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08 Tales from the Brown Lagoon Mike McBride12 A Counterintuitive Theory Kevin Cochran 16 Tough Winter for Surf Anglers Billy Sandifer 20 Does Size Really Matter? Martin Strarup 22 Attitude is Optional and Results ... Chuck Uzzle26 Rod Failure Tod Kirkman 18 Coastal Birding Billy Sandifer41 Science and the Sea UT-Marine Science Institute42 Lets Ask The Pro Jay Watkins46 Fly Fishing Casey Smartt48 Offshore Bobby Byrd/John Cochrane50 Conservation CCA Texas52 TPWD Field Notes Robert Adami, Jr.56 Kayak Fishing Scott Null60 According to Scott Scott Sommerlatte 62 Youth Fishing Aaron Cisneros66 Every Mans Offshore Ruben Villarreal70 Recapping 2010 Big-Shell Beach... Billy Sandifer

74 Dickie Colburns Sabine Scene Dickie Colburn76 Mickey on Galveston Mickey Eastman 78 Capt. Bills Fish Talk Bill Pustejovsky 80 Mid-Coast Bays with the Grays Shellie Gray 82 Hooked up with Rowsey David Rowsey84 Capt. Tricias Port Mansfield Report Capt. Tricia 86 South Padre Fishing Scene Ernest Cisneros 06 Editorial64 TSFMag Spotlight 72 New Tackle & Gear 88 Fishing Reports and Forecasts 90 Catch of the Month Photo Gallery92 Gulf Coast Kitchen96 Index of Advertisers

Norma Meyer is our cover angler posing with a sight-casted red from a Matagorda Island marsh lake. The month of May brings excellent opportunity for shallow water enthusiasts and Matagorda Island is home to thousands of acres of pristine backcountry habitat.

Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine (ISSN 1935-9586) is published

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4 May 2010 / www.TSFMAG.com Texas Saltwater Fishing Please use our Texas spotted seatrout resource wisely!

It has been my general practice to avoid discussing the operation and content of this publication in my editors columns, preferring instead to present views on what I consider matters of importance relating to fishing, fisheries management, conservation and the like. I am going to deviate this month as I have several announcements and other tidbits to present. First is the article entitled Rod Failure that begins on page 26 in this issue. I was lucky for the loan of a recent copy of RodMaker Magazine from longtime friend Danny Meyer of Fishing Tackle Unlimited. Danny directed my attention to a piece by RodMaker editor, Tom Kirkman. I was instantly impressed with Toms treatment of this troublesome topic. Rod failure is an ugly reality, always has been, and nothing is more disheartening than tangling with a great fish only to have the rod snap. For rod builders, whether one-off custom, major manufacturer, and all in-between, rod failure saps profits and taints reputations no matter the cause. In this era of anglers demanding lighter and more sensitive rods, frequently over-lined with braid, we the anglers are rarely to blame, in our minds anyway. We secured permission to reprint Toms work in the hope that we could provide a technical review that might increase knowledge and understanding for readers and our rod building friends alike. I trust you will find it informative. Wade fishing safety. All too often we are lulled into believing that wade fishing is nothing more than a stroll in the bay. On Good Friday, friend Benny Judice nearly drowned as he stepped off a reef in San Antonio Bay. Had it not been for quick action from fishing partners Jeff Larson and nine-year-old son Brennen; it would have certainly been Bennies last wade. Prior space commitments precluded running the story in this issue however, we are planning a presentation next month to include Bennies harrowing tale and a general discussion of wade fishing safety. Dont miss it we have some revealing facts and a few myths to bust. Youth writer. We have been blessed with the contribution of Aaron Cisneros to our magazine for several years. We watched Aaron grow to become an accomplished angler and develop an aspiration to follow his father in becoming a fishing guide. Aaron will graduate high school this month and move to San Antonio to begin studies at UTSA. So who will become our next youth correspondent? We began running the Youth Fishing department with then high school junior, Kyle Tomek. Kyles tenure ended as he went off to college (and became a fishing guide on the side go figure) and is now a regular fishing columnist for several publications. Aaron took over, and we all love him but, unfortunately, another youth writers career is ending and the desk will soon be empty. I encourage TSFMag readers to contact me with names of aspiring young anglers who might desire to hone their writing skills and see their fishing tales in print. Email to: [email protected]. Anniversary. This issue marks twenty years since our old friend and predecessor, Gene Baker, published the very first issue of Gulf Coast Connections. For Pam and me it is now nine years since we purchased GCC and began the journey to become Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine. What a trip it has been!

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W.C. Fields once said, You cant trust the water: Even a straight stick turns crooked in it.

Well, we all might agree with that one. Trying to read the water as a fisherman can create many false illusions, sometimes even convincing us that we actually know what were doing out there. However, down here in the Laguna, the problem for now is that we cant even see that darn stick to understand how much the water is really lying to us. As mentioned last month, much of this beautiful blue lagoon has gone to brown. So, lets put our Costa fishing glasses on and try for a clearer view of this most unwelcome event.

Curtis Thomas and I just did that exactly that. He flew his party into Port

Mansfields airstrip from Lubbock for three days of hopeful fishing. We opted to launch late due to a bone-chilling nip left over from the previous days norther. We launched his beasty, twin Baron aircraft instead for an aerial view of this invasive brown junk. We surveyed everything from the Land Cut to Port Isabel, including a very low-altitude buzz of Captain Tricias waders. (Just to check their stringers, of course but you should see the video.) We estimated that about 75% of the Lower Laguna is swathed in varying degrees of brownness. Disappointing, but certainly not the end of the world as our catches have confirmed. There are several strains of marine algae that, when blooming excessively,

will cause the water to go brown. The stuff we have is called Aureoumbra Lagunesis, which translates literally, golden shadow from the lagoon. Its a tiny single-celled organism and 200 of them will just about put the period at the end of this sentence. Its harmful in several respects but toxic to few organisms except a few clams and other small invertebrates. That can be big however. What it definitely does is stymie seagrass growth through inhibited sunlight penetration. When the grasses die the ecosystem deteriorates, period. Lets hope it clears out soon, but many questions about brown tide remain unanswered. Most specifically is what causes it to bloom and, anxiously for now, what makes it go away?

