October 2017

October 2017

Only $3.95

TSFMAG.COM

TIDE PREDICTIONS & SOLUNAR FEED TIMES INSIDE!

We Live Hunting and Fishing

. . . r e f e r P Some

. . . e k i L s r Othe

THE 25’

DOES IT ALL

WHEN ONLY THE BEST WILL DO. Now available at

eat u r i wf no

ng ar two

rk b y

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

TM

50+

800.606.4003 · denaliperformance.com 800.606.4003 · denaliperformance.com

®

about the Cover Marina Sams is our cover angler, showing off a beautiful redfish she landed recently, fishing with her father and Capt Scott Sommerlatte. October will be full of opportunity from Sabine Lake to Brazos Santiago Pass. Don’t miss it!

-Scott Sommerlatte Photo

Contents

October 2017 VOL 27 NO 6

FEATURES

DEPARTMENTS

10 Hurricane Impact Assessment 16 Sample-size Matters 22 Bodie Goes to England: Part 3 26 Back to School…in Home Waters 30 The Goblin Fish 36 Small Box for Big Fish

42 46 50 54 56 58 60 62 66 63 92

Steve Hillman Kevin Cochran Martin Strarup Chuck Uzzle Joe Richard Joe Doggett

30

Let’s Ask The Pro Shallow Water Fishing TPWD Field Notes Fly Fishing Kayak Fishing Chronicles TSFMag Conservation News Fishy Facts Inshore | Nearshore | Jetties | Passes Extreme Kayak Fishing & Sharks...

Science & the Sea Boat Maintenance Tips

WHAT OUR GUIDES

HAVE TO SAy

70 72 74 76 78 80 82

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

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

REGULARS

76

8 Editorial 68 New Tackle & Gear 84 Fishing Reports and Forecasts 88 Catch of the Month 90 Gulf Coast Kitchen

90 6 | October 2017

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

54

Editor and Publisher Everett Johnson Everett@tsfmag.com VICE PRESIDENT PRODUCTION & ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Pam Johnson Pam@tsfmag.com Office: 361-785-3420 Cell: 361-550-9918 National sales representative Bart Manganiello Bartalm@optonline.net regional sales representative Patti Elkins Patti@tsfmag.com Office: 361-785-3420 Cell: 361-649-2265 PRODUCTION COORDINATOR Donna Boyd Donna@tsfmag.com Circulation Subscription – product sales Linda Curry Store@tsfmag.com Design & Layout Stephanie Boyd Artwork@tsfmag.com Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine is published monthly.

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

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

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

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

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

EDITORIAL

God Bless Texas!

Though I have no recollection, my mother says as a small boy I had an imaginary friend I called Harvey. Me and Ol’ Harv were evidently pretty good buddies, to the extent that I requested she say goodnight to him when she put me to bed.

Been a long time, I sure hope that wasn’t my old pal that barreled through Texas last month.

Had Hurricane Harvey followed a traditional path – continuing inland after initial landfall – the overall outcome would have been very different. The Coastal Bend would not have been spared, obviously, but the enormous floods that inundated so many communities in the massive swath from Bay City through Greater Houston and eastward to Beaumont and Orange would never have happened.

But it did. We must now place our trust in the Almighty and aid our fellow man to the best of our ability during recovery.

I pray God’s richest blessings for the brave first responders and thousands of volunteers who sprang to action saving lives and property. The images on social media and ‘round-the-clock newscasts told the story far better than anything I can say here. So many answered the call and we will be forever in your debt.

As you peruse the pages of this magazine you will quickly discern that some of the content was created before the storm. Some pieces were written in the aftermath. Rather than request rewrites of the earlier submissions, we decided to proceed as though nothing

happened – trusting our readers would understand.

The TSFMag writing team and staff made it through the storm in remarkable shape with only minor wind and water damage. Even those that reside nearest Harvey’s landfall were incredibly lucky.

Of all our crew, Dickie Colburn was dealt the cruelest blow.

Speaking with Dickie almost two weeks after the storm, I learned that his home had been badly flooded and they were in the throes of pulling carpet and sheetrock, still without power. Typical of Dickie, though, he sounded cheerful and his spirits were bright. So, if you follow his column regularly – please know that the Colburns are well and busy in storm recovery – but you will have to wait until November for a Sabine Scene fishing article.

Tough times and dangerous situations are said to have a way of bringing out the best in people, and I want everybody to know how proud I am to live in Texas. We see the way folks in other parts of this country and the world react to natural disasters and other calamitous events, and there is absolutely no comparison. Louisiana and the Cajun Navy being one of the few and bravest exceptions.

My greatest praise and respect are extended to all my fellow citizens. Texas is an attitude as much as a place to live, work and raise families. Texas will rise bigger and better. We are Texas Strong!

God Bless!

Texas’ Newest Cat! 25’

25’

GCMBOATS.COM

10121 S. PADRE ISLAND DR. CORPUS CHRISTI, TX

361-937-7800 8 | October 2017

4120 HIGHWAY 6 HITCHCOCK, TX

281-779-0500

STORY BY STEVE HILLMAN

FM528 crossing over Clear Creek – Lots of freshwater headed for Galveston Bay!

B

y the time this issue hits newsstands it will have been nearly a month since Hurricane Harvey made landfall on the Coastal Bend region of Texas. As I type, the outer bands of this Category-4 hurricane are dumping heavy rains here on the Upper Texas Coast and fresh water is less than 20 feet from my front door. Rainfall amounts are unprecedented, totaling 25-inches or more in less than 24 hours. And more on the way! Rockport, Fulton, Port Aransas and nearby areas have sustained enormous damage and our prayers are with them. In addition to extreme wind damage, they have experienced several months’ worth of rainfall in mere hours.

In all honesty, it’s very difficult for me to focus on writing this piece right now. My mind is occupied with friends and family members who haven’t been as fortunate as us (so far). This storm materialized faster than any I can remember. When I left the dock on the morning of August 24 it was a tropical storm. While we were fishing it became a Category-1 hurricane and progressed into Category-4 within 24 hours. Harvey went from a tropical depression to a full-blown

Category 4 in 56 hours!

The last Category-4 hurricane to hit the Texas coast was Hurricane Carla which made landfall near Port O’Connor on September 11, 1961.

Storm surges reaching 22-feet were reported in Lavaca Bay. Unlike Harvey, Carla was a storm surge and wind event. If I had to choose between a turbulent storm surge hurricane and one that produced heavy amounts of rain then I would choose the later. We saw what Hurricane Ike (surge and wind) did to our bay system. After years of subsidence, erosion, channel dredging, etc., thousands of acres of habitat were covered in layers of silt. Freshwater inundation (Harvey) will do far less damage to existing substrate and may even provide long-term benefits.

It will be a while before coastal anglers from Rockport to Sabine can focus on fishing again. Excessive fresh water will move our fish to unseasonable locations and in some cases even out of our bays as trout and other species seek higher salinities. Siltation and freshwater will have an initial ill effect on habitats such as seagrasses and oyster reefs. I worry about how many days or weeks those of us

who fish for a living will not be able to run charters and how we’ll The epitome of irony! survive if we’re not behind the wheel of our boats. Even more so, I worry about those who lost most everything. Again, our prayers are with all of them.

I remember having to fish mainly Matagorda Bay after Hurricane Ike because of concerns with pollution and debris here in the Galveston Bay System. Fishing was great but it was difficult for me personally because of the hardships everyone affected by the hurricane were facing. I foresee the same thing happening this go-round. We find ways to make do but the hardships faced by others tugs at our emotions.

I’ve received calls concerning the effects Hurricane Harvey will have on our fishing. At the time of this writing it’s difficult for me to speculate because I do not know what the next several days have in store for us. All I can do is rely upon past experiences. The last heavy rainfall event of this magnitude on the Upper Coast was Tropical Storm Allison in June 2001. There have been other exceptional rainfall events in the past such as Tropical Layne Lewis came in with his Storm Claudette in 1979 but flooding was more localized. dad from Lindale, Texas two days Hurricane Harvey could very well go down in the books as before Harvey hit. Congrats Layne the most widespread heavy rainfall event in Texas history on landing your first-ever trout! before it’s all said and done. This one is like no other but all is not lost. I truly believe that Mother Nature knows what she’s doing.

While events like Hurricane Harvey are devastating in the short term, most of the time there are benefits down the road. The flushing of microscopic forage provides nutrients for menhaden, shrimp, crabs, mullet, etc., which in turn provide forage for higher forms of marine life up the chain including speckled trout and redfish. In addition, flooded vegetation enhances survival of post-larval and juvenile gamefish species by providing additional cover in areas that would otherwise be inaccessible. The reduction of salinity levels also reduces predators such as Dermo (Perkinsus marinus), oyster drills and sponges which kill live oysters. Assuming the existing substrate didn’t get covered by silt, live reefs typically flourish within 18- to 24-months. The benthic landscape of Middle Coast bays may be impacted in other ways such as mortality of seagrass beds 12 | October 2017

YOUR SALTWATER ADVANTAGE

Packed with Shimano’s most advanced technology, the new Shimano Chronarch G casting reel delivers the top level performance enthusiast saltwater anglers require.

MICROMODULE GEAR -more efficient drive train with a smoother feel

SVS INFINITY -greater range in dial adjustment

fish.shimano.com

(above) Scott Medsger, Haley Matthews and Buzzy Knapp smoked the reds less than 24-hours before Harvey made landfall! (above right) Expect birds to work over reds and trout following the flush. (right) FM517 in Dickinson, Texas – This is my route to the boat ramp every day…but I typically trailer my boat.

Unbelievable! (Photo by Keith Campbell)

14 | October 2017

while dumping rainfall amounts of Taken from the overpass on I-45 looking west catastrophic proportions. down FM517 in Dickinson, Rest assured, things will get back to Texas. Forecast says at normal at some point but I don’t think least 4 more days of rain we’ll forget this one for a very long time. at the time of this photo!

(Photo by Keith Campbell) My prayer is that our estuaries benefit from this natural disaster more than they suffer and that we can all eventually continue enjoying what we love for years to come.

On a final note, I want to say how very proud I am to be a member of the Texas Coastal community. The unselfish outpouring of individuals helping complete strangers while even sometimes putting themselves in danger is truly uplifting. God bless all who have been impacted by this unfortunate natural disaster and heartfelt prayers for a speedy recovery.

Steve Hillman

Contact

due to prolonged low salinity, uprooting and siltation, but they will eventually recover. I remember when Tropical Storm Hermine devastated vast expanses of shoal grass in the Lower Laguna Madre in 2010. The combination of uprooting and freshwater inundation left them with thousands of acres of habitat destruction. Within a year, however, regrowth commenced and all was eventually restored to normal over time.

Because of the timing of this piece (August 26, 2017) it’s anyone’s guess what to expect in the weeks to come for the Middle and Upper Texas Coast. Based upon history, my guess is we will have a flurry of bird action in the short-term once the bays settle a bit. This will come as the result of forage species being prematurely flushed from rivers, bayous and marshes. However, it will be a while before most areas are fishable. I remember fishing 12 days after Ike and there were birds working in just about every part of our bay system. The distinct difference between Ike and Harvey is that Ike was more of a storm surge event as opposed to excessive rainfall.

Tropical Storm Allison may offer a better comparison of what to expect after Harvey. I remember fishing being good in the lower reaches of Galveston Bay and West Bay after Allison. It took 3- to 4-weeks for salinities to stabilize and for the bay to return to somewhat normal. However, the effects from freshwater run-off from Harvey may be felt for much longer and over a much larger area. Harvey didn’t just show up, cause trouble, and then leave. The fact that it was wedged between two high pressure systems caused it to basically camp out over a stretch of coastline and inland areas

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

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

© 2017 YETI Coolers, LLC

STORY BY KEVIN COCHRAN

Moon over Alazon. On average, the bite improves when a moon hovers near the horizon.

D

rawing accurate conclusions becomes easier as the sample-size of studied data increases. This truth applies to scientific endeavors of all kinds. While saltwater fishing does not fit the description of a scientific process, the tenet can affect anglers’ abilities to draw accurate conclusions about their activities. The impact of sample-size carries more significance in some aspects of the endeavor than others.

In a broad sense, anglers’ predictions about the weights of the fish they catch reveal the flaws associated with making claims based on scant amounts of data. I’ll walk out on a sturdy limb and defend the truth of this basic statement: when people estimate the weights of fish, they usually exaggerate the dimensions. Even when trying to keep things real, not stretching the truth to enhance the effects of a fishing story, most people struggle to accurately assess the weight of a specimen. The average person’s inability to closely predict the weights of fish diminishes in inverse proportion to the size of the fish.

Most people have a better chance of correctly estimating the weights of smaller fish than larger ones. Sample-size undoubtedly affects this ability. All of us see more little fish than big ones.

Consequently, we see more small fish weighed accurately, so we develop a better sense of what a specimen of a modest length likely weighs. The longer the fish, the fewer we see; the lack of volume in sample-size reduces the reliability of our predictive ability.

I have plenty of personal experience testing these ideas. Over the years, I’ve weighed hundreds of speckled trout on a Boga Grip before their release, to document their weights, so I could post the numbers online with pictures of the fish. I also spent several years participating in tournaments, watching fish slide onto digital scales at the events. Unlike the average weekend angler, I’ve personally seen plenty of “big” trout weighed accurately.

This causes me to question the estimates of people with less experience. I’ve had disputes with customers and friends over the issue. “We caught two nines over there last week,” I remember one saying. When I questioned the guesstimated weights, he defended them by saying, “They were both twenty-nine inches, so they had to

weigh at least nine.” I pointed to my catalog of statistics as a way of pushing back.

“I’ve weighed scores of twenty-nine-inch trout. A few did weigh nine pounds or more. Most did not. The average weight of a twentynine-incher falls just under eight pounds, in my data base. If the fish reaches 29.5 inches or longer, the average weight will jump up to the eight-pound mark, on average.” In the specific case to which I’m referring, the customer didn’t accept my argument until he went out and purchased a Boga Grip and began using it regularly. Then, not surprisingly, he began trusting the measurements rendered by a carefully calibrated tool over his flawed flights of fancy.

In his defense, he’d spent much of his time fishing the Upper Coast before making the statements about the specimens referenced in the example above. Of course, he had not caught many twenty-nine-inch trout in Galveston, but he had seen a few weighed accurately, and those did weigh nine pounds or more. “A twenty-nine on the Upper Coast will weigh nine pounds, period,” he asserted, confidently. I know this isn’t the case, but I will concede a general truth related to his claim.

In Texas, on average, Upper Coast trout weigh slightly more pounds-per-inch than Lower Coast specimens. I say this after watching many fish weighed in different regions, and after listening to anecdotes told by fishing guides in all areas of the state for more than two decades. The disparate relationship of

Alton Morris caught this seven-pound trout during the middle of a summer day, when bright sunlight facilitated throwing soft plastics close to visible structures. (lower left) Guessing the weight of a monster trout like this proves difficult at best, even for experienced anglers, because no one sees many of them! The Boga Grip and a flexible measuring tape revealed its dimensions as ten pounds and 31.25 inches.

18 | October 2017

(lower middle) In waters of extreme temperature, either hot or cold, soft plastics like the MirrOlure Provoker often produce more strikes than other offerings.

(lower right) On bright post-front days in October, soft plastics and slow-sinking twitchbaits usually produce better than topwaters.

20 | October 2017

containing high levels of brown algae. “Just pull out a She Dog or Skitter Walk and rattle ‘em up.” Sounds good on paper, right? When targeting trout in dirty water, toss a noisy plug into their midst, one they can locate easily, and your problem disappears like morning mist. Such a naive assertion refuses to acknowledge the basic truth about the inconsistent willingness of a trout to strike at the surface.

Dirty water does not change this.

Sure, catching aggressive, actively feeding trout in stained waters on floating plugs happens easily some of the time. But anglers who assume trout will always strike at rattling plugs snapped around on the surface of mucky water will walk away disappointed on many other occasions, especially if their efforts occur in cold water.

Generally, speckled trout show a low inclination to rise and strike plugs on the surface when water temperatures dip much below sixty degrees. Yes, I’ve seen them strike on top in colder water, even water measured at forty-something degrees. But I’ve also seen many people try and fail to earn blow-ups in waters of those temperatures, while others caught plenty of fish on sub-surface lures. After thousands of days’ experience, I don’t doubt the veracity of my conclusion. People who catch trout on top in frigid water a few times and become stubbornly committed to doing so on a regular basis set themselves up for consistent disappointment.

Active fish swimming in water which recently warmed up to forty-eight degrees show a much higher propensity to rise and strike than ones swimming in water of the same temperature which recently chilled from temperatures above sixty. I make this claim after gathering and analyzing copious amounts of data. More data, when viewed through the lens of intelligent analysis, leads to more accurate conclusions, whether related to the size of a specimen, the likelihood of catching fish in a particular place, or the potential efficacy of a specific lure/presentation in a given situation.

Of course, in order to provide maximum benefits, data must be accurate. The old saying rings clear here—garbage in equals garbage out. No matter how high it reaches, a pile of sloppy data won’t morph into a mountain of sound conclusions, either in the arena of science, or in the realm of the angling arts.

Kevin Cochran Contact

length to weight across the state likely results from the richer, more diverse food sources available to trout living in riverine estuaries in the north, compared with the less-diverse, nutrient-challenged, hypersaline lagoons down south.

I can’t defend the previous statement with scientific evidence, but it does seem like a reasonable conclusion, based on an ample data sample. Contrast the concept with what happens to anglers prefishing for tournaments, within a given estuary. Folks who catch a handful of trout or redfish in one part of a bay system and compare them to a similar number caught elsewhere sometimes make the following assertion: “The fish over there are fatter than the ones over here.” I’ll concede it’s possible for fish in one part of an estuary to temporarily carry a higher average weight-per-inch compared to those in another part, in response to the presence of some kind of forage species, or the abundance of available food, but I’ll also assert a more likely cause for the apparent disparity. The anglers drawing the conclusion don’t have enough evidence.

A sample size of ten or twenty (likely even fifty) fish will not provide an accurate sense of a discrepancy in length/ size relationship of fish within a given body of water. Whether contemplating the size of fish or the likely ease of catching them, anglers basing their decisions on scant amounts of evidence run the risk of making flawed choices. Perhaps of paramount importance, accurately assessing the likelihood of catching fish in a specific place becomes easier in direct proportion to the number of times one visits the site.

More visits to a place reveal more aspects of its potential productivity. Ideally, one gathers evidence after testing the site dozens or hundreds of times, in various types of conditions, before jumping to conclusions about its consistency of production. Some spots produce well with a specific set of environmental variables in play; without those variables present, they don’t produce much at all. The variables might include tide movement, tide level, wind speed and direction, water temperature and/or turbidity level, or some combination of these.

Take turbidity and its effect on the catching in a specific place as an example. On the muddy flats lying adjacent to the Intracoastal Waterway in East Matagorda Bay, southerly winds of even moderate speeds quickly turn the water ugly. Anglers in the know still manage to catch trout around shell humps in the area, particularly on noisy topwaters in the warmer half of the year. The best bite in nasty water on these spoil banks occurs when strong tide movement stirs up an active bite, or when a passing barge creates man-made current during slack tides.

Anglers inexperienced with the specifics related to these issues, who visit the area once or twice prior to a tournament and catch a few quality trout in water looking like Yoo-hoo might certainly make a poor decision and wind up holding a skunk during the day of the event, particularly if they choose to continue chunking a floating plug all day at the fish, waiting for a repeat of earlier events.

