November 2022

Guts and Brains

Defining the future takes creativity and intellect. But It also takes the fortitude to stand behind your ideas in a skeptical world.

Yet, time and time again, Fuji does it.

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IT’S YOU VS. THE FISH.

THE SUN CAN STAY THE HELL OUT OF IT.

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November Issue Highlights

AH YES, NOVEMBER!

November is here and we have more going on in the Texas outdoors than you can literally shake a graphite rod at! Between outstanding fishing, deer and waterfowl seasons opening, along with all the other activities available; if you’re not planning to be outdoors this month I truly feel sorry for you!

The first topic I want to address here is oysters. You will likely recall all the headlines earlier this year when TPWD proposed closing the AyresMesquite-Carlos bay complex permanently to commercial oyster harvest. The commercial oyster industry protested mightily, the upshot of which was the management decision getting delayed. But it is now back on the front burner as the 202223 oyster season opens November 1.

I would like to direct your attention to page 54 in this issue. Shane Bonnot, Advocacy Director of CCA Texas, has written an excellent piece that describes the efforts of TPWD, CCA Texas (and too many other NGOs to mention here) in this important matter.

To put it succinctly, the management of the Texas oyster resource is incredibly complicated. While oysters are a very valuable resource commercially, they also have enormous value ecologically. Oysters fit a unique niche, serving dual roles as a culinary

delicacy as well as critical habitat for themselves and dozens of other species. So while millions of Texans wait anxiously for fresh oysters to become available, this must be balanced with the sustainability of the oyster resource and the ecological benefit they provide.

The TPWD commissioners will again address the oyster dilemma in their regular meetings November 2-3, 2022, and are again seeking public comment. I heartily encourage that all our readers participate. The easiest way to do this is by logging into their public comment portal at: https://tpwd.texas.gov/business/feedback/public_comment/ proposals/202211_oysters.phtml.

November is also the beginning of the long-awaited trophy trout season in Texas bays. While trophy action in the Lower Laguna may not hit full stride for another month, Capt. David Rowsey, our staff expert on all matters Upper Laguna-Baffin Bay, says that anytime water temperatures stabilize in the 60s, anglers can expect multiple big trout per outing, no matter what the month might be. I trust you will find his article in this issue informative.

I try not to get too political in this column; the best topics to avoid on the boat, I’ve been told, are politics and religion. Probably sound advice, but here goes anyway.

Tuesday, November 8, will mark general election day. I for one am very disappointed in the direction our country is headed. I’ve already seen enough of inflation, recession, and a failing economy. It’s time for change…a big change. Get out and vote!

Would You Like

“M

an! I can’t wait for our fishing trip. I need to restock my freezer. Do you think we can go get some reds after we catch our limits of trout? How many flounder can we keep?” I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again; I don’t have MacDonald’s tattooed across my forehead, so please don’t expect me to be able to simply take your order.

I can remember a time when fishing here along the Upper Texas Coast was pretty close to being able to choose from a list of menu items at our favorite restaurant… unfortunately that restaurant is temporarily closed for remodeling. Furthermore, our main objective should never be to load the cooler. My cousins over at Hillman’s Seafood and Fish House have a fantastic supply of fresh fish and other seafood. A trip down to their market at Dickinson Bayou is a lot cheaper than a trip on my boat – I promise.

I love to eat fresh fish too, but I read somewhere that our “hunter-gatherer” culture supposedly faded away about 12,000 years ago.

I truly believe that going into a trip with the right attitude is a game changer and usually leads to more successful days on the water. I often poke fun at tired old cliché’s: That’s why they call it fishing and not catching. And, A bad day fishing is better than a good day at work. While there is possibly some amount of truth in both, especially if your job entails driving in bumper-to-bumper traffic every day or sitting in an office cubical for long, stressful hours.

I have a client who started fishing with me a few years ago. He is ecstatic to go fishing and always eager to learn. His love and appreciation for being on the water rubs off on everyone on the boat, including me. In the beginning he could use a spinning reel but after several trips learned to throw a baitcaster. He has developed into quite the angler and our trips always seem to be above average in the catching department, even when he brings newbies. The laid-back atmosphere makes for fun and productive days on the water. Being in the right place mentally with a strong desire to hone your skills is about the best combination you could ask for in the relationship between fishing guides and their clients. And, that pendulum definitely swings both ways.

Fries With That?

STORY BY STEVE HILLMAN

So getting back to what actually is on the menu these days…There was a time when our three most sought after inshore saltwater species were fairly easy to come by on most days. Trout and redfish were regularly featured while flounder were a popular “Catch of the Day” item. For various reasons the menu choices have changed. Some items have been taken away while others have been added.

In my opinion, loss of habitat, erosion, and natural predation are the top three factors contributing to the overall decline in our legal-sized game fish populations in the Galveston Bay Complex. I’m somewhat reluctant to include fishing pressure on this list because it wouldn’t necessarily be an issue if not for the other three factors. I’ve written many articles in this fine magazine touching on these topics and citing some of the reasons, but a brief list would include silting of oyster beds during Hurricane Ike along with channel dredging, erosion from natural and ship-induced wave/current activity, and natural predators. There are habitat predators (ex. Dermocystidium, oyster drills and sponges) which can devastate live oyster reefs and there are apex predators such as the dolphin and other species that prey upon speckled trout. As an aside, there are ongoing projects to rebuild reefs and help reduce erosion. Unfortunately, there’re also channel dredging projects going on. It’s a tug-of-war match it seems.

Bottlenose dolphin, often mistakenly called porpoise, could possibly be overlooked as significant contributors to the reduction in our speckled trout populations. Most data that I’ve found say that common bottlenose dolphins eat anywhere from 25 to 50 pounds of fish per day (4-9% of their body mass) with some estimates going as high as 80 pounds. But how many speckled trout do dolphins actually consume?

There was a study referenced in a December 2, 2008 article in Louisiana Sportsman magazine (by Jerald Horst) that was conducted in the late 1980s and early 1990s in which stomachs from 234 stranded bottlenose dolphins in the Gulf and from Florida’s East Coast were collected. According to the study, 108 of the stomachs contained food and 76 were analyzed for contents. Finfish comprised 99% of the contents while 37% of the stomachs contained squid and 15% had shrimp. 20% of the stomachs contained silver perch, Atlantic croaker, sand trout, mullet and spots (similar to croaker).

Mud boils along a back lake shoreline led us to some solid slot reds mixed with black drum.

Fishes of the drum family were found in 60.5% of the stomachs and represented 78.4% of all identified fish. Drum, croakers, seatrout, toadfishes, and midshipmen rounded out the list of bottom-dwellers consumed but surface dwellers such as mullet and herring were also found. In addition, open-water species including jackfish, bluefish, and cutlassfish (ribbonfish) were also eaten by dolphins. The more I read the more I started realizing that dolphins don’t seem to be very picky eaters.

There were totals of thirty-seven speckled trout and fifteen redfish found in the 76 stomach contents analyzed. The study also mentions that since the dolphins were stranded, some were likely to be sick. Therefore, it’s possible that healthy dolphins could feed upon somewhat different forage. The article also says that dolphins in the northern Gulf of Mexico tend to eat less finfish and more shrimp and squid compared to those on either Florida coast noting scientists speculate that this is because shrimp trawling is more common in Texas. In other words, dolphins can easily scavenge on shrimp boat bycatch rather than having to hunt for food in areas where there is less trawling (“What’s for supper, Flipper?” Louisiana Sportsman, Dec. 2, 2008, Horst, Jerald).

Taking into consideration the timing of the study referenced above (late 80s – early 90s) there were far more licensed shrimpers during those years than there are today. Is it possible that with fewer shrimpers dolphin have resorted to their inherent predator instincts as opposed to simply scavenging dead or wounded bycatch? Additionally, bycatch reduction devices (BRDs) have greatly reduced the amount of bycatch going back into the water which lends even more credibility to their need to revert to more hunting and fewer easy buffet-style meals. We have over a thousand dolphins roaming the Galveston Bay Complex and I believe that they’re consuming large numbers of speckled trout. We catch hundreds of trout on my boat alone each year that have teeth marks down their sides, evidence of a narrow escape. Quite frequently I hear about dolphin eating released

trout in areas like West Matagorda Bay and other areas further south.

My clients and I were fortunate to have located several areas holding above average numbers of specks so far this year. Because of the numbers of trout in those areas dolphins were observed almost every day. Sometimes they would completely relocate our school by corralling them and forcing them off the reef or other structure we were fishing. Other times dolphins would actually push more trout toward us, thus improving our catch rates. This happened on several occasions while wading shallow sand bars and shoreline reefs.

So how many times have we gone to our favorite restaurant and repeatedly ordered the same entrée because we know it’s good and we’re reluctant to try something new? Well, I can tell you that as a professional fishing guide trying to make a living in a bay system that seems to be in a rebuilding mode, I have to try something new sometimes. Those days of being a trout snob are over. Sometimes a bite is a bite and the species isn’t as important. That being said, I draw the line at gafftop.

While trout will be our primary target most days, redfish can definitely bail us out when the trout don’t want to cooperate. Our open water schools of reds tend to be mainly over the slot these days but they’re still fun to catch. The majority of the ones we find along shorelines and in the back lakes are in the slot. Those are the ones that seem to save us on the windy days. Mud boils, slicks and hopping shrimp usually lead us to backwater success when it comes to reds. Flounder and the occasional black drum are almost always mixed in with the reds as they seem to frequent shorelines and bayou drains with similar characteristics. We’ve even had some days in recent years where we were able to catch a few tripletail. There’s no better tasting

There are currently between 846 and 1417 dolphins using the Galveston Bay estuary (Ronje, E., H. Whitehead, K. Barry, S. Piwetz, J. Struve, V. Lecours, L. Garrison, R.S. Wells and K.D. Mullin. 2020. Abundance and Occurrence of Common Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncates) in Three Estuaries of the Northwestern Gulf of Mexico).

Every fall we see lots of little specks in certain areas, especially when the white shrimp begin their exodus. This is great news as long as we can keep them in the system.

Lance Vinson had to work for them a little on this particular day, but his upbeat attitude always makes for a great day!

Bubba Pyle with a nice tripletail he tricked on a recent calm day when trout fishing was a little slow.

Keith

fish on the planet in my opinion than a tripletail. So if and when the going gets tough for catching our beloved speckled trout, let’s not just throw in the towel. There’s plenty of other items on the menu from which to choose. Some require learning new strategies and offer a much-needed change of scenery, both of which are good things. Furthermore, it’s never a bad thing

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the

My cousin, Hugh Forque, had a great day catching solid trout then giant reds when the

off of those trout once in a while. We never

the Day”

happy

going to be these days, but rest

there

STEVE HILLMAN

Steve

full-time

CheCk’n Bottom outfitters

started with a father and son’s love for fishing. We have used our combined 60 years of offshore fishing knowledge to build custom rods that we truly believe are the best on the market. When our family business was choosing the best rod components, it was an easy choice to go with another family-owned business, Batson Enterprises. We both strive to bring the highest quality products to market. If you are looking for high-quality custom rods, or you’re a rod builder looking to source components for your next build, you can trust Check’n Bottom Outfitters and Batson Enterprises to take care of you in the Lone Star State!

home

guide

of Galveston Bay.

Factors Affecting

Affecting

STORY BY KEVIN COCHRAN

Thoughtful captains consider exactly where to position the boat to maximize the potential for productivity when they choose to fish by wading. Making an intelligent decision about where to exit the boat requires one to have a fairly intimate knowledge of the area, not only of the topography of the bottom, but also where fish typically feed. While the physical features of the area remain relatively constant, the locations where fish prefer to feed constantly evolve, with changing weather and tide conditions.

At the most basic level, consideration of where to place the boat as a starting point for any wadefishing excursion becomes more complex as the variability of features and number of microspots increases. An area with relatively homogeneous depth and features requires less thought with regard to starting point and direction of effort than one with highly variable depth and features. Analyzing the image included here of a “Shoreline” helps clarify this relatively simple concept.

The water lying adjacent to land in this image has relatively consistent depth, varying from inches deep at the edge of the shoreline to maybe three feet deep at the right side of the image.

An angler desiring to fish the long, slender pothole system running essentially parallel to shore here could, in fact, disembark from the boat anywhere in the water shown in the image. Additionally, the pothole system represents the only significant feature in the area, simplifying the decision about where to start the effort.

However, these facts don’t mean the starting point has no potential influence on the productivity of the effort. In a basic, uncomplicated case like this one, where the fishing occurs in a place with scant identifiable structural features and little depth variation, a thoughtful captain would normally consider only wind direction and tide level when deciding where to deploy the anchor. Since most people perform better when fishing with the wind on their backs rather than in their faces, the captain would likely place the boat at the position labeled A1 on a northerly wind, and at A2 on a southerly wind, adjusting the distance from shore to account for extreme tide levels, also perhaps adjusting slightly if a strong current moving along the shoreline complicates the situation.

