Mitzi and Louie Wiess with 11.3 ft. and 9.2 ft. alligators.
-Capt. Jake Huddleston
September Wrap Up:
Calhoun County was the place to be for some outdoor fun in the sun. The cooler temperatures were welcome to all the seasonal enthusiasts that visited us last month. Despite the lack of Rice Crops, Teal Hunters had plenty of opportunities to get a taste of what’s to come in November. Teal Season Summary was shoot quick cause they are just passing through, it’s wasn’t a lock for getting a limit of birds. There wasn’t a stitch of rice to hold the birds. It also depended on your shooting. If your group could shoot you filled your straps. There were a few bird bands that were collected from the lucky hunters who were at the right place in time.
Gator Hunters were successful with a bunch of 10 foot plus lizards being tagged during the September season. Alligator hunting is very exciting no matter what size gator you catch. There will be plenty of Texans with new Gator Boots next year. That’s really cool how these hunters utilize all of the alligator. It’s a very detailed and lengthy process with a ton of regulations and paperwork. The local Alligator Guides in our County are known for getting the big ones so I would suggest you get your deposits into them for next year.
Fishing from the Colorado River south to Rockport was and is still off the charts. Reds were tailing and schooling. Flounder were floundering and jumping out of the water (That’s always a sight to see). Trout were slicking and slurping tops and tails. There were a bunch of Black Drum being caught in the slot and not. Big Uglies as some old salts call ‘em are always a line burner. They always make a young angler happy because it’s usually their biggest fish ever caught. These Big Dinosaurs are a great catch and photo op but there needs to be some time spent after the CATCH, REVIVING these monstrous sea creatures. My rule of thumb for reviving these Big Uglies is double the time circulating water n oxygen through their gills. You fought her hard and she fought for her life so get down and dirty with her, get her into the water ASAP. Grab the tiger by the tail and rock her back and forth in the water. If she blows out of your hand, great. Spend time rocking her until she starts really trying to get away from you holding her tail. If she floats up, turn her back up and keep working with her. Don’t worry about getting your new Simms Shirt dirty and wet. Take plenty of time to “get ‘er goin” I have spent as much as 30 minutes getting one revived. Think about this for a minute, there is another up and coming fisherman that will enjoy breaking their own personal big fish record with that one you are reviving.
There are 5 big uglies I keep fed up for the kids and visitors in my neighborhood harbor to catch and release. I only have the Big one nick named ( Tiny Tina). She’s about 40 plus pounds on the hoof. She plays the game well, pulls the rod out of your hand, drags you around for a few minutes, gives up after a 10 minute fight, let’s you real her in, smiles for a Facebook Op. Everyone is amazed how big and sexy she is then she is let go. So far everyone has been really good at releasing and reviving her. After the phone photos we spend a few minutes in the water getting her gills pumping and off she goes to relax and do her thing.
Soap Box Summary: Don’t just throw those Big Uglies back without taking plenty of time to revive em. They want to live to get on Facebook another Day.
October is under way. We are seeing plenty of nice bow kills. The deer seem to be moving better in some places better than others. The Book Deer are still staying away from feeders but the young ones are blazing in like they own the joint.
Goose and Duck report straight from Canada. There are plenty of them up there but the ones we came in contact with didn’t have much to say. We saw a few flocks of swans which was super cool. They seemed to fly higher than the geese that didn’t want to come take a look as us. As Team Lester scouted , we noticed that thousands of Ducks and Geese didn’t seem in any big hurry to fly south for us to play the game. The weather was mild and there are thousands of grain fields that had plenty of grub for them to munch on. They had a lunch time buffet 24/7. It was a great scouting trip with great guys and guides. We need to pray for cold fronts if we want any fowl for opening weekend. The fishing will still be in play but there’s nothing better than a little Cast and Blast action on the Middle Coast. Get your dates and deposits in cause it’s going to be a good year.
The Mowdy is always on the water and the airboat is ready to go! There might be 1 opening left for the opener so give Scott a call at the Lodge. We look forward to seeing you and making memories in the outdoors. The Saltwater Lodge Hotline is (361) 785 DUCK.
Wishing for cold fronts, Whistling wings and Waders without holes,
Captain Jeff Larson
Limitlarson@yahoo.com
281 – 217 – 0399.
Tiny Tina
-Capt. Jeff Larson