A speckled trout’s willingness to strike at a topwater changes significantly from moment to moment and day to day, regardless of water clarity.

This fact causes some people to make a basic mistake when fishing brown tide-tainted waters where I live and work. “I don’t know what y’all are complaining about. The water in Galveston always looks like this,” I’ve heard some say when they see water

Kevin Cochran is a full-time fishing guide at Corpus Christi (Padre Island), TX. Kevin is a speckled trout fanatic and has created several books and dvds on the subject.

Kevin’s home waters stretch from Corpus Christi Bay to the Land Cut.

Trout Tracker Guide Service Phone Email Web

361-688-3714 kevxlr8@mygrande.net www.FishBaffinBay.com www.captainkevblogs.com

STORY BY MARTIN STRARUP

T

ommy concluded his business with the Dillard’s clerk and pulled out his phone. “Hey, Bodie, where ya at right now?”

“About thirty feet behind you,” Bodie’s voice boomed clear as a bell in his ears as well as the phone.

Tommy turned and giggled sheepishly. “So, where we headed to now, Bodie?”

“Well, Tommy, I need a new hat and I’d like to check out some boots.

What say we head across town to the western store? Oh, and I found a few shirts and some jeans, so I guess a hat and boots are in order, too.”

Walking into the western shop, Tommy commented that he always liked the smell of new leather goods.

“Maybe you should come out and help me work cattle sometime, Tommy. A good saddle smells just like this,” Bodie chuckled.

“Ugh, no thanks,” Tommy replied. “Dust and cow poop and mean horses – No Way!” Bodie laughed and walked toward a rack of hats as a very pretty young lady in western clothes approached and asked if she might be able to help.

“Are you a real cowgirl?” Tommy asked.

Bodie shot him “the look” and Tommy pretended to be suddenly interested in something on the next aisle.

“Well, I run barrels and my dad has lots of cattle. So, maybe I am,” the girl replied sweetly.

Tommy blushed and pointed at Bodie. “Yeah, well he’s a real cowboy. And he fishes, too!”

Bodie flushed a bit at that, and cleared his throat. “Hello, Miss. I’m interested in a new felt hat, if you don’t mind.”

“Yes sir, we have lots of hats. Do you already have something in mind, a brand and style you normally wear?”

Bodie said most of his hats were pretty worn and that it’d been a long time since he bought a new one, but he liked silver belly Stetsons and Resistols.

“Good choices,” the girl remarked cheerfully. “And we have a good selection of each. So, lemme guess…you need a 7-3/8s?”

“Uh, well, uh, yes actually, that’s my size exactly,” Bodie stammered.

Feeling the blush rising in his cheeks again.

The girl quickly returned with a pair of hats. “This is the Resistol Challenger and this one is the Stetson Lariat. Both are 5x silver belly.”

Bodie took the hats from her and stepped in front of the full-length mirror. He liked the fit and shape of both. Minor shaping, he thought to himself, and either would be perfect.

“I like the Stetson the best,” Tommy remarked.

“I like both of them,” Bodie answered. “Is there a price difference, Miss?”

“They’re both $215, sir,” the girl politely replied.

Bodie flinched. “Well,” he stammered again, “That’s a good deal more than I was hoping to spend, but it’s certainly been a while since I bought a new hat and it’s for a special occasion.”

“They both look really nice on you,” the girl offered. “I think they both accent your strong, handsome face.”

“Thank you, ma’am,” he blurted. “I’ll take the Stetson then.”

Tommy had never seen Bodie so obviously flustered so quickly and began giggling again. Bodie shot him “the look” but with a quick wink.

TSFMAG.com | 23

24 | October 2017

is close but there ain’t no Nile River anywhere near there.”

“She’s talking about the country of Egypt, not the little town up near Wharton,” Bodie fired back with a glare.

“Oh, well okay, ‘cause there sure ain’t no Nile River anywhere near Egypt, Texas,” Tommy replied, very sure of his geography.

Bodie rolled his eyes and Charlisa laughed while Bodie tried the boots on.

“I swear, these are the most comfortable boots that I have ever had on my feet,” Bodie allowed.

Tommy looked at Charlisa and asked, “Whatta y’all ask for a pair of boots like that?”

“Well, being Nile crocodile and all, these are $1650, but they’re the last pair we have and they’re just your size,” she smiled.

Tommy went to choking and Bodie whacked him on the back.

Feeling dizzy at the price, Bodie retook his seat and very carefully removed the boots and handed them back to her.

“Young lady, I might pay that for a horse or a used pickup,” Bodie informed her. “But I would never, ever, pay that much for a pair of boots. Maybe you have a nice pair of calfskin or cowhide for a couple hundred dollars?”

Bodie settled for a nice pair of cowhide Noconas with a half-moon toe for $214.00 that Tommy agreed would go with anything – jeans, slacks, a suit, or wading shorts.

Bodie and Tommy headed to the register with Charlisa as Bodie remarked again how comfortable those boots were and how he wished he could take that Resistol hat for a spare. But wasn’t about to go broke getting outfitted for a trip to England.

While Bodie settled up for his hat and boots, Tommy said he wanted to look at the cavalry hat one more time and walked over to the guy he had been speaking with. He told the man that he wanted the cavalry hat and he pointed to the Resistol box that Bodie didn’t take and said he wanted that too. He also walked the guy over to the boots and told him he wanted the Miles Crocodiles as well. The man corrected him but Tommy let it pass. He informed the man to hold everything in his name and he’d be back in the morning when they opened.

The salesman was quite happy about the matter until Tommy told him to give Charlisa credit for selling the Resistol and the crocodile boots. He could have sales credit for the cavalry hat.

To be continued...

Martin Strarup

Contact

“I’d like to change the shape just a little, if it’s not too much trouble,” Bodie said, admiring the Stetson in the mirror.

“Oh sure, I can do that for you, right over here, if you’ll tell me what you want done,” the little cowgirl chirped. Knowing she had him hooked.

“I’d prefer to do it myself,” Bodie informed her politely. “If it’s okay with you and the steamer is hot.”

“Oh sure. Follow me and you can have at it.”

Bodie used the steam to bend the brim to his liking and went back to the mirror to make sure. “That’s what it’s supposed to look like,” he affirmed.

The girl giggled and Bodie blushed. “It looks great, sir, that’s exactly the shape George Strait prefers.”

“Well then,” Bodie replied. “I like George’s music and I’m glad he likes the shape of my hat.”

Tommy asked the girl a question about a cavalry hat and then asked, “What is your name, Miss, so we don’t have to keep calling you, Miss.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. My name is Charlisa,” she replied as she and Bodie made brief eye contact. “My dad’s name is Charlie and my mother is Lisa.”

Bodie told Charlisa he would like to look at some dress boots and she asked him if he had a particular brand in mind.

“I’ve always liked Noconas and Tony Lamas, if you have them.”

Charlisa said they carried both and led Bodie to the boot section.

Bodie looked for Tommy and was horrified to see him straddling a bench wearing the cavalry hat, pretending to shoot at something while riding the bench. Before Bodie could get his attention a male sales associate approached Tommy. Bodie grinned and turned back to Charlisa and the boots.

“Any particular color or style you’re looking for?” she asked.

“Well, for dress, I want a 12- or 13-inch boot with a walking heel, and half-moon or French toe, in 13D.” Charlisa told Bodie to have a seat and she’d be back shortly with a selection for him to try. Bodie was secretly hoping he’d worn socks with no holes. Looking around for Tommy, he noticed the male sales associate leading Tommy toward him, wearing the cavalry hat, making Bodie wonder what story he was about to hear.

Tommy took a seat next to Bodie. “Did you get some boots?”

“Not yet. She’s in the back gathering up some for me to try on.”

“Did you buy that cavalry hat?”

“Not yet, but I might. It would make a good fishing hat and I’m pretty sure it would irritate Red. That alone would make it worth the price,” Tommy grinned.

Charlisa came out with both arms full of boxes and stacked them on the floor in front of Bodie.

“Now, sir, please don’t get all flustered when I show you this first pair. I think they are the most beautiful boots I have ever seen,” Charlisa said, opening a Tony Lama box.

Bodie had removed his work boots and agreed the Tony Lamas were sure enough fine looking.

“Is that alligator?” Tommy asked.

“No, sir. These are Nile crocodile” Charlisa replied.

“Why do they call them Miles crocodile?” Tommy asked.

“Not Miles, sir, Nile. As in the Nile river of Egypt,” she politely corrected.

“Pfft,” Tommy retorted. “There’s no Nile River in Egypt. The Colorado

Martin Strarup is a lifelong saltwater enthusiast and outdoorsman.

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

Email

Trouthunter@swbell.net

Kurt Robertson got a kick out of watching marsh reds gobble the Stanley Ribbit.

STORY BY CHUCK UZZLE

B

efore attempting to provide any semblance of a normal fishing column this month, let me say that my thoughts and prayers are focused wholly on the plight of the millions of Texans whose lives have been horribly interrupted by Hurricane Harvey. We likely all have friends and possibly family residing somewhere between Beaumont and Corpus Christi that lost homes, vehicles and maybe even their livelihoods during the storms. I remember vividly the hardships my own family endured during Hurricane Rita in 2005 and again during Ike in 2008. My heart goes out to everyone affected by this latest disaster.

I also remember during those dark days when storms wreaked such havoc, we found relief from immediate problems by simply relaxing and thinking happier thoughts for a few moments. For me it was fishing. So, if you are one who might benefit similarly, find a quiet place and thumb the pages of TSFMag for a few minutes – it can be good therapy.

Easily one of the most difficult fishing related problems many anglers will have after a storm like Harvey will be realizing that their bay or body of water will not be the same.

The immense tide surges, high water and wind, will put a facelift on the coast and it will be our challenge going forward to re-learn each area.

Old reefs will be covered with silt and new ones will appear in strange places.

Navigable guts that existed for decades between productive flats will run in new directions after being re-carved by the incredible power of rushing water. Productive areas that were once tried and true will be all but a memory in some instances, while new ones will have been created in other places. New opportunity will be abundant once we relearn the landscape. If fishermen can look at these areas as just that, new opportunities, it will certainly help the learning curve as everyone goes back to school to get a new handle on the bay.

Now, before we start thinking about what lure we are going to use or where we want to start fishing, our greatest concern has to be safe navigation.

Large debris will be scattered everywhere the tide and wind could carry it and extreme caution must be exercised to avoid damaging your hull and lower unit. During the days following Hurricane Ike on Sabine Lake, we encountered all manner of floating and partially submerged obstacles. Trees, lumber from piers and docks, refrigerators and other objects wrecked lower units and props of unsuspecting boaters as the mass of trash and debris worked its way through our river and bay system for weeks.

Good Samaritans who took time to hang markers and place buoys on objects they TSFMAG.com | 27

found floating or stuck in high-travel areas were greatly appreciated by all boaters. This simple act of kindness could help save another boater in many ways and just one of many things you can do to help the next guy. I spent a good bit of time dragging floating debris to shore in many areas of the marsh where fishermen and hunters frequently run. I can only imagine what would happen to a boater who struck any of those objects so please be aware as you navigate the bays after the storm.

Okay – with all the talk of the storm behind us, let’s take a look at what we hopefully have in store going forward. October and November are historically some of the best fishing months on Sabine and Calcasieu and choosing between the two is a Pre-Harvey – we were finding Carefully running and observing at low provide patterns to suit just about largemouth bass and redfish in speed is the only safe way to navigate debris great problem to have. any style of angling. The most the same Sabine marsh ponds. strewn waterways after a major storm.

Under normal circumstances obvious and probably the most this time of year, I would also recommend one of my favorite patterns anticipated occurs when the white shrimp begin exiting the marshes which is probing the deep water in the Sabine River and ICW. and begin migrating toward the gulf. Speckled trout go berserk!

However, due to the unbelievable rain and runoff from Harvey that Schools of hungry trout will be shadowed by tell-tale gulls and plan will probably be greatly delayed, if it ever materializes this fall. terns, making it very easy for anglers to zero in on the action. Feeding The absence of the river and canal program is certainly a blow to activity can reach frenzied levels on falling tides near marsh drains local anglers – given the convenience and productivity it provides. with the only prerequisite for success being the ability to plunk any Having such a quality backup plan in protected water is awfully nice lure or live offering anywhere near the melee. for the guides as well, reducing the worry of getting blown off the lake Soft plastics rigged under rattling corks are about as close to a sure on windy days. Hopefully the river will settle out and we will get at bet as anything you can throw. The single hook of a jig head allows for least some of that good fall fishing we all look forward to. easier and quicker releases while also minimizing time lost untangling In the meantime, for many folks along the coast of Texas and hooks in landing nets. If you are looking for larger trout around these Louisiana, there will be a period of learning and discovery as the bays schools and don’t mind untangling trebles, you can grab a topwater and lakes that we knew like the back of our hand have undergone a and increase the odds significantly. My favorite topwater for this situation is the MirrOlure She Pup; the high-pitched rattle and size that transformation of sorts. Hopefully a rejuvenation of the waterways will offset the inconvenience of learning our way around again. matches the forage are a great combination.

For readers that were spared the wrath of Harvey, please find a way Another quality option will be chasing flounder as they begin to help those still in great need. Keep all your fellow Texas anglers and stacking up before the fall migration. Anglers targeting flatfish will Louisiana neighbors in your thoughts and prayers. be pleasantly surprised with both the numbers and size of fish that will be leaving the marshes and gathering near the mouths of the bayous and drains. The artificial guys will throw small grubs, tube jigs, or swimbaits tipped with shrimp or doctored with synthetic scent. The artificial approach allows anglers to cover a lot of water quickly and probe structure more efficiently.

Chuck fishes Sabine and Calcasieu The live bait folks also enjoy exceptional flounder fishing – flounder Lakes from his home in Orange, TX. love meat! A Carolina-rigged finger mullet, small shad or mud His specialties are light tackle and fly fishing for trout, reds, and flounder. minnow, is just what the doctor ordered for truly big flounder. Most of those heavyweight flatties will be caught closer to deep water and a little later in the fall but October will certainly give them a fair share Phone 409-697-6111 of good fish. Keying on distinct depth changes along channels will Email wakesndrakes@yahoo.com Website wakesndrakes.com be the best bet for the biggest flounder of the season. Whichever you choose, numbers or size, this time of the year is made for both and

Contact

Chuck Uzzle

28 | October 2017

STORY BY JOE RICHARD

L

Lionfish speared in shallow water with snorkel gear.

Local fish in the background were probably relieved.

Photo by Jimmy Nelson.

ionfish are fairly new to Texas coastal waters, first sighted far offshore in 2011. But after invading the entire Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico, they’re increasing in our coastal waters. It’s been called the fastest invasion of a new marine species that man has ever seen in the Atlantic, a true monster of a fish.

Their size is fairly small, but they could easily be renamed “goblin fish” because they are seriously bad news for our native fish. Years ago they were colorful aquatic eye candy brought here from the Pacific, compliments of the powerful aquarium industry. But now they’ve escaped. According to DNA tests, less than 10 of these fish were introduced to local waters around Miami only a few years ago.

And now there are millions reaching from New York to Venezuela to Texas.

Having looked at their increasing numbers and fertility rate, I have a phrase for this fish when I encounter them: Terminate with extreme prejudice. They spawn every few days, and their floating egg sacks drift and spread in the currents for a month or more.

They’re voracious and will eat anything in front of them that will fit, including small fish, crabs and shrimp. They can live in shallow boat canals behind homes, out to 1,000foot depths. They’re often caught in baited lobster traps, but will seldom eat cut bait used offshore by bottom fishermen. A few have been caught with live bait, however. So, standard fishing gear hasn’t put in a dent in their numbers.

This is a voracious reef fish and that means our rocks, reefs and wrecks offshore, oil rigs, artificial reefs and even the jetties have already seen them. One Texas diver reports that he now sees a few of them at every offshore rig he dives. Native Gulf fish living in all these places have no defense against this Pacific predator, because they haven’t evolved to evade them. Scientists say adapting to lionfish could take centuries or longer. Small fish are cornered by the lionfish’s many long fins, of which 18 are as venomous as a stingray. They can eat half their weight and their stomachs can expand to 30 times normal size.

So, how to harvest or better yet, wage war on these alien invaders? On the positive side,

TSFMAG.com | 31

these fish are dumb as a bag of hammers. They can be speared at point-blank range with a quick-firing pole spear, ideally fitted with a short, multiple-tined barbed spearhead. A special holding chamber called the Zookeeper, similar to 10-inch PVC pipe, has been designed to hold dozens of these fish; you simply spear and stuff them in this hollow pipe, which takes only a few seconds with practice. Speed and efficiency is important for divers restricted to a single tank of air during a typical half-hour dive. Large gatherings of a hundred or more lionfish have been wiped out at some Pensacola artificial reefs in only a half hour. That’s where they have little room to hide and make easy targets over sand bottom.

On another positive note, they’re quite tasty on the table, better than snapper. A commercial fishery has started, supplying lionfish fillets to restaurants, and one can support that fishery by ordering a plate. With no bag limit, you can fill large coolers with these tasty fish. However, spearing them is the only present method for controlling them. How many Texas fishermen are willing to jump overboard and go hunting? Our jetties are murky on most days, or limited to a few feet of visibility. This puts us at a disadvantage over Florida’s clear and very often, calmer water. Florida has already held numerous local roundups, where thousands of lionfish have been harvested in a single day. But these fish will never stop arriving and eating, unless a specialized virus takes them out.

As mentioned, lionfish are quite fond of artificial reefs; there are YouTube videos of more than a hundred lions on one small concrete pyramid with no other small fish in sight.

Bigger amberjack and triggerfish did not seem to mind them, though they compete for the same food. It’s Swarm of lionfish on a coral reef, hunting prey. Photo by Rich Carey, NOAA.

32 | October 2017

ironic that, just as Texas has recently begun building artificial reefs, that lionfish have arrived at the same time. What is needed are our own scuba teams who will hold roundups and clean out lionfish from these sites. One Florida diver compared lionfish roundups to beach cleanups, where you periodically have to “take out the trash.”

As for me, I’m sharpening my pole spear and will soon be checking several jetties and a couple of offshore rigs. I have more than 20 years experience diving with a pole spear, though not so much in recent years. However, during one trip not long ago, we were at Andros Island in the Bahamas. It was a fishing trip, but I made time to explore the tidal creek behind our motel when the tide slowed each day. I found maybe 10 lionfish hiding under mangrove trees or around rocks, and wasted them all with the spear, before cutting them up to feed the other fish. Working around all those venomous fins, I wore protective gloves and carried a long fillet knife to cut them up.

If only 10 or fewer lionfish started this invasion, imagine if alert divers had knocked off most of those early fish. There is a story from the early days of the invasion, when a small population was found near a popular dive center in the Bahamas. The owners supposedly protected these lionfish from harvest, using them as an attraction for divers who, “didn’t have to visit the Pacific” to photograph these colorful fish. We can surmise Capt. Jimmy Nelson in Florida with the local attitude changed as some hefty lionfish. Imagine the small reef fish, even valuable damage the bigger fish, possibly reef cleaner fish, disappeared. the state record, has done to native Another easy meal for this fish. Photo by Jimmy Nelson. voracious predator.

