2008 Reports 2009 Reports 2010 Reports
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| Green Water, Green Water, and the bite is on. The redfish are stacked up and and the trout bite has just turned on. Book your trips now. |
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08-31-10 |
Reminder: September and October are HUGE redfish months for us. Dates are booking fast so don't miss out on an opportunity for a great day of redfishing and book your trip today. | |
08-30-10 |
Today I a new client Tonya Nix. Tonya works for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. I first met Tonya when I hunted on the Aransas Wildlife Refuge a couple years ago. We have been trying to get together for awhile but our schedules just never worked out. We started drifting today and we got off to a quick start. Tonya got on the board first boxing two really nice reds. I added one and then we missed and lost a couple. Our bite then slowed for awhile but we finally got back on them. Tonya completed her limit and we added a few trout. She then hooked up with another really large fish and really started talking smack about kicking my butt. Of course I immediately warned her about talking smack before she gets the fish in the boat. And guess what?? She broke it off on the motor. That's karma for giving your guide a hard time !!!!! And yes losing that oversized fish haunted her the rest of the day. Of course I kept reminding here. Great day on the water with a really good girl. Tonya could really fish and we had a great time today. Im looking forward to fishing with her again. Todays photo is of Tonya battling a nice red and one of her nice reds. Great job Tonya !! | |
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08-27-10 |
Well the last two days were nothing short of incredible. I had one of my good repeat clients that I cant name this week. He kind of played hooky from work so he did not want me to mention his name. We drifted the flats the last two days and quick limits of really solid redfish. Great two days on the water. | |
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08-23-10 |
Today I had another repeat client Barry Rouch from the Austin area. Today he brought his wife Sandy. This was her first time to redfish so I was hoping to put her on some fish. We got off to a quick start. Barry got on the board first quickly with a nice red. We made a short move and Barry missed a fish then we did not get another bite. I went to another area and Sandy latched on to her first redfish. It was a nice 26 in fish that gave her a huge fight. She kept wanting to let Barry take over but I would not let her. We finally landed the huge red. What a great moment for her first fish. We then had another slow period but once again the late bite kicked in and we quickly limited out. Sandy landed another nice red but Barry was the man of the day with the hot hand. And yes it hurts me to say this but he out fished me today. Great job today by Barry and Sandy for grinding it out. Great day on the water with great people. | |
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08-22-10 |
Today I had another repeat client Ronnie and Paul Evans and this time they brought Archie with them. These guys drove in from San Antonio and were running late so I really gave them grief all day for that. Slow day today. I think the boat traffic from the weekend had my fish spooked and we just could not get a bite going. We managed a couple really nice reds and 4 trout. Tough day of fishing but these guys kept me laughing all day. | |
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08-21-10 |
Well day two was not much different than day one. I just cant find any fish that will eat early. Our late bite once again kicked in and once again Cory managed his limit of 2 reds and 2 trout. Art did get on the board with 2 trout but no reds. We will have to wait and see. Its going to be close. Well we got it done. We pulled ahead and took second place overall in the team event. Cory missed grand champion angler by a total of 5 inches overall in the two day event. Our reds the second day were just not as big as the day before and that cost him. Still a great job by Cory this weekend. Second place out of all these good anglers is great but you know me I want to win. Two days of hard fishing throwing lures but a great tournament and we raised a lot of money for a very important cause. | |
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08-20-10 |
Today was day one of to Cast for the Cure Cystic Fibrosis tournament. Once again I had a great friend and client Art Troscher and his son Cory. We have been dominating the artificial category for the last four years so the pressure was on. We started of wading and our first stop was a bust. Our next stop was not much better. Art had a really nice red on but it got in the heavy grass and pulled off. It was not looking good. Finally my late bite kicked in and Cory got us going. He completed his limit of 2 red and 2 trout. Unfortunately Art did not get on the board. This tournament is a catch and release tournament so we go by inches and not weight. Day one is complete and we are a few inches out of second. The first place team managed all 4 trout and all 4 reds so it will be impossible to catch them. So we are playing for second and Cory is only 5 inches out of first for Grand Champion angler honors. Its on !!!! | |
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08-19-10 |
Today I had another repeat client Steven Schulz from San Antonio. Steven is a very good fisherman so I knew he would limit out on reds. Our bite seems to be getting later and later with the full moon. Slow start today. We were seeing fish but just not getting the bites. Finally the bite picked up and Steven got us going. He got his limit of reds and he definitely out fished me today. And yes I missed a couple and he really let me have it. Of course when he missed one he immediately blamed it on my line breaking but when he reeled in the hook was still there !!! So there goes that excuse. Great day with a good fisherman. Doesn't get much better. | |
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08-18-10 |
Today I had a new client Lindy and his grandson Lane Patton. We headed to the flats again today to drift for redfish. Lane is an avid fisherman and it showed. In fact he was giving me advice on several occasions. He knew to look for the potholes and definitely knew how to play the fish once he hooked one. It was not fast and furious today but the action was steady. We managed our limit of redfish and a couple keeper trout and released quite a few reds that were just barely short. Great day on the water with two really good people. Hope to see these guys again. In fact I told Lane he could come deck hand for me next year during summer vacation. Todays photo is of Lane with his first redfish. | |
 08-15-10 |
Today I had another repeat client David Clarke. Today he brought is wife, his son Colton and Colton's friend Ben Sims. We headed back to the same area and started drifting. It did not take long and Colton and Ben got us going boxing some nice reds. Then David and his wife got in the act. What a good morning on the water. We boxed some really good fish and headed in around 10:30 or so. Some times as a guide you have to change strategies when you have kids fishing but today I did not have to change a thing. Colton and Ben had no problem drifting and did a great job today. Another great day with a great family. I think Ben enjoyed his first saltwater trip. Hope to see these guys again soon. Todays photo is of Colton and Ben with the final catch of the day. | |
08-14-10 |
Today I had a new client Clay Fuselier and Matt Vaughan. I headed back to the same area I have been drifting. Being a Saturday there were a few more boats in here and that definitely slowed our bite. We worked hard and managed our limit of reds plus a few trout. This was Matt's first time to saltwater fish for reds and did a really good job. It was nice to watch Matt tackle his first redfish. Clay is an avid fisherman and it showed. He definitely had the hot hand today. Great day with two great guys today. Good box of solid fish, there is no telling how many more we would have caught if they would have been on time. Sorry guys I had to mention that !!!! Photos today are Matt with his first redfish and the final catch of the day. Sorry for the poor photos there must have been something on the lens. | |
 08-12-10 |
Today I had another repeat client Wilson Shirley. Today he brought his wife and daughters Alexis and Hannah. The winds were down so we headed to the surf today. Im always a little apprehensive about taking kids to the surf but I had nothing to worry about with Alexis and Hannah. We got off to a slow start today. The bite was a little finicky and we were missing quite a few fish. But the girls finally got it going and we were boxing fish. Unfortunately Wilson had some misses and lost some fish and the girls were really rubbing it in. We were scratching out a good box of quality trout when we got on a school of redfish and it was on. Of course Wilson's first red broke off but he finally got on the board. Hannah had the hot hand limited out on reds first, then Alexis. These young girls handled these big reds beautifully. A great day on the water with really good people. It was no contest today. The girls really put it on Wilson today. But to his defense, he was out numbered. Todays photo is of the final catch of the day. Great box of fish topped off with a keeper black tip shark by Mrs. Shirley. | |
08-11-10 |
Today I had a new client Ronnie Evans and Paul from San Antonio. We were just going to fish for a few hours today so I headed straight to where Ive been catching those reds. It did not take long and we were on them. Ronnie and Paul fish a lot and it showed. Ronnie got on the board first and was on a roll. He was catching fish almost every cast. Paul finally got it going and was catching trout while Ronnie was hammering the reds. Paul finally started boxing some reds and they were limited out. They added 5 or 6 trout as well. We caught and released a few more reds then called it a morning. I really enjoyed fishing with these guys and I hope to see them again. Todays photos are of Ronnie and Paul hooked up with nice reds. | |
 08-09-10 |
