Crawfish season is in full swing now and that can only mean one thing, March has arrived and it’s time to shake off the ice and cold and put on the lighter jackets and gear because things are warming up quickly and the fishing is going to get hot!

This is one of my favorite months of the year because it just seems like anything is possible coming off the colder days and more into the warmer ones.  This is a great time to make any final improvements to my boat and gear and get things in line for the upcoming busier season.  I love going through all my tackle boxes and bags and cleaning out the old rusty junk and drying it all out and then going shopping for new lures and gear!  Sort of like Christmas all over again there are just so many cool things for fishing to purchase and stock up on again.  I like buying 1,000 hooks at a time so that they will last me all year and my order is already placed for some Eagle Claw number 5 and 6 kahle hooks and a couple dozen of my favorite corks-the Outcast by MidCoast Products.

The Middle Texas Coast is one of wonder and amazement.  You wonder if the weather is going to cooperate and when it lets you out on the water there are times of amazement at how good your catch was that day.  Wading with soft plastics in your favorite colors works very well and for me that would be an assortment of Texas Trout Killers, Killer Flats Minnows and Killer Hustlers in Morning Glory, Geaux Gleaux, Who Dat and Texas Roach, all with either a chartreuse or fire tail.  I love Corky Devils as well in similar colors.  Top waters like the Super Spook Jr in most any shiny color are fantastic this time of year too, so keep the topwater in your arsenal and mix it up to see what’s working, start at day break with a darker color and move to the lighter ones to shiny as the sun get’s up and if that doesn’t work reverse it!

March is one of those months when it seems that almost any method you use of angling fish works just as good as the next.  During this time I will have clients fishing out of my boat launching outcast corks with a live shrimp under it on a two foot monofilament leader with the number 5 kahle hook.  I use these hooks because they are a proven immediate hook set and also because they are easier to dislodge from the mouth of the fish and they tend not to get deep hooked so the fish not going into the take home box will live after hook up.

Equally effective is boat fishing chunking lures such as any of the myriad of topwater plugs and also we will work the water column with both slow and faster sinking soft plastics.  There are days in March with the wind too high for drifting and so on those we can get out of the boat and wade fish using the same offerings.
My live bait customers enjoy this time of year and I gotta say it’s a fun time to be the guide.  Most of the day is spent baiting hooks with live shrimp, netting fish and then doing it all over after the ensuing ‘high fives’.  Action and more action whether it’s solid keeper sized Speckled Trout or Redfish or Black Drum or Sheepshead, throw in Flounder and the myriad of other fish you catch using this method.  So you catch three Lady Fish and a few undersized Specks and then a keeper Speck, GREAT…you are catching fish and guess what, use that Lady Fish for cut bait later for Redfish!  Works great along with cutters like Mullet.  Plenty of bait this time of year and plenty of fish to catch around these parts and all over the Texas coast.

It’s going to be windy, it’s most likely going to be cool, and it’s definitely going to be choppy on the water so spend some time getting your gear in line and your layered clothing in case that late cool front smashes you around and the rain is too cold not to be prepared for it.  Dress for the conditions and you can stay on the fish longer and enjoy it more.

Remember this is your time on the water away from the distractions of work-life-stress so take your time on the wade-don’t move too fast-slow the retrieve at times and try it that way, no need to cover the entire area fast to get to the next one, the tortoise wins this race at the end of the day.

CCA Port O’Connor Chapter 2018 Annual BANQUET
Saturday, March 24, 2018
POC Community Center
$800 Redfish Table
Premium Seating for 8
Includes meal, beverages,
table server during live auction, table gift, CCA membership
$60 Individual Tickets Includes Meal, Beverages, CCA Membership
For More Information:
Bill Moore: 361-983-4690 wildbm@tisd.net
Taylor Rieck: 713-626-4222 trieck@ccatexas.org

Organized efforts led by three groups have resulted in the collection of over 1000 derelict traps from area bays during the 10-day closure to commercial crabbing. Mandated by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, the purpose of the closure each February is to allow identification and removal of traps that have been lost or displaced and are not being fished.

