december 2009

December 2009

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4 December 2009 Texas Saltwater Fishing www.TSFMAG.com Just Keep Five

FEATURES

10 It’s Gettin’ Right! Mike McBride 14 Riding Winter’s Wave Kevin Cochran 18 Kindness from Friends, D.C... Billy Sandifer 22 You can have the mud and muck! Martin Strarup 24 Cold weather fishing can get... Chuck Uzzle DEPARTMENTS19 Coastal Birding Billy Sandifer26 Science and the Sea UT-Marine Science Institute28 Let’s Ask The Pro Jay Watkins 30 Fly Fishing Casey Smartt 32 Offshore Bobby Byrd/John Cochrane 34 Conservation CCA Texas36 TPWD Field Notes Mark Lingo38 Kayak Fishing Scott Null40 According to Scott Scott Sommerlatte 42 Youth Fishing Aaron Cisneros44 Every Man’s Offshore Ruben Villarreal

WHAT OUR GUIDES HAVE TO SAY50 Dickie Colburn’s Sabine Scene Dickie Colburn 52 Mickey on Galveston Mickey Eastman 54 Capt. Bill’s Fish Talk Bill Pustejovsky 56 Mid-Coast Bays with the Grays Gary Gray 58 Hooked up with Rowsey David Rowsey60 Capt. Tricia’s Port Mansfield Report Capt. Tricia 62 South Padre Fishing Scene Ernest Cisneros REGULARS 06 Editorial46 TSFMag Spotlight 48 New Tackle & Gear 64 Fishing Reports and Forecasts 66 Catch of the Month Photo Gallery68 Gulf Coast Kitchen72 Index of Advertisers

Lisa Laskowski fished the sloughs of San Jose Island with guide Jay Watkins recently. Her big flounder couldn’t pass on the Bass Assassin Sea Shad. Lisa’s husband, Michael, is President of CCA Texas Hill Country Chapter.

DECE M BE R 2 0 0 9 Volume 19 No. 8C O N T E N T S

ABOUT THE COVERTexas Saltwater Fishing Magazine (ISSN 1935-9586) is

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December 2009

Only $3.95Tide Predictions & Solunar Feed Times Inside!

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Just Keep Five www.TSFMAG.com Texas Saltwater Fishing December 2009 5

Lately I am averaging an email each day and several telephone calls per week from anglers expressing growing concern over what they perceive to be relative scarcity of spotted seatrout between West Matagorda and Corpus Christi Bays. We suffered one of the hottest and driest summers on record, and so naturally, everybody was anxious for the coming of fall weather and much needed rainfall. Through September and October diehard anglers waded historic honeyholes like dice players chasing their money, betting everything that their luck was about to change.

Here it is early November and while we’ve been seeing a few sparks; catching still isn’t what seasoned fishermen would describe as hot or consistent. Success has been hit and miss with redfish still providing the most excitement.

In my September column I referenced the fact that our mid-coast seatrout fishery has been declining steadily over the past eight or nine years while fishing pressure has increased dramatically. TPWD Coastal Fisheries Division does a great job of measuring recruitment and population density, so it is no surprise that their data reflect the same scenario that anglers are reporting. Sadly, the Spring 2009 net sampling result pegs the trout population in mid-coast bays very near the level recorded after the freeze of 1989.

Concern has reached the level where many have begun blaming live croaker as too effective, again, others hope for limited entry to be enacted on fishing guide licenses. While I agree with the effectiveness of croaker, I do not believe that banning a specific bait or method of fishing that is currently legal is a good idea. Neither do I see limited entry on fishing guide licenses as a practical means through which to fix the decline of the mid-coast seatrout fishery.

To embrace either of these makes as much sense as continuing to take aspirin hoping the pain will go away when in fact surgery to treat the problem at its source is the only way to save the patient.

If I could put the problem in a nutshell, I would say we have been removing fish from the bays faster than Mother Nature can replace them. As concerned anglers and stewards of the resource, the maintenance of sustainable fisheries should be our primary goal. Rather than taking ten every chance, we need to practice more catch and release. Catching is the greatest thrill in fishing yet we willingly reduce the chances of catching every time we take more than enough for fresh fish dinner.

The entire concept of sportfishing hinges on the kingpin of sustainable fisheries. Without sustainable fish populations we may as well take up golf or gardening for our outdoor recreation.

So while I truly enjoy corresponding with the growing number of anglers tired of not catching, and I’m not for one second saying I wish for the emails and calls to stop, I’m going to ask everybody to give it an even greater effort. Send the same email you send me to TPWD, send it to CCA Texas, and send it to the Chamber of Commerce in the coastal community you fish most often.

I believe that more conservative regulations are needed to restore the mid-coast seatrout fishery to the level we enjoyed in the late 90s. The wheels of the machine that will bring these changes turn slowly. Your voice is the energy that can fuel the machine. Practice catch and release, keep the emails, letters and calls coming, and remember to send copies.

Merry Christmas, come see me on the water!

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“It sure looks like everything is shaping

up,” I said, more hoping than knowing.

“Look at all of those hogs and turkeys

moving down the bank. The birds are

getting up too, so it’s all finally starting to

get right. Let’s get out of this stupid boat

and hit it again. You ready man?”

My optimism was met with little more

than a knuckle dragging sort of grunt,

and I could only marvel at how fast

another redfish flew off the stringer tied to

the bow cleat and plopped into some hot

grease on the rusty Coleman stove.

“Nope” came the reply. “Still too early.

It’ll be another forty five minutes before

anything happens, and besides that I’m

totally famished. One more redfish burger

and we’ll get back in the water.”

Mark and I had been on anchor for

three days and on top of some of the best

winter trout Texas could offer. Although

we knew we were on incredible fish,

there were daily periods lasting for hours

where absolutely nothing was going to

happen no matter who you were. We

only had a few dink trout and a couple of

reds by mid afternoon, which made the

little things like a hot meal on a frosty

flat count more than usual. Food always

seems to taste better in a boat, but frying

up a square-cut chunk of fish while the

cells are still alive should get top billing

on the Food Channel.

I reluctantly agreed about the time

frame, plus the smell of the grease

had me salivating for some of that

mayonnaised mercy soon to be

served on a toasted bun. We had time

anyway, because each day we had

to wait later and later for these fish to

become vulnerable to the plastic we

were throwing. In nature’s waiting game

nature can play, we often have to wait

for conditions to “develop” if we want

to catch fish, especially the type of fish

some people want to put on their walls.

That little fish fry

happened nearly

ten years ago on a

remote part of the

lower coast. After an

early morning flurry,

everything would go

dead and you’d swear

there were no living

creatures on land or

in the water. Then

‘something’ would

happen, and the

whole scene would

transform into an

explosion of activity in

all directions. When

conditions “got right”

the catches were epic in anybody’s book,

and I would say that twenty trout over

seven pounds each day qualifies as epic.

However, it came at cost few seem willing

to pay these days, which is time. Rarely

does nature perform on our preferred

urbanite schedules, and unfortunately

“three hour tours” often don’t lend much

of a chance. Sure, we can catch fish

when they are not feeding, but we can

often plan our allotted time to better

coincide with greater catches.

Letting things “develop” can mean a lot

of things. There is much we don’t know

but we can

easily know it

when we see it.

It’s interesting

how nature

seems to work

in concert at

times, where

life everywhere

seems to

become active

simultaneously.

Deer start to

move, ducks

start filling

a previously

empty sky,

pelicans begin

It’s Gettin’ Right!

We often have to wait for conditions to develop.

You ready to get off the boat?


paddling out, ospreys begin to hover,

and all of a sudden the baitfish come

to the top and our topwaters start going

down. We don’t always know what sparks

activity in general, but as far as fishing

goes, we can often predict scenarios in

certain areas. Here are a few examples

of when things developed from dead

to deadly, which we might be able to

duplicate elsewhere.

Last December we had a good group

of fish hanging in a big depression

bordering an expanse of shallow

water. They stayed out and suspended

somewhere in the depths and basically

did a bunch of nothing for long periods.

You could peck a fish out here and there,

but basically nothing was happening.

The condition it took for life to explode

was increasing onshore afternoon winds,

which started current moving for one

thing, but also began driving water off of

the flats bringing the bait down with it. As

it tumbled across the next level drop and

then into some now deteriorating water

clarity, both trout and reds moved up to

the opportunity. Now we could isolate

them when they were

aggressive, and after

having nothing but

dinks all day, within a

two hour period we had

several trout over six

pounds and three over

eight. I can’t tell you

how many boats had

pulled in and out earlier,

then left after catching

nothing. Perhaps they

needed a fish burger.

Also last December,

the same but opposite

happened. After near

zero activity all morning

on a cold bluebird day,

increasing south winds

began to push water

up to and along a sun

drenched shoreline.

As color started to form in the warming

shallows, legions of baitfish pulled up

with large predators hot behind them.

Fish previously staged out deeper finally

made themselves available to wading

depth and pulled tight to the bank with

drag-chattering vengeance. Astonishing

was how fast the scene turned from Dead

Sea into showering explosions of mullet.

Another classic example of waiting it

out is waiting for the water to develop

some “cover” on it. Calm surfaces and

clear water do not encourage activity in

many areas, but let either wind or tidal

current start feathering some ripples on

the water, create rip lines or some good

color changes, and be amazed at what

shows up seemingly out of nowhere.

Another sometimes predictable scene

in the winter, particularly after a strong

front, is things starting to “get right” as

the air becomes warmer than the water.

Watch fish rise from the depths to high

up in the water column and become more

aggressive. Barometer changes, such as

when winds veer back toward the south,

can also spur activity. There are many

more events that seem to kick aquatic

life into gear and these are but few, but

being a good angler means a lot more

than just being a good technician with a

rod. That’s the last part of the equation,

the first part will always be viewing the

entire picture to better predict where big

fish are going to become vulnerable in

the first place.

The bottom line is that yes; we go

when we can and do what we can, but

if we are truly serious about committing

ourselves to catching a “real” trout,

sometimes we just need to pack a

lunch and wait. It seems to me that the

two worst tools people use these days

are their GPS and watch. Too many of

us just go to a “marked spot” and if it

happens it happens, but if it doesn’t by

about 1:00 pm, it’s back to the dock with

an “Oh well…” Many might do better to

turn off that stupid machine and look for

developing spots in the water instead

if dots on a screen. You’ll know it when

you see it, and good things can certainly

come to those who wait, especially

during winter. It’s December and

everything is getting right. You ready to

get off the boat?

Co

nta

ct

Mike Mcbride

Mike McBride is a full time fishing guide based in Port Mansfield, Tx., specializing in wadefishing with artificial lures.

Being a good angler means a lot more than just being a good technician with a rod.


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The stable weather patterns of summer

make the choices of where and how

to fish relatively easy for Texas trout

anglers. Winds are pretty predictable

in strength and direction, temperatures

stay high and the barometer typically

moves up and down over a short

range, except when altered by transient

tropical systems. Conversely, winter

weather changes rapidly, with wind

speeds ranging from nil to gale force,

barometric levels dropping drastically

then ballooning behind fronts and

temperatures varying widely, sometimes

on a daily basis.

During the coldest snaps of the

season, trout pile into the deepest holes

in a bay system and hug the bottom;

those same fish might emerge on super

skinny flats to warm up a short time

later. In the cold months, consistently

productive trout anglers, particularly

trophy hunters, are those who best

adjust to the rapidly changing conditions.

It takes no genius to figure out that a

frontal passage creates a radical wind

shift. The passage of a front also ushers

in a dome of heavy air, which causes a

rise in barometric pressure. The air is

heavy because it’s cold; temperatures

behind the front drop, then turn and rise

again as the next front approaches.

It’s a cycle, or circle of change, and

the feeding attitude of the fish often

predictably relates closely to that curve.

Of course, the feeding attitude of

the fish will affect lure choices and

presentation styles. Winter trophies can

and will be caught on a variety of lures,

but given the meteorological extremes,

some lures will be virtually useless some

of the time. Even within the span of one

day, the optimal lure for the moment can

run the spectrum from minnow-sized soft

plastics to topwaters as big as a mullet.

The rapid changes in winter weather call

for variable strategies in location as well

as in lure choices. Normally, when a front

approaches, temperatures are warmer

than normal, and winds are out of the

southeast, blowing at moderate speeds. In

this pre-front situation, windward shorelines

or structural elements often hold fish. Pre-

front fish are generally relatively mobile and

aggressive in the warmth, particularly if tide

levels are high and the barometer is falling.

Rattling Corkys

or other twitch baits

fished moderately

fast, with lots of

starting, stopping and

erratic movements,

fit nicely onto the

menus of mobile trout.

Pre-front efforts are

normally best focused

relatively shallow,

from about eighteen

inches to maybe three

feet. Bait observed

schooling on the

surface or jumping

can dictate a move up to floating plugs,

primarily large, noisy ones like Super

Spooks, X Raps, Skitter Walks and Top

Dogs, all of which work well to attract

trout roving among windswept waves

prior to a front.

One of the best times to catch magnum

trout in winter is in the few hours

immediately before, during and after the

passage of a front. The wind shift offers

a prime window of opportunity for making

the biggest trout in the bay blow up on

full-sized topwaters. Since arriving fronts

often bring strong north and northwest

winds that stir up waters already churned

by moderate pre-front breezes, loud plugs

and erratic presentations make sense

during this period of peak activity. Moving

at a steady pace to cover water within

prime general areas is a proven strategy

as the wind makes

its switch, perhaps

allowing for contact

with more of the hyped-

up, hunting fish.

After the post-

front gale settles in,

snapping and rifling

the flags for a couple

of hours, the feeding

attitude of the fish

will become poor and

bites will become

few and far between.

The severity and

duration of the dead

Riding Winter’s Wave

Padre Island National Seashore looked good in snow, a 100-year event for South Texas.

This nine pound trout bit a rattling Corky fished in moderately high

waves on a windward shoreline prior to a frontal passage.


period after a front passes will depend on

how long the strong winds persist, how

far temperatures fall and how high the

barometer rises.

When fishing the dead period, it pays to

assume the fish will be exceedingly hard

to catch. Such fishing should be done

in a spot which is somewhat or entirely

protected from harsh post-front winds,

ideally in an area close to deep water which

has ample muddy and/or grassy flats for the

fish to use when the warm up comes.

The lures of choice will almost always

be soft plastics, and extreme presentation

styles will be preferred, either crawling the

worm on a sixteenth ounce jighead slowly

across the bottom, or suspending it under

a cork. Windier conditions favor the use

of the cork and jig, and if the water’s nasty

in color, larger worms in extremely bright

or dark colors and with rattles inserted in

them work best.

As a side note, that color variation

scheme is one which comes up often in

winter, when skies rapidly range from

utterly clear and bright to dismal and

dark. Bright skies cry out for either

natural or bright lures, depending on the

water clarity, while dark skies, especially

if they persist for days, necessitate the

use of dark lures.