%+,-,).$ +)(

The brown stuff is changing every day due to wind and current, note green water near shoreline.


No one knows exactly where it came from, but it was first discovered in Alazan Bay in 1990. That particular event went ballistic and persisted heavily in the entire Laguna Madre/Baffin Bay system until the fall of 1997; the longest recorded bloom to date. Although the triggers are not fully known, it is quite suspicious that similar factors existed this year as they did before that historic outbreak. Those being hyper-saline water conditions due to extreme drought, followed with a strong left hand punch of abnormally colder water. To the researchers, it appears that excessive salinities can reduce the abundance of other protozoans which normally graze on brown tide, keeping it in check. Cold water then kicks in and kills other creatures such as small finfish, other single-celled animals and even some of the seagrasses. A significant decaying of dead biomass seems to fertilize this brown machine with abnormal releases of ammonia and inorganic nitrogen. (DeYoe and Suttle, 1994). Lets also remember that our red tide scenario just prior, although minimal in many respects, may have contributed as well. Also quite interesting is this particular but rather obscure quote, Physical mixing of the water column and re-suspension of sediments are factors that must be considered as potential mechanisms of bloom persistence (Stockwell et al. 1993). It is certainly true that we had a massive dredging operation along our part the ICW this past fall and winter and the disposal methods were basically slurry placement of the dredged material onto both new and existing spoil banks. If well look at the latest Google Earth satellite imagery, its clear how this operation silted up a lot of our water, which may indeed qualify as redistribution of sediments. Dont know for sure, just sayin.

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Please use our Texas spotted seatrout resource wisely! Texas Saltwater Fishing www.TSFMAG.com / May 2010 9

Whatever causes brown tide to prosper, when it reaches the magnitude we are currently experiencing, it is a very hardy organism and actually perpetuates itself. In Bubba-speak, this basically means the worse it gets the worse it keeps getting because it has the ability to dominate the entire micro food chain. Fishermen just have to hang on until the system regains its balance. Perhaps those long awaited bull tides of spring will encourage just that. At this writing the entire coast is reeling under extreme low water levels, so if we get that big expected push of water from now through the end of May, perhaps it can help defeat this brown monster. In the meantime, lets just fish around it and, to be honest, it really hasnt been that hard. Yes, of course we come to the Laguna for the uniquely incredible experience offered. We can often visually count fish while cruising in her pristine knee deep waters, and we want to sightcast to them with the realistic shot at trophy class specimens. The good news is that we are still able to do that, but it has just taken little bit of adaptation. Hey, it is what it is, and flexing with natures fickle personality is what fishing is supposed to be about anywayagree? The brown stuff is patchy; denser over there than over here, but it changes every day due to shifting winds and currents. Those marginally brown areas will still have plenty of clarity, especially for the fish, but there are also still some good green streaks in the mix. It may look like crap to us, but lets remember that predator fish feed for a living and have always done quite well at it. Put your good glasses on (youll want Costa 580s in amber, trust me), and see more of what the fish are seeing. We can still decipher

Chunking the lowly plastic worm and doing just fine.


everything needed while running; such as active bait, grassbeds, color changes, mud boils from kicking redfish and those long ripping burnouts from big fleeing trout. I will admit we are fishing shallower than normal, but how cool to have another excuse to catch fish longer than the water is deep? As far as technology goes, we certainly have a lot more to choose from than we did back in the nineties. Heck, we even have spoons that rattle now and topwaters that can wake the dead. Even so, Im not sure we really need all of that stuff. Lately weve just been chunking the lowest tech lure out there in most areas (the plastic worm), and have been doing just fine. Look for those color changes, see your bait, tie on something either dark or bright, and just cast like you mean it. The fish are still in there and are very much catchablewe just still have to admit that they are usually better at finding our lures than we are at finding them. Yes, we do need some balance in the bay, but in the meantime, if you need some balance in your life, just go for it and fish anyway. Its not what we want, but its still what we need.

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Mike Mcbride

Just go for it and fish anyway.


A recent run of tough, yet ironically productive fishing caused me to

analyze and fully develop a theory related to the choice of whether

to switch lures frequently or stick with one over a long haul. The

anecdotal evidence below exemplifies the type of outings we had

during this month-long run.

On Saturday, February 20, I and four clients managed maybe

fifteen bites, and caught only about ten trout, but four of the fish

measured more than twenty five inches, and one flexed the Boga

Grip to nine pounds. Two days earlier, I and four different clients

coaxed only about twenty bites, and caught fourteen fish. Eight of

those fish weighed over seven pounds, the biggest measuring thirty

inches and nearly nine pounds. Similarly, on the 26th day of the

same month, I fished with two others and we struggled to get ten

bites, but one of my fish weighed ten pounds and a client caught a

personal-best seven-plus pounder.

Looked at another way, during those three days of fishing,

I personally had less than twenty bites, but I caught six trout

between seven and ten pounds. For the entire month, in eighteen

days of fishing, I and my clients landed twenty nine trout exceeding

seven pounds, including four in the nine pound class and one true

ten. The total number of fish we caught was low, averaging no

more than ten per trip. Approximately one third of our trout were

over twenty five inches, and about half of those weighed over

seven pounds.