Today I was fishing with Dennis Don, his son Trevor and Don's son in law Greg Ladeveze. I have been fishing fellow employees and friends of Dennis's at Bamberger Polymers for awhile now but this is my first time to fish with Dennis so I was anxious to put him on some fish. I headed back to where I have been catching my reds and as soon as I pulled up and saw that the huge ton of bait was still there I knew it was going to be on. Our first short drift was slow but I made a slight adjustment and it was on. Dennis got on the board first, then Trevor and then Greg. It did not take long and we had our limit of really solid reds plus some undersized fish. Not bad being limited out by 8:15. Of course I had to call our old friend Terry Bonnell who was stuck back at the office to give him the report and yes rub it in a little !!!!! We then went looking for trout but not much success. We did find some areas holding some undersized fish but we managed only 4 keepers. I then headed back to the area where we caught the reds. We caught and released a few more before calling it a day. All three did a great job today. The bite was a little picky in here today but these guys got it done. Great job by all. Hope to see them again soon. | |
08-08-10 |
Today I was fishing a multiple boat group and I had Mark Perron, Mark Tausend and Rob Butler. We got off to a really fast start today. Our first short drift produced 5 really nice reds. We missed a couple and lost a couple as well. We then made one more drift and picked up one more. We then ran and picked Rob up and headed back to the same area and could not buy a bite. So of course I blamed Rob for being the black cloud and bad luck. Rob finally started catching some trout and got the bad luck off of us and we began catching fish again. We boxed 6 or 7 nice trout before heading back to where we caught the reds earlier. We then got back on them and at one time had a triple on. We finished our limit on reds and called it a day. A really nice box today of solid fish. These guys did a great job and I really enjoyed my time on the water with them. Todays photo is of Mark and Rob with a double on and the final catch of the day photo. | |
08-07-10 |
Today I had another repeat client Dennis Clark. Today he brought Joe Dryer, Kyle Stewart and Rick Ealand with him. I was hoping to get in the surf today but the wind was howling so that was not an option. We spent the day today drifting the flats. We got off to a fast start on our first drift boxing 5 solid trout and we lost several right at the boat and missed a few. I thought it was going to be on but it slowed as fast as it started. We then began grinding them out. It definitely was not fast and furious but somewhat steady. We ended the day with around 11 trout and 6 really solid reds. I was receiving a lot of phone calls from other guides today struggling for fish so we definitely had a good box compared to everyone else. These guys can fish so that really helped my numbers today. Great job today by everyone and a good day with really good people. | |
08-06-10 |
Today I was fishing for another guide as part of a multiple boat group. A couple of my guys did not show up so I had only one guy today. Today I was fishing with Steve Ruedes from Austin. Steve fishes quite a bit so it was nice to have him on the boat. Steve got on the board first with a really nice red. He was on a roll and limited out on reds. We also caught some more really solid fish that we had to release. Of course I could tell he does a lot of bass fishing because he had that sidewise hook set that absolutely drives me crazy. By the end of the day he got a lot better though thanks to my coaching. We then looked for trout and had a pretty good bite where we got our limit of trout as well. Steve was great to fish with. We gave each other a lot of grief today and we had a lot of laughs. Today was almost like a day off for me. Relaxing day of great fishing with a really good guy. I hope to see Steve again. Im sure we had the most fish today of all the boats. Todays photo is of Steve with the first red of the day, Steve fighting another nice red, and the final catch of the day. | |
 08-05-10 |
Today I had a new client Joe Mansour. I was referred to him by one of my good clients Chris Kappmeir so the pressure was on to produce. Today Joe brought his sons Jacob and Jojo and Chris Knight. We headed to the surf again today. Conditions were good but I just could not get on the fish. We managed a few before I decided to head back inside. The tide finally started dropping and the reds schooled up and we lucky enough to get on them. It was fast and furious to say the least. We limited quickly on really solid fish. At the end we only needed one more we actually had 4 on at a time. It was basically these guys first time to fish but they caught on quickly and really got it done today. A great group of guys and I had a great time fishing with them. Of course JoJo did drop one of my Shimano's in the water plus he put his hands in my livewell and killed all our bait on that side. Nice job JoJo !!!! Another good day on the water. Hope to see these guys again. | |
08-04-10 |
Today I had the Clemens family again today. Today I had Roger, his wife Debbie and his son Kacy. We headed back to the surf today. It was a lot bumpier out there today. We had to fish the outside of the third bar instead of the second where we caught them yesterday. We had a very short day today but managed some solid trout and some undersized. Although the action was not as good as yesterday it turned out to be a REMARKABLE day. Debbie hooked onto a really nice tarpon and the fight was on. She battled it for a good while before getting tired and handing the rod over to Kacy. Kacy then played the fish like a pro. I had a couple nervous moments when the fish ran under the anchor rope but Kacy handled it perfectly preventing the line from cutting off. When that tarpon hit the deck I think I was more excited than them. That was a great team effort and what a beautiful fish. What a battle on a trout rod with 10 lb test line. As always I really enjoy fishing with Roger and his family. They are really great people and its always nice to see such a close family. It was also Roger's birthday today so HAPPY BIRTHDAY Roger !!!!!! Thanks for spending it with me down in Rockport. Great two days on the water for me. | |
 08-03-10 |
Today I had another repeat client the Clemens. Today I had Roger's son Kody and Kody's friend Connor. Roger and Craig was fishing on another boat so the competition was on for Kody to out fish his dad. We headed to the surf today and it was on to say the least. Kody caught the first fish and my guys never looked back. Kody and Conner were catching them faster than I could keep up. We quickly had our limit and headed back inside to look for reds. It did not take them long and they were catching reds. We managed 4 really nice reds before calling it a day. A great box of fish today. Kody won top honors today with the first trout, the largest trout and the largest red. Conner took honors for most fish. The young guns really put it on Roger and Craig today. Great job today by Kody and Conner. | |
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07-31-10 |
Today I was fishing a private tournament. I had Steve Bone, Darryl Mikes, Mark Biediger and Jack Bradford Jr. We needed 5 trout and 2 reds to weigh in for their tournament so we went looking for trout first especially since I cant get those reds to eat until 11 or so anyway. Our first stop produced a couple nice keepers but unfortunately we had a nice 24 in trout on but a dolphin ate her before we could get it in. We then made a couple drifts and picked up a few more trout to complete our stringer. We then headed for the reds and they appeared on schedule. We boxed 7 or so nice fish, missed a few and broke off a few. I cant tell you how much I laughed today. These guys were hilarious and nothing was off limits. We are already planning for next years event and trust me it is going to be awesome. You definately dont want to miss the photos of next years trip !!!! Great bunch of guys and if I dont see them sooner Ill see them again next year. Todays photo is of the guys with 4 of their nice reds. | |
 07-30-10 |
Today I had another one of my good repeat clients Wayne Radwanski. Today he brought Julius Eickenhoust and Greg Gibson with him. We headed back to the spoil banks again but the bite was slow. We managed a couple keeper trout and some undersized. We then made a stop on the outside of Dagger and the undesized fish and lady fish ate us up. I then headed back to the flats to look for those reds Ive been on. It didnt take long and we began hooking up. Everyone got in the game and they boxed some really nice fish. And yes we did miss a few and lost a few that cost us from limiting but still a very good box today of really nice fish. These guys did a great job today. | |
07-28-10 |
Well I had my good friends and clients Terry Bonnell and Chris (bobber boy) Callum again today. Well the forecast was for more rain again today. Right before dawn we had a heavy thunderstorm hit and I thought our day might get washed out but the fish gods were in our favor and we only had one shower on us today. We headed to the area we caught the trout on Monday and made several anchors but only caught a few undersized fish. We then headed back to the flats to look for my reds. It was pretty slow at first catching a few undersized fish. But today persistence paid off. We finally found an area holding some fish and Terry and Chris got it going. They got their limit of reds along with a couple trout. I knew today would be tough with all the lightning and the conditions we had. I was really proud of Terry and Chris today. Today was one of those days that hard work paid off and resulted in a box to be proud of under tough conditions. As always with this group you cannot imagine the laughs we had today. Ill see these two again soon. Todays photo is of Terry B with the largest red of the day and the final catch of the day photo. | |
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07-27-10 |
Well the forecast today was for heavy thunderstorms and for once the weatherman was right. We were greeted with some heavy thunderstorms early and did not get out on the water till around 11. Today I had some of my really good clients Greg Paradine, Terry Bonnell, Chris Callum and Jackson Ray. It amazed us to see several guides head out in heavy lightning and rain. Sometimes common sense needs to prevail. We finally got out around 11 and managed a few hours on the water before another storm popped up ending our day. We managed 6 trout and one red. The weather limited us to where we could go and the lightning definately had the fish spooked plus we had no wind most of the time and that hampered our efforts as well. We still got some time on the water and managed a few fish so that beats hanging out at the hotel. Ill have Terry and Chris again tomorrow. | |