Whether the sky is clear or cloudy, a

turning point will occur at the end of the

shut-down of the trout bite associated with

post-frontal weather. Often, the biggest

trout of the winter are caught while the

weather rounds the corner after

the shut-down. Typically, such

fish are found in water less

than thirty inches deep, feeding

voraciously in response to the

upturn in the weather. These

fish might be reticent to take

conventional topwaters, but

they’re usually ready to attack

rattling or floating Corkys,

depending on the depth at which

they‘re found.

If the turnaround is subtle

after a strong front, meaning

water and air temperatures are rising

slowly and the sky is cloudy, rattling

twitch baits slung across waist-deep flats

near a drop off to deep open water work

best. If the front was milder, or if the sky

is bright and the turnaround is dramatic,

meaning the flats are warming quickly,

floating Corkys fished farther from the

edge will be the preferred tools.

As the post-front winds diminish further

and stall entirely, a stretch of blue-bird

weather often occurs. Such “chamber of

commerce” conditions are a potentially

annoying winter extreme; the dead-calm

lull can make fish (including trophy trout)

difficult or nearly impossible to catch.

Strategies for coping with the calm are

diametrically opposed to the ones used to

take advantage of the arrival of the front.

When the heavy hand of high

barometric pressure drops the tide and

flattens the waves, the two extreme soft

plastic techniques mentioned earlier

can become most useful. Dragging and

short-hopping a worm on a light jighead

over the bottom will usually outperform

the cork and jig when it’s slick calm; if

used, the cork and jig should be worked

slowly, deliberately and without as much

vigor as it would be in the windier period

associated with a settling-in front.

Thorough coverage of micro-spots with

silent lures worked at a snail’s pace can

also be a useful strategy in the quiet time

along the bottom of the curve. Floating

Corkys, silent topwaters and soft plastics

rigged weightless sometimes trigger

strikes from ultra-finicky fish.

Eventually, the calm will give way

to onshore winds and the tactics will

change in response to those winds and

the warmth they usher in. The use of

lures and techniques which assume a

more aggressive mood in the fish will

work better again. Depending on where

the bottom-out occurred, that might mean

a switch from dragging a worm up to a

floating Corky, or a shift from floating

Corkys to rattling Corkys; potentially, the

pre-front breezes bring back the need for a

move all the way up to full-sized topwaters.

Successfully plugging for trophy trout

in winter involves constant analysis

of the conditions and subsequent

perceptive adjustments in location,

lures and presentations. Trophy specks

respond to frontal passages by moving in

predictable patterns, and their willingness

or need to feed shifts like the winter

winds. Pluggers who locate and catch

them most consistently employ evolving

strategies which properly acknowledge

the effects of winter‘s circle of change.

Co

nta

ct

Kevin Cochran

Freak snowstorm Christmas Eve 2004; daytime

temps three days later reached the

seventies.


Mr. Johnson,

I just want to thank you for putting out an awesome magazine like no other. It is amazing what Joe Public could learn by reading what your authors (men and women who are fishing every day) have to say. A while back we spent some time down in the Arroyo area and were suppose to fish with Mike McBride but as you know he was out for a while. Anyway, fishing was just awesome, especially the topwater bite. Unfortunately, Saturday was like nothing I have ever seen. Not the fishing, but the boaters! We wade 99% of the time and on this particular Saturday we had several boats drift through us and on us. One of my guys had to hurry and move out of the way to keep from getting drifted over, then the boater started yelling and cussing at us saying people are suppose to fish from a boat. The really sad part was there were two teenage kids with him. How do you think they are going to fish when they are by themselves? We mainly fish out of Rockport and even though there is more traffic there this has never happened to us. Our guess was that maybe the majority of fishermen down at Arroyo prefer to drift while wade fishing is more popular around Rockport. This might explain Rockport fishermen in general being more cooperative with wading fishermen. I thought I would share this with you so maybe you could remind your readers there is more than one way to fish and if someone is standing in the water, don’t run over them!

Brent GarnerCollege Station, TX

Dear Brent,

It is disappointing to hear of your unpleasant encounter down at the Arroyo. Tempers always seem to flare more readily when the water gets crowded and the Arroyo has been very popular of late. Waders become annoyed when drifters come too close and, of course, drifters will always take a dim view of waders in their drift. What is most important is that we are all fishermen and all fishermen are equally entitled to use the water. Along with that entitlement comes responsibility. It is our duty to respect our fellow fishermen and conduct ourselves as good citizens at all times. Whether the chap who lost his cool was right or wrong in his view of your preferred fishing method for the day is really small potatoes. The disrespect he displayed toward you and the poor example he set for the teens in his boat just flat puts him in the wrong. Shame on him. Glad to hear the fishing was good. Thanks for writing and thanks also for the kind words on the magazine.

EJ - Editor

Letter to the Editor

Send your Letters to the Editor to PO Box 429, Seadrift, TX 77983, or email [email protected]


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What a chaotic

month October has

been. It started

with us sightcasting

twenty-five pound

jack crevalle with fly

rods in the surf on

Tuesday the sixth,

followed by me

being photographed

wearing a gas

mask among

large numbers of

red tide killed fish

on Tuesday the

thirteenth, and

losing an entire

week’s worth of daily bookings to the red

tide. Then the following Tuesday my wife,

Joy, and I were given a private tour of the

West Wing and Oval Office of the White

House in Washington, D.C.

Although I felt greatly honored to have

been nominated for the annual Field &

Stream Heroes of Conservation Award

and to have been selected as one of

six finalists to attend their gala event in

the nation’s capitol; I never for a split

second thought I’d win the grand prize

although many enthusiastic supporters

did. I’ve been around too long and was

very aware that I’m too rough around

the edges and too politically incorrect.

Not being selected as the grand prize

winner came as

no surprise to me.

But the six finalists

were selected from

hundreds of nominees

and obviously all six

were already winners

- big time.

The monetary award

the six finalists receive

will be a real blessing

with winter coming on.

I casually mentioned

in an e-mail to several

friends that I was

going to the award

ceremony in D.C.

alone and intended to keep the trip as

short as possible.

They inquired

as to why my

wife, Joy, wasn’t

accompanying

me and I replied

that we were

not in a financial

position to afford

the expenses of

her going with

me. Within one

hour, and despite

both Joy’s and my

repeated protests,

they had her a

round trip ticket procured

on the same flights I was

on and shortly thereafter

several of them showed

up here at the house

with additional spending

money that they had

collected for the trip.

Joy and I were both

overwhelmed. We are

of the traditional rural

Texas culture where you

never expect anything

from anyone and are

taught to be self reliant and to do without

when necessary. In our lives we are

accustomed to often doing without things

others take for granted and life is at

times harsh and hostile. No whining here

whatsoever; just a statement of facts.

Decades ago I chose to follow a

path without promise of any financial

security and she chose to be with me

through it all. Our benefactors finally got

it through my thick head that as far as

they were concerned we had earned it

but it took a bit of getting used to. Many

years ago; my ol’ papa told me that if a

man had more genuine friends than he

could count on the fingers of one hand

he was an extremely lucky and blessed

man. After all these years of living a life

where genuine acts of

kindness have been

few and far between

it seems now they

unexpectedly pop

up continuously and

I am humbled and

overwhelmed and I

thank all involved from

the bottom of my heart.

I went to D.C.

to represent the

hardworking volunteers

of the Big Shell Beach

Cleanup with dignity

and respect and in

such a manner they could be proud of;

not to win a truck, and I succeeded in

that effort very well. The Big Shell Beach

Cleanup got a lot of respect and attention

in D. C. and I was able to make some

contacts that could be invaluable to

conservation efforts in the future. I had

the opportunity to meet some really great

leaders in grassroots conservation from

other areas and share ideas with them

and Joy has blisters on her feet from

trying to see everything in D.C. in one

day and some memories she’ll always

cherish. It’s all good.

Kindness from Friends, D.C., and Red TideJim Brodhead caught this 25 pound jack crevalle sightcasting with fly tackle.

Erin Salazar with her first-ever jack crevalle

of 25 pounds.

Joy and me at the White House.


The red tide is in its seventeenth day

on PINS as I write this. We have two

cold fronts forecast to hit in the next

three days and the water temperature

has dropped ten degrees since the event

began so hopefully it will soon disappear.

Beach drivers beware – Tire Puncture

Alert - Those hardhead skeletons with

protruding fin spines are going to be

stacked up high on the beach all winter

and make driving near the dunes virtually

impossible except in the Big Shell area.

On September 26, the first

Cleanshores Cleanup event took place

in Port O’Connor with 1,820 pounds of

trash removed from local shorelines. This

event was organized and coordinated

by Capt. Curtiss Cash – Low Tide guide

Service. For more info contact Curtiss

at 361-564-7032. The next Cleanshores

event is scheduled for March 27, 2010.

Sharkathon 2009 was an awesome

event and the sharp-minded and

hardworking organizers of this event

set the standard for tournaments.

They also filed for a Guinness World

Record for the largest land-based

Catch and Release tournament with a

total of 583 contestants.

My ol’ pal, Big Lou McEachern

e-mailed recently to let me know

he won the long distance casting

competition at SportCast USA held

October 3-4 in North Carolina. Lou’s

winning cast measured 774 feet. Wow!

I recently spent a couple of nights

camped down the beach and one

night I noticed the flashing lights of the

ranger patrol vehicles

for quite some time a

couple of miles south

of my campsite. They

stopped by to visit

the next morning and

naturally I asked them

what had transpired

and they frowned and

said they had a drunken

driving incident.

“Well at least you caught

them,” I replied. “They

don’t have to come down here to get dead

drunk; they can do that at home.”

One of the young rangers looked up

at me sadly and said, “Yeah Billy; they

could. They can even get as drunk as

they want down here, no one really cares,

they just cannot do it and drive.”

The PINS beach is and has always

been about families. I just cannot imagine

583 tournament contestants and their

families camped on the beach and folks

driving around drunk in the middle of

them at night. Think about it; scary ain’t

it? May each of you have a happy holiday

season filled with kindness.

If we don’t leave any there won’t be

any. Capt. Billy L. Sandifer

Co

nta

ct

Capt. Billy Sandifer

Billy Sandifer operates Padre Island Safaris offering surf fishing for sharks to specks and nature tours of the Padre Island National Seashore. Billy also offers bay and near-shore fishing adventures in his 25 foot Panga for many big game and gamefish species.

Telephone361-937-8446Websitewww.billysandifer.com

Length: 40 inchesWingspan: 61 inchesWeight: 5.3 pounds

Coastal Birding

BILLY SANDIFER’S

Photo by Jimmy Jackson

Wood Stork-Mycteria Americana-

White with much black in wing and with dark-colored, naked head. Long,

thick, decurved bill. Found in marshes, lagoons, estuaries and bays. Present

in Texas July-Sept. during post breeding disbursal. Nearest known breeding colony is in Campeche,

Mexico and most of this species seen in Texas are from Mexico.

First day of the red tide fish kill.


Tel : 409-938-7400 l Fax : 409-938-7401 l WWW.STRIKEPROLURES.COM l [email protected]

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The Mirrolure made a splash when it

landed in the slick-calm and shot a set of

growing rings. I let the lure sit still for a

few seconds then gave it a slight twitch

with my rod. They say that the worst

thing an angler can do is anticipate the

strike, especially when fishing a topwater

lure, but the telltale wake that was

bulging toward the She Pup was pretty

hard to ignore. There was no blow up and

there was no explosion. When the fish

hit the lure it just vanished in a swirl of

green water in the classic toilet flush and

the fish hooked itself. I gave the big red a

good jerk just to ensure the hooks were

set well, and the fight was on.

There was no wind this morning and

while running across the shallow spoils we

saw the bait being molested as I closed

the throttle to further assess the situation.

My first problem was that the bottom here

was muck and mud of the worst kind

and those who know me will attest to the

fact that I’m not mad enough at any fish

these days to fight that stuff. That and the

fact that several stingrays were visible

scooting around on the bottom with their

Devil tails sliding behind them was just a

booster to my no muck wading philosophy.

One member of our party attempted to

slip out of the boat to make a wide circle to

the school but quickly changed his mind

after sinking to his waste in the quagmire.

It would take some clean water

and sandy bottom for him to

wash the mud off of his clothes

and wading boots.

Our momentum pushed us

closer to the school of fish after

I killed the engine; enough to

put us in casting range of the

fish that had begun to feed back

toward us. I had moved to the

stern of the boat to fight the

fish that I had on and my two

partners for the day were fishing

mid-ship and on the bow. One

was throwing soft plastics and one was

fishing a She Dog. Both of them hooked

up on their first casts to the school of

feeding fish.

My red was twenty four inches long

and went into the cooler for some really

good grilling that evening and the other

two guys added

theirs to the ice as

well. As soon as it

had started it was

over as the school

sounded and

continued with

their search for

breakfast. About

the time we were

going to crank

up and head to

our wading spot

of the day, one

of my friends

cast his soft plastic bait and almost

immediately hooked up with what at first

I thought to be another redfish. It turned

out to be a twenty eight inch trout that

had made its way into the area where

the reds had just disappeared.

I see people wade fishing the muddy

bottoms of our bays often and I hear a lot

these days of anglers getting nailed by

stingrays when they lose their balance in

the soft stuff and stepped wrong or when

they had to step instead of sliding their

feet. In the mud and the muck it’s often

not possible to slide your feet and you

must take steps as you struggle with the

terrible footing. Some say that you have

to wade in the soft stuff to get to the big

trout. I say bull.

The first thirty inch trout that I landed

was while drifting a small bay from my

boat and likewise the first thirty my son

landed was while drifting a large expanse

of shallow mud flats from a boat. That

and my knowledge of others who have

put large fish on the wall or caught,

photographed and released them while

drifting pretty much refutes the old tale

that large trout can’t be caught while

You Can Have the Mud and Muck!


drifting. Fish are where you

find them and if they’re hungry

and you are offering what they

want, the chances are you’ll

catch them no matter if you’re

struggling through soft bottom,

wading on hard sand, or casting

from the deck of a drifting boat.

Oh some will disagree and

they’ll say that the chances of

catching a true trophy trout are

better if you’ll get into the mud

that is warmer in the winter than the sand

or shell bottom and maybe they’re right.

But sinking into muck that goes over my

knees pretty much settles the debate for

me and really when you think about it, it

negates the reason you wear your stingray

boots. In mud that goes more than half-

way up your boots you’re now presenting

your bare upper leg as a target for rays

that you might run into since your boots

can’t protect there. And no, you don’t have

to step right in the middle of a ray to make

it use its tail. You can push into one and in

some cases they’ll take defensive action.

I’ve watched guys in the soft stuff

struggling to keep their balance and in my

younger days I was one of them. Many

times I’ve lost shoes in the mud and had

to carefully make my way back to the boat

so as not to cut my foot on anything sharp.

We waded in tennis shoes back then with

no thought of stingray protection. We

worried more about slipping off into mud

so deep we would go to our necks in the

back bayous of Matagorda Bay’s south

shoreline and many times I’ve had to

crawl out of an extremely muddy area and

was just lucky that I never got hit in the

upper body by a ray.

