Fall fishing on the Middle Texas Coast means many things to me but the thing that stands out in my mind is Abundance of fish! My answer to the question ‘What’s your favorite time of year to fish?’ has not changed and continues to be the Fall! Abundance in the amount of bait, the number of anglers and certainly the number and variety of fish! Keeper fish in fact! Looking back at my logs, I can prove why this is the time of year that we have the best, most and biggest keeper Speckled Trout, Redfish, Black Drum and Flounder.

Fall is for back to school and back to sports and generally back to the reality that you may be ‘too busy to go fishing’ so I am giving you a kitchen pass and I urge you to make it happen, shoot just try it…say ‘honey! I gotta go fishin’…she will probably approve to get you out and then sprint to the shops! But hey, some of my most consistent anglers are women so maybe they will be hollerin’ at you that they are going fishin’. Which ever it is the point is, meet me in the office, my 22’ TranSport!

So many demands on our time and so little time to fish is what I hear from the folks that come to visit us for a day on the water. The thing is the best days are right around the corner and with help from Mother Nature the water will be cooling down soon and we should be enjoying rising tides with the September tropics and the October moon. The fish seem more active and alive with this change and so are the anglers. More water flowing in, more oxygen in the water and the promise of shorter days giving way to more recovery time under the darkness of night all combine into the perfect home for a game fish. Think about it, you will get more sleep and rest too! The thing is you need to be here to benefit from this angling paradise.

Whether your angling method is bait or artificial, this is the time to get it all out of the tackle box and spend these days of cooler weather and seasonal changes walking a reef or lonely shoreline casting out and setting hooks! At Bay Flats Lodge we have a good mix of clients requesting to be in the boat with bait and out in the water wading with artificials. All of our guides can do either method and we all love the change this time of year brings. So check us out online at bayflatslodge.com or phone us at 888-677-4868 and let’s think of a way to make all this happen!

Capt Stephen Boriskie Bay Flats Lodge 512-589-1916

It has been a GREAT summer!  No bad storms!  We cannot celebrate just yet! We are not “out of the woods yet”, to turn a phrase!  October is slated as the worst month for hurricanes and heavy tropical storms.  Time to go over some things to prepare your R.V. to quickly evacuate from a severe weather event.

If you are taking your R.V. from the coast for the winter, you should already have some of the following important items under way. Inspecting tires for weather and usage wear. Remember, tires over 5 years old need be replaced, no matter how much tread there is! Age deteriorates the rubber, as do the miles.  Doing the preparations will take a couple of days, longer if you need services on some items. So, let’s get started!!

First!  Plan an “escape destination”.  Good time to  make that visit you have been talking about!  At minimum, plan to go 100 mile inland, away from the tracking path of the storm! Time permitting, make reservations. Research the area for places to set up temporarily if sites are not available.  Many areas allow temporary use of public parks and parking lots.

Check the battery, and the power connection from R.V. to your tow vehicle. Our humid, salty environment encourages corrosion which can prevent a good connection.  If it cannot be cleaned, replace your connection devices.  Check turn signals, and all exterior lights. Exercise slides,clean and lube rails if needed.  Check the under carriage, shackles, springs, wheels, brakes, tongue and hitch for rust or any issues that could cause a problem during your pull. Check all the vents on your roof for water tight seals at the base. Make sure all vent pipe caps, refrigerator caps, and vent lids are in good shape. Check your antenna, if you have one, make sure it folds down securely. Check all exterior compartment doors, water heater, refrigerator and holding tank access for secure, working locks and latches. check the range hood vent, secure the inside shield if it has one.  Check entry door locks and window latches. Check your power cord connections, at shore power and at your RV. Check your refrigerator and water heater for operation on LP or generator power. Check your holding tank hoses and fresh water hoses. When you are preparing to leave is not the time to find your water hose is firmly welded to the rv water inlet or water source by corrosion! Also not the time for a leaky, deteriorated holding tank hose to fall apart in your hands! Have a generator?  Hope you have been running it under load, at least every 30 days, and have oil and filters changed!  If so, obtain fuel, and a supply of oil and filters. If it needs attention, now is the time to get it serviced and operational.

Inside your RV, secure doors and drawers. Remove hanging items that may bounce off walls while in transit.  Check cabinets for items that are too heavy, glass items that could break, Remember you only have about 400 lbs of weight that you can add to your EMPTY RV! Being overweight causes blowouts, overheating of brakes, axle and suspension breakage, and rollovers!

Check water pump operation.  Clean the fresh water tank and check the plug!  Do not fill the tank before departure!  Too much weight!  Plan to obtain water at your “escape destination”. After unplugging shore power, check 12V system. Great to have at least lights if you have to “boon dock” along the way! Check your tags, inspection, if over 8,000lbs,  and insurance!   We hope no one has to leave their rv in place! They simply don’t survive  in the direct path of hurricane wind and rain!

