Captain Cody Spencer takes longtime friend of Captain Chris Martin, 33 years, Ray Proctor, duck hunting.

One of the hardest things to do when fishing at this time in the year is determining productive water, and probably one of the best ways to do this is to not venture into areas where you know the fishing will be unproductive due to winter weather conditions. Learn to focus on places that typically hold quality fish on a seasonal basis. This can be somewhat of a monstrous task accomplish when the weather is nice, but when the wind and water turn chilly it can become even a bigger challenge. As a generic rule, fishing deeper water in wintertime tends to be more productive, and our San Antonio Bay system offers quite a few of what have long been some of the coast’s more legendary cold-weather sites and deep-hole hot spots like the Army Hole, the Port O’Connor jetties, the boat basin at Matagorda, and the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW). But, even closer to the Seadrift area is the Victoria Barge Canal. The thirty-five mile Victoria Barge Canal was completed to a navigable depth of 9-feet and to a width of 100-feet in 1968, but now matches the size and depth of the ICW with which it connects. Thus, the canal offers deep-water access for fish and protection from the elements for anglers during the colder times of the year, and the deep water attributes of the canal have often proven to be a great place to find wintertime trout that are staging themselves within its confines.

A lot of coastal anglers probably don’t get to spend the amount of time required out on the water in order to know where the fish are located on a day-to-day basis, especially during winter in the Victoria Barge Canal. So, in an effort to help alleviate some of the frustration, here are a few productive tips that might prove helpful while fishing in the canal during the winter months. First and foremost, do not go in the canal under the assumption that you are going to be wading fishing. The floor of the canal is occasionally covered in treacherous mud and silt, making it difficult to navigate on foot, and the banks of the canal drop-off irregularly and sometimes very rapidly. Additionally, if you were to be wading the shore of the canal at the time of barge traffic, you could very well find yourself in a tough, if not threatening, situation. Many folks prefer drift fishing in the canal, and have found it to be quite successful during this period of the year. A lot of times the fish will be on one side or the other of the canal when the temperature drops, and the only way to locate them is simply through trial and error. In this situation, your first choice should be to setup a drift depending on the wind direction, drifting whichever side of the canal that happens to coincide with the direction that the wind is blowing. However, when the temperature really drops, you will probably find most of the boats drifting across the midsection of the canal in order to take full advantage of the 12-foot depth.

If the water is clear in the canal, drift until you locate the bite and then anchor while tossing a soft-plastic lure up and down the center of the canal. In clear water, try to vary the depth of your lure between 5 to 12-feet while looking for staging fish. As temperatures warm, the fish will move closer to the top, and regular success can be experienced while fishing plastic baits beneath a popping cork nearer to the bank of the canal in 5 to 6-feet of water. But remember, temperature means everything here, so if it’s really cold the fish will be on the bottom. Now, if the water in the canal is muddy you may not wish to waste valuable time by stopping to set the anchor and cast. In muddy water, simply drift while casting your lure and letting it sink completely before bumping it across the bottom and back to the boat. One other item of mention with regards to the canal is that you can never discount tidal movement. As like most any other fishing spot along the coast, most anglers have learned that you need tidal movement in the canal if you expect to have results. A low tide or a high tide does not seem to matter, but you need one or the other. No tidal movement in the canal generally means “no fish” as a direct result.

In closing this edition of Guide Lines, Bay Flats Lodge wishes to remind everyone of our 2016 FEBRUARY FISHING SPECIAL. The dates include all days in February 2016, and it’s a time during the year when you and your guests can enjoy all the benefits of Bay Flats Lodge and their staff of professionals at a discounted rate. Remember to practice CPR, “Catch, Photo, and Release”, whenever possible on trophy Trout and Reds…Guide Chris Martin, Port O’Connor/Seadrift region. www.BayFlatsLodge.com…1-888-677-4868.

Jerry M. Salley, 79, of Port O’Connor, passed away on Sunday, December 20, 2015. He was born on February 26, 1936 in Greenwood, MS to John M. and Janie Laverne Douglas Salley. He was a 1958 graduate of TCU, where he played football and lettered for three consecutive years. Jerry was a managing general partner of the Vic-Cal Grain Company for many years, a retired farmer and an avid sportsman.