I fished a tournament a few weeks ago

and noted that the heaviest trout weighed

in was caught by Captain Wayne Stark’s

crew. While talking with the good captain

about the fish he told me that the trout

his clients had caught that morning were

larger than the reds they caught and they

were all caught while drifting. Imagine that.

So keep to the soft stuff you young and

strong warriors of the bays and I hope that

for your efforts you’ll catch the trout of a

lifetime and that your luck is better than

mine. In all the years I fought the soft stuff

I never landed a trout longer than twenty

nine inches. Did I mention that my first

thirty incher was caught while drifting?

My grandfather had a favorite saying

and now that I think about it I do believe

he was trying to tell me something. “Too

soon we get old; too late we get smart.”

Hope to see you on the water. I’ll be

the guy wading on the good bottom or

drifting across the muddy flats in the

comfort of a boat. I’ve not only gotten

fatter over the years, I’ve gotten smarter.

I hope you all have a very Merry

Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Lord knows that we have much to be

thankful for.

Be safe,

Martin

Co

nta

ct

Martin Strarup


Each year I get the opportunity to meet

fishermen from all over the state, many

of whom have dreams just like all of us

about catching a huge fish. Seasoned

saltwater veterans know this time of

the year is not for the faint of heart and

certainly not for the folks looking for

instant gratification. Temperatures and

foul weather make winter fishing as much

of waiting game as anything, waiting on

tides and feeding periods to align so the

show can begin. Many fishermen new to

the sport have heard the stories about

how fantastic the big trout fishing can

be in the dead of winter but few of them

actually know how to go about making it

happen. For those of you wanting to get

in on the cold weather action here are a

couple of things to consider.

If you are in the mood to do some

fishing this winter season for perhaps

that fish of a lifetime, you definitely need

a double helping of patience. It is no

secret that the lion’s share of big trout are

caught by wade fishermen, this is a given

in the big fish equation. The unknowns

for most anglers are where to be fishing

and when do they need to be there. On

Sabine lake we have some areas that

are really conducive to holding big fish;

they all have shell in common. Areas of

the lake that have either clam or oyster

shell are prime places to start the hunt

for a big fish. Any decent concentration of

shell will be a gathering place for baitfish

and a will also qualify as a good piece of

fish-holding structure. Small patches of

shell on or near shallow flats will not only

hold bait, they will also hold heat. Much

like bass in the springtime, speckled

trout will be more active in warmer and

shallower water. During the fall and

winter months big trout become sluggish

and less aggressive

than normal until it

comes time to eat. Big

trout will move up on

shallow flats or shell

reefs and seek out a

“full meal deal” and

then retreat into deeper

water until it comes

time to feed again.

Fishermen who can

pattern movements like

these major

feeding

periods

can really cash in on some

extraordinary fishing and this

is where patience plays a huge

part in the program.

Winter fishing for big trout is

a game of stamina, endurance

and patience. By logging

many unfulfilling hours casting

big topwaters or sub-surface

mullet imitations, an angler

can begin to form a pattern.

For example, if you fish in

morning for a couple of days

straight and have little or no

success and then change

to the afternoon where you

enjoy terrific fishing you have

found a pattern. On good

fishing days it is wise to check

out all the conditions and try

to duplicate them next time

out. Tides, temps, and water conditions

are extremely important factors to be

considered as each plays a big role in

successful winter fishing. One thing that

I’ve found while looking back on some

successful days was the presence of

moving water, incoming or outgoing tides

were always helpful in catching fish while

slack water conditions made it tough. It

seems that if you concentrate your effort

on days when the time between the tide

changes is short, the fishing on average

is better, especially when the tide change

from outgoing to incoming. Put all these

factors together with the presence of

mullet or shad and you had yourself a

great shot at some super fishing.

One huge word of caution to all anglers

of all skill levels - Be extremely careful

during the winter months - the cold

water and air temperatures can make

for dangerous conditions. The threat of

hypothermia is real and if you are not

Cold Weather Fishing can get HOT in an Instant

Cold weather fishing means being dressed for the occasion.

Being in the right spot with the right bait at the right time can produce a career day.


careful it can be life threatening. I have a

very good friend who narrowly escaped

such a fate when his boat swamped in

high seas, he was lucky enough after

being in the water for over an hour that

another fisherman happened to see him

and pulled him out. Had he been in the

water much longer he would have been

in serious trouble and the experience

could have been fatal. The number

one rule during any trip on the water is

the use of a personal flotation device,

don’t get in a boat without one. Also be

sure you tell someone where you are

going and when you plan to return, this

helps out considerably when the cavalry

needs to be summoned for whatever

reason. A little bit of preparation mixed

with common sense will go a long way

towards keeping you safe and getting you

home.

Winter fishing is by no means easy

or predictable, but the rewards are

well worth the effort. This trend toward

chasing trophy fish is a

tough grueling exercise

that has captivated many

really good fishermen from

all over the state. Any and

all destinations along the

Texas gulf coast will have

their share of hardcore

anglers out there chasing

after the big one this month

and Sabine will be no

different. Hopefully the big

fish taken during this month

will be respected enough to

be released to fight another

day, only time will tell. Until

the weather and the months

change, the winter fishing

program will be the best bet

in town, try it out and see

what the fuss is all about.

I promise you this, if you

are at the right spot when

it all comes together you

just may have one of those

career days that helps you forget all

about the cold and makes a memory that

will last a lifetime.

Co

nta

ct

Chuck Uzzle

Redfish can keep a winter angler warm while they wait for the next big

trout to show up.


Bull sharks are unique among sharks in their ability to live in freshwater habitats for long periods of time. However, dealing with changes in salinity is very taxing on their bodies, prompting scientists to wonder why these sharks venture into fresh water in the first place.

One hypothesis is that freshwater environments are better for the survival of young bull sharks. Female bull sharks are known to enter rivers or estuaries to give birth to their pups, which grow in these low-salinity waters for 2-5 years. These juvenile bull sharks might stay in these waters because of the rich food supply available there - or they might do it to avoid predators.

One researcher has tagged juvenile bull sharks in the Shark River Estuary of the Florida Coastal Everglades to track the sharks’ movements through habitats of differing salinity. So far, the young sharks seem to be spending most of their time in upstream areas, where the salinity of the water varies widely with the seasons. This variability forces the sharks to constantly adjust the balance of salt inside their bodies.

Why spend so much time in such a physiologically demanding habitat? Juvenile bull sharks may give up the more forgiving conditions of coastal waters, where salinity is more constant, because those habitats harbor greater numbers of adult bull and lemon sharks that might prey on the youngsters. If this is true, the juvenile bull sharks’ ability to cope with changes in salinity help them avoid ending up as another shark’s meal.

Finding Safety Upstream

Scienceand the

Sea TM

The University of Texas

Marine Science Institute

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


In the last issue of

the Texas Saltwater

Magazine my article

was based on targeting

drains or sloughs that

feed our backwater

lakes. For those that frequent the middle

Texas coast you know that even though

we have had several good frontal

passages; none have really dropped

our water temperatures enough to get

the slough thing going. No biggie, it will

happen and when it does you know what

to do. Let’s just assume that the slough

gig has happened so we can move on

into our next winter pattern. To become a

complete angler one needs to be pattern

oriented. Recognition of the changes in

patterns is something that often changes

from year to year due to weather related

issues so we need to be prepared to

adjust as quickly as possible. No doubt

the drought of 2009 will continue to affect

our fishery for many months to come.

November is a month when smaller

baitfish begin to migrate to deeper

quadrants of the bay as well as the

Gulf via the shoreline drop-offs. Come

December, many of the back lakes and

sloughs have drained several times

and tides are starting to remain at lower

levels. Three factors draw predatory fish

to the outside drop-offs along our area

shorelines - lower water temperatures,

an absence of baitfish and a lack of

water. These three factors aid in placing

both baitfish and gamefish along distinct

lines of most all of our barrier islands. I

know I have touched on this many times

before but your ability to distinguish

this line is absolutely the most

critical aspect of fishing. For the

life of me I cannot understand

why many make this so hard. Not

only are there distinct water color

changes due to bottom structure

but there are also noticeable water

depth changes as well as bottom

condition changes. Many times the

bottom will go from hard packed sand to

a much softer bottom texture.

“Walk out until you hit soft bottom and

then move back ten yards”, if I have said

this one time I have said it a million. Still

someone always ends up neck deep with

those following the instructions wading

along this line catching fish. No way is

this ever a straight line, the line varies

much as does the shoreline it follows. You

simply must be able to move in and out

with the line. I agree that having the years

of experience behind me allows me to

have a better feel for this than many but

JAY

WA

TK

INS

Ask the Pro

�� W W W . B O M B E R S A L T W A T E R G R A D E . C O M

Trout like this are often found on drop-offs, grasslines, and other changes in bottom structure.


ASK

TH

E P

RO

it is not impossible to learn if you’ll simply

pay attention. You know when fishing is

great and the bites are coming in rapid

succession all of us tend to get a bit lazy.

We overlook the little things that are truly

defining the pattern. Lazy ain’t workin’

right, now I can promise you that.

In the long run, lazy tactics will cost

one more often than not. 2009 has so

far proven to be the year when knowing

the pattern and being able to execute

the needs of that pattern have proven

to be the best tactics for catching fish,

especially trout. I will go on record and

say that it has been the toughest trout

season for me in my thirty years of

guiding excluding the killer freeze of 1983.

That is a strong statement but I have

my numbers to prove it. I attribute our

success, when we were successful, to

knowing the pattern that fit the conditions.

With some much needed rainfall and

a slight sweetening of the bays I am

hoping December will bring a marked

turn around. The drop-offs appear to be

holding ample seagrass structure so the

ambush points are in place if the fish

will show. Bait is abundant for sure so

hopes are high that when Mother Nature

says it time to strap on the feed bag the

trout and redfish will pull up and show

themselves. I am a believer that the best

numbers of big fish spend most of the

warmer months out deep no matter what

we see up shallow. The three factors

mentioned in this article are the triggering

mechanisms that draw them to the drop-

offs where we get more shots at them.

As always, we need to concentrate

our efforts in areas that contain the most

structure, best concentration of bait, and

the most distinct drop-off. Not all of the

shoreline drop-offs are created equal.

Your ability to see these areas

is a critical part of your day. I like to

mark the areas along the shoreline

drop-off on my GPS where I

have located the best bottom

structure and the most abundant

bait source. This allows me the

comfort of stopping a reasonable

distance from my intended wade

and scoping the area as we prepare for

our wade. Once fish are located there

is absolutely no reason for running a

shoreline. Understand that the pattern

has the fish positioned along the same

line all up and down the shoreline so there

should be little if any reason for continuing

to run where we need to be fishing.

I will be looking to throw suspending

types of lures such as the Mirrolure

Catch 5, Mirrodine XL and Paul Brown’s

Corky. Corky was recently bought by

Mirrolure. Paul is, has been, and always

will be a saltwater original, Mirrolure

will take his name and design to the

next level and this should be good for

everyone. Well, everyone but the trout!

The stress the drought has put on

the bays this year has caused me to

believe that we, intelligent anglers that

we are, should consider keeping only

a few fish for that fresh fish dinner we

all enjoy. I know that my clientele have

been great about this the past few

years and it has sure made my days

on the water much more enjoyable.

May your fishing always be catching.

- Guide Jay Watkins

CO

NT

AC

T

Note deeper grasslines, this is often the structure on which fish will stage.


Recently while making

the long drive from

Port O’Connor my

mind began to wander

as it often does when

there are many miles of road ahead.

The day before, I had been fishing

with a friend who is an experienced

angler. We had spent the morning

poling the flats searching for redfish

while keeping a careful eye on

the skies to our north. A powerful

cold front was predicted to move in

around noon, packing heavy rains

and high winds. On cue late that

morning the skies began to darken.

We straightened the boat, strapped

on our life jackets and headed for

town with full intentions of beating

the approaching system.

Several minutes into the trip a

wall of cold wind traveling well ahead

of the clouds blasted us. Funny

thing was it actually felt good after

a sultry morning on the water. But

by the time we made it through

Saluria Bayou and into Mitchell’s Cut

the wind had whipped up an ugly

chop… real ugly. The wall of wind

that cooled us off moments earlier

had now strengthened to a roaring

blast and it was clearly something to

be concerned about. We pounded

our way through the waves stacking

up in Mitchell’s Cut and from there

things just got rougher. After another

20 minutes of bashing, banging, and

wave-eating we pulled into the ICW

and the safety of the marina. To say

I was happy to put my feet on dry

land was an understatement. I was

fortunate my fishing partner was an

experienced operator who handled

himself and his boat very well in the

rough conditions. Things could have

turned out much worse. The weather

stations later reported sustained winds

of 50 mph with gusts much higher.

Having endured them, I believe it. It

was a cold dose of Mother Nature

right in the face.

I thought about that storm as I

careened down the asphalt and was

reminded yet again of how important

preparation and caution are on the

water. Gambling with the weather or

overestimating the seaworthiness of

your vessel and your ability to operate

it is a dangerous game and can turn a

routine trip on even a modest body of

water into a nightmare.

Next to wearing a life jacket,

we all are taught that one of the

fundamentals of safety on the water

is to pay attention to the

weather. It’s just plain

common sense. Unlike

years past, weather

monitoring technology

abounds and real-time

radar and weather

reports are now available

every day at any time

of the day. There is no

excuse for hitting the

water without knowing

what conditions to

expect throughout the

course of an outing. At

a bare minimum, anglers

should keep their eyes on the sky

and make conservative judgments

when evaluating encroaching storms,

strengthening winds, or significant

changes in the weather.

I got a hard lesson in weather

watching about twenty years ago on

Choke Canyon reservoir. We had

been camping and fishing for several

days on a small island on the north

side of the lake. The weather was

hot and windy, just like it always is in

the summer in South Texas. On the

morning of our last day we noticed

storm clouds forming to the south

of the lake. Over several hours,

the storm organized, intensified,

and began to move in our direction.

We decided it was time to get the

heck out of Dodge. We fired up our

rattling outboard motor and headed

out across the open water toward

the boat ramp two miles away.

Halfway across the storm swooped

down on us with a vengeance and

we found ourselves in the middle of

what looked like a Hollywood movie

set, complete with lightening, hail,

brutal wind and crushing waves. I’ll

never forget the sight of thick laminar

columns of water coming over the

bow and washing away our stuff as

we tried to stay afloat in the middle of

Choke. Through the grace of God,

we reached the other side and made

it to the boat ramp. We were battered

and cold but in one piece and very,

very, lucky to have lost only our

gear. Never in a million years would

I have guessed that lake could have

gotten that rough, but it did. And it

happened in a hurry. If we would

have exercised better judgment, we

would have been safe and sound

long before the storm hit.

