Keep fishing; the fish are already wet. They don’t mind the rain. Cap. Jeff Larson

The August wrap-up:

Thank goodness it’s over. There was a 2 week period the hard heads weren’t even eating dead bait. Flounder gigging seemed to stay consistent and is still the most consistent fishing game in town. The tide has finally oame back so there are less boats getting stuck. Speak of getting stuck I watched Charlies Shrimp Boat blowing out the sand and silt in Coyote Pass that has been filling in over the last few years. The low tides last month were not allowing boats to go through the pass. Deep draft boats had to enter Espiritu Santo Bay via Turn Stake. Redfish was the next target that made August an average fish catching month. It was real spotty, some days chicken some days feathers. Black Drum also helped fill coolers which are a good fish to target. Black Drum are a little harder to clean than reds but with a sharp knife it’s worth the extra time to fillet.

I need to thank Captain Randy Hudson of the Fishing Center for letting Joe Massa and I go shrimping with him. We hope we didn’t get in Greg’s way to often that day. Randy is a shrimp catching son of a gun. He has been shrimping here for 40 years. If you need shrimp call up to the POC Fishing Center. My suggestion to the readers is you better get to The Fishing Center quick when he docks his shrimp boats because there is a long line for fresh shrimp.

The last couple of days in August turned out really good. Trout were showing back up in the ICW and deep drop offs around the islands. I fished for trout a few days and it wasn’t pretty. It wasn’t on fire but that’s where I found em. Other guides found them in their own spots. Then I hit the spoil banks I found some there also.

The first week in September has been awesome so far for reds at the lower end of the slot size. The small ones are great for grilling and baking. If you need some awesome recipes look for Pam Johnson’s cook book at any Speedy Stop location. Plus while you are there you will need to pick up some of Chaille McCord’s Call Me Gourmet Jalapeño Mustard sauce. I hope all of you had a chance to sample her sauces at the POC Beach Bash. I use her sauces straight on my fish fillets or spread the Jalapeño Sauce all over the fillet before I put them in my corn meal mix, then fry. Chaille’s Call Me sauces are a must if you grill, bake or fry Kingfish. They also zing up any sandwich. I might need to add a recipe section to this report. Thoughts anyone??

The dove scouting report is once you get them patterned it rains and it’s back to the drawing board. The central and north zones produced above average numbers. You have to scout your fields to be successful is the best advise I can offer. Look for grain fields, sunflowers and goat weed then put in your time and hope that it doesn’t pour down rain before you get out there.

Teal season is about to kick off this month. I just saw a big flight of Teal on the island while fishing just a few days ago. A full moon and norther will bring the majority of the blues down to our county. For the readers that don’t know about Teal hunting, the best thing is always call the Saltwater Lodge to book a trip. The most important place to be when hunting Teal is in a flooded rice field. The next best spot is in the area where there is rice. Lastly you have to put time in scouting. If you wing it, no pun intended, its a crap shoot at best if you plan on bagging any of the wild flying feathered creatures.

WARNING TO DOG OWNERS. I have been seeing alligators near duck blinds in various areas. Every year during teal season hunters loose their dogs to alligators. It behoves dog owners to communicate with one another where they see alligators. Don’t be apathetic and think that your pond doesn’t have an alligator in it.

Speaking of Gators. Call the Lodge and speak with Scott. He can set up a gator hunt for you with Jake.

There isn’t any place better to be than Calhoun County at the Saltwater lodge this time of year. Come down to relax, eat great food and enjoy the outdoors. The Saltwater Lodge reservation line is:361-785-DUCK (3825).

Wishing you fast limits, record gators and a ton of spent shells. But pick em up!!!!

Captain Jeff Larson 281-217-0399

Wade fishing with bone top water lures while catching and releasing brute redfish, Chet C. from San Antonio enjoyed fishing with Capt. Nathan Beabout of Bay Flats Lodge September 7.

Due to a minor cool front in the extended weather forecast, today’s early morning venture took me and my party to a locale that I had not visited for quite some time. We chose this particular shoreline due to the fact that we were to be receiving northerly winds overnight, and because we had noted the presence of nervous mullet here as we pre-scouted potential fishing areas late yesterday afternoon. The bay bottom along this shoreline tapers gradually away from its grass-lined banks and offers anglers a lot of different combinations of underwater structure to choose from – grass, sand, mud, troughs and sandbars, and even shell in some spots. It’s a perfect place to look for bait during a north wind, especially during a rising or a falling tide change. This morning we would be experiencing a substantial high tide period shortly after sunrise, so we made it a point to be in place and ready for action about a half-hour beforehand.

