Jack Barry of Houston brought his three sons to Port O’Connor for some fun fishing.
Pictured above are: Jack, age 13, caught a 29.5” red at Mitchells; Blake, age 5, caught a 29” red at Mitchells; and Justin, age 10, caught a 22” trout at Bird Island.
            7/12, Submitted by Grandfather Jack Barry, Sr.

Heroes Cup in Rockport-Fulton
Warrior’s Weekend Heroes Cup is a fishing expedition for war-injured soldiers. The Event will be held September 5-7, 2012 in Rockport-Fulton. Two lucky people will be able to join a local guide and a wounded hero to compete against 29 other teams for a chance to win the Heroes Cup Tournament.

Heroes Cup is an annual fishing tournament put together by the Warriors Weekend organization. It is a special event for soldiers who have been injured in the line of duty. All participants are still active in the military. From 15 to 30 soldiers are chosen for this competition. They are brought into town, paired with a volunteer professional angler, and taken into the bay for a five- hour competitive fishing trip. While the soldiers do get a shot at winning the competition, more importantly they also get a chance to relax, have fun, and enjoy the companionship of an appreciative citizen. They can leave the battlefield and take pleasure in the bay.

Tickets for a chance to win a “Guided Trip for Two with a Wounded Warrior” are $10 each. A special reception and drawing will be held 2 p.m., Tuesday, August 14, 2012 August 14, 2012 at the Rockport-Fulton Chamber of Commerce. You do not have to be present to win. Tickets may be purchased at the Rockport-Fulton Chamber of Commerce Visitor Center or by contacting Martha Barnes 361-463-6208 or. If you would like to be a part of this effort by donating time, money, or services, contact: Bubba Casterline, Steering Committee Chairman at casterlinefish@yahoo.com or 361-205-0993.

For more information on Warriors Weekend or places to stay in Rockport-Fulton, visit www.rockport-fulton.org or call 1 -800 242-0071 or email tourism@1rockport.org

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The annual Pescado Grade, a benefit presented by The Harbor Children’s Alliance & Victim Center, was held in Port O’Connor on July 6th and 7th.

1st Trout Stringer 1st Place
Brandon Blume, Boat #29
38 lbs. 12 oz

1st Redfish Stringer 1st Place
Casey Carter, Boat #23
23 lbs. 8 oz

Biggest Redfish
Greg Cox, Boat #16
8 lbs.10 oz

Biggest Ling
Jake Mueller, Boat #5
35 lbs. 10 oz

Biggest King
Thi Nguyen, Boat #8
21 lbs. 9 oz

Kids Biggest Fish
Kelsey Craft, Boat #5
5 lbs.13 oz

2nd Trout Stringer 2nd Place
Steve Blahuta, Boat #24
34 lbs. 14 oz

2nd Redfish Stringer 2nd Place
Greg Cox, Boat #16
22lbs 15 oz

Biggest Trout
Ray Perez, Boat #10
5 lbs. 12 oz

Biggest Snapper
Jake Mueller, Boat #5
12 lbs. 1 oz

Biggest Fish
Anh Nguyen, Boat #2
20 lbs. 11 oz

Spot Pot Winner
Mack Davis, Boat #31
9 Spots

May 26-Labor Day    CCA Texas STAR Tournament
http://www.startournament.org/

July 24-29    Lone Star Shootout – Caracol
www.thelonestarshootout.com

July 28    Nails and Tails Tournament
Builders Association of Victoria
361-578-7711 kristi@vctbuilders.org

August 3-4    Readin’, Ritin’ & Reelin’ Tournament
(361) 894-4136,   655-2658,   649-0459

August 4    Possum Invitational Invitational
www.possumfishingtournament.com/

August 11    Speedy Stop Kids Fishing Tournament

Oct. 5-6    P.O.C. Grand Slam
361-935-8745

Readin’ – ‘Ritin’ – Reelin’ 10th Annual 3 R’s Fishing Tournament

Port O’Connor Community Center will host the 10th annual Readin’- ‘Ritin’ -Reelin’ Tournament on Friday and Saturday, August 3 and 4. Entry fee is $60 per person (limit 6 persons per boat) with children under age 16 fishing free. Trophies will be awarded for the largest trout and largest red caught by a kid, lady, and a Knight. Registration and fishing pots entry is at 5:30 p.m. Friday, with a barbecue dinner, door prizes and live auction following at 6:30.