Another lesson I learned is what

can happen when you play chicken

with something as routine as the

CA

SEY

SM

AR

TT

h

F L Y F I S H I N G D E P A R T M E N T

Time to Go


setting sun. We were fishing near

the cattle pens in Port O’Connor on a

beautiful fall evening a few years ago.

The fish were biting so we stretched

the trip out as long as we could. As

the last sliver of sun dropped behind

the horizon, we fired up the boat and

headed for town, assuming we still had

thirty minutes or so of visibility. Halfway

across the open water run to the Little

Jetties the motor stalled and we came to

a sluggish stop. I tried repeatedly to fire

up the motor but it was unresponsive.

With fading skies overhead I reached

down and flipped on the running lights.

They didn’t come on. I jiggled the wires,

checked the fuses, and cleaned off the

connections. Still no lights. So, I pulled

a Q-Beam from under the front deck

and managed to get it

hooked up. To my horror,

the bulb popped as soon as I flipped

the switch on. Darkness engulfed us as

we drifted with no power and no lights

somewhere between the Little Jetties

and Pass Cavallo. My mind raced and

I tried not to think about the frightening

possibility of being plowed by another

boat or sucked through the pass.

After thirty minutes of fiddling

unsuccessfully with the running lights

I reached up and hit the boat’s ignition

switch, expecting no response. To my

astonishment the motor fired up. To

this day I still don’t know why it stalled,

or for that matter why it restarted. We

managed to get our bearings straight

and made a harrowing journey back to

town in total darkness. I don’t ever want

to re-live that night.

Each of us has a responsibility to

learn from our experiences and make

better decisions on the water. We owe

it to ourselves, our families, our friends,

and other boaters. Please remember

to watch the weather, check your

equipment ahead of time, and know

when it’s time to go. These things add

up to good common sense and could

very well save your life.

VIDEOCheck out Casey’s Fly Fishing Video Library at www.TSFMag.com

CO

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T Casey Smartt has been fly fishing and tying flies for 30 years. When he cannot make it to the coast he is happy chasing fish on Texas inland lakes and rivers.

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Well, this year is almost over and

many people will be glad to see it

go. Fishing-wise it was a good year,

but economically speaking it was

challenging for many. Hopefully, the

upturn in the economy will continue

and everything will start resembling

what we would call normal.

Now is a great time to do boat

maintenance, tackle repair, upgrading

electronics and installing new

equipment. Some of the things you

might want to think of are items like

putting fuel stabilizer in your boat’s

gas tank to prevent it from breaking

down and causing engine problems.

It’s also a good idea to keep your fuel

tanks full to prevent condensation

from forming on the exposed metal

due to the extreme temperature

changes. Make sure any aluminum,

chrome or stainless on the boat is

thoroughly cleaned, polished and

waxed to keep it from pitting. Block

heaters, glow rods and de-humidifiers

can help keep electronics, engines

and other compartments on your

boat, dry and mildew free. Outboard

and inboard engines alike should be

started and brought up to operating

temperature on a regular basis.

Make sure battery switches are off

on non-essential systems to prevent

your batteries from being drained

unnecessarily. A marine-grade battery

charger is the best way to extend the

life of your batteries and keep them

charged and ready to go. If you have

a trailerable boat, don’t neglect your

trailer. Keep your bearings greased

and repack them when necessary.

Check your lights, license, pads,

running boards, winch, etc… We see a

lot of people just put their stuff up and

forget about it until spring. Take the

time to service your equipment and it

will last longer, cost less and take less

time to get ready when it is time to go

fishing. It will also benefit you when it

comes time to sell it.

This time of year

boat owners and

sellers find it an

ideal time to make

that move to a

new or used larger

boat, prior to the

much anticipated

fishing season. We

experience a lot

of interested boat

owners moving up

from the boat they

have had three years

or longer to a newer

boat that fits their

needs. Many owners

running large center

consoles, that have

enjoyed fantastic bluewater fishing off

our coast, make the commitment to

step up to twin diesels and the comfort

of overnight trips in the Western Gulf

of Mexico. If you’re considering selling

your boat and sizing up, there’s a

large variety of entry level outboard

and twin diesel sportfishing boats on

the market.

The Holiday season is also a great

time to look for new products and

we know a lot of you will want to buy

presents for your fishing friends and

family. Here are some of the latest

products we thought might interest

you:

Digital Radar - This may be sort

of a big ticket item, so you may have

to give it to yourself, but the new

digital radars from most of the big

electronic manufacturers like Garmin,

Furuno, RayMarine and Si-Tex are

incredible. They feature high definition

performance, sharper imagery and

improved target separation for the

most precise radar display picture you

have ever seen. These units provide

a clearer detailed image that picks up

smaller targets and most have target

tracking and chart overlay capabilities.

Combine a new digital radar with a

multi-function display and you will

have the ultimate navigation system

on your vessel.

Underwater Lights – Now that the

underwater light craze has leveled off,

one company stands out at the top.

Ocean LED has taken the underwater

light industry to another level with a

myriad of sizes, colors and designs

for every size boat. LED technology

has become the industry standard

featuring low power draw, low heat

generation and unparalleled life

expectancy. Underwater lights are

great when night fishing for tuna and

BO

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Holiday Season Check List


swordfish and are becoming a standard

item on many new boats. Check them

out at www.oceanled.com.

Marlin Mudflaps – This “home

grown” teaser was originally created

by Capt. Bobby Wells here in the Gulf

of Mexico. While fishing on the Texas

based Jammer with Capt. Bob Richter

and mate Brian Wimmer, Bobby’s

teaser underwent a series of design

changes and was put to the test by the

whole crew. The original teaser evolved

and several different designs created

from the crew’s experience fishing in

places

like the

Bahamas,

Bermuda

and the

Pacific.

These

guys have

developed

one of the

most popular teasers for big blue marlin

on today’s tournament circuit. Some of

the top sportfishing boats in the world

are using mudflaps with great success.

For more information, go to www.

marlinmudflaps.com or contact Brian

Wimmer directly at 832-818-0695.

You can also check out Marlin

Mudflaps in Seabrook at the Fox Yacht

Sales - Seabrook Office at Tops-N-

Towers. At Fox we have an extensive

inventory of brokerage boats and

we are the exclusive Texas dealer

for CABO Yachts. We specialize in

sportfishing boats and motor yachts.

Come by and get a great deal on your

next boat. For more information

check out our website at www.

foxyachtsales.com or you can

contact John Cochrane at captjohn@

foxyachtsales.com.

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T Born in Galveston, Capt. John Cochrane has been a professional captain for over 25 years. He concentrates his fishing efforts in the Gulf of Mexico, promoting big game fishing and billfish research.

A native Texan, Bobby Byrd has fished the Gulf of Mexico since he was eight. In 1995, Bobby combined his love of fishing and boating into a business when he openedTops-N-Towers in Seabrook, Texas.

ContactFox Yacht Sales / Seabrook 281-291-0656Tops-N-Towers 281-474-4000Capt. John Cochrane 409-739-4817Websiteswww.byrd-cochrane.comwww.topsntowers.comwww.foxyachtsales.com

wwwww.. hird o of .co 11 88888 6611-222222111www.thirdstonesoft.com 1-888-361-2221

it works...

tired of missing the best fishing times? know when to go!

for XP & VistaAsk any tournament fisherman or professional guide how important understanding catch conditions are. They will tell you catching fish is not a random process. Understanding the conditions your target species is looking for and repeating those tactics, are paramount to success. Conditional analysis is invaluable in establishing consistency and success on the water.

Coastal saltwater fishing is all about being at the right place at the right time. Wouldn’t it be great to be able to plan your trips around tide conditions that have historically brought you success?

Now you can fine tune your fishing!

Plan your trip, analyze your success, tune your fishing strategies, log your trips & uncover conditional trends by site and species. Understand your target species like never before with this revolutionary catch-analysis software – The Fishermans Analyst.

Ask for The Fishermans Analyst software at your sports super store or order online at

US tide strength & flow prediction - trip journal - catch analysis - trip planner


Twenty seven CCA Texas volunteers from across

Texas recently spent a Saturday morning and afternoon

transplanting marsh grass at the Goose Island State

Park marsh restoration project. This project under the

coordination of Texas Parks Wildlife Department (TPWD)

is restoring 24 acres of saltwater marsh along the Lamar

Peninsula shoreline line that has eroded since 1969.

Volunteers traveled from as far away as Plano, Boerne, San

Antonio and the Houston and Corpus Christi areas to take

part in this volunteer day.

Park manager,

Stormy Reeves

and Project

Coordinator Kay

Jenkins started

the day with

an overview of

the project and

discussed why it was needed and how it was organized and

executed. Questions were asked and discussed and all

walked away with a greater appreciation of the marsh and

its importance. The crew of volunteers and TPWD staff

then headed to the marsh for a solid day of work. Once the

crew arrived at the site, teams were divided up for planting

grasses, previously prepared for transplant, and several

volunteers also began digging more plants for relocation.

At the end of the day, the event was deemed a great

success. Approximately 1,860 plugs of grass were

transplanted, covering three islands in the eastern

most marsh cell. These plants are the first of many

more to be planted as conditions allow. In addition,

the volunteer’s time and the relocation of plants

provided for approximately $4,000 in grant matching

credits for this restoration project. CCA Texas had

previously contributed $25,000 to this project that will go

directly to the contract planting of remaining islands within

the marsh cells.

“The Goose Island team is grateful for the time and efforts

of the volunteers,” commented Stormy Reeves, TPWD Park

Manager. “Not only is it an educational experience and

an opportunity to give back to the resource, but the hours

spent and the number of plants transplanted help in the

CONSE RVAT ION PAG E

CCA Volunteers Help Rebuild Goose Island Marsh

Volunteers at work.

Kay Blaha, science teacher at Rockport-Fulton Middle School and student Cody Marr.

Doug Boyd gathering spartina plugs for

transplant.


grant matching process that help secure necessary funds for

restoration projects such as this one at Goose Island.”

“CCA Texas and Habitat Today for Fish Tomorrow (HTFT) are

proud to be a part of this project,” commented HTFT Director

John Blaha. “Not only does HTFT provide funding opportunities

for these types of projects, but they are also an excellent

opportunity for volunteers to take an active

hands-on role in the restoration process of

Texas’ great coastal resources.”

Get Involved

National Marine Fisheries Services

(NMFS) has recently made several decisions

that have unfairly penalized recreational

fishermen up and down the entire Gulf

Coast. Recreational fishermen are needed

now more than ever to stand up and demand

proper and equitable fisheries management

through out the entire Gulf and all US waters.

CCA Texas (www.ccatexas.org) Headlines

section and CCA National (www.joincca.org)

Newsroom websites offer large amounts of

information to help educate members and the

general public on critical marine fisheries issues. Be sure to take

the time to visit these sites and educate yourself and step up to

the call for action when needed.

For more information about CCA Texas and HTFT, please

visit www.ccatexas.org or contact John Blaha directly at

800.626.4222.

Planting seagrass is no easy task.


Over the years I have tried foods that most folks would

find down right disgusting, including opossum, nutria, lynx,

and dried salmon dipped in rancid seal oil, but I had never

even thought about eating a hardhead catfish, Ariopsis

felis. That all changed one day late last fall after I had a

conversation with several winter Texans at a creel survey in

Port Isabel. To a man they all swore that hardheads were as

good a tasting fish as any freshwater catfish variety. Since

I truly enjoy fried catfish, I decided that it was about time I

tried hardhead catfish too.

The first step in my culinary journey was to conduct a

literature search on the edibility of hardheads. Hoese

and Moore’s book Fishes of the Gulf of Mexico states that

“although they are edible, it is generally considered to be

a pest by most fishermen and is rarely eaten.” Texas Parks

& Wildlife Department’s web page (www.tpwd.state.tx.us/

huntwild/wild/species) contained all kinds of information on

hardheads, including their life history, where and how to

catch them, and even the fact that the male carries the eggs

around in its mouth until they hatch. Concerning edibility,

it said that “while the flesh is edible, it isn’t very tasty and

the fish is difficult to clean.” It wasn’t looking too promising

for the hardhead to be my next great culinary discovery.

However, the only real way to find out if they were edible

was to catch a few and give them a try.

Catching them proved to be VERY easy. Hardheads are

widely distributed, and are found from Texas to Virginia.

They are also scavengers meaning that they will eat just

about anything you put in front of them. However, catching

some big enough to use in my experiment proved a little

harder. For each edible sized one I caught (I had set as

my goal at 14 inches since they are mostly head), I caught

dozens of smaller ones. By the way, the Texas state record

is 4.06 pounds and 23 inches. A word of caution, you must

be careful when handling hardheads because they have

three spines (two pectoral and one dorsal) that are barbed

and covered in a toxic slime. Even a slight nick from one of

these spines can inflict a painful wound. If you do get stuck

by a hardhead, the book Dive First Responder by Richard

A. Clinchy says that you should immerse the injured site

in as hot of water as you can tolerate for 30 minutes, then

clean the wound thoroughly and treat with an antibiotic.

After I brought my fish home, it took only a couple of

minutes to clean each fish. For those of you that have never

skinned a freshwater catfish, I will describe the procedure

with a modification I made for hard heads. First cut all three

barbs off with a pair of side cutting pliers (this will greatly

reduce the chance for injury), next cut through the skin all

the way around the fish just behind the dorsal spine, and

then down the back to the tail, grasp the skin with a pair

of pliers (they make ones just for this job) and pull the skin

off starting at the head. All that is left then is to cut off the

head and tail and clean out the entrails. It’s just that easy.

What you end up with is a cleaned fish that is about half

the length of the original fish. Of course if you want to, you

can fillet them like any other fish but I found that pan frying

them whole worked just fine and preserved more meat.

I prepared the

catfish just the

way I do most of

the fish I eat; I

soaked them in

milk, rolled them

in seasoned

cornmeal and

pan-fried them.

For my first

hardhead fish

fry I recruited

Maybe It’s Time We Try Something Different for Supper

F I E L D N O T E S

By Mark LingoLower Laguna Madre Ecosystem Leader Brownsville Field Station, Brownsville, Texas

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Hardhead Catch Rates by Bay System


some friends to take part in the taste test. None of them had

ever tried hardhead catfish so this was a first for all of us. As

a side note, it is hard to find friends when you tell them to

come over for a hardhead fish fry. Go figure. Anyway, my first

tentative bite was rewarded by a taste that more than just

edible, it was actually GOOD. Like the winter Texans had said,

the hardheads were just as good as any freshwater catfish

I had ever had. My friends also enjoyed the meal and some

even asked for seconds. As a bonus, since the smaller bones

stay attached to the vertebra it was very easy to remove the

cooked flesh without getting any bones.

So in conclusion, hardhead catfish are a good tasting, easy

to clean, and widely distributed fish that everyone can enjoy.

Given the ever increasing demands placed on the traditional

fish harvested in Texas’ bays for table fare (reds and trout),

maybe its time we all try something different for supper.