07-26-10 |
Today I had another repeat client Kay Stein and her grandson Hunter. We spent the first part of the morning trout fishing. Our bite was not fast but we managed a dozen or so really nice fish before I decided to run to the flats where I have been catching my reds. We started drifting and it did not take Kay and Hunter long to get it going. They got their limit of really nice solid fish. It was close today between Kay and Hunter but I think Kay slightly edged him out. Its always a pleasure to fish with these two and I hope to see them in the fall. Great day with good people. Todays photo is of Kay with the largest redfish of the day and the final catch of the day photo. | |
 07-25-10 |
The last two days I was fishing for Redfish Lodge. Saturday we had a pretty good day catching some really nice reds drifting but only a couple trout. Sunday our winds died to nothing so drifting was not an option so our fishing was tough to say the least. Todays photo is of Jay, Ben and Thomas with some reds from day one. | |
07-23-10 |
Today I had a new client Hugh Turner. He brought his wife Pat and his brother "buffalo" Bill. I cant bring myself to tell you how he got the nickname buffalo bill. I met the Turners at the cleaning stand one day when of course I had a huge box of fish so the pressure was on to produce. We spent the day drifting the same areas we caught them at yesterday. What a difference a day makes. Our bite most of the day was slow. Not a lot of action but enough to keep us interested. Yesterday our trout bite was good, today it was reds. Pat got on the board first quickly putting pressure on the guys. We worked hard today and limited out on solid reds along with 4 trout. We had a great time today and managed a good box of fish. What a great group and I hope to see these guys again. Todays photo is of Pat battling a really nice red and the final catch of the day photo. | |
07-22-10 |
Today I had my great client and friend Tommy Lyons. He brought Pat Delmore with him along with Andy Aronson. This was Andy's first time to fish with me so I was anxious to put him on some fish. We drifted the flats today and got off to a solid start boxing some really nice fish. Then our winds totally died for a couple hours and so did our bite. Around 11 our winds picked back up and we started. catching fish again We quite a little early today because Tommy isn't going to miss lunch at JJ's. We managed some really nice trout today along with a couple nice reds. And yes we missed some and lost some today as well. And yes, even yours truly missed a couple today and trust me Tommy let me know it. A great day with good people. Its always a pleasure to fish with Tommy and his groups. I hope we put the bug in Andy to do more bay fishing since he is an avid offshore guy. Todays photo is of Andy battling a nice red and then the final catch of the day photo. | |
 07-21-10 |
Today I had a repeat client Mike Trojcak. He brought his brother Dennis, his nephew Bryan and Dan Balzer with him. We headed back to the upper laguna again today. The bite down here definately has slowed down. Today was another grind. We never got a good snap of keeper fish going. We hit a lot of spots today and managed to put together a pretty good box of solid fish. I think we ended up with around 20 trout and a couple really nice reds including a nice 28 in fish by Mike. Top honors goes to 11 year old Bryan today. He caught the first keeper and the most fish today. Great job Bryan. We had a lot of laughs today and as always I enjoyed fishing with these guys. | |
 07-19-10 |
I had a much needed day off today. I went to Newport Golf course in Port A for a round on golf with friends. This was my first time on a course in a year and it showed. The front nine was pretty ugly but the back nine was pretty good. None the less a great day of golf with good friends. | |
 07-18-10 |
Today I had a new client Greg Shogan, his wife Susan and his daughter Alyssa. We started off looking for trout and Alyssa boxed the only keeper. We then made a run to Allyns Bight to look for that school of drum. To my surprise for a Monday there was a lot of boats there working them. The fish were there but they were so spooked they were just running around and hard to get them to eat. We did manage 5 really nice fish before I decided to head to the area where we boxed all the reds yesterday. Again to my surprise there was literally 8 guide boats cramped into the one little area where I caught them yesterday. Thats what happens when the wrong person sees you hooked up when they go by. No honor amongst thieves !! Susan and Alyssa did hook up two really nice reds. A long hot day today on the water. Alyssa wins top honors completing the Texas Slam with a keeper trout, a drum and a red. Nice job Alyssa. This was a good family and I enjoyed fishing with them. Hope to see them again under some better fishing conditions. | |
07-17-10 |
Today I had a repeat client Ray Luna. Today he brought Jeffrey Toscano and Ray Gonzales with him. Since his wife Debbie out fished him last time he left her at home today. We got off to a good start boxing 7 or so nice trout then our wind changed to the north and our bite was over. We then started drifting and picked up a couple more trout and a three reds then the winds died to nothing and that was over. Times were tough for a few hours then our tides dropped a little more and I headed to one of my favorite spots. Ray caught a really nice 27 in red to get us started. A couple other guide boats kind of cut our fish off but we finally got them going and it was on. We had three on at a time and really good 27-28 in fish. We quickly got our limit and released a few before I let another guide take our spot. This group was in a private tournament and I like their chances. A great day with really great people. Mr. Gonzales had never caught any really big reds so it was nice to see him enjoying catching these studs. Todays photo is the final catch of the day photo minus the 5 trout and 3 reds they weighed in for the tournament and Ray Gonzales battling the largest red of the day. I hope to see these guys again. | |
07-15-10
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Today I had Dennis Clark, his grandson Tanner, Jason Clark and Mr. Svatek. We headed to the upper laguna today. With the high winds we have had a lot of the Rockport area is gutted so the laguna gives us more options. We never had a really good snap today but solid fishing at most spots. Of course we did have some misses today and with Jason being a big bass fisherman you know I game him a hard time about that. A lot more undersized fish today. We hit several stops where we would have 3 and 4 on at a time but unfortunately none were keepers. We worked hard and managed a good box of 20 trout and 2 reds. The highlight of the day was young Tanner's 29 in trout that we photographed and released. Not only was it great to have Mr. Clark sharing the outdoors with his son and grandson but it was nice seeing Tanner understand the importance of conservation and releasing that big female trout to spawn thousands of more fish for the future. Great day with really great people. Ill see Mr. Clark again in a few weeks. Todays photo is of Tanner with his nice 29 in trout and the final catch of the day photo. | |
 07-12-10 |
Today I had one of my great clients Terry Bonnell again. We headed back to the upper laguna again today. We were greeted with high winds today and by 9 am they were gusting at times over 40 mph. That really limited us to where we could go and took drifting out of our game plan. We managed only 11 trout today and 2 reds. Although it does not seem like a good day considering the conditions not bad. Several boats I talked to had 3 and 4 fish. The day went to Terry's son Brian. Brian definately had the hot hand today winning top honors. I believe he caught the first keeper, the most and the biggest fish with a 23 in red. Great job Brian !!! Todays photo is of Brian with his first ever redfish. | |
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07-11-10 |
Today I was fishing for Redfish Lodge again and had one of the same guys I had yesterday. We went back to the same reef and guess what, the fish werent there. We made a lot of moves today and worked hard with only a couple keeper reds. Only saving grace was the great day we had yesterday. The old story: Should have been here yesterday !! | |
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07-10-10 |
Today I was fishing for Redfish Lodge. I headed back to Matagorda shoreline where I smoked them a couple days before. When I pulled up I was excited. Bait was pouring out of the back lake, tide was falling it just couldnt get any better, except the fact that there were no fish. I absolutely could not believe it. We went to a couple other spots with no luck so I went back to where we started hoping it was just a time of day thing. But it wasnt and still no fish so we left the area. Fortunately we found a good pod of reds on a reef where we got our limit and again caught and released a lo of 19 3/4 in reds. We had a slow start but perserverance prevailed and we got on them. Another good day. | |
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photo pending 07-07-10 |
Today I had a repeat client Paul Hall and he brought his grandson Zach with him. We headed up to San Antonio bay today. We started off on shell reefs looking for trout. We managed 10 nice fish along with alot of undersized fish and we had quite a few misses. Our bite slowed so with a light north wind I knew I needed to head to Matagorda shoreline. Our first stop produced some immediate action. Zach ran into a string of bad luck breaking off 3 really nice fish. Paul on the other hand really had it going. We literally catching fish the second the baits hit the water. We managed 8 nice black drum and 3 keeper reds and we must have turned loose 40 reds that were 19 3/ 4. What a day. A good box of fish and tons of action. Great day with really good people. | |
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07-05-10 |