When light or calm wind speeds prevail, the captain might choose to anchor in a position between A1 and A2, then walk toward the pothole system and move left or right, if fishing alone, or send people both ways, to spread out, if fishing in a group, maybe make a long loop, to reduce lost time retrieving the boat. These same basic choices would make sense in many other places with relatively homogeneous depths and features, where pinpointing the precise locations where fish feed most often proves difficult or impossible. But in any scenario, the best captains choose to anchor in a specific spot, considering at least wind direction and tide level, because they have direct knowledge of some feature which attracted them to the place.

So, three main factors influence the decision affecting the optimal starting point for any angling effort made by wading:

knowledge of the layout of the area, wind speed/direction and tide level. Additionally, the presence of microspots and the direction of tide movement might complicate the decisions in the most basic cases. In other situations, when anglers make their efforts in places with more variable depths and features, including multiple known microspots, more factors influence the decision about where to start the wade.

In a place with highly variable depth and bottom features, wise

Tony Carroll caught this handsome trout on a November outing at a microspot approached from a specific direction, considering the conditions and timing of the outing.

captains still consider wind speed/direction and tide movement/ level when deciding where to anchor the boat. The most thoughtful also consider where fish will most likely be feeding, basing the prediction on several related factors, specifically weather, water temperature, time of day, and time of year. These factors determine which specific parts of the area (microspots) offer the highest potential at a given time.

Careful scrutiny of the image of a “Spoil Bank” included here helps clarify these concepts. The image depicts the southern end of a rocky, sandy, grassy spoil bank in the Laguna Madre, covered by water less than a foot deep on its shallow spine, with depths exceeding four feet lying close to its edges. The image includes three potential anchor sites, labeled A1, A2 and A3, and three microspots: M145, M146 and M147. The positions of the microspots imply something undeniably important about this entire discussion, specifically that the captain has knowledge of the precise locations where fish typically feed within the targeted area. Nothing surpasses the utility of this knowledge.

In the specific case depicted on the included image, M145 identifies a curve on the drop-off on the west side of the spoil which creates a cozy pocket where fish feed regularly, when the wind blows from the south or southeast, especially when they’re reluctant to venture onto the shallowest portions of the bar. M146 represents a spot on the east side of the spoil, where fish feed at similar times, but better when winds blows from the opposite direction. M147 marks the location of a rocky hump at the southern tip of the long spoil system, where fish tend to feed best in extremely hot weather, during the bright part of the day.

Importantly, other parts of the spoil regularly hold feeding fish too. The entire grassy crown of the spoil often produces fast catching early on summer mornings, when predators prowl out of the surrounding depths and force their prey into the shallows. This could also occur during warm spells in winter, especially under bright skies. The fringes of the circular pothole within the grassy crown hold high potential in such situations. The seam between sand and grass running basically southwest to northeast also serves as an ambush point for predators feeding atop the spoil.

So, a captain with intimate knowledge of the layout of the spoil bank and its microspots would first consider wind speed/direction when planning where to approach the spoil and anchor. To repeat, this consideration assumes most people prefer to fish downwind, or crosswind, with the wind on their backs, because they function more effectively when doing so. The captain would also consider time of day and time of year, specifically predicting whether feeding fish will prefer the shallows on top of the spoil, or the depths along its edges. This prediction would also involve consideration of tide level.

A higher tide would increase the likelihood of finding more fish in the shallowest water atop the spoil, while a lower tide might render some of those same parts inaccessible to the fish. A tide standing too high might make getting out of the boat difficult or impossible, except on the grassy areas represented by green in the image, while a lower

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tide will allow anglers to disembark at a place like the one labeled A1, in depths intermediate between the shallow spine of the spoil and the deeper water surrounding it.

Considering all these factors would lead a thoughtful captain to park the boat in position A1 when a south wind elevates the potential for catching at M145, especially if the effort occurs in the heat of a summer day, with a relatively low tide level. On the way to the microspot, casts could be made along the grassy seam running southwest to northeast, and along the drop off on the west side of the spoil, south of M145. A1 might also be preferred in a situation when fish feed aggressively atop the grassy part of the spoil, with south winds blowing and tide levels low.

On the other hand, the same captain setting up to fish the spoil with north winds blowing and bright sun shining late on a summer morning might choose to anchor at A2, to better facilitate access to M147, which lies in the depths at the tip of the spoil. While moving toward M147, making casts to the left, along the sand/grass seam would make sense, as would walking slowly to the east and making crosswind casts toward M146. Casts made along the western edge of the spoil between A2 and M147 could certainly produce strikes.

Using the anchor location A3 makes more sense when a captain approaches the spoil under light or calm winds, and when fish most likely feed in the shallows on the grassy spine of the spoil, rather than along its edges, at the microspots. In such a scenario, the wind won’t dictate the optimal direction of the effort, so the captain might move west or south, or somewhere in between, using signs of feeding activity to make the decision. If the effort starting at A3 lasts long enough, with a consistently high bite rate, casts might eventually probe the waters around all three microspots once the activity atop the spoil slows somewhat.

All these cases and plans emphasize the importance of several behaviors on the parts of captains who hope to maximize productivity. All these behaviors rely first and foremost on the captain’s intimate knowledge of the spot. They then depend on the ability to effectively analyze how the weather conditions and timing of the effort affect the probable locations of feeding fish. Essentially, the success of the process depends on the captain’s ability to use knowledge of the features of the place to make reasonable predictions about the locations of hunting fish, then formulate sound strategies to target those fish, given various aspects of the conditions in play.

KEVIN COCHRAN

Kevin Cochran is a long-time fishing guide at Corpus Christi (Padre Island), TX. Kevin is a speckled trout fanatic and has created several books and dvds on the subject. Kevin’s home waters stretch from Corpus Christi Bay to the Land Cut.

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TACTICAL EXCHANGE

STORY BY CHUCK UZZLE

Redfish beware! Texas anglers are now armed with spinnerbaits.

If you fall into the category of tackle geek and are always on the lookout for an edge when it comes to broadening your fishing arsenal, it sometimes pays big dividends to look back or even across in order to find what you are searching for. Take for instance how many saltwater anglers occasionally swipe lures and techniques from the freshwater guys. Many anglers continue to marvel at how productive some of these crossover baits really are, especially ones like the spinnerbait. Once anglers saw how versatile these lures were in saltwater it was inevitable that they would become a mainstay on the coast and that the redfish have a new enemy.

Spinnerbaits come in an array of sizes and styles and each one does a little something different that sets it apart from all the rest. Truth be told there are two basic styles and they both do a great job catching fish. The most common and perhaps most widely used is the safety pin style, famous in bass fishing circles and the one best known by Texas anglers. The

other is the “in line” version, a recruit from the north country that was originally made famous by walleye and northern pike anglers on lakes and rivers. Both of these baits have come to the forefront of spinnerbait applications and are now producing excellent catches of several saltwater species, most notably redfish.

For many years several of the guides on Sabine Lake, including myself, fished clients on both Sam Rayburn and Toledo Bend, as well as Sabine. Over the years we found several baits that crossed the line very handily from fresh to salt and produced equally well in both environments. Plugs like the Rat-L-trap, Rogue, tube jigs, and others stayed in our tackle boxes no matter where we fished. The spinnerbait joined that list when we found out we could catch largemouth bass and redfish in the same brackish marshes so prevalent in our area. Many times while night fishing on the Sabine River we caught mixed stringers containing both bass and redfish. The baits worked so well we turned our friends and clients onto the program. Now the rest of the fishing world has come to understand the secret that many Louisiana anglers have known for years – the spinnerbait has a place in saltwater.

The typical scenario in which spinnerbaits excel in saltwater involves off-colored water

Inshore Rod Blanks Carbon Grips

where sight fishing is difficult if not impossible. The thump or vibration produced by the spinnerbait’s blades enable it to be a first class fishfinding tool. Not only does the spinnerbait’s vibration make it easier to find fish, you also can cover wider spaces of water in shorter spans of

Spinnerbaits produce bass and redfish equally well in the brackish Sabine marshes.

Small safety pin spinnerbaits with either synthetic skirts or soft plastics do a number on the marsh bass as well as redfish.

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Spinnerbaits of various sizes and styles have made their way into saltwater… and brought their Chatterbait cousin.

Chance Hobbs with a gorgeous oversized Sabine redfish.

time. No better example comes to mind than the “speed method” that B.A.S.S. angler Kevin VanDam employs as he makes hundreds more casts than other guys on tour because he fishes his spinnerbaits so aggressively. By covering wider areas so quickly, VanDam is able to rule out unproductive water with incredible confidence.

The spinnerbait can also be used effectively in areas with better water clarity. In the marshes around Sabine and Calcasieu we routinely throw spinnerbaits at redfish we can see. A favorite technique is to pull the spinnerbait up to the fish and then vary the retrieve by either allowing the bait to fall or “helicopter” down, or applying a series of quick twitches during which the skirt flares and mimics the action of a spastic or wounded baitfish. Both of those techniques will result in bone-jarring strikes from hungry redfish.

There are also several modifications you can apply that will make a spinnerbait more attractive to redfish. The most common is to remove the synthetic rubber skirting and replace it with a soft plastic – smaller paddle-tailed types being the most widely preferred. The combination of the blades and the paddletail thumping in unison, along with the addition of the lifelike baitfish profile, are truly a winning formula for drawing strikes. Another trick is to impale a foam earplug or small chunk of sponge on the shank of the hook. This will add profile, buoyancy, and also hold any type of scent or fish attractant much longer than simply applying it to the skirting.

Traditionally speaking, most anglers seem to lean toward a rod with somewhat softer action for fishing spinnerbaits. Many also prefer monofilament or fluorocarbon line for the shock absorbing qualities

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This marsh red fell for a frog on a buzzbait. Sounds crazy but it works!

they provide over braided line. The preferences are definitely personal and each angler has their own opinions of what works best for them. Personally, I prefer the faster action rods and braided lines due the fact that I tend to fish heavier vegetation in the marshes. In the thick stuff you need to be able to really stick a hookset and also be able to keep pressure on the fish while fighting it through heavy grass.

The spinnerbait is an ages-old lure in some fisheries that has recently found a home in saltwater… and should also have a home in your tackle box. Give them a try; they can definitely make you a better and more productive angler.

While some anglers prefer softer, slower rod actions for spinnerbaits; Chuck likes the firmer, faster actions for fighting marsh reds in heavy vegetation.

CHUCK UZZLE

Chuck fishes Sabine and Calcasieu Lakes from his home in Orange, TX.

His specialties are light tackle and fly fishing for trout, reds, and flounder.

Phone 409-697-6111

Email wakesndrakes@yahoo.com

wakesndrakes.com

A Case for Corks

STORY BY JOE RICHARD

Not everyone has the right rod, experience, patience and stamina to dance a jig hour after hour with that perfect, upward twitch of the rod tip. That’s why I’ve been using corks lately, keeping their jigs, spoons or bait from getting snagged on bottom. Which causes a delay in our drift. When that happens, it’s either motor over and save the rig, or break it off. We usually idle over and jiggle it loose. Corks also make very good strike indicators; a vanished cork usually means fish, something we all learned around age five.

I keep a dozen corks in the boat and most are battle-scarred; we seldom lose one entirely unless a hefty shark grabs on. Different brands, shapes and colors, and most of them slide on a wire and make that fish-attracting click that imitates a panicked shrimp.

Texans should be proud to know that the first saltwater clicking corks originated in Port Mansfield. Cast your mind back to 1982 or so, and that’s when Capt. Bob Fuston in Mansfield invented the first of these corks, a cigar-shaped version that landed with minimum noise in the clear, thin waters of the Laguna Madre. Named by visiting writer Ken Grissom from the Houston Post who wade-fished with Fuston that day, the little cork on a wire was then and there dubbed the Mansfield Mauler.

If memory serves from the 1980s, many Maulers were made locally, but the concept of copyright was perhaps overlooked. Fuston was retired from power plant engineering and was on a doctor’s orders to live a lowstress lifestyle. It can be surmised that patent fights had no appeal, when the clear Laguna beckoned each morning.

Anyway, today’s clicker corks are found in stores at least from Texas to Florida. (Now found in Wally World, it’s clear they’ve gone mainstream). There have been other cork designs as well, such as hollow, hard plastic floats with BBs inside. Many were made in Rockport and found in the aisles of bigger tackle stores. Today I see more Cajun Thunder corks in the big box stores than any other brand, made by Precision Tackle in Montgomery near the shores of Lake Conroe. When it comes to saltwater corks, it seems that Texas has it over all the other states.

From what I’ve seen, most cork fishermen use live bait. Pin a hook to a hopper shrimp or a live pinfish or finger mullet while drifting or anchored in four to eight feet of water, and almost anyone can hook a trophy trout or redfish. Such a rig is a necessity when fishing oyster reefs that will snag any tackle reaching bottom.

