"Hey, That's My Spot!"

     I hear this time and time again and it drives me completely insane! "That's my spot!", as if I am doing someone an injustice just by the physical presence of my being! With that said, I do have places that I consider "My spot" but that doesn't mean that I view it as wrong for anyone else to stumble across it and sore lip a few hungry fish while they are there. Fact is, to consider a patch of water "my spot" a ton of work goes into it. It doesn't take hours or even days to do this. It takes YEARS! I don't think it can truly be considered your spot until you can be successful in patterning its local finned inhabitants in any weather condition and any month of the year. This takes some true dedication to the sport. You have to be out there in the most horrible conditions as well as the most pleasant. The satisfaction that comes with gaining this knowledge is unmatched as an angler. It is what IT is all about. This is the reason I don't give up all of its secrets (my spot) when questioned by another angler. Some think you are just being rude but the fact is, I wouldn't want to be responsible for taking that satisfaction away from anyone. So next time you cross my path while out paddling and I say "Hey, that's my spot!" know where that's coming from, take notes and fish on!

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Product Review.....Tackle Webs

    I am absolutely guilty as charged when it comes to packing entirely to much gear for what should be a simple day of fishing from my NuCanoe Pursuit fishing kayak! Loose bags of soft plastics, sun glasses, hand towels, cameras and a slough of other necessities always find their way around my feet or somewhere on the deck of the boat. I am completely shocked that I have not surrendered more gear to the bottom of the depths then I have. So in steps Tackle Webs to help clean things up a bit and add a little bit of organization to my often cluttered deck....
   I had seen these before in my local tackle shop (http://anglersprotackle.com/) but have yet to see them out on the water. Looked like a quality made product so I figured what the heck! The 16x12 looked as if it would fit perfectly to the back of the seat of my Pursuit so I picked that up. After looking at all of the different sizes and styles, I found the Vantage Holster Set that looked perfect for the sides of the seat. These ran $25 for the 16x12 and $50 for the Vantage Holster Set.
   The install was super simple and took all of 15 minutes. All of the required bungees are included.
The velcro closures are elastic so that they will close themselves after you are done digging through the bag to get to your things. Seem to be a well made product and as useful as a pocket on a shirt! My only concern his hooks being caught in the netting that they are made of so I will have to do my best to avoid that situation....
  

 Can't wait to get on the water with my new and improved seat! Maybe I can keep a little organization in my day on the water with the help of Tackle Webs....Be on the lookout for a full on water review...

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Galveston Fishing Report 11/19-11/21.......

  Unusually high tides and an approaching cold front had us really searching for the reds and trying to get in all of the fishing that we could before the front passed through on Saturday. The tides were very high and gave up the first clue as to where those marsh donkeys would be hiding out at, the backs of the backs of the marsh! The mullet and the red fish making a meal of them were as far back in the marsh as they could get. Small schools of reds were gathered in the middle of the back lakes and would occasionally give chase to the schools of mullet circling the pools. Water clarity was vary good but the wind made it difficult to spot the fish who were constantly on the move. Gulp under a popping cork was the ticket to hooking up. 
  After doing battle with the reds in the marsh, we hooked up with my fishing bud, Gerardo Olmos, and headed to a spot that he suggested we try at night under the lights. Speckled trout was the targeted species but as we found out, plans do not always go the way they are intended to. It was near every cast. Sand trout after sand trout were shaken from hooks to avoid bringing them in the kayak along with their slimy coats. We did manage a few keeper sized speckled trout but I would guess the ratio to be about 25 sand trout to every 1 speckled trout. All great fun regardless!
  Waking up to heavy rain and thunderstorms Saturday morning, we decided to cut our trip short and head home. There is no doubt that this last front will change things on the coast so I guess it will be a hunt for the fish on the next trip down. That's half of the fun anyways! Give us a shout on the website below or hit us up on Face Book to come join us on our next adventure......

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Galveston Fishing Report 10/2-10/3

  Had the chance to get down to Galveston to fish the final event of the 2015 LSKS red fish series. I hit the water early Friday morning to see if I could figure out what the fish were doing in one of my go to spots. The morning started at a high tide that would be falling steadily through the day. Reds were scattered in the marsh drains and feeding on shrimp. I had a limit by before 7am but it was a small one. These fish wouldn't be earning me a paycheck! I was not concerned as I had located an area holding lots of upper slot reds just a few weeks before.
  Arrived at the launch the next morning with friend and fishing partner, Gerardo Olmos, with plenty of time to rig boats and gear. This is the way I prefer things. I absolutely hate rushing through things getting on the water! I headed directly to the back of the marsh where I had left them biting just a few weeks before. As I approached the area, I could tell that my gut feeling was right and these fish had no reason to have moved on over the past few weeks. I could hear the feeding frenzy long before I reached the action. I spotted the pod crushing shrimp as they tried to escape from the flooded grass along the shoreline. The first cast produced a vicious strike! From the drag screaming off the reel, I could tell this was going to be either in the upper slot or busting it! Just under 27"....PERFECT! This spooked the pod and they moved into the middle of the small back lake they had been feeding in. The first cast with a popping cork and I was hooked up again. Another just under 27" and it wasn't even 7am yet. I finished off my limit of reds with a 21" fish site casted off of the edge of the shoreline grass. All in all it was a great weekend of fishing even though I missed the weigh in by 3 minutes......

