Dear Readers,
We are in the process of forming a Port O’ Connor Golfing association. Membership in the association will be open to men, women and children who are residents of Port O’Connor or those who have property here.

We are talking about having a tournament at Hatch Bend golf course in Port Lavaca this spring. This tournament will be a charity event with the money going to the Chamber of Commerce Scholarship Fund to start.
We are currently seeking sponsors for the tournament. The sponsors will be advertised in the paper, on the invitations for the tournament, and on the back of the golf carts during the tournament.

We will have a membership meeting in the near future.
If you’re interested in joining the association, participating in the tournament or becoming a sponsor, contact me by phone 361-983-4498 or 832-820-1561. E-mail easystpoc@aol.com .

There is always something very special when you have the opportunity to find a book by an author you had previously read and liked.  And this was the case with Dennis Lehane’s, Moonlight Mile.  I had read several of his previous novels, including Mystic River, from which a very recent film was made.  However, the latest chronicles the efforts of two private investigators in Boston, Angie Kenzie and Patrick Gennaro, who happen to be married.  These pi’s are involved with relocating a young girl, now a teenager, whom they had found much earlier and had legally returned her to her mother, who abused and neglected the child.  The question that these two adults had to answer was: the legal one (returning the child to her parent) or the emotional and integral one (returning the child to loving foster parents).  An extremely difficult question to answer and luckily, the answer was removed from the pi’s hands.  Involved also was the Russian Mafia as located in the new Boston area and some slightly disreputable characters. Lehane has the ability to successfully draw his characters so the reader can totally identify with them, but even more important (at least for me) the author writes these incredibly humorous throw away lines.  I look forward to more books by Mr. Lehane.


 David Baldric’s newest: Hell’s Corner is set in Washington D.C., primarily in Lafayette Park, the area containing 5 statues and located directly in front of the White House.  And Baldacci romps from that setting.  His characters are fascinating; his plot nonstop; and its full of more twists than a good corkscrew or pretzel.  At times keeping up with the plot requires your undivided attention; you definitely do not attempt to converse with your better half or watch a football game on television while reading it.  He also Involves the members of the “Camel Club” his characters from several previous books; I strongly feel that this one is his best.  Do hope that other readers enjoy it; would like to hear their findings.
 To the parents of 3rd & 4th graders:


 Ms. Sue in the Library has started a Reading Hour at the Library on Saturdays beginning at 10:30 am.  Welcome are local students and of course, visitors.  We will be reading some of   the Magic Tree books, and the first tells of a teen-aged Louis Armstrong and his very early life in New Orleans.  Possibly accompanying the reading hour will be music as performed by Louis, well known as the King of Jazz.  Should be an interesting time for both the kids and the Story Teller.  Maybe after this one, we’ll hear about Kangaroos! 
 Moms, see Ms. Shirley or Ms. Sue in the Library for more information.


 Attention: Bunco players:
 Tuesday, January 4th marked the last time the Bunco Group met in the Library; on Tuesday, February 1st at 7:00 p.m. this group of fun-playing women will begin meeting in the Back Room of the Community Center.  Cost is $5.00 per night; prior experience just being able to add the spots on the dice; and being prepared to have fun.  Our hostesses this evening will be Biddie Hileman and Sally Jones.  Call Joyce Jordan, 655-7999 or Sue at 798-0560 for further information.


 Have you seen the new calendar that we have in the Library?  If you wish to order one for your home, contact Shirley; cost is $15.
“When an old person dies, a Library burns down”
– Karin Gillespie

Ladies!!!!  Looking forward to a fun evening?  If so, come join this fun group that meets once a month on the first Tuesday!  Requirements: $5.00; Be able to count the spots on a pair of dice; and sometime, serve as hostess!
We meet the first Tuesday of each month at 7:00 p.m. in the community center.  Refreshments are served and can be anything from diet(?) Foods with cream puffs to mini Tex-Mex quiche!  This is a strictly fun group of players —- come check us out! 

Call Joyce Jordan 655-7999 or Sue Kubecka 798-0560 for further information.  See you February 1st!!!!!
suekubecka@yahoo.com
361 798-0560

