sand for years. This tide has been high a lot for the last couple years, and we now have grass growing in places on the bottom where we rarely saw water in the past. This puts a premium on boats which will run shallow. We are finding schools of redfish in the shallows in places like NightHawk Bay, the Meadows, Yarbrough and the Middle Grounds. Again, I stress, these fish are not in areas close to the deeper water in most cases; they are far up into areas which we have not been accustomed to searching for them previously. We are also seeing a few big trout mixed in with the reds. Of course, catching the fish is pretty easy at times. Best bet is to throw a paddletail well out in front of the fish and reel it close in front of its nose; it’s possible.”

P.I.N.S. Fishing Forecast | Eric Ozolins Red tide two years in a row! Another fish kill along parts of PINS and South Padre Island. All things considered, this episode was light compared to last year. Hopefully the next norther will put the kibosh on this nuisance. Meanwhile, the mullet migration is in full swing and the jack crevalle and red drum are right there with them. Jacks and reds should be available all along PINS with good clarity on cut mullet and lures. Remember that any red longer than 28 inches has to be tagged. Expect lots of Spanish mackerel and bluefish. Bull sharks should be abundant along with large blacktips. November is one of the prime months for big tigers. Shark fishermen take note: the largest mullet you can legally take and use for bait during October through January is 12 inches! Later in the month, we should see lots of pompano and whiting in the surf. Fishbites and peeled shrimp get them every time. Two to three days after a norther are always best. Flat tire alert: PINS beach drivers are advised to avoid running over fish skeletons!

Port Mansfield | Ruben Garza Snookdudecharters.com – 832.385.1431 Getaway Adventures Lodge – 956.944.4000 Fishing has been really good around Port Mansfield lately. Redfish have been holding north and south of the East Cut and this should continue through November, at least. The larger ones will be making their way to the Gulf to spawn; that is the reason for the schools collecting there. Best depth for reds has generally been knee-deep to mid-thigh. We have been hitting them at first light with topwaters and switching to weedless spoons as that program begins to wind down.

Mid-day finds us waist-deep for trout. We are working over grass with

potholes, throwing plastics mostly, on eighth-ounce heads. K-Wiggler Ball Tail Shad in Mansfield margarita, red/white tail, and pumpkinseed/ chartreuse tail have been our best producers lately. If you have no luck in that depth of water, try drifting the deeper grass beds. At times, a Gulp! under a popping cork will produce trout in this deeper water when a plain jig will not. It’s also good to try the spoil dumps located along the ICW. This time of year, they produce nice trout and the occasional flounder.

Lower Laguna Madre - South Padre - Port Isabel Janie and Fred Petty www.fishingwithpettys.com – 956.943.2747 Signs point to fall/winter fishing possibly being the best of the year, as evidenced by the recent netting of a nice twenty seven inch snook coming on a Berkley Gulp! under the FP3 cork. We used to catch west side snook regularly; in Airport Cove, on the first bank north of Cullen’s, and around the first point across from the marina in Laguna Vista, back in the days before the freeze in ‘83 wiped out the mangroves. Now, South Bay, the Arroyo or the Ditch produce more snook. We’ve been adding flounder and limiting on reds more often than not, but the numbers of trout have not bounced back like we would have hoped with all the high water this past month. We’re still catching some long, mostly skinny specks, but size should improve throughout the rest of the year. Freddy says, “Fall fishing is exciting in the Lower Laguna Madre. We’re going after the fish with FP3 corks and three-inch Berkley Gulp! shrimp in new penny and pearl; if it ain’t broke don’t fix it!” Please help us push for no more open bay dredge disposal.

DOA 2.75 Shrimp - the totally new design is the best of both worlds – it’s like fishing a jig and a DOA Shrimp.

The weighted hook is super sharp and slips seamlessly into the body of the shrimp. Slightly smaller and heavier than the Original, it has a molded in rattle cavity to easily add sound, skips well, sinks fast, and casts like a bullet.

www.doa lures.com 150507_DOA_11.30_TxSportfishing_2.75 Sh_3.675x4.875.indd 1

TSFMAG.com | 99

11/30/15 4:48 PM

Jake Matagorda - rat red - CPR

Richard Von Minden Laguna Reef - 23” trout

Tom Bresee ICW - 21.5 redfish, first fishing trip!