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Lesson Learned....Again!

   As a guide, there are times when you must be very versatile to get clients on fish. Finding the fish is no problem. Getting them to bite is typically the same. There are times though when they just aren't where they should be and or very selective to what they will hit when you do find them. Its in these times that you may have to resort to using....uhhhuumm...live bait.
  I learned this lesson again a couple of weeks ago while on a trip with some long time friends and clients while hunting red fish in the marshes around Galveston, TX. When the fish were found, you had to hit them right in the mouth to get them to commit to eating. I knew that live mullet or shrimp would have done the trick but I was just to convinced that we could do without it. We did manage several nice reds and flounder but the day could have been so much better if I had taken the time to net some bait. Even though they were all happy with the trip, I think I owe these guys another trip to the marsh! I guess the lesson is to not be so proud of your skill as an angler that you fail to give a client the best opportunity to catch fish over something like live bait......

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Kayak Review....NuCanoe Pursuit

                         

        

   So I had spent some time paddling and uuhmm not paddling the NuCanoe Frontier 12. I loved the open deck layout and the stability of that boat! It was the perfect fishing platform....until it came to getting from point A to point B. Put a trolling motor on it and it was indeed a great boat! I do prefer to leave the motor at home along with all of the headaches and backaches that can come with it.

   When I first saw the prototype Pursuit I was excited to say the least! This could be the perfect boat for me. It took a bit of persuading but I convinced Rick Wallace over at Angler's Pro Tackle to let me take one of the three he had in stock out for a paddle and added to the demo fleet.

   My first impressions of the boat after only looking at the layout were very optimistic. This thing had all that you needed but nothing in the way. It is simple but loaded with features, if that makes any sense at all! The one thing that seemed useless at first sight was the paddle holders on either side. Sitting on the showroom floor, they just didn't look as though they would have much function. I could see a paddle falling out of them and having to retrieve it in the middle of trying to land the big fish of the day...

   The first thing I noticed on the water was the wobble when I climbed in the boat. I didn't expect this for such a wide boat and after being in the Frontier that has none. I quickly adjusted and it was no concern after only a few minutes on the water. The next thing I noticed was the comfort of the seat. It was very nice to say the least but I think it is becoming to be expected with most of the newer kayaks that are designed with fishing in mind. It was easy to move from low to high position while on the water. I guess that brings us in to stability. This boat is very stable. I have been in more stable boats but they were barges to paddle compared to the Pursuit. I am 6'3" 260lbs and was completely comfortable standing to fish and accessing the front hatch of the boat. The front hatch has a plastic tub in it that is molded to shape for a good fit in the front hatch. I can see this being very handy in cooler months to keep drinks or fish. Other storage features on the boat are the horizontal rod holders. These are very handy although I do not see putting two rods in each side as it is designed for. You can get them in there to store but I had issues getting one out while another was stored on the same side of the boat. I will probably only store one rod in each side while on the water. This is still more then most boats offer. The two flush mount rod holders are absolutely perfect! They are angled so that your rods lean slightly towards the center of the boat rather then away from the boat. This keeps them from getting snagged as easily in tree limbs and such. The freedom track that runs basically the length of the boat on each side, the rear tank well storage and the storage towards the bow of the boat that will fit a crate or small cooler are all well thought out. I could go on but this was intended to be a short review and has turned into anything but!

   In short, the Pursuit paddles fairly well. I would give hull speed a 3 out of 5 and stability a 4 out of 5. Maneuverability gets a 4 out of 5 as this boat is very easy to turn. The most important thing I grade on is fishability and the Pursuit gets 5 out 5 for me!

 

.......Oh...and those paddle holders....held a paddle like a champ!

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                                                      Fishing Report
                                  Galveston Area 8/14/2015-8/16/2015
  I'm sure by now that several of you reading this have seen the great video that Matt posted of him fighting and landing a huge black drum! Well, it was a good weekend of fishing and here is how the rest of it went.....
  It started off with the hunt to find out where the reds were holding out at. Typically I would find them in the backs of the marshes during a high tide this time of year but they were not there to be found. Lots and lots of mullet in the back lakes and mud flats of the marsh but nothing eating them. When we did find the reds, and we certainly did, they were scattered on shell feeding during a falling tide. They were gourging themselves on shrimp. There was little difference in the high and low tides but a falling tide was the ticket. So....falling tide, shell bottom, down current from major marsh drains and find the shrimp. Put all of this together and it was a recipe for success! If you want to experience a great weekend of fishing on the coast or in North Texas for yourself, give myself or Matt Scotch a shout!      https://www.lonestarkayakguide.com/

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