What are we supposed to do Lionfish are able to gulp down prey half their size. with an invader that spawns up Photo by NOAA. to 50,000 eggs every few days,

all year long? Native fish mostly spawn once annually, though our seatrout are also batch spawners (a good thing).

If you catch a lionfish, maybe while using live bait at the jetties, or diving, and are stung, apply hot water as soon as possible, just like any stingray wound. For those who are hunting lionfish underwater, I would advise keeping a coffee thermos of hot water nearby. Lionfish venom is protein-based and breaks down rapidly in hot water.

Lionfish are here to stay, but I like to think that wiping out all that we can will delay or cut back on their numbers, in some small way. After all, just one female can lay millions of eggs. We don’t want to see herds of these fish at the jetties, boat canals and oyster reefs in the bays, do we?

Joe Richard

Contact

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

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

34 | October 2017

• Available in all premium tangle-free K-Series guides - New Guide Concept and KR Concept.

• Corrosive Salt Spray tested 7-times longer than untreated stainless steel.

• Available at the same price as current stainless frames.

• Available in FazLite™

™ FazLite™ is an improved Aluminum Oxide ring formula offering ”braid-tough” performance across the entire K-Series selection.

Fuji’s BEST tangle-free guides in new CC finish with FazLite™...the most affordable KGuides ever!

Matte Silver (CC) or Matte Dark Grey (BC) with FazLite™ Rings. An economical choice with the durability and reputation of K-series tangle free design.

AnglersResource

Exclusive Distributor of Fuji Products in North America anglersresource.net • Facebook/anglersresource Foley, Alabama

Matte Silver (CC) or Matte Dark Grey (BC) with ALCONITE® Rings. The proven performance of Fuji’s most popular mid-priced ring in the most durable, corrosion resistant stainless frame ever offered. Available across the K-Series line.

The satin, dark grey luster of new Gun Metal (GM) frames with advanced ”Slim” SiC rings.

Top of the line performance and 7-times more corrosion protection. Available across the K-Series line.

STORY BY JOE DOGGETT

O

Poppers are excellent on beachfront tarpon schooling in green water. Note purple plug inside fish’s maw.

ctober and ice cream go together.

The expression “ice cream,” used to define excellent conditions, was coined by old salts decades ago, and early fall is perhaps the best time to consistently coincide with the primo combination of light wind and green tide.

This especially is true along the beachfront. The lulls between light earlyseason northers allow clear currents to push from the open Gulf and within reach of small-boat traffic.

Also, gradually cooling Gulf temperatures encourage predatory species to school up and move shallow. Some are staging prior to migrating; some are preparing to spawn; some are just there for the hell of it, to gorge on pods of milling baitfish.

For various reasons, the green surf can be “working alive” with aggressive fish – big fish. And, ironically, this beachfront bonanza can be a problem for the inshore boat rigged for a day of speckled trout and small redfish.

The typical casting outfit used for drifting or wading in the Texas bays is a light or medium-light action rod and a narrowframed reel spooled with approximately 100 yards of 12- or 14-pound mono (or suitable braid). The spinning setup might be even lighter.

Regardless, these outfits are intended for casting payloads in the 1/4- to 1/2-, maybe 3/4-ounce range. The gear is great for a two- or three-pound speck or a five- or six-pound red, but maybe not so great for a 25- or 30-pound jackfish. Or a bull redfish or a “smoker” king mackerel. Not to mention a 100-pound tarpon or shark.

Yes, a reasonably skilled angler using a moderate drag setting and proper fighting technique can whip a surprisingly big fish in open water – especially if a savvy skipper aids and abets the busy levelwind.

But you can grow semi-old over a lot of back-and-forth and give-and-take.

And if you plan on releasing the fish it may be dangerously taxed during the prolonged struggle.

And you miss a lot of chances. The trout tackle is outclassed. The most likely culprit is TSFMAG.com | 37

the rod, woefully inadequate for setting a large hook in a hard mouth, or for turning and lifting a strong fish. Either way, the light blank can bend into the handle and not much happens on the other end.

To dredge up a tired old cliché, toting a trout rod off the beachfront and targeting the “big stuff” is like bringing a knife to a gunfight.

Rods aside, the terminal riggings almost certainly are suspect. A trout-sized plug or tail is a puny offering – and the relatively light shock leader might be frayed or cut.

The bay boater anticipating a chance at the open Gulf can significantly improve the program by adding a heavier rod and reel and packing a simple plastic box with a selection of suitable lures and riggings.

The upgraded outfit consists of a 7- or 7 1/2-foot medium-heavy or heavy action plug or spinning rod fitted with a reel capable of spooling at least 200 yards of 20- to 30-pound mono (or braid). This outfit is good for casting or trolling; stashed out of the way, it is ready for a quick draw when the “slick calm” surf beckons.

Equally important is the small plastic box. You don’t need to go overboard stocking the thing. Terminal riggings might include several no-nonsense swivels and a coil or two of heavy shock leader – say,

Medium-heavy casting outfit and two-ounce bucktail jig are a good combination for covering the water column in the Gulf.

38 | October 2017

Medium-heavy and heavy casting outfits frame a plastic box filled with assortment of lures and riggings suitable for October action in the nearshore Gulf.

40- and 60-pound mono or fluoro – and a small spool of flexible easyto-knot wire. Several suitable hooks can be included if drifting natural bait figures into the plan.

Ten or 12 lures should cover the options. The larger 77M MirrOlures are excellent when casting for rolling tarpon or surface-schooling jacks. The 77M is 4 1/4 inches long and weighs 1 1/4 ounces. The three treble hooks are superior to those on the standard-issue 51/52 models, but still look a bit cheesy for big tarpon.

But, in my experience, they hold up surprisingly well.

I believe this is because the tarpon tends to inhale the plug during a rolling, turning grab and the hooks stick inside the big mouth; this contact seems to minimize the direct strain on the points and bends.

The straight-line stress is against the line-tie eye.

I think this makes sense; for whatever reason, I’ve seldom seen a tarpon stuck inside the maw straighten one of the dangling hooks (most trebles are screwed up while trying to twist them free with pliers during the unhooking detail).

Another good choice is the two-ounce SPRO bucktail jig. These things cast like bullets and do a fine job of probing the water column – everything from big red snapper and amberjacks suspended deep to

Proper terminal riggings allow the inshore angler to take advantage of Gulf predators such as this 25-pound king mackerel.

Larger 77M MirrOlure on a heavy casting rod is a great choice for casting to schooling jacks, above, or rolling tarpon off the beachfront.

F OR S E C ON D- G E N E RATI ON WADE R MAK E R M I CH E LLE H E LV EY, TH E R E WAS N E V E R A TO R C H . J U ST A N E E D L E A N D T H R E A D A N D A N I N N AT E A B I L I T Y TO R U N W I TH I T. A W I N DFALL OF U N FLI N CH I N G W OR K ETH I C I N H E R I T E D F R O M H E R M OTH E R, LE ONA, W H O S PE N T A DE CADE I N N OVATI N G AN D EX E CU TI N G T H E W O R L D ’ S B E ST WA D E R S AT S I M M S . H E R E , I T ' S A H E R I TAG E R O OT E D I N H A N D C R A F T E D Q UA L I T Y. PA R T O F A P R O D U CT L I N E AG E D E F I N E D BY H A R DW O R K I N G P E O P L E W H O D R I V E T H E P R O C E S S . O N E T H AT F E E LS FA M I L I A R . A LOT L I K E FA M I LY.

SIMMSFISHING.COM

M I C H E L L E H E LV E Y ,

P R O D U C T I O N S P E C I A L I S T,

WAD E R

MAK E R

SEWING SKILLS A MOTHER WOULD BE PROUD OF.

# WADERMAKERS

greens and blues, that sort of thing. At least, I’ll believe that if you will.

The really jazzy stuff maybe looks better in sandy-green water – and funky, murky water happily is not our concern on these glorious earlyfall days.

But what’s up with purple? During the past few years, purple has become a go-to color in virtually every fishing venue around the world. Large or small, salt or fresh, regardless of clarity, they all seem to want a piece of purple.

A small box of lures cherrypicked from this list should suffice. The box can be placed in a dry-storage compartment or tucked under the center console. Then, when fickle beachfront conditions turn ice cream, you can rack the trout rods and ease past the nearest jetties and go take a few big-league swings with proper equipment.

Joe Doggett

Contact

whatever might be blowing up on the surface.

The jig is rigged on a long-shank Gamakatsu hook. Inferior jig hooks have a tendency to open against a sustained pull, but I’ve landed at least a dozen 75- to 100-pound tarpon on the SPRO and do not recall any soul-deadening slack over a bent hook.

I can’t say the jig won’t fail on the next fish, but it’s a well-made product. The downside is, the heavy lead head is alarmingly easy for a head-shaking tarpon to toss. But, for non-jumpers such as reds, jacks, and kings, no problem.

A couple of heavy-duty topwater plugs can help stir things up.

Larger dogwalkers such as Heddon/Excalibur Super Spooks and MirrOlure Top Dogs certainly work, but offshore-type poppers probably are best for attracting fish in the deeper water of the open Gulf. Various two- to three-ounce poppers with heavy trebles or large single hooks are available.

A fine example is the six-inch Strike Pro – so good that Giant Trevally in the surf off Christmas Island took my last two. The Williamson Popper Pro 130 and (larger) 160 are other fine options. The bad news is, many of the “blue water” type poppers are expensive, in the $15 to $25 range.

As for trolling plugs suitable for 20- to 30-pound gear, the Rapala CD-14 Magnum (with metal lip) is a great choice. The Rapala plugs are time-tested and almost always run true at reasonable trolling speeds.

These are proven lures for beachfront fishing. Of course, many other solid products are available but these cannot be denied – at least, this is my opinion.

Clear green water favors lifelike finishes – silvers and chromes and

Joe Doggett was an outdoors columnist with the Houston Chronicle for thirty-five years. Retiring in 2007, Doggett writes occasional freelance pieces between hunting, fishing and surfing adventures.

Contact: DoggettJ@SBCGlobal.net

The next wave of Power-Pole anchors have arrived featuring C-Monster 2.0 control system, new heavy-duty hydraulic hose, a new look to our Pro II Series and much more. We’ve upped our game, now it’s your turn. Get all the details and find a dealer near you at power-pole.com.

40 | October 2017

Smooth, Dry and Fast

No Wood!

Limited LIfetime

Warranty

PERFORMANCE BAY BOATS

2220 GTS

675 Ultimate Bay

New Designs

Latest Innovations Custom Electronics

2420 GTS Designed By

FiShermen For FiShermen!

1

#

New GTS Console

Raised Console

Blazer Dealer

in the USA 361-651-BOAT

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

Author with a windward spoil island red - CPR.

J AY WAT K I N S

AS K T H E P RO

Passion and Inspiration Fishing along the middle coast continues to be unbelievable considering the extreme heat and upper80s water temperatures. After an early-morning wade last week, I had a client ask how the writers of TSFMag continue to find material for their articles. Passion was the first word that came to mind, and then inspiration.

Passion for anything we do in life drives one to do well, and ability to continue doing it. I certainly fall into the category of guides and writers with great passion for what I do. This said, I still rely on inspiration to help with my articles as well as my guiding career.

So, after all these years, what inspires me? It’s the people and the moments that I encounter and experience that inspire me most. To put it in simplest terms, it’s the attitude they bring on the boat each morning. Sometimes its comments about what they get from fishing and being in the outdoors – nothing to do with what they caught or did not catch. Fond memories of family and friends and memorable days spent afield.

It’s that youngster excited about getting to go fishing.

The person that tells me they could not sleep the night before a fishing trip. I remember tossing and turning in 42 | October 2017

my bed in East Texas on Lake O the Pines, anticipating the next day’s fishing with my grandfather and dad. I can still see that quill cork at the end of the line coming upright and slipping below the surface.

It’s the sunrise over a slick-calm bay as we head out in grey light, the reflection of God’s brilliance rushing toward me as the boat pushes forward. The waking sounds of a coastal marsh, the birds and occasional grunt of hogs, and yes, even the distinct croak of an alligator. Osprey as they talk with one another atop an old duck blind or yucca. The bobwhites along San Jose and Matagorda, covey calling.

But mostly, personally, it is the anticipation each morning as I enter the water and make that first cast. The anticipation of that first strike that assures that today will be just as good as all the others I have enjoyed on this long journey. Passion and inspiration, you bet I’m touched by both, and both continue to provide me with ample material for you each and every month.

Now to what I do best, I think. Still very hot everyday but we have had a little rain and some weak frontal passages.

Not really any cooler yet but it’s coming. I am still leaving the dock very early to beat the heat. Water is still in the

right alongside those of us throwing soft plastics. However, I continue to believe that I can get a fish in non-feeding attitude to take a lure that’s presented in its face more readily than one it has to chase.

My confidence lies in presentation and ease of obtainability for the fish. If it’s right there in my face and requires little exertion on my part, I’ll try it. That’s how I see it and I hope fish see it the same.

This type of fishing requires patience and close attention to detail when working your baits. I talk a ton and get anxious, which sometimes leads to working my lure too high in the water column.

Knowing this, I constantly remind myself to focus on getting the lure 44 | October 2017

C ontact

mid- to upper-80s. Focusing on submerged shoreline Sherry Otto with a View from my office window structure that creates edges beautiful CPR redfish. the past thirty-eight years. along the actual drop-off and provides access to both shallow and deeper water.

Shallow water for nighttime and solunar period feeding and deeper water for refuge from daytime heating and boat traffic.

I probably sound like a broken record when discussing the proper working of deeper drop-offs.

My guys and gals have to be sick of hearing me telling them to FISH the drop-off, not STAND on it!

I know that it’s easy for me to setup a wade and work a line parallel to shore, while staying on a not-so-defined down to the proper depth and then keeping it there. My rhythm line of bottom structure that follows the drop-off. Our water has been changes very little most of the time as I believe that reaction strikes so clear most of the season that being able to see this structure and are accomplished through the action we impart to the lure. the line it follows is pretty darn easy. We certainly need our Costa My favorite lures for the situations described in this article are the Del Mar polarized glasses to do this but most I get on my boat have 5-inch Shad Bass Assassin and MirrOlure’s Provokers and Lil John quality sunglasses.

Series. I also love the MirrOlure Soft Dine and MirrOdine suspending The problem most anglers experience is not the initial line-up from baits. One should never overlook the Custom Corky Fat Boy and Soft the shoreline that allows them to reach structure such as drop-offs, Dine that for so long have been mistakenly considered effective only it’s staying far enough away to avoid disturbing fish holding on it. The in cold water situations. shoreline itself can be an excellent diagram of what lies unseen below Dale Combs, good friend and excellent suspending plug angler, the water further offshore. Points, for example, usually extent below demonstrated the effectiveness of suspending soft plugs recently on the water where we cannot see, but we need to follow that contour to a hot summer morning, without aid of a solunar feed period to help remain within reach of the relevant structure. encourage strikes.

Dale did not receive as many bites as my 5-inch Drop-offs and underwater edges that I speak of so often have been Shads, but his fish were much larger! easier to see the past several years due to better water clarity. Light Redfish have saved many a day over the past several weeks as winds, more rain, more bottom grass and circulation that Cedar Bayou they schooled and began heading toward the Gulf in preparation for has created have definitely aided in water quality in the northern spawning. Trout fishing remains as good as I have seen in a very long Aransas, Mesquite, and southern San Antonio bay systems. FYI – Cedar time, despite the hot weather. With the approach of our first real front Bayou and Vincent Slough will likely cease to flow periodically on low not too far in the future, I expect fishing will only get better. It has been late-summer tides. Something the engineers and Aransas County many years since I have been as excited about our fall fishing season. officials will monitor closely, I am sure.

I will leave you with this: “I have gone fishing thousands of times Most who fish with me know that I am a soft plastic and suspending in my life, and I have never once felt unlucky or poorly paid for those plug angler, but topwaters definitely work over these deeper water hours on the water.” -William G. Tapply structures if tops are your game. From late-August through midMay your fishing always be catching. -Guide Jay Watkins October, I see lots of anglers that do extremely well with topwaters,

Jay Watkins has been a full-time fishing guide at Rockport, TX, for more than 20 years. Jay specializes in wading yearround for trout and redfish with artificial lures. Jay covers the Texas coast from San Antonio Bay to Corpus Christi Bay. Telephone Email Website

361-729-9596 Jay@jaywatkins.com www.jaywatkins.com

C A P T. S COT T N U L L

S H ALLO W W AT E R F IS H ING

It is humbling to know so many truly care It seems like a couple of months ago, but the reality is it has only been two weeks. Camille and I were going over schedules for the coming week. She was to fly out of Houston to attend a trade show in Wisconsin on Monday. I was looking at the weather and, seeing solid rain for several days, preparing to call off some guide trips. There was a small tropical disturbance down around the Yucatan that had previously been named Harvey for its short life in the Caribbean. It had died out, but the remnants were supposed to head our way bringing several nasty days.

I figured it would be a good chance to sit at the tying desk to restock some neglected fly boxes. Maybe do a little maintenance on the skiff inside the barn. Probably wouldn’t hurt to sort through the lure boxes and replace rusted hooks. Oh yeah, it was also time for the first oil change on the new Dargel. “Don’t worry, Honey. I’ve got plenty to keep me busy while you’re gone.”

The next morning I started reading up on this little disturbance. I’m a bit of a weather geek and have a couple dozen sites I study any time something pops up in the tropics. Uh-oh. One of my favorite sites was disagreeing with everyone else and insisting this thing was going to be more than just a rainmaker. The more I looked, the less I liked what I was seeing. I told Camille she might want to go ahead and plan on getting to Houston a couple days early to catch her flight so she wouldn’t have to deal with what was probably going to be a tropical storm or maybe a low-grade Cat 1.

She booked a hotel and had some work to finish up before leaving town. I went fishing. It was Wednesday and Harvey was just a big disorganized blob with 35 mph winds. The Gulf outside the Port O’Connor jetties was slick-flat as far as the eye could see. I’d been on some tarpon and wanted a shot at them on the fly rod before getting rained out for a few days. While I was out there cruising around looking for rolling silver a buddy called to ask what I thought about the storm that was coming. “Eh, looks like it could organize a bit and will probably come in somewhere south of us as a strong tropical storm.”

“Wait…what? It’s already pushing towards hurricane strength? Well crap!” I fished until late afternoon knowing this would probably be the last day on the water for maybe a week. Found plenty of willing jacks and some nice reds but I never found the tarpon.

Thursday was spent tidying up and securing everything with full intentions of riding out a Cat 1. I built a 140-mph-rated home on high ground for a reason. By Thursday evening I was getting a bit uneasy and started getting things ready in case we needed to bail. Friday morning it became obvious it wasn’t wise to stay. I sent Camille and the dogs packing. I had to pinkyswear promise I really was going to be leaving right behind her as soon as I finished a couple more hours of prepping. She knows I’m hardheaded and I don’t think she really believed me. With a knot in my stomach I locked the doors on our newly finished home and headed to my daughter’s house.

Harvey was one mean dude!

46 | October 2017

C ontact

We all know what happened from there.

In what was probably not my brightest moment, I returned early Saturday afternoon. After watching the radar all night and throughout the next morning, I had to know. It was a sketchy ride across the Lavaca Bay causeway with the wind still whipping pretty good and water running across FM 1289 in several places. The closer I got the more destruction I saw, and the more nervous I was about what I’d find. Boats were stacked in open fields where boat barns had stood, travel trailers were flipped over and the brand new electric poles along Lane Rd were leaning every which way. The mile and a half dirt road to my place was covered in water up to my doors, deeper in places. The mobile home a couple hundred yards in was destroyed. I gripped the wheel a little tighter and prepared for the worst.