Folks use corks at the jetties too, suspending live bait above jumbles of granite rock just below. Years ago we had a neighbor down the street, an old man who fished by himself. He would trawl up his own shrimp at the Sabine jetties and then always anchored at the same spot, a small washout in the rocks where channel water flowed out into the Gulf. He just sat there, patiently watching his cork. This went on for years, and there is no telling how many trout and redfish he kept; we often heard reports he’d boxed 30 or more fish on a single tide, and back then there were no limits. He must have been selling them. We passed him countless times on our way to the end of the jetties, where we threw gold spoons.

Today we do a lot of drift-fishing, and typically with two guests on the boat. The husband will sling jigs downwind while his wife, not comfortable with constant casting, will trail a cork and live bait, back upwind. The wives typically set the hook not as…energetically as I would like, but they consistently catch trout, sometimes the biggest of the day.

Depending on water clarity, cork color seems to matter. We had a spate of clear water for several weeks, and the lucky cork was green. For two days, a retired woman angler kept gleefully cranking in trout while her husband, with an orange cork, struggled to get a bite. This happened in only four feet of water, and we were using live pinfish. Not big pinfish, just the little four-inch pinnies that had their dorsal fins clipped off with scissors. Without those prickly fins, they were

easily scarfed up by trout.

Last trip I didn’t bother with live bait, just pinned a strip of ladyfish on the hook, a killer bait for trout back when I was a kid. Unfortunately, sharks showed up for the party and the novice angler landed 12 while getting yanked around the boat with lots of splashing and excitement. The sharks were small ankle-snappers and easy to unhook, fortunately. Next trip I’m switching to jigs under corks; the sharks should mostly leave them alone. Jig size should ideally have a ¼- or 3/8-ounce lead head, to allow flutter-and-sink after the cork is popped. How often? If you wonder how long it takes for a jig to settle down, try it next to the boat and count seconds. And the tail design makes a difference; it seems a twister tail never stops twirling. Even a slow jig can get grabbed; it’s hard to imagine a better offering than a DOA shrimp under a clicking cork. Or a scented Gulp! shrimptail.

Lucky green cork got repeated hits from redfish and trout.

Keeper redfish and a sack of used corks.

Points to remember:

>With clicker corks, be sure the heavier end of the cork points toward the hook.

>Twenty-pound fluoro leader under the cork should be fine for trout, and 30-pound for redfish. Carry both sizes in the tacklebox; with only 20-pound leader on the boat, you run the risk of getting busted up by a school of redfish.

>Choppy water will certainly add to the jig’s action, while calm, glassy water means more work.

>This is no time for whippy rods: stick with seven or eight foot, medium-heavy action rods that offer a strong swing when casting, and more leverage when setting the hook.

>If you anchor and set out a spread of lines, corks will accurately mark each bait, but they migrate in a current and will also snag drifting vegetation. I generally don’t use corks when fishing points, where there is more tidal flow.

>Egg-shaped corks land with a serious plop, but in murky water the fish don’t seem to care. On the Laguna Madre’s clear water, they probably will. Egg corks have fairly good ballistics and can be cast a long ways even upwind. Downwind, they sail like a golf ball.

>In clear, shallow water, cigar-shaped corks seem to work better, typified today by Cajun Thunder’s Equalizer series. Pick out a variety of colors, and remember that it’s much easier to spot a red or orange cork out there in the waves, compared to a green cork. Watching a green cork adds to eye fatigue by day’s end. But if that’s what it takes to catch fish, go with lucky green.

>It’s a hassle, but leader length below the cork matters. As the day goes on, my leaders get shorter from switching jigs to hooks, also losing hooks to sharks. So, I keep a small spool of fluoro leader close at hand.

>Cone-shaped corks (going back to the 1960s) certainly chug and gurgle easier. These corks are designed for maximum noise in murky water, calling up fish that can’t see far.

JOE RICHARD

Joe Richard has fished the Gulf since 1967, starting out of Port Ar thur, 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

Live pinfish rigged under a clicker cork.

These

“I didn’t get here alone!”

December 11, 1997 was when it all began; the day I officially became a business owner with more debt than assets, embarked on a venture with no guarantee of success. But, we had a dream. That was how ForEverlast was born.

Writing that first check to explore the potential of a patent set me on a path that, looking back twenty-five years, has both blessed and humbled me as to what it really means to own a business, employ others, and try and provide our customers with the best products on the market for their outdoor adventures.

Kenny Chesney’s song, “I Didn’t Get Here Alone” says a lot about life and the founding and growth of our company. So many people along the way helped, advised, supported, motivated, and some who possibly even doubted, have all enabled this dream to become a reality in their own way.

Amy, my wife and biggest supporter, along with our sons Ty and Layne, have always been my greatest source of motivation.

As Foreverlast continued to grow I faced one of the toughest decisions of my life in 2007, leaving a secure job with a good future to dive headfirst into the dream. Yes, it was risky, but the gamble paid off, and we have been blessed beyond even my wildest expectations.

From a tiny closet office in our first home, Amy and I packaged orders on the living room floor for me to deliver to one of our largest retail partners through the years– Academy Sports and Outdoors. With support and guidance from the marketing experts at Academy; Charles, Bryan, Matt, and many others, as well as good friend Chris; I was able to develop mental concepts for products into hunting and fishing gear available at the retail level. The ultimate test of any business is how the consumer reacts and I can honestly say we have been on many fishing and hunting trips with folks by way of our products. I could not be prouder of the fact that we have improved things in both hunting and fishing for many folks’ outdoor adventures.

Now with over 60 different items from our popular wade

How it all began; the check I wrote when filing for our original patent.

Billy and Amy Gerke heading out for another fun day on the bay.

fishing gear to hunting products that range from feeder units and accessories to snake protection, we have pioneered many products over the past twenty-five years that continue to be popular today…And we ain’t done yet!

New products and new adventures are on the horizon in our sister company, Brush to Bay Outfitters, founded in 2015. We have also introduced a new line of high-quality deer feed products in our RaxMax brand.

We have survived market crashes, a pandemic beyond imagination, and supply chain issues, yet through the hard work of dedicated employees, factory partners, and the support of one another, we continue to succeed. We are looking forward to continuing to pioneer products that are both affordable and top quality, and ultimately will keep the spirit and tradition of hunting and fishing alive and well in the lives of our customers. At the end of the day we are blessed to do what we love. “We live Hunting and Fishing” is not just a catchy marketing phrase, it is who we are and what we do.

We are thankful for the many blessings God has bestowed upon us along this journey!

Billy Gerke Founder/President

ForEverlast Hunting & Fishing Products “We Live Hunting & Fishing”

The Gerke boys have grown to become dedicated outdoorsmen on the water as well as in the woods.

We also love Hallettsville Brahma football!

We truly love and live hunting and fishing!

To say the Gerke boys have grown to become accomplished anglers would be an understatement.

The Gerke boys, Layne and Ty, began their wade fishing careers at a young age.

Feds Could Use A Good RAP ON THE KNUCKLES Over Snapper Counts

STORY BY JOE MACALUSO

The following is reprinted by permission from Louisiana Sportsman Magazine and author Joe Macaluso. It originally appeared in the September 2022 issue of that magazine. Macaluso gets right to the point, expressing the frustration recreational anglers have experienced for many years. We couldn’t have said it better. Learn more about Louisiana Sportsman at their website: LouisianaSportsman.com

OK, so I’m old enough — plenty old enough — to remember corporal punishment in schools.

I know, perish the thought, but a sharp rap on the knuckles with a ruler was enough to enforce the ignored verbal commands that brought on a teacher’s response.

Pretty sure my teachers were not mean. Far from it. They had 30 someodd kids to teach and, well, didn’t want one bad apple to spoil the whole barrel.

Knowing all that from us Baby Boomers, it’s obvious none of the guys and gals who work in National Marine Fisheries Service, nor the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, nor the U.S. Department of Commerce ever faced the ire of a frustrated teacher. Not one.

See, NMFS is part of NOAA, which is part of Commerce. It’s a group of folks who, when they work for folks elected from blue states, seem to be as hard-headed, as disruptive, as intransigent, as shameless and as single-minded as any group of bureaucrats in the history of fish and wildlife management in our country. Can I state it any more plainly?

The latest is NMFS’ insistence about using its out-of-date, outmoded and archaic management system when it comes to recreational fishermen catching red snapper.

Clinging to the MRIP

These federal folks want to cling to something called MRIP — Marine Recreational Information Program — a system that has long undercounted the number of red snapper in the Gulf of Mexico. It’s a system that has been shown to be flawed when it came to a reasonable time frame for estimating recreational catch of most all reef fish species not only off our coast, but also across our nation.

When Louisiana Congressional delegation and other colleagues from other states mustered enough support to fund a study, those federal dollars produced The Great Red Snapper Count.

Well, The Count showed the Gulf of Mexico had three times the red snapper as the federal (fill in the blank here) had estimated from your tax dollars that they used to count red snapper.

YOUR BOAT GIFT SHINE

PISCATORIAL TRIVIA

By Brian Henry

when you thought you knew everything, here’s a list of maritime facts

enrich your knowledge. Sure to impress when you casually

a few of these on your fishing buddies!

The megamouth shark was discovered in the Pacific by scientists in 1976 and was given the name Megachasma pelagios, meaning “swimming bigmouth” because it swallowed a cargo chute that had been lowered as a sea anchor from their ship.

Sardines aren’t a species of fish. They become sardines only after they are smoked, dried, or canned. Small fry of pilchards, herrings, and sprats are the most common fishes fated to become sardines.

More than 50% of all fishery products consumed in the United States come from the Bering Sea.

Sailfish grow so rapidly that in the first six months of life they go from tiny specks to upwards of four feet long.

American Samoa, the only U.S. territory south of the equator, consists of five volcanic islands and two coral atolls. About 900 species of fish are found in the waters surrounding the islands.

The biggest known deep-sea fish is the Greenland shark, found at depths of more than 7,000 feet.

By munching on coral and discarding it, some large parrotfish can produce more than 800 pounds of sand a year.

In spite of its scientific name, Hoplostethus atlanticus, the orange roughy lives in all oceans.

Orange roughy are long-lived fish—the oldest verified specimen was 149 years old.

Slimehead is the real name of the fish marketed as orange roughy.

There are more than 2,200 species of catfish found on every continent except Antarctica.

Catfish have more taste buds than any other creature.

While a human’s taste receptors are concentrated on the tongue, a catfish’s taste buds cover its entire body.

Hagfish digest food through their skin.

A book by William Young in 1933, Shark! Shark! had one edition bound in a sharkskin cover.

Frontal Approach! You either need to be scurrying back to the dock or safely leeward.

JAY WATKINS ASK THE PRO

SEASONAL CHANGES ARE WHAT MAKE FALL INTERESTING

Seasonal change is definitely upon us and fishing patterns will gradually change as each passing front reduces air and water temperatures. There will also be bait migrations occurring as mullet, shad, and shrimp make their way out of the bays to the gulf. Many very good fishermen that I respect don’t like the term transitional period. I agree and don’t like it either. I say this because the fishery is undergoing constant change, even daily, no matter what the season. Savvy anglers must recognize this and adjust accordingly.

What makes fall fishing one of the most popular times of the year for many lure fishermen is the fact that our

trout, redfish, and black drum sense the changes and begin what I refer to as a feeding-up period. I believe that during fall, game fish store body fat that helps sustain them through lean periods during the winter months. This is just my opinion and honestly not any real science behind my thoughts. Although I will say that this mindset certainly gives me more confidence and staying power when I am observing many of the things that attract me to the areas I fish during fall. I really try to emphasize the importance of starting each day with a clean slate regarding the prevailing conditions and where one will elect to begin his fishing day.

Dana Gross w/13-plus pound redfish – released.

Baitfish will begin staging for bay to gulf migrations, or perhaps even more simply, shallow water to deeper water within the bay. During the first month of frontal passages, the fronts are normally mild in nature as far as temperature. Certainly a good deal cooler but seldom do we see sub-40° temperatures. It can happen though, and I remember one year in particular when we had a major front the last week of September that dropped water temperatures over a two day period, low enough to stop and shock the white shrimp migration. It was the craziest thing ever as I remember.

Wading the Beldon’s and Cedar reef complexes in low tide conditions, I

kept feeling thumps and bumps against my waders. As we entered shallow, clear water with scattered shell clumps, I started seeing 12 count white shrimp lying on the bottom, wedged behind oyster clumps. Reaching down to grab one, the shrimp flipped and kicked forward. They were alive but stunned. I finally caught it and showed it to my guys. Twelve or thirteen of these would make a pound, I said.

I then realized that it was shrimp that were bumping our legs. Fishing was very tough but we were seeing mud stirs and slicking all over the reef area. When we would stick a fish many of them had the long whiskers of the white shrimp hanging out of their mouths. White shrimp have whiskers longer than their bodies. Very cool looking shrimp, no doubt.

Not all of the entire population of white shrimp migrates to the Gulf to spawn. A small percentage stays in the bay to help sustain a bay population, just in case. Mother Nature is awesome if we will just allow her to do her thing. The aforementioned conditions are rare but do sometimes happen in the fall.