Cheryl Dents San Bernard Rivers End - black drum 100 | November 2016

Joel Lozano LLM - 26” redfish

Rachel & Kaleb Port Aransas - 40” redfish

James Bennett Laguna Madre - first redfish!

Seth Clements Baffin Bay - 40” redfish CPR

Justin Dreibelbis East Matagorda Bay - 28.5” 9lb trout CPR

Dylan Anderson and father first redfish!

Crystal Gauthreaux Redfish Bay - red drum

Tyler Dannhaus Sargent - personal best red!

Dora Garcia Port Isabel - 29.5” black drum

TSFMag

Catch of the Month &

Silverstar Fishing Jewelry

Photo Contest Sponsored by

Connor Gaines POC - 32” first bull red!

RoryMorgan Aransas Pass - 23” speck

Tara McKinley Rockport - 30” first redfish!

Since the November 2015 issue, Silverstar Fishing Jewelry has been sponsoring a monthly photo contest.

Winners receive a beautiful 1-inch diameter customdesigned sterling silver pendant that looks great worn on a neck-chain.

Contest Rules Hugo De Hoyos South Padre Island - 36” black drum

Eli Lopez POC - 43” 19.5lb bull red

1. Only current magazine subscribers, their dependents, and members of household are eligible to win.

2. One winner each month selected by TSFMag for photo quality and content.

3. Single-fish photos only, please. We do not publish multiple-fish images or stringer shots. Photos are judged for display of sporting ethics and conservation.

4. Send entries to photos@tsfmag.com **Photo entries must be submitted electronically— prints cannot be accepted. All images submitted to Catch of the Month become property of Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine.

NOVEMBER WINNER Cat - Matagorda first red! CPR

Frank Ortiz Southbay - 29” redfish

Tod Johnson 2 miles offshore - 44” kingfish

Kevin Lee Galveston - 28” trout

Nadia Garcia Port Isabel - 27” speck, first fish!

Mike Jones

Baffin Bay - 30” trout TSFMAG.com | 101

Pam Johnson

Gulf Coast

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

Email them to pam@tsfmag.com or send by fax: 361-785-2844

Capt. Scott’s Fried Shrimp Deluxe We were lucky recently to be invited to a delicious seafood dinner prepared by Capt.

Scott Sommerlatte. I was impressed! I took careful notes and photos…bon appetit!

t, or fish, trou itute red st b su ble , e ta is delec ier recip about th For a fish re o it m o much f . To learn ld eat as u LIONFISH o sh u o ts! nd why y Fishy Fac species a ip back to fl , le ib ss as po

INGREDIENTS

PREPARATION

4 lbs medium shrimp peeled and deveined

Place shrimp in Almondmilk. Mix together corn meal and Jiffy mix. Dredge shrimp in corn meal mixture.

1 cup HEB Original Almondmilk unsweetened Prasek’s Gourmet Chop Dust (can order online) 3 cups Pioneer yellow corn meal 1 cup Jiffy corn muffin mix

In large frying pan, heat oil to 375 degrees. Fry shrimp four minutes or until golden brown. Serve on bed of shredded potato fries with tartar sauce and coleslaw.

Six servings.

Cottonseed oil (can substitute Canola)

102 | November 2016 Continued on page 105....

CHRIS MAPP

B O AT MA I N T E N A N C E T I P S

More to routine maintenance

than meets the eye!

Over the past few months we have seen some significant challenges coming through our service department.

Mercury’s customer service called our dealership recently with a request. The question was would we have time to take on an engine issue where a customer had been to five separate Mercury dealerships to repair a specific drivability problem. “We know your dealership can help with this, so may we refer him to you?

A Yamaha owner called, his engine also had a drivability issue and the Houston area service facility he took it to had the boat for a very long time, and eventually gave up. Can we help?

We had a Suzuki customer who brought in his boat saying the engine probably needed, “a tune up.” He indicated that it would just not idle well and then after we looked into it, he thought the $2,500 repair estimate, “did not make good sense.”