The San Antonio Bay Foundation, led by director Dan Alonso, concentrated efforts in the Guadalupe River, Traylor’s Cut, Guadalupe Bay, Mission Lake, Hynes Bay and on the west side of SA Bay from Austwell. Efforts were guided by aerial survey at the beginning of the closure period. Participating organizations included Mission Aransas National Estuary Research Reserve, Texas Water Development Board, The Nature Conservancy, Colville Ranch, Swan Lake Ranch, Dow Chemical volunteers, USAA volunteers, Guadalupe Blanco River Authority and River Trust, and several non-affiliated individuals.

The San Antonio Bay Partnership, led by Chair Allan Berger, focused its efforts on the Port O’ Connor area, both Matagorda Bay and Espiritu Santo Bay, and into San Antonio Bay to Panther Point and the Victoria Barge Canal from Charlie’s Bait Camp. Boats and crews from CCA chapters in Port O’Connor, Victoria and San Antonio were represented, as were members of the Mid-Coast Texas Master Naturalists and the Coastal Bend Paddling Club.

The Aransas National Wildlife Refuge had crews collecting traps from Panther Point in San Antonio Bay to the west through Mesquite, Carlos, Dunham, Sundown, and St. Charles Bays and along the Refuge shorelines, according to Refuge Biologist Andrew Stetter.

Additionally, other interested individuals picked up traps and brought them to the collection points.

According to Norman Boyd, San Antonio Bay Ecosystem Leader for TPWD, an estimated total of 987 traps from the San Antonio Bay system and 54 traps from Matagorda Bay were collected in his bins over the 10-day closure period. That compares with 575 collected in 2017. While Hurricane Harvey resulted in more displaced traps, the success of the program was driven by an organized approach by 20 boats and 49 volunteers over the closure period. Boyd also believes, that once the results are finalized, the San Antonio Bay system will have collected more traps that the rest of the State combined – a testament to the efforts of the three organizations leading the efforts.

Boyd states that the removal of these traps is important to maintain the health of the bays, both ecologically and aesthetically. The derelict traps that are in the water continue to fish, attracting crabs and fish that then die and attract more crabs and fish – an ongoing killing cycle. These traps are also hazard to boats and propellers. The traps on the ongoing killing cycle. These traps are also a hazard to boats and propellers. The traps on the shore are unsightly trash.

The bays are now open again to crab fishing until February 2019 when volunteer efforts will again be needed to assist in picking up derelict traps. If you missed this years’ efforts but want to be included next year, contact Allan Berger at allanrberger@comcast.net or Dan Alonso at dalonso@sabay.org to get a reminder. They are confident you will find the effort interesting, rewarding, and fun.

Seadrift School celebrated Dr. Seuss’ Birthday by Reading Across America. Students wore their pajamas and had visitors read Dr. Seuss books to the class throughout the day. Cat in the Hat (members of the Harbor in Port Lavaca, Texas) visited each classroom. Dr. Seuss’ literature has played an important role in todays’ classrooms.

Speedy Stop cooked green eggs and ham for the POC students

Fantastic Teeth Program
Seadrift Masonic Lodge Number 1098 presented the Port O’ Connor, Seadrift, and Tivoli Elementary School’s First Graders with Dental Hygene Kits as part of the Annual Masonic Home and School Fantastic Teeth Program. A short presentation was made explaining the importance of keeping the teeth and mouth in good health. Teachers assisting were Ms.Leanne Hribek in Port O’Connor, Ms. Riley, Ms Christy, Ms Estrada, and School Nurse Ms Goode in Seadrift.

Pictured above are Port O’Connor first graders.

Hope High School students were recently visited by a representative from Texas A & M. They were informed of the process of applying and all of the offerings the university had. The students appreciated the presentation and look forward to what the future entails for them. On February 23, twelve of the students were given a guided tour of the University of Houston Victoria Campus.