It was great to have Reverend Jessie Alderete with us this past week-end. Having been injured in Iraq, he is still on active duty, but has been transferred to San Antonio. He will be with us more often now that he is stationed that close. His ministry in the Word was superb – his preaching bilingually made him a special blessing. We look forward to Brother Jessie being with us on a more regular basis.

This Sunday at 6:00 p.m. is a very special All Church Fellowship. The adults will be gathering in the fellowship area and the children will be ministered to in the Youth Room. The menu is ham, baked potatoes, salad, and special desserts. It will be a special time, so we trust that all will attend. Please let Pat Prather (655-3353) know that you are coming, if you have not already been counted in the regular services.
We were away this past Sunday ministering in Bloomington and El Campo. We had a great time and appreciate Patrick Overton teaching our Adult Class and Brother Jessie preaching in both services. This is part of my new responsibilities and it is gratifying that I pastor a church that provides me the opportunity to serve the Lord in this capacity.

We are planning a special All Church Fellowship on Sunday, March 6. It will be our annual “Chili Cook-off”. All entries must be made from “scratch” – no just opening a can! There will be a trophy presented to the best chili, and everyone present will be able to see if the judges did their job correctly. We are looking for “judges that can be bought!” For the last several years, I personally have slaved over a hot stove for hours only to hear, “and in last place is Pastor Erny’s!” In shame, I have presented the trophy to another – always knowing in my heart that my chili was superior to all the others. So plan to be a part of this fun-filled evening and enjoy the chili!

On that evening of March 6, we will also be celebrating two very special birthdays. Dell Girard will be 92 that week and Papaw (Larry Gonzales) will be 90! Rarely does any church get the opportunity to celebrate such special days in the lives of their friends. So plan to be there, if not to see me cry – again – but to celebrate these two men’s birthdays! A baked potato will be provided for those who cannot eat chili that late in the evening.

Friday Night Youth is going again and we are enjoying the time we come together for fun, fellowship and food! These are always things that our youth enjoy. We begin at 7:00 p.m. and end at 10:00 p.m. each Friday, except the first Friday of each month. Plan to be a part.

Fisherman’s Bible Institute continues meeting each Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. at the parsonage. Professor, Pastor Joane, provides two hours of teaching that enables the student to truly connect with the workbooks. There is time for fellowship, as well as a time for prayer, each week. You are invited to become a part of FBI.

The retreat center is taking more shape. The hardi-board has been installed on the east end; almost all of the interior walls are complete; the central heat and air has been installed; the wiring has begun; insulation is almost ready to be installed, and ceiling materials are on hand. It is remarkable what can take place when a church “has a mind to work”! We are excited to complete this project so people can come and be refreshed and renewed in the Lord right here in Port O’Connor. We sincerely appreciate the hard work and expertise of several people who are helping in this project. Thanks for helping build God’s Kingdom!

Fisherman’s Chapel is an interdenominational congregation (meaning people of all faiths are welcomed to worship with us). Our goal is to help people prepare for the future. You are urged to, “Come, grow with us!”

Cuero Country Opry will be celebrating their third anniversary show on February 17, 2011. There will be four featured performers:
Ricky Weiss makes his home north of Brenham. He is an accomplished musician on several musical instruments and sings some great country songs.

Henry Hosek hails from Victoria. He plays in several country oprys, plus numerous gigs.

Donald O’Mary makes his home in the Columbus, Texas area. Donald has been known in the jamboree circuit for several years and is getting back into singing again. If you were a fan of John Denver, when you hear Donald, you will be thinking it is John Denver.

Judy Vickery from Olivia, Texas, is a fantastic singer and also a comedian.

The Chisholm Trail Swing Band will be providing the music: Eddie Maxwell, Band Leader and lead guitar and vocal; John Buehler, Master of Ceremonies, bass and vocal; Randy Boyd, steel guitar, lead guitar and vocal; Buddy Boehm, sound man, piano and vocal; and Jimmy Prause, drums and vocal.

Place: The VFW Hall, US Hwy. North 183, Cuero, Texas
Dinner catered by Werner’s Restaurant of Shiner, Texas will consist of chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes, green beans, lettuce salad, cobbler and tea.
Admission: Dinner and Show $10.00.  Show only $5.00.
Dinner will be served at 5:30 p.m. Show starts at 7:00 p.m.
Cuero County Opry is smoke and alcohol free.

The Chisholm Trail Swing Band would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the people for their loyalty and support of the Cuero Country Opry.
For more information, phone Eddie Maxwell at 361-275-3009.

Weather and electrical “brown-outs” canceled the meeting for February 3rd of the Service Club.  The premise that we would be in the meeting room when suddenly the lights and heat would be turned off forced this decision.  And a very good decision it was.

Therefore, the next meeting will be Thursday morning, February 17th at 10:00 a.m. in the Community Center.  We invite all interested women to join us on that date.  The Service Club is dedicated to providing aid and assistance to our community in many ways.  Do plan to attend and learn more about the members and this organization.  Or contact Membership Chairman, Shirley Gordon in the Library, 983-4365.