A customer with an older Mercury product indicated the engine was down on power and another owner indicated his twin engines would not idle after a period of running the boat.

Another Yamaha owner with an aged engine expressed concern over the amount of time his boat had been in our repair shop and still not ready. “It was just a few small items to fix,” he said. Turns out he brought it in because it would not start – though in his words – it was running good the last time they had it out.

All of the above have a few common denominators and they are surprising.

1) Battery(s) and terminal connections were all 24 months or older and had dirty connections with loose cables and/or voltage drops during initial testing.

2) Engine history reports indicated high idle times with leak-down Chris Mapp, owner of Coastal Bend Marine.

Evinrude, Suzuki, Yamaha, Mercury, Honda, BlueWave, SilverWave, Shallow Stalker Boats, Coastline Trailers, Minnkota & Motor Guide Trolling Motors.

Great Service, Parts & Sales “What can we do for you?”

18 Acres of Towable RVs Indoor Showroom Hwy 6 in Alvin, TX CONTACT Brent Garrison 281-303-1095

104 | November 2016

test showing as high as 20% compression loss per cylinder.

3) The majority of these engines displayed either high hour counts or, just the opposite, very low engine hours…simply not run often enough.

4) Corrosion issues in a couple of cases had been ignored for so long that bolts, brackets, holders and associated hardware had deteriorated to the point of requiring unusual service time to correct and/or breakage in the process.

All the above cases listed indicate four things that I hope you will find helpful to avoid these or similar scenarios with your equipment.

1). Run your boat regularly. Even if you are not going fishing, a 30-minute cruise at least once a month, including the full range of normal engine speeds, will do it a lot of good. Flush the engine carefully for at least 15 minutes on the water hose to allow the thermostats to open and water to flow through the entire cooling system – every time you wash the boat!

2). Routine maintenance is all about getting the boat in for annual checkups and service where a qualified technician can identify signs of potential problems and correct them before they become costly to repair and/or strand you on the water.

3). All engines and subsystems are dependent on proper voltage and current to operate correctly, which starts at the battery(s) and the terminal connections.

4). Quality fuel additives and corrosion protection products are essential. We recommend PRI-G for the fuel system and Corrosion-X products for all your corrosion protection needs.

Thank you for your trust and confidence, and have a great fall season!

Chris Mapp Coastal Bend Marine | Port O’Connor, TX coastalbendmarine.com | 361-983-4841

...continued from page 102

Coleslaw Recipes

Tartar Sauce

Potatoes

Coleslaw 1

1 cup Hellmann’s Mayonnaise with Olive Oil 2 Dell-Dixie Polish Pickles chopped Juice of half an orange

6 Potatoes medium white Prasek’s California Vegetable Spice - (can order online) Jiffy corn muffin mix

1 head of cabbage shredded 4 carrots shredded ½ cup Dell-Dixi Polish Pickle juice ½ cup sugar 1 cup Hellmann’s Mayonnaise with Olive Oil

Combined all ingredients and refrigerate for one hour before serving.

Shred cabbage and carrots and place in a large bowl. Set aside. Mix together pickle juice, sugar and mayonnaise. Pour over cabbage and refrigerate for 1 to 4 hours before serving.

Prepare potatoes in shoestring style (julienned). Place in ice water for 10 minutes. Remove from water and pat dry with paper towels. Dust lightly with Prasek’s seasoning and Jiffy mix.

Fry in small batches. Place in warmer until shrimp are ready to serve.

Six servings

Coleslaw 2 1 head of cabbage shredded 1 cup vinegar 1 cup powdered sugar Mix vinegar and sugar together and pour over shredded cabbage. Refrigerate 1 to 4 hours before serving.

These recipes can be adjusted to your taste. Add more mayo for creamier, more sugar for sweeter.