Turning into my gate, there sat my little travel trailer I had lived in while building the house. It was just as I’d left it. Even the little metal porch was untouched. Rounding the corner I found my home in perfect condition sitting on an island.

Not a single metal panel was out of place. Water had risen pretty dang close to coming in and my little oaks had taken a beating with several totally uprooted. We skated, otherwise.

Huge thanks to Turn Key Metal Buildings for putting up this stout little structure.

I was so jacked up from the nervous ride that I put on my rubber boots and just took off walking to check on the neighbors’ houses as well as the rest of my property. I was able to report to everyone that their places were fine other than downed trees and a mess to clean up. My favorite old oaks in the motte by the pond had survived. My deer stand hadn’t, but it was due for an upgrade anyway. The coolest part was seeing a couple coveys of quail, a flock of turkeys and the little four-point buck that hangs just off the porch every evening.

I got back to the house, cracked open a beer and sat on the driveway leaning against the garage as the sun set. Stress is a weird thing. I woke up a couple hours later with half a warm beer sitting next to me and a phone full of messages.

So here we are a couple weeks after landfall. I’ve ripped out enough wet carpet, sheetrock and cabinets to last a lifetime. Friends and family weren’t nearly as fortunate as we were. Some lost a little while others lost virtually everything.

I sat down at the keyboard this evening with the intent of writing something about fishing, but that just didn’t feel right. The best thing to come out of this whole mess has been all the calls, texts and emails from customers and friends across the country. It is humbling to know so many truly care. Thank you!

Tomorrow I’ll fish and see what’s going on out on the bay.

Next week I’ll run my first charter since the storm. And next month we’ll talking fishing again.

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

Telephone Email Website

48 | October 2017

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

The bird feeder stand survived, the little oaks did not.

Stress reliever – after surveying how well our place came through the storm.

Post Ike redfishing was on fire in Galveston. I expect the same after Harvey.

Figure 1. Recycle your fishing line.

By Adriana Leiva

F I E LD NOT E S

Stow it. Don’t Throw It. If you have ever enjoyed a day of fishing along the Texas coast, then you know the thrill you experience when your line goes tight. Unfortunately, the same line that can bring so much joy can also cause a lot of harm when abandoned. Anglers use a variety of types of fishing line, but monofilament is the most widely used because it is inexpensive, strong, flexible, durable, and nearly invisible.

These same qualities also make improperly discarded monofilament hazardous to boaters and wildlife.

An unexpected encounter with abandoned fishing line can sure foul a boater’s nice day on the water. When fishing line gets caught in the propeller, it quickly wraps itself around the prop shaft. If left unchecked, this can break the inner seal that keeps gear lubricant in and the outer seal that keeps water out. Ultimately this

can destroy the bearings and gears. It’s a good idea to regularly check your boat’s prop and remove any stray fishing line that may have become entangled.

As for wildlife, all five species of sea turtles that visit the Texas coast can be seriously harmed by discarded fishing line (Figure 1). These five species are all listed as either threatened or endangered and include the leatherback, hawksbill, loggerhead, green, and Kemp’s ridley. Young sea turtles tend to seek shelter and feed in the flotsam (i.e., floating seaweed, like Sargassum, and other floating objects). Water currents and wind tend to accumulate many different kinds of marine debris within the flotsam, including monofilament, thereby increasing the chances for entanglement. This entanglement can cause decreased swimming ability, disruption in feeding,

Figure 2. Tangled Roseate Spoonbill (Platalea ajaja) found dead on Mustang Island during the AdoptA-Beach Cleanup Spring 2017. Photo - Jace Tunnell

50 | October 2017

ROY’S Bait and Tackle Outfitters Versatile performance ready for action on your favorite bass lake or inshore saltwater destination.

The all new Casitas baitcasting reels feature technology-leading Shimano features for smoothness and ease-of-use. $

Evair Marine/Fishing shoes featuring ultra lightweight EVA material. After a day of fishing or any other marine activity, you will feel as if you were wearing nothing on your feet during hot summer days.

49.99

www.roysbait-tackle.com

7613 SPID Corpus Christi, TX 78412

The Caius is a compact, versatile, and durable bait casting reel, designed with light weight lure casting in mind.

Reducing the size of the new Caius from 200 to 150, and upgrading the braking system, means the reels cast much easier.

119.99

$

361-992-2960

Open 9 am - 6 pm 7 days/week

79.99

$

NASCI is an exciting, new powerful spinning reel with unparalleled gear durability at its price point.

Incorporating upgraded drag, X-Ship and HGN Gearing, and available in sizes from 1000 through 5000, it’s a great choice for everything from light freshwater to medium saltwater applications.

99.99-$109.99

$

TSFMAG.com | 51

serious injuries, and even death.

Starvation is, surprisingly, one of the most common causes of mortality associated with monofilament for sea turtles. The line wraps around the neck or accumulates in the stomach, preventing the animal from eating food. The line can also immobilize the animal by becoming wrapped around their legs, or by entangling them to stationary objects.

In addition to sea turtles, birds can also become entangled in monofilament (Figure 2). Some birds can experience secondary entanglement when they catch the “fish that got away” that still has the hook, leader and line attached. The unsuspecting bird gets caught on the hook and slowly entangles itself in the line. Every year birds migrate following the same pathway from their northern breeding grounds to their warmer, southern wintering grounds. With two major migration routes running through Texas (the Central and Mississippi Flyways), the Texas Coast is a haven for migratory birds. Because of this, entanglement and the resulting mortality can have a major effect on overwintering bird populations.

What can you do to help? Securely stow your spent line until you find an appropriate recycling bin or dispose of it with your household trash. Do not dispose of any fishing line in outdoor, open trash bins.

Opportunistic birds can become entangled while seeking an easy meal. Also, open bins allow the line to blow away. This can contribute to “ghost fishing” where the line continues to catch and entangle wildlife and aquatic species for many years. So, by properly disposing of spent line and retrieving your own or someone else’s tangled fishing line that you come across, you can help prevent costly boat

52 | October 2017

damage and prevent injury to wildlife.

You can also help by reporting any animals you find entangled in fishing line. For sea turtles call the Sea Turtle Stranding and Salvage Network at 1-866-TURTLE5 and for marine mammals call the Marine Mammal Stranding Network at 1-800-9-MAMMAL. For other wildlife go to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s website at www.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwild/wild/rehab/list/ to locate a wildlife rehabilitator near you.

Also, did you know fishing line can be recycled if sent to a specific recycling center? Because it is made from a different type of plastic resin and requires a special recycling process, it cannot go into your household recycling bin. However, there are special recycling bins available at some fishing piers, jetties, boat ramps, and tackle shops participating in the Texas Monofilament Recovery and Recycling Program (MRRP). This program was established in 2004 by The Texas Sea Grant College Program to bring awareness of the impacts of monofilament line and to reduce the amount that ends up in the environment. Since the MRRP began, over 2,700 lbs. of monofilament have been recycled. To find out where a recycling bin is located near you, go to: https://mrrp.tamu.edu/binlocations.html.

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

2018 CLOTHING LINE COMING SOON

Our new Finny and Wireman X technical fishing shirt collections use Comfort Weave technology – a tightly woven poly fabric that delivers moisture wicking and UPF 50+ sun protection by blocking 90% of the sun’s harmful rays.

Trokar_TexasSaltwaterFishing_TK8_YellowfinTuna_Oct.pdf 1 9/6/2017 2:41:31 PM

C

www.getyourmojoon.com

E E G V I A T T I N T E A P V D M O A KAR

TRO

tage van 8 d A the e TK Get with th

PE

s Hook ors’ t i t e p Com

TES A R NET

2BEXTTER

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

IT ET MP CO

N IO

S OK HO EL V LE

©2017 EAGLE CLAW FISHING TACKLE | DENVER, COLORADO | EAGLECLAW.COM TSFMAG.com | 53

Dreaming of beautiful sunsets and untattered flags…

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

F LY F I SH I N G

Off the Charts I have done my best to NOT write about Hurricane Harvey, guessing that others in this publication will be, and I wanted to provide you all with something a little more lighthearted. With that being said, I am sorry but the weather of 2017 is at the forefront of my, sadly overly simplified mind.

Sitting here writing on September 7, THE YEAR OF THE HURRICANE as I am calling it, a week and change from the day that Harvey began devastating literally half the Texas coast, I am watching and stressing over my second home and the friends I have there as Hurricane Irma bears down on Florida. (Sorry for the run-on sentence.)

So, suffice to say, my heart and prayers go out to ALL of those lives that have been touched and might soon be touched by these horrific events.

Moving on. Late last year I started writing a book. The premise of which was to document through interviews 54 | October 2017

the lives of fly fishing guides all over the country. In doing so I would share with the reader the trials and tribulations of a business that is not nearly as glamorous as it seems. I know all about these hard times because I have lived and relived them too many times. So, last year I mustered the courage to finally begin assembling words. This is the introduction— You never know when inspiration will hit you like a ton of bricks. It is December 13, 2016. I just got off of the water. The skiff is on the trailer and I am inspired. Mostly because, that while out fishing for fun…I have come to the conclusion that I am in fact about to face my most challenging year yet to come. Folks, 2017 is going to be a bitch. It will in fact make or break me – not only as a person – but as an individual hoping to make a place in this world for himself.

You see, I never wanted to be a full-time fishing guide. It

Now, when I wrote the above, I said that the year 2017 would be my most challenging year yet to come. I had no idea that Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma could and have turned my life upside down. I was speaking more in terms of balancing love, family, career and finance. But hey, that is what hurricanes do. They come in and mix everything up and, like Mother Nature, we pick up the pieces and put it all back together, hopefully better than before.

That is exactly what has happened so far. My relationships with my immediate family as well as with my girlfriend are much, much stronger. As for career and finance, well those areas have taken a big hit and will take a little longer to fix.

You see, many of us will not be able to fish for a while. This has not only affected guides but the many of you and others who hire guides.

But it also affects the people who manufacture or sell gear to those of you that fish on your own and, again, the guided angler. Not too long ago I wrote about the Business of Fly Fishing and am not sure that I said what I am about to but- The business of fly fishing relies on the

symbiotic relationship between the manufacturer, retailer, guide and consumer. And, it is safe to say, if you are reading this, you fit into at least one of these categories.

The point is, we all need to support each other to fix things and make things better. But, at the same time, do not forget about the bait fishermen – they need help too. LOL. Right now, Mother Nature just did her thing to make the bays better and we need to be patient and careful while she finishes her job. A lot of things have changed and there is a lot of man-made crap floating around out there. Please be careful out there.

And, while I know it is easier said than done right now- If you are one of the many affected by this mess and life seems be overwhelming you, pick up your rod and go fishing. If you cannot make it to the coast try to find a pond. If that does not work, just go out in the yard and get some casting practice, or just call me if you want to talk about fly fishing. Sometimes that helps too.

God Bless the USA. God Bless Texas. And, more importantly, God Bless all of you.

C ontact

is just something that I eventually had to do because at the age of 26, the only work that I had enjoyed up to that point in my life had been my days on the water as a member of the United States Coast Guard, and as a part-time waterfowl guide. Everything else that I had tried made me miserable. It was the only logical choice but, if I was going to do it, it was going to be on my terms.

The long and short of it – my choice to become a guide was not as much about making money but more of a lifestyle choice. I was going to decide the who, how, when and where.

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

Telephone Email Website

979-415-4379 vssommerlatte@hotmail.com www.mangrovefly.com

TSFMAG.com | 55

DAV E R O B E R T S

K AYA K F I SH I N G C HR O N I C L ES

SNOOKTOPIA Have you ever had an opportunity arise so suddenly and so inviting that you impulsively say, “I’m in!” before even giving it a second thought?

In March of this year I received such an invitation via Facebook. It was being called Snooktopia and the name pretty much says everything an angler needs to know.

Bart Swab, who is a member of the Jackson Kayak Fishing Team, invited me and several other kayak anglers to join him on his annual trip. Bart grew up in southern Florida fishing for big snook and since he currently resides in St. Augustine, he makes a trip south each summer to his old stomping grounds.

Reading Bart’s post and exchanging a few messages was all it took.

Within 30-minutes I had a campsite booked and had HR on the phone to request time off from my job. I was going to South Florida to chase snook and I could not have been 56 | October 2017

more excited.

Reality set in as the days ticked away. I began to realize that I knew absolutely nothing about South Florida, much less snook fishing. However, a weekend of camping, fishing, and great company, was ahead of me and I knew it was bound to be a great time.

Snooktopia was going to take place at Jonathan Dickinson State Park and we were going to be fishing on

the line on nearby pilings. It was a quick ten seconds but the power of that fish had was unreal. Bart laughed. “That’s why we call it land of the giants…that looked like a 40-plus!”

Determined, and knowing what I was up against, I tossed another mullet and waited, again. In the meantime, Bart landed a pair of snook, 35- and 37-inches, while Ben jumped another tarpon and broke off another snook.

My line began to move again. I waited for it tighten, and with a fierce grip on the rod, reared back for the fight. Like the first fish, she took off peeling drag toward the pilings. Wiser now, I managed to turn her from the obstructions and landed my first big snook. A formidable mid-30 specimen of which I was very proud.

Over a four-hour stretch, we used up all our mullet – jumping four tarpon and landing six snook, one a bit longer than 40-inches.

Typical fishing story; having left the memory card in my laptop, the only photos we captured that epic night were low-quality cell phone images. I vowed not to make that mistake again.

The Land of the Giants was not as good to us the next evening, but at least I had my camera. We landed two snook and lost four more alongside the kayaks. We also jumped a pair of tarpon and landed a large nurse shark. Another fun night of fishing that I will never forget.

Bright and early next morning, I began packing for the trip back to Texas. I had fished nine days in South Florida and had an absolute blast. I arrived home with great memories of huge snook and their incredible power – a lifetime trip, for sure.

Next month I will share my adventures of six days in the Everglades that preceded my introduction to Snooktopia.

C ontact

the Loxahatchee River. Checking Google Maps was when I realized that it was going to be a 17-hour drive, and that in itself would consume two days of fishing time. Back to planning mode, I considered my options and decided to expand my original itinerary – take the whole week off and leave straight from the workplace on Thursday before Snooktopia. With 10-days off I figured to just head south and wing it. Snooktopia would be the second part of the trip and the first half I would spend in the Everglades. Little did I know leaving Texas, I was about to embark on what would become a trip of a lifetime.

I arrived at the State Park a little after midday Wednesday. I had already been fishing further south for the six days and I was enjoying the change of scenery.

With camp in order, I made a loop around the park to check things out. Locating the boat ramp and other attractions, I headed back to camp and ran into Bart and his buddy Ben. I helped them make camp and we kicked back to discuss strategy.

At daylight, we gathered gear and headed to the ramp. This is when I realized I was not trout fishing in Texas. Bart’s and Ben’s tackle included three HEAVY rods apiece with BIG lures – as in fullsize Spooks, 8-inch swimbaits, and kingfish-size Rapala jerkbaits. I looked at Bart and asked if he was serious. “Dead serious,” was his deadpan reply. Digging through my bags and truck I came up with a few larger swimbaits and one full-size topwater – enough to get me through the morning.

Not too far down the Loxahatchee, I looked down to see two midthirty-inch snook cruising past me. I knew instantly what Bart meant when he said, “dead serious.” Pushing further downriver, the cruising snook became more numerous, including several schools. I never got any to take a lure but seeing them was an unforgettable sight. Every fish in the school was without a doubt mid-30 range and some could have been 40s.

Around noon we headed back for a bite of lunch and regroup for the evening. Bart came up with a plan to fish a honeyhole he calls Land of the Giants. A dilemma arose in catching bait and keeping it alive all night. A meeting of the minds suggested that we use my skiff as a mothership, keep the mullet in my livewell, and paddle back and forth for baits as needed. We quickly obtained twenty-five mullet about ten to fourteen inches and headed out to the spot. Not fully understanding what I was facing, I decided to use my Lexa 400 with 80-pound fluorocarbon leader and heavy-duty circle hook.

Bart rigged the largest mullet from the livewell for me saying, “This is the size they like!” I eagerly tossed it out and the wait began. Just as the sun went down and the tide changed, Bart and Ben began hooking-up, jumping two tarpon and two very nice snook shaking the hook alongside the kayaks.

I felt my line drawing tight and knew it had to be a good fish to eat that big mullet. I gave it a few seconds and cranked down. This fish nearly pulled the rod out of my hands and there was no stopping her. I tightened the drag as tight as it would go and she rose in a headshaking explosion before diving again. Within seconds she cut

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

TSFMAG.com | 57

Oyster shell from “Sink Your Shucks” being placed at St. Charles Bay Reefing Project.

Story by John Blaha | Photos by Lisa Laskowski

TSF M a g C on s e r v a t ion N e w s

St. Charles Bay

Shoreline Protection and Reef Creation CCA Texas, Building Conservation Trust, Texas A&M Corpus Christi, and National Fish and Wildlife Foundation recently partnered to create 2,000 linear feet of oyster reef in St. Charles Bay. This reef is located just off of the Goose Island Big Tree unit and will provide shoreline protection and marine habitat for many species. The reef was constructed using recycled oyster shell through the Sink Your Shucks program at Harte Research Institute. The recycled shells were provided by Water Street Market and Groomers Seafood, both active members in Sink Your Shucks.

“The oyster reef will provide natural protection for coastal marsh habitat, benefitting a wide range of species that depend on coastal marsh for food and shelter; including shorebirds, water birds, and the federally endangered whooping crane,” commented Dr. Jennifer Pollack, Assistant Professor of Marine Biology at Texas A&M Corpus Christi.

Dr. Pollack continued, “Because this area is federally designated Whooping Crane critical habitat (by USFWS) and because of the extremely high erosion rates (2 acres in 20 years), it provides a unique opportunity to restore oyster reef habitat in a way that will also protect the marsh, enhance the estuarine ecosystem, and benefit sport fishing activities.”

The reef was constructed in seven segments which measure approximately 30 feet wide, 120 feet long and 1-foot high, covering an overall distance of 2,000 linear feet including 58 | October 2017

the gaps between segments. Future plans also include public oyster bagging events which will place bagged oysters along the shore for additional protection and habitat enhancement.

Shortly after the construction of the reef, Dr. Pollack and her team placed sample trays of oysters in groups of eight on each segment. Additional control trays were placed along the same shoreline approximately 1-mile away on existing established oyster reef towards the inlet of the bay. Trays will initially be removed monthly and then quarterly and inventory taken on new spat that has set, and other marine organisms within the samples. These inventories and studies will be completed by Texas A&M Trays of oyster shell placed strategically along the new St. Charles Bay Reef will be monitored periodically to measure new spat set.

students as part of their studies and degree programs.

“The location of this new reef offers an easily accessible walk-in fishing location for local and visiting recreational fishermen and enhances an already rich habitat that includes seagrasses and surrounding estuarine marsh,” commented CCA Texas’s Habitat Today for Fish Tomorrow Chairman Jay Gardner. Gardner continued, “This project will also offer an educational and community outreach effort to local schools as public bagging events are held to further enhance the project site and surrounding ecosystem.”