A reminder to all residents of Port O’Connor.  The Club’s first Bake Sale of 2011 will be Saturday, February 12th in front of Speedy Stop.  Starting at 8:00 a.m. that morning, tables of extraordinarily delicious desserts of all kinds will be displayed.  Despite all those well meaning resolutions you may have made in January regarding “No Sweets”, you really must take a look at those superb brownies and beautifully decorated cakes.  After all, you can always pop them in the freezer for consumption at a later date.  Also available for purchase are the three volumes of the Club’s Cookbooks, “The End of the Road”; and bought as a set, they would make an excellent Mother’s Day present.  Additionally, there are pound bags of shelled walnuts to add to your pantry.
See You On Saturday!

Some of the Port O’Connor Chamber Board members were privileged to enjoy the 47th Annual Port Lavaca Chamber of Commerce “Denim & Diamonds” Awards Dinner on January 20, 2011. Those attending were:  Ken and Leah Griffin, Barbara Crouch, and La June Pitonyak. We want to thank our Chamber for the chance to attend. Texas Tradition’s served appetizers, buffet dinner, and oh, oh, those desserts were not to be missed!!! The Jack Motley Band furnished the great music. Leah purchased a couple items from the Silent Auction. The evening was certainly enjoyed.

February 9, 2011
I spent the last edition of Guide Lines speaking to you about the importance of having your equipment and gear properly prepared prior to setting out on your first fishing trip of the year.  However, there’s one subject I failed to touch upon in that edition, and that would be the important topic of appropriate attire, especially during the month of February which sometimes brings with it some of the coldest days of the year.  Now then, February’s a great month for anglers to enjoy solitude while out on the water simply due to the absence of a lot of boat traffic.  But by the same token, this month can also mean you might just be on your own for quite some time in the event you are in need of assistance for whatever reason.  And there are two things that can only make matters worse on such occasions – being cold, and/or being cold and wet.  A most common scenario of this would be that you’ve just left the boat ramp and are making your way across the bay at some 30-40mph when you suddenly discover that you’re not wearing enough clothing to keep you warm for the entirety of the ride to your first destination.  Now, this problem is quickly remedied by putting on more clothing (if you have more to put on).  But an even better remedy would have been for you to have worn several layers of clothing to begin with, remembering that you can always shed some clothes if you must, but that you can’t put on extra clothes if you don’t have them.  A different, and perhaps more extreme, scenario might play out at the end of your fishing day while returning to the boat after your final wade session, during which time you had suffered a brief stumble in a deep pothole that resulted in you filling your chest-waders with chilling water.  You either didn’t have a belt around the waist of your waders, or in your haste to start fishing had forgotten to wear it.  Regardless, all you clothes are now wet, but it didn’t feel too bad while you were out wading.  You’re now at the boat and out of the water, and suddenly your body begins to shiver uncontrollably.  Just when you think your day couldn’t get any worse, you turn the key to start the outboard and nothing happens.  The end of daylight is rapidly approaching, and there’s not another boat in sight.  The fact that the motor won’t start is a problem that you may, or may not, end up needing assistance with.  However, you being wet to the bone in extremely cold weather will mean you’re definitely going to need assistance in the event you have no means by which to get warm.  Wouldn’t it have been nice had you thought to have packed an extra set of dry clothes?  Failure to do so, in such conditions, could just turn out to be life threatening in an extraordinary situation.  Besides making good sense, having dry clothes on your body means you’ll be more comfortable, and being comfortable means you’ll probably be able and willing to fish for a longer period of time throughout the course of a long, cold February day.

Now, back to fishing!  Cold weather usually provides us with a lull in the tides, so in my hopes of making direct contact with some really nice trout in February I’ll be focusing on working my baits very slow at these times amidst mud and grass in shoreline coves and protected bayous, channels, and drains that I find leading out of back lake areas.  In the event of a high tide situation, you’ll find me searching for bait in some of the more remote regions of the back lakes – fishing along the windward shorelines of the lakes during high tides.  Higher tides usually result in off-colored waters in the backcountry, but there will typically be a lot of bait that has been driven against the shoreline.

When targeting these large trout, the first choice out of my bait arsenal has historically been suspending lures like that of the Corky Fat Boy in one of my more preferred colors like green/black or solid bone.  Top water baits are also big producers at this time in the year, and you’ll find me throwing a wide variety of patterns, but in smaller sizes, as I’ve found it to be a lot easier to work the smaller surface baits in winter’s sometime high-wind conditions.  I also will not disregard soft plastics during this period, as they certainly have yielded full stringers for me in February.  But regardless of the bait I choose on any given wintertime day, I’ve found it to be very important for me to keep in mind that I should choose the bait which I’ve found I have the most confidence in.  I’ll rig that lure and will usually stick with it throughout my entire day of fishing.  I’ve found that by fishing with the same lure all day that I, naturally, minimize my number of lure changes, but that I also maximize the comfort level I have with my pre-selected bait, especially when I feel that there definitely are fish in the area that I’ve chosen. Cold water trout are lethargic, and they may eat only once each day, so don’t expect a lot of quick action during periods of extreme February cold.  Keep grinding!

In closing, don’t forget about the 2011 WINTER FISHING SPECIAL at Bay Flats Lodge during February and March when you and your guests can fish each day of the week at tremendously discounted rates and have a chance to win some really great prizes. Please phone or email me to learn more about these special BFL events.  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