The significance of all this for me is that all but two of the big

fish we caught bit a sinking Corky, either the original or the Fat

Boy. We stubbornly stuck to Corkys during those days because of

a counterintuitive theory Ive developed with regard to changing

plugs as an experimental strategy during a slow bite.

The kind of slow bite referred to here is one that results from

two contributing factors: one, a relatively small number of fish lying

within reach of the angler and two, a generally finicky feeding mood

in those fish, caused by cold water and/or other environmental

conditions. This type of bite is often experienced from late-fall

through early spring when trophy trout fishing.

Basically, I conclude that changing lures frequently during

a super slow bite of this kind is a bad idea. Most of the casts

made during the above-referenced outings resulted in nothing.

But eventually, the plugs we were throwing were eagerly and

aggressively attacked, frequently by trout over twenty eight inches.

From this, I deduce that we were throwing at scattered singles and

small pods of big fish.

Catching those fish can require making an attractive presentation

fairly close in front of their noses. Since we couldnt actually see the

fish at any time, due to murky water and/or a glare on the surface,

placing the lure in close proximity of the trout required making lots

of casts and moving at a snails pace through the area, changing the

exact location and direction of cast constantly.

Some people, in the same situation, change plugs regularly, in

search of something that will get bites more easily. Though I did a

limited amount of experimenting with other lures during that time

frame, mostly, I just kept a sinking Corky tied on, a dark one if it was

cloudy, a brighter one if it was sunny. My customers largely did the

same, based on my advice. I will certainly admit that other people

might have caught the same fish we caught (or more) on other

lures, but I stand by my strategy of sticking with what I knew would

work for me.

My thinking is that its too hard to get pertinent information to

justify making changes in such a scenario. In a situation where its

so hard to get a bite on something that is known to eventually work,

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The picture doesnt really do this 30 inch, 10 pound trout justice. Hooked outside the mouth, she fought like a redfish on steroids!


its impossible to determine what it means when another plug is tied

on and cast some number of times without the desired result. After all,

wed sometimes make a hundred or more empty casts with the Corky,

then suddenly get a vicious strike and catch a fish.

In contrast, it can make more sense to switch lures when its easier

to get a bite. If the action is steady on a given plug, meaning its

eliciting strikes regularly, say once in every four or five casts, a change

might actually help one identify some optimal offering that will

produce a strike on nearly every cast. If the second plug doesnt speed

up the action, it can be reasonably assumed to be inferior to the first

one. Conversely, it might turn out to be even more effective.

Making changes also makes sense in a slow bite that is

unexpected, meaning it occurs in mild or hot weather in the presence

of indicators of plenty of fish. Ill readily experiment with lure choice

if I experience a slow bite when fishing in spring or summer, when I

expect to catch numbers of fish fairly easily, particularly if Ive been

doing so on recent outings. If a few lure changes dont increase the

frequency of bites Im getting, Ill move to a new location, assuming

that there arent many fish where I first stopped. But in peak trophy

season, when I expect to fish for long stretches in the right places for

a few bites, Ill plant my feet and keep casting without making many

changes in what Im offering.

The problem with my theory that it makes more sense to change

lures when its easier to get a bite and not at all when its tough comes

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This 31 inch trout attacked a pearl/pink Fat Boy with purpose, rewarding the authors patience handsomely.


in picking the right lure to use when bites

are few and far between. For me, doing so

comes easiest when Im fishing frequently.

If Ive fished eighteen of twenty days and

caught quality fish on a particular plug

numerous times recently, I can tie it on with

confidence and grind away, knowing it

should eventually work.

Those who dont have the luxury of

fishing as often as a guide will have to do

a little more experimentation, but theyd

be best advised to start with a plan based

on the season and weather conditions

and make changes systematically and

methodically. The factors which lead me to

choose a soft plastic over a Corky, a small

topwater over a large one, or a floating

Corky over a sinker are too numerous to be

outlined here, but working within a set of

sound principles when picking lures is a

must if consistent catching is the goal.

Simply running through everything in

the box randomly and without thoughtful

purpose will rarely result in catching

much of anything, especially on days

when its nearly impossible to get a bite

even on the optimal lure for the moment.

Often, a small number of fish in the area

and a marginal feeding mood contribute

to the difficulty of coaxing strikes from

trophy trout. Consistently catching

scattered, finicky, large trout on plastic

plugs requires locating general areas and

sweet spots which are holding such fish;

it also normally necessitates concentration,

persistence, and supreme confidence in the

right plug.

Co

nt

ac

t Kevin Cochran

Trout Tracker Guide ServiceTelephone361-688-3714EmailKCochran@stx.rr.comWebsitewww.FishBaffinBay.com

Kevin Cochran is a full-time fishing guide at Corpus Christi (Padre Island), TX. Kevin is a speckled trout fanatic and has authored two books on the subject. Kevins home waters stretch from Corpus Christi Bay to the Land Cut.

The strike of this 9 pound trout

was a nearly imperceptible tap

which gave no evidence of her

considerable size.


Our local weatherman, Dale Nelson, says

this has been the coldest winter since he

arrived here twenty-three years ago. I tend

to agree with him on that fact.

Weve had short term events where the

temperatures dropped much lower and

resulted in substantial fish kills but these

events were of short duration. This winter

has been different with extended periods

of mid-30 range at night while day after

day the highs reached only the low-to-mid

50 range. Thats the unusual part and from

anything Im hearing it sure hasnt helped

the overall catching much although there

was a good early-spring black drum run.

For decades I have referred to the winter

months as the time of the starving moon

and this winter has certainly earned that

title. Checking back through my log books

I find that on this date last year the water

temperature was 71.4 and the year before

was 71; today it is 64 degrees and that

pretty much tells the tale.

