The time has come to lend legitimacy to the camouflage wearables we display year round as this coming weekend is the opener for duck season in the Mid Coast. I could tell you how prepared I am for it with all my gear in order and decoys patched up from last season’s misguided shots and how my duck blinds are brushed up and ready for action but that would be a flat out fabrication of reality!

What I can say is that I am excited for the change of seasons and I am looking forward to the sound of wings soaring overhead in the pitch black as we patiently await the alarm sounding SHOOTING TIME! Also I can say that I have actually looked at my shotguns as they are still oiled up and tucked away safely in the gun cabinet and I have tallied the number of shot shells that somehow made it through last season without being expended. Like you may have done already, I too have thumbed through the Fall hunting magazines and catalogs making sure I tab the must haves to outfit my already overstuffed hunting closet. You know the one, outside of course and in the garage by the work bench because none of that stuff is allowed in the house by my better half. Shoot it may even still carry the smell of gunpowder and marsh mix since I am not sure I laundered it upon the closer in January!

Yes I have a mental picture and plenty of memories of hunts gone by and I revel in those because I have had some good times out in the marsh with both customers at the lodge and friends and family. There’s nothing like the work and preparation it takes to make these hunts great and memorable and it takes some serious time and effort to pull it off well. Surely you realize also there is a good amount of luck involved because as I am reminded every year, heck almost every hunt, if the ducks don’t want to be where you are then you are looking at a long flightless hunt in the blind. The key to reducing this is simple, you have to know where the birds are and where they will likely light on a daily basis. How do you know where this will occur? Scouting!

Time spent scouting birds the day before a hunt is a double edged sword. On the one hand you don’t usually have time to go out and do it, and on the other hand where they want to be is not where you are prepared to host a four man, in our case, hunt with all their gear and sometimes limited mobility. Finding the time to scout can be accomplished a couple different ways, however. I like going out and performing a quick round of high speed boating on the bay to see where the action is going to be based on the numbers of ducks observed. The other way to do this is by getting a network of guys out on the water and dividing up the bays to find them and then sharing the information. So what if you don’t have a blind already built in a good spot for the hunt? Do what we do and take the blind to the hunt! Be moble and prepare for those whom you are guiding by taking benches or chairs and definitely bring fresh cut brush with you. I said it’s all about preparedness and this is proof that all these elements will have you doing the other thing mentioned-WORK!

Knowing your way around the bay is crucial to your success down here in the Mid Coast but equally important is your ability to navigate your vessel in some of the most demanding weather scenarios. Safety is the forefront of our trips around the lodge for instance and we seldom blast off in unsafe conditions such as fog or heavy rain. Why risk someone’s life to kill a few ducks? Every year it seems we hear a report of a life or lives being taken during duck season due to unpreparedness and/or life threatening weather conditions not being taken serious enough. Let’s make the 2018-2019 duck season one that is the best it can be by slowing things down and thinking through our actions being courteous on the water and being prepared so that safety, both on the boat and in the blind are the utmost in our minds; and let’s go out there and teach what we know. Take the kids and teach them all the wonderful elements of this sport because they will surely gain a lifetime of enjoyment of the memories you make today and they will be equipped to share their own knowledge and enthusiasm with those new to the sport for decades to come.

Capt. Stephen Boriske
Bay Flats Lodge 512-589-1916

Trophy Speck -Caught & Released, Capt. Nick Dahlman, BFL

November is generally the initial month for some fairly noticeable transitions along the coastline of Texas.  This means we should have already experienced a couple significant cooling trends, and air and water temperatures will have already begun to drop as a direct result.  Along with changing weather conditions, we will begin to experience other types of transitions, as well.  The first transition, or change, this month will be the incorporation of Daylight Savings Time, which means we’ll begin seeing less daylight with each passing day.  We’ll be officially entering into the wintertime months, so another change would be that we should learn to expect a greater potential for foul weather as we proceed into colder months.  Another transition will be the fact that trout and reds will now begin looking for mud and grass or mud and shell instead of sand.  The sand is great for spring and summertime conditions where the fish are looking for the warmth of the sun to reflect off the sand, but when the days turn cold those fish are going to be looking for warmth that can only be radiated and stored by that of thick, black mud.

Another transition taking place this month will be the metabolism of the fish.  As early as two or three weeks ago these fish were probably eating a meal at every opportunity, or whenever they had a craving to do so.  Now, once the temperature of the wind and the water have dropped considerably, so too shall the feeding periods for the fish.  Fish often get quite lethargic during the colder months of the year, and their feeding pattern slows down greatly as a result.  They would probably much rather eat one large meal instead of expounding the energy of eating several small meals throughout the course of each day.  This is the very reason why anglers should always cast to a single mullet jumping in the wintertime.  More times than not, the single mullet that is jumping is really big and is being slowly chased by a really hungry trout or red fish that’s looking for their one, single meal for that day.

Your choice of artificial baits should also begin a transition in November.  As mentioned earlier, the fish are sometimes chasing one large meal per day, so you should start tossing much larger surface baits beginning in November.  And in doing so, also begin slowing your retrieve to a snail’s pace, often raising the tip of the rod only once or twice in a 10-15 second period.  And, begin using darker baits this month as they tend to portray a much more distinctive silhouette and work exceptionally well in low-light conditions.  Until next time, tight lines to all!

Otis “Wayne” Gregory was called to be with the Lord on November 3, 2018 at the age of 71.

Wayne is predeceased by his parents Otis Price Gregory and Mary Frances Gregory. He is survived by his loving wife Sherrel, his siblings; Sue Baker and John Paul Gregory and wife Connie, his daughters; Donna Lin Fagan, Jackie Gregory and wife Michelle, Angel Laurio and husband Elmer, and Lori Perez, 10 grandchildren, 1 great-grandson, nieces, nephews, and the rest of his family and friends, all who were loved very dearly.

Wayne was born in Texas City, where he had many fond childhood memories discovering his love for the water. Wayne honorably served his country during the Vietnam War. He moved to his beloved Port O’Connor later in life and enjoyed working with the local fishing community at Rudy’s Bait Shop. Wayne loved living near the water and spent countless days fishing with his wife, family, and friends.

The funeral service was held on November 7th, 2018 at Richardson-Colonial Funeral Home. Burial followed the funeral at Port O’Connor Cemetery. A celebration of life reception was held at the Port O’Connor Community Center following the burial.