Bay Flats Lodge Guide Jason Wagenfehr took advantage of oyster shell wade fishing in San Antonio Bay using plum chartreuse Norton Sand Eels Jr. and top water lures in bone.

The weather has simply been beautiful lately. Things have cooled off a bit, but not to the point to where it is uncomfortable to be out on the water fishing. And, we’ve been fortunate enough to have received some much needed rain in our area and around the rest of the state as well. But there’s one thing we’ve been even more lucky with, and that is our recent catches of autumn trout. Fishing with dark plastic baits has been the ticket as of late, and we won’t change a thing until Mother Nature instructs us to do so. She’s been good to us so far this fall, but like everything else in life, change is inevitable. Until the weather does finally decide to take a turn for the worse later in the year, we’ll just keep on having fun with what we know works the best.

Right now we’re experiencing good results over tapered shell that happens to be mixed with a hint of soft sand or mud. We’re starting out early each morning, and generally don’t have to fish much past noon in order to recognize notable success. Aside from those who have been tossing live bait under a popping cork while anchored in a boat or while drifting, the wading anglers who have been throwing some of the darker colors – roach, black-magic, and plum/chartreuse – of flapping plastics have been realizing some of the greatest benefits. Some of the best action is experienced just as the morning sky begins to brighten by the brilliance and sudden appearance of the sun over the morning horizon, especially on those mornings that happen to follow nights having no moon.

We choose to stay with these dark-color plastic lures, especially throughout this time of the year, because they work. There’s less hours of daylight right now, and these darker colors are able to cast a significant silhouette to the fish below through almost any water condition as the light in the sky shines behind the lure. Notice that I said almost any water condition. What I’m trying to say here is that I have found that these darker colors seem to be equally as effective in dirty or stained water as they are in green or clear water. Simply put, I’d probably recommend to any angler the pursuit of dark lures when chasing cool-water trout and reds during this period of the year.

If you have been a die-hard live-bait enthusiast for most of your fishing career, and you aren’t quite sure whether you’re ready to transition to the use of artificial baits, I might recommend you use the month of November to acquaint yourself with top water baits. My November fishing logs are filled with success stories where top water baits were the hero of the day. They are relatively easy baits to use, and even the novice can recognize reward after just a little bit of practice time. If you take it upon yourself to learn to walk-the-dog this month, you may just find yourself pleasantly surprised with the results that you are able to manage.

If you do decide to try the game on top, you might become overwhelmed by the many different styles, colors, and sizes of top water baits available to anglers today. I would suggest that you try to keep things as simple as possible, especially if you’re just starting out. Grab yourself a bone-colored She Dog and practice, practice, practice. It’s a good all-around color, manageable size, and it walks across the surface with ease. And who knows, you might even be lucky enough to entice one of those ever-popular speckled followers!

As this edition of Guide Lines goes to print, we will have already completed the opening weekend of what we all hope will be a truly great duck season. So, give us a call if you’re interested in a Blast & Cast adventure for this year’s season, where we hunt ducks in the morning, then surrender our shotguns for fishing poles for a fun-filled afternoon of great coastal fishing. Now is the time to book your trip! Remember to practice CPR, “Catch, Photo, and Release”, whenever possible on trophy Trout and Reds…Guide Chris Martin, Port O’Connor/Seadrift region. www.BayFlatsLodge.com…1-888-677-4868

Historic partnership with CCA habitat program to continue another three years

Coastal Conservation Association and Shell Oil Company have announced an extension of their unique partnership that has already produced more than a dozen significant marine habitat restoration projects along the Gulf Coast over the past two years. Shell’s decision to fund $500,000 over each of the next three years will enable CCA’s Building Conservation Trust to continue providing vital funding for grassroots-driven marine habitat projects.

“The program is achieving every goal that we set when we first discussed the need for a sustainable marine habitat program with Shell in 2010,” said Patrick Murray, president of CCA. “This is a relationship that has drawn on the best of private industry, public stewardship and our sporting tradition to enhance our coasts. We are proud to be working with our partners at Shell to not only create new habitat, but to advance the science of habitat restoration and marine fisheries conservation. It’s been a fantastic partnership by any metric.”