CCA Texas and Building Conservation Trust have contributed $530,000 to Texas coastal habitat projects year to date. This commitment and investment equates to $4,280,000 of coastal habitat work in Texas in 2017 alone. These efforts would not be possible without the efforts of our volunteers, local chapter boards and communities, and our partners across the state.

Big Steps Taken in the Management of Oyster Fishery The Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission approved recommendations from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department – Coastal Fisheries Division in the management of the commercial oyster fishery at its August 24, 2017 meeting. These changes were not possible without the support of the recreational fishing community, CCA Texas and other like organizations, and in some measure the commercial oyster industry itself. These new changes come into effect on November 1, 2017 and include: • Reduction in bag limit to 30 sacks per day • Reduction in undersize and dead shell to 5% total • Establishment of a 300 foot no-harvest boundary along all shorelines

• Saturdays and Sundays are closed to oyster fishing • Permanent closure of minor bays including: Christmas Bay (Brazoria County); Carancahua Bay (Jackson/Matagorda Counties); Powderhorn Lake (Calhoun County); Hynes Bay (Calhoun County); St. Charles Bay (Aransas County); and South Bay (Cameron County).

These new measures along with those imposed in HB51, which passed in the recent legislature, are a big step to ensure oysters and healthy marine habitats are here for future generations. Thank you to everyone that showed up to public hearings, sent in written comment and were a part of the effort to see these changes through. The time is now to put the resource first.

Tray placement/ attachment to newly created substrate markers.

TSFMAG.com | 59

Atlantic silver hatchetfish, Argyropelecus aculeatus.

Photo by NOAA / NMFS / Mississippi Laboratories

STEPHANIE BOYD

F I SH Y FA C TS

HATCHETFISH Hunger again. The Hatchets yet were in sparkling condition, four-inch diameter medallions with tall and widish mouths.

They wheeled in the shifting patterns of cavalcade down current, cross current, up current, in their timeless dark.

Ahead was life growing brighter, looming first as a whirling glow to become frenzied dots then the fast moving discs of teenage Hatchets rushing proud and heedless in and out of a gnat-like swarm of baby shrimps they had cornered in a cornerless world, to feed well on.

They were themselves well fed on. The attacking adults flipped the dime-size youngsters into the coin slots of their mouths with winners’ dexterity. The coins gave out, and the cannibals, having wiped out most of a splinter generation, rolled on, heartened and fueled by the treat. ~David McKee & Henry Compton, Fire in the Sea: Bioluminescence and Henry Compton’s Art of the Deep

If you ever want to vicariously experience life in the deep sea, take a moment to look into the tormented eyes of the marine hatchetfish. While that sounds a touch dramatic, when you live below the photic zone and make the perfect meal, life isn’t a fairy tale. Marine hatchetfishes are small mesopelagic members of the stomiiform subfamily, Sternoptychinae. Stomiiformes is an order of deep-sea ray60 | October 2017

finned fishes of very diverse morphology which, as a whole, are often called dragonfishes and allies. This scientific name ultimately derives from the Ancient Greek stóma, meaning mouth, and the Latin forma, meaning external form, the former being a nod to the gaping mouths of these fishes.

Though the largest population lives in the waters of South and Central America, hatchetfishes can be found at depths between 150 to 5000 feet in most of the tropical, subtropical, and temperate waters of the world. Sort of temperate, anyway; the deep sea isn’t all that conducive to heat. There are about 45 species, several of which are found off our own coast in the Gulf. Their most distinctive feature is, of course, their hatchet-shaped body (a name that ‘cuts’ right to the point); though many species look more like silver dollars. Despite their seemingly cavernous mouths and chilling eyes, hatchetfish are actually quite unimposing.

They vary in size from one to six inches. The body is deep and extremely laterally compressed. Their scales are silvery, delicate, and easily rubbed off. Larger species can be green or brown in color. Some species, such as the highlight hatchetfish, Sternoptyx pseudobscura, which can be found in the Gulf, have large sections of the body near the tail that are transparent. They have small perpendicular spines and blade-like pterygiophores (the bones that support the dorsal fin). Their pelvis is rotated to a vertical position.

The mouth is located at the tip of the snout and opens almost vertically.

They have large, tubular eyes that can collect the faintest of light and focus well both near and far. The eyes point upwards, enabling them to discern the silhouettes of prey against the extremely faint illumination from above. Their delicate looks belie the steady tenacity needed to survive at crushing depths.

It is believed that hatchetfish swim closer to the surface at night to feed, mainly on plankton and tiny fish and crustaceans, though they can also jump out of the water to catch small flying insects. They hunt the shadows above them, and at daybreak, return to the blackness of the deep ocean. Hatchetfish are not alone in their hunting methods.

Many mesopelagic piscivores have large eyes relative to head size, suggesting visual tracking of prey. The common tubular shape produces a binocular field and increases depth perception. Some, such as the slender hatchetfish and the short fin pearleye, have yellow lenses, which may make bioluminescent species more detectable.

Since many species in the same realm use similar hunting methods, the hatchetfish has to produce a countermeasure for its own hunting style. In addition to their slender shape and reflective scales, marine hatchetfish, like so many deep-sea creatures, have evolved to create their own light. They have special light-producing organs, called photophores, that run along the length of their underside, which they can regulate to match the intensity and color of light filtering down, thus concealing their silhouettes from hungry eyes below. This is a type of bioluminescent camouflage called counterillumination. No word on its effectiveness against yellow-lensed predators.

In the absence of daylight, color ceases to play a major role in communication. It is replaced by bioluminescence. The patterns of light differ slightly between hatchetfish species, leading many scientists to believe that they may play a role in courtship. However, because of the great depth that makes research challenging, this theory remains unconfirmed. In fact, not much at all is known about the hatchetfish life cycle. Most researchers agree that they have a short lifespan of no longer than a year. What is known is that they release large amounts of buoyant eggs, and the juveniles bear little resemblance to the adults.

Among deep-sea fishes, those living near the sea floor typically have great noses (or equivalent olfactory organs). The most obvious advantage of a good sniffer is scavenging. Dead organic materials that drift to the sea floor are a rich food source that can be easily tracked with the right equipment. Another, perhaps less obvious but no less important, advantage is finding a mate. Pheromones are a common form of communication in fish, and sexual dimorphism of olfactory organs among bathypelagic fauna (those deep-sea fish living near the sea floor) is the rule, not the exception. A model for locating mates via pheromones was created for the short silver hatchetfish, Argyropelecus hemigymnus (another species found in the Gulf). The results were applicable to both mesopelagic and bathypelagic fish. Essentially, a female swimming with the current releases a pulse of pheromones that spreads in a horizontal swath. Males, probably moving at random, encounter the swath and search within it for the female. Fun fact: the spread of a substance released in midwater that is faster in the horizontal direction than the vertical is anisotropic. The water column is stratified below the thermocline (the transition layer between surface and deep waters in which temperature changes more rapidly with depth than it does in the layers above or below), so thin “pancakes” of water exist and have been traced horizontally for over 3,000 feet. The model predicts that a horizontal swath of detectable pheromones can

reach up to about 300 feet in nine hours, and fully dissipates within a day. It also predicts that a healthy male, would on average, find the female in about an hour through this method (assuming uniform distribution of males). Without pheromones, the time to find a female increases to eight days. So if they’re not using pheromones to advertise, hatchetfish are missing out on a really big market.

Hatchetfish are especially well adapted for their ecological niche.

However, remove them from their mesopelagic range, and those characteristics that enhance their competitive fitness in their normal habitat become a detriment to survival. The unchanging essence of the oceanic water column over the ages appears to have favored the evolution of highly specialized morphological types. Geological records imply that specialist species have higher extinction rates than do generalists, but until change comes their way, it seems specialists have the edge. And what could possibly change the deep sea? Besides us.

Though it seems untouchable, the deep sea is not so far away that it’s beyond the reach of human activities. Many things that find their way into the ocean, whether it’s tossed in the trash, washes off a beach, or falls off a boat, eventually make their way to the deep sea. Just this year, scientists found polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and other persistent organic pollutants in amphipods in the Mariana Trench – the deepest part of the world’s oceans. It is thought the chemicals reached this “remote and pristine realm” as plastic debris or contaminated dead animals floated down to the sea floor. It’s not just our bays or our Gulf.

Creatures of the deep are affected by what we do at the surface, too.

For many of us, it’s “out of sight, out of mind.” Unfortunately for the hatchetfish, they’re stuck watching whatever comes down.

Where I learned about hatchetfish, and you can too!

Monterey Bay Aquarium www.montereybayaquarium.org/animal-guide/fishes/hatchetfish Australian Geographic www.australiangeographic.com.au/blogs/creatura-blog/2014/05/deep-seahatchetfish Sea & Sky www.seasky.org/deep-sea/hatchetfish.html Wild Facts www.wild-facts.com/2011/wild-fact-634-the-perfect-deep-sea-tool-marinehatchetfish/ Real Monstrosities www.realmonstrosities.com/2011/05/marine-hatchetfish.html Deep Sea Fishes

By David J. Randall & Anthony P. Farrell Children’s Illustrated Encyclopedia DK Publishing Fire in the Sea: Bioluminescence and Henry Compton’s Art of the Deep

By David A. McKee & Henry Compton The Independent www.independent.co.uk/environment/toxic-chemical-levels-marianas-trenchanimals-pollution-sea-life-fish-worlds-deepest-pacific-ocean-a7578026.html TSFMAG.com | 61

Kyle and Kevin doubled up; a common occurrence during the run.

CURTISS CASH

I N SH O RE | N EARSH O RE | J ETT I ES | P ASSES

October Is Full Of Bull!

Bull redfish and black drum, that is! Catching these big fish has become something of a specialty for me the last few Octobers. Multiple landings of these bruisers during a charter tend to put a smile on everyone’s face onboard the boat. Who can catch the most or the longest normally engages some friendly competition.

Last season during “the run” anglers regularly caught over 20 big ones in a half day charter. Some trips topped over fifty releases of reds and drum. Now that is CATCHING! JETTIES & PASSES Fish where they congregate; deep channels connecting the bay systems to the gulf are some of the best areas. Ship channel jetties, natural and manmade passes, the surf and nearshore structure are all good areas to target. Deeper depths of harbors and the ICW, where they intersect major bays, are also worth exploring.

I typically fish ship channel jetties by anchoring where the rock piles end and the sand bottom slopes toward the center of the channel. When an area is located, make a note of the depth you plan to fish and move up-current to drop anchor.

The bay bottom in areas with heavy current flow tend to be firmer than surrounding shallower areas. Sandy bottom gives way to hard clay that 62 | October 2017

often includes occasional rock structure. I normally use a 13-pound Danforth style fluke anchor, with clevis attaching 6-feet of 5/16-inch chain. During the run I change out the chain with 8-foot of 3/8-inch for more holding capability – but a little harder on the back.

I’ve found that a scope of 3:1 works in most situations, so in 40-foot depths measure out 120 feet. Tie the length of rope off to your bow cleat before dropping anchor.

Once the anchor catches, I allow the engine to continue running for safety’s sake. This immediate strain can cause an anchor to slip, a rope to sever, or a boat’s position to Bull red fishing is a great family affair.

Science and the

Sea

TM

A Massive but Elusive Sunfish New discoveries in the ocean never end, but sometimes even the ocean’s largest animals can evade scientists. It takes perseverance, a bit of luck and sometimes help from everyday people to find elusive new creatures. PhD student Marianne Nyegaard and a team of researchers from Murdoch University in Australia spent four years searching for a new species of sunfish, or mola, the largest bony fish in the world.

Marianne Nyegaard dissecting a stranded Mola tecta on Birdlings Flat south of Christchurch, New Zealand, May 2014.

Credit: Murdoch University For more than a century, scientists have known of only three sunfish species, but Murdoch’s team discovered evidence of a fourth species after analyzing more than 150 samples of sunfish DNA. The next step was finding a specimen. Sunfish weigh more than two tons and can grow nearly 8 feet long, but they’re rarely seen because they dive so deeply to feed. Nyegaard’s team didn’t know where to start searching, much less what the species might look like.

But people across the world helped. Researchers, fishermen and everyday people in several countries called her team when they found or caught sunfish. Then, four sunfish washed up on a beach in New Zealand. DNA analysis revealed them to be the mysterious, missing species. The new sunfish earned the common name hoodwinker sunfish and the scientific name Mola tecta. (The Latin word tectus means hidden.) Unlike its cousins, the sleeker hoodwinker sunfish lacks a snout or ridges along its upper and lower sides. So far, Nyegaard’s team has found hoodwinker sunfish around New Zealand, Tasmania, the southern Australian coast, South Africa and southern Chile — all chillier waters, which suggests this sunfish’s preferred habitat is cold areas of the Southern Hemisphere. Biologists can now begin learning more about Mola tecta — partly thanks to the help of ordinary people.

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

TSFMAG.com | 63

TACKLE, RIGGING & BAIT On my charters, we typically use heavier than bay tackle when targeting big ones. Reels are spooled with 50- to 65-pound Spiderwire Blue Camo braid or 30- to 40-pound Berkley Big Game monofilament.

The rods should be capable of handling the weight of the fish and force of the current where these fish reside. A long tiresome fight on wimpy tackle can cause serious stress, or even kill the fish.

Monofilament leader material of 60- to 100-pound test works well and is preferred in this style of fishing. Steel leader material is discouraged due to possibility of damaging the fish’s gill plates or bodies.

When fishing channel edges or open-water without snags, we use a Carolina rig 12- to 36-inches in length with an egg sinker heavy enough to keep the bait on bottom. The Bait Stopper Rig is another great setup which keeps the weight closer to the bait. This rig aids in assisting the hookset on the fish as it pulls away. Deep-hooking the fish is less likely as the sinker stops and slides the hook toward the fish’s mouth.

The Bait Stopper incorporates a 12-inch straight leader with swivel on the opposite end of the hook, another 24-inches of leader material tied between first swivel and another up the line. The sliding weight is added to this stretch of leader, egg weights are popular as well as using pyramid or bank style weights on a sinker slide.

Circle hooks are a must for the conservation of these fish – hooking them in the mouth 90% of the time. Rigs I use are constructed with a Mustad 39941 circle hook size 6/O - 9/O depending on the size of the bait. Keep as much of the hook gap exposed as possible to assist the hook finding solid purchase.

Fresh dead or fresh-frozen baits such as menhaden, blue crab, Spanish sardines, mullet and large white shrimp are all good choices.

With finfish I insert the hook into the bottom jaw and exit between the 64 | October 2017

This father & son duo tagged team several big reds last October.

Robert & Karen Spencer hoist a double for a quick pic.

eyes in the center of the skull. Shrimp are best hooked through the tail or threaded on the hook.

TAKING CARE OF THE BROODSTOCK Many of these large redfish and black drum will be very tired and/ or have their swim bladder over-inflated internally. Venting tools available for retail purchase work well with smaller fish. On larger fish the puncture wound may do more damage than good. The venting needles are not manufactured for tough skin and scales of large drum.

Please do not poke the fish with the point of a knife Holding the fishes head under water facing into the current helps them revive and resuscitate after an honorable battle. Sometimes this may take the better of 10 minutes so I use a fish release clamp. I have been using a 3-inch plastic spring clamp attached to a boat cleat with quarter-inch rope. With the big redfish in the water, I attach the clamp to their lower jaw and let them dangle on the surface with the current flowing into the gaping mouth.

Last October, at times, we had a half-dozen fish riding the current near the boat. If clamped lightly many of the fish release themselves when strength is regained.

Please take these measures into consideration: - Use adequate tackle and circle hooks for big fish - Coarse flesh of spawning-size fish is not very palatable - Modern taxidermy can render excellent replica mounts - Take quick photos and revive fish ASAP - Do not remove the fish from the water if not needed Thank you for taking care of the oversized redfish and black drum.

They are the ones responsible for producing the great eating slotsize fish we enjoy so much!

C ontact

sheer. By aligning the boat Joe Sistos caught this nice bull red parallel to a nearby immovable while freelining a menhaden. object or noting position

by GPS, one can ensure the anchor is holding firm.

Once set, the engine is turned off and the throttle/ gear shift advanced back into forward position. Putting the engine into gear keeps the propeller from spinning in the current and wrapping wayward fishing lines.

A good idea is to attach an anchor ball or a couple of crab trap buoys to the end of the line. If a very large fish is hooked and the line is emptying from the spool, it is easier to cast off the anchor line and chase the fish instead of increasing the drag setting and chancing the line breaking or hook pulling. The anchor buoy allows you to return to the exact fishing location without losing your spot. I normally write my TX-numbers on the buoy to claim ownership.

Trust me, some boaters may try to tie up and/or retrieve your anchor without some identifying markings.

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

Phone

361-564-7032

Fence Company Commercial & Residential CHAIN LINK • WOOD PRIVACY • RAIL Branch Manager: Alan Ratjen

Project Managers: Larry Stanley Doug DeVoe

Free Estimates We Accept All Major Credit Cards Bonded & Insured • Public Sales Welcome!

979-265-5122 979-864-3775

www.fosterfenceresidential.com TSFMAG.com | 65

Author delivering hurricane relief supplies to Aransas PassRockport area.

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

ER I C O Z O L I N S

Resilience in the Wake As I have preached for years, our region undergoes some of the most extreme changes in both weather and oceanic conditions seen anywhere, and this year has been no different. Sargassum seaweed plagued us just as the springtime winds began to blow relentlessly, delivering a tough two-punch combination for beach fishing. It took a lot of determination but we prevailed, in most instances, and managed some astonishing catches.

Then, right when the seaweed cleared and the winds finally began to calm along the coast, the annual Gulf shrimp season started up. Traditionally, shrimping activity off South Texas draws much of the summertime shark population offshore, away from beaches, with the daily free Reid Nicolau buffet of net cull. Blacktips and spinner had a blast with sharks especially become scarce in the jacks on my first beach the surf zone. Fortunately for beach following anglers other monsters remained in the Harvey. shallows. We enjoyed an above-average summer in terms of hammer and tiger shark activity. I succeeded in placing satellite tags on two tigers and releasing a hammer in the 12-foot class. The outlook for the second half of the year was bright with plenty of surf action. But a storm was brewing.

66 | October 2017

August 17, several hundred miles off the Lesser Antilles, Tropical Storm Harvey was born. While not a major threat at the time, it’s disorganized activity was located well south of the area where powerful storms have been known to originate. Some of the early models predicted the storm might find its way into the Gulf of Mexico. With early inability to organize and grow in strength, Harvey didn’t seem much of a threat.

Harvey traveled westward into the Caribbean and then ran out of steam – nearly ceasing to exist.

The low-pressure remnants continued west over the Yucatan as some of the models predicted it might. On August 23, Harvey officially became a tropical storm, again. Then in just over 24 hours, it blossomed into a slow-moving hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico. The forecast track had the storm hitting Texas at Corpus Christi, less than two days out.

The southern Gulf is known to produce rapid intensification in tropical systems, and with conditions favorable for development, the storm grew quickly.

Each official update indicated greater certainty that Harvey was headed for the Coastal Bend, reaching Cat 3 strength or greater at landfall. Enough to convince

has been washing up on beaches. Back on Padre Island fewer than 48 hours after initial landfall, I drove the beach to observe the initial post-storm conditions. Still a tropical storm, Harvey’s winds were wrapping around and hitting Corpus Christi from the west. This was essentially blowing the surf flat despite 30-mph winds. On a quick drive between Bob Hall Pier and the boundary of the National Seashore, I began to see activity.