Adrift in my thoughts……

I find myself drifting. Bobbing around in the boat of a newly acquired friend. Bouncing back and forth, lightly, as the thoughts also drift in and out of my head. What is the overwhelming generosity that I am feeling? The absolute definition of selfless service.

Every once in a while, you find a person/group of people that really cares. In a world where things are very often strange and pain inducing… I found a place that I can hang my fears, anxiety and pain. This group of people I am speaking of are the hosts of Warriors Weekend. Never in my life have I experienced a larger amount of caring/dedication to a cause, than down in the lovely area that is south Texas.

A little about me… my name is Tony Fisher. I was in the Army for the better part of a decade. I joined on an airborne ranger contract and two days later 9/11 happened. Haha, talk about timing. I did a few years of in the sand and came back a little worse for the wear. While it was rough, I have always found a reason to keep on rollin’. It’s folks like you that can help a heavy heart. For that I am forever grateful. The last few years at times have been rough for me and y’all are always a shining beacon of hope for this weary traveler.

It always has been a magical time. ALWAYS. I just want to say from the bottom of my heart… thanks….

Thanks to all the hosts that put people up. Thanks for all the boat captains that do what they do (I know that s**t isn’t free). Thanks for all the volunteers who work their fingers to the bone, so we can all have the best time we can. It would be offensive of me to try and name names. There are some many of you guys it would be a futile effort.

I just wanted to say that, even after the smoke has cleared and the weekend is over, I am still out here thinking of y’all and am very grateful. Keep fighting the good fight. Thanks for everything.

Tony Fisher #goarmy

Thank You

We would like to thank everyone for their prayers, kindness and food that was provided for us . Pastor Ernie, Pastor Samuel, POC Womens Service club, Baptist church group, our family, friends and community helped us get through this difficult time.

Thank you so much.
Stanley “Bubba” Thumann family

Dear POC Neighbors & Friends,

I feel so very blessed today and I want to say thank you all; the benefit for Terry was such a success and I truly feel overwhelmed.

I can’t begin to thank everyone that came out to eat, buy the baked goods and bid on awesome silent auction items.
I always feel the love in our P.O.C. but I still start crying when I start thinking about all the love and support I felt and still feel from this Fundraiser.

Special thanks to our service club for all the baking plus everyone else that brought out baked goods..

Thank you to everyone that donated the brisket and other food and paper goods. Calvin Ragusin put his best spin on the brisket and of course spent the day with all of us and helped with all the extras that had to be done.

To everyone that donated to the silent auction, I can tell you there were bidding wars. It was so much fun watching.

But above all else, I want to thank Sally Ragusin. It was her love and compassion that put this all together and I can not begin to put into words How much appreciation I have for her. So, if you see her around please tell her how great she really is.. The same goes for Marie Hawes. She took this all on with just having had foot surgery. It amazes me. I have no idea how to thank these two girls except to try to give back as they do. So again, if you see either of them, show some
love Thy are, above all, the reason we call Port O’Conner home. Our town is awesome, and I feel privileged that Terry and I are able to call this home.

Blessing to all and again Thank You.
Sincerely,
Jacque Bechard

Dear Mr. Brayshaw,

My homestead is in Austin, but I own (and pay generous taxes on) a cottage in Seadrift. I feel comfortable with my neighbors there, but am sometimes alarmed by the volatile political climate of the Coastal Bend.

A case in point—and the reason for my addressing you—is your article (review? endorsement? advertisement?) in the August 17, 2018, issue, of a recent book publication, “Liars, Leakers, and Liberals” by one “Judge Jeanine” Pirro. I hadn’t heard of the book or its author, so I looked up her biography and credentials on Wikipedia, a public-source website not known for partisan distortions. I could not find that she had ever served in a public judiciary position, elective or appointive. I did discover that she was a reality TV star on a commercial “courtroom” drama. How many of your readers know this, or go to the trouble of finding out? Is it perhaps the Dolphin’s responsibility, in the interests of a community paper, to disclose the biases of the author?

I find the book (if your summary is accurate) a caricature of irrational prejudices and unsupported claims, a classic reflection of the fearmongering and reckless untruthfulness of the current federal administration, from the top down. Do you personally, or the Dolphin’s editor and owners, seriously want to be party to disseminating such toxins in Port O’Connor and Seadrift? It should be obvious that my own political allegiances are Democratic and Liberal, but I think I am a loyal and thoughtful and honest citizen, a practicing Christian who reads the Gospels, and as other such persons should be, outraged by the unmitigated Trumpite propaganda that this book appears to wallow in.