The company’s original commitment of $1.5 million to the CCA Building Conservation Trust (BCT) in 2010 was one of the company’s largest contributions ever given to a non-profit organization engaged in this type of conservation work. Over the first two years of the program, $1 million in BCT funding was matched by more than $1.6 million from various partners in both the private and public sectors to place reefs in places such as Barataria Bay, Louisiana, Mobile Bay, Alabama, and off Matagorda, Texas.

In one of its more innovative projects, BCT was able to advance marsh restoration science with “floating islands” technology in Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana. The project brought together students from local schools, members of a local Native American tribe, CCA volunteers and Shell employees to rebuild 2,500 linear feet of shoreline. For its support of the project, Shell earned the 2013 Gulf Guardian Award bestowed by the Gulf of Mexico Program, an initiative of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to facilitate collaborative actions to protect, maintain, and restore the health and productivity of the Gulf of Mexico.

The CCA Building Conservation Trust was created exclusively to fund marine habitat creation and restoration in areas that can be accessed and enjoyed by recreational anglers, and that achieve one or more of five key objectives: restore degraded habitats, create new habitats, advance the science of habitat restoration and conservation; foster habitat stewardship and educate on the value of conservation to coastal communities.

“Shell’s generosity and vision have meant more reefs, more marsh restoration, more research and more science to sustain marine resources all along the coast,” said Murray. “This is a commitment that is deeply appreciated and understood by all sportsmen, particularly by the marine recreational angling community.”

For a complete listing of BCT projects and information on the scope of the program’s restoration efforts, visit the CCA website, at www.JoinCCA.org.

Although supposedly Fall is in the air, we still have many days of high 70’s and even 80’s. And our Thanksgiving Holiday is fast approaching. To help put you in the mood, you might want to read and check out some of our holiday decorating books in the Library. One very stylish book is entitled Decorating with Wreaths, Garlands, Topiaries and Bouquets as assembled by Carol Endler Sterbenz with photography by Steven Mays. Glancing through the autumnal section, one sees a number of garlands and topiaries that can be assembled. However, studying the pictures carefully, I would suggest that these ideas not be attempted by a decorating amateur, but one who is very talented and proficient.

However, The New Captured Harvest by Terence Moore has pages of instructions and the varying techniques necessary to create the many swags and table decorations pictures – even one using artichoke hearts for the bottom of a candle holder. Photographs are stunning and there are detailed instructions that don’t appear to be that difficult.

Opening Wreaths and Garlands by Malcolm Hillier, the page showing the “hot chili bonanza” wreath popped up. A detailed listing of necessary items to form this wreath is listed along with an easy to follow set of instructions. The wreath is stunning with the pictures of the various chilies to be arranged are extremely colorful. It really looks like something that a total klutz like me could attempt.

And, perhaps saving the best for last, are two seasonal books from the collection of Better Homes & Gardens entitled Celebrate the Season 2002 and 2006. Although these books primarily emphasize the Christmas Holidays, there are sections concerning Thanksgiving, and Hanukkah with many recipes and menus, delightful and sparkling decorations and even specially designed stockings to decorate your mantle. Easy to read; excellent instructions; and two just plain fun books to read.

But if you’re looking for a book to curl up in your rocker in front of the fire (wishful thinking here), and phase out for a while, check out Fern Michaels’ No Place Like Home or Leslie Meier’s, Turkey Day Murder. Ms. Michael’s book is a love story featuring a set of triplets who wants to get their widowed father into another relationship and return their special grandmother to their home from a nursing facility. And Ms. Meier’s book features a Turkey Day menu replete with instructions too.

We have a number of books, both hard cover and soft cover, available for sale at the prices of $1.00 for hardcover and $0.25 for the soft. They make excellent companions when you go on a trip and don’t want to worry about a due date from our Library. Do come and check them out! You won’t be disappointed.