January 10, 2011

As we departed the dock for this morning’s trip, it was quite evident that the air temperature had climbed considerably since the passage of the most recent cold front that arrived four days ago. We had experienced strong north winds over the past few days and there was a lot of “new” water that had been pushed beyond the southern shoreline borders of San Antonio Bay (SAB) and into the neighboring backcountry of Matagorda Island. The forecast for today was calling for temperatures near the mid-70’s with mostly cloudy skies and a slight southeast wind that would increase steadily throughout the course of the day and the rest of the week. This southerly wind would mark the beginning of an emptying effect upon the back lakes, whereby evacuating higher-than-normal waters directly into the main bay system via area guts, bayous, and tributaries. Exiting waters carry with them rich nutrients and food sources that often immediately attract the attention of predatory trout and red fish that may be wandering these flooded areas, and I wanted to have today’s party properly placed so as to be able to take full advantage of the situation as the draining process began. Our initial target of the morning was an area consisting of several drains that would now be emptying water out of a large mud and grass flat that normally (during usual tidal conditions) is nothing more than an approximate fifty-acre tidal pool that’s most often simply inaccessible. These shallow drains protrude out of this flat and lead into a much larger back lake – an additional huge, and largely enclosed, body of water that is between the tidal pool flat and the main bay system – and they are usually only about knee-deep in depth. However, today these drains would be about waist-deep, if not deeper, and in many cases would now be covering some brief shell pads situated along their banks that otherwise might be exposed due to normally lower water levels. And if, by chance, we find ourselves fortunate enough to be wading in front of the right drains at the right time while throwing the right bait, we might just be in for some really fun and exciting wintertime fishing.

Upon arriving at our destination, we noticed there were six different drain areas to pick from. There were four of us, so we would each get to choose our own area to experiment with. The first two drains on the far left end of our approach were very close together, but the others had a good amount of distance between them, so I’d use the boat to shuttle everyone to within about 50-100 yards of their chosen sights before dropping them off to approach their area in a stealthy manner. I was just about to shut down the motor at the first drop-off point when the subject of baits arose. I mentioned to everyone the fact that other guided parties had experienced favorable results over the past few days while utilizing plastics rigged beneath popping floats. With that said, the first guy exited over the side of the boat with a “New Penny” colored Gulp shad that he had suspended about two feet below his rattling alameda float. He headed off toward the first two guts that were positioned close together on the far left end of the opening while the rest of us headed off to the next drop-off point. On the way, I shared with the other two guys my thoughts on how we should each attempt to cover all aspects of the water column in each of the drains that we choose to wade in, and I explained to them that in order to properly accomplish this I would be allotting equal experimentation time to three different types of artificial baits during my initial wade session. I’d be starting my presentations in the lower water column with the use of one of Texas Tackle Factory’s Killer Flats Minnows (KFM) in the Pumpkinseed-White/Chartreuse color. I went on to tell them that if I was unable to draw a strike at the floor of the drain, that I would then proceed to explore the middle region of the water column via the use of a slow-sinking bait like that of my favorite pink Corky Fat Boy. And if the middle column proved to be unproductive, I told them I would then move up to the water’s surface and present any one of my preferred top water baits. I like a number of different colors of top water baits at this time in the year, but today was extremely cloudy, so I explained the importance of presenting a dark-colored bait at the surface – if not all black, then perhaps something like that of the baby trout pattern.

Adam Brewer all the way from South Carolina shot well with Capt. TJ Christensen of Bay Flats Lodge, 1/6/2011.

We got everyone in the water and I had been bouncing my KFM across the bottom for close to thirty minutes without even so much as a nibble before making the decision to tie-on my slow-sinker. I worked the Fat Boy another twenty unproductive minutes, and then finally started chunking my top water for a while. Still no luck! I had positioned myself outside the mouth of a drain area that probably ranged anywhere from three-to-four feet in depth at any given point. The water flowing through the drain itself was crystal clear. However, and for whatever reason, I noticed that the water was immediately becoming discolored as it exited into the bigger lake at the mouth of the drain (the exact place where I was standing while casting into the drain). I realized it was time to make an adjustment, so I settled upon making the most minor and subtle adjustment that was readily available to me. I slowly and quietly made my way some thirty yards directly up the middle of the drain where I then abruptly planted my feet and turned to face the spot I had previously been casting from in the mouth of the drain. With the wind now at my back, I was able to deliver long casts into the muddied water way beyond the mouth of the drain while working my top water bait back toward the mouth itself. I didn’t pull any strikes out deep, but had three blowups as my surface walker approached close-in toward the bank of the mouth itself. The surface hits were short strikes that yielded no hook-ups, so I went back to using my slow-sinker and almost immediately began to draw hits on a regular basis. I caught and released a number of smaller trout, but landed four really nice ones that were all in excess of twenty-one inches. Today’s venture was strictly a “Catch-n-Release” trip, but the three members of today’s party recorded the landing of twenty-seven trout and seven red fish. And, I think it’s safe to say that a good time was had by all…!

We hope everyone had a safe and happy holiday, and all of us here at Bay Flats Lodge wish you and yours a Happy New Year and an even better fishing season in 2011. And, don’t forget about the 2011 WINTER FISHING SPECIAL at Bay Flats Lodge during January, February, and March when you and your guests can fish at tremendously discounted rates. Also, keep in mind that you can always stay informed as to the latest that Bay Flats Lodge has to offer by simply signing-up on the website to receive your daily newsletter.

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