As water temperatures gradually cool, baitfish will make their way to the deeper drains that connect the back lakes to our main bays. Game fish from the back lakes as well as the open bay begin to converge on both the lakeside drain mouths as well as the bayside mouths. Moving water is the key to aggressive feeding periods but what makes the fall so good is that fish will be caught throughout the day. This is the “feeding up” effect that I mentioned earlier.

Lure selection is simpler during these periods as well. I use a wide variety of lures ranging from the Texas Custom’s Double D and Soft Dine series, Custom Corky Fat Boy and Floater Series, and of course MirrOlure Lil John, Lil John XL, 5” Provokers and the 5” Shad Bass Assassin. I don’t throw topwaters very much given that my Double Ds can be worked equally effectively on the surface as well as swimming or suspending lures.

Drain mouths are best as the water begins to fall out of the lakes. This usually begins a few hours after the front pushes through and continues for at least twenty-four hours. The stronger the front the harder the water will fall and the harder the current the better the fishing. It would surprise many as to the size of some of the trout that can be caught at the lakeside mouths during these falling tide episodes. Two lady anglers and I had a day about four years ago that was stupid good in a small drain that we walked into. It was good enough that one of our airboat buddies commented at the dock about the size of our reds. We had released all the trout that day and only kept some reds and drum.

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Mastering Fall’s Changing Conditions and Patterns

Speaking of drum, fall is a great time to get on shoreline sand and grass flats and downsize your lure to a MirrOlure Lil John in Molting or Watermelon Red Glitter to target this species. Windward shoreline, spoils, or riprap are the most productive areas for me. It tides are low and you have a boat that can safely navigate the shallow back lakes you can definitely find them there. I love catching them and I love eating them.

Pre-frontal periods prior to the full moon are our best opportunities to find and catch our bay’s largest trout. With the 2021 freeze these numbers are still way fewer but there are still some around, and each year that passes without a major freeze the numbers will increase. I like fishing prior to the front as well as into the blow itself if I am in an area where we are not risking our safety. Early season fronts can sneak up on us and things can go western in a hurry if we are not prepared. Watching and paying attention to local forecast is an absolute must.

Post-frontal periods can be tough, especially if high atmospheric pressure sets in behind the frontal passage. Tides will be low and water clear in our area so downsizing lures and slowing down your wade speed is critical. Game fish can be stuffed after non-stop feeding during the front, so attention to details becomes huge for us. You might have heard me speak about all the little things that come into play in today’s fishery. Well, during post-front high pressure situations you’ll need to employ all of those little things.

Longer casts, with a good length of clear leader, and smaller lure offerings are strongly recommended. This includes lighter jig heads, smaller knots if using loop knot, deliberate presentations, patience, focus and persistence. Doing all these things won’t guarantee that you will catch them but it will assure you that you have done all you can to make it happen.

When the bait finally makes its way out of the lakes by way of the drains, we’ll turn our attention to windward shorelines, shoreline dropoffs, spoils, reefs and riprap. All of these areas of structure have one thing in common. Their shorelines provide a wall that stops and stacks up baitfish as the winds blow into the structure. Don’t shy away from shallow water that is sandy-colored to near dirty. If the bait is present the fish will be somewhere close.

The best thing about fall to me is that winter is just around the bend and that is definitely my most favorite time of the year to fish. But that is next month’s article.

May your fishing always be catching! -Guide Jay Watkins

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.

Trey Gross with oversize red – released.

Robert Adami, Jr. | Coastal Fisheries

THE ELUSIVE, NOT SO ELUSIVE GHOST SHRIMP

The Ghost Shrimp is a little animal, rarely seen unless you intentionally go slurping it out from beneath the water’s edge on the beach. These little guys belong to the crustacean family and are properly known as the Beach Ghost Shrimp, Callichirus islagrande. The Ghost Shrimp is small, somewhat transparent, and grows to about four inches in length (Figure 1). It burrows itself into the sand and lives in elaborate tunnels beneath the

sandy beach surface. These small critters are an excellent bait source for coastal fishing. Ghost Shrimp can be used to catch Red Drum, Spotted Seatrout, Black Drum, Gulf Whiting and a variety of other marine fishes. However, since Ghost Shrimp are not readily available at bait stands, anglers need to collect them on their own. This is a tedious and labor-intensive task, but the rewards are fulfilling when you catch a fish with your own bait

collections. Because Ghost Shrimp are elusive, you must know where to look to catch your own.

To find Ghost Shrimp colonies, walk the beach and take note of the little volcano-like uprisings on the surface of the sand (Figure 2). Below the surface are the different colonies inhabited by Ghost Shrimp. The colonies are made up of elaborate tunnels that can go three to four feet below the surface of the sand. They are held in place by a mucous lining extruded by Ghost Shrimp as they burrow. Another tell-tale sign of Ghost Shrimp colonies are the many small fecal pellets that float out of the burrow holes and onto the beach surf zone. Many people say these small pellets look like brown sprinkles on an ice cream cone. When there are large colonies on an area of the beach, you can see lots of fecal pellets on the beach surface that move as the waves push the pellets around on the sand. When this happens, the wavy lines of the fecal pellets replicate the surf moving in and out of the beach.

My first experience with this little creature was in a college invertebrate zoology class with Dr. Bart Cook at Corpus Christi State University, which is now Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. Our class collected Ghost Shrimp on the surf zone with a syringe like device called a “slurp gun” (Figure 3). Supposedly, the slurp gun originated in Australia to collect a similar species called “yabbies.” Years later, local anglers started making their own slurp guns to collect Ghost Shrimp for bait. These devices are quite simple, and, at less than $20 a gun, are inexpensive to build. The slurp gun is made up of PVC parts and a rubber stopper. So, when you put this unit into the sand over a Ghost Shrimp hole, you pull the plunger back just like you would a syringe and it sucks out what is hiding in the burrow (Figure 4). A small sieve or net can be used to collect the sandy contents from the end of slurp gun. If you are lucky, you can catch a few Ghost Shrimp with each suction. However, you would need to do this several times to collect enough Ghost Shrimp for your fishing venture.

Exploitation of the Ghost Shrimp for commercial bait sales instigated the establishment of rules to protect state beaches and marshy areas from damage by people trying to collect Ghost Shrimp.

At one time, there was an individual who wanted to “blast” the Ghost Shrimp out of their burrows with a portable pump and generator. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department felt this type of operation would damage the beach and marsh areas. So, the 20 Ghost Shrimp per angler per day limit was first established in Texas around 1998 in the “1998-99 Shrimp and Fisheries Proclamations” by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Therefore, each angler is only allowed to catch and keep 20 Ghost Shrimp per day, but there is no size restriction on this 20-count limit. You also need to have a valid fishing license to collect Ghost Shrimp. Since the Padre Island National Seashore is on federal land, the collection of Ghost Shrimp by any method is strictly prohibited there. My experience collecting Ghost Shrimp provided a good learning experience of what is beneath the surface of Texas beaches. With these state and federal rules in place, Beach Ghost Shrimp will be protected, and Texas beaches and marshes will continue to provide great, undisturbed habitat for all the creatures that inhabit the coastal zone.

the TPWD Outdoor Annual, your local TPWD Law Enforcement office, or tpwd.texas.gov

PREPARING FOR WINTER

If there is one thing that is certain about Texas weather, it’s that there are basically two seasons, summer and winter. I know that spring and fall conditions can sometimes be beyond perfect but those days always seem to be few and far between. By now though, the temperatures are dropping and you can start to see the beginning stages of what to expect over the next few months.

The scenes from the marsh this time of year always seem to awe me; they remind me of a Drinkard or Dearman painting. The marsh grass is changing from deep green to light brown and the sounds of geese honking and ducks buzzing overhead is a constant occurrence. Along with that, the screams of gulls

fighting over one last shrimp dinner can be heard from across the lake. The last few shrimp are migrating to the Gulf and every fish and bird are trying their best to stop them from making it to their winter home in the gulf. The preparation for winter has begun!

Every living creature in the outdoors knows that winter is upon us and fish are no different. Their patterns will begin to shift and become a little more predictable as the days get shorter and colder. One thing that is predictable is what their diet is going to consist of for the next few months. It won’t be long until nearly all the shrimp and shad have migrated out and this leaves only a few crabs and mostly mullet to fill

their hungry bellies. So knowing where to find mullet is a key factor that can really help an angler on where to locate fish.

Another aspect of the winter transition is that fish will slowly start to move toward deeper water. As always, if the weather gets suddenly cold, they will begin to seek refuge in channels and deeper cuts. As it warms up during the day, they will move onto the flats to feed and soak up the warmth of the sun.

Along with the fish, I too am preparing for the coming winter. It is time to start changing some of my lures around and having a new line-up when I go out. One of the lures I change first is my topwater. It will still work at times but I don’t find it near as consistently productive as the warmer months. I will usually swap it for a Corky Fat Boy, a perfect cold day bait that works equally well for trout, reds, and even occasional flounder. Another lure that I strategically tie on during winter is the Z-Man Chatterbait. This lure is productive during the summer as well but I have come to really enjoy using it during winter. I feel that with the cooler temperatures, the immense vibration that is created will wake a redfish up from any slumber. I also like to add a matching color Chickenboy Bubba Clucker as a trailer to lend extra appeal.

This is also a good time to get your winter gear prepared for the colder days ahead. I always make a point to check my waders before deciding to make a wade trip somewhere. I have been carrying

them in the boat and before heading back to the ramp I put them on and jump in the water for a few minutes to check for leaks. There is nothing worse than planning a fishing trip and having a wet leg or foot all day; it’s much easier to take care of that problem before it occurs. On top of that, I like to dig out the rest of my cold weather gear such as gloves, beanie, and thermals. I’ve been guilty of assuming that I left my gloves in a certain jacket pocket and somehow end up finding only one, and a numb hand all day.

Wintertime is only a few weeks away and we should all remember that fishing isn’t the only activity on outdoor enthusiasts minds; we will soon be sharing the marsh with the duck hunters. I know there is mixed feelings about it but they only will have it for a few short months. For the most part, they will be out of there by 9:00 or 10:00am and then you will have it all to yourself again. It is best just to steer clear and let them have it for the morning; there are plenty of other areas to fish.

Without a doubt this is a great time of year to be on the water – if not one of the absolute best. The fish know what is coming in the next few months and they are eating everything in sight. A meal doesn’t get passed up which makes for fun days on the water. As it gets cooler I hope that you all have safe days on the water and are able to get out and enjoy what this fantastic season has to offer.

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Fly Fishing Huge School of Bulls

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

We must protect what we still can to ensure healthy oyster habitat for future generations.

TRY, TRY AGAIN

If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.

This age-old advice once again rings true as critical science-based conservation decisions have been hijacked by political maneuvers, orchestrated by those that stand to personally benefit from the continued and systematic destruction of public trust resources. Case in point – our Texas public oyster reefs.

You may recall that in March 2022, Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission (TPWC) considered the closure of Carlos, Mesquite and Ayres Bays, otherwise known as the Mesquite Bay Complex, to oyster harvest. The closure would protect ecologically sensitive and unique oyster habitat from the negative biological impacts of increased harvest pressure through the act of dredging reefs. To put it simply, per Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD), the ecological importance and sensitivity of these oyster reefs coupled with the historically high harvest pressure and highly variable oyster relative abundance makes this minor bay complex a candidate for permanent closure from harvest.

During the 2021-2022 public oyster fishing season, this area provided 30.4% of the coast-wide landings.

Consider that for a moment. An area that represents approximately 2.8% of the oyster habitat in Texas provided over 30% of the landings, before the area was closed after only 2 months of harvest. This is out of balance and not sustainable

However, despite this data, a letter was submitted at 9 p.m. on the eve of the March 24th meeting, requesting that TPWC delay any decision on a closure until TPWD “studies the benefits oyster harvesting has on cultivating healthy reefs, conducts and in-depth economic impact study, and develops a concrete plan to regularly sample

any closed areas to ensure that closure works as a tool to significantly replenish oyster population(s)”. Yes, you read that correctly – “study the benefits that dredging has on cultivating healthy reefs.”

At that March meeting, public support to permanently close the Mesquite Bay Complex to oyster harvesting was overwhelming with 79% of comments favoring the closure. Additionally, 16 non-government organizations submitted individual letters backing the justification for the proposal and offered oyster fishery management recommendations for TPWC to consider moving forward. Furthermore, during public testimony, commissioners directly asked Dr. Jennifer Pollack, Endowed Chair for Coastal Conservation & Restoration at Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, if dredging the reefs is beneficial and helpful for the reefs. She replied, “I was very surprised to hear this comment coming up so often (at public hearings) and have scoured the literature…there is no data out there to indicate that dredging a reef is beneficial for the reef.” However, after listening to nearly 4 hours of public testimony and receiving the last-minute letter, TPWC was unable to land on a decision (You can listen to that entire meeting and public comment by following this link: https://tpwd.texas.gov/publications/ multimedia/media/commission_20220324/20220324_

and forwarding the audio to the 18:41 mark. Dr. Pollack’s concluding comments can be found starting at 3:56:00). As you may recall, they opted to form a task force of stakeholders to develop metrics that would define success of a possible closure and evaluate the oyster fishery from a wholistic standpoint, ultimately providing suggestions to increase

of

sustainability and oyster fishing opportunities.

