Exciting plans are coming together for this year’s 6th Annual Crawfish Fest & Cookoff, to be held on April 28th.  If you are not familiar with the Crawfish Fest, it is the Port O’Connor Chamber of Commerce’s ONLY annual fundraiser. Right now we are working on getting our sponsors for the event, as they play a major role in ensuring that we make a profit!  Our goal is to raise $30,000 this year, and in order to meet this goal, we are asking for sponsorships from local businesses and individuals that play an important role in our community. By giving to this annual event, you will be helping our mission, as well as allowing us to promote you or your business at our event. We are expecting over 2000 people at the event, and what better way to help get your business name out there!!

Profits from this fundraiser allow the Chamber funds to continue having our other annual events, such as the Memorial Days Kids Fishing Tournament and Kite Flying Contest, Fireworks display in July, Trunk or Treat, Lighted Boat Parade, and the Annual Christmas Party.  In the past years, we have raised enough funds to set aside for other projects as well, such as the new pavilion at King Fisher Park. We are considering some other projects at this time, and would love to hear any ideas you, as the community, might have as well.

If you would like to be a sponsor, or know of someone that would, you can see our sponsorship levels and form on our website, at www.portoconnorchamber.com. Feel free to call or email myself, Darla Parker at 713-857-0482, darla611@aol.com and I will be happy to get one to you!  Make sure to mark your calendars for the Crawfish Fest to be held on Saturday, April 28th!

Sharon and Gina Combat Redfishing on their Ladies Day Out. Ladies are so much fun on these Combat Redfishing Trips, they really enjoy the Airboat Ride. -Capt. Jeff Larson

Hey! Hey! Spring is getting it on!

Chilling out today, I noticed the Mud Swallows arrived today under the house. As luck would have it, I didn’t take their nests down after last years hatch. They are taking two of their nest back over and looking for another place to start mud dobbing another one of their houses. I just hate cleaning up after them and if you leave it on the ground for too long, it stains the concrete. Their arrival is a perfect signal that Spring is springing. We have been wade fishing for trophy trout with plenty of success. Reds are also plentiful taking whatever bait you want to throw at ‘em. Captain Braden Proctor gave me a couple pounds of crawfish for some stake out boat fishing. Lol, they worked! So I guess its safe to say if you don’t boil all your crawfish this Spring Break, you can save them for Redfish bait. Don’t knock it till you try it. Black Drum eat crawfish too. We haven’t tried cooked 1s yet to see if they like mild or spicy. If you figure that one out, please let me know.

Speaking of Crawfish, We were eating at Bubba’s the other night and they are getting em in. The all you can eat Wednesday special can only come back if they have a good hatch at the Farms.

February, as usual, had the same unpredictable weather patterns but as the water warms between fronts the barometric pressure rises and falls making for yearly fishing patterns that seasoned fishermen take advantage of to harvest some wall hanger trout. Reds are always accessible while targeting Trophy Trout during our early springtime conditions. Any artificial wounded mullet bait floating or slow sinking will land you plenty of fish for the stringer and for a possibly personal best.

The fish kill has NOT really impacted the fish catching around our part of the Coast. We are seeing tons of Trout hit the fish cleaning table. The Big Girls, over 25”, have been very photogenic. This past week several Trout over 27” were CPR’d that made for some happy mid coast wade fishermen’s day. It makes you wonder if we wouldn’t have had a freeze if it would have been any better. Maybe for the Big Back Bay Girls it hindered those trout. Tops fished shallow seem to be a good tactic to getcha a good un. Corkys and DSL Big Eyes fished shallow are the other baits that have been getting the Big Girls to bite. The way I’m seeing it, fishing is really good and there are still plenty of Trophy Trout for a CPR session.

Throwing shallow brings out the reds and the occasional flounder. Flounder are showing up which is good news for flounder giggers.

My Ol’ Flounder Buddies, Pat and Chuck have been going out and sticking a bunch of ‘em. Weather is always a factor so you have to be flexible when you go out at night. We can always add a gigging trip, weather permitting. If you’re an Old Salt, you know that high winds can make for a tough evening, if you’re okay with that then we will go for it. Forcing a gigging trip in 25+ mph winds is always interesting and can be very rewarding. The key to gigging limits of flounder in high winds is finding clear enough and calm enough gigging water. All the Captains that offer gigging trips in our reading area are the best I have ever gig’d with over the years. They live on the water and they are also commercial fishermen making flounder gigging a way of life. They can see those flat fish in any kind of conditions.

Saltwater Lodge is known as a Casting and Blasting Lodge. Calhoun County has a small but huntable number of Wild Turkey. We book only one weekend of Turkey Hunting and Trophy Trout Fishing Combo every year. We are seeing a bunch of Jakes and numerous long beards strutting around the Ranch. The numbers seem to be up compared to just a few years ago. We have maintained a pretty good predator control program which is necessary if you want a Big Population of Turkeys. Some Deer Hunters do not care for Turkeys because they eat their deer feed. Every Ranch has a different program for Turkeys. We always enjoy watching the Spring Strutters do their Thang! So we grow the herd.

We are looking forward to hearing from you and booking your next fishing memory with us at The Saltwater Lodge.
Billy is booking trips weekly so have your preferred dates ready and call him to get it booked: 713 – 907 – 4796

Springing for Fins, Feathers and their Fillets,
Captain Jeff Larson 281-217-0399