Guides getting it done for their clients. Capt. Jeff Larson

Capt. Jeff Larson

October was another good month for Casting, Blasting and Swacking! What’s Swacking, you may ask? It’s the sound that a bow hunter hears when he releases his notched arrow and the arrow hits its mark. “SWACK”

Dove hunting remained strong throughout the county, as long as, you were on a grain field like sunflowers or had a water tank surrounded by goat weed. Fishing was consistent throughout the whole month. Wade fishermen were able to string numbers of trout, specifically 5, to round out their new limit. All fishermen were able to catch plenty of reds, black drum and flounder. Needless to say, October was a great month to harvest a mixed bag of game and fish. We just hope you were able to enjoy the great outdoors. The jetty guides were able to stay on slot redfish and bull reds throughout most of the month. Of course that depended on how well the customers could handle those days where the big rollers were coming through the Jetties. There were a couple of days where we were unable to set anchor for more than 30 minutes before someone was pleading to go back into the bay. There is nothing worse than being seasick, so I always pull anchor and head back in for the sick customer. The few October cool fronts helped push a few birds down for opening weekend of duck season. Depending on your shotgun skills and your pre season practice, determine if you bagged a limit of birds. October’s cooling weather patterns also helped concentrate schools of flounder. They staged themselves in the sand flats and on the ICW to head out the passes. There was a number of flounder giggers who were able to get their limits fairly easy as November approached.

This month has been a great month for sportsmen. Fishermen and Hunters have been successfully targeting their game of choice. The hard chargers have been combo’n it up. Its a great time when sportsmen get to stay out all day targeting fins and feathers. Saltwater Lodge has a group of guides that specialize in Cast and Blast weekends. Call the office to set up your cast and blast. I would suggest you take off on Monday because when you run and gun all weekend you are worn out by Sunday.

I hope everyone was able to take advantage of the preseason kid weekend. The best hunting program that I believe TPWD offers the State is the Youth Hunting Weekend. This program gives families an opportunity to instill the hunting heritage into their children. This program is just as important as any school program that is mandated by our State Education Dept.. I don’t know of any school public or private that teaches kids about hunting. The Hunter Safety Program is about all I am aware of for kids. Please call and correct me if I am wrong. Youth weekend is a time to teach kids gun safety, the ethics & economics of hunting, how to navigate Texas roads and terrain, weather patterns and how all these dynamics combined affects the State and the animals hunted. Don’t forget the biology lesson. When the kids harvest an animal they can see first hand how deer run, birds fly and fish swim. Kids may not get into the cleaning part of the harvest but a lot of the kids do like it. This is were we can see if we have a possible Veterinarian on our hands. Texas can always use more animal doctors. Youth Weekend kills 2 birds with one stone, family time and education. This is what memories are made of for kids. So take a kid hunting.

Now November. November fishing has been awesome! Duck Hunting is always my favorite! I have not received any reports about Deer Hunting in Calhoun County but East Texas deer are showing signs of the rut and my buddies that hunt south are just waiting for Christmas. So take a break and get outdoors.

Just a reminder to fishermen, Don’t forget to winterize your boats. For instance, my Evinrude has a way to winterize the engine. It’s not looking like I will be storing it anytime soon. If you are headed to the Lease for a couple of months, take care of your boat. If you are not sure how, call your local boat dealer. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. So they say, whoever they are.

Scott is on standby at the Lodge to help you book your Cast and Blast. Thanksgiving is booked up, so call to get the available guides and lodging dates remaining.
The Saltwater Lodge reservation line is: 361- 785 – DUCK (3825)

Wishing you heavy game bags, a cooler full of deer sausage and a Happy Thanksgiving.

Captain Jeff Larson
281-217-0399