As the workgroup continues to meet and have valuable discussions, TPWD has determined that the proposal to prohibit oyster harvest in the Mesquite Bay Complex should be brought forward for reconsideration. You can read the entire proposal by clicking here.

So now the opportunity to “try, try again” is before us. On November 3, 2022, TPWC will once again consider the proposal to prohibit the harvest of oysters in Carlos Bay, Mesquite Bay, and Ayres Bay. To consolidate our efforts, we have partnered with FlatsWorthy to bring public awareness

to this issue through the usage of Rockport-area billboards, informational videos and mailers. All information on this critical matter can be found at ccatexas.org/oysters and RescueOurReefs.com.

Please take the opportunity to have your voice heard and “try, try again” by commenting on this proposal. You can scan the QR code or simply visit the TPWD online comment portalhttps://tpwd.texas.gov/business/feedback/public_comment/.

Public oyster reefs need our help. We must remain vigilant and patient as we work together to increase sustainability of a fishery that means so much to the health of our bay systems. Thank you for continued involvement and engagement in this critical issue. Your ongoing support and grassroots efforts to ensure the health and conservation of our marine resources and anglers’ access to them is truly appreciated.

Please stay on alert for opportunities for public comment prior to and during the next TPWC meeting. We will provide updates via email, on the CCA Texas website and across all our social media platforms.

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ANHINGA

Gliding just beneath the surface of the water, at first glance, it appears to be a snake. But upon closer inspection, you might notice the narrow spike of a beak at the head. It’s a snakebird, a colloquial name for the anhinga, slithering through the water with just its head and neck poking out. When anhingas aren’t slyly swimming through the shallows, they are easy to spot hanging themselves out to dry. Unlike most waterbirds, anhingas don’t have waterproof feathers. While that may seem like a disadvantage for their watery lifestyle, their wet feathers and dense bones allow them to stalk prey completely submerged. They’ve also acquired the nickname “water turkey” for their long, fan-shaped tail. The name anhinga comes from the Tupi Indians in Brazil and means “devil bird” or “evil spirit of the woods” – which makes their scientific name, Anhinga anhinga, doubly devilish. This bird is a little smaller than a great blue heron, reaching up to 36 inches in height, weighing up to 4 pounds, and with an impressive wingspan of up to 4 feet. Being members of the darter family (Anhingidae), they are related to cormorants and pelicans, and do resemble the neotropic cormorant. Males and females are easily distinguished, as males have an iridescent green-black head and neck, while females have a golden-brown head, neck, and breast. They sport a cluster of silvery white feathers on the forewings and upper back. Anhingas have very long, thin, necks, small snakelike heads with long pointed bills, yellow-brown legs, and scarlet eyes (females sometimes have dark

brown, yellowish, or pink eyes; males’ are surrounded by a bright blue patch of skin during breeding season). They have broad, pointed wings and are graceful fliers that can travel long distances without needing to flap their wings, similar to the flight of a turkey vulture. Kettles of anhingas often migrate with other birds and have been described as resembling black paper gliders. In flight, they have a distinctive cross-shaped silhouette.

Anhingas live in North, Central, and South America. Within that range, their population is split into two separate subspecies. Their range extends along the coasts from North Carolina’s southern coast into the Gulf of Mexico, all the way through much of South America, from Colombia to Ecuador, and in the east of the Andes to Argentina. In South America, they inhabit much of the watery Amazon River Basin. They live in tropical and subtropical areas, preferring shallow, slow-moving, sheltered waters of the brackish or fresh variety, with nearby perches and banks for drying and sunning. They live near lakes, marshes, and mangrove swamps with tall trees and thick vegetation, and in shallow lagoons and bays. Generally not found in extensive areas of open water. Mostly non-migratory, though the northernmost individuals move south for winter.

The anhinga does not have oil glands for waterproofing its feathers like most water birds. When it swims, it gets completely soaked through, which allows it to move more efficiently under water. The fact that their feathers are less water resistant than other birds

Photo by Mary Ellen St. John, licensed under CC BY

helps them to swim underwater, where they spear fish with their long neck and sharp beak, surfacing in order to flip their catch into their mouth for consumption. They lose heat quickly in water as they have no layer of feathers to provide insulation; thus, the sun’s heat helps them to maintain their body temperature. Often seen perched on a snag above the water, with wings half-spread. As adept at swimming as the anhinga is, it is equally talented at soaring (once its waterlogged feathers dry out), taking advantage of rising thermals and achieving altitudes of several thousand feet. While soaring, it holds its wings out flat and straight, its neck outstretched or slightly kinked. Anhingas are usually quiet birds, but they can make vocalizations, usually consisting of clicks, rattles, grunts, and croaks.

An anhinga’s diet consists of many small- to medium-sized fishes, with a sprinkling of crustaceans and invertebrates. It swims slowly underwater – or hangs motionless just below the surface, its neck crooked like a cobra – stalking fish around submerged vegetation, and spearing them through their sides with a rapid thrust of its partially opened bill. Backward slanted serrations keep the fish from slipping off. They usually stab with both mandibles, but may use the upper mandible only on small fish. The side-spearing habit of the anhinga suggests that the usual hunting method is by stalking rather than pursuit. They have specialized muscles and vertebral structure in their neck to facilitate the stabs. Sometimes an anhinga’s thrust is so powerful that it has to swim to shore and pry the fish off its beak by rubbing it against a rock or limb. Though generally they just toss it off the bill and position it for swallowing headfirst.

Anhingas are monogamous, forming strong pair bonds, which last for life. Courtship displays include waving their wings, raising the tail up over the back, pointing the bill skyward, bowing deeply, and aerial performances. Breeding is seasonal in North America. In latitudes that are subtropical or tropical, breeding can be throughout the year. Anhingas are colonial and typically nest in small aggregations along with much larger numbers of herons, egrets, ibises, and cormorants. Nests are relatively bulky, made up of sticks and other vegetation, and situated in a fork within the canopy of live trees. The nesting colony is almost always located over water. They are highly territorial, using exaggerated displays when defending their nest site: spreading their wings and snapping their beak to threaten an intruder, pecking each other on the neck and head, sometimes leading to a fight.

The male begins nest construction before he has a mate, by placing large sticks and green material in the forks of trees 15 to 20 feet high. The male collects nearly all the nesting material, and once he secures his mate, the female then finishes building. The nest – a bulky platform of sticks, somewhat more compact than heron nests – is then used from year to year. It is often lined with fresh leaves, green twigs, willow leaves, and catkins. Over time, excrement can build up on the outer rim of the nest giving it a white appearance. Incubation of 2 to 5 whitish or pale blue eggs takes around 25 to 30 days and is shared between parents. Chicks are naked and helpless when they hatch. They are brooded for 12 days by both parents and remain in their nest for three weeks. Around the age of 2 weeks, if the chicks are disturbed, they can drop into the water to swim away. Then, at least sometimes, they are able to climb back up to nest using their feet and bill. Anhinga parents first feed chicks by dripping regurgitated fish and fluid directly into their open bills. When the chicks are older, they put their heads directly into their parents’ bills to get the food. Chicks climb out of their nest onto nearby branches around 3 weeks to work on building

up their flight muscles, and they fledge at about 6 weeks old. The young stay for several more weeks with their parents before becoming independent and reach maturity when they are about 2 years old. The oldest recorded anhinga was at least 12 years old.

According to the IUCN Red List, despite the fact that the population trend appears to be decreasing, the decline is not believed to be sufficiently rapid to approach the thresholds for Vulnerable. The IUCN Red List rates the species as Least Concern. Potential threats to anhingas include habitat degradation and discarded fishing lines, which pose a threat because the birds can easily get tangled up in them. DDT (poison) had an effect on their reproductive success, and banning this pesticide in the United States has benefited those populations that breed in the south of the country. Humans don’t interact much with these birds. Though we inhabit the same regions as they do, we don’t typically fish for the species that these birds often feed on, so conflicts are minimal.

Where I learned about anhingas, and you can too!

All About Birds

www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Anhinga/overview

Audubon www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/anhinga www.audubon.org/news/get-know-anhinga-or-snakebird

Texas Breeding Bird Atlas txtbba.tamu.edu/species-accounts/anhinga/

US Fish & Wildlife Service fws.gov/story/2022-03/anhinga

Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/profiles/birds/waterbirds/anhinga/

IUCN Red List

www.iucnredlist.org/species/22696702/93581588

WhatBird identify.whatbird.com/obj/621/_/anhinga.aspx

Animalia animalia.bio/anhinga

Wilderness Classroom wildernessclassroom.org/wilderness-library/anhinga/ Animals Network animals.net/anhinga/

Bird Watching Academy www.birdwatchingacademy.com/anhinga/

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National Park Animals for Kids

ERIC OZOLINS EXTREME KAYAK FISHING & SHARKS FROM THE SAND

NOVEMBER BLISS

After some rather stagnant months leading into fall, cold fronts routinely pass over the coast and pull a biological trigger. Induced by dropping temperatures, the major migrations reach a peak in November, and an array of formidable creatures lurk in the shallows, waiting to take advantage of all the available prey. On the coast, the Thanksgiving month is all about explosions in the aquatic food chain.

Countless trains of baitfish parade their way down the entire length of our coastline, but with so few people on the beaches this month, these Nat Geo-worthy events often occur without many human witnesses. In late-fall, our beaches can seem as desolate as the surface of the moon. Nevertheless, the waters adjacent to them host a wide variety of life-and-death dramas.

Anyone on the beach a couple days after a strong cold front this month can observe some of the highest activity levels of the year. The abundance of available food attracts a plethora of predators into the shallows. All these predators are a blast to catch on light tackle, but many November anglers show a bias toward the month’s most-welcomed mascot–the jack crevalle.

Jackfish, as they are commonly called, are some of the most voracious predators to prowl our coastal waters. Pound for pound, these tuna-like beasts are rightly

afforded status among the hardest fighting fish. Fully mature jacks, about 25 pounds, storm the surf as they destroy mullet and menhaden running the shallows.

Jacks home in and attack tight balls and shoals of baitfish with precision to rival any well-trained military unit. To see a pack of jacks cruising through breaking waves is reminiscent of a WWII dogfight scene.

Often, jacks and other predatory species work together in squads of hundreds, corralling the pressured bait into the shallows where land meets sea. During the peak time for surf jacks, throwing topwaters at them often delivers enthralling action. In addition, jack crevalle are a surf fly-fisherman’s dream. I have buddies who target these bullies on fly, and they absolutely live for the sport. Most any angler can appreciate the raw power of this abundant species.

It’s often hard for me to pass up throwing lures into frenzied packs of jacks and tarpon. The sight of a school of large jacks demolishing bait along the beach provides a lively take on raw, wild nature. Personally, I allocate most of my time to targeting sharks, rather than fishing with flies. I thrive on shark action and live my day to day life anticipating the angling opportunities sharks present. Since their bloody red flesh is inedible, jacks are not harvested for food, but they do make shark

A quality bull shark landed in PINS surf at Thanksgiving.

Bull red caught from a large school while sightcasting in shallow water.

fishermen happy, providing one of the best baits of all for big sharks.

In addition to the jacks , other hungry predators find their way into the shallows this month, to prey on all the small species. Red drum make their presence known in great numbers. Along the entire Texas coast, adult red drum take advantage of the cool-water migrations of mullet and other baitfish. It’s not uncommon to cast out live mullet

for jackfish and be invaded by a school of bull reds, all in excess of forty inches.

Any angler seeking to add tangles with bull reds to the bucket list should focus their efforts on the beachfront this month. On some of my charters, we catch and release as many as twenty oversized reds. By nature, redfish are both hunters and scavengers. At times, when they’re most numerous and active in the surf, these eating machines will pick up almost any baits they encounter, including small baits intended to attract the attention of sharks.

Most people know monster reds are not highly desirable as table fare, and they can only be harvested with a tag. Regardless of these facts, the species ranks high on the list of best ones for big fish photo opportunities. Over the years, nearly all my clients end up releasing their giant reds after obtaining a beautiful photo with their prized catch. We like to do our part in this new era of conservation, to enhance the recovering numbers of this splendid species.

Being a shark hunter, I simply love this time of year, and for good reason. After nabbing my supply of jacks for bait, I start sending them back out, rigged for giants. Some of the largest tiger sharks of the year are caught in November, and they’re prone to sink their teeth into any jackfish they can find. Quality bull sharks still remain in the November surf too; a seven-foot specimen makes a perfect large shark for a kid or beginning sharker to catch and imprint a lasting memory.

Casting mullet for reds or jacks often produces blacktip sharks this month. These feeding machines will eat everything from the smallest baits to the biggest slabs of meat. Other sharks find their way into the shallows along the Texas coast this month too; in November, ten different shark species are possibly present. The list includes perhaps the rarest of sharks caught from land–the mako. Weather windows conducive for catching makos are not common, but some do develop in most Novembers.