“When an old person dies, a Library burns down”
Karin Gillespie

Thank You

We would like to express our appreciation to all those who comforted us at our time of loss of Wyatt Cole O’Neill. Thank you to the Service Club, the staff of POC school, and everyone for providing the great meal and fellowship at the school after the funeral. We would like to thank the POC Volunteer Fire Department for their service, support, and presence with our family when it was most needed.

Thank you to all of our friends and family for your support and prayers during our difficult time. It means so much to see this small community come together to help and support us in our loss.

Nathan and Jenny O’Neill
Billy and Carol Goode
Dennis and Susan O’Neill
Jeremy and April O’Neill

Helicopters

Both my wife and I enjoy hearing helicopters flying around POC again. That tells me that maybe work on the offshore rigs has picked up. I sure hope so because a lot of local oilfield workers and welders could use the work.

Being a old chopper man from the Korean war days, I wonder if these choppers have their own separate sound like our H-19 Surkoskys had. We would be in the hanger or out on the flight line and hear one of our birds coming in. Someone would say that’s 272 or 165.

I was over there after the war was over and our duty was to transfer troops or do search and rescue. We had no weapons aboard except the pilot’s 45 pistol. Some day I hope to take a trip to the Army Air Museum at Fort Rucker, Ala. where they have old 272 on display along with a picture I took of it during a test flight.

G.B.Robertson

Ineptocracy

Ineptocracy: A system of government where the Least Capable to Lead are elected by the Least Capable of Producing, and where the members of society least likely to sustain themselves or succeed, are Rewarded with goods and services paid for by the Confiscated Wealth of a diminishing number of Producers.

In my opinion, President Obama was elected the first time because he promised he would take care of everything. To the college student who wants very much to believe in Utopia, he was the new savior. To the welfare recipients, he would pay for everything. I saw an interview where this woman was so ecstatic she was almost in tears. The reporter asked her what she thought of the new President. She replied he was going to pay for everything, they had nothing to worry about. The reporter asked where the money was coming from, she didn’t know but President Obama was going to take care of them.

He was reelected by these same welfare recipients, the blind straight party voters, plus this time the illegal forgiveness played a large part. Everyone wants something for nothing.

I deeply resent (as do most retirees) being called a “Benefit Recipient”. We all worked for upwards of 40 years, paid our dues, thinking the money would be there when we became too old to work. Oh, NO!! The great welfare society ran out of money, so they gave Social Security and Medicare IOU’s and bought more votes.

INEPTOCRACY!! We are headed for a big fall.

Connie Hunt
Port Lavaca

Thank You, Coast Guard

One more time the members of the POC Service Club have our branch of the Coast Guard to thank. Our semi-annual Garage & Bake Sale was held Saturday, November 9th, and was preceded by two days of hard work by our members. However, much of that work had been alleviated by the nonstop assistance of two very able and strong gentlemen from the Coast Guard: Andre Moore and Cesar Tamayo. These charming men spent several hours loading boxes onto trucks at the County Barn and then unloading those same boxes at the Pavilion and placing them on the many tables. Thank you so very much for your help. And, I’m sure you can all look forward to another batch of cookies.

Sincerely,
Janet Johnson, President

The Dolphin welcomes letters from our readers on any subject that is of general interest to our audience. Letters should be 300 words or less (with exceptions at the Dolphin’s discretion). Letters reflect the opinion of the writer, and not that of Dolphin Talk staff, and we retain the right to determine suitability for publication. It is the policy of this newspaper to promote area interests: therefore, complaints against local businesses should be directed elsewhere. Letters must be signed and include day and evening phone numbers, which will not be published. Your name will be withheld upon request, but anonymous material will not be considered for publication.

Letters to the Dolphin:
Dolphin Talk
PO Box 777 Port O’Connor, TX 77982
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Cub Scout Pack 116 enjoyed their tour of USCG Station Port O’Connor this week. Den Leader, Chief Petty Officer Adam Authement along with Petty Officer Wynne, Petty Officer Cannon and Fireman Caylor gave the scouts a glimpse into the fine service provided by our USCG.

Chief Petty Officer Authement stands at attention with Scouts and parents at a flag lowering ceremony.