12/28/2010

Ruben Guerra Land Cut Trip

Ruben Guerra and is buddies made some nice catches at the Land Cut on December 21st pictured here at Clem's Marina. Both Baffin Bay and the Land Cut have been producing several nice catches this time of year. Congratulations to Ruben and appreciate him sending in this photo. Happy New Year!
With the cold fronts coming and going it's important to be flexible if you can in planning your trip fishing. This will allow you to select the best days for your fishing adventure and be able to take home your dinner. Check-out our weather section at JustGoFishin local weather near you.
Dave Alexander
dave@justgofishin.com

12/27/2010

Ruben Guerra Baffin Bay Trip

Ruben Guerra and a couple of buddies made some nice catches at Baffin Bay on December 19th. Just goes to show that winter fishing is a great time of year! Pictured here at Clems with their catches.


Dave Alexander
dave@justgofishin.com

12/23/2010

Relax and Enjoy the Packery Channel Jetty

The "Browns" and the "Johns" of Robstown Texas enjoying a great day at the packery channel jetty to hang out and enjoy some fishing instead of shopping the malls! Pictured here are these youth taking part of their school break to enjoy the great outdoors that Corpus Christi has to offer.

 Mason Johns pompano at the Packery Channel Jetty.

The fishing was slow at the Packery but that didn't stop several anglers from getting away from the hussle and bussle of the last minute shoppers for Christmas. The day was mild with beautiful blue sky. There's just something about being outside with a hook in the water! Merry Christmas.

Dave Alexander
dave@justgofishin.com




11/23/2010

Land Cut with Richard Epstein

Richard Epstein and I took off early to the Land Cut Saturday morning the 20th of November. We were both very surprised not to see a lot of boats to compete with as we travelled south on the Laguna Madre. We almost had the cut all to ourselves for the day. The waters were very calm all the way down which made me concerned about the bite we would have. As we selected our spot to fish and set-up to make our first cast, Richard gets an undersized flounder on his hook. That was a good sign!


The weather changed while we were anchored as the winds started to get stronger and the clear Sky's became partly cloudy. Then we started to get into the larger fish. We both caught redfish, speckled trout and black drum for a terrific day.

We were using live shrimp on the bottom and almost every cast had a fish on the hook. We must have gotten into a nursery with all the undersized stuff we caught. But managed to take home some nice keepers.


That's what it's all about... a great blackened redfish dinner. Till next time, hope y'all have a great day of fishin,

Dave Alexander
dave@justgofishin.com



Land Cut Fishing with Michael Angell

Courtnay and Lyla Brooks made some nice catches on a trip to the Land Cut with Captain Angell. Redfish, speckled trout and black drum were plentiful.

November 15-21, 2010
Weather: Our morning lows have been down to 60 degrees while the daytime highs have been as high as 90, This week we had mostly sunny skies,Water: surface temperature 71 degrees, Bait: We used mostly Live Shrimp this week and some crab.

Micheal Angell Fishing Report

RED FISH: The largest red fish we caught this week was 32 inches There were a few other over 28 inches also, . The good news was the numbers of slot red fish are abundant
.
TROUT: The Largest trout I seen this week was 31 inches brought in to Clem's, caught in the surf. We caught trout up to 22 inches in land cut. King Ranch Shoreline from Pure Oil Channel North has been good for Trout.

DRUM: Lots of drum being caught along the ICW. Nice eating size.

FLOUNDER: We have been catching small flounder with a few keeper size. I have seen some big one come into Clem's this week.

361-814-8540
361-232-6646 cell

11/16/2010

Land Cut Produces Some Nice Catches

Last Friday, November 12th, I went out with some friends, Manual Lara and Art Meru, to do a little fishin. We picked up Art at Clems as we picked up 2 quarts of live shrimp and a couple dozen mullet for the day. We didn't have a game plan for where we would go, only that there were some fishing reports of some nice fish down south at Baffin Bay and Land Cut. We had also, heard that the boat hole and deadman's was holding nice fish but we were gassed up and ready for travelling.

Not to far from Snoopy's on the ICW we found pelicans really working the water strong and stopped to throw a few casts into this area. Manual had a big bite, but fish was able to jump his hook. After coming up empty, we decided to move on south to Baffin Bay.

As we arrived in Baffin Bay the water, as expected, was really starting to churn with 3 foot swells so we went to the South shoreline to try some drift fishing. Watching out for rocks is criticle in this area because hitting one would ruin your whole day. I kept a close eye on