Today I had a new client the Luna family from San Antonio. Ray brought his wife Debbie, his daughter Solei and his son Esai. We opted to head down to the Laguna Madre today in hopes for more action. Our first stop produced some immediate bites. Debbie got on the board with the first keeper then Solei got in the action. The girls got off to the quick start today. I could quickly tell that Debbie and Ray were definately experienced with croaker fishing for trout. We picked up 5 or 6 keepers then our fish turned small so we moved on. It was a grind after that picking up 2 or 3 at each stop. We then made a run farther south and got two good bites going but mostly undersized. We then got on a pocket of keeper fish and Debbie really had it going. For a while we were catching solid keeper fish every cast. Great stop that really completed our box today. We ended up with around 29 or so including a really nice flounder by Debbie. Debbie definately gets top honors today with both girls putting it on the guys today. Great job girls !!! This was a great family and I enjoyed fishing with them. For being so young Solei and Esai did a really great job. In fact Solei was not afraid to get her hands dirty handling the fish. She even helped me cleaning them. She would make a great deck hand for me. Great day with really good people. I hope to see them again. | |
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07-03-10 |
Well finally back on the water after all the rain and storms. I had my good client James Davis today. It was just James and myself and he wanted to drift the flats for redfish so that is what we did. We managed around 9 keeper reds this morning with a few undersized and 3 or 4 trout. Just about every place we went we caught a red or two but no consistent action. Short day on the water but a good one. | |
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07-01-10 |
Well Hurricane Alex has come and gone. Fortunately we just got some heavy rains out of it but unfortunately we lost 4 days of income due to the storm. Oh well Im sure Obama is going to send me a check !!! | |
06-28-10 |
Today I had one of my great clients and friends Terry Bonnell. Terry is a very good fisherman and its always a pleasure to fish with him. Today he brought his wife Renee and his son Brian. We started off VERY close to the ramp today in the spot where we left them biting yesterday. We immediately got bites. Renee got on the board first with the first keeper and never looked back. We boxed around 14 or so keepers and a lot of undersized fish before our bite slowed. Our next move produced nothing but hardheads but the next move was great. We immediately started catching solid fish. When our bite slowed we would move 20 yds and get it going again. As bad luck would happen for Brian he mentioned the night before that we would not catch a flounder. So he told his mom he would pay her 5 bucks if she caught one. Guess what? She did, so Brian pay up. We limited out on trout so we went to look for a redfish or two. We started drifting and it did not take Renee long to get the hang of that. She immediately started catching trout. In fact at one time all three had a fish on. Today was just Renee's day. She then hooked into a large 29 1/2 in oversized red. What a great day with a really great family. Terry and Brian did a great job today but it was Renee's day today. She caught the first trout, the largest trout, the most trout, the only flounder and the oversized red which completed the Texas Slam for her which is hard to do. Great job Renee !!!! | |
 06-27-10 |
Today I had another one of my great clients and friend Tommy Lyons. Today he brought Maureen, Trudy and Brandon with him. Brandon just got back from Afghanistan so we here hoping to put him on some fish. We headed back to the lagune today. Boy what a difference a day makes. We hit a lot of the same spots we fished yesterday with great success but it was slow today. Not near as many bites today. We finally got a good bite going and a boat ran right over the top of us. There was not another boat within sight of us so there was tons of room for him to go around but he felt cutting right in front of us was the right thing to do. Of course that was the end of our bite. I did "wave" at him as he went by. We got another pretty good bite going but these guys had to leave around 11:30 so we left them biting. We caught some really nice fish today just not a lot of numbers on a short day. Todays photo is of Tommy with a nice 26 1/2 in fish. Well the guys put it on the girls today so for once the guys rule !! And yes Tommy forced me to say that and he gets the top honors today. | |
06-26-10 |
Today I had another one of my great clients and friend Dallas Cloud and Charlie Wingate. Two of my favorite gals Donna and Julie were supposed to make the trip but unfortunately both had to back out. I cant tell you how much I missed having these two lovely ladies on my boat today. I was back at the laguna madre again today. We got off to a good start and we literally caught fish at every stop. We had our limit after two stops and these guys were in a company tournament so we went looking for one more big fish and we needed one big red. We began drifting and caught more trout that we released. We got to an area and at the end of our drift when I cranked up to move about 200 redfish humped up and I thought we found the tournament fish we needed. Charlie quickly hooked up then the school scattered. Unfortunately the one we hooked was oversized and did us no good. We lost the school and did not see them again. Great day with good friends. It was pretty even between Dallas and Charlie today but Charlie had a nice 29 in trout and the oversized red so he gets top honors today. Great job Charlie !!! | |
 06-25-10 |
Today I had a new client Ed Orsak. He brought his son Jeff, JT Kalina and Jim Klopsteck with him. Now there is a boat load of Czechs !! This is the first time this group has fished with me but they are from my hometown of Wharton and they knew my dad and myself back from the old days. So of course we knew a lot of the same people. We headed back to the laguna madre today. We got off to a pretty good start boxing around 14 or so plus we had quite a few misses as well. We made a few moves with only one here and there and then we got another good bite going boxing some really nice fish. We ended the day with around 32 or so. Im not sure who got top honors today it was pretty close between Ed, Jeff and JT. Jim struggled a little bit today and let me tell you the others were really giving him hell about it. A really great day with good people. A lot of laughs today. Hope to see these guys again. | |
 06-20-10 |
Today I was fishing for Redfish Lodge again and I had Kevin, Sosie and Paul. We started our day wade fishing with croakers. The first few wades we made just could not look any better. Bait fish everywhere but not bites. I finally made a long run to San Antonio bay and we found a reef holding a few fish. We boxed around 10 or 11 and missed quite a few before our bite slowed down. We were running out of time so I loaded the guys up and headed to one of my favorite reefs. It was too late to make another wade so I anchored up on my favorite hole on the reef and to say the least it was on. We immediately started boxing nice fish from 19-24 inches. We ended up with 29 of our 30 before we had to go. Today was one of those days where I firmly believe we were in fish all morning but they just weren't eating. Then around noon they decided to eat and I bet everyone that had not given up caught them at that time. Great day with really nice fish with a great group of guys. | |
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06-19-10 |
Today I had the Bob Coltrin group. Bob brought Paul and Satch with him today. We got up early and headed back to the Laguna today. We got off to a quick start and boxed some nice fish but the bite stopped almost as soon as it started. We had quite a few misses that ended up hurting us. We made a lot of moves catching mostly undersized fish with an occasional keeper. We ended up the day with 15 or 16 keepers. I spoke with several guides in the laguna as well as Rockport and they struggled today as well. Just one of those days where the fish just weren't eating. I really enjoyed fishing with these guys and they really give each other a lot of grief. Lots of laughs today and I hope to see these guys again. | |
06-18-10 |
Today I was fishing for Redfish Lodge. We started out anchoring for trout but the bite was slow. So we changed strategies and started drifting. We started catching some really nice reds along with adding some nice trout. It was not fast and furious today but we managed a good box of fish. Todays photo is of Troy with one of his nice reds and his largest trout of the day a nice 24 in fish. Good day with good people. | |
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06-17-10
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Today I had one of my good friends and repeat client John Cadena. Today he brought his son Weston with him. This is Weston's first time to saltwater fish so I was anxious to put John and his son on some fish. We headed back to the upper laguna today. Our first stop was great. We immediately got bit and young Weston got it going quickly. You would have never known it was his first time to trout fish with croakers. He was on a roll and really putting it on his dad. Our bite slowed and we made some moves with only a few undersized fish. We then started to make some drifts and we were back to catching fish. And yes it did not take Weston long to get the hang of drifting. He was soon hooking up again. We finished out our limit and John added a nice 28 in red to end our day. What a great day to be a part of a father spending quality time with his son on the water. What a great fisherman Weston is going to be. This young man can really fish and John may have a hard time coming to Rockport without him. The first photo is of Weston and yours truly with Weston's first trout. I think the smile says it all !! The second photo is of John and Weston with the nice red John caught. What a great father and son moment. And yes as you can see the seagulls are still eating me up. Wish they would open season on them for a couple weeks !!! | |
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06-16-10 |
Personal day off today. | |
 06-15-10 |