Something caught my eye in the flat surf – a fin. A shark was roaming the shallows. Large horse mullet were running thick right on the beach. I continued south and spotted another shark, then another. Predators were pushing this mass train of mullet right up on the beach – something you would never have imagined so soon after a Category 4 hurricane.

I instantly turned the truck around and went to the house to grab a couple rods. I fished for roughly an hour. While not landing a shark, all of which appeared blacktips and bulls, I did get spooled on a shark bait casted from shore. Wild!

The next weekend I conducted a three-day charter, and followed Renner’s arms were it up with an additional day of worn out after personal fishing. The action was fighting this jack. more typical of October than early-September. Anchovies were schooled in numerous baitballs up and down the National Seashore, along with a near continuous parade of mullet. The water was teeming with life. Sharks, redfish, bluefish, trout, and jack crevalle were frenzy-feeding in incredible numbers.

The adventurous kids of my weekend-long charter had the time of their lives. If it wasn’t brute jacks wearing out their arms, it were the insane amount of giant skipjack attacking every lure you could throw at them. Blacktip sharks were so thick they were fighting over kayak-deployed baits. This was by far some of the best September fishing I have ever participated in.

Just as the people of the crumbled towns north of Corpus were coming together and rebounding from Harvey’s horrible blow, the fish too exhibited great resilience in the wake of extreme natural forces.

C ontact

me to board up the house and get the heck out of Dodge.

We left Corpus and headed to San Antonio on the morning of the 25th, detouring to the beach on the way out to observe tropical storm wind pushing the tide up. Many of my friends stayed, as did much of Corpus Christi’s population, underestimating the Alexis Anthony danger of their decisions. Harvey with a hardmade landfall just north of Port fighting, postAransas as a Category 4 storm. It Harvey jack. was reported that Port Aransas took wind gusts exceeding 130-mph but Blacktip shark for Renner Nicolau the full extent of the devastation released following quick photo op. was yet to be understood.

Early on the 26th, Alexis and I returned to Corpus to assess damage to our home. Fortunately, we had very minimal damage. One home on our street burned down and another lost its roof. My greatest fear had been storm surge, which luckily never reached us. Power was restored later that evening. What a blessing!

Alexis and I volunteered the next several days, delivering more than 5000 bottles of drinking water, groceries, lights and gasoline to the storm victims of Aransas Pass and Rockport. Seeing the destruction of infrastructure, homes, and businesses in these communities was very unsettling. The effect on human lives was even more profound.

But coastal towns and coastal people are a resilient lot and, Texans in general are rugged, resourceful and compassionate. We witnessed literally scores of vehicles arriving, countless individuals from all over the state coming to the aid of these small towns with donations of food and recovery supplies. Hundreds from across Texas began pouring in, volunteering their labor to assist with the cleanup.

Residents were in relatively good spirits despite some having lost their homes and majority of their possessions. Most had already begun focusing on recovery and rebuilding. Some stoically commented that Harvey was an inevitability, having been nearly half a century since Hurricane Celia hit Corpus Christi back in 1970.

Harvey made landfall and traveled a short distance inland, then tracked southeasterly back to the Gulf, and stubbornly followed the coastline toward Houston. All the while dumping enormous amounts of rain. Rainfall amounts exceeding 40-inches were common and some areas received more than 50-inches in a two-to three-day period.

Flood levels within parts of Greater Houston and continuing east to Beaumont and Orange surpassed everything on record.

So, now that the storm has passed and recovery efforts are several weeks underway, anglers everywhere are anxious to learn what effect Harvey will have on fishing.

Fresh water is flowing to the Gulf in astounding volume and debris

For the past decade Eric ‘Oz’ Ozolins has been promoting shark catch and release and assisting various shark research programs. Eric offers guided shark fishing on Padre Island National Seashore. Also renowned for extreme kayak big game fishing, Eric runs Kayak Wars; one of the largest kayak fishing tournaments in the world.

Email Websites

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

TSFMAG.com | 67

NEW

Bubba Blade Fishing Pliers

Get a grip with the new Bubba Blade™ Fishing Pliers. Bubba Blade™ Fishing Pliers are the ultimate fishing tool for all sportsman. Featuring our patented “No-Slip-Grip” technology, the titaniumaerospace aluminum construction delivers reliable lightweight usability for any angler. The pliers also feature stainless steel jaws and tungsten cutters for strength and durability. Finished off with three sets of crimpers for split shot and leader sleeves, these pliers are the perfect tool for any fisherman. The lanyard and sheath are included for fast access when needed. Bubba Blade™ now covers your needs both before and after the catch. www.BubbaBlade.com

The NEW Frio Surf “N” Turf Available in 25, 45, 65-Quart, and 65-Quart

- Adjustable shoulder strap

Extreme Models

(25-Qt only)

- Motion Sensitive Interior Light (Not available on

- Custom decorate up to five

25-Quart)

locations – front, back, both

- Stainless steel latches

sides, and lid

- Positive seal drain plug

- Two-tone color from seafoam blue into tan

- Easy-grip handles w/heavy-duty nylon rope

With the cooler properly pre-cooled before adding ice, it

- Four non-slip feet

will last 5-days at sub-90⁰ and 3- to 4-days at 90⁰-plus temperatures.

- Air-Tight seal

www.FrioIceChests.com

- Tie down points

Stinky Pants Stringers Seafoam green and neon orange are the newest colors hitting the water from the company that has brought you the toughest stringer on the market for the last 10 years. Stinky Pants Fishing is proud to offer these new colors in their stringer line up: 12’ Original, 8’ Pro-series, 12’ Hooker. Please also check out our full accessories line: keychain floats, plier floats, 15-lb and 30-lb Boga floats. Available online at www.StinkyPantsFishing. com and fine tackle shops along the Texas coast.

68 | October 2017

products

Hobie Hobie Vantage Seat Accessory Bag Store extra tackle, safety gear, snacks and other key items within easy reach. Hobie’s new water resistant Vantage Seat Accessory Bag fits on all Vantage seats found on MirageDrive kayaks. It’s feature-packed with Velcro attachment straps, interior zippered organizational pouch, drainage hole to keep contents dry and clear visibility window on top.

Hobie Fold And Stow Cart Eliminate trips back and forth to your vehicle with Hobie’s new Fold and Stow Cart. Lightweight and strong, it breaks down in a matter of seconds to fit inside Hobie kayaks equipped with a large front cargo hatch.

Reassembles equally fast at end of day. Will handle 175 lbs. www.Hobie.com

Starbrite – Star Tron Star Tron Fuel System & Injector Cleaner’s formula combines a powerful blend of enzymes and high-tech cleaning compounds to restore power to all engines.

Clean engines deliver great throttle response, develop full power, attain maximum fuel economy and avoid

Tsunami Shield™ Spinning Reels Saltwater is in our blood and fuels our passion for that next trophy. But, it is also the greatest enemy of fishing tackle.

The unique Tsunami SHIELD™ Salt Water Proof spinning reels

issues such as pre-detonation (pinging and knocking) and excessive emissions. | MSRP $5.99; 4 fl. oz.

For more information, visit www.StarTron.com or call (800) 327-8583

feature up to 13 internal seals in strategic locations to shield critical components from saltwater intrusion. The internal seals, super smooth CF3™ carbon fiber drag and 5 sealed stainless bearings are wrapped in a hybrid machined aluminum body combining protection, precision and toughness. The heavyduty rotor brake controlled bail system and precision machined aluminum, braid-ready spool assures the best control of super braids cast after long cast.

The combination of top-notch designs and precisely mated components are what make the Tsunami SHIELD™ spinning reels an all new contender for your favorite reel for years to come!

3000/4000 Series: $99.99 5000/6000 Series: $109.99 www.BiminiBayOutfitters.com TSFMAG.com | 69

Dickie Colburn

DICKIE COLBURN’S Sabine Scene

Sabine

Dickie Colburn is a full time guide out of Orange, Texas. Dickie has 37 years experience guiding on Sabine and Calcasieu Lakes.

Telephone 409-883-0723 Website www.sabineconnection.com

Dear Readers, Dickie Colburn has been a very popular and faithful contributor to TSFMag for many years. Even through hurricanes, tropical storms and Sabine River floods, Dickie’s material has never failed to reach my email inbox before due date. Dickie has never been one to spin fishing yarns in his columns – if it’s good he says so, and tells where to catch them.

When fishing is tough, he’ll report that, too – as honestly as he possibly can. Always with sincere encouragement to “Take a Kid Fishing!”

Sadly – through all the calamity that has befallen the Sabine region over the years, Dickie and Karen were not so lucky in Harvey’s aftermath.

Torrential rain for days as Harvey spun on his ugly course across East Texas, Dickie’s neighborhood became inundated with floodwater and his home flooded. The Colburn household became awash in several feet of water, ruining much of the interior structure and contents.

Dickie promises to be back next month, or as soon as the Good Lord allows. Meanwhile, please keep Dickie and Karen and their family in your thoughts and prayers as they put their lives and home back together.

Everett Johnson-Editor and Publisher

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

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

Barndominiums • Metal Buildings • Boat and Mini Storage • Metal Frame Homes • Commercial Buildings 70 | October 2017

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

Starbrite Snap & Zipper Lube Avoiding Headaches

We all know the winterization basics: Star-Tron to stabilize the fuel, Instant Hull Cleaner to remove waterline grime, an MDG Odor Control in the cabin, and fill the engine block and cooling water system with antifreeze.

But when spring arrives and the zipper for the canvas enclosure or T-Bag has corroded into a solid piece of metal and all the snaps are rusted solid, you’ll realize you forgot one important and often-overlooked step.

The way to avoid this headache is crazy simple: Starbrite Snap & Zipper Lube. A thin coating of the clear, non-staining gel on

plastic and metal zippers and a dab into snaps before they are closed keeps everything opening and closing all season long.

The polymers in Snap & Zipper Lube resist washout, help protect against corrosion and can be used to lubricate any metal-to-metal application such as hinges or sliding doors. MSRP $11.99.

Learn more at: www. starbrite.com or call (800) 327-8583.

TSFMAG.com | 71

Capt. Caleb Harp

The Buzz on Galveston Bay

Galveston

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

Telephone 281-753-3378 Website harpsguideservice.com

72 | October 2017

Hurricane Harvey came to Texas on August 25, which For instance, two years ago during the historic everyone is aware by now, but some may not be Trinity River flood, the Livingston Dam discharge aware the magnitude of flooding that will affect reached 93,000 cfs (cubic feet per second) and hung the Galveston Bay System. Nearly every community there for several days and then dropped to 80,000 cfs surrounding the bay complex was affected and for over a month and a half. hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses The day the severe Harvey flooding occurred here, were ruined by the rising floodwaters. It has been the Livingston Dam discharge reached 110,500 cfs estimated (no clue how they do this) that something – the highest it’s ever been. BUT 5 days later, it had approaching 18-trillion gallons diminished to only 18,000 cfs. My Fresh water always layers atop salt of water came down during this theory is that we should recover water. In this case the fresh layer is so thick that no green or saltier event – making it the single largest faster, being that there isn’t a water is visible in the prop wash. flooding event in U.S. History. continuous flow and more or less Where I live, on the north end of just a huge flush! Eighteen trillion Trinity Bay, the area was inundated gallons is nothing to take lightly with 56-inches of rain. We have though, we will have to see how never seen such an amount of long that water will take to get fresh water. Even though this isn’t out of here. Luckily though, it’s our first rodeo on fishing behind done coming in! major floods, this one is going to There are also several key factors be especially hurtful. My only hope which will aid this fresh water, get though, is being that this was such out of here. Depending on how a quick and almost flash flood warm the temperature remains and event, the water will not continue for how long, will determine how to arrive for a prolonged period. much evaporation will occur. The

surface water, which is mostly all of the fresh water, will evaporate and we should get some relief there. The biggest key to our recovery though will be tide movement and the amount and strength of the cold fronts that will push existing fresh water out of the bays. This won’t be the end of the world and we will make a comeback. We’ve been here before.

The closest thing to this event that we’ve experienced in somewhat modern time can be related back to 2001 when Tropical Storm Allison hit us. It wasn’t nearly as bad as Harvey but it entirely inundated our bays. The first area to really produce signs of life was West Galveston Bay. West Bay isn’t as drastically affected by fresh water inflow, being that it’s far enough away from the San Jacinto and Trinity river watersheds and is really only affected by smaller bayous and creeks.

West Bay is definitely where we’re going to need to focus most of our time behind this flood. Trinity Bay will be a thing of the past for

Flood water in Houston – heading toward Galveston Bay.

some time. Our normal fall routine of working birds and slicks on the north end of Trinity Bay during a normal October isn’t going to happen this year – but maybe next year!

East Galveston Bay should bounce back in due time but as of right now, it’s toast as well. Normally we’ll see a silver lining around the south shoreline after floods. Areas like Fat Rat pass and around the Hog Pens will hold pockets of saltier water eventually. The Jetties will be a big player this year, being that a lot of the fish living in the northern stretches of the bay evacuated with the flood and rode that stream of saltwater out into the gulf. Fishing the jetties will be as close to the incoming favorable salinity as you can get and will be a good place to look.

Whenever the salinity does begin to recover further up the bay, enough to fish, fishing slow and low will be the key. The salt water is heavier than fresh and will always lie in a layer near bottom. Fishing on bottom and keeping your lure there is a huge key to success. You’ll need to increase your jighead size or be patient and let your lure get all the way down. The fish will be hugging the bottom, looking for the areas with the most salinity.

In dirty water conditions, which is what we’ll be faced with for some time, I like using darker colored lures or lures that have scent in them.

MirrOlure makes most all of their lines of soft plastics scented and I believe it helps the fish to find them. Gulp! is also a good lure to use in poor clarity situations but sometimes the gafftops and hardheads like them as much as the trout and redfish.

Don’t get too frustrated with the conditions and the difficulties that may arise. The fishing will come back and better days are coming!

-Capt. Caleb Harp

SADDLE BLANKET

SHOWDOWN December 16th 2017 The Galveston Yacht Basin

$6000 PAYOUT

CASH AND PRIZES Tournament Entry Fees: Junior Division: $40.00 for Junior Artificial $20.00 for Junior Open Bait ( Ages 13 -17 )

Youth Division: $40.00 for Youth Artificial $20.00 for Youth Open Bait ( Ages 12 and Under )

REGISTER TODAY AT WWW.HSJAA.COM TSFMAG.com | 73

Bink Grimes

The View from Matagorda

Matagorda

Bink Grimes is a full-time fishing and hunting guide, freelance writer and photographer, and owner of Sunrise Lodge on Matagorda Bay.

Telephone 979-241-1705 Email binkgrimes@sbcglobal.net Website matagordasunriselodge.com

We were blessed in Matagorda with only minor damage from Harvey. We have had an overwhelming outpouring of help from out-of-towners and out-ofstaters and want to say thank you. Texas is changing attitudes and opinions of the current state of America, often wrongly displayed by the mainstream media. To put it bluntly, we are different here.

Instead of spewing hate and everything wrong with your political views, the media has been forced to show images and videos of Americans helping their fellow man. That’s what happens in Texas.

Where else would a flotilla of boats load up and head in to harm’s way and save thousands and thousands of people?

We have dealt with Hurricane Harvey and the question I always get when a tropical cyclone rolls through is: “How will the storm affect our fishing.”

Don’t be lulled and dulled by the ominous pictures of water everywhere. That water is gone and

with g a m e EE R G et F h a se! c r u p y p o c hard onth subscripreceive a 12-m Order today and ry and sign up family memur tion for $25.00. H iends at the same rate! bers and/or fr

our fishing is good!

Matagorda is not affected by freshwater floods like other bay systems. So don’t believe the doom and gloom hype that comes across the airways.

The irony of a catastrophic storm is the jolt of energy its currents pump in to our estuaries. Every hurricane I have ever been associated with in my 46 years on earth from Galveston to Port O’Connor has left a positive impact on the fishing.

Subscription

Form

Sub1017

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

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

FREE EMAG WITH HARDCOPY PURCHASE E-mail required

AM EX

12 months print - $25.00 or 12 months digital only - $12.00

Subscribing for more than yourself? Please write additional information on a separate sheet of paper.

74 | October 2017

All subscriptions come with yearly autorenewal.

The tidal surge pushes water and fish eggs and nutrients to the far reaches of the bayous and sloughs where small fish are protected and the results are more juvenile fish make it and give us a larger agegroup of fish for years to come.

We are treating the high tides like the high tides of spring and fishing tight to the shorelines for trout. Spots like the Pipeline, Cullen House and Maverick Bayou are great high-tide spots in West Matagorda Bay. The back lakes are full of water and full of fish. Small topwaters like She Pups and Super Spook Jrs are good for trout to four pounds. When tides are really high, I like fishing the outgoing tide at the mouths of sloughs, since that is when the most water movement occurs.

Reefs are good for trout on live shrimp. When the tide is high the fish are right on top of the reef, but when water begins to fall those fish will stage off the edges, right on the dropoff.

East Matagorda Bay is full of trout. We fished the weekend after the storm and there were fish on the middle reefs and shorelines. I haven’t seen it that good in a very long time - lots of big trout were released.

If there is one species that reaps the benefits of a storm surge it is the redfish. Especially this time of year when tides are normally low and hot, fresh recruits of Gulf water in to the back lakes, sloughs and bayous are just what redfish crave.

We like working Oyster Lake, Crab Lake and the north shoreline of West Matagorda Bay for redfish on live shrimp under a cork. Cutoff Flats, Zipperan Bayou and Forked Bayou. In East Matagorda, those big reds will be with the big trout tight along the shorelines around Boiler Bayou, Burkhart Cove, St. Mary’s Bayou and Hog Island.

October in the surf and jetty is the month bull redfish get going in preparation for their spawning run. These high storm tides do nothing but spark the action and many times the rougher the conditions in the surf the better for bulls. Most use large table shrimp, pogies, finger mullet or cracked blue crabs for the big bulls.

I watched two acres of redfish come to the surface at the Matagorda jetty last September and crush wads of pogies riding the incoming tide through the pass.

October is one of our best months of fishing. Hope to see you in Matagorda.

Follow our catches on Facebook, Instagram and weekly on the Texas Insider Fishing Report on Fox Sports Southwest.

2017-TX-oct-SDG-trout.pdf

“The Soft Dog™...Paul Browns First Top Water” Soft Dog™ - Color Chart 01 08

SDG-91 3-3/4” Long, 7/8 Oz.

09

Top Water 3-3/4” Soft-Dog™ Paul Brown Lures presents their first top water surface walker… the Soft Dog™. Walks-the-dog with ease. Soft-Dog™ is the ideal search bait. Easy long distance cast. It’s soft plastic design, creates a realistic baitfish feel that trophy gamefish find irresistible.

Soft-Dog™, the perfect mullet imitation for fishing the shallows!

12 15 18 22 91

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

TSFMAG.com | 75

Capt. Gary Gray

MID-COAST BAYS With the Grays

Port O'Connor Seadrift

Captain Gary Gray is a full time guide born and raised in Seadrift. He has been guiding in the Seadrift/ Port O’Connor area for 28 years. Gary specializes in wading for trout and redfish year round with artificial lures.

Telephone 361-785-6708 Email bayrats@tisd.net Website www.bayrat.com

Here in the Seadrift-Port O’Connor area, Shellie and I are feeling blessed. It has been eleven days since Hurricane Harvey made landfall near Rockport. We boarded up our new home the day before the storm and loaded up our horses, dogs, and boats and ran for the hills. Literally.