I always tell folks that Mother Ocean

will turn on sooner or later but that she

does it on her time schedule; not the time

schedule of man. Actually we have been

catching good numbers of fish, just not the

glamour stuff. A red and black drum now

and then and large numbers of good-sized

whiting have been our stock In trade for

some time but its time for our seasonal

change and for some reason I have been

anticipating good spring fishing behind

this hostile winter and still do. I know lots

of us are looking forward to it.

From the large number

of vehicle problems we

had on the Big Shell Beach

Cleanup it is obvious lots

of folks havent been doing their winter

maintenance so take the time to have

your truck checked out before hitting the

beaches. Ill share a tip with you that long

term beach drivers have been using for

many years.

We keep vehicle maintenance log books

just like you do in the military. Every time we

change oil, filters or have repairs done we

log it in the maintenance log with date and

mileage. On the beach I regularly change

out my engine oil and oil filter every 1,500

miles. I also regularly change transmission

fluid and filter. Probably sounds like overkill

but in reality its not.

I also keep a log book on my outboard

and list every repair or lower unit lube

replacement. Takes all the guess work out

of all of it and just makes good common

sense. I never go to the beach without eight

quarts of spare transmission fluid, eight

quarts of engine oil, a spare serpentine

belt, several cans of Fix-

a-Flat, an air compressor,

jumper cables, hose clamps,

some short pieces of hose

and a tow strap. It never

ceases to amaze me that

folks constantly go down

there with no back up

supplies whatsoever, not

even a shovel.

A recent first was the

two fellas who had ran their

battery down by using their

computer powered by their

car battery all night. The

concept of spending the

night online down south of

the Big Shell just goes right

over my head. It went over

their batterys head as well.

%+,-, ),'#()1+

Lang Anderson, age 14, and his dad fished with me on PINS recently and enjoyed the reds and drum.


Speaking of record keeping, I even keep

a fishing line log book with each reel listed,

what line was put on it, how much it held

and the date. Nah, none of it is overkill. Its

just plain, good, old common sense. When

you think about it, if a particular type of

line has a short lifespan it will alert you to

the fact that its poor quality compared to

your other lines and you can discontinue

using it and save money by replacing line

less frequently.

Had a little deal going on this winter

that took me a while to figure out and Ill

pass it on to you. Ive been throwing 5/8

ounce 51M Mirrolure twitch baits on 8

rods and basically the same spinning reels

for 25 years. I stay very open-minded and

when new products hit the market I give

them a try.

Ive been using a variety of braid lines for

about eight years. Then the past two winters

I noticed my casts were shorter than they

have been all these years.

I knew what it was but played around

with several lines and then I took that braid

off my reel and went back to throwing the

same mono Ive been using for twenty-

one years and immediately my typical,

long casts returned. Interestingly enough I

noticed this same braid line on a baitcaster

does a superior job, but it obviously

increases friction on the spinning reel spool.

It is even likely that this will not happen with

all spinning reels. My guess is that the flared

shape of the spool of the particular model

of reel I use is the culprit. Its just something

to think about. Every time they come out

with a new product we all instantly think we

cant live without it but the truth is no one

product is the best for all applications.

We catch more of a variety of smaller

species of sharks in the spring than at

other times of the year. Many of these are

now catch and release only by new TPWD

regulation. Get some of their ID pamphlets

and study up on your shark species so as

not to harm species illegal to keep.

On March 15 Russell Moose Wheeler,

went out on his sportfisher, Fiagzi, with a

full crew consisting of Russell Yakmon

Weir, Todd Neahr, Michael Shindle, Todd

Horn and Rush Battle. Their goal was to put

a $5,000 satellite tag in a mako. They have

made several unsuccessful trips previously

this winter but persistence paid off this

time. Russell Weir fought a 9-3 male short

fin mako and Todd Neahr of TPWD was able

to get a satellite tag in it. Thats awesome

guys. Congratulations. The information

that tag could provide science may prove

absolutely invaluable.

As of April 15 the speed limit on PINS will

be reduced to 15 mph and this will continue

through July 1 due to Kemps ridley sea

turtle nesting season.

Report nesting turtles to 1-866-887-

8535 or 361-949-8173 ext. 226-228. Do not

interfere with nesting turtles. Mark location

of nest after turtle has left to assist the turtle

recovery techs. Report stranded mammals

to 1-800-9MAMMAL. If you cant get phone

service remember that there is service at the

Mansfield jetty. It is jellyfish season and the

best remedy I know of is acetone.

Good fishin - If we dont leave any there

wont be any. Capt. Billy L. Sandifer

Co

nt

ac

t Capt. Billy Sandifer

Billy Sandifer operates Padre Island Safaris offering surf fishing for sharks to specks and nature tours of the Padre Island National Seashore. Billy also offers bay and near-shore fishing adventures in his 25 foot Panga for many big game and gamefish species.

Telephone361-937-8446Websitewww.billysandifer.com


Length: 7.75Wingspan: 19Weight: 2.1 oz

BILLY SANDIFERS

Wilsons Plover-Charadrius Wilsonia-

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So it rained nearly nonstop and was unbelievably cold for weeks at a time this past winter and, naturally, my days on the water were fewer than I like to admit. Therefore, according to the Law of Averages, Im guessing (hoping) that late spring and summer will be perfect. Who am I kidding?

I guess its a part of aging of getting older becoming mindful of aches and pains, less willing to suffer pelting rain and numb fingers. I dont much care for combat fishing anymore, but does that make me a fair-weather fisherman? I think not.

My absolute greatest day of catching large trout was rainy and cold on Baffin Bay in late February many years ago. It was in the lower 40s, not much wind but misty rain stuck with us from the time we left Bird Island Basin just after dawn until we loaded the boat that afternoon.