We anchored in water that covered our bodies nearly to our stomachs. Upon exiting the boat, two of us went left, and two of us went right. We all were walking parallel to the shoreline as we made our way in and out of major and minor troughs that took us from thigh-deep to almost chest-deep water at times. In this deeper water we were presenting plastic tails, as the water clarity was fairly good along this particular stretch of the shoreline. The lures we had chosen were mullet imitation baits that were a mixture of deep blue and purple on the back, and which had chartreuse on the bottom and on the very tip of the tail. Within the first ninety minutes of daylight we had managed to land a few small trout that were keepers, but we also caught a number of undersized trout and rat reds as well. The sky was absent of clouds this morning, and we could already feel the temperature rising at the water’s surface. I looked over my shoulder to see how far we had ventured from the boat when I noticed that the other two members of our party had made their way back to the boat and were now heading toward the shallow waters located directly along the grassy bank.

My partner and I turned to slowly begin fishing our way back to the boat, and as we walked we could definitely tell that the air and the water temperatures were rising. By the time we were approaching the boat, the water was getting downright warm. My intuition told me to yell to the two guys in the shallows telling them that it was time for them to return to the boat, but just as I was about to holler I happened to glance at one of the guys and noticed that his rod was bent in half with what appeared to be a really nice fish on the other end. We sat and watched the next several minutes as line occasionally peeled from his reel as he fought to keep the fish under control. Moments later we saw him net what looked to be a truly beautiful red fish. I wasn’t wanting to believe my eyes, but my mind was telling me to pay close attention to what was going on here – this man just made a very impressive catch in some rather warm (almost hot) water. The logic of this happening in hot water went against everything I normally practice, but the reality of the situation didn’t take long to set-in. The two of us in the boat abruptly got back into the water and began heading for the shallows along the bank.

During the warmest months of the year, it is a fairly standard practice for us to fish in very shallow water really early in the day when the air and the water are still at their coolest. Then, later in the morning when things begin to warm-up, we generally will follow the bait fish out to deeper water as they begin to transition to cooler depths. Today’s successful regiment, however, called for an exact opposite set of rules – fishing with top water baits in shin-deep water in the middle of the day when things got really warm. It’s not something I would have normally suggested doing if I had not seen it with my own eyes, but the four of us spent close to two hours today catching these red fish in warm water that was within 15-30 yards of the bank. The bite wasn’t real aggressive, and periods of twenty minutes, or more, would pass with no blow-up whatsoever, but the fish were there as long as we were willing to look for them. The day turned out being a positively unexpected, yet welcomed, change in plans and strategy.

In closing, our team of guides at Bay Flats Lodge wishes to remind everyone of the rapid approach of the upcoming waterfowl season, with this year’s opening day being November 1st. Duck season is a wonderful time of the year to experience a “Blast & Cast” trip where you can experience a full morning of waterfowl hunting, take a short break, and then exchange the shotgun for top water lures and a fun afternoon of fishing. 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

Jami Vickery and Eric Evins - 42” red at the jetties.

Those grandchildren of Cal and Irene Junek are quite the fishermen!

Bryce Coveny & Kourtney Coveney

10 redfish caught and released

The Port O’Connor chapter of CCA Texas held a General Membership Drive Dinner and Appreciation Fish Fry on Thursday August 7th at Josie’s Cantina in Port O’Connor. We had a record attendance and generated several new volunteers for the chapter. Our guest speaker was Captain Jay Watkins of Rockport. Capt. Watkins spoke to us about fall fishing patterns and what we can look forward to as the seasons change. We enjoyed a night of Conservation and Conversation. We will be hosting our 15th Annual Banquet and Fundraiser on Saturday October 18th at the Port O’Connor Community Center. Tickets and tables are on sale now. We encourage you to get yours early. It promises to be a great event. For more information please call Bill Moore 361 983 4690 or Carl Ray 361 983 4252.

Now, we would like to acknowledge the hard working members that made our 2013 banquet a sellout occasion that was enjoyed by all that attended, those members, in no particular order, are:

Bill Moore – Mike Sharp – Maxine Sharp – Susie Onishi
Candice Stryker – Carl Ray – Pamela Ray
Chris Smisek – Donald Klesel – Jerry Lichac
Ginnie Lichac – Jim Busby – Debbie Busby
Jim Reed – Jessamy Reed – Jimmy Crouch
Barbara Crouch – Lefty Ward – JoAnn Ward
John Robertson – Monique Morian – Mitch Brownlee
Ann Brownlee – Steve Mashman – Linnie Mashman

Looking forward to the October 18, 2014, banquet.

Carl Ray, Port O’Connor Chapter CCA of Texas