We ran up to Shellie’s mom’s house in the Schroeder area – and come to find out that is exactly where Harvey was headed.

Our first reaction Saturday morning was that we came through in good shape – and we did – except for a big oak tree that smashed Shellie’s Suburban, and Fancy, Shellie’s oldest mare. Poor Fancy was struck by another fallen oak.

These seemed devastating at first but nothing compared with what folks in Rockport were dealing with, and later, the flood victims in Houston and further east.

On to the fishing and what it should be like in October.

I expect our fishing will take off right where it left off before Harvey. There should still be hefty trout in the surf and tons of slot and oversized redfish. Redfish are usually the primary surf species in October.

Something you will notice during October will

Build Your Own Custom Saltwater Rod With This Turnkey Kit

MUDHOLE.COM/SALT-KIT (800) 498-4216

76 | October 2017

Ryan Walker showing off one of many quality trout from the surf before the hurricane.

be the huge rafts of mullet migrating through the passes from the bays to the gulf. These huge bait schools are where you need to concentrate your efforts.

Beware the jack crevalle! A horde of marauding jacks will definitely put the kibosh on a good trout and redfish bite. Seems they’re frightened of being eaten, too.

For the remaining days of September and all through October, the majority of my fishing time will be spent in San Antonio Bay. The Guadalupe was running at flood stage but not for a very long period.

I believe I will be able to work around any fresh water problems – especially if the river continues to drop over the coming weeks.

On light wind days I will be targeting the many reefs that lie north of the ICW. Beginning in October and continuing through winter, SAB’s reef can be absolutely dynamite.

Pre- and post-front windy days will find us tucked along leeward shorelines Lisa Schroeder with nephew where feeding gulls and pelicans Ryan – doubleindicate the presence of baitfish and teaming the slot gamefish. Usually the mouth of a drain or reds in the surf. a back-lake entrance.

When fishing around these migrating baitfish I like to start with an obnoxious topwater such as the MirrOlure She Dog in bone or anything with chrome. I work right along the edges of the rafts swimming by. Sometimes the water gets clear enough this time of the year that you will actually see the reds and trout swimming under and around the baitfish, which adds to the excitement. If they are not hitting the topwater I switch to a sinking bait like the MirrOlure MirrOdine XL. I prefer any color combination in this lure as long as it includes chartreuse. I believe lots of flash is important when the water trends toward clear this time of year.

Another great option that my clients and I take advantage of during the fall months are the sight-casting opportunities that become more prevalent because of the swollen tides. Sand flats that normally have only mere inches of water covering them will often be a foot deep or more, where schools of tailing redfish and black drum will feed actively on small crabs and shrimp. I don’t care who you are, this type of fishing is always exciting.

Many brands and styles of lures can draw strikes from tailing redfish but my favorite by far is the 4” Bass Assassin Sea Shad in the Copperhead color. I rig it on a 1/16-ounce Assassin Jighead. It is just heavy enough to make an accurate cast with but still light enough to have a small splashdown when it hits the water, not startling wary reds rooting around in the sand and grass.

When running area bays and waterways on your first time out following Harvey, I strongly advise slowing down and exercising greater than normal caution.

Keep a constant vigil for changes in the bay bottom, formation of new sandbars and storm debris clogging access channels. With a storm of Harvey’s magnitude you can expect to find pieces of piers and pilings just about anywhere.

There will no doubt also be some changes to the reefs in open water.

Formerly safe passages between reefs may now be clogged with shell dislodged by the powerful wave action. We should also find new cuts through reefs that will provide opportunity as the tides sweep bait through the openings. Take your time in learning the bays again, who knows, this hurricane may have been just what our bay system needed after many years without a thorough flushing.

Fish hard, fish smart!

TSFMAG.com | 77

david rowsey

HOOKED UP WITH Rowsey

Upper Laguna/ Baffin

David Rowsey has over 25 years in Baffin and Upper Laguna Madre; trophy trout with artificial lures is his specialty.

David has a great passion for conservation and encourages catch and release of trophy fish.

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

Hello, friends. Like so many others affected by Harvey, I am at a loss for the right words to convey to those who have been so deeply affected by the storm. We went without power seven days, lost fencing and some trees, but that pales in comparison to what so many of my friends, clients, and distant neighbors suffered to the north of Corpus Christi. My heart goes out to all of you, and many prayers for the long recovery ahead. This has all been a surreal experience, but I could never be prouder of the people and the great State of Texas.

It took me about a week to get back on the water after the storm passed. Based on how Flour Bluff made out, I didn’t expect to see too many changes on the water. Everything, for the most part, was pretty normal. As expected, some floating cabins ended up on Padre Island and there was some floating debris that will create havoc for those of us who run in the dark.

There was an eerie calm across the Laguna as we headed out, and you could just feel in your bones that something really big had taken place. As the

big Mercury slowed to idle off of a long run, and the light was just starting to crack the horizon, we caught our first glimpse of life – baitfish on the surface. It seemed like the switch was flipped during Harvey and the bait migration was suddenly in full swing. Just about any area we shut down, the surface was full of life – and “fishy” to the eye.

September and October have always been the months to follow the bait toward the gulf. This year seems to have been kickstarted by Harvey, and we have already been benefitting with easy catching and some very healthy trout in the mix.

My charters are still beginning in Baffin and beyond on most every morning, however, the Laguna will start lighting up as the bait heads north towards Corpus Christi Bay. There is so much structure in the Upper Laguna that the fish can be in any of a hundred places at any given time. A good supply of bait on anything resembling a drop-off, grass line, or old channel and you should not have any issues getting some solid action on any Bass Assassin of choice.

PIER & DOCK

$ 4’ 2 Lite T8

89

EA

LIGHTING

21-WATT LED Small 120v Floodlight

$

VAPORTIGHT: FLUOR FIXTURE

95EA

14-Watt LED FIXTURE with/GREEN LAMP SPORTS VAPORTIGHT

Wall or Ceiling Mount

$

99

36-Watt LED $

00 $FLOODLIGHT 00

each

159

each

DUSK TO DAWN

WITH PHOTO CELL

429

1000-WATT 1000W GREEN METAL

Perfect For Pier Lighting

$

HALIDE LAMPS

99EA

“PIER FISHERMANS DREAM FIXTURE”

400 WATT SPORTSMAN PIER LIGHT

Uses Less Energy throws out plenty of light!

1003 N. William - (361) 578-5292 Victoria, Texas Open Mon-Fri 7:00-5:00 www.goyenelectric.com 78 | October 2017

37900

w/400 Watt Green Lamp

$

/EA

do not Prices ipping s e h includ ndling d an ha

In anticipation of colder weather fishing, I love to start getting prepared during October for the season ahead. One of the highlights for me now is getting my hands on 13 Fishing’s new Concept Z reel. This reel utilizes a very slick polymer bushing versus traditional roller bearings. I know it sounds kind of crazy, but 20-years ago we were using bushings in an old green reel with very good success. Back then we lost a little distance on the cast, but the maintenance was minimal. The Concept Z promises a new, even

slicker bushing, that provides very high spool speed, which allows for exceptionally long casts. Longer cast and reduced maintenance is a win-win for me.

This time of year is also when I spend lots of time making sure all gear is clean and in good shape for the upcoming fall and winter seasons. Many of us are guilty of stuffing gear away in the garage for months, only to find out that it needs cleaning or repair the next time we get on the water to use it. Be proactive with your reels and have them cleaned now. Load up some new braided line, and make sure it is packed on tight. Do a pool check on your waders and make sure you can get another season out of them.

Trust me, being cold and wet will spoil even the most spirited angler’s day. Change out the rusty hooks on your favorite plugs while watching a college football game. All of these things seem obvious, but I have seen it all come to fruition ten times over. A minimal amount of time on gear prep now will pay big dividends when you get back on the water for big trout.

In closing, keep the prayers rolling in for all our friends who fell victim to Harvey. Texans are about as resilient and self-reliant a bunch of people as God ever created. We will get through this, and be bigger and stronger than ever. God Bless!

Remember the buffalo! -Capt David Rowsey

TSFMAG.com | 79

Wayne Davis

WAYNE’S Mansfield Report

Port Mansfield

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

Telephone 210-287-3877 Email captwayne@kwigglers.com

80 | October 2017

We are still recovering from Hurricane Harvey as October approaches. I am so very saddened to see what happened just up the coast from Port Mansfield, and to see and hear about the devastation this storm has brought to the great State of Texas. A lot of people have been affected by this storm and there are no words that can describe what some of you are experiencing.

I have experienced storms. Hurricane Dolly in 2009, when she so ungraciously ripped the roof from my house and left us without power for a week. I know it was eight years ago but, to show some connectivity to what many of you are experiencing, I have been there. I know many of our fellow anglers have jumped into action and aided in many rescues and donated hundreds if not thousands of hours. Many of us collected supplies and assisted in recovery efforts on many levels.

Port Mansfield was spared Harvey’s wrath but if you live along the Gulf Coast it is likely you will experience something similar in your lifetime. Following Dolly, friend and fellow

Brent Garner – solid five-pounder!

guide Steven DeVries told me, “In about 18 months you will see some of the best fishing you have ever seen.” Well, if you recall during 2010-2011, fishing in Port Mansfield was on fire. Unsure whether a direct correlation but this might be a good time to be optimistic.

Tides continue to be low, albeit it did rise as Harvey was northeast of Port, but it soon went back down to semi-low and low levels. Not necessarily a bad thing, low tides help us pattern fish and keeps them somewhat concentrated to lowlying areas of bay bottom.

Our water is in good shape but when the wind picks up we are still dealing with floating grass. It’s strange how the best concentration of fish sometimes coincides with areas hard to fish. Well, we must be smarter than the fish or at least try.

I have had to change tactics and found myself fishing weedless rigs when required. I much prefer the standard jig head but when floating grass becomes impossible I am quick to switch. I have experimented with many styles and sizes of rigs and soon found myself designing Waylon McKenzie – my own. I am just finishing up with first time wade-fishing! the weedless experiments and will offer a report soon.

Let’s talk quickly about weedless setups in saltwater. First the positive - the bite ratio is awesome, you will definitely get a ton more bites than with a grass-clogged standard jig hook.

On the negative side – I believe the hook-up ratio is lower.

So, here are some thoughts on fishing very grassy situations. I would rather have a chance at a fish than none at all. Pretty simple. Standard jigs in heavily-grassed situations are good for only a few turns of the reel handle. But, with a properly rigged weedless set up you have a shot at landing a fish. I prefer having a shot. Now, since I have started down this road I needed to find the right hook for more hook-ups. Stay tuned and I will let you know my thoughts once I have finalized the project.

Fish have been relatively easy to pattern. That said, they have been holding in thigh- to waistdeep over scattered grass and sand pockets. The pattern holds basically the same north or south of Port Mansfield. There have been some good fish out deep also, up to your shirt pockets.

Certainly wadable, but that depth isn’t the most comfortable for most anglers.

Another tip, as always, you must find bait. You may have to work a few spots, but staying with the bait in combination with grass and sand pockets should provide plenty of action. We have had to sift through some small ones, but that is just part of it. Enjoy it – there is a lot to be learned from catching fish, no matter the size.

Our baits of choice continue to be KWigglers such as Willow Tail Shad, Ball Tail Shad and 4-inch paddletails. Remember, if you are shallow, start with Willow Tails and 4-inch paddletails. Out deeper, try the Ball Tail Shad. The 1/8-ounce jigs seem to be the preferred size down here, and Bone Diamond, Mansfield Margarita and Padre Punch are producing great fish.

Good luck out there, and always remember to practice conservation and courtesy on the water.

TSFMAG.com | 81

Capt. Ernest cisneros

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

A Brownsville-area native, Capt. Ernest Cisneros fishes the Lower Laguna Madre from Port Mansfield to Port Isabel.

Ernest specializes in wading and poled skiff adventures for snook, trout, and redfish.

Cell 956-266-6454 Website www.tightlinescharters.com

Weather, water temps and tides are beginning to settle into normal fall ranges. In general terms, October on the Lower Laguna means quite a few partly to mostlycloudy days, frequent rain and predominantly light wind. Sounds just about Mirella Gonzalez displays perfect after a long, hot one of many redfish she and windy summer. Many caught that day. mornings of late we have been greeted by slick-calm bay waters – perfect for spotting waking redfish on shallow flats.

I know this will sound strange to middle and upper coast anglers who just came through Harvey but, as I write this we are actually running behind on fall precipitation. This has given us greater than normal salinity and, coupled with rather low tide levels, might explain why we are still finding the largest concentrations of fish

hanging in deeper water.

I expect to see significant declines in water temperature very soon as the days grow shorter and cool fronts arrive more frequently. Boat traffic will be much lighter than we saw during summer and fish will feed more regularly and for longer periods. Anglers who forsake dove fields and deer blinds should enjoy some of the year’s best fishing conditions.

Redfish continue to puzzle me. Our landings the last two years are definitely below average, especially if you look back four or five years. To add to the mystery, right of the blue, we will have a day when they absolutely wear us out. Currently, the most consistent area for numbers of redfish has been up around Port Mansfield, then

82 | October 2017 1750-020418-15_RedfishAdTXSWSF_CSP_vsf.indd 1

7/15/15 10:25 AM

The owner of Diamond J, James Rosalis, was a partner in Circle J Enterprises at the time our office and son’s home were built by Circle J. Workmanship and attention to detail were both excellent!

– Everett Johnson, Editor/Publisher, Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine

Adam and his group were fortunate to get on a big school of redfish. Multiple hookups were the norm for this group.

Arroyo City, with SPI/Port Isabel straggling way behind. Luckily, the calmer mornings have been allowing us to spot scattered “wakers” on the eastside SPI flats although tricking them to bite can be a challenge in clear calf-deep water.

Redfish topwater action has been very spotty. When we are fortunate to locate a school of reds in thigh to belly-deep depths we do well with darker baits like the K-Wigglers in plum-chartreuse and Mansfield margarita.

The Lower Laguna speckled trout fishery continues to thrive as is evidenced by solid action that can be found from the waters of Port Isabel all the way up to the Land Cut. Another very promising sign is the steady number of small trout we encounter nearly everywhere we stop. Though sometimes numerous enough to be considered pests, we take as much care in removing hooks and releasing these little guys as we do when handling trophies.

In addition to the abundance of small trout, it continues to be relatively easy to string a limit. We are still seeing a few big trout out there, middle- to upper-20s, but for the most part the keepers are running 16- to 20-inches.

The skinny grass flats are holding some numbers of trout, but the trick is to target them early before they head to deeper water. The most productive water throughout the day has been waistdeep and marked with potholes. Other productive places are along the ICW drop-off, guts on the flats, and grass lines. Find active mullet and piggy perch in the areas described and find trout.

We’ve had quite a few nice trout recently burping up piggy perch as we landed them.

Our flounder numbers are definitely running behind the previous two years. We are still doing well when we target them but the incidental landings have slowed considerably. The best spots to target them recently has been the edges of the ICW and other channels. Getting farther into October and definitely in November, we should see flounder landings increasing as they begin to migrate toward the Gulf for their annual spawning activity.

The best places to target migrating flatties will be Port Mansfield’s East Cut and the Brazos Santiago jetties during periods of peak outgoing tide movement, especially during new and full moon. Targeting them on days following the passage of strong cold fronts, when tides are draining from flats regions through small guts and sloughs, is another good plan. Patience is required!

Flounder can be notoriously stubborn unless your lure hits them on the nose.

I would like to remind everybody that wader season is right around the corner. Down here on the Lower Laguna, wet-wading traditionally comes to an end any day during the first half of November, and much earlier farther up the coast. If you might be in need of a new pair of waders for late-fall and winter fishing, I highly recommend visiting one of Fishing Tackle Unlimited’s three stores in the Houston area. FTU stocks the full line of Simms G3 and G4 waders and wading boots.

Hands down...Simms are the best money can buy!

TSFMAG.com | 83

FISHING REPORTS

Lake Calcasieu Louisiana Jeff and Mary Poe - Big Lake Guide Service - 337.598.3268 October is a fantastic month to fill your coolers with fish. Birds will be picking over large schools of both trout and redfish. If salinities are high, trout will move northward in the estuary into their fall pattern.

Commissary Point north to Turner’s Bay will be our main area of focus.

West Cove will also produce good numbers of fish throughout the month. Shrimp imitations, like MirrOlure Lil' Johns, will be our go to lures. Most of the time, we rig them on quarter-ounce jigheads, but if fish are finicky we scale down to eighth-ounce. Topwater fishing is highly underrated this time of year. Opportunities are plentiful, and trout bites on topwaters are very aggressive in the cooling water. Look for bigger trout to be in three to five-foot depths, over reefs. Redfish will start to show up on banks adjacent to deeper cuts and bayous, but most will be mixed with trout under the birds. This is what makes the months of October and November so special. Redfish one cast and a trout the next make for an excellent trip and plenty of fish at the end of the day.

Trinity Bay - East Bay - Galveston Bay | James Plaag Silver King Adventures - silverkingadventures.com - 409.935.7242 James makes a basic prediction about fishing in the Galveston

84 | October 2017

ORECASTS F from Big Lake to Boca Chica

AND

area after Hurricane Harvey. He predicts the fishing will be good wherever the water remains most salty. “Anybody who tells you they know exactly how this will play out is wrong. Nobody really knows where the water will remain the saltiest and where the fish will stack up. Certainly, if history serves us well, and it might not, since we’ve never had an event like this, West Bay and Chocolate Bay might hold plenty of trout and redfish. I’ll be checking areas like that soon, to make an assessment. In some cases, the fish in upper parts of Galveston Bay get pushed around the corner, using the ICW to head west. If that happens, we should have plenty of fish in middle stretches of West Bay. If the flow’s not too strong in Chocolate Bayou, the west end of the bay may be even better. If those areas don’t work, I’d say we might have the jetties left, and not much else.

I may wind up in Venice, chasing Silver Kings for a while. October is a great month to catch tarpon.”

Jimmy West - Bolivar Guide Service - 409.996.3054 According to Jim, fishing prospects in the Galveston area in the aftermath of Harvey will likely be best in West Bay. “With more freshwater flowing into upper parts of the bays, we probably won’t have any fish in Trinity, Galveston or East Bays. Even the last two

major flood events, which stacked the fish up in East Bay, were less severe than this. People trying to get out and fish after the situation settles down some would be best advised to try areas around Green’s Cut in West Bay. The saltiest water in the system should be over that way. And, of course, in areas adjacent to and including the jetties.

The situation might linger for more than a month, given the ridiculous amount of runoff we will be dealing with.

I will probably focus more on the duck and dove hunting than on the fishing.

Not sure how the standing water will affect dove hunting, but we know we’ll have plenty of flooded fields to set up for duck hunts. I expect the shooting action to be steady over the coming months, and I have plenty of openings for people who want to participate.”

West Galveston - Bastrop - Christmas - Chocolate Bays Randall Groves - Groves Guide Service 979.849.7019 - 979.864.9323 When the time came to give this report, Randall had been “shaken by the boots, hung up to dry and disoriented” by Hurricane Harvey. He said he felt thankful to have survived the storm and wanted to extend condolences to anyone whose life was really disrupted by the epic event. He also wished to make reference to the heroic efforts of many volunteers and others, who went into harm's way to try and help others less fortunate than them during the time when the rising waters left many people in trouble. In terms of a fishing forecast, he said, “I'm not really sure exactly what to expect, but I will predict the fishing for reds should be off the charts. Most likely, we'll be dealing with a higher than normal tide for quite a while. This normally pulls plenty of reds into the shallow areas adjacent to the shorelines and reefs in the shallow parts of the back bays and lakes around here. We'll target them with topwaters, spoons and soft plastics in places like that. The trout fishing will depend on how much freshwater we have. It might be good in the surf.”