I was planning to christen a trophy trout lure, a very large soft plastic bait that Ernie Butler was making at the time. He called it the Ernie Butler Sand Eel. Larger than anything you could buy back then and, to be honest, I had my doubts whether they would work they were that big. Ernie told me to trust him, the bait would catch big trout. So I did.

I watched my fishing partners catch multiple trout to twenty-two inches; cast after cast they were bowing up gleefully. Me? I had made the same number of casts to the same structure but yet to receive my first hook-up. I was so tempted to cut Ernies big bait off my line and tie on my old go-to but his words kept echoing in my brain. Trust me, he had said. This is the time of year to catch big troutthrow the biggest bait you have in your box.

I hadnt moved maybe twenty yards from where I had just fanned what seemed a thousand casts and threw the big chunk of plastic out past the faint shape of another cluster of rocks. Almost instantly that old familiar thump telegraphed through my rod. I waited a second to set the hook and soon the first five pound trout of the day came to hand. Over the next several hours I landed an eight pounder, another five, a seven, a four, an eight and a half, a nine, a five and a half, a six and a half, and finally another nine.

Those were the weights of my first ten fish that morning and I caught many more that were not weighed. All of a sudden I loved that big chunk of plastic. That list of weights came from my old fishing log and sadly the few snapshot we made that morning has long since disappeared. Please remember that this was way before any of us had ever seen or heard of a Boga Grip, it is possible that it had not been invented yet. Back then we weighed our catch on some pretty primitive handheld devices so the weights can be called into question. Had I kept all those big trout, I feel safe in saying my stringer would have weighed at least sixty pounds, maybe more. Something was tapping at my wee small brain; large bait for big trout large bait for big trout. It had to be true I reasoned, nobody in our group had landed anything close to the solid and heavy trout that I was catching. So, never having been one who cannot learn through

experience, I continued fishing Ernies big eel baits. And for a while, I did fairly well with them, but the catching just wasnt fast enough. While I was tossing the big baits and getting a hook-up now and then, my friends were hammering fish with smaller lures. Rigged on a light jig, Ernies baits would sink very slowly, almost capable of suspending. It was tedious work; tough to stay focused while other lures drew consistent strikes. Kind of like fishing a Corky.

But like the Boga Grip, Paul Browns creation that produced a state record and gained so much fame hadnt made it to the scene yet. Speaking of the Corky; Ive seen pictures and even a video that Mike McBride made at the cleaning table of a trout that had a huge mullet in its stomach but still ate a Corky. Ive caught trout with mullet tails protruding from their mouths, too large to swallow, and Ive been stunned to watch a large trout try to eat a smaller trout that was on the end of my line. So then it should be a no-brainer that the large bait is the way to go for large trout. Right?

So why dont we throw large baits all the time? Probably because we enjoy and look forward to the constant action of catching fish

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The Ernie Butler Sand Eel (center) is a large bait. When the shrimptail (we called them Touts) was king, it seemed even larger.

Jon Fails photo


and a large bait doesnt produce those results with enough regularity. The first trout over thirty inches I ever got my hands on was caught with a Norton Sand Eel in the Mardi Gras color. I still have the lure. The second longest trout I ever caught measured barely an eighth shy of thirty and was caught with a custom painted MirrOlure She Dog. I still have it too. See how confusing big trout fishing can be? The largest trout that I didnt land was hooked in Baffin in late February a few years ago and I was throwing a Brown Lure Devil Eye in dark strawberry color. I didnt land the fish, came real close, several of us got a good look at her and she was absolutely magnificent. The Devil Eye is not nearly as large as the baits Ernie had given me years earlier but it did fool the largest trout that Ive ever had on the end of my line (largest I have ever seen swimming for that matter.) In all honesty, after all of the years that Ive spent chasing the toothy fish I love

to hunt, I think what it all boils down to is tossing something that looks edible to a trout or something that will irritate a trout enough to make it want to kill it, and, you have to toss it into the right place at the right time. If theres a ten pound trout or a one pound trout out there and it wants what it sees, its going to be on. And if not, well, you make another cast. Someone once said that where we as fishermen fail is when we try to match wits with something that has a brain the size of a pea. I think that person was right. Back to that incredible misty and bone-chilling day on Baffin; when we were loading the boat we noticed two teenage boys hefting a cooler from an aluminum boat there at the Basin. The lid of their cooler was propped open, too full to close. I had to look and I had to ask. They had more nine and ten pound trout in that box than I had ever seen before or since. Inquiring of their success they offered a tale of leaving before daylight and fishing all day. Never too fast or furious, just slow and steady,

keeping the best they caught. Their bait? Small mullet gathered with a cast net the evening before, some of them dead. Dead finger mullet. Go figure. Be safe,Martin

Co

nt

ac

t Martin Strarup

[email protected]

Martin Strarup is a lifelong saltwater enthusiast and outdoorsman.Martin is also a collector and dealer of vintage fishing tackle and lures, especially those made in Texas.

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The sound of the garage door opening

broke the silence as I stood there surveying

my personal weather station. You know, the

one we all use to determine whether the

TV meteorologists are worth their salary. I

looked up at the trees and judged the wind,

not a leaf rustling. The temperature was

ideal, just warm enough to let you know

winter was in the rear view but still a long

way from the meltdown days of summer. All

the variables pointed to a day with plenty of

potential, I would do my best not to waste

the opportunity.

With my little skiff in tow I eased down

the road and got a feel for the water level as

I crossed one of the many bayous that run

through town. The water was a little lower

than normal and that would certainly help

my shallow water program by concentrating

the redfish. Things were definitely shaping

up. The final piece to the puzzle was

my angling friends for the day, Howard

Watson and Steve

Guynes, two very

accomplished

fishermen who

I enjoy sharing

my boat with. As

a matter of fact

Howard was my

very first client I ever

took fishing and

over the years he

has become a great

friend to not only

me but my family

as well. His

passion for

chasing fish

on light line is

matched by few and he has fallen in love

with fishing the Sabine area. Today we

are going to probe the marsh for redfish

and each of us is looking forward to the

adventure.