Weigh in will be from 3:30 to 5:00 on Saturday. At 7:00 p.m. a fish fry will be held at the Community Center, followed by awards presentation and raffle drawing.

For more information, please contact Richard Weischwill at 361-564-8236; Bryan Ellis at 361-894-4136; Dennis Lockstedt at 361-649-0459; or Scott Smejkal at 361-655-2658.

The Knights of Columbus Council #9088 of Holy Family Catholic Church is sponsoring the tournament which benefits Nazareth Academy Catholic School in Victoria. Last year the K of Cs donated in excess of $50,000 to the school because of the generosity of all supporting this event. Please join them by entering a team, becoming a tournament sponsor, donating an auction, raffle or door prize item, or simply coming to eat one or both nights.

Cami Hawkins of Austin, catches a big red with Bay Flats Lodge fishing guide!

We’ve been working areas with 2 to 3 feet of soft shell or what I call reef beds. Concentrate casting to the end of the reef or the curves near area reefs. When I say beds, there is a distinct difference between reef beds that are under water and reefs that protrude out of the water. These beds vary in depth but most of them slowly taper from 1 foot to 4 feet of water. Knowing when to fish these beds has been the most contributing factor in my recent catches. Just the other day while fishing someone asked me, why don’t you go far distances when you decide to move? I personally think trout stay within a general area. Yes, they will move away from a spot. But if you were catching good numbers and size trout earlier in the day, why wouldn’t these same trout move back at a later time or date? This really makes your gears turn upstairs. Getting inside a trout head is what I’m always thinking about, before making any move. Try to visualize what a trout would do if given the same circumstances.

The sand and grass shorelines have been much slower for me than others. Talking with a few of my counter parts, shoreline fishing has been much better for them. I guess I’m too hung up on shell to make the switch. They’re telling me, live fin fish while wade fishing has been the best method for catching trout and reds. The bite has been very early and normally is over after 9:00 AM. I noticed the early and late bite during out last full moon. Our back lakes have also slowed way down compared to earlier in the month. One thing I’ve noticed that hurt my fishing in the backcountry, the strong nagging south winds. The south to southwest wind is the kiss of death for pulling water out of the bay system. Hot weather and very low tides makes for fair red fishing, but trout prefer deeper water or cooler shell during the hot month of July.

Let’s now discuss fishing during the month of July. Here are a few tips that might help during this month. If the winds lay way down, key in on the surf action. I will continue to focus on reef beds until they play out. My feeling is, once San Antonio Bay heats up from the rising temperatures, deep reefs will produce better then the shell beds. I will also continue to fish San Antonio Bay, Carlos Bay, Mesquite Bay, Espiritu Santo Bay, and given the opportunity fish the shorelines near Seadrift.

My favorite passion is fishing with top water lures while wade fishing. Just the other day, a customer couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw my top water selection. He asked if color and size made a difference. I replied yes, and they also work in dirty water, rough water, and clear water. You probably won’t catch quantity every outing, but rest assured, one that chunks top water lures all day will return with better quality trout. Try using different retrieves until you figure out which one works. The hard part is, remembering what you did to create a blow up or hook up. Duplicating the same retrieve to fool another trout the second time around is the essential key to becoming a better top water enthusiast.

With soft plastic lures, the TTK lure in the plum chartreuse color has been doing very well for our parties when conditions are right. I’m rigging most of my lures with a 1/16- ounce head when fishing shallow and switching to a 1/8 ounce when deep.

As of late, the salinity levels in San Antonio Bay are high. But don’t get to use to these conditions, July can also be a month where the coast experiences severe weather and torrential downpours for days. While on the water, keep an eye out for the sky and check in frequently with someone who can check computer radar.

In closing, I want to wish everyone a safe summer on and off the water. Remember to drink plenty of water and apply sunscreen frequently.

Capt. Chris Martin, owner Bay Flats Lodge
Seadrift, TX 361-785-2686; www.BayFlatsLodge.com

John and Cami Hawkins joined Lea and Paul Holubec in a day of catching trout and a few reds with the Bay Flats Lodge group. Both couples are from Austin and love to fish!

Bay Flats Lodge guide Jonathan Beyer with a monster red caught at the jetties with sub surface lure. Fish released. July 2012.