Today I had one of the hardest throwing pitchers of all time Roger Clemens. Today he brought his two sons Kody, Kacy and his wife Debbie. I have fished with Kody before but this was my first trip with the rest of the gang. We got off to a little bit of a late start today. We got to our first stop and as soon as Debbie got a line in the water she had a nice trout on. Then a couple of misses by the guys, then Kody got hooked up then Debbie again. Unfortunately Roger and Kacy just weren't getting as many bites. Debbie and Kody put 5 or 6 nice keepers in the box then our bite just shut down. Sure wish we would have been there an hour earlier. We then made a couple moves with no bites so we made a long run south and what a good choice it was. Debbie immediately hooked up and we had a really good bite going. Roger and Kacy finally got it going but Debbie and Kody were matching them. Roger had to be back early to help with the Corpus Christi Hooks today so we called it a day around 11 or so. We ended the day with 19 nice trout. Not bad considering we had a short day on the water. Debbie definately gets top honors today. She and Kody tied for the most but she caught the first and the biggest so she wins. Great job Debbie. Debbie was not going to come today but the guys finally talked her into it and I'm glad they did. She made me look good today and she can really fish. Great morning with a really great family. Its always nice to see a family that really enjoys spending time together. Hope to see them again soon. | |
 06-14-10 |
Today I was fishing another repeat client Mike Wilson. Today he brought his sons Matt and Chris and Wayne Beeman. Chris and Wayne are lefties so they had a little bet lefties versus righties. We were greeted with strong winds today gusting in the 40's. We got off to a quick start this morning. Our first anchor produced around 10 fish then our next anchor we quickly boxed 8 or so and yes we had some misses again today. Our bite quit and we made a long run and hit some spots that are always good to me with no luck. We then returned to the area we started at and grinded out a few more. I think we ended up with around 23 or so really nice trout and one red. As far as the bet goes it was not close today. Mike and Matt (the righties) really put it on the lefties today. It was close between Mike and Matt for top honors but I think Matt gets top honors with the most and the only keeper red of the day. Another great day with really good people. Hope to see these guys again soon. | |
 06-12-10 |
Today I was fishing a big company group for FSG electric out of Houston. I've fished this group for several years now and always have a great time. Today I had Mike and Steve Hobbs. We got off to a fast start then it kind of slowed. We made a few moves and were scratching out fish at each move. We boxed some solid fish today but no really big ones. We managed our limit of trout mostly thanks to Mike. He really had the hot hand today. Steve just couldn't get the bites. But he finally got it going at the end and made a nice comeback but it was too late to catch Mike. Great job by both of these guys today. I'm sure Ill see this group again next year. | |
 06-11-10 |
Today I was fishing for Redfish Lodge and the Schlumberger group. I fished out of cove harbor today. I started out trout fishing on the outside beaches. We managed around 6 trout only so we changed strategies and started drifting for redfish. We finally found an area holding some solid fish. It was not fast but we managed our limit of reds plus a few more trout. We ended the day with 11 trout and our 6 reds. Not a bad day considering we quit around 11:45. Jesse Pantalion had the hot hand today by far. He was on fire and did not miss many today. He had never caught a redfish before so it always nice to put someone on their first red. Todays photo is of Jesse with his first redfish. | |
 06-08-10 |
Today I was fishing with a friend of mine Heather Whited and she brought Sara Mendel with her. I met Heather several years ago and we talked about going fishing but never did. Heather is an avid fisherman and fishes as often as she can. We were greeted with rain this morning but this did not stop these two. We decided to give it a shot since this is the only day I could get them out. It was drizzling when we left and it got progressively worse but these girls were determined. Sara got on the board first and had a nice run before the wind changed and lost our bite. Both Heather and Sara can really fish and these two got it done today. We managed 17 trout and one flounder before I finally decided to call it a day around 9:30 or so. Still a great day in tough conditions. Sara definately gets top honors catching the most, the biggest and the only flounder. Sara also had a really nice 26 in trout right at the boat and it flopped right out of my net and back in the water then broke off. I cant tell you how bad I felt for her. Great day today despite the rain with two AWESOME girls. Im sure Ill find time to get these two out again. We had a great time, a good box of fish and A LOT of laughs. Thanks girls !!! | |
06-07-10 |
Today I had another one of my good repeat clients the Wheeler's. These great folks have made it a tradition to come down and celebrate their wedding anniversary here and fish with me. The last 4 years Mrs. Wheeler has really put it on her husband. Each year he always catches the first fish then struggles and she kills them. This year he vowed not to catch the first fish. Well Mrs. Wheeler got on the board first and guess what? She now had the curse of catching the first one. Immediately after that Mr. Wheeler got it going and he never looked back. He literally was catching fish on every cast it seemed. Mrs. Wheeler was catching fish but not as fast as her husband. What a morning on the water. We were limited by 8 am. The day was topped off with a nice 26 in trout by Mr. Wheeler. It was finally his day to shine and he was taking advantage of it. He really was rubbing it in on his wife. After four years of her beating him he was not going to let up on her. Great day with really good people. Congratulations to them on I believe 37 years of marriage. And yes congratulations to Mr. Wheeler on doing a great job today. | |
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06-06-10 |
Today I was fishing for another guide as part of a two boat group. I had Jim and Robert. We fished out of Rockport today. We got a late start today and that made me nervous. We got on the water around 7. Our first 4 or 5 stops only produced 1 undersized fish. I then headed to a flat and we started to drift. About a 100 yds into the drift Jim and Robert had two huge hits. I immediately slid the anchor over and it was on. What a bite for about 20 minutes. Jim was sticking really nice fish right and left. These fish were HUNGRY. We boxed 17 nice fish then boats saw us catching fish and moved all over us and shut our bite down. We called it an early day since Robert had to drive back to Midland. We easily should have limited but we had some misses and lost quite a few really nice fish right at the boat but still a really good box on a short day of some really good fish. No photo today we were in a hurry to get Robert on the road. I really enjoyed fishing with these two guys today. | |
06-05-10 |
Well today I had another one of my good repeat clients Doug Kuenstler and the gang. Doug, James, Robert and Gary are always a pleasure to fish with and I cannot tell you how much fun we have. The bullshit cannot get any deeper with these guys trust me. We headed back to the laguna madre again today. I headed back to the same spot where we smoked them yesterday and guess what? They weren't there. We had a slight wind direction change from yesterday and it moved my fish. We picked up only 4 in here before I made a move and what a move it was. The second James bait hit the water it was on. We put about 15 more in the box and I cannot tell you how many we missed and lost. Gary though topped everyone with a nice 29 1/2 in trout. A true trophy by all standards. We should have limited here but the misses and lost fish cost us but still a good stop. We then made another move and got another good bite going. Unfortunately a lot of missed here too. I wont mention any names but Doug missed seven in a row !!!! But he did have top honors with the most today. What another great day on the water with good people. Ill see Doug again in a couple of weeks. Todays photos are of Gary with his nice trophy trout and the gang with the final catch of the day photo. | |
 06-04-10 |
Well today was day two with Pat and Patrick. We headed to the upper laguna as planned. What a difference a day makes. Since the storm yesterday shut the fish down that meant they were starving today. We started with a short drift and picked up a few and I got a line on the fish and anchored up and it was on. It was fast and furious. Yes we had some misses but we had our limit by 8. What a bite !! We then spent a lot of time looking for reds but Patrick managed only one undersized. I really enjoyed fishing with these two. Its always great to see a father spending time with his son on the water. Patrick is a great young man and can really fish and trust me he let his dad and I know it. Great time with great people. Hope to see them again soon. | |
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06-03-10 |
Today I had a new client Pat Mulvey and his son Patrick. We fished Rockport today due to a heavy storm that was forecast the evening before. About midnight it came in with avengeance. Rockport had gusts to over 70 mph and Aransas Pass had winds over 90. They weather system really shut our fish down today. Not a lot of bites today but we did manage a good box about 15 fish but it was not fast and furious. It seemed like every spot we would hit 2 fish right off the bat then nothing. Alot of moving today but we grinded out a good box and according to the reports we did pretty well compared to most. Both Pat and his son Patrick could really fish and that definately helped our cause. Patrick got on the board first and never looked back. He definately had top honors today. I've got these two tomorrow. We are heading to the upper Laguna. Todays photo is of Pat and Patrick with the largest fish of the day a nice 22 in fish by Pat. | |
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06-01-10 |
I have only 5 or 6 days open in June so check your schedule and book before they are all gone. Thanks as always for your support. | |
 05-30-10 |
Today I had another repeat client and friend Sean Brown from San Antonio. Today he brought Stephen and Shannon Schimmel and Larissa Sanchez. Due to the heavy boat traffic in Rockport yesterday we ran to the upper laguna madre today. I think this was Shannon's and Larissa's first time to trout fish but you would have never known it (of course my excellent coaching helped ) !!! There was a lot of trash talking going on early by the guys but once the girls started catching fish it was over. No fast action today but again we grinded out a good box thanks to the girls. At one time the girls had the guys doubled but Sean and Stephen tried to make a last minute comeback but the girls just refused to let that happen. Another solid box today with some really nice fish. Yes we missed some good bites today but overall Shannon and Larissa did a great job. Top honors definately goes to Larissa today. Not only did she catch the most but I think the biggest also. Great day with really great people and its always nice to watch the girls put it on the guys !!! And yes they let them hear about it too. It was priceless to see Stephens face when Shannon hooked another nice fish and asked him if he wanted to come reel it in. You gotta love it !!! | |
