August 30, 2017

God Bless Texas!  This was our mantra over the past week as we Texans fled the path of Hurricane Harvey.  Turns out whether you got out of the way, stayed to ride it out or became stranded due to high wind or rising water that a good portion of the state of Texas was hit directly or someone you are related to or know well were affected or devastated by this powerful, awful storm.

We are not stranded but chose to flee to East Texas to be out of the direct path at first impact in Port O’Connor and we will remain up here to help as the storm continues to barrel toward this part of Texas.  We have grandmothers, parents, extended family here and they will need our help once the storm arrives.  Same where you are I suspect.  I can’t imagine being anywhere right now and not feeling like you need to be somewhere else to help those in immediate peril.  I wish I had an airboat, a flat bottom boat, or a shallow drive aluminum rig so as to help rescue efforts in Houston and surrounding cities.  I am astounded at the response of those with these types of rigs though charging toward those most in need.  It is truly heartwarming to see all of the types of aid coming in such as monetary donations, tons of food and goods and of course all the physical assistance as folks lend a helping hand where they can.

In the coming days as we return to our home and begin our own cleanup and helping of others’ as well, we will be ever mindful of Mother Nature’s wrath and the power she has over all of us.  We will build and rebuild and cleanup the land and the bays to push toward a full recovery in the next months, hopefully completing it all by 2018.

Stay tuned and keep your head up because this is Texas and we will be better soon.  Bay Flats Lodge has survived the initial blow and will recover.  The guides, staff and owners are strong together and will be back on the fish and resuming our normal operations in the next two weeks.  Please continue to keep our area in your prayers especially those to the South of us who lost it all in the Coastal Bend and any of the thousands, millions of folks up and down the Texas and Louisiana Coast who suffered flooding and loss.

My personal pledge is I will do my dead level best to get back to operations as a fishing and hunting guide down here and resume my daily charge of entertaining you and your customers as we blast off and chase the Speckled Trout, Redfish, Black Drum and Flounder that we all love so much.