He is survived by the love of his life, his wife of 30 years, Carole Wattles Salley of Port O’Connor; and the family he so loved, his son, Roy J. Salley of Dallas; step-daughters, Tina Mason, Illinois, Karrie Bill of Victoria; step-sons, Anthony Mason of Virginia, Gregory Bill of Arizona, Jeffrey ‘Scott’ Bill of San Antonio; brother, Doug Salley of Mississippi; numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

In addition to his parents, Mr. Salley was preceded in death by a grandson, Wesley Salley.

Burial was held at on Wednesday, December 23, 2015 at the Port O’Connor Cemetery. Funeral services followed at the First Baptist Church in Port O’Connor.

Memorials may be made to the First Baptist Church, 410 Jefferson Ave. Port O’Connor, TX 77982 or Warrior’s Week-end, c/o Harrison, Waldrop & Uherek, LLP, P.O. Box 2052, Victoria, TX 77902

Words of comfort may be shared with the family at www.rosewoodfuneralchapel.com

Verna Prebilske

Verna Pawlawski Prebilske, 91 of Port O’Connor passed away December 30, 2015. She was born September 12, 1924 in Chappell Hill, to the late Joseph and Rosie Gurka Pawlawski.

Verna is survived by her daughters, Debbie Albrecht (George), Verna Lynn Fore (Kenny); sisters, Wanda DeLuke, Florence Kubeczka (Harry), Ann Black (Donald), and Rosemary Adler; grandchildren, Steven Flannigan, Ryan Fore and Melissa Albrecht; step-grandchildren, Eric Moody, and George “Buster” Albrecht, Jr.; great-grandchildren, Kyleigh Fore, Peyton Fore, and Ronin Fore.

In addition to her parents, Verna was preceded in death by her husband, Steve Charles Prebilske; son, Steven Wayne Prebilske; sisters, Cecilia Vollmer, Frances Phillips, and Gertrude Pawlawski; brothers, Frank Pawlawski, Edmund Pawlawski, Henry Pawlawski, and Theodore Pawlawski.

Funeral services will be held on Monday, January 4, 2016 at the Richardson Colonial Chapel. Burial followed at the Port O’Connor Cemetery.

Pallbearers were Calvin Dodd, David Ray, Darryl Ray, Larry Kubeczka, Lonnie Black and Michael Black.

If so desired memorial donations may be made to the Port O’Connor Volunteer Fire Department.

Words of comfort may be shared with the family at www.richardsoncolonial.com

Verna was born in Chappell Hill, Texas to first generation Polish immigrants. She was the oldest of eight girls in a family of 12 siblings. She grew up in meager beginnings in a house with a dirt floor where her meals were made on a wood burning stove. The family made their living sharecropping cotton and Verna was responsible to pick her share.

In her late teens Verna moved to Houston to find work. She was very proud to have found a job serving her country as a ship welder and later packaging meat at the Hormel Packing House that delivered those goods to the soldiers in active duty overseas. Verna also worked as a carhop at the famous “Prince’s Drive In’ in Downtown Houston.

In 1947, she married a soldier returning from his tour in the Pacific named Steve Prebilske, who was originally from Brenham. The Prebilske’s lived in Houston and raised three children, Verna Lynn, Steven Wayne and Debbie Kay. They were blessed with 51 years of marriage.

In the late 60’s their love of fishing brought them to Port O’Connor. They built and ran Verna’s Motel until 1997. They both remained in Port O’Connor until their deaths.

Verna loved fishing, hunting and gardening. She also enjoyed canning, sewing, quilting and dancing. In younger years, she and Steve were known to win quite a few jitterbug contests.

She loved all her family and friends. Chances are if you stopped by for a visit, you did not leave empty handed. Perhaps you sat down for a slice of homemade pie, or left with a jar of jelly, or if you were really lucky, a jar of her Polish pickles.

Verna was a strong-willed, feisty, independent and caring woman with a great sense of humor and a heart of gold. The Lord blessed her with 91 years on this earth. She will be greatly missed.

Pictures of Verna and family can be viewed at richardsoncolonial.com .