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05-29-10
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Today I had another repeat client Karen Littleton. Our last trip we had horrible conditions and a tough day so I was hoping to make up for it today. Today she brought her sister Debbie, and Russell Wilburn. We started off with a lot of bites early. Unfortunately most of the fish were undersized but we were getting bit the second the bait hit the water. Karen got on the board first then Debbie. We then moved and got a steady bite going. The tide was moving so hard it was not easy to tell when you had a bite so we missed a lot if fish in here today. We managed a good box of fish today mostly thanks to the girls. It was no contest today. Karen and Debbie really put it on Russell today. There was a slight controversy over who had the biggest fish Debbie or Karen. But Debbie slipped me some cash and yes I can be bought so Debbie gets the win for the biggest fish of the day. A good day on the water with good people. Sorry but once again ladies rule !!! | |
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photo pending 05-28-10 |
Today I was fishing for another guide as part of a two boat group. I had Michael Robertson and his sons Dalton and Cole. We got off to a really slow start with only one keeper around 8 am. But fortunately we kicked it in gear and managed a nice box of 22 or so fish including two nice reds by Dalton and Cole. Dalton and Cole did a great job today. These two young men could really fish. The kids put it on dad today but thats what it is all about. Both boats had good boxes today so I think the group was pleased. Todays photo is of the whole group with the combined catch of the day. | |
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05-27-10 |
Today I had Loren Robinson, Chuck Robinson and Andre Gele. The winds died somewhat so we headed back to the outside beach again today. Lots of undersized fish today but some good solid fish mixed in. We worked hard again today and put together a nice box of fish. Andre definately had the hot hand today. I was going to report today that the old guys put in on the young guns today but I will rephrase and say that "experience" paid off today. Great day on the water today and we had a great time. A lot of laughs today. I look forward to fishing with these guys again. Top honors today definately goes to Andre. Im sure the young ones will have to listen to this for a while !! | |
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05-25-10 |
Today was day two for the Cadena group. Winds died some and so did our fishing for some reason. Again we worked the same areas where we caught them yesterday but not near as many bites today. Go figure. We managed around 12 or 13 before calling it a day. Even though we did not limit today it was still a good day of fishing with John. Its always a pleasure to fish with him. | |
 05-24-10 |
I was fishing for Redfish Lodge again today and was requested by my old pal John Cadena. Its always a pleasure fishing with John and today was no different. We were greeted with extremely high winds today. Our first couple stops were on the outside beach so it was rough. We caught a few then headed to find some more protected water. I headed back to a grass flat where I had caught them a few days before and we started catching. It was not fast and furious but steady. We got our limit of nice trout today mainly thanks to John. John was definately on his A game today. Todays photo is of John with another nice fish on. Great job today John !! | |
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05-23-10 |
Today was day two for the group at the lodge and I had Mason and Blake again and today Blake's dad joined us. Action was not near as good today as yesterday. We fished a lot of the same areas but unfortunately there was a lot more boat traffic there today. We managed 12 or 13 solid fish today. We missed a few and the boys were a little tired today. Another good day with some really good kids. | |
 05-22-10 |
Today I was fishing for Redfish Lodge and I had Craig Pierrotti and his son Mason and Blake Brown. This was Mason's and Blake's first time to trout fish so I was anxious to put them on some fish. I headed back to where we caught them yesterday and guess what? They weren't there. A couple moves and we finally got on some fish. We put 10 or so in the box before our bite shut down. I then headed to where we had our last bite yesterday and that large sand hole was still holding fish. We got a good bite going there and put another 16 in the box. Yes we missed some today but that is expected your first time out. These young guys did a really great job today. Its always nice to see a dad sharing the great outdoors with his son. Blake's dad was on another boat so Blake put it on his dad today. Not only could these young men fish they were very polite, well mannered and a pleasure to fish with. When we got to the dock the van driver asked how we did and young Mason jumped in saying we had 26 fish. He was then asked how many he caught and instantly without hesitation and a big smile on his face he commented " so many I lost count " !!! You gotta love it. That is why I love what i do. Great job guys. Todays photo is of Craig with Mason and Blake. | |
 05-21-10 |
Today I had another repeat client Dennis Yanowski. Today be brought Paul Marek and Paul's sons Josh and Joel. All these guys are very good fishermen so that always helps. I started my morning on the Lydia Ann channel and it was a good move. Our first anchor was incredible. We boxed around 20 or so fish but unfortunately we had quite a few misses by everyone and that is a rarity with these guys. We then scratched a few more including a nice 26 3/4 in fish by Paul. Then on our final anchor we had another good bite and ended our day on a good note. We ended up with around 35 of our 40 trout. We were part of a 3 boat group and ended up with the largest trout and the most fish. We should have had largest red also but someone in our group broke off the only one on the motor. I wont mention who it was but I wont let him forget it (you know who you are ) !!!! Oh well, no one else caught a red either. A great day on the water with great guys and great fishermen. These guys made my job easy today. Almost like a day off. Todays photo is of Paul with his nice 26 3/4 in fish. Great job guys !!! | |
 05-20-10 |
Today I had my good friend and frequent client Tommy Lyons. Today he brought Andy with him. Tommy got on the board first with two solid trout. Then a couple moves with nothing. The next stop Tommy really got it going. I finally started contributing as well and poor Andy was just soaking bait. Our bite slowed down so we made a couple moves with no keepers. I then decided to drift an area and that really paid off. The first two baits that hit the water were slammed. Andy finally got in the groove and started landing some really nice fish. We called it a day around 11:00 or so with a nice box of solid fish. Top honors definately go to Tommy today. He didnt miss many and kept the pressure on us all day. He did a great job today. There were no girls on the boat today so I cant say that girls rule. But I have seen Tommy wear a skirt (of course he calls it a kilt) !!! lol I really enjoy fishing with Tommy and his groups and its always a pleasure spending time on the water with him. | |
 05-17-10 |
Today I was fishing for Redfish Lodge and I had the pleasure to have Lisa Freker and Misti Gill from Houston. Another day with not so favorable weather. We had a front come in that brought some rain, cloudy skies, and alot of wind direction changes. The storm really had the fish in a picky mood. We had a lot of bites where they would slam the bait hard and just about the time you would set the hook they would let go. They were really hard to catch today. We managed 10 or so trout and I decided to go look for some redfish. Misti caught a nice fish then we headed to the dock to get out of the rain. We went back out and Lisa caught a really nice 27 3/4 in fish. Im sure that won the big fish contest for their group. I really had a good time today with these two. They fished hard and stuck it out in some pretty tough conditions. A lot of laughs today and a good time. I really enjoyed fishing these ladies and hope to see them again. Nice job girls and congratulations to Lisa for big fish of the day. Todays photo is of Misti and Lisa with their redfish. | |
 05-15-10 |
Today I had my good client Dallas Cloud of Moore Erection in San Antonio. This was his trip for his field manages and we had 5 boats today. I had Dallas, Kenny and my favorite gal Donna Ibanez. We headed out and just got a good bite going when some really bad weather hit us. We ran to the dock and it just started raining on us as we pulled in. It rained and had heavy lightning until almost noon. We finally got back out and worked hard to manage 13 or so trout. Dallas had the hot hand today with Donna in second and well Kenny what can I say. Great job Dallas and of course great day for me getting to fish with great people. Todays photo is of Donna and myself. I had a pic of Dallas, Kenny and Donna but for some reason I like this one better !! | |
 05-09-10 |
Today I had another one of my good repeat clients Robert Todd and his family. The Todd's always come down for mothers day and I enjoy fishing with them. Its always nice to see a close knit family that really cares about each other like they do. We were met with some horrific winds today. We trout fished early but the water was tore up and we managed only 7 or 8 trout before the winds got too strong. We did miss some good fish though so the numbers could have been a little better. We then started red fishing and it was slow to say the least. We finally got on some fish and had some really crazy runs where it was frantic at times. We managed 10 solid reds and broke off a few and missed some. Poor Robert was being shut out and I was determined not to leave until he put one in the boat. He finally hooked a nice fish but it broke off on the boat. We made a slight move and he finally got a nice fish in and we were all thrilled and called it a day. Okay here is how the day added up. The girls definately won on the trout side, the redfish was pretty close thanks to Cory and Greg. So overall the numbers were VERY close but I think the girls edged it out plus the fact that they were outnumbered the win once again goes to the ladies. Great job Jessica and Deanda !!!! Nice box of fish with great people. See ya next year !! | |