Note: there is a fish consumption advisory for all catfish

species in Galveston Bay and the surrounding bodies

of water. Therefore you should check the Texas Parks &

Wildlife Department’s webpage (http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/

publications/annual/fish/consumption_bans/) for further

information before consuming your catch.

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

for more information.

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This is turning out to be a great fall season. As I’ve said many

times, one of the biggest advantages of fishing from a kayak is

getting into places a boater can’t go and it’s too muddy to wade.

My recent trips have proven this in crystal clear bronze beauty.

I’m no shrimpologist, but locating shrimp in the marsh is key to

locating shallow water reds. While redfish are not generally too

particular when it comes time to eat, they’ll absolutely lose their

minds when they discover schools of small shrimp. And over the

last couple of weeks, I’ve been seeing more juvenile shrimp in the

marshes and back lakes than normal for this time of year.

Under normal circumstances these shrimp would be grown

and ready to migrate with the falling tides following the first few

northers. This past summer was anything but normal along the

Texas coast. Shrimp larvae thrive in brackish water and with

the extreme drought throughout this past spring and summer I

think the salinity levels in most places were too high to produce a

solid crop. Recent rains have changed all of that and they have

apparently responded with a late bumper crop. I’m not

sure what all this means for the ultimate survivability of

these late bloomers, but for the time being it is a boon

for the redfish and the kayakers who pursue them.

Last week in Port O’Connor I ventured to one of my

favorite areas. It was the day after a front and the tide

had fallen leaving acres of grass and mud flat with only

a few inches of water covering it. No way a boat could

access it and a wader would have to be desperate or

super-human to even attempt it. And even if a wader

could somehow make his way onto the flat he’d make

so much noise it would defeat the purpose. With the

kayak I was able to quietly enter the area and scope it

out. The wind that morning was non-existent and the

water looked like a mirror as the sun started coloring the horizon.

Within moments I saw the first tail poke through the surface

followed by a scattering of tiny shrimp. Too cool. The kayak

allowed me to take full advantage of the situation and easily pick

off reds that had no idea I was there. It was simply a wonderful

day to be on the water.

Yesterday I ventured into one of my favorite Galveston area

marshes. This place is a true mudhole where stepping out of the

kayak is a definite mistake. Do that and you’ll quickly empathize

with the mastodons that found themselves in the La Brea tar

pits. Again, it was the day following a norther and the tides were

falling. I love fishing those conditions in the marsh as it tends to

concentrate the fish and bait into smaller areas and exposes their

movements. It didn’t take long to realize that the baby shrimp I

had found in POC were present in Galveston as well. Every time

my paddle dipped into the mud there was a shower of redfish

candy. At that point the water was still high enough for the reds to

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Late Shrimp Crop and Mudhole Reds


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be in the marsh lakes so I paddled to one

of the larger ponds and started watching.

Minutes later I saw a big wake along the

shoreline that ended it a frothing crash.

The reds were there and it was only a

matter of putting a light-colored paddletail

Assassin in front of them and imitate a

fleeing shrimp.

As the day wore on the tide fell further

and everything moved to the drains,

including me. Fishing the ditches and

bayous when the lakes go dry is perhaps

one of the most exciting ways to catch

marsh reds. The singles and pods that

were earlier cruising the ponds tend to

team up and feed in aggressive packs that

are hard to miss. Often times in a winding

bayou you’ll hear them coming before you

can see them. These fish aren’t shy and

will jump all over a lure that lands in their

path. Under these conditions I like to push

the kayak deep into the marsh where the

furthest back lakes funnel into fairly narrow

and shallow drains. Again, the only

possible access to many of these spots

is via kayak. Yesterday was a classic

example of this plan coming together and

resulted in a lot of splashing, crashing

mud-filled battles.

Many times anglers will abandon the

shallows as the temperatures fall, but the

reds can and will tolerate much cooler

temps than folks realize. It is the baitfish

and shrimp leaving that cause the reds to

move deeper. As long as the groceries

are present, they’ll stay. Given the size

of the shrimp in the marsh at present, I

fully expect these patterns to continue

deep into late fall and early winter as they

mature. On the colder days you can go

to the softer mud where the shrimp will

bury to stay warm and find the reds there

trying to root them out. A well-placed lure

becomes easy prey and will tempt most

every red you come across.

Hopefully we’ll have a mild enough

season to allow this late crop to complete

their lifecycle. But until they migrate or

succumb to the falling temperatures, I’ll be

pushing my kayak deep into the mudholes

to take advantage of an unusual year.

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I do not know how you all feel about it, but I honestly believe

in that little lesson from the Bible – “It is more blessed to

give than to receive.” I am not sure why, but over the last

couple of years I have really reveled in the joy that I have

gotten when someone opened a gift or present that I took

the time to pick out for them. However, this year I am going

to be a little selfish and I am going to write Santa Claus a

letter requesting a few items for myself. After all, he who

dies with the most toys- wins. . . . Right? Anyway, I thought I

would share the letter with you all in order to either help you

write your own this year.

Dear Santa,

I know it has been a while since I have written you but it is

only because that I have been blessed in that I pretty much

have all in this world that I want or need. This year, however,

I find myself wanting a few things so. . . I have decided to

write you this little letter telling you not only what I want, but

why I want it in hopes that for all the years I didn’t ask for

anything, you might hook me up with some good stuff.

1) I have had a little run of bad luck as of late

regarding fly rods and reels. So. . . the first thing that I am

going to ask for is a pair of the new GLoomis Crosscurrent

Pro 1 rods in 7-weight and 11-weight with matching Ross

Momentum reels. I have to tell you Santa, if you haven’t

had the chance to cast either of these rods you need to get

down to the fly shop and try them out. I personally think

that they are some of the best casting rods I have ever

thrown and, because they are the one-piece version of the

Crosscurrent line, they are exceptional fish fighting tools. As

for the Ross Momentums, they came out with the new LT

version and just like all of Ross’s products over the years,

they are bulletproof and a great value compared to so many

other fly reels on the market.

2) My next request is along the same line as above.

I could really stand to have a couple of new spinning reels.

I don’t do the light tackle thing too often so you really don’t

need to go overboard here. I think a pair of Shimano Sahara

reels in the 2500 size would do me up nicely. They perform

great and are half the price of what I am currently using.

And, since I am saving you a little money here, would you

mind throwing in a couple of matching Waterloo HP Lite

spinning rods. Just give Jimmy a call over at the shop, he

knows what I like and can hook you up.

3) Next, I am really digging Oakley’s line of polarized

glasses. Honestly, I didn’t think I was going to like them but

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I have been trying a pair out that a friend lent me and I have

to say- Wow! They are so light you don’t even know that

you have them on and they are so clear that they definitely

reduce eye fatigue. If you haven’t tried them, you should. I

bet they would do wonders for knocking all that glare off the

snow that you have to put with up there at the North Pole.

Also, they look pretty cool!

4) Well before I ask for the last thing, I will give you

an alternate in case the last one is a little over the top. I

have really been getting into this whole paddling thing.

Canoes, kayaks and the whole nine yards. Anyway, I was

at one of the shops earlier this year and saw the Native

Watercraft Ultimate 12 Tegris. This thing was so light you

would not believe it! I already have an Ultimate 14.5 but it’s

so heavy compared to this one. So, if you don’t think the

next item is reasonable, feel free to fall back on this one. I

won’t hold it against you.

5) Alright Santa, here comes the biggie! I am

sure you know that I have been wanting a bigger boat

for chasing tarpon. Well the folks over at Hell’s Bay just

released a new boat called the Neptune. I saw the plug

being built and saw the first running hull last time I was

over there. They finally got it finished and the performance

numbers are impressive to say the least. It seems to me

to be almost perfect for running the beachfront. What do

think? I am willing to beg if necessary.

As you can see, Santa, my list isn’t that long this year. If

you could hook me up this time I won’t bother you again for

another 30 years or so. –Scott

Wishing you all the best of tides, a Merry Christmas, and

stuff like that!

CO

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

Telephone979-415-4379Emailvssommerlatte@hotmail.comWebsitewww.scottsommerlatte.com

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By the time this issue goes out I will have completed my

High School football career. In a way it saddens me, but I

will now have lots of spare time to pursue my first passion,

fishing. The Christmas holidays marked colorfully with

decorations, lots of family time, and the spirit of giving and

receiving. A major reason in the writing of this story came

about as I recently waded along a sand flat and happened

to run across an old baseball cap on the sand bottom. I

picked it up and noticed it had been there for sometime. It

had small shells and algae growing on it. I thought to myself,

“Why would someone want to trash the pristine waters of

the Laguna Madre.” I picked up the cap, put it on my stringer

and later dumped it in the trash. Throughout that day it

seemed that I became more aware of the empty aluminum

cans lying on the bay bottom. Even the ICW spoils littered

with foam packages and other trash materials immediately

caught my eyes. Never before as on this day had I been so

aware of these unnatural, unattractive manmade materials.

Picking up a few more items of trash from the bay floor

that day gave me a good feeling on the inside, but I knew

it wasn’t enough. Here we have such a valuable but fragile

resource in our own back yard, yet sometimes we don’t take

care of it. We are always ready to receive from it, but are we

as ready to give back in the same measure as we take. I’m

sure everyone reading this article including myself can say

that at some point we have witnessed someone allowing

their trash to become part of the natural surroundings. The

question is, “What are we doing about it?” “What should we

be doing?” I don’t have all the answers, but I do know that

it needs to start with us educating those that we have an

influence on. It begins with correcting and explaining why

we should take care of that which gives so freely and brings

loads of enjoyment to those that participate in the waters

available to us.

I now know that I have been made more aware of this

situation from my own experience, and I have decided

that I want to do something about it not only in the waters I

fish, but also give back to the waters I have never set foot

on. There are numerous “trash offs” in our area beaches

throughout the year, including the one that my uncle

supervises. You can bet that I will be part of that group on

their next event. Next time a piece of trash falls or blows

into the water take the time to pick it up and discard it in its

proper place. There is no place for trash in our waters, and

it doesn’t take much effort to store it while you’re out on the

water and place it in the trash containers when you get back

to the dock.

The spirit of giving back to our prized resource doesn’t

stop there. There are countless ways of giving back,

like sharing your experiences with those that are not as

fortunate to see what we see. Take that unfortunate person

and give them something to remember. Now that I have

some spare time I plan on inviting my grandfather for a day

of fishing, which I know he would truly enjoy. I also look

forward in taking out some of my cousins and friends that

have been asking me to take them out. Let us give and

share with what we have been blessed with and not for one

moment think that it’s only for us to enjoy. Look around you.

AA

RO

N C

ISN

ER

OS

TEX AS SALTWATER

The Spirit of Giving Back

Y O U T H F I S H I N G

This angler not only caught fish, he also took time to clean his backyard.


Who is that one person you can give a little of your time and

bring a life time of memories? I have been very fortunate and

glad that a few individuals took their time to show me what has

become my passion for the rest of my life, and I hope to do the

same to those around me.

It’s a good thing that many anglers nowadays are practicing

catch and release. It’s a practice that seems to be catching on

and well appreciated by all conservationists. The phrase “keep

five” is alive and well. The attitude of keeping only what you’re

going to eat is being followed more and more. All the education

and information of practicing catch and release is paying off,

but let’s not stop there. How many times have we been guilty

of mishandling an undersize fish, being in a hurry to catch the

next legal fish we quickly and forcibly remove the hook from its

mouth and sometimes injuring its vital organs? Another method

or way we can give back is protecting not only the spawners,

but the future spawners as well. There will be times where an

undersize fish can not be saved, but the ones I’m talking about

are the ones that can be saved. Let’s give them a chance by

being a little more patient in removing the hook or hooks. If you

do, that fish will certainly have another chance in bringing a

smile to another angler.

As I mentioned above, there are countless ways we can all

give back! Each and every one of us plays a role in taking care

of our own back yard that we all share whether it’s a beach

front, a favorite cove, open sea, or bay in general. Let’s develop

the spirit of giving back and not live with the mentality of always

taking away. Next time you see trash occupying your fishing

area, pick it up. Let’s all do our part. Perhaps this Christmas

you can give someone a mountain of memories by taking them

fishing for the first time. Catch the spirit of giving because the

more you give, the more someone else can receive. Let’s all

make our back yard look safe and clean for all to enjoy. Have a

Merry Christmas!

THROUGH YOUTHFUL E Y E S

YO

UT

H F

ISHIN

G


More fish and

greater sizes of fish are being

caught through advancement

of material and manufacturing

technologies. More specifically,

new technology allows braiding

extremely small fibers of gel spun

polyethylene into a consistent

diameter fishing line that are at

times no thicker than a strand

of hair. Spectra line has literally

changed the way reel manufactures

design reels and the way we fish.

The aspect of saving space on the

reel arbor by as much as 75% has

ushered in a new era of downsized

reels for blue water fishing.

Now that consumers are growing

familiar with Spectra line under trade

names such as Spiderwire, Sufix

Performance Braid, Jerry Brown,

Power Pro and Momoi Diamond

Braid and are thinking of giving it a

try, the next question is whether to

use SOLID or HOLLOW braided line.

Solid braid has qualities that set it

apart from its hollow counterpart,

most noticeable being smaller

diameter and lower price tag. Solid

braid is more abrasion resistant

due to the coating it receives and it

is also stiffer. Stiffness is great for

jigging and bottom fishing but not

so good for casting applications.

Hollow braid offers advantages

too, especially in the way it can be

joined to monofilament. Mono can

be inserted into hollow braid via a

splicing needle to achieve a nearly

seamless transition versus a bulky

connecting knot.

Now it’s time to connect our braid

(solid or hollow) to the spool arbor.

Spectra line can be attached to the

spool arbor by various means - note

that the slick coating on these lines

will allow the entire spool of line to

slip on the arbor unless preventive

measures are used. We can wind

on a single layer of mono and then

the Spectra; we can apply a wrap of

tape to the arbor for the Spectra to

bite on; or we can

leave a long tag

end on the arbor

connection knot.

I prefer to leave

a long tag on the

arbor knot and

then wrapping the

Spectra over it to

maximize the reel’s

line capacity.

Next, as we fill

the reel, we need to

“pack” the Spectra

tightly to prevent it

digging into itself.

When the working

portion of the

line digs into the

lower layers it can

RU

BE

N V

ILL

AR

RE

AL

t i

E V E R Y M A N ’ S O F F S H O R E

Top Shot or Not - Part II


become weakened or might even break.

So we have a good quantity of braid wound into the reel

and it is time to apply the top shot. If you have chosen

hollow core Spectra you need a hollow splicing needle to

take the monofilament up inside the hollow spectra about six

feet where the needle is then pushed through the sidewall.

The Spectra is smoothed and gently pulled tight so that it

grabs the monofilament in the fashion of a Chinese handcuff.

A drop of Pink Zap A Gap adhesive is applied at the point

of insertion followed by a tight whip finish of 30lb Spectra

covered with another drop of Zap A Gap to protect it. I prefer

pink over green Zap A Gap as it is more readily absorbed

into the whipping. A five foot piece of #5 Malin piano wire

folded double and inserted into the hollow core of the braid

expands the sidewalls making insertion of the mono easier.

