Seadrift BSA Thanks

Our 39th barbecue and auction was another success for the Boy Scout program in Seadrift.  We want to thank all who cooked, served, and bought tickets for a great meal.  We have supporters who have been with us since the first 1974 event held under a tent.  The generations, 7-year- old Tiger Cubs to great grandparents,  coming together for a fun evening in the American tradition is a very special occasion.  Thank you!

Lea Hall, Committee

POCSA
Port O’Connor Sports Association

We would like to say “Thank You” to everyone that brought their vehicle to be washed at our fund raiser. Thank you.

We had an amazing turn out! The kids had a great time. Saw many faces and enjoyed it so much.

A Big THANK YOU to VFD for their use of parking lot and water. Also to the 4H group. And last to the parents who helped wash the cars and trucks.

Keep a look out for our next fund raiser: Memorial Weekend Cook-Off, May 25th, 2013 at King Fisher Beach.

POCSA

Editor, “Dolphin Talk”:

I have to comment on the logic used by Mr. Hawes in defense of increasing the sale tax to support the additional capacity required during times of high visitation to Port O Connor.

Specifically:  “We need more water and sewer capacity to offset the influx we have at certain times of the year.  We feel it is reasonable for visitors using our services to help pay the cost of it.”  Huh?  What about the full-time residents who would bear the additional sales tax year around?  We would pay the great majority of the costs of increased service required “…to offset the influx.”

A Port O Connor lodging (motels and rentals) tax would be a more direct way to have visitors pay the cost of the required sewer and water service improvements.  I know why it is not desirable but it’s a common way to support a tourist industry, and should be considered when looking to fund additional sewer and water service.

Sincerely,
J.H. Hicks

Letters To The Editor:

A huge thank you to the members of our local Coast Guard Station for the helping, really carrying, loading and unloading many boxes and boxes of items, and additionally, several trailers of furniture for the Garage Sale on April 13, 2013 as held by the POC Service Club.  Wes Simmons, Donald Treadwell, Rebekah Martin and Thomas Combs were all present to be of enormous assistance on Thursday, April 11.  These members of the Coast Guard, male and female, not only made it so much easier for the members of the Service Club to bring together all the items for sale on the tables, but were helped immensely by their strong arms, all done with a constant smile on their faces and an enormous desire to help.  We recognize that you  have done this for previous garage sales as held by the Service Club, but we cannot thank you enough for your help this weekend.

Sincerely,
Janet Johnson, President
Lydia Strakos, Chairman of the Garage Sales

Letters to the Dolphin: Dolphin Talk, PO Box 777,
Port O’Connor, TX 77982 dolphin1@tisd.net

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.

Bo Smith (right) admires a hand-crafted wooden vase made by Gaylon Harvey (left) at the March 16 Lions Club Arts & Crafts Festival. Mr. Harvey, from Blessing, crafts from wood, bowls, vases, platters, and a variety of other beautiful objects. He can be reached at 713-594-6094. Bo Smith is from San Bruno, California and was in Port O’Connor visiting his daughter, Autumn Rhyne.

Thank You from the Port O’Connor Lions Club

Thanks to all the vendors and shoppers who attended the Arts & Crafts Festival on Saturday, March 16th.  I understand it was the first one in Port O’Connor, the first for the POC Lions Club, and talk has it, the tradition may go on.   We really appreciate the vendors and shoppers who made our event a success for us.  We can only hope the vendors did well.  Some of those I spoke with were very positive about the event which would have been better if the wind had not been so fierce.  The next time, we may need to ask a Higher Authority to help us out.  After all, He did so this time without rain to spoil the event and continues to help us each day.

Hopefully the shoppers enjoyed the Festival and found some neat things they could not live without.  I did speak with some of the shoppers and they were delighted.  Our Port O’Connor Lions Club members were there to greet everyone and make sure everyone had as enjoyable a time as possible despite the wind.

Vendors, thank you for bringing your unique and wonderful items to Port O’Connor.  If you would like to reserve a spot for next year, or would like to reserve the same spot you had this year, please let us know as we will be setting the date for 2014 soon.  Please let us have your comments for improvement ideas as we plan the next Arts & Crafts Festival.  We would love to hear from you and see this great event grow.

We also thank the Seadrift Lions Club who joined us by having a food booth.  Lynn Reeves, President, and the Seadrift Lions were a welcome addition and we appreciate them for being a part of this event.  The Seadrift Lions Club will be hosting Market Day on the Bay in Seadrift starting in May to October from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.  President Lynn Reeves can be reached at email lareeves56@yahoo.com.  They will be located behind the Depot in front of the ball park and are taking reservations for booth spaces.

For information about the Lions Club Organization and what it means to become a “Lion” or the Arts & Crafts Festival, please phone Joyce Jordan, President, at cell # 361-655-7999 or email at jordanproperties@gmail.com.

THANK YOU, EVERYONE WHO HELPED US!

Victor Martin, artist, from Liberty Hill, Texas was one of the talented vendors who had booths at the Lions Club Arts & Crafts Festival. Victor also displays his art during POCO week and July 4th, usually at The Fishing Center. -Photo by Sue Kubecka

Guests fishing with Castaway Lodge in April

“Mauler in the Middle, 9 Lives of a Redfish”

Water levels fell out after the mild mid-week cool snap. Redfish dug in to fall out pools and swales in shallow back marsh lakes and bays while Black Drum skidaddled to the comfort of deeper lakes. Trout action took a dive for us post front while the overall catch rate seemed to rise with more undersize fish. Longtime guests of Ron P. hit the water hard on Thursday with puffing NW winds and Norm lit up the first keeper Trout of the day on the first cast and it was great to see the guys on the water again. On Saturday, We welcomed Brad S.(aka Skuff Daddy) and Kelly along with their son Kamo in for another trip. On the first go around, solid slot Black Drum were bending the rods at will with Redfish being more elusive. On the return visit, the fortunes on the water had changed with bruising Redfish taking center stage.

“Like a Scene from Jaws”

Brad and his son Kamo were talking some smack at the lodge the night before the trip and there was a healthy dose of competition going on. Sure enough Skuff Daddy bowed-up on two solid bruisers right off the bat shaking little Skuff up a bit. As we were fishing we looked up and saw a Mansfield Mauler pop up 20 yards from the boat. I said “I bet that there’s a fish on the other end of that”. Sure enough, the Mauler started moving a bit like a scene with the barrels in the Jaws movie. The Mauler slowly went below the surface moving forward and it disappeared for a bit. I looked up and saw the Mauler surface near Kamo’s bait and I said “Kamo, get ready”. In an instant, the Mauler slid beneath the surface and Kamo rared back with a huge bow-up. With drag burning, Kamo was working the rod to it’s full potential and you could tell this young man had fished a plenty. The fish was uncontrollable and it made the worst move taking him all the way around the airboat, over the cage, around the Power Pole and came charging toward the bow shooting underneath the boat. Finally, the bruiser gave in and came to hand. At 31”, Kamo had man handled the top predator of the skinny waters with poise. Brad and Kamo decided to release the fish. I inspected the Mauler rig and found a small lead head jig embedded deep in the crushers. I removed our hook from the lip and clipped the leader line leaving the deep jig in place. We eased the fish over the side to fight another day. That’s one lucky Redfish for sure.

We moved on from there taking solid mid to upper slot Redfish to full limits. Black Drum were much more elusive and I saw very few on the flats that day. We came across one school on the edge of a deeper lake and managed to catch one while missing a few along the way. All in all a great day with some great folks.

Capt. Kris Kelley
Castaway Lodge
1-888-618-4868
www.seadriftbayfishing.com