A long-time resident of Seadrift, Lillian Stubbs, celebrated ninety-six years of living. She was a Nebraska farm girl whose dream was to live by the water. Her dream came true when she, her husband Van Stubbs, and their three children moved to Seadrift in 1961. The family home overlooks the San Antonio Bay. Lillian loves the view!
-Tanya DeForest

January 1, 2021 marked the beginning of Louis Warren’s four-year term as Constable of Precinct Four. Already Louis has served numerous court cases and is excited about his new job. Louis is grateful to the voters of Precinct Four for giving him their “vote of confidence” in putting him into his new role.

Born and raised in Texas, Louis is a lifelong resident whose family lineage dates back to the Texas Revolutionary War! Being in the line of police work has been a boyhood dream fulfilled for Louis. He resides in Seadrift with his fiancé Julie.

-Tanya DeForest

Thank You

The family of Shirley Gordon would like to publicly thank the following people for all of their help with Ms. Shirley and her care/services: Mary Ann Claiborne, Margaret Claiborne, Michelle Marlin, Nathan O’Neill, Paul Hernandez, Grace Bradley, Troy Beaudry, Forrest Marlin, Virginia Marlin, Beverly Clifton (Salt Blossom), Susan Wallace, Chris Baumbach (Pinnacle Pest Control), Brigid Berger, Pastor Phillip Miller, Judge Nancy Pomykal, Jana Gregory, Pat Ekstrom, the caring staff at Hospice of South Texas, the Port O’Connor Volunteer Fire Department and all the kind people of our community who attended her services and offered kind words.

Thank You from Friends of the Port O’Connor Library

The Friends of the Port O’Connor Library extends our deepest appreciation to Eloisa Newsome, Hooper, and Terry Wright and his crew, for giving the proceeds from the Chili Cook-Off at Josie’s to The Friends of the Port O’Connor Library. We would like to thank the following individuals and businesses for their very generous donations to our raffle and silent auction.

Beacon 44, Belinda Bush, Bob and Pam Hill,
Cathy’s, Charlotte and Phillip Fitzgerald, Connie Britton,
Captain Benny Judice, Chris and Cindy Hanson , Designs by Darla,
Costal Bend Marine, Dollar General, Fishing Tackle Unlimited,
Terry Wrigh, t Hooper, Hurricane Junction,
Jeco’s, Jo Beth’s Creations, Junek Consulting,
Kathy Hoskins, Hank and Michelle Lippold, Kim Clark,
Laurie Junek, Mary Ann Claiborne, POC Hardware,
POC Rod and Gun, POC Washateria, Roy Mackey,
Sharilyn Carroll, Sharkies, Sherri Judice,
Tejas Propane, Teresa’s, Texas Saltwater Magazine,
The Office

Additionally, we appreciate all the individuals that came out to support the chili cookers and our Youth Sportsman Raffle and Silent Auction. We grossed over $13,000 which will be used to update the landscaping in the front of the library, purchase new books and DVD’s, as well as provide programming for children and adults. Thank you all for your support!

The Dolphin welcomes letters from our readers on any subject that is of general interest to our audience. Letters should be 300 words or less (exception at the Dolphin’s discretion). Letters reflect the opinion of the writer, and not that of Dolphin Talk staff, and we retain the right to determine suitability for publication. It is the policy of this newspaper to promote area interests; therefore, complaints against local businesses should be directed elsewhere. Letters must be signed and include day and evening phone numbers, which will not be published. Your name will be withheld upon request, but anonymous material will not be considered for publication.
Dolphin Talk – PO Box 777 Port O’Connor, TX 77982 dolphin1@tisd.net

Historical fishing logs show us that February can sometimes turn out to be one of the absolute coldest months of the year. When the air and the water get really cold, anglers should look for the trout bite to be cooling off as well. The fish’s metabolism begins to slow down with the drop in temperature – the colder it gets, the slower their metabolism becomes. This is a time when the fish will generally seek the protection and somewhat warmer surroundings that is typically offered to them by deeper water, and will often feed at a very reduced rate as compared to the warmer months of the year.

Some of the best trout that have ever been taken out of Texas bays have come during the month of February, and this year shouldn’t be any different. Anglers should focus their efforts this month in places consisting primarily of grass and mud in protected coves and area drains, channels, and bayous that are situated as entrances and exits in and out of some of the larger back lakes located out on Matagorda Island. Those targeting big trout will be required to work their baits slowly as they anticipate what often proves to be a very minimal “bump” at the other end of their fishing line, especially when wintertime waters get extremely cold.

For all of the coastal anglers who are truly serious about their will and ambition for chasing trophy cold-water trout, they should never leave home without having a few slow-sinkers (suspending plugs) in their tackle box. Some old pluggers still toss the original MirrOlure 51 and 52 M/MR Series baits. These used to be the all around utility bait back in the early years, especially in wintertime on finicky trout and redfish. A couple of today’s popular ones that have evolved over the years, and that have proven to be all time favorites along the Texas coast, are the original Corky and the Corky Fat Boy.

Using soft plastic tails can also yield full stringers of wintertime trout, but anglers may find it to be in their favor if they use a lighter jig-head this month. Cold temperatures tend to make the fish somewhat lethargic at times, so anglers should downsize to a 1/16-oz. jig-head on plastic tails, slow down on their retrieve, and use a smaller diameter fishing line in hopes that doing so may enhance a better feel of what’s normally a much slighter “wintertime strike”. It’s February, which means it’s time for big trout. It also means anglers might work hard all day for just a few bites, but they’ll still have lots of fun doing it.