From your publication, presumably a family imprint, I would expect more rational and civil discourse on the urgent issues of our day.

You may print this letter and my name. At 84 years of age, I am not afraid of being bullied and I refuse to have my voice suppressed when I raise it against cruelty or disingenuousness.

Joseph J. Moldenhauer

The Editor Responds…

Mr. Moldenhauer, I am always pleased when readers take the time to respond to what they have read in Dolphin Talk. I must point out, however, that your disapproval of the referenced article by Mr. Brayshaw is based on false assumptions.

Here is the entire entry from Wikipedia:

“Jeanine Ferris Pirro (born June 2, 1951) is an American TV personality, former judge, prosecutor, and Republican politician in New York. Pirro is currently the host of Fox News Channel’s Justice with Judge Jeanine.
She was the first female judge elected to the Westchester County Court prior to her election as the first female District Attorney of Westchester County. As District Attorney, Pirro gained considerable visibility in cases of domestic abuse and crimes against the elderly. Pirro briefly sought the Republican nomination for United States Senate against Hillary Rodham Clinton in 2006, but dropped out to accept the nomination for New York Attorney General. Pirro lost the general election to Andrew Cuomo.”

I must assume that you are not at all familiar with Fox News or you would have heard her name before. She is the Legal Analyst for Fox News and her nightly program, Justice with Judge Jeanine, is not a courtroom drama, but a platform for discussion where various topics in the news are discussed and debated by guests with differing points of view. As the host and moderator, Judge Jeanine, asks the questions. In her “Opening Statement” in each program, she gives her views on the latest political issues.

Mr. Brayshaw is quite knowledgeable about current political issues, and could probably have given you a more detailed response, but having addressed “Letters to the Dolphin”, I felt that I should respond.

Joyce Rhyne, Editor, Dolphin Talk

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 (with exceptions 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.
Letters to the Dolphin:
Dolphin Talk, P.O. Box 777, Port O’Connor, TX 77982
dolphin1@tisd.net

Just last year Hurricane Harvey the Horrible made life challenging for many of us in this area. It wasn’t just the storm and the damage caused, but the physical, emotional, financial and spiritual toll it took as some recovered and others floundered. We saw the very best and the very worst of humankind. Total strangers cooked me food and offered me comfort while other total strangers took what didn’t belong to them or hoarded what they did not need. Individuals and groups gave far above and beyond the comfort level and I had the awesome privilege and awful assignment of helping, praying with, working alongside of and even rescuing family, friends and neighbors. It was an unbelievable experience. Now, I year later I reflect on the outcomes and aftermaths of that experience.

I am blessed to count numerous new friends and family like buddies in my life because of the shared experience. I have shared many a meal, a joke, a job and a laugh with those I did not know or know well before Harvey. I have a whole new book of resources at my disposal including professionals in numerous fields where I am not an expert, knowledgeable contacts in several areas of the country who are willing and able to supply me with information and support, and several new skills and abilities, some of which I never wanted to know but never know when I might need. I understand preparation versus panic and of that which is important versus that which is vital. I have learned that almost everything is replaceable if necessary, stuff is just stuff and people are not expendable. I have seen that people come and go in our lives sometimes for a season and sometimes longer, but all are a part us. And, I have learned that I am in the end responsible for myself and my response to any of life’s given situations. I must answer for my choices. Yes, there were times that the results of Harvey tested my faith in God, humans and even myself, but time has not only healed but increased my faith. There were some in my life who did not understand or did not agree with our process of helping and healing and moving forward, while others supported every step. In retrospect, Harvey, like many other tough situations in life, was and is like rain and fertilizer for plants and crops. Sometimes it is messy and smelly, but growth and beauty result from the process. I am better and more productive than I was before.

As we watch others in our nation face hurricanes and storms, many of us feel anxious or nervous for them and are negatively reminded of our own experience. Others are convicted to encourage them, pray for them, be patient with them as we remember how difficult can be in the midst of the mess. I am vitally aware of how little control we really have over life and its myriad circumstances. He who is greater than us all is ultimately in charge and quite capable of managing without my help or even my worry. Ultimately, I can only change or control myself. So, I say leave the worry and the management of it in His hands and be about doing good. Go ahead and dance in the rain! Search for the rainbow! Splash in the puddles and count the seconds between the thunder and the lightning. Catch raindrops on your tongue and listen to them pound on the roof. Storms are sure to come and after the storms come times of growth and refreshing. Find the joy in the downpour and you will never miss another rainbow or the pots of gold at the end! Just know that sooner or later there will always be another storm in life if you missed the lesson of this one…