The morning starts off full of promise as

our first destination proves to be a perfect

starting point. Several fish make telltale mud

boils and push healthy wakes as they make

room for us in the pond. Both Watson and

Guynes start the day off with topwater plugs

just knowing a surface eruption is right

around the corner. The sun is now creeping

up past the horizon and the temperature is

perfect. The added light makes spotting the

fish much easier and we all begin to pick out

fish. For whatever reason the redfish ignore

the surface offerings and remain tightlipped

causing us all to scratch our heads. A new

game plan is put in play. A weightless soft

plastic draws the first strike as Watsons rod

bows and a heavy redfish puts on a show

steadily taking line. For that moment all is

right with the world.

The redfish eventually comes to the boat

and just as we suspected its a toad, a solid

twelve pound fish that stretched the tape

to 32 inches. A few quick snapshots and the

fish is released unharmed. That episode

would repeat itself several times during

the course of the day; quality fish

that had shunned the

topwater

plugs

would

readily inhale soft

plastic offerings. No, the

strikes did include the visual

reward but the results were the

same and for the most part thats all

that really counts when you think about it.

Too many times we get too caught up

in how we do something, the live versus

%+,-,0$.33


artificial debate is the first thing that

comes to my mind on the subject. Fly

versus conventional tackle is another battle

that makes zero sense to me. Begrudging

or belittling the angling accomplishments

of others because its not your way is a little

much on the holier than thou scale, isnt it?

As fishermen we all want one basic thing,

a pull on the end of our line. Some want a

bigger pull. Some want a bunch of pulls.

Regardless of how you go about it we all

want the pull and that makes us all basically

the same. Some of the most fun trips I

have ever been a part of occurred when

anglers who were way up on the skill chart

took time to go back and do something

less complicated. Watching guys who

made their name winning tournaments

and perfecting techniques that

would drive the average angler

nuts reverting back to things

they did when they were kids

can be a treat. To see guys in a

tournament boat that resembles

a NASCAR racer anchored up

pitching live bait or dragging

a cork is as refreshing as the

laughter that inevitably follows.

To simply fish and have a good

time is what this whole sport is

about and we should never lose

sight of that.

The more I think about this the

more Im reminded of some time

I spent in Mexico with TSFMags own Mike

McBride. Like typical Texas boys with good

intentions, we had gone down to search

a virgin area of the Yucatan full of tarpon

and snook armed only with the tackle one

would carry on a long wade. The fish were

there but uncooperative. As we exited a

small lagoon and drifted across a deep flat

we found an abundance of speckled trout

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and watched local fishermen catching them

on hand-lined live baits. Well Im sure you

can only guess what happened next, we

forgot all about the tarpon and snook only

to concentrate on the trout. We got some

strange looks from the other fishermen as

we cast our soft plastics and caught trout

at a steady pace only to release them. Both

Mike and I

laughed at

the whole

episode and at

ourselves. We

had traveled

hundreds of

miles in search

of trophy fish

of a different

species and

here we were

giddy at the

fact we had

found school

trout. Like the

old saying, to

each his ownwe had found our own and

were enjoying it to the fullest.

As summer creeps into the picture there

will be plenty of opportunities for you to

try different methods of fishing and at

various times they will all produce fish.

If you are willing to have an open mind

about techniques and styles you might

be surprised at what you may learn and

how much fun you can have. Be open to

new ideas and see just how much better a

fishermen you may be able to become.

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Editors Note: Little understood by fisherman; rod failure is a heartbreak to anglers and a challenge to all rod makers. The following article offers the most accurate and comprehensive analysis I believe has ever been offered on the topic. This is published with permission from RodMaker Magazine. Many thanks to author and RodMaker editor, Tom Kirkman. RodMaker Magazine PO Box 1322 High Point, NC 27261 Phone: 336.882.3226 www.rodmakermagazine.com

Well over 95% of all rod failures are due to misuse or abuse. As a custom rod builder, can you

spot the difference between a rod broken due to

abuse, and one broken due to an actual defect?

ver 200 rod blanks were destroyed during the making of this article. All had been in perfect 1st quality

form and were simply ruined by twisting, crushing, high-sticking, overloading, and any and all manner of physical torture and abuse you can think of. It sounds bad, and it is. But its what you must do if you really want to learn how to identify the various types of rod failure.

Oby Tom Kirkman


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Winds of twenty-plus miles per hour create

better trout opportunities for me in Rockport than many tend to believe. The barrier islands of San Jose and Matagorda provide protection along the south shorelines of our bays from the high SE winds so common along the middle Texas coast during springtime. The abundance of grass and hard-packed sand provide a formula that attracts fish and anglers alike. This type of bottom structure and currents that run along the shores seem very attractive to spawning trout, especially when the water temperatures rise above 74F. The

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combination of water temperature and preferred structure, along with water clarity and increasing hours of daylight encourage mature fish to congregate along these shorelines and dump their eggs. Biologists say this occurs mostly during hours of darkness. Much of the time the water will be too clear for tricking trophy-sized trout except at first light or just before dark. Nocturnal is no doubt the mode of operation that a large percentage of the trophy class trout adopt this time of year. Combine a few factors such as clear water, angler-savvy trout, and nighttime feeding and you can see where your odds of catching end up. I sleep next to something soft and sweet so nighttime wades are not in my future. Getting it done during the daylight hours more often than not requires some help from Mother Nature. Wind is actually her gift to us even though it may not appear so at times.

