Fishing offshore with Ladd and Petra Hockey of Port O’Connor is always exciting. Not only do they love fishing but Petra is an avid bird watcher. On our recent trip in August we caught some nice king mackerel and spotted a lot of seabirds. In Petra’s own words she describes her bird sightings as follows:
“A total of 182 MAGNIFICENT FRIGATEBIRDS, several males with inflated red pouches, females and juveniles were perched on oil platforms and shrimp boats. They were attracted to the huge slick of bycatch floating in the water. About four miles due east of the Matagorda Island Lighthouse clouds of BLACK TERNS (in the thousands) were feeding over schools of fish. A larger all dark tern passed by, a juvenile SOOTY TERN that might have come from a local breeding area. While fishing around a shrimp boat that had 68 MAGNIFICENT FRIGATEBIRDS on the rigging an adult BROWN BOOBY came by to check us out. And yes, we also caught nice fish.”
-Dave Pope

Howdy, friends! This is Beth Boone from the Calhoun County 4-H Sportfishing Club. It’s been a while since I provided an update, and I wanted to share our most recent adventures with you.

On September 25, ten of my fellow Sportfishing friends and I went kayaking at Bogy Bayou in Port O’Connor. If you didn’t notice the rainbow of kayaks and red life vests paddling around, you would have most certainly felt the excitement in the air. Some of our group had been kayaking previously, but for several of us, it was our first time. We had so much fun! Our Calhoun County Extension Agents showed us how to navigate the kayak, and also how to drop an anchor (which will be important in the future when we take fishing poles). The kayaks, trailer, and other supplies utilized by our Sportfishing Club were funded by a grant from the Matagorda Bay Mitigation Trust. We appreciate the Trust for their investment in our program. The investment will provide local youth with endless outdoor experiences for many years to come.

Additionally, in July, members of our club connected with 4-Hers from surrounding counties in Rockport for the first annual Coastal Bend 4-H Fishing Day, sponsored by the FlatsWorthy organization. In June, our Calhoun County Extension Agents hosted a hands-on Water Safety class in the City of Port Lavaca swimming pool. In May we learned how to string a fishing pole and the various knots. As you can tell, we are staying busy and learning so many valuable life lessons.

In closing, I would like to thank our beautiful coastal community for the continued support. After my first report of the Calhoun County 4-H Sportfishing program printed in The Dolphin Talk, our group received phone calls from community members interested in learning more and getting involved. I think it is pretty special that we live in a community with that level of support.

Until next time – stay safe and fish as often as you can!

Beth Boone, 12 years old
VP of the Calhoun County 4-H Sportfishing Program

 

Thanksgiving will be here soon, and what better way to kick off the Christmas season than with our 2021 Lighted Boat Parade. This event, sponsored by the Port O’Connor Chamber of Commerce, will be held on Saturday, December 4, 2021, scheduled to start at dusk, approximately 6:30 pm in the ICW from the Little Jetties to just past Scurlock road and is open to all boats of all sizes that meet the minimum U.S. Coast Guard Safety Requirements.  There is no entry fee. Please, give us a call, decorate your boat and join us!!
The Captains’ Safety Meeting will be held at the Inn at Clark’s at 5:30 p.m. on December 4th, along with late registration and assignment of parade positions.  The U.S. Coast Guard will have a member at the safety meeting in case of any questions or concerns.

Locals and tourists alike look forward to this annual event, and it is hoped that many boat owners will participate.  Plaques will be awarded in several categories –  Best Overall * Most Spirited * Most Unique * Best Commercial * Best Large Pleasure * Best Medium Pleasure * Best Small Pleasure.
This year, as in the past several years, we are happy to announce that the U.S. Coast Guard along with most of the boats and owners who participate in the Toy Run are planning on being a part of this great tradition.  It looks like this year is no exception – This is going to be a fantastic lighted boat parade. If you would like to participate, or for more information, visit the Chamber website, and complete the registration form https://portoconnorchamber.com/local-events/lightedboatparaderegistration/ or contact the Boat Parade Chairman, Brent Hart at 361-207-5955.

So, get out your calendar and mark this event as a MUST DO, or at least a MUST SEE!!! And join in the fun!