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05-08-10
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Today was our annual Babes on the Bay Tournament. This year I was fishing a group sponsored by my bait supplier Salty Dog Bait House. I had Shay, Sherry, Sharon and Darlene. We started off trout fishing and got a pretty good bite going early. We boxed 15 or so and missed quite a few including a couple really huge hits. Unfortunately the fish were solid but not really tournament fish. I had been catching some good fish in here but for some reason they turned smaller. We now went looking for a redfish to complete our stringer. We finally managed a small 20 in fish then right at the end Darlene stuck a huge 27 3/4 in fish. That would put us in the hunt, especially for big redfish. I cant tell you how loud and how much screaming was going on. Well at weigh in the top red was 7.82 and we weighed in at 7.62 so we were in second for a long time. Then the last group weighed in and they had a nice fish. I knew it would be close. They edged us out of the money with a 7.66 fish. There was a little controversy whether it was 7.66 or 7.60 but none the less the girls did great. A lot of fun today and I think the girls were thrilled. | |
 05-07-10 |
Well the last two days Ive had another one of my good repeat clients Mitch Kolenovsky . The regular gang David and Mike joined him with newcomer Bob. Day one we trout fished all day and it was a grind. Never a solid bite just one or two per stop. We managed around 15 nice trout on day one and yes we had our fair share of misses. Day two we started out trout fishing and the bite was a little better. We managed 17 nice fish by 11 and the guys wanted to try to catch some reds so we changed strategies. Unfortunately we found a couple undersized and that was it. A couple great days with really good people. Oh I almost forgot about the baptism that Mitch took when he fell out of the boat. The guys wont let him live that one down for awhile. Todays photo is of day one. Great two days with great people. | |
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05-05-10 |
Today I had my good friend Tommy Lyons again. It was just he and I today so it was a great day out fishing with your friend. Today was my first day to throw croakers. They are still small but getting there. It was pretty slow today but we finally managed our limit of solid trout but we worked hard for them. I think the small bait hurt. A few more weeks and I think things will improve dramatically. Tommy wanted to head in so we could still grab lunch at JJ's. If not I wanted to go try to find some drum for him since that has become his favorite fish. | |
 05-01-10 |
Today I had another one of my good repeat clients Bob Wilson. Today he brought Stephen Hulme and Nash Hulme with him. This was the Hulmes first time to redfish so I was anxious to put them on some fish. Well I headed back to my shell patch and they were finally gone. All good things must come to an end. I ran way south to Dagger and went to another one of my honey holes and we picked up two solid fish. I then made a short move and as I was easing into an area I saw some fish in a few days when I saw one small mullet explode out of the water. I eased in, slid the anchor in and it was one. We limited rather quickly with some good solid 23-25 in fish. What was nice is that everyone actually caught their own limit. We then drifted for trout but the pin perch ate us alive. Bob managed one really nice 20 in fish. Nash had the first red of the day and the biggest so top honors go to him today. Nice job by all and a great day on the water. Hope to see them again soon. | |
 04-30-10 |
I had my good client James Davis again today. We had a short day today. I headed back to my patch of shell and James had his limit in about 30 minutes. Nice job James !!! | |
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Reminder |
Just a reminder May and June are filling up fast. I have only about 6 days left in May and June is filling quickly so if you are wanting to book a trip dont hesitate and get it on the books. Looks like we are going to have a great year so dont miss out. | |
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04-28-10 |
No fishing report today but I had to mention this in my report section. For those of you who read my reports on a regular basis you have seen my good client and friend Tommy Lyons on here a lot. What you dont know is he and his friend Pat Delmore has given me a lot of grief about catching black drum. Well this past week he was down and went to his favorite restaurant Latitudes here in Rockport. Guess what? Black Drum was the featured fish of the day and he actually admitted to me that he LOVED it !!! And I know that hurt his lips to admit it. Guess he will have to find something else to give me grief about !!!! | |
04-27-10 |
Today I had a new client Craig Godfrey. Craig is good friends with David Preisler a friend of mine from high school that I played baseball with back in the day. Today he brought his nephew Kody Clemens, the son of famed pitcher Roger Clemens, and Kody's friend Marshall Miller. We had a front blow in around 4 am and by daylight it was cranking out of the north around 25-30 mph. Pretty tough conditions but I was confident we could find some fish. We started off anchoring and the hardheads were killing us so I opted to start drifting. Our bite was not fast today due to the conditions but we managed to put together a good box of fish. Kody and Marshall did a great job today. These young men did a fine job fishing in these tough conditions. I have a lot of adult clients that would have a hard time drifting in such high winds but these two had no problem. Marshall has done a lot of salt water fishing and Kody has done a lot of freshwater but I believe this was his first salt water experience. Craig is a big bass fisherman so you know I had my hands full with all those bad habits !! These guys got it done today under tough conditions. We managed a good box of fish and yes we had our fair share of misses and a lot of undersized reds. Todays photos are of Kody with his first ever keeper redfish and then the final catch of the day photo. Hope to see these guys again. Great job !! | |
04-24-10 |
Today I had another one of my good repeat clients Joe Berger and Mark Hooper. These guys fish with me a couple times a year and its always great to see them. Joe got off to the quick start and boxed the first fish. Then we lost a few and missed a few. Joe then completed his limit really putting the pressure on Mark. Mark was just having some bad luck missing fish and breaking a couple off. Mark finally got on the board and we were looking for that last red. Mark finally had a really big fish on but unfortunately the fish got the best of him and got around the trim tab and broke off. We then headed back to where we started. Mark then made up for the lost red. He boxed a really nice 25 in trout then followed it up with a nice 23 in trout. He then got our elusive last red. We then made a couple drifts where Joe boxed three more really nice trout. Great day with good people. The first photo is of Mark with his two really nice trout then the catch of the day photo. Great job guys. | |
| 04-23-10 | Today I had a good client James Davis. James has fished with me for many years. James has been battling cancer for several years now so we do not stay out very long but its nice to get him out for his favorite past time. I headed back to my shell pad but the tide had dropped some and so the big school of fish had gone. There were still some scattered fish but it was hard to get them to bite in the shallow clear water. James did manage his limit though before we called it a morning around 10. Great day with a really great guy. I hope I get to spend many more years fishing with James. | |
 04-18-10 |
I was fishing for Redfish Lodge again and for some reason the Sandknops wanted to fish with me again. We also added Dr. Greg Young with us today. We were met with heavy rain and lightning this morning but once it got daylight the storm was through. I headed back to my patch of shell but today I was heavily armed. I re-spooled everything with 40 lb braided line with 65 lb braided leader. It wasn't long and we were hooked up. Everyone got in the game and the action was steady. Amazingly we did not break off a single fish today. That will teach those fish to mess with me. !! We had our limit by 10:30 or so. Dr. Sandknop won top honors and the big fish pot today with a nice 27 3/4 in fish. Dr. Young did not let the guys get the best of him. He got his limit as well. Another great day with great folks again. Todays photo is of everyone with the final catch of the day. Great week of fishing. | |
04-17-10 |
Today I was fishing for Redfish Lodge and I had Dr. Sandknop and his two sons from Dallas. Its always great to see a father taking the time to spend quality time in the outdoors with their sons. I headed back to the area where I had been fishing but there were two boats there already. It doesn't take long for people to figure out where you are. I headed to another area where we picked up three fish. Not a lot of fish in here but really good ones. Ryan caught an oversized and Preston added another nice 27 3/4 in. I headed back to the shell and the boats were gone. We immediately started hooking up. Unfortunately a lot of break offs again today plus some misses. The guys finally got it going and we started landing fish and finished out our limit by 11:30. Not bad. This was part of a three boat group and they had a bet for largest fish which Ryan won with his nice 29 1/4 in fish. Great day with really good people. Todays photo is of Ryan with his nice oversized red, Dr. Sandknop with his sons and the final catch of the day photo. I think the smiles says it all. | |
04-16-10 |