The winds of spring push water into the bay systems and baitfish of all types ride the wind-driven waters along the barrier island shorelines. Tidal movements also play a significant role but tides rise and fall, the winds of spring pump in constantly from the warm Gulf of Mexico. So you see, the wind pushes the bait, the trout follow the bait, and we try to stay with them. Strong wind provides surface chop which adds to our ability to get close without being detected.

Surface chop actually helps us impart darting and jumping action to our mullet imitating surface and suspending plugs to draw instinctive strikes. The chop increases the refraction of light allowing trout to see the action of the lure but probably not necessarily enough to spot it as a fake. I believe that many times it is the erratic splash of the surface lure alone that draws a favorable result. I really enjoy working clear-bodied lures such as the Corky Fat Boy and MirrOlure Top Dogs in knee deep water. Selecting lure color and rattle tone depend solely on wind velocity and water clarity which usually varies from day to day. I tend to lean towards lures with mostly clear bodies this time of year. I want the fish to see a small amount of color and a lot of surface commotion between pauses. I work the Corky vigorously in these conditions and have a tremendous amount of luck in doing so.

Heavy trout caught among lots of scattered bait along a windward shoreline.


Typically the strikes drawn in these conditions are from trout weighing four pounds and more. Eight pound fish have become less common the past three or four years in our area but if youre looking for fish in this class, shallow and windy definitely ups your odds.

Expect the majority of your best trout to come from the first gut on the shoreline when high wind coupled with high tide allows baitfish the opportunity to use the flooded grass as a sanctuary. I often get my best fish when casting the outside edge of the bait line that forms as the mullet travel along the shoreline. Lower tides pull baitfish off the shoreline, causing the bait to bunch together. For small finfish there is safety in numbers, less chance of becoming a meal, but if a baitfish is moving differently, maybe struggling to keep up, especially along the edge of the group, it becomes a target.

All predators work the edges of the herd, hoping to separate a hapless straggler now and then. Suspending baits worked vigorously on the surface and then allowed to slowly wobble downward are greeted with tremendous aggression.

The floating Corky Fat Boy as well as the original Corky are proven producers in this type of presentation. On that rare day during spring, when winds for some unknown reason lay for the morning, youll be forced to change your weapons. Approach and strategies for locating fish will remain basically unchanged but under calm-clear water conditions the big trout savvy meter will hit the red line. I go with baits of little color but silver or gold flash. Barely a glimpse of color and a little shine is about all I want the fish to see. A 1/16 ounce jighead will work but slightly lighter is better, whittling on it with a small file helps. Five inch Bass Assassins rigged on 3/0 Mustad worm hooks also work beautifully in this situation. Increase your mono leader lengths. I like thirty-six inches or more. This allows for plenty of retying room and still leaves ample leader lengths. I prefer topwaters and suspending type lures with NO rattles in clear-calm situations. Might just be me but I prefer to make as little of my presence known as possible and this applies to my lures

as well. The clear Spook Jr. and the clear/silver MirrOmullet are great choices. Do this when the winds go calm and the water surface turns to glass and youll be much more likely to get a shot at the biggest of trout in that area. Alright, I tired of writing and ready to get out there in the morning and put this game plan to work. Winds are currently gusting to about 25 mph out of the southeast so it ought to be right.

May your fishing always be catching. - Guide Jay Watkins

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Phone361-729-9596EmailJay@jaywatkins.comWebsitewww.jaywatkins.com

Jay Watkins has been a full-time fishing guide at Rockport, TX, for more than 20 years. Jay specializes in wading year-round for trout and redfish with artificial lures. Jay covers the Texas coast from San Antonio Bay to Corpus Christi Bay.


Last year, Kodak introduced the Zi8

HD pocket camcorder. This relatively inexpensive video camcorder fits in your shirt pocket, boasts an impressive set of features, and captures fantastic HD images. This year, Kodak followed up the Zi8 with a waterproof version called the Playsport. I have had a chance to test out the new Kodak Playsport and have been impressed by this little HD camcorder. The Playsport retails for around $150 and I think it just might be the video camera a lot of anglers have been waiting for. Heres why.

Ease of UseOne of the inherent problems with video cameras has always been that they are a pain to use. Theyre cumbersome to pack, frustrating to operate, and downloading videos from cameras to computers can be a nightmare. And of course there is always the overriding fear youll slip and get your precious video camera wet. For these reasons, video cameras have never married well with fishing environments and fishermen.

But the Kodak Playsport is a new breed of camcorder. It features a clean compact design with a solid build feel

thats waterproof up to 10ft. The Playsports display screen is easy to read and the camera is outfitted with large buttons and simple menu options. These features make it safe and easy to use on the water.

The Playsport

powers up

quickly and the thumb-sized record button on the back of the camera responds instantly when you press it. These are great features because waiting for a slow camera to boot up while your buddys fish dries out or flops away is maddening. Downloading videos from the Playsport is simple and requires no re-coding or special formatting. The editing software, should you choose to use it, is built into the Playsport and it downloads when you plug the camera into your computer for the first time with the supplied USB cable. The Playsport works with both PC and Mac computers and requires a Pentium 4 2.8 GHz processor or better to play back HD smoothly. The Playsport also comes with HDMI and AV cables so you can play video from the camera straight to a HDTV. The Playsport is powered by a rechargeable lithium ion battery. Battery life in any electronic device is tough to measure because so many variables affect it. But, you should expect to get at least one hour or more out of the Playsports battery when the camera is on the highest quality record settings. Videos are recorded to a SDHC memory card you must buy separately. I bought a super-fast Class 10 8GB SDHC card for about $50 and it easily stores several hours of HD video.