Matagorda | Charlie Paradoski Bay Guide Service - 713.725.2401 “October is one of the best months for fishing everywhere on the Texas coast. This is especially true in the Matagorda area,” Charlie says. “All the freshwater runoff left in the aftermath of Harvey will serve our efforts around here well. So much water coming down the rivers and creeks tends to concentrate fish and their prey in the same small spaces. East Bay tends to fill up with fish while the water runs fresh on both ends. So do areas around Green’s in West Bay, where water flowing through the Port O’Connor jetties keeps the water salty. Once the flood diminishes, we should also see potential develop again in the river. Of course, until that happens, fishing in the surf and areas adjacent to the jetties at the mouth of the Colorado River can be excellent. This time of year is ripe with potential for finding lots of hungry trout under birds in the opens bays and back lakes.

The back lakes and coves often hold lots of redfish too. So, as usual, we have numerous productive options available to us in the coming weeks.”

Palacios | Capt. Aaron Wollam www.palaciosguideservice.com - 979.240.8204 I’d like to send prayers out to everyone on the coast who may have been affected by Harvey. God spared us here in Palacios; we were lucky to have experienced minimal damages. We wish everyone had been so lucky along the coast north and south of us as. We know we can recover from this historic storm. I hope by October we will get somewhat back to normal, with our bays getting a good flushing and giving a chance to fish again. October is one of the best months to chase schooling reds down the shorelines and follow speckled trout chasing shrimp under the birds.

When after the reds, look for big wakes and egrets, then position yourself in front of the school and cast a shrimp imitation in the fray and hold on! Birds should be working regularly in South Bay, East Bay, and Turtle Bay. I like to toss three-eighths ounce jigheads under the flocks, since the bigger fish seem to hold down deep. Again, praying for recovery efforts for everyone involved in this storm, we hope everyone is safe and with their families!

TSFMAG.com | 85

Port O’Connor | Lynn Smith Back Bay Guide Service - 361.983.4434 Hurricane Harvey literally changed the landscape in the fishing areas around Port O’Connor, according to Lynn. “We’ll be out scouting as soon as we can. Normally, a storm cuts new drains in the shorelines and carves guts into the sand bars. We will have to do some work to get a good grasp of the new features on the bottom of our local bays, especially in places like the big bars near Pass Cavallo, and on the shorelines of the islands in the same area. In a regular situation, October is generally a good month for finding trout and redfish in the back lakes, which are typically full of water, with a bull tide standing high most of the time. That pattern may well produce this year too. So, I expect to be fishing along shoal grass shorelines, and around patch reefs and drains in the lakes on the island side of Espiritu Santo and San Antonio Bays. I’ll also be prepping for deer season, scouting the leases and stocking the feeders. I hope both the hunting and the fishing turn out great, to offer some relief from the mess.”

Rockport | Blake Muirhead Gator Trout Guide Service - 361.790.5203 or 361.441.3894 Blake mentions the area around Cedar Bayou as a potential hot spot in the aftermath of Harvey. “It will be interesting to see how the currents altered the area where the bayou dumps into the Gulf.

I'm thinking the strong winds and wave action have likely opened the pass more, so it might create really good potential for a while.

Strong current flowing through the pass generally enhances the

fishing in Mesquite Bay. We'll probably have birds working in there on a regular basis, and we should also have plenty of bigger trout and redfish in the shallow areas along the shorelines adjacent to the bayou and around some of the reefs separating Mesquite Bay from the bodies of water close to it. I've always heard the fishing is great after a hurricane, and I guess we're about to find out for ourselves.

I'm also about to crank up the cast and blast season. We'll be hunting doves and ducks before starting our day of fishing. It's a great time to be a survivor of Harvey in the Coastal Bend.”

Upper Laguna Madre - Baffin Bay - Land Cut Robert Zapata – rz1528@grandecom.net - 361.563.1160 The month of October is a great month to fish for trout. Since they are usually spawning during October, they will be putting on some weight and loaded with eggs. They will also be feeding regularly and aggressively. Early in the mornings, I'll look for them in less than two feet of water, along grass lines. The Bass Assassin Die Dappers in natural colors will work on sunny days in really clear water. If the fish are in shallower water, use the Bass Assassin Elite Shiners on sixteenthounce jigheads. Free-lined piggy perch will also catch the trout and flounder in areas with sandy potholes. Spotting schools of bull reds will be easy on calm mornings. While running slowly in less than three feet of water, look for big wakes as you get close to them. Once you see them, get upwind from the school and drift or troll within casting distance and use a half-ounce weedless gold spoon or a light colored soft plastic lure rigged on an eighth-ounce jighead and cast to the outside edge of the school closest to the boat.

NOW AVAILABLE “There is something about the outdoors that brings us closer to God.” The devotionals in this book are real-life experiences from an author who has spent countless sunrises and sunsets in God’s great outdoors. It is practical application of God’s principles, shown through the eyes of a sportsman, with beautiful photography to accent each lesson.

Only $12.95 Order by mail or online: binkgrimes@sbcglobal.net www.binkgrimesoutdoors.com 86 | October 2017

Bink Grimes 333 CR 166 Bay City, Tx 77414

Corpus Christi | Joe Mendez – www.sightcast1.com - 361.937.5961 “Here in the Corpus Christi area, we dodged a big Harvey bullet,” Joe says. “We hate to see what happened in places just north of us, but we didn’t have much damage south of the JFK Causeway.

Typically, we see a bull tide roll in during the month of October. When this happens, our fishing usually improves in shallow areas adjacent to grass mats tight to area shorelines, and on the shallow spines of sand bars in Baffin Bay, the Laguna Madre and in the satellite bays off Baffin. Especially during late-night and early-morning hours, when water temperatures reach their lowest points, trout and redfish tend to appear in the really shallow water, looking for a bite to eat. They will often linger in these places later into the daylight hours this time of year, as compared to the hotter months like July, August and September. Since the water is exceptionally clear over much of the area right now, we should have plenty of sight-casting opportunities on a regular basis over the coming weeks and months.”

P.I.N.S. Fishing Forecast | Eric Ozolins Many factors will figure into the beach fishing scene. It is uncertain how Hurricane Harvey will affect the mullet migration. Some speculate there may be a premature movement as they ride the crest of flood water flowing to the Gulf. If this is the case, we may see only the tail end of the traditional run in October. Red drum of all sizes should be thick along every stretch of beach from now until November. Chunks of cut mullet work best to catch them. Jack crevalle will become abundant following the first strong cold fronts. Water clarity will determine jackfish success – they prefer better clarity. Sharks of several species will also be abundant. Expect many blacktips and plentiful mid-sized bulls. We might see better than average speckled trout fishing in the surf in Harvey's wake. Red tide is always a fall possibility – hopefully we can avoid a bloom this year. Beach drivers on PINS should exercise extreme caution when storm debris is evident. Much of the lumber scattered on the beach is holding nails and other hazards which threaten tires.

Port Mansfield | Ruben Garza Snookdudecharters.com – 832.385.1431 Getaway Adventures Lodge – 956.944.4000 Trout fishing continues good at Port Mansfield. Topwater action has been exciting and usually lasts to mid-morning – some days until noon. ICW spoils will hold lots of solid specks, along with occasional slot and oversized redfish. Plenty of keeper trout can also be found wading thigh to belly-deep flats marked with potholes. Expect to encounter plenty of small fish, with a sprinkling of nice keepers in the mix. Redfish have begun making their way toward the Gulf. All areas near East Cut, north or south, can be great places to try. As the migration continues, the reds will be cruising the edges of the East Cut drop-off. The Northeast Pocket will be another spot you can find schooling redfish. Topwaters can be very effective during early morning. When the bite slows down on top, it’s time to break out the trusty quarter-ounce gold weedless spoons. Redfish love 'em.

October can be a very favorable month for Port Mansfield sportsmen. Whether fishing or gunning for doves in area grain fields, the weather is some of the finest we see all year.

Lower Laguna Madre - South Padre - Port Isabel Janie and Fred Petty | www.fishingwithpettys.com – 956.943.2747 As I type, my thoughts and prayers are with the displaced people of Texas and other Gulf Coast states, who are struggling to survive Hurricane Harvey! Many boat owners across this country have converged on the Houston area to put their skills to use in a different way than they ever would have expected. From humble fishermen to trained responders. Way to step up, people! Probably due in part to very little boat traffic, and with a nice outgoing tide in the mornings, we have been limiting on reds pretty much every trip and even releasing quite a few, and flounder fishing remains very strong. Freddy says, “Now that there is so much freshwater in the bay, the FP3 and smelly Gulp!

Alive three-inch shrimp is the go-to for attracting fish when the water is brackish. More than ever, the noisy cork will draw in all species with vibrations and splashing; FP3 works as well in fresh as in salt water, and the principal is the same.” If unsure how to rig the FP3, go to Fishingwithpettys.com on Facebook for a demo. Stop open bay dredge disposal!

The New

Fishing Lodge

The new Chandeleur Islander is a pre-certified jack-up fishing lodge located in the midst of the Chandeleur Island chain offering hearty meals and comfortable accommodations.

We provide on/off gangway access directly onto shore where you can enjoy excellent surf fishing on the island itself or use your own boat to head for that favorite fishing spot you heard about!

Fun Stuff

• Surf Fishing • Kayak Fishing • Crabbing • Night Fishing • Night Bow Fishing • Floundering

Amenities

• Sleeps up to 22 • Breakfast/Lunch/ Dinner • Air Conditioning • Hot Showers • Comfy Bunks • Internet/DirecTV

CALL 985.445.2699 OR VISIT OUR WEBSITE TO BOOK NOW!

www.Chandeleur-Islander.com

TSFMAG.com | 87

Andrew Smith Galveston - 25 lb red drum

Chris O’Malley Hitchcock - 24” redfish

Susan Thornton Copano Bay - 41.5" bull red

Charles B. Williams Mesquite Bay - trout 88 | October 2017

Branden Oberlender Nueces Bay - 33” redfish

Edgar Maffeo Port Aransas - trout

Jason Miller Surfside - blacktip

Cole Wagenfehr red CPR

Ava Moreno St. Charles Bay - 22” redfish, first keeper!

Roberta Guelpa Port Aransas - trout

Ryan Machos Port Aransas - slot redfish

Troy Zinda first flounder! CPR

Chris Hix Port Aransas - 26” sheepsehead

Gabriel Rocha Matagorda - 30” red drum

Don Fitzgerald Crystal Beach - 45 lb black drum CPR

Avery Peterson Matagorda - 15.5” first trout!

Jose & Antonio Chapa Freeport - black drum

Roderick Franklin Port Aransas - 36” redfish

Austin & Nicolas Jackson 16 miles off South Padre - red snapper

Mason Anderson POC - 42” bull red

Hulett Evans IV Baytown - 26” 7.5 lb trout

J.W.Morgan Texas City Dike - 33” 14 lb redfish Margaret Casillas Rockport - 24” redfish

Yvonne Rocha Matagorda - 42” 30 lb personal best red!

Please do not write on the back of photos.

Email photos with a description of your Catch of the Month to: Photos@tsfmag.com

Isaia Gamez Corpus Christi Bay - redfish

Delaney Hammons Port Aransas - first redfish!

Mail photos to: TSFMag P.O. Box 429, Seadrift, TX 77983 TSFMAG.com | 89

Pam Johnson

Gulf Coast

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

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

Cauliflower and Shrimp Chowder Special credit to Patti Elkins for sharing this wonderful recipe she learned recently in New Orleans

INGREDIENTS

PREPARATION

1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets 1 ½ pound bacon (use peppered bacon for extra flavor, cut into ½ inch pieces) 1 pound peeled deveined shrimp 2 large carrots, peeled and diced 4 stalks celery, diced 1 yellow onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic, chopped 1 tsp. garlic powder 1 tsp. smoked paprika 1 tsp. dried oregano 1 tsp. dried thyme ½ tsp. salt or to taste 6 cups low sodium chicken broth (divided) 2 bay leaves ¼ cup fresh parsley, coarse chopped Optional – Garnish with olive oil and fresh parsley

Steam cauliflower until soft then set aside.

Place Dutch oven over medium heat. Add bacon and cook until crispy.

Remove and set aside on paper towel. Remove excess bacon fat from Dutch oven, leaving 2-3 tablespoons.

Pat shrimp dry and sprinkle with salt. Add shrimp to Dutch oven and cook on both sides, about 2-3 minutes until pink. Remove and set aside.

Add carrots, celery, onion, and garlic to the pot and sauté, tossing until translucent. Add garlic powder, smoked paprika, dried oregano, thyme and salt. Continue to sauté for about 1 minute.

Add 4 cups chicken broth and bay leaves.

Place cauliflower and 2 cups reserved chicken broth in high-speed blender.

Blend until completely smooth. Add cauliflower puree to Dutch oven along with half the bacon. Cover and cook 15 minutes.

Remove bay leaves and add fresh parsley, then use an immersion blender to puree soup until smooth. Lastly, add shrimp back to the pot and heat through.

Top each bowl of chowder with fresh parsley, and bits of bacon.

90 | October 2017

Need some relief from the bright Texas sun?

$10.00

(plus tax & shipping)

Order Online at www.TSFMag.com

texas saltwater fishing holes matagorda to corpus M ATA G O R D A B AY Speckled Trout / Redfish

USCG Licensed Captain Stan Sloan

832.693.4292 www.fishfcc.com

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

805 B. South Bridge Victoria, TX 77901

Fax: 361.573.0304

• Bay Fishing, Offshore, Floundering, Waterfowl, Dove • Night Fishing off Lighted Pier • Right On The Water • Lodging with/without Meals www.matagordasunriselodge.com 979-241-1705 TSFMAG.com | 91

CHRIS MAPP

B O AT M A I N TE N A N C E T I P S

Final Chapter

Subscription

Form

Sub1017

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

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

FREE EMAG WITH HARDCOPY PURCHASE E-mail required

AM EX

12 months print - $25.00 or 12 months digital only - $12.00

Subscribing for more than yourself? Please write additional information on a separate sheet of paper.

92 | October 2017

All subscriptions come with yearly autorenewal.

be immersing myself and Coastal Bend Marine to follow this cuttingedge trend and learning all we can to continue providing the best possible service.

The second part of my desire is to use my knowledge and passion for the recreational fishing and boating industry to affect our legislative process on the State and Federal levels to adopt a friendlier, less-regulated position for the recreational mariner.

We as recreational sportsman and anglers spend millions/billions of dollars each year from our own pockets to enjoy the natural resources given to us by God. We are respectful and conserve these resources; yet we support an industry which has too many restrictions from a governmental standpoint. We must thank and give credit where due to CCA and TPWD for the “Keeping it Wild” Reef systems; while at the Federal level, our government has not recognized the recreational fishing and boating industry as the economic contributor we are. I look forward to advocating for our industry and our rights as anglers.

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

with g a m e EE R G et F h a se! c r u p y p o c hard onth subscripreceive a 12-m Order today and ry and sign up family memur tion for $25.00. H iends at the same rate! bers and/or fr

Statement of Ownership, Management and Circulation: 1) Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine 2)ISSN 1935-9586 3) Filing Date 10/1/17. 4) Issue Frequency: Monthly. 5) No. of Issues published annually: 12. 6) Annual Subscription price $25.00 7) Complete Mailing Address of Office of Publication, 58 Fisherman’s Ln, Seadrift, TX 77983. Contact Person: Pam Johnson. Telephone 361-785-3420. 8) Complete Mailing Address of Headquarters: PO Box 429, Seadrift, TX 77983-0429. 9) Publisher, Editor, and Managing Editor: Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine, PO Box 429, Seadrift, TX 77983-0429. 10) Owners: Pam and Everett Johnson, PO Box 429, Seadrift, TX 77983-0429. 11) Known Bondholders, Mortgagee, None. 12) Tax status has not changed during preceding 12 months. 13) Publication Title: Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine 14) Issue date for circulation data below: August 2017. 15) Extent and nature of Circulation: General Publication a) average no Copies preceding 12 months: 21,854; no. copies of single issue published nearest to filing date 18500. a) Mailed outside-county paid subscriptions: avg. preceding 12 mo., 5,568; single issue nearest filing: 4,008 b1) Paid distribution outside the mail including sales dealers and carriers Avg. preceding 12 mo’s 17,102, single issue nearest filing: 14,419 b2) Paid distribution by other classes of mail Avg. preceding 12 mo’s: 80, single issue nearest filing: 73. b4) Total paid distribution-Avg. preceding 12 mo’s: 22,750, single issue nearest filing: 18,500. c) Free or nominal rate outside county Avg. preceding 12 mo’s:0, single issue nearest filing:0 d1) Free or Nominal rate distribution outside of the mail Avg. preceding 12 mo’s:0, single issue nearest filing:0.2 d) Total free or nominal rate distribution Avg. preceding 12 mo’s:0 single issue nearest filing:0. e) Total distribution Avg. preceding 12 mo’s: 22,750 single issue nearest filing: 18,500. f) Copies not distributed: Avg. preceding 12 mo’s:0 single issue nearest filing:0 g) Total Avg. preceding 12 mo’s: 27,775, single issue nearest filing: 18,500. i) percent paid Avg. preceding 12 mo’s: 100%, single issue nearest filing: 100% . i) Publication of statement of ownership: If the publication is a general publication, publication of this statement is required. Will be printed in the October 2017 issue of this publication. Signature and title of Editor, publisher, business manager or owner Pamela K. Johnson - date 9/07/17

With the arrival of Hurricane Harvey we have experienced the loss of much and will soon see the birth of many new things. Homes, boats, storage buildings, incomes, and lives have been changed. Some for the better and, unfortunately, some not.

We experience loss and birth all at the same time, and as it is that all things must eventually change, I am concluding my monthly contribution of boat maintenance and tips articles after a long run here in Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine. I feel the time has come for customers and friends to receive information from a new perspective.

This announcement comes with a sense of loss and satisfaction all at the same time. I am deeply grateful for the opportunity Everett and Pam Johnson have provided me here and have great respect for all the TSFMag family and their enterprise. I also want to extend a very special thanks to Patty Elkins for all the help she has given me. There is new technology emerging within our industry, and I am going to Chris Mapp, owner of Coastal Bend Marine.

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

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

texas saltwater fishing holes

OPEN TROUT REDFISH FLOUNDER

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

Wade & Drifting the Back Bays & Surf

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

classifieds

ON THE WATER

Saltwater Fishing Clinics WITH

Capt. Robert Zapata

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

For Information Call 361-563-1160

PESCADO PARK RV PADS & BOAT STORAGE

Baffin Bay

near Kaufer-Hubert Boat Ramp DAN WARD

OWNER / OPERATOR

832-860-4600

dwPescado@gmail.com

TSFMAG.com | 93

©JASON ARNOLD

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

PROP SCARS

NEW FOR 2017

10

YEAR

HULL WARRANTY

DEALER NETWORK

UNSINKABLE DESIGN

A DIVISION OF

956-233-9489

www.scbboats.com

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

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