Stalking sharks, dynamic jacks and obtuse reds own the Texas surf waters from Halloween to Thanksgiving. The cool morning air and insane level of activity are prime reasons November ranks among my favorite months. There’s something to appease the appetites of the entire fishing audience, whether they fish with flies, conventional lures, live bait or whole, dead jackfish. Consequently, I book more family charters this month than any other. Obviously, epic action doesn’t happen every day, even in a month with this much potential for greatness. The wildly changing Texas weather can flash its ugly face and ruin things briefly, while setting up a blitz of activity on the backside. When they’re right, November conditions provide some of the most enjoyable fishing adventures possible on the beaches of the Lone Star State.

CONTACT

For the past decade Eric ‘Oz’ Ozolins has been promoting shark catch and release and assisting various shark research programs. Eric offers guided shark fishing on Padre Island National Seashore. Also renowned for extreme kayak big game fishing, Eric is the owner of Catch Sharks Tackle Company.

Email oz@oceanepics.com Websites oceanepics.com | catchsharks.com

Large blacktip shark caught during a feeding frenzy, swimming back to sea following release.

Bull shark release on a brisk November morning.

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THE VIEW FROM Matagorda

If you hunt and fish and you can’t get excited about November, what are you doing on the coast? This is the month for shotgunners and pluggers – the best combined fishing and wingshooting month on the calendar.

We will be hunting ducks in the morning and then getting on the water as fast as we can. Afternoons in November are awesome in Matagorda’s bays. Topwaters and soft plastics readily get eaten under the most beautiful autumn sunsets of the year.

Birds will work throughout the month over solid trout. East Bay, West Bay, Tres Palacios Bay, all are players and all will give up limits of trout on topwaters and soft plastics.

Mid-bay reefs have produced heavy trout while wading with topwaters and soft plastics like Down South Lures, Lil’ Johns and Bass Assassins. Spots like Boiler Bayou, Don’s Pipeline and Alice are holding good numbers of sand trout. Their white fillets are perfect in ceviche and while battered and fried in peanut oil; and, is a great way to take pressure off our speckled trout fishery while we are trying to recover.

The Colorado River is green from months of dry weather, which normally spells good catches of trout under lights at night from the piers. Good numbers of fish will be in the Diversion Channel this month. It’s a lot like bass fishing – pitching baits to timber and fallen logs from previous river rises. Don’t be afraid to toss a topwater along the bank. Solid trout hang on the edge in 5-8 feet of water and will bang a Super Spook, Skitter Walk or She Pup.

Waders have found good fish in West Matagorda Bay while wading the south shoreline and casting to points of shell. Topwaters

and soft plastics have been the ticket. Half-Moon Reef in West Bay is always good when the wind allows. This month soft plastics and topwaters are a good bet and don’t be surprised to find birds working near the reef.

Bull redfish have been found along the beachfront and the Matagorda jetties are holding lots of redfish on cracked blue crabs, mullet and fresh table shrimp.

As always, this time of year encourages slot-sized redfish to school in bunches of two dozen or more along the grass line. Spots like Shell Island, Twin Island, Cut Off Flats and Zipperan Bayou in Matagorda are good spots. Mud Lake and Crab Lake are players along the shoreline with live shrimp.

When you see a bird hovering or a shrimp jumping in the grass, cast in front of the V-shaped wake. Few things in this fishing world rival seeing a herd of fall redfish in less than a foot of water with back exposed.

Please respect our trout fishery as we recover from last February’s freeze. If November holds to traditional form, there will be days that seem “too easy” to catch speckled trout. Please consider giving these fish a break and letting them swim away. Yes, I love fried trout fillets, but the betterment of the fishery far outweighs the great taste at supper.

Most attitudes are changing, but there is more work to do. Captains need to take the lead and promote conservation on their boats. Not only is it a great ideology for our estuaries, but also an even better business decision for the health of the charter captain business.

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STAY SHALLOW OR GO DEEP?

They’re out there, just under the surface. I know it.

I can hear the redfish calling from the flats. Further out, there’s a Marlin with my name on it. Tarpon await by the jetties. And here I am, a rod in hand and perfect weather overhead.

It’s going to be a good weekend indeed.

Port O'Connor Seadrift

MID-COAST BAYS With the Grays

We finally got the cooler weather I know we all have been waiting for. This past summer really seemed to drag on a lot longer than normal…or maybe I’m just getting older and not tolerating the energy zapping heat as well as I once did. It probably goes without saying but with the cooler temps and shorter days the water temperatures are more conducive for catching.

future. I’m going to go over some of those tips in this month’s article.

Here in my home waters, my primary methods for targeting slot redfish means focusing on shallow water, water that is anywhere from 6 inches to 3 feet deep. Lucky for anglers on the Mid Coast there is no shortage of shallow water available along the many miles of main bay shorelines and the great number of back lakes and marsh areas. Redfish will tend to favor the back lakes during November unless the prevailing air and water temperatures are unseasonably warm. Though not very common, if this should occur, the sandy, main bay shorelines will become my go-to locations.

Captain Shellie Gray was born in Port Lavaca and has been guiding in the Seadrift/Port O’Connor area full time for the past 19 years. Shellie specializes in wading for trout and redfish year round with artificial lures.

As I mentioned in my last article, it has been pretty tough to catch trout within the new slot limit of 1723-inches consistently the past several months. On most trips my customers and I chose not to harass the trout and instead decided to concentrate most of our efforts targeting redfish. Personally, I would much rather catch redfish compared to any other shallow water species. Focusing on mostly redfish allowed me to instruct and educate my clients on techniques that could help them become more successful at catching redfish on their own in the

Through most of summer many of the back lakes had become inundated with seagrass that made fishing with lures difficult if not impossible. Thankfully, with the recently shorter days and cooler temps the grass has begun to recede and we’re back to using soft plastics and spoons. My personal favorite redfish lures are 1/4 and 1/2 ounce weedless spoons, in either gold or silver. On cloudy days, and when the water turns a bit off-color, I find spoons with hammered finish more effective than others with smooth finish. My guess is the hammer dimples create more flash and reflectivity under somewhat murky water and low-light conditions.

I prefer slow retrieves when presenting spoons, lifting the rod tip rhythmically to create fluttering action as it settles. If like me you still prefer monofilament line over braid, it’s a good idea to attach a barrel swivel to the spoon with a small split ring to prevent line twist. When using braid you can probably skip the swivel as braid has far less memory; provided that you remember to maintain slower speeds on the retrieves and avoid causing the spoon to spin.

If spoons aren’t getting the job done to your satisfaction you can opt for scented soft plastics. I have seen days that the reds eagerly grabbed scented plastics when nothing else worked for us. The Bass Assassin 3½-inch Die Dapper is a great bait, along with their 5-inch Vapor Shad and 5-inch Salty Snack – all infused with their fishattracting Bang Scent.

Just as important as the lure you choose is your rod. Fishing with artificial lures often includes making hundreds of casts during a full day. With this in mind your rod needs to be lightweight, flexible and sensitive, and most importantly with enough backbone to handle strong fish. Waterloo’s HP Lite fills all these requirements perfectly. If perhaps your budget is a bit limited, I would suggest taking a look at Waterloo’s Salinity rods. The Salinity offers many of these same qualities at a friendlier price point than its more expensive cousins.

Back lakes such as Pringle, Contee, Long Lake, and Pat’s Bay will all be good places to start your day in November. I prefer to fish water that is somewhat off-colored rather than clear. Look for murky streaks or other color changes. Windward shorelines are always a good bet in the back lakes. Color changes, even slight, are noticed best through a good pair of Costa polarized sunglasses. Keying on bait is always important – the more active the bait the better the chances of finding feeding fish.

Don’t forget: Flounder season will be closed November 1 through December 14 this year. No flounder can be retained! TPWD has implemented this regulation to provide the declining flounder population a greater chance to migrate to the gulf during their annual spawning run. Let’s hope it helps!

Chelsy Williams had a great time reeling in this bruiser of a redfish.

Army Veteran Julie Albrecht catching her first ever redfish.

HOOKED UP WITH Rowsey

Upper Laguna/ Baffin

David Rowsey has 30 years in Baffin and Upper Laguna Madre; trophy trout with artificial lures is his specialty. David has a great passion for conservation and encourages catch and release of trophy fish.

Telephone 361-960-0340 Website www.DavidRowsey.com Email david.rowsey@yahoo.com @captdavidrowsey

Oooooh Lord, these mornings are feeling good. Folks, I truly begin to feel a change in my attitude as the first hint of cool mornings begins to arrive. I feel it in my bones and deep down in my soul. The first October morning less than 70° can be as invigorating as 55° on a muddy flat or an open bow blind. Everything about life, and especially the outdoors, is just better right now. I hope when we all get to heaven the calendar is stuck in the fall season.

I’m finally rehabbed enough to get back on the water following shoulder surgery in late July. Casting still gives me a little pain but getting cut seems to have been worth it. Technically, I’m still in recovery. Truth be known I should have done it many years ago. Lesson learned!

Being a fulltime guide, I get to talk to a lot of people and answer the same questions over and over. Most frequently asked is; “What’s the best month to catch a big trout?”

From the bottom of my heart and as sincerely as I can possibly convey it, my response is always the same; “Every year is different. Any month can be as good as any other when the water temperature is sustained in the 60s and below.”

It just so happens that that typically begins in November. There have been a few years where we have seen it run into May, delaying the spawn, but those are certainly on the rare side. Much like deer hunting, the trophies are in “hard antler” and starting to get into a winter routine and all that comes with it. Still early in the game, but the door is now open, and the possibilities of landing multiple big trout during any outing are real from now through May.

As the water temps begin to drop, many scenarios will develop for catching quality trout. Trout will start staging in areas that have flats close to deep water, some will linger in the depths/ rocks longer than most, while others will show up in random places where they just feel safe – away from our stomping feet and boat traffic. The bottom line is you will have opportunities to catch them the way you want to catch them throughout this month. Not only will trout be prevalent on your favorite structure types, they will also be likely to strike any lure in your box as they begin the attempt to put on winter weight. Hard bottom, cool weather, and a topwater sounds pretty righteous to me!

Starting now, the observant fisherman will notice there are

continuously fewer mullet (main food source for trout) available in the bay. These baitfish migrate to the gulf in fall, reducing the food supply for all the cold months to come. As a result of this, our trout will gorge every time the opportunity arises. Putting on winter weight is essential to their survival, much like any furbearing animal in the wild. This certainly works to our advantage as sportsmen, as we are, mostly, a lazy lot and like the instant results that come from dropping a Corky or Bass Assassin in the face of a greedy, gorging trout.

Speaking of gorging, did I mention these trout will be FAT? Swollen bellies and thicker shoulders are what we will be seeing on the trout from this point on. After thirty-something years of fishing down here, the visual of that every morning is what makes my feet hit the floor.

Now that we know what to expect, how do we find them? This is the part where most get all jacked up in the head, and the solution is so simple. Bait and structure! I’ve said this a hundred times, but quit “hot spot” fishing. Fish move daily and you have to move with them.

Look for visible signs, specifically surface activity from mullet. It doesn’t matter that you are in your favorite spot, “The eye eats first.” If you don’t see anything to hold trout there, chances are they’re not there. Ride the troll motor or idle to some other structure that they may have gravitated towards – drop-offs, up on a flat, a deep break, etc.

My clients will vouch for how many times I have shut down in an area just to say, “Hang tight, we’re moving again.” Trust your eyes and your instincts to save countless hours of casting practice because the eye eats first.

Remember the buffalo! -Capt David Rowsey

“School is in session.” Matt Rotan with a hammer that got another winter season in motion. Released.

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Another Solid Laguna Madre Speckled Trout

Port Mansfield

WAYNE’S Mansfield Report

Greetings from Port Mansfield! I am super excited to be headed into fall and the coming of deer season in Texas. No longer much of a deer hunter myself, what I enjoy viewing through my Leupold binoculars nowadays is greatly reduced boat traffic on the Lower Laguna. Perhaps not all will agree but that’s how I see it.

and has been remarkably successful over the years; to the extent that he was featured on the cover of this magazine a while back with a great one that weighed more than ten pounds.

Captain Wayne Davis has been fishing the Lower Laguna-Port Mansfield for over 20 years. He specializes in wade fishing with lures.

We have been blessed recently with some of the best early-morning views any angler could ask for –thunderheads with flickers of lightning blocking the sunrise tell me the fish will be biting. Water temperatures have declined to a pleasant level and topwaters are on the menu. There are often days when, if I don’t catch myself, I can end up throwing topwaters all day long, even though a switch to plastics might have produced more strikes. If you like watching trashcan-size swirls, slurps and explosions in knee deep water, now is the time.

Fishing is currently strong, having recovered nicely from a slow spell several weeks ago. That said, I would say that we have enjoyed an excellent early-fall season with all species thus far. Redfish are beginning to school predictably and football-shaped trout are being caught on a somewhat regular basis. Flounder action is so good that you can catch them on topwaters, (see video via QR code). Snook, some that qualify as giants, are showing themselves after going radio silent for about a month. The bottom line is this: after fishing many different bodies of water, the best fishery I have ever experienced is right here in the Lower Laguna Madre. There are few places anywhere in the world where you can catch multiple species of trophy-sized fish within a hundred yard stretch of shoreline…yet here we are.