If you have chosen solid Spectra a good joining knot is

required to connect the mono top shot. Many joining knots

can be used here including Bimini twist to Bimini twist,

Albright, Jose Pena, Sabile, figure eight, and my favorite, the

Reverse Albright. Your every day Blood Knot or Uni to Uni

need not apply as they are prone to failure under heavy drag

settings combined with a long fight.

I hope what I have presented in these articles lends itself

to your fishing success. Just remember, not all reels are

suited to Spectra line and both solid and hollow braids have

useful qualities. Braid must be installed properly to eliminate

slipping on the spool arbor and you may need to learn some

new joining knots. When these are mastered I think you will

find Spectra line a great addition to your arsenal of fishing

tools. Merry Christmas and I hope to see you on the water.

EV

ER

Y M

AN

’S OF

FSH

OR

E


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Sabine SceneI hadn’t typed the first

word and the thought that

immediately came to mind

was the audacity of trying

to predict what the fishing

will be like over the course

of a month when I all too

frequently cancel trips due to

weather the night before!

Right now it is raining

sideways thanks to a twenty-

five mile per hour north wind and my garbage cans have floated

away once again. If that weren’t enough, a friend called this

morning to see if I would like to ride up to Toledo Bend and help

him move his cows to high ground.

He has land on the river just below the dam and the SRA is

going to start releasing more water in a hurry. Local flooding has

very little impact on Sabine Lake, but excessive water running

downhill in both the Neches and Sabine rivers is another story.

We experience this problem about the same time of year most

years so I do have a pretty good idea of what to expect.

The bad news is that it will temporarily slow down what has

been an incredibly good bite all fall. The bite under the gulls

has never been better and the average size of the school trout

dramatically improved once the surface temperature started

to drop. While we could catch a fish on darn near every cast

through November, the keeper to throwback ratio was poor.

I will be very surprised if that bite slows down any this

month regardless of water clarity or salinity levels. Those two

factors generally slow the fishermen down more than the fish

here on Sabine.

If the water clarity is good, and I don’t expect it to be, there

isn’t a color in tails that won’t catch fish. If the water is dirty, less

than a foot of visibility, I consistently do better with darker colors

like Morning Glory, Texas Roach and pumpkin chartreuse in

longer tails like the 5-inch Assassin or Mirrolure soft mullet.

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

Telephone409-883-0723Websitewww.sabineconnection.com

DICKIE COLBURN’S


We also consistently catch our better trout swimming the

tail rigged on a lighter head in the top part of the water column

rather than bouncing it off the bottom. I cannot imagine the

redfish bite slowing down much and they don’t care how fast or

slow you retrieve your lure. If it gets really cold, they may back

off into the river and deeper bayous, but they are everywhere

and biting right now!

I know the flounder need all the help they can get, but this

has been a fantastic year on Sabine at least as far as size is

concerned. I don’t know about the numbers as we have not

targeted them and keep only a few that occasionally crash the

party. We have caught very few flatties under three pounds and

that is still a very good flounder around here.

The bite under the gulls will serve as little more than a minor

distraction for most of my clients as they know the window is

ajar for catching the largest trout this lake has to offer starting

this month. It will be slow drifts and long casts for some, but for

the majority it is time to climb out of the boat and wait out the

afternoon feeding spree.

We start most days with topwaters like the She Dog or quieter

Top Dog, Jr. as long as the surface temperature is above the

fifty degree mark. That said, I think you will still get more quality

swings with a Corky Fatboy or Devil as well as the Catch V and

Catch 2000. I did not throw the

Mirrodine XL enough last winter, but

that will not be the case this year.

It is very difficult to tie on anything that

isn’t pink in a suspending bait, but we have some

great days with

glow-chartreuse,

black-chartreuse,

bone and electric

chicken as well.

We occasionally

hit it just right

some mornings,

but an incoming

tide and the

warmer afternoon

hours are Plan A

across the winter.

Remember…

those undersized

school trout are

just as important

as the mature

sows that we

have learned to photograph and release. Invest in the future by

taking the time to handle every fish, regardless of size, with the

same TLC!

g that

we have some

S A B I N E

Holly Landry released this solid

slot red taken under the gulls.


Howdy folks, Capt. Mickey

here again bringing a recap

and fishing forecast for

Galveston Bay anglers. My

job is easy again this month

as fishing is good and, barring

anything freaky from Mother

Nature, I expect it will remain

so right through December.

Everybody knows the

upper Trinity and San Jacinto

basin regions have been

receiving lots of rain and

we’ve got a lot of inflow from

both rivers beginning to affect

the Galveston Bay System.

The upside to this is some big time bird action even though the

surface looks real muddy. What is happening is that the river

water is layering on top, about two feet thick, and we have clear

saltwater underneath. It looks bad but there are just millions of

shrimp and small baitfish in there. We are seeing lots of school

trout from 15 to 18-inches and occasionally a 19 or 20-incher

under these birds. I am literally talking hundreds of flocks of

birds working just in Trinity alone. Same thing going on in East

Bay. The action is steady and the fish are easy to find. How

cool is that?

Shoreline wade fishing action is still a bit slow. We are finding

smaller trout, lots of males, and the bigger fish are just now

starting to roll up on the flats. I think it needs to get a little bit

colder, probably about Thanksgiving time, before we’ll see the

shoreline thing really start to shine.

Redfish are all over the place, shallow and deep, out under

birds, it doesn’t matter. You can pretty much pick your weather

conditions and you can find fish everywhere. You get a certain

wind, you just go to that area where it is protected and fish

that and catch your fish. Just flip flop between northers, hit

your southern shorelines and wade fish them or work birds off

of those shorelines. After a norther go to the north side and

do the same thing. If it is calm just work all down the middle.

There are birds working in all depths of water right now and

On GalvestonMICKEY


shrimp everywhere. The only thing missing right now is the

big trout bite and I believe it’s just around the corner between

Thanksgiving and Christmas.

I guess we need to talk a little about the baits we’ve been

using. Now this is going to get pretty technical, so bear

with me. Right now we’re throwing soft plastics, Corkys and

topwaters. I told you it was pretty technical but in truth all you

need to do is find a good concentration of bait and then chunk

whatever you like. Presentation, color, and all that other good

stuff is hardly as important as finding a good bunch of bait and

you can almost rest assured you’ll find trout and reds, it’s just

that good right now.

I’d like to talk a little bit about the flounder run. I know that

TPWD says the numbers are down, especially further south on

the mid-coast, but I see no shortage here in the Galveston area

bays. We are wade fishing and catching as many as ten flounder

in the parties I am guiding and we’re not even trying for them.

These fish are being caught almost by accident while we are

looking for trout and redfish. Honestly, I think if someone really

targeted flounder and got in the areas that flounder favor during

the run you would have no problem catching

ten or twenty. None-the-less we are going by the

rules and playing the game their way. We will be keeping our

two fish throughout November which is really not a big deal to

me. I am not a diehard flounder fisherman so the new limit is not

really hurting my business or my pride.

So let’s wrap it all up. Right now I give the trout and redfish

catches we are enjoying an A+ rating and Trinity and East Bays

get the nod for the most consistent action. West Bay always

lights up when the winter chill hits the water so keep your eye on

it. Water clarity, at least at the surface, is very iffy right now in

certain areas of Trinity and Upper Galveston but it is only fresh

on top. We have lots of fish lying just below that murky layer.

Wintertime fishing is always a weatherman’s game and we have

to bounce from south to north to avoid the harsh north wind

when the fronts come through. Shoreline wading will come into

its own any day now and we should begin seeing some heavy

trout showing very soon.

Merry Christmas and good fishing! – Capt. Mickey Eastman

G A LV E S T ON

atching

oing by the

ON


Though largely overlooked,

December is truly one of the

prime months for catching

trophy trout. With most

of our shrimp population

migrated out of East and

West Matagorda Bays and

into the gulf, fishing tactics

will need minor modifications.

There might be a few birds

still working the of the shrimp

migration on the far east end

of East Bay but do not expect

to occur regularly as it does

earlier in the late fall period.

Our water temperature will

be colder than the last couple of months with trout and reds alike

chewing on fin fish, eels, and small crabs. Bait selections as well

as presentations will need to be adjusted if you plan to have a

successful adventure on the water. Sinking and floating Corkys,

Eddie Douglas Broken Back Specials, and good old Saltwater

Assassins will be excellent choices for December.

Depending on our degree of winter weather, we can talk about

lure presentation. If we run into really cold conditions your lure

presentation will need to be slowed quite a bit. Fish are cold-

blooded and their metabolism slows down tremendously when

temperatures drop. When they decide to eat they can become

very aggressive and when full they can lay on the bottom until

they need to feed

again. Redfish are

generally heartier

and will feed more

often than trout. I

believe that trout

will generally feed

maybe twice a

week or possibly

three times if the

water isn’t real cold.

Popular wading

Fish TalkCAPT. BILL’S

Andy McRae - 25” trout C&R – East Matagorda – Skitter Walk


spots for me will be

places with mud and

shell bottom that

can be found with

deep water close by.

Look for me to fish

all the drains in East

Matagorda Bay that

have some deeper

water in and around

them. Another possible

scenario may be the Colorado River if not too fresh. Here I will

throw sinking Corkys and Salt Assassins rigged on 3/8 oz lead

heads bumping the bottom and working the ledges on both

sides of the river. Keep in mind the Diversion Channel which is

another good spot to fish if we find ourselves with a howling blue

northern. Plastics will be my go-to bait choice here.

Drifting over mud and scattered shell is a great possibility in

East Matagorda Bay. Look for slicks and never pass up streaky

or the edges of off-colored water. Jumping mullet is a good sign

while drifting. I like to make long drifts, sometimes as much as

one half mile. I recommend jig weights in the 1/4 to 3/8 oz lead

heads to help get your lure down and keep it in the strike zone.

On occasion, I will head over to

West Matagorda Bay when clients

want to catch reds which will usually

happen after a cold front and when tides

are low. Fishing the drains, guts, and sand bars

along the south shore will quite often put you in the middle of

steady action.

A very important tip this time of year is to slow down your

retrieve while fishing cold water conditions and try to remember

your retrieve speed and amount of rod tip action after you catch

your first fish so that it can be duplicated. Keep repeating that

first retrieve on your subsequent casts. This should pay off in

the long run.

Until next time - Merry Christmas and God Bless - Capt. Bill

M A TAG OR DA

des

sand bars

DA

Coastal Backwater Marine is a company dedicated to designing and supplying all season boats and motors for shallow water, fishing and hunting Texas Gulf

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Michael Dowler - 38” redfish C&R

– East Bay – Bass Assassin – 12lb test!

Capt. Bill - 29 1/2” headed to taxidermist – 10W40 Assassin – East Bay.


The fishing in San Antonio

Bay and the marsh lakes on

Matagorda Island has been

red hot for redfish. The trout

fishing, on the other hand, has

taken a backseat to the bronze

brutes on my boat for the time

being, but hopefully that will be

changing soon.

Late October and November

showed a substantial change

in the trout fishery for the Port

O’ Connor/ Seadrift areas.

Freshwater runoff from local

rains and inflow from the Guadalupe has made the San Antonio

reefs a little more favorable for my speckled friends who have been

hiding in the northern regions of the bay system and the upper

reaches of the Victoria Barge Canal. Sure we have all heard of

magnificent catches and limits from some internet reports, but to truly

say the fishing was normal would be a typical internet report. It is not

normal yet, I have yet to find a pattern for my speckled friends that

will work day in and day out.

I have had some days that no

matter what you did you could do

no wrong, trout jumping all over our

lures, and then you come back a

day or two later to wonder if there

are any trout in our bay system.

The common denominators in any

and all of my good trips this fall has

been; you have to be on shell, you

must have finger mullet present,

and you have to be on the north end

of San Antonio Bay.

I will do something I try to never do in my reports and that is to

mention names of reefs I have concentrated my efforts on in the

past month. These reefs are not guaranteed hot spots but the list will

give you a place to start. Now please also remember that I fish a lot

of shell reefs that have no names and are not on your new-fangled

GPS maps, they were found by time on the water and by my time

on the back of my dad’s oyster boat. My dad would drop the dredge

CAPT. GARY GRAY

With the GraysMID-COAST BAYS

Phil Scherer – oversized red San Antonio Bay – released!


P OR T O ’C ON N OR / S E A DR I F T

over in the middle of nowhere

and bring up shell from parts of

San Antonio Bay that I thought

only had mud bottom. I would

memorize these reefs with

reference points and come

back that afternoon or the next

day I had off and check the

reef for fish. Some paid off right

away and some of them saved

my trips in later years.

Okay – Here’s some reefs

for you guys to check. Dagger Reef, fish the south side at the

northeastern tip of the reef. Magnum Reef, fish the cuts that go

through the reef. Mosquito Point Reef, fish the north side of the reef

and pay special attention to all the cuts that are washed through the

reef. North Panther Reef, where the reef crosses the ICW, fish the

spoils all around the reef where the channel was cut through it.

I have been throwing the five inch Saltwater Assassin in the more

natural colors such as, Baby Bass, Bone Diamond and Opening

Night. I rig these lures on a 1/16 oz Assassin

jighead. If the fish seem to be finicky or seem to want

a little more bottom action I will slip on a four inch Sea Shad in the

same colors and probe the bottom a little more slowly and let the

swimming tail do most of the work for me. Remember if you do not

hang the shell occasionally you are working the lure too fast.

I would like to mention something I’ve written about many times

that seems to be almost universally misunderstood. Please listen

carefully, when wading the shell reefs for trout, make sure you do not

walk into the fish. I see it happen all the time; someone hooks up and

the next thing you know one of the guys thinks he needs to move

forward to get in on the action. Before you know it he standing where

you just hooked that fish and before long the bite shuts down. When

you hook up, stop and fish the area thoroughly. Stepping toward the

bite is the last thing to do if you want to get bit again!

In closing remember that it is duck season, be courteous and stay

clear of decoy spreads. Most hunters will be packed up and gone

by mid-morning and you can fish that area then, or just find another

section of water to fish.

Fish hard, fish smart!

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Weston Osborne was extremely proud of his trout.


It was December 2002

when Mike McBride and I

first fished together in Baffin.

We had become friends

through Troutmasters in

the late 90s and discussed

fishing Baffin together. At

that point in my career I was

about as under the radar as

anyone could be, so bringing

a proven trout hand to my lair

was done with one eyebrow

raised, and a constant inner

battle with paranoia.

We set it up for a

December weekend and, in

true McBride form, he misses the first day. I go by myself

and experience a career day of catching and releasing ten

trout weighing over eight pounds and a boat load between

five and eight. As I write this I am all grins and goose bumps

remembering every detail of that day.