Image Quality The quality of the video captured by the Playsport is very good. Images are crisp and clear, colors are vibrant, and

videos overall have that unmistakable HD look. The Playsports low light performance is so-so (like most video cameras) but it is acceptable. When set on the 1080p 30fps capture mode, the Playsport captures landscapes, slow-moving wildlife, and still life beautifully. Action shots, fast-moving wildlife, and fishing sequences recorded in the 720p 60fps mode are vibrant and rendered smoothly. The Playsport features Electronic Image Stabilization (EIS) to take the edge off the shake common to small lightweight cameras. The EIS helps, but dont expect it to overcome all vibration. It wont. The bottom line with these little cameras is that they are virtually impossible to hold steady. If you want clean professional looking images with the Playsport or any other small camera, remember two things- First, use a tripod, monopod, or some sort of steadying device. Second, dont use the zoom. If you practice these two things your finished images will be much better. Speaking of zoom the Playsport has a 4X digital zoom. Dont use it.

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The Playsport also features a special color-correcting setting for underwater video. Video captured underwater with the Playsport on this setting looks very good so long as the water is clear. If you plan to make underwater videos with the Playsport, keep in mind that the minimum focal length is 39 inches (there is no macro focus setting) so you will need more than 39 inches of visibility underwater or your subject will not be in focus. For this reason it is probably better to think of the Playsport as a video camera that can be dunked underwater rather than an underwater video camera. Also featured on the Playsport is a still image capture mode. With a click of the center thumb button/toggle you can switch the video camera over to photo

mode and take photographs at a 5.3 mp resolution

in a 16:9 widescreen format. Although the option to take still photos is convenient, I have not been overly impressed with the resolution of the still photos taken with the Playsport. Definitely dont buy the camera just because it can take photographs. Waterproof still cameras offered by Canon, Olympus, and Pentax produce far better resolution.

Bottom LineAll in all I believe the Playsport

will prove to be a very good camera for anglers and outdoor

enthusiasts. The Playsport is affordable, portable, waterproof, and captures very good quality videos which arent a huge hassle to download. On the downside, the Playsport does not include an SDHC memory card, there is not a macro mode for extreme close-ups,

battery life is so-so, and the 5.3 mp still camera is not that great. Of those, I believe the lack of a macro mode is the biggest downside because I like to take close-up shots of flies, fish, bugs, etc No doubt, in the coming years Kodak will improve and refine the Playsport camera and Im certain other manufacturers will jump in with their own waterproof HD models. But the bottom line for now is that if you are looking for a good, simple, waterproof HD pocket camcorder, the Kodak Playsport is the way to go.

Check out Caseys Fly Fishing Video Library at www.TSFMag.comVIDEO

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Casey Smartt has been fly fishing and tying flies for 30 years. When he cannot make it to the coast he is happy chasing fish on Texas inland lakes and rivers.

Phone830-237-6886Emailcaseysmartt@att.netWebsitewww.caseysmartt.com

From underwater lights to

spreader lights LED technology

is improving the way you light

up your boat. LED lights have

many advantages over traditional

light sources and are being used

in more applications every day.

They have a very low current

draw, produce very little heat, can

operate on DC voltage ranging

from 12 to 32 volts and have a

ridiculous life expectancy of like

50,000 hrs. Thats over 2000 days

at 24 hrs a day! More versatile,

durable and reliable, these

lights can be used in a variety of

applications for just about any

lighting need you have.

One of the most popular boat

accessories in the last few years

has been the underwater light.

On fishing boats, underwater

lights are used to attract bait and

gamefish at night. Many use them

while fishing for tuna and swordfish. Light attracts flying

fish, one of the tunas favorite snacks. Fishermen light up the

water and attract flying fish and other bait into the lights

while drifting. Live flying fish that are netted and put back

on the hook are one of the best baits you can use to target a

big yellowfin tuna. Fishing for swordfish is steadily gaining

popularity with recreational fishermen and underwater lights

play a role here also. According to many of the boats fishing

for swordies, blue lights are the way to go. Underwater lights

are typically mounted facing aft, some are mounted facing

straight down and some on the side of the boat. Tournament

fishermen have been known to use downward pointing lights

and strobes during the day to attract attention from deep

swimming billfish while trolling.

Underwater lights are

traditionally HID or High Intensity

Discharge type lights with

substantial power needs, large

housings, high heat output and

quite expensive. They are used on

larger boats and have a variety

of sizes, colors and styles. Most

lights come in different colors.

The most popular are white,

green and blue. The newer LED or

Light-Emitting Diode lights have

many advantages over these

larger lights. The lower amp draw

allows you to run directly off

your batteries instead of using

a 110 VAC - 12 VDC converter

making them much simpler to

hook up. LED lights can also be

left on while running, whereas

HID lights will burn out if left on

out of the water. Large LEDs can

be traditionally mounted like

the HIDs, but the really big advantage, especially for smaller

boats, is that the LED technology can be designed as a

surface mounted light. These surface mounted LEDs require

a much smaller hole thru the hull - making them easier

to install. DeepSea Power and Light even makes a surface

mounted LED light that is dimmable and has a strobe setting.

HIDs are the brightest, but the LED is still very bright and we

think has many more advantages.

But waittheres more It doesnt stop with underwater

lights. LEDs can be used all over the boat. Many boats used

halogen type recessed lighting inside and these lights put

out a lot of heat and are notorious for burning out. Some

boats have even caught fire! LEDs solve this problem creating

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much less heat

and with their

extreme life

expectancy

rarely need

changing.

On the

helm, LEDs

can be used to

light the helm deck

up or turn red and dim to read a chart.

How about spreader lights? You know,

those big fixtures up high that corrode

and use expensive bulbs how about

very small, low amp LEDs in plastic

Documents

May 2010