Today I had one of my best clients and good friend Tommy Lyons. Today he brought his sister Sharon Shanahan and her husband Jim and his daughter Stephanie. First lets talk fishing. We got off to a fast start today. Sharon immediately hooked up and it was on. We were boxing fish but also breaking off a lot again on the shell but we were landed a lot more today. Finally Stephanie got on the board catching the largest red of the day. It was Stephanie's birthday today so I was glad she finally got a nice red to the boat after breaking off several. We ended up boxing 9 reds before we decided to make a couple drifts before calling it a morning. Stephanie landed a nice 18 in trout which turned out to be the only keeper trout of the day. Stephanie was ready to go in early so we called it a day around 10:30 or so but we had a great box of fish. Now lets talk about the morning on the boat. Those of you who fish with me know that I've mentioned that I am going to write a book of stories that have taken place on my fishing trips. Lets just say that Stephanie probably filled up at least two whole chapters today and Ill leave it at that !!! You will have to buy the book for details. Great day today with great people. Todays photo is of Sharon with the first fish of the day and then the final catch of the day photo. I almost forgot, girls 6, guys 4. Once again ladies rule !! | |
 04-13-10 |
Today I had one of my newer repeat clients Chris Callan and Tony. The last time these two fished with me we had a tough day so I was anxious to redeem myself. They also brought Chris Yankee with them. And yes he is a yankee from Michigan with a last name of Yankee. Good thing I did not know that till the END of the trip !! We were faced with high winds again today. I headed to a patch of shell I like during these conditions. Unfortunately the fish where there but as common in this spot we kept breaking them off on the shell. Chris Yankee got on the board first. Tony and Chris Callan kept hooking up but the shell was killing us. We must have broke off 8 or 9 in a row. Chris had about a 31 incher right at the boat when it broke off. I then decided to make a slight adjustment and we started drifting the area and it paid off. We limited out on reds and we must have caught and released another 30 or so 18 and 19 inch fish. Alot of action with some nice fish mixed in. We really had a great day today not only catching but the company was great today. Their was a lot of grief given by all and the laughs were constant. It was nice to redeem myself with this group and Chris and Tony definately deserved it. Im sure Ill see these guys again. Great job guys. | |
 04-12-10 |
Today I had a new client Pam Bommarito and Bruce McGee from Austin. They were referred to me from one of my good clients so the pressure was on. I headed back to the same area where we smoked them yesterday. I rounded the corner and everything was tore up from the high winds we had all day and night. I was a little worried but was already committed. It was not fast and furious but steady enough to get the job done. Pam got on the board first and put the pressure on Bruce. Bruce got off to a slow start missing three in a row then breaking off a really nice fish. He then got in the game and made it close. At the end of the day they both got their limit but Pam added a nice redfish and since she had the largest she gets the victory today. Once again ladies rule !!! Great job Pam. Good day on the water under some pretty tough conditions. I had a great time with Pam and Bruce and they did a great job. Hope to see these two again. | |
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04-11-10 |
I had a cancellation today so I called a friend of mine to go out for a few hours before the Masters started on tv. We did not need a couple hours. Our first stop was hot and heavy and we got our limit of drum and one red very quick. Made one stop on the way in and picked up one more red. Nice box for about an hour and a half on the water. | |
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04-10-10 |
Today I was fishing for Redfish Lodge. I headed to San Antonio bay today. The water looked good and we caught a lot of fish today but unfortunately most undersized. We worked hard today and covered alot of reefs and caught fish on every reef but again most small. Lots of action but not many keepers. | |
 04-04-10
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Today I received a photo and fishing report from one of my good clients Greg Paradine. He caught this really nice 26 1/2 in trout over the weekend. He gave me the area where he caught her but I promised I would not tell !!!! Great job Greg and a nice way to start your year. We need to work on your photo taking skills though. | |
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04-03-10 |
I took Easter weekend off. Hopefully the fishing Gods will reward me !!!! | |
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04-01-10 |
The past two days I had a new client Tom Oehler and Tom Bloxham. We fished down south the first day with only a handful of keeper trout and quite a few undersized. Headed north the next day and managed some nicer fish and a few drum. Overall these guys fished really hard. Again our tides are still low and hampering our efforts and success rate. These guys could really fish and I really enjoyed fishing with these guys and hope to see them again hopefully under some better conditions. | |
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03-30-10 |
Well the last two days I had one of my good clients Chris Callan and Paul Laudidio and Mark and Kent. Paul and Kent waded most of the day while Chris and Mark stayed in the boat. We are experiencing extremely low tides for a long period now and the fish have been tough to come by. Paul and Kent covered a lot of ground with little success. We finally found some fish drifting. ALOT of undersized though with just a handful of keepers. Of course we did have our fair share of misses too. Tough too days. We need some water bad. If you read my reports you know we like it when the tide drops dramatically. Unfortunately it did that and we banged them for a few days but the tides have not come back up so we have lost those fish. This was my first time to fish Paul and Kent and I hope to get another shot to put them on some fish. | |
 03-28-10 |
Today I had an old friend of mine, Trey Forbes. I know Trey for around 10 years now and consider him a great friend. He is a professional firefighter for the Kerrville Fire Dept so most of you know I have special pride for firefighters. Today was one of those days that cant get much better. First few stops were slow to say the least but then the tide starting dropping and it was on. We easily got our 6 reds and released some and 5 nice black drum. I stopped Trey at that point because I did not want to clean anymore than that. We literally left them biting. Its always nice to catch fish but its extremely nice to do it with a good friend. Great day on the water and hope to see Trey again soon. | |
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03-23-10 |
Well mid week this week has been nothing short of spectacular. Our tides dropped and we have located a huge school of drum on the outside beach. Probably over 5000 fish in it so it makes them easy to find. Quick limits have been the norm. The last two days I did not have clients but the ladies at the bank were wanting some fish so I went out to catch some for them. The first day I made 5 casts and had my limit of 5 then the next day I missed one so it took me 6 casts. Why cant I have a party of four on these days. !!! | |
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03-19-10 |
Today I had another good client and friend Sean Brown and his son Bo from San Antonio. Winds were cranking again today, sustained around 25 and gusting to 35. We started up anchoring for redfish to get out of the wind but not much luck. We then began drifting and started catching some fish. Alot of trout but most undersized but we did manage to pick up a couple really nice reds. Its always great to see Sean and Bo but another tough day. Gosh I wish we could get some decent conditions in here. | |
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03-16-10 |
Today I had another good client Randy Schulte, his son and his grandson Colson. Last year we went to Ingleside and put Colson on some oversized drum that were larger than him. Today I went back up north and we struggled. Some undersized reds and trout but we managed only one keeper. The tides were even lower today. If we can just get some water in here we will get back on them. I hope to get Colson back here to make up for the slow day. | |
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03-15-10 |
Today I had another one of my favorite clients Terry Bonnell. Today he brought his son with him. If you remember last year I gave Terry alot of grief about dropping my rod and reel in the water. Well this time he gets to give me a TON of grief. Again we had extremely low tides today. The few fish we found were in very shallow water and we worked the area hard. Unfortunately the tide dropped some more and when we tried to idle out we got high centered and Terry and I both had to get out and push. I will never hear the end of this and trust me Ive already started receiving the emails. But honestly I would not have it any other way. Giving each other some jokingly grief is what its all about. We managed a few nice drum today but overall pretty tough but a great day with good people and the kids did a great job today. | |
 03-14-10 |
Today I had a repeat client Robert Hogg and his dad. Again pretty tough conditions today. We headed to San Antonio bay then worked our way back. Today was one of those grinding days until the last hour. Around noon it was like you flipped a switch and our drum bite was on. We managed limits of really nice drum, a couple channel cats and one of the largest sheepsheads I think Ive ever seen that Robert's dad caught. He is undergoing surgery in a couple of days and we will keep him in our prayers and wish him a quick and speedy recovery. Great day on the water with really great people. | |
 03-13-10 |
Today I had one of my regular spring break clients the McCarthy's and the Mahone's. We covered a lot of territory today but the extremely low tides severely limited our options. We managed a few nice drum, a sheepshead or two and a one trout. Pretty slow today. I always enjoy my day on the water with these families. | |
| 03-01-10 | Well its time for another fishing season and Im definately ready to get things going especially after absolutely doing nothing while recovering from my surgery. I definately want to thank all of you who kept calling to check on me and giving me their get well wishes. The surgery went well and Im looking forward to a pain free season. Now if we can just get the fish to cooperate. |