We can use what I have just described as a foundation for moving forward and reminding ourselves we do not need to keep every fish that is legal by statute. We might keep one occasionally for a fresh fish dinner; but I encourage that you should also consider whether you already have fish in the freezer. If you do, release today’s catch until you use them up. Just a thought; not meaning to preach, and no offense intended.

I am always eager for success and at the same time reminded that it is never easy to catch a snook wading the flats of the Texas Laguna Madre. My clients and I have landed quite a few and I am always mindful of the dedication of time and effort that is required on average to get it done. Bobby Walker has been on the snook quest with me for quite a while

There have been times when Bobby threatened to never fish for snook again, that’s how many times we’ve struck out completely after working our tails off all day. But like Hemmingway’s character, Santiago, he keeps coming back. So, there we were, eight trips into the snook mission this year, and it finally happened. The Old Man’s efforts were finally rewarded. So here’s take-away: It’s what you put into it that makes it rewarding. We all want the big ones, but always consider the ratio/percentage of your targeted species before you consider admitting defeat.

On a side note, I am happy to report we’ve had one of the trout we tagged recaptured recently. Back in late July I caught and tagged a 26.75-inch trout and a few weeks ago a local angler caught it again. This is the first official recapture I have had on a trout although I have had several on snook. This trout was reported to have grown almost two inches and was released again with the tag intact. Very interestingly, the recapture and second release was accomplished fewer than five hundred yards from the original capture and release location. So, it either stayed around the same area or traveled and returned to the same area to be caught again. Either way its data for my friends over at Harte Research Institute. Very cool!

Looking ahead, now is the time to check your Simms waders for leaks in the swimming pool. Don’t be that guy that waits until that first cold winter morning. I have a feeling we will see a few good ones this year.

Till next time…Fresh is always better than frozen!

View The Video

Flounder On Topwater!

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Bobby Walker… the old man and the snook!

Bart Reid of Bart’s Bay Armor with a nice LLM trout.

IF WE SAVE THE SEAGRASS, WE SAVE THE FISH.

Seagrass is critical to good fishing. Marine organisms depend on it for survival—for food, shelter, and oxygen. But boat propellers are destroying Texas seagrass, which is seriously impacting saltwater fishing in the coastal shallows. When boaters do not lift their propeller in shallow water, the prop cuts and uproots the seagrass beds—leaving long barren trenches or “scars” that may take years to heal ... if ever.

Stop Prop Scarring –Lift, Drift, Pole, Troll

It is ILLEGAL in Texas to uproot seagrass with a propeller. Avoid damaging seagrass –lift your prop!

When in shallow waters, lift your motor and drift, pole, or troll through it. After all, there’s nothing like a redfish on light tackle in shallow water. Let’s keep it that way!

For more information visit: www.tpwd.texas.gov/seagrass

Arroyo Colorado to Port Isabel

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.

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SOUTH PADRE Fishing Scene

The warm weather months are coming to an end and dedicated wade fishermen will soon be donning waders. If you have never worn a pair of Simms waders, you have never experienced the comfort they provide, even when wearing them all day. Their durability and breathability are legendary. While this may sound like a Simms advertisement, please understand that when I come across an exceptional product, I like to share it with my fellow anglers.

Now that the water has cooled into the high-60s and 70s, our game fish are becoming more active and feeding more aggressively. I think of November as a month of gorging. Game fish innately know they must feed heavily before colder weather moves in. So, November is an excellent month to experience an active bite that can sometimes last all day.

Notable concentrations of redfish have moved north toward the Arroyo Colorado and surrounding waters. The biggest reason, for this is that huge schools of mullet begin to inhabit the Arroyo region this time of year so, naturally, the redfish follow the migration. Mullet are a very rich food source that provide fat and protein for redfish as they feed heavily in preparation for the colder season ahead.

Thus far we are not seeing the vast schools of redfish we expect during the fall season. Instead, schools of ten to thirty redfish in a given area have been the norm. The currently high water level has likely played a role, scattering fish into back lakes and along flooded shorelines. Eastside sand flats along the island shelf suddenly became a hot spot because of the high water. The influx of fall tides has relocated baitfish to areas that were too shallow to hold bait a month ago, much less redfish. The playing field has grown exponentially and you could say they now have more hiding places. I expect the redfish topwater bite will continue to improve as the water continues to cool this month.

The trout population continues to thrive with steady action available from Port Isabel to Port Mansfield. It seems the entire Lower Laguna Madre has lots of little ones, which is a good sign for the future of the fishery. Even with all the small fish, catching a limit of three is easily attainable, if that is your goal. Thanks to the reduced bag limit and so many anglers now practicing full catch and release, I believe our trout fishery is definitely on the road to recovery.

The majority of our better trout days have been coming from waistand-deeper waters where the clarity has been mostly sandy-green. Soft plastics in darker colors on 1/8 and 1/4-ounce jigs have been very

productive. Jig weight and retrieve speed varies with the depth the fish are staging and feeding in the water column. Topwater action should improve as the water continues to cool throughout the month. I do not regard November as a trophy trout month but it is the beginning as bulkier specimens begin showing in more significant numbers.

Flounder action has slowed over recent weeks. However, I still rate this past summer and early fall as possibly the best flounder fishing I have witnessed over the past fifteen years. It seems everyone was catching them, whether through targeted effort or incidental. Keep in mind that flounder season will be closed November 1 through December 14.

By their nature, snook are our most tropical game fish species, which means that come November they begin their seasonal movement toward deeper and warmer water. That’s not to say you cannot catch snook in winter. It is necessary, however, to adjust technique and approach to match their preferred wintertime habitat.

Looking back over the past six months, I believe we have endured one of the windiest spring and summer seasons I have ever observed. Constant wind over so many months caused acres of dead and floating seagrass to transport freely throughout our bay waters. It was so bad for several weeks that fishing with lures became almost impossible. While we have seen some improvement the problem isn’t completely gone yet. Lately I have been noticing areas where potholes that should be prime ambush points for game fish have been completely blanketed with soggy, decaying seagrass. Hopefully, with calmer wind conditions and cooler water temps the problem will soon be gone.

November is known for excellent fishing, less-crowded water, and fronts that can arrive almost out of nowhere. Keep track of weather forecasts and plan your trips accordingly.

Best fishing!

View The Video

Open Camera and hover over QR Code. When link appears at top of screen tap to open in YouTube.

Post-Front Conditions…Wait ‘Em Out!

John Nau was happy to land his first-ever Texas snook

Robert Parker with a nice flounder pulled from a flooded shoreline.

FISHING REPORTS AND FORECASTS from Big Lake to Boca Chica

Trinity Bay - East Bay - Galveston Bay | James Plaag

Silver King Adventures - silverkingadventures.com - 409.935.7242

James loves fishing in the Galveston Bay system in November. “The patterns turn a nice corner for us over here this time of year. The tide levels and water temperatures drop down low enough to make for some steady action related to the shrimp migration, and also in the shallows, where some of the bigger trout show up more of the time. Wading is definitely the way to go this time of year. We have been catching most of our fish lately wading on a firm, sandy bottom, with some scattered shell. We usually see something of a shift toward better results over a little less firm bottom by November, though, especially after Thanksgiving. So we’ll be watching for that to happen. All of the families of lures work well at times during November. When it’s on the warm side, the topwater bite can be off the charts. I like the She-Pup, but bigger ones work well too. Hard baits like 51M MirrOlures, Catch 2000s and others produce well most of the time. And of course, soft plastics like the Assassin Sea Shads will produce plenty of bites too, especially in places where the trout and reds are gorging on shrimp.”

Jimmy West - Bolivar Guide Service - 409.996.3054

Jim looks forward to taking advantage of the bounty the great outdoors provides in one of his favorite months. “November is a special time for people like me. I get to split time between the duck blinds and the boat. The duck hunting can be great at the beginning of the season, if we get strong enough cold fronts to push good numbers of birds down this way. Fishing is usually reliable and consistent too. Once the water cools off, it’s easier to catch some fish in the way you want to. We’ll have fish on the shorelines in the backs of the bays. Wading will be the best way to target them. We usually catch some pretty big trout this time of year, wading shallow reefs and throwing topwaters and twitch baits. Of course, people who don’t like to wade can catch plenty of smaller trout out of the boat. We’ve normally got birds working in both East and Trinity bays, so locating the fish can be fairly easy. The bigger challenge is often finding the flocks hovering over the bigger trout. Another great pattern this month is wading around the mouths of the drains soon after strong fronts pass.”

West Galveston - Bastrop - Christmas - Chocolate Bays

Randall Groves - Groves Guide Service 979.849.7019 - 979.864.9323

Randall reports continued steady action in the area around San Luis Pass leading into the time he gave this November outlook. “We’ve been catching a bunch of reds in the back-lakes lately, throwing topwaters. We’re finding them along shorelines with some patch reefs. Sometimes keying on places where wading birds like egrets and herons are using the activities of the reds to help them catch their prey. In November, our trout fishing is usually steady and consistent. The patterns depend on how many fronts we get and how strong they are. Strong fronts drive the water out and set up the drama of the seasonal shrimp migration. We almost always have some birds working to make things easy, but we also catch plenty of fish by keying on jumping shrimp, even when no birds are hovering over the schools. We catch best this time of year around migrating shrimp by throwing soft plastics. The best colors depend on the clarity of the water. If the water’s clear, natural lures, like tequila gold or opening night work best. If the water’s stained, and looks like tea, lures

with a mix of black and orange or pink and green work better.

Matagorda | Bay Guide Service

Charlie Paradoski – 713.725.2401

Charlie says November is one of the best months of the year to fish the Matagorda area. “We love fishing this time of year. The shrimp usually move out of the marshes and start the whole working-birds phenomenon in earnest. Our trout fishing has been somewhat inconsistent lately, really good one day, not so great the next. Once the gulls start hovering over the herds of shrimp, the consistency level picks up considerably. Right now, the trout are on the shell. We’re not having much luck at all catching them over a muddy bottom out of the boat. Wading shell is the only good way to get at ‘em. That will all likely change once water temperatures cool down. Lately, everybody around here is targeting redfish, primarily. We’ve got a bull tide, and the shoreline coves in both bays are loaded with reds. Doesn’t take a genius to find ‘em either, with so much bait in the bays. This pattern usually lasts into November, so we look forward to some more fun days throwing topwaters and tails at the reds in the shallows. When we’re doing this, the numbers of bigger trout start to creep up. By Thanksgiving, they’re usually really much improved.”

Palacios | Capt. Aaron Wollam www.palaciosguideservice.com - 979.240.8204

With cooler air and the bull tides of the fall equinox in play, fishing in the Palacios area has been awesome lately. We’ve been catching an amazing number of reds. They’re schooling and chasing shrimp headed out of the marshes and into the bays. Best bite is always on falling tides when this scenario develops. Matrix Shad in bright colors have worked best, along with gold DOA shrimp-tails. Bull reds have been thick around Bird Island and at the big jetties. They’re taking cut mullet and crabs best. Fishing for black drum has picked up too, with lots of keepers biting peeled shrimp dangled about a foot under popping corks around patch reefs. The flounder have showed up too, and we’re catching decent numbers while targeting the schools of reds. Small mullet and mud minnows work best if flounder are the target. We’re catching lots of trout under the slot in some of these same areas, and hoping more of the bigger ones show up soon, as water temperatures cool off more. When temperatures do drop significantly this month, keying on places with signs of bait becomes really important, when rafts of mullet and schools of shrimp get flushed out of the drains.

Port O’Connor | Lynn Smith

Back Bay Guide Service - 361.983.4434

Lynn says the fishing for redfish has been on fire around Port O’Connor recently. “Some of the guys are catchin’ ‘em out at the jetties. Most likely using cut and live bait. I’ve been doing great in the back-lakes, throwing lures. The fall months are great for topwater action overall, and catching slot reds on top is a really fun way to have some productive fishing. With the high tides, we’re finding most of our fish tight to the emerging grass on the banks in some of the lakes. I’m seeing a good many big trout while fishing out of the boat too. Once we get into the colder weather, late in November, the pattern will likely change somewhat. Around Thanksgiving or so, we move into the time frame when the fishing is often

better in the afternoons, after the sun heats up the flats some after cold morning low temperatures. When this happens, the tide usually falls out some, so we spend more time targeting fish around some of the drains which connect deeper, open water areas to the back-lakes. When the tide moves out in the afternoon, pouring warm water through the drains, the action can be epic.”

