Whoever said “If you don’t like the weather in Texas, just wait, it will change.”  was right. I didn’t like last month’s cold windy weather and sure enough, it got worse. The tides are even lower than they were a few weeks ago when the duck season ended. The wind seems to have kicked up a notch and the temperature; well lets just say it got Real Cold. I know most of the country got a direct hit from the last big storm but we don’t normally get sub freezing conditions that last for most of 3 days. When we do get hit this hard, it can often result in a pretty severe fish kill. However, the early reports that I’ve heard have been encouraging with limited accounts of large trout or reds being spotted.


Since the freeze occurred during a period of extremely low tides, the popular theory is that most of the trout and reds had already left the back lakes and shallow shorelines in favor of deeper water. The deeper water, of course, stays warmer and provides the fish a safe place to hunker down until the shallow water warms. The Parks and Wildlife folks announced the closure of fishing at several of the cold water fishing spots along the coast for a few days. Included in the closure was the area around The Army Hole.


Bottom Line, fishing has been on hold for all but the most serious of anglers. I’ve heard a few reports of fish being caught in area canals and rivers. The Lavaca River, Garcitas Creek and the Victoria Barge Canal are probably producing trout and reds. The jetties can be good during these periods of cold water and low tides but the heavy north wind sure makes the trip across the bay a grind.


When the source of this prolonged cycle of north wind and cold weather changes I’m sure we will see some great Winter fishing. I’m really ready for some Bull Reds or Big Drum or Sow Trout, actually I just hope to have a picture of a nice box of fish to attach to my next report!


Capt. Bob Hill  Port O’Connor Charters  (361) 983-4325

Friday & Saturday
January 28 & 29
Limits of reds and trout came in at the dock to be cleaned. Nice to see fish brought in at the dock and nice to see friends. Duck season is over with. Man, am I glad. No air boats and dog poop.
Connie Rowney
redfish1000@tisd.net

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is concerned about the vulnerability of coastal fisheries during a freeze and reminds the public that it is illegal to harvest fish by means other than rod and reel.
“It is illegal to pick up stunned or dead fish with a net or by hand,” said Robert Goodrich, TPWD assistant chief of law enforcement for fisheries enforcement.


Anyone observing fishing activity in closed areas during a freeze or taking fish by illegal means is urged to contact their local game warden office or call Operation Game Thief at 800-792-GAME.
Texas has about two million acres of bays and estuaries susceptible to freeze. There were three major freezes during the 1980s, including one in 1989 when the temperature in Brownsville dropped to 16 degrees and an estimated 11 million fish were killed in the freeze.

The season has begun for Crossroads Amateur Football, an amateur football league based in Victoria. The C.R.A.F. Board has developed a system for teams from the surrounding areas to play the game of football. Eighteen teams will compete during the February through April season, with play-offs to be held in May. To learn more about Crossroads Amateur Football, go to: www.crossroadsamateurfootball.com .
In the photo above Shellfish Sports Bar and Grille manager, Bianca Salinas presents team owner, Katherine Cobb, team president, Ruben Quintanilla, Captain John Fivecoat and the Crossroads Amateur Football League (C.A.R.F) team, the Port Lavaca Seahawks with a $1,500 check for the 2011 football season which opened on February 5th, 2011.

OLG students build model boats

Last spring, the 7th grade students at Our Lady of the Gulf Catholic School built a puddle duck racer sailboat as a team building project with the Texas Sea Grant Extension Agent Rhonda Cummins and three parish volunteers. Puddle ducks are basically “box boats.” Simple and inexpensive to build, they give the students real world application of math concepts taught in class and other problem solving skills. This year’s 7th grade class will also build such a boat in the spring. In preparation for the building of the school’s next puddle duck, these students are building miniature boats which will be used at the OLG Valentine’s Gala for table centerpieces. The boats have been sponsored by several local businesses to help raise money for the school’s Annual Teacher Bonus Fund.

The teachers at OLG are all highly qualified professionals who could teach anywhere, yet they have answered a call to work for a small, parochial school at a fraction of the salary they could earn elsewhere. The profits from this event will be divided among them as a bonus to recognize their dedication to the school and their support of faith-based education in our community. This bonus generated by the gala is an important gesture from the community showing that they also value such commitment to excellence.

The boat building is a collaborative effort with the Calhoun County AgriLife Extension Office and Texas Sea Grant.  Such programs help to fulfill the school’s goal to develop deductive reasoning, critical and creative thinking skills, and communication skills needed to succeed academically. These middle school students are learning basic boat building and sailing skills that enhance and enrich the curriculum in mathematics, computer literacy, art, language arts and even physical education. This program also teaches lifelong lessons that build successful futures. Students learn how to work as part of a team to accomplish a common goal, how to find solutions to difficult problems, and develop strong bonds with their elders by working with the adult volunteers. The greatest lesson the students may walk away with is learning to believe in their own abilities when faced with new challenges.