Add more vinegar or pickle juice for a tarter taste.

texas saltwater fishing holes matagorda to corpus 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 TSFMAG.com | 105

Science and the

Sea

TM

Dining on Danger Dining on a jellyfish may not seem too appetizing to most creatures, considering the danger of getting stung. But these gelatinous blobs are a major menu item for various lobster species. The question is: how do lobsters protect themselves from those venomous stingers? Scientists sought the answer in the most logical place: lobster poop. It turns out that lobsters have evolved several adaptations that allow them to consume jellyfish without harming themselves in the process.

ON THE WATER

Saltwater Fishing Clinics WITH

Capt. Robert Zapata

If you are having difficulty catching fish on a consistent basis, the clinic is designed for you. Learn Capt.Robert Zapata’s secrets to finding and catching more fish from his 25 years of experience as a professional fishing guide.

For Information Call 361-563-1160

Jellyfish are a common menu item for many lobsters.

Credit: Wikipedia, Bart Braun This was discovered by scientists in Japan who fed Japanese sea nettles to phyllosomas, the larval form of lobsters. Then, investigating the feces of these baby lobsters under a microscope, the scientists found the sea nettle stinging cells surrounded by a membrane. They suspected this membrane protected the lobsters from the sea nettles’ venom, but they needed to test that hypothesis.

Next, the researchers extracted jellyfish venom and injected it directly into phyllosomas to see if the creatures were naturally resistant to the venom. They were not; all but one died. That meant the membrane plays an important role in preventing death-by-dinner in lobster larvae.

The researchers’ findings may improve lobster farming. Currently, too little is known about the eating habits or nutritional needs of lobsters, especially as larvae, to farm them to the same extent as shrimp, crabs or some fish. These new results bring us one step closer to figuring out what to feed lobsters that are farmed on a large scale.

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

805 B. South Bridge Victoria, TX 77901

106 | November 2016

Fax: 361.573.0304

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

texas saltwater fishing holes

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)

corpus to port isabel

Galveston

classifieds

TSFMAG.com | 107

The catch that day was only half the story.

Stay cool with ultimate breathability and sun-blocking technology from MagWick™ and MagShield™ fabrics.

only at

Since 1983

The Classic

Shallow Sports’ Texas Legend - available in 15', 18', 20' & 24'.

www.ShallowSportBoats.com

The BEST Choice‌ Any Place, Anytime!

To find a location near you, please visit us at www.speedystop.com

Tidal Corrections Location Calcasieu Pass, La. Sabine Bank Lighthouse Sabine Pass (jetty) Sabine Pass Mesquite Point Galveston Bay (S. jetty) Port Bolivar Texas City, Turning Basin Eagle Point Clear Lake Morgans Point Round Point, Trinity Bay Point Barrow, Trinity Bay Gilchrist, East Bay Jamaica Beach, Trinity Bay Christmas Point Galveston Pleasure Pier San Luis Pass Freeport Harbor

High -2:14 -1:46 -1:26 -1:00 -0:04 -0:39 +0:14 +0:33 +3:54 +6:05 +10:21 +10:39 +5:48 +3:16 +2:38 +2:39 +2:32 -0:09 -0:44

Low -1:24 -1:31 -1:31 -1:15 -0:25 -1:05 -0:06 +0:41 +4:15 +6:40 +5:19 +5:15 +4:43 +4:18 +3:31 +2:38 +2:33 +2:31 -0:09

For other locations, i.e. Port O’Connor, Port Aransas, Corpus Christi and Port Isabel please refer to the charts displayed below.

Please note that the tides listed in this table are for the Galveston Channel. The Tidal Corrections can be applied to the areas affected by the Galveston tide.

Minor Feeding Periods coincide with the moon on the horizon, and the last from 1.0 to 1.5 hrs after the moon rise or before moon set.

Major Feeding Periods are about 1.0 to 1.5 hrs either side of the moon directly overhead or underfoot.

Many variables encourage active feeding current flow (whether wind or tidal driven), changes in water temp & weather, moon phases, etc. Combine as many as possible for a better chance at an exceptional day. Find concentrations of bait set up during a good time frame, and enjoy the results.

Te x a s S a l t w a t e r F i s h i n g M a g a z i n e l

w w w. t e x a s s a l t w a t e r f i s h i n g m a g a z i n e . c o m