Rockport | Blake Muirhead

Gator Trout Guide Service - 361.790.5203 or 361.441.3894

In November, cast and blast season cranks up, and life is good for Blake in the Coastal Bend. “The last couple years, the duck hunting has been really good in November. We usually have a wide variety of ducks early in the season, when the big numbers of birds first show up. The fishing is usually good this time of year for a mix of trout and redfish too. Some of the back-lakes have lots of trout in ‘em to keep us busy. We often don’t have to leave the marsh to catch plenty. It’s a great month to throw topwaters, but we always have our trusty dark Sand Eels with chartreuse tails on hand. The reds tackle topwaters pretty regularly this time of year too. Once the weather gets colder and the tide dumps out some, the fishing is often better on main bay shorelines, in places with a sandy, grassy bottom. At that time, the catching usually gets more consistent on the soft plastics, though good topwater days definitely still happen. It’s a great time of year to spend time in the outdoors in the Rockport area, with so many productive and fun options available.”

Upper Laguna Madre - Baffin Bay - Land Cut Robert Zapata – rz1528@grandecom.net - 361.563.1160

The catching is heating up about as fast as the weather is cooling off. We haven’t had enough cold weather to cause the fish to move around in response to the temperatures, but the air and water definitely feel more pleasant to us and the fish. I’m finding plenty of fish in about three feet of water early in the mornings, and they’re still moving into shallower water as the sun rises high in the sky. Both the trout and the reds are favoring areas with sandy, gravelly potholes on the bottom, or along grassy edges. Slow retrieves are working best, and we’re mostly throwing soft plastics on eighth ounce jigheads. Bass Assassin Die Dappers in colors like salt & pepper/chartreuse and chicken on a chain continue to produce best, in the clear water on sunny days. With more cloud cover, plum/chartreuse is working best. I’m seeing lots of stingrays in the places we’re wading, so it’s wise to wear the ForEverLast Ray Guards at all times. Sight-casting for both red and black drum with shrimp-flavored Fish-bites continues to produce good numbers of fish, with the action coming on flats covered by about a foot of water.

Corpus Christi | Joe Mendez – www.sightcast1.com - 361.877.1230

“We typically see some pretty big changes in the patterns that produce well in the Corpus Christi area come November,” Joe says. “During the early part of the month, we normally have some of the nicest weather of the year. The air cools off some, but the water is still pretty warm, especially compared with the water in the bays on the Upper Coast. During this part of the month, fishing the shallows and sight-casting for both trout and reds can be spectacular, as it is during all the warm months down here. Topwater action is sometimes off the charts too. But, later in the month, the first strong cold fronts of the season pass through, and things change. Once the water temperatures fall down into the 50s, fishing around or in the Intracoastal Waterway becomes better, especially for the trout. It’s not unusual to find birds working in the channel and along its edges around Thanksgiving, from the JFK Causeway to Pure Oil. Once the fish move into the channels, catching them consistently requires using the trolling motor to position the boat precisely and matching jighead size to the amount of current, meaning using heavier ones if it’s strong.”

P.I.N.S. Fishing Forecast | Eric Ozolins

361-877-3583 | Oceanepics.com

Once the highly anticipated cold fronts begin passing over the coast, the mullet migration will be in full swing, and the red drum and jack crevalle will invade the surf waters in big numbers. The Upper Coast is usually better for bull reds, while the Lower Coast waters produce more fish in the slot. Using a cast net to stock up on bait this time of year is a great idea. Live finger mullet tossed into the waves can produce bites from jacks, Spanish macks, bluefish and sharks, in addition to the reds. In southern stretches of the coast, tarpon are also plentiful in November. Toward the end of the month, Florida pompano usually show up in excellent numbers. Normally, the first ones to show up are the biggest and most numerous. They’ll readily take shrimp-flavored Fish-bites and peeled dead shrimp. Both blacktip and bull sharks will be available in good numbers this month. When weather conditions get right, we also find some the largest tiger sharks of the year prowling in the shallows fairly close to the beach. Anglers heading to the edge of the Gulf this time of year should stay aware of weather forecasts, to prevent getting caught off guard by strong fronts.

Port Mansfield | Ruben Garza

Snookdudecharters.com – 832.385.1431

Getaway Adventures Lodge – 956.944.4000

With the arrival of early-season fronts in November, water temperatures usually fall low enough to motivate people to put on waders. Once this happens, choosing places to fish becomes highly dependent on the direction of the wind. Strong north winds blow almost all the water out of some places, while flooding others. Gladys Hole is a prime example. The drop off at the entrance can provide epic action soon after tides fall off the flat behind it. The west shoreline from there to Little Bay can be good too. Topwaters work great at times, usually during warm trends before fronts blow in. Soft plastics rigged on eighth-ounce heads produce best more of the time. When fishing this area in open water this month, looking for mud streaks in the clear water usually pays off, especially if lots of mullet are jumping in the dirty water. Down south, fishing around Bennie’s Island is usually productive this time of year. Down there, it’s not uncommon to walk up on tailing reds in potholes and find flounder sitting in there with ‘em. West Bay also has great potential when the tides dump out. Some days, catching reds in there is as good as it gets.

Lower Laguna Madre - South Padre - Port Isabel Aaron Cisneros | tightlinescharters.com – 956-639-1941

With air and water temperatures falling and tide levels rising, fall patterns are swinging into gear in the LLM. With the typical high tides of fall, we’re finding most of our trout in small pods, scattered along shorelines with a mostly grassy bottom, with some sandy potholes covered by three to five feet of water. Most of the fish we’re catching are under the slot, but we’re getting some solid eighteen to twenty inchers too. KWiggler Ball Tails in Mansfield Margarita rigged on quarter-ounce screw-lock jigheads have been producing best. Redfish numbers have been steady too, and we’re finding them in lots of places, with so much water in the lagoon. The key is locating an abundance of small baitfish, usually finger mullet, along flooded shorelines. Early in the mornings, we are getting plenty of blow ups on Spook Juniors rigged with single hooks, throwing them right at the bank. Plum/chartreuse KWiggler Willow Tails on eighth-ounce heads work better later in the day. The fish are highly mobile with the rising tides of early fall, so anglers who want to do more catching than fishing have to put a priority on locating massive concentrations of bait to keep the bites coming.

Conner Baxter Offshore - red snapper

Jake Isdell

Chocolate Bayou - 23.5” trout

Dylan Isdell Chocolate Bayou - 18” drum

Anna & Grace Loeffelholz West Bay - 24” trout

Sophia Montgomery Packery Channel - 17” first fish!

Michael O’Dell & Jim Ryan Jamaica Beach - 50 lb drum

Michael Magner Bay Harbor - 38” black drum

Karter Hare Keller Bay - 32” redfish

Robert Rodriguez Offatts Bayou - 30.5” first bull red! CPR

First come – first published!

Photos are judged on artistic merit and sporting ethic displayed.

No stringer, cleaning table, or hanging board images allowed. Digital images only. Adjust camera to high or best quality. All images become property of TSFMag.

Email to: Photos@TSFMag.com

Include short description of your catch with name, date, bay system, etc.

Gavin Smith Lower Laguna Madre - first red!

Jaime Stagg Galveston Bay - 41” personal best red!

Jaxon Cuellar ICW - 22” first redfish!

Ignacio Castaneda

Blake Torrence Matagorda - personal best red! CPR

Lorenzo Rodriguez Fulton Pier - 44” black drum

Dan Zatarga North Padre - redfish CPR

Ryan Maza

shark

Gulf Coast

Shrimp Potstickers

INGREDIENTS

dough ingredienTs

2½ cups all-purpose flour (or more as needed)

3/4 tsp salt

1 cup hot water

shrimp ingredienTs

12 large shrimp - peeled and deveined

3 Tbsp green onions - finely sliced

2 cloves garlic - minced

2 tsp soy sauce

1/2 tsp sesame oil

1/2 tsp Sriracha sauce

dipping sauce ingredienTs

1/2 cup seasoned rice vinegar

2 tsp soy sauce

2 tsp Crystal chili sauce

1 tsp Chopped Green Onions

PREPARATION

These tasty stuffed dumplings are great for appetizers and can even be featured as an entrée with your favor ite side dishes. I do not recall ever having any leftovers!

Place 2-1/2 cups flour in mixing bowl, add salt and hot water and stir until it comes together to form a soft dough. Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead until very soft but not sticky; work a sprinkling more flour into the dough if necessary. Continue kneading, rolling, and stretching until smooth and elastic – about three minutes. Place dough in bowl and cover with plastic film, rest at room temperature for one hour.

Combine rice vinegar, soy sauce, chili sauce, and green onions for dipping sauce in small bowl. Stir and set aside.

Combine shrimp, green onions, garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, and Sriracha sauce in a bowl; toss until shrimp are thoroughly covered. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate in refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Unwrap dough and pinch off a small piece. Roll into a ball between palms, then use rolling pin to flatten into a circle about four inches diameter and one-eighth inch thick. Repeat to make twelve pieces.

Place one shrimp in center of flattened dough along with a little bit of the green onion and marinade. Moisten edges of dough slightly with cold water, then fold dough around the shrimp and press moistened edges together to seal. Transfer to a flour-dusted plate and cover with a towel while you assemble the remaining potstickers.

In a large frying pan, add four teaspoons vegetable oil and four teaspoons unsalted butter. Bring to medium heat.

When the frying pan is heated, place potstickers in the pan with the flat sides down. Cook for 1 minute until golden brown. Turn to cook the other side about 30 seconds. Add 3 tablespoons water and cover immediately. Steam dumplings until cooked through and most of the water has evaporated – about 2 to 3 minutes.

Serve immediately with dipping sauce.

Science Seaand the

The Scent of Lamprey Love

A key aspect of sexual attraction for many animals is the involvement of pheromones—chemicals secreted by an animal that other members of that species respond to. It’s no different for lampreys, an eel-shaped parasitic fish with a formidable suction-cup mouth. For these creatures, what attracts female lampreys to potential mates is the enticing smell of sperm. A compound called spermine is present in the semen of a wide range of animals, including humans, but scientists have only recently discovered that spermine is a strong aphrodisiac for female lampreys that are ready to mate.

Female lampreys use odor receptors in their nose to detect the pheromone spermine contained in the semen of male lampreys. Credit: Dave Herasimtschuk, US Fish & Wildlife Service.

Scientists have already been replicating pheromone odors that attract lampreys and using it to improve their population-control methods, and now spermine can become another tool in their toolbox. The research required testing nearly 12,000 pairs of chemicals against lamprey odor receptors to discover the pair that matched. Researchers learned that female lampreys use spermine to pick the best mates living near the gravel beds in streams, where they can spawn several times an hour.

The discovery has led to new strategies for controlling sea lampreys in the Great Lakes, where they’ve become a particularly destructive invasive species over the past century and a half. Though native to the Atlantic Ocean, sea lampreys made their way to the Great Lakes in the 1830s and have been tearing away the flesh of lake fish and sucking out their insides ever since. Each lamprey consumes an estimated 40 pounds of fish every year. U.S. and Canadian regulatory agencies have worked together to reduce the impact of lampreys in the region using barriers, traps, and lampricides—chemicals that are deadly to lamprey larvae but harmless to other animals—in streams that flow into the lakes.

Chris Mapp, owner of Coastal Bend Marine and Flats Cat Boat Company. Great Service, Parts & Sales.

“What can we do for you?”

REPAIR & MAINTENANCE

ABOUT ETHANOL AND NON-ETHANOL GASOLINE

Is it OK to run non-ethanol gasoline in my boat when it is available?

The simple answer is yes, your boat will run fine on non-ethanol gasoline, even if you’ve been running regular unleaded blended with ethanol.

What is ethanol? Ethanol is alcohol, distilled from grain, usually corn. It is blended with gasoline to reduce automobile emissions. But there is a downside; ethanol attracts moisture from the atmosphere. The blend of gasoline and ethanol, when contaminated with even a tiny bit of water, becomes highly corrosive to metal piping, storage tanks, and even engine fuel system components. The older the mixture the more

water it will likely contain. That’s why ethanol isn’t blended with gasoline until delivered from the refinery to a fuel depot.

The shelf life of ethanol blended gasoline is generally regarded as 90 days before the combustibility (energy potential) begins to degrade. Any such mixture older than 90 days can also cause corrosion problems in the engine fuel system. By comparison, non-ethanol gasoline is regarded as stable for up to 180 days. However, a fuel additive is still recommended to preserve combustibility and reduce carbon buildup. Every time, every fill-up, no matter which gasoline is used.

Non-ethanol gasoline is rated at 90 octane, sufficient for most outboards, although some brands of higher-horsepower require 93 octane ethanol gasoline for best performance – always check the owner’s manual.

Even with a fuel additive, ethanol gasoline older than 90 days and even non-ethanol older than 180 days should be considered suspect for degradation. Turning over the quantity in the tank(s) is the only remedy to stay out of the shop.

We use a BG brand test kit to discover the fuel quality of any boat motor with power loss issues. If the fuel test result is poor we pump the tank and start over, or do not attempt the repair. Mixing new fuel with old will not fix the problem. Consider half a glass of soured milk topped off with fresh milk; the problem doesn’t go away.

Whichever fuel you choose, turn it over often, use the proper additives, and never use E85 for marine applications.

a great fall season!

Mapp

COOLER

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