When I returned that evening the message machine was lit up

and confirmed my worst fears; McBride wants to fish the second

day. As much as I wanted to fish with him I had no idea that I

would get on those kinds of fish, and now I was really certain that I

did not want such a good fishermen to know about it. Well, those

of you who know Mike know he can be pretty persuasive, with

more than a little charm hidden behind that handlebar mustache.

I had that in the back of my mind when I called him back, and was

certain to play the day down, never mentioning exactly how great

it really was. I guess he read between the lines well enough to

know that he had better get down here, and get down here he did,

two hours late, but he did actually show up.

To my great horror, he pulls up in front of my house with his

own boat and has a co-pilot with him. I, secretly, almost lost my

breakfast, went into a cold sweat, and was pacing in my garage

for something that resembled a lead pipe, a broken shovel handle,

or maybe even a handgun. After breathing into a paper bag for a

few minutes, I finally leveled out and Mike introduced me to Louie

Baumann. “This guy is big… find a bigger pipe.” After the mad

rush of loading gear into the boat, and me deciding that Louie

could possibly bend the pipe around my neck, I carefully hide the

pipe and we pointed Mike’s Pathfinder south.

We got to the chosen area that had produced so well the day

before and everything looked perfect or just as it had the prior

day. I was being bashed by McBride for my lure choice, an LSU-

colored corky, while he is tying on something that resembles a

topwater with grass hanging from its belly. Turns out it was just

rusty hooks on his lure, and Mike, amidst his bashing, failed to

notice the chewed condition of my lure from the day before.

Being the good host, I describe the lay of the land and what the

trout were holding on. It was a very specific pattern that could

easily be messed up if you walked through it versus casting to it.

After my careful and considerate explanation to insure all would

have a memorable day, Mike does a 180 and goes the opposite

direction. Mistake! Louie sticks with me and within five minutes

I am hung up on a pig. The Boga says 8.75, and I cut her loose.

Within minutes the Corky is slammed and another big fish comes

DAVID ROWSEY

David Rowsey has 20 years

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region; trophy trout with artificial

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and encourages catch and

release of trophy fish.

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RowseyHOOKED UP WITH


to hand. Louie is getting excited watching all of this, and I start

pointing out, specifically, where the lure needs to be. Mike is

babbling some gibberish off in the distance, but continues to walk

away from the fish. Louie starts hooking up and brings to hand

a personal best fish. This is more than McBride can handle and

finally starts heading back, although slowly.

For the rest of the day we pound on trout into the nine pound

range and a slew of “small” fish from five pounds and up. At

some point the bite slowed but we knew the moon would be rising

just before dark and the potential for another epic day was just a

couple hours away.

Louie and I stayed with the Corky as the moon broke the

horizon behind Padre Island and Mike switched to a new

topwater that had just hit the market. His Skitter Walk was rattling

obnoxiously but promptly greeted with a monumental explosion

that made us all stop what we were doing. No doubt, this fish

was very big, and Mike is so rattled he is talking in tongues or

Swahili. I can, every now and then, make out words like “Lifer…

Goobeehoodeedoo….Best Ever…Yomomma…. Oh My God!”

The battle was taking a long time. Time enough for me to get

to Mike, get his camera, and start taking some shots. As the trout

came close we could see its size and she was really big. We had

landed some in the nine pound range and this fish looked larger.

As I was snapping photos and

feeling overjoyed for Mike, his rod

snapped back and unloaded in close

proximity to his face. She was gone. I felt

terrible for him as I had seen a lot of big trout, and

easily recognized her as a true giant, as did he.

I will not come right out and say who caught the most big fish

that day, but his initials include D and R, as opposed to letters

commonly found on hard-shelled chocolate candy. When the

day was over I had matched my prior day with another 80-pound

catch for my ten largest. Louie caught his personal best and

some other great fish to go along with it. McBride had a great

day landing numerous big trout and a memory of fighting a fish

that will haunt him for a long time.

This is the month where patterns really become established

for the larger trout. The water temperatures will be staying

on the cool side and morning jitters will be well justified in our

eagerness to get where we think the big trout will be held up. I

love this time of year.

God bless you all and have a Merry Christmas,

Capt. David Rowsey

I felt

g trout, and

U P P E R L AG U N A / B A F F I N


After the exceptional

catches we had been

enjoying, plus the high hopes

we’ve had, things just sort

of fell apart down here in

the last couple of weeks.

We’ve had some great trips,

but for the most part, fishing

was rather tough, at least as

regards quality. We’ll move

our higher expectations

towards December, which

has traditionally been one

of our more pleasantly

productive months.

As far as recent efforts, it seemed that no matter where you went

the system was full of juvenile trout. It was almost as many as you

wanted to catch but the “keeper” ratio became quite low. Floating

grass was a major issue which kept several prime areas virtually

out of play. Add honking winds, high water levels, thunderous

storms and a touch of red tide, and the formula wasn’t exactly

productive. Redfish often covered the flats one day and then would

totally vanish for the next three. Other times, although we could

clearly see fish flashing at topwaters and following tails, they were

just not going to cooperate for long portions of the day. Even so,

there were still days when even a ten year old could get it done,

such as Corbin Bender pictured here with his first trout.

Corbin was the first out

of the boat for each of

three days, waded in front

of everybody with little

assistance, and basically

never stopped fishing. There

are kids and there are kids,

and it’s amazing how some

of them get after it better

than many adults. Expose

them early, the right way, and

be inspired at what some of

them can achieve.

The good news is that

we are seeing some exceptional fish using the shallows. That tells

of things to come; that they are here and will soon become more

available. One particular instance while working redfish high in the

sand, several large trout could be seen silently gliding off between

them. I managed to hook one in the clear, shin deep water, which

is cool by any standards, especially being that

this one strapped thirty one inches. Unfortunately she

didn’t have winter’s weight on her yet, but that will change, and there

should soon be more of them.

December is hard to predict because we don’t know what the

weather will throw at us. The expectations are that due to another

“El Nino” period, it should be a warmer, wetter winter. We’ll keep that

hope alive and be ready for some of the things we do know.

We do know that tides will drop significantly, which will help

concentrate fish in traditional depressions, guts and other level

drops. We know they will be driven there when it’s cold, but come

up to the nearest shallows when conditions moderate after northers.

Besides the big trout many covet, some of the best redfishing of

the year is also possible. Rather than catching scattered fish on the

flats, we often see large schools stack up in the aforementioned

deeper swales and guts, which here are still less than waist deep.

The theory that all of the mature reds leave the bays during winter

must have been formulated by folks who don’t fish in the winter.

As far as lures go, not much will change with the exception that

many will pull their Corkys back out, especially while probing for

that personal best trout. However, the main part of the equation will

always be determining the best retrieve for the situation. Besides

being where fish are, proper speed and depth will catch your fish,

and that can change throughout the day. The key will be figuring out

the bite, and often mere inches can make a huge difference.

Topwaters will of course be exciting when fish are aggressive,

but for practical purposes, the plastic tail is the most versatile tool

in your box. You can easily put it where it needs to be with minor

adjustments, such as lead head size, and colors are easily changed

to provide the contrast needed to get some attention. Swimming

baits are great when a flat retrieve is needed, such as just above the

grass in shallow water, and rat tail baits rule when a greater portion

of the water column needs to be addressed. I’ll probably just go

with what I know, which is the big Kelly Wiggler paddle tail in some

situations and the Brown Lure Devil Eye in others. Let’s go!

at

nately she

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Mansfield ReportTRICIA’S

Corbin Bender was an inspiration…I don’t care

who you are!

A thirty-one in the sand...cool by any standards.


All summer and through

early fall I anxiously awaited

the arrival of December.

There are several reasons for

this, not the least of which are

air and water temperatures

cool enough to require

wearing waders. It’s not just

the donning of waders that

excites me, it’s the mere fact

that cooler temperatures

allow us to fish all day without

suffering under harsh summer sun. Another reason is greatly

reduced boat traffic; the fish will not be nearly as spooky as in

busier months. Finally, the main reason for my excitement is lots

of hungry fish that are easy to pattern between the cold spells.

Our catching tapered off some in the later part of October

and into November, especially around the full moon phases.

The higher water levels scattered the fish in the early part of

fall. The good thing is that our bays are full of bait. I have been

fishing around acres and acres of active mullet. These bait

schools always attract plenty of hungry redfish and trout and the

temperature drop means that predator feeding will increase. The

redfish and trout are already beginning to look like they have

been on steroids and some are sporting a wintertime potbelly.

Perhaps the greatest thing about December fishing here in

the Lower Laguna is that fish are fairly easy to find and generally

willing to take what you throw at them. As fronts arrive on a more

frequent basis the trout and reds will begin staging near deeper

water. The ICW, adjacent guts, and channels are good places to

start and the nice thing about winter fishing is that when you find

fish, you can bet that there will not be just one fish, but rather a

concentration of fish because of the favorable conditions that

area might provide. In the wintertime it’s common for us to do

shorter wades and really concentrate in fishy areas rather than

try a dozen areas looking for fish.

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What does a fishy area look like in early

winter? Apart from areas known to have

produced in the past, I cannot stress enough

how important it is to find concentrations of

bait species in areas with easy deep water

access. Shallow flats near the ICW during

warming trends can bring nonstop action

from both hungry trout and reds.

Most definitely the fish’s metabolism slows

down during cold spells and we should

match this with slower presentations. Even

though we still use other lures on occasion;

suspending baits and slow fished tails take

precedence when fish seem to be hugging

the bottom. Quite often the bite is a subtle

peck and this is when we need a super

sensitive rod. I find Fishing Tackle Unlimited’s

“Green Rod” (APXL1) a great tool when trying

to feel the lightest of bites. Don’t get me

wrong. If the weather and conditions present

themselves for a surface bite, I will be the first

to tie on a topwater plug. Pink Skitter Walks

and the bone Super Spook Jr seem to attract

their fair share of fish during warmer days,

even in the middle of winter.

December also marks the beginning of

trophy trout season. Trophy

trout enthusiasts are widely

known for their willingness to endure the

elements and wait patiently for that one big

bite. The Lower Laguna certainly produces

its share of wintertime trophies and it is

beginning to look as though this year may be

even better than the recent past.

In closing I would like to give an update on

the red tide outbreak along the Gulf of Mexico

beaches from Corpus Christi to South Padre.

As of this writing the majority of the red tide

has been confined to the Gulf with no real

ill effect in our bay system. Some fish kills

have been documented in the Lower Laguna,

mainly piggy perch, mangrove snapper,

mullet, catfish, and other small fish can be

seen floating south or around the causeway.

A few miles further north in the Laguna you

could never tell that a red tide is present in

the Gulf of Mexico. Let’s hope that the colder

weather that should reach us soon will make

it all go away. In the meantime the chase is

on for the fish of a lifetime. If you can bear

the elements, your reward is one cast away.

Don’t forget your camera. Happy Holidays!

A R R OYO C OL OR A D O T O P OR T I S A B E L

. Trophy

e widely

E L

This winter looks promising.


Lake Calcasieu - LouisianaJeff and Mary Poe - Big Lake Guide Service • 337-598-3268

Calcasieu Lake is known for monster trout and this is one of the best months to catch them. If wadefishing is your forte, then the flats on the north end of the lake would probably be your best bet for catching one of these wallhangers. Other flats that are good are in West Cove and Joe’s Cove. These two smaller lakes are big trout factories located west of the ship channel toward the south end of Calcasieu. I prefer throwing Corky FatBoys and Catch 2000’s. My favorite all around color, no mater the water clarity, is gold with a black back and orange belly. If you don’t care for the trophies, there should still be plenty of school trout under the birds. Best baits to throw are shrimp imitations. Glow H&H Grubs and glow Norton Sand Eel Jrs. are good colors to start with. If the water is a little stained, switch to avocado or black. Redfish should be peaking in December. The weirs along the east bank will be stacked with both fish and boats. To avoid the crowds leave earlier, or just fish the banks around the weirs where the reds are just as plentiful.

Trinity Bay - East Bay - Galveston Bay James Plaag - silverkingadventures.com - 409 935 7242

The trout fishing has been pretty easy lately, James says. “Trinity’s getting a little fresh, but the fishing is still good over there at this point, especially on the reefs on the west side. There are a lot of boats working in there right now, so I’ve kind of switched my plans. Lately, I’ve been wading, mostly to avoid the crowds. We are really spanking them, catching early limits almost every day. Best lure lately is the small Bass Assassin Sea Shad in chicken on a chain color. We’ve also had a decent bite on bone Top Dogs at times, but the fish are the same size, so I just stick with the old worm mostly. One day in East Bay we did catch a few trout over five pounds, but mostly it’s just nice eating sized fish. If you do want to catch a bigger fish, it pays to stay shallow. You won’t get as many bites, but you’ll eventually catch bigger fish on average. If the freshwater situation gets worse in the upper parts of the bay, we should be set up for an excellent winter in West Bay. The fishing over here is already good and should only get better as it gets colder.” Jimmy West - Bolivar Guide Service - 409 996 3054

“The fishing is on fire!” Jim says with enthusiasm. “We’re catching good numbers of both trout and reds lately. The marsh is full of reds of all sizes, mostly under about twenty six inches. There are some even better fish on the outsides of the drains, along main bay shorelines. A caution to those who choose to enter the marsh on low tides; watch out for junk and sand bars! The trout fishing is outstanding too. We’ve been wading the shorelines close to the drains on outgoing tides some and catching quality fish, up to about seven pounds. Had four nice trout between six and seven pounds in one week. Mostly, it’s just regular fish though, between about a pound and a half and four pounds. The water in the back of the bay is fresh, and there’s a line about Marsh Point between the sweet and salty water. The birds are working that area like crazy. When the bite is on, there’s birds working as far as you can see.

Under them are trout of all sizes; it’s easy to catch a box of fish. We are catching them pretty much on whatever we want to. Location is key.”

West Galveston - Bastrop - Christmas Chocolate Bays Randall Groves - Groves Guide Service - 979 849 7019 - 979 864 9323

Randall reports that the fishing prior to recent heavy rains was excellent. “The fish are here; we just need a little break from all the freshwater. I did find a bunch of trout recently in an area that was fresh on the surface. The water tasted sweet, but there was a layer of salty water underneath and the catching was easy. Mostly, we are finding them around patches of shell. Sometimes, you have to move around and hit several piles of shell to find one that’s holding fish, and it won’t be the same reefs day after day, but the pattern is reliable if you know how to run it. The best lure lately has been a purple Norton Sand Eel Jr..” He predicts that the pattern of fishing mud with scattered shell will be a consistent producer in December. “With the colder water temperatures in December, the fish will stay over mud more and more of the time. Then we make our best catches where there’s mostly muddy bottom with some scattered shell. Eventually, the mud streak pattern will kick in; that usually starts late in December and works through the winter.”

MatagordaTommy Countz - Bay Guide Service - 713 725 2401

Tommy’s outlook on December fishing is dependent on rain. “If the water in the river stays clear, meaning it’s salty, December is usually a great month. In the river, we use heavy jigheads, like three eighths ounce, with a soft plastic that’s got plenty of wobble in the tail.” He prefers Norton Bull Minnows and the old Crème Little Fishie. “If the river’s fresh, both bays will be better. In West Bay, I like a really low tide. The fish will stack up in the guts and drains and you can catch them on spoons and on black magic Bull Minnows. I like the paddle tails because they look more like a little fish and work better when the shrimp are all gone. In East Bay, we’ll be drifting scattered shell and mud in the west end. Lately, the best bite over there is on relatively heavy jigheads which make it easier to keep the lure down in contact with the shell. When the weather’s cold, it pays to keep the lure low and work it kind of slow. Many of the bites come after the lure has contacted some shell and pops back off. Of course, lighter winds will make East Bay better.”

Palacios Capt. Aaron Wollam palaciosguideservice.com - 979 240 8204

We have already moved over to the cold weather patterns, with most of our fish now found over a mix of mud and shell. We will focus most of our efforts for trout around mud flats that have close access to deep water. Our main lure of choice for next month will be the Corky FatBoy. Colors that seem to be productive in the Tres Palacios area are pearl/chartreuse, pearl/black, and dayglo. The best areas to work these lures are along shorelines with scattered shellpads relatively close

Fishing Reports and Forecasts From Big Lake to Boca ChicaBROUGHT TO YOU BY.. .


to a dropoff. Slow-rolling FatBoys around pods of baitfish will almost guarantee strikes in the winter months. Other focal points for us when the weather gets real nasty are the Tres Palacios, Colorado and Lavaca Rivers. Fish can find safe haven in these rivers after drastic drops in water temperatures. Soft plastics fished along the dropoffs usually account for most of the bites. We like to use a little heavier jigheads (normally quarter ounce) when fishing the river in cold weather, since the added weight helps keep the lure down in the strike zone. Port O’ConnorLynn Smith - Back Bay Guide Service - 361 983 4434 “Trout fishing is beginning to turn the corner and become a little more consistent,” Lynn reports. “We are catching a few trout on most trips again, even though we aren’t really fishing specifically for them. Most of the trout we’re catching are running between fifteen and seventeen inches, with a few stretching beyond the twenty inch mark. We’re finding them in the same places as the redfish, which is where the focus of our efforts has been. Mostly, we’re throwing Bass Assassins in chicken on a chain and plum with a white tail.” He predicts that those lures will be the go-to choices in December. “Depending on the weather, we’ll use soft plastics a lot in December. We will also throw topwaters when we have some warmer weather and surface activity. But the old one eighth ounce jighead with a Bass Assassin will probably catch the most fish. I’ll target soft muddy bottoms with some scattered shell, especially on flats which are close to dropoffs to deep water. Staying close to deep water is key in December.” RockportBlake Muirhead Gator Trout Guide Service - 361 790 5203 - 361 441 3894 Blake indicates that he has high hopes for the duck hunting and the fishing for both trout and redfish in December. “I’ll be doing my typical cast and blast thing, hunting early then fishing my way out of the marsh. I like to target the deeper holes in the marshes when it’s cold and the tide’s low. The reds typically stack up in those holes when it’s like that. We also do some wading in other parts of the marsh and along shorelines adjacent to marsh entrances. Our trout fishing is becoming more steady. We are catching decent numbers of fish on area reefs and should have a shot at some big fish when the winter patterns kick in even more. Duck hunting looks to be potentially very good too. We’ve had plenty of freshwater dumped into the marshes over recent weeks with the rainy pattern that’s set in. Usually, when the marsh is not so salty, the ducks like it better and it makes for more consistent action. The numbers of ducks are up, according to the counts made by federal authorities, so there should be plenty to see and shoot.”

Padre Island National SeashoreBilly Sandifer - Padre Island Safaris - 361 937 8446 For the past several years December has proven much more user friendly than the months to follow and had been the peak time for large numbers of Florida pompano. Puppy black drum, whiting, sheepshead, slot and oversized redfish will all be available throughout the month. Speckled trout and Atlantic bluefish are possible as are sandbar, blacktipped, bull and mako sharks. Peeled shrimp and “Fishbites” will continue to be the best producers on bottom feeders and cut or finger mullet for the redfish. Traditionally, the trout lure of choice this time of year is the 51M MirrOlure in a wide variety of colors and preference changes from day to day. Target pockets and narrow openings in the bar for trout and the deepest, widest guts you can find for pompano. Plan your trips to fall on the second day behind cold front passage for best conditions. Be extremely cautious about traveling high up on the beach as hardhead catfish killed by red tide will be plentiful in this area and will be a nuisance puncturing tires all winter.

Upper Laguna Madre - Baffin Bay - Land CutRobert Zapata - [email protected] - 563 1160 I have a lot of changes to report for the Upper Laguna Madre this

time. The only thing that is still the same is the water level, which is still high. I believe the water level is up because of all the rain that we’ve been getting and because of the north winds that have been blowing water into the Laguna Madre. A big change is that the water temperature has dropped to the lower seventies and upper sixties but that’s not too cold for most fish. The rain has diminished the water clarity and in some places we have brown tide blooming again. The lack of water clarity has caused me to use the Bass Assassin Kwik Korks in order to create noise and attract the trout and redfish. There are still some areas with clear, shallow water and when you find these areas, keep your eyes open for redfish and black drum so you can sight cast for with your favorite stinky baits like Bass Assassin Blurps and Berkley Gulp shrimp rigged on sixteenth ounce jig heads. Continue to look for the fish in shallow water.

Joe Mendez – www.sightcast1.com - 361 937 5961 Joe reports some good sight casting for redfish on recent trips. “The water quality’s still really good in the north half of the area I like to work. There are plenty of redfish and even some big trout to be caught shallow. When attempting to catch these fish, it pays to incorporate several fundamentals. Normally, I like to use an eighth ounce jighead and a paddle tail soft plastic. When a fish is sighted, it’s best to cast the lure beyond where the fish is and quickly pull it into place maybe eighteen or twenty inches in front of the fish. I like to do this by reeling it fast at the surface, so I can keep my eye on it. Then I drop it in front of the fish and hop it by its nose. On the good days, all of the fish will bite it if this is done right. On tougher days, experimentation with colors might be necessary to find something they like.” In December, strong fronts typically drive the fish deep and change the game. “When it’s really cold, our fish drop into the channels, and I have the best luck with heavier jigheads worked in contact with the bottom along the dropoffs.” Port MansfieldTerry Neal – terrynealcharters.com – (956) 944 2559 The good news is that there hasn’t been any red tide in the Port Mansfield area of the Lower Laguna Madre. The red tide is one of Mother Nature’s humbling experiences that brings us all back to earth and reminds us of a greater being that rules the natural world. The coming weeks should produce some very good flounder catches in the East Cut, thanks to the new regulations. Huge schools of menhaden have been moving north along the King Ranch shoreline. The fish working these schools are holding deep making it tough for wade fishing but offering very good for drift fishing. The water temperature is dropping with each passing norther and we should see better results on the flats before long. Just about every day you’ll hear of someone releasing a big trout. The first truly blue norther should result in fish moving to deeper holes.

Lower Laguna Madre - South Padre - Port IsabelJanie and Fred Petty fishingwithpettys.com – (956) 943 2747 The red tide was definitely a factor on the beach side of South Padre Island, and there have been reports of a light fish kill, nothing like a couple of years ago. Thankfully, the effects were not felt in the bay. We’ve had a few days, when the wind was out the right direction, where you’d get an occasional cough or two while fishing, but nothing anywhere near bad enough to call it quits. In fact, if you didn’t know about the red tide event, you wouldn’t even notice. Fishing has been up and down; we’ll limit on trout and reds one day and struggle the next. Definitely not the excellent fishing we saw on a regular basis at this time last year. We’re throwing the Cajun Thunder cigar corks with Berkley Gulp three inch shrimp in the white colors for both of our target species. Freddy says, “We’re getting into the winter months when the big trout start moving into the shallow waters of the LLM. With the tides beginning to run lower and the water colder, this is a good time to add topwaters and the larger oval Cajun Thunder corks to your arsenal.”


Catch of the Month!All upcoming Photo Galleries are now online! Check out when your photo will appear in the magazine.

Kathryn Ketchum22” first redfish!

Jeff ArthurBrazos River - tripletail & trout

Flora MooreLavaca Bay - 37” 19lb bull red

Glenn AddisonMatagorda - 49” black drum

Curtis 50 miles off shore -

warsaw grouper

Anthony Matamoros & grandfather

Aransas Bay - 22” 6lb mangrove snapper

Jeanna HustonGalveston - 36” 16lbs redfish

Malloy BondPort O’Connor - 22” trout

Jacob FloresState Waters - red snapper Austin Allen

Baffin Bay - 26” redfish

Lauren EzzellPort Aransas - 27 1/2” first trout!

MaKayla StaffMatagorda Bay - 22” first redfish!

Narce AlvaradoTrinity Bay - 24” first speckled trout!

Sandra HrachovySargent Surf - 45” redfish C&R

Cris Layton9 Mile Rig - snapper

Stephen LovoiLaguna Madre - 29” redfish


B R OU G H T T O YOU B Y. . .

Please do not write on the back of photos.

Email photos with a description of your Catch of the Month to: [email protected]

Mail photos to: TSFMagP.O. Box 429, Seadrift, TX 77983

Bennett CarrollSouth Bay, Aransas - 28” redfish

Luke DileoMesquite Bay - 24” redfish

Kevin BerryEast Matagorda - 8lb trout

Nathan DoyleGalveston Ship Channel -

first flounders!

Nicole BellSeadrift - 32” redfish

Rhonda SageserMud Island - 25” trout

Matt RamirezPalacios jetties - 34” 14lb

Jack Crevalle

James AtkinsonLaguna Madre - 27 1/2” redfish

Larry KocurekPort O’Connor - 42” redfish

Jamie LaraMatagorda Bay - 28” redfish

Diane ChadGalveston surf - speck

Jeff VinklarekPort O’Connor - 170# tarpon

Jonathan BooneBrazos River - 25” redfish


PAM JOHNSONGot ideas, hints or recipes you’d like to share?Email them [email protected] send by fax:361-785-2844

Matt Bell’s Seafood Chili

KitchenGULF COAST

Sopapilla Cheesecake

2 pckgs crescent rolls3 pckgs cream cheese1 1/2 cups sugar1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.Roll out one package of crescent rolls in greased 9x13 pan. Seal seams. Mix cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla until smooth. Spread on dough. Cover with second package of rolls. Melt butter, sugar, and cinnamon in microwave. Pour over top layer of dough. Bake for 45-55 min or until set. Store at room temp.

Method

In food processor, puree two cans drained and rinsed navy beans until smooth and creamy. Adding about

a half cup of chicken broth helps develop a smooth texture. Set aside. In large pot or Dutch oven over

medium high heat, add olive oil, onion and garlic. Sauté until vegetables begin to soften. Add diced tomatoes, green Tabasco sauce, tomato paste, cumin, chili powder, oregano, cornmeal, yogurt, and pureed navy beans. Simmer five minutes. Add whole navy beans with juice, crab meat and shrimp. Return to simmer and hold for five minutes. The final chili can be thinned with chicken broth to achieve desired consistency. Garnish with chopped fresh cilantro. For spicier chili, add more chili powder and a bit of cayenne. Yield: Six to eight adult servings.Serving suggestion: Great with fresh homemade flour tortillas, warm from the comal, spread with real butter.

Ingredients

2 – 15oz cans navy beans, drained and rinsed1 – 15 oz can navy beans with juice1/4 cup olive oil1 large white onion, chopped3 large cloves garlic, chopped2 – 15 oz cans diced tomatoes, drained1 Tbs green Tabasco sauce4 Tbs tomato paste1 Tbs ground cumin4 Tbs chili powder1 Tbs dried oregano2 Tbs stone ground cornmeal1 cup fat free yogurt (unflavored)1/2 lb canned crab meat (pick over carefully for shell and cartilage fragments) 1/2 lb shrimp (medium size) pre-cooked, peeled, deveinedSalt and ground white pepper to tasteChopped fresh cilantro (for garnish before serving)Chicken broth

1/2 cup butter1/2 cup sugar1 tsp cinnamon


T E X A S S A LT WA T E R F I S H I N G HO L E S

B A F F I N/ L AG U N A M A DR E

G A LV E S T ON

M A TAG OR DA

P O C/S E A DR I F T

B A F F I N/ L AG U N A M A DR E

Hammertime Guide ServiceCaptain SLEDGE PARKER

Port O’Connor, TX713.371.7479

Specks, Reds, Flounder & DrumDon’t be Skeered, Come Catch you some!

Boat Towing Avilable / Coast Guard Licensed

USCG LicensedCaptain Stan Sloan

M A T A G O R D A B A YSpeckled Trout / Redfish

832.693.4292fintasticcoastalcharters.com

YOUR AD COULD BE HERE for rates call

361.785.3420 or email [email protected]


F L OR I DA

R O C K P OR T T O P OR T M A N S F I E L D

T E X A S S A LT WA T E R F I S H I N G HO L E S

F I S H I N G R E T R E A T S

C L A S S I F I E D S

YOUR AD COULD BE HERE for rates call

361.785.3420 or email [email protected]

YOUR AD COULD BE HERE

for rates call 361.785.3420 or

email [email protected]

Specializing in shallow water flats fishing for redfish, trout & flounder.

Call (361) [email protected]

www.rockportredrunner.com

* Full day/Half Day* Baffin Trips* Cedar Bayou Trips* Kayaks Shuttle Drop off / pick up * Kayak Rentals

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Rockport RedRunner Captain Chad Verburgt

Capt.Mike Wilbur’s CHASER KEY WEST FISHING

Tarpon + Bonefish +PermitFly-fishing and light tackle

www.chaserkeywest.com / 305-296-7201

Sales Associate/Store Manager

Job Description: Oversee daily operation of small but growing retail business.Duties to include working on retail fl oor for selling, merchandising and managing inventory of fi shing gear, rod components, reel parts and accessories, hunting products and other outdoor gear, with the most energy in customer care, professionalism and productivity in the sporting goods business.Areas of specialty include inshore,offshore, and freshwater fi shing, hunting, boating, apparel, and others. Retail experience strongly preferred. Familiarity with computers required. (Quickbooks POS, Microsoft Word, and Excel). Applicant must be able to prepare and track invoices, be extremely organized, have the ability to work independently, and also achieve fi nancial objectives by preparing an annual budget. Competitive hourly compensation based on experience. This is a full-time position and overtime is available. Weekend shifts expected. Benefi ts include paid vacation.Please email resume to outfi [email protected] available January 2010 in the Gulf Coast Region.


I N DE X OF A DV E R T I S E R S

For more information about these advertisers visit: http://www.texassaltwaterfishingmagazine.com/contact_advertisers_product.html

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Okuma Fishing:Okuma

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REC Components

Rods by Pepper

Russelures

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www.piersbulkheads.com

25 years of service and experience

200+ satisfied customers100+ piers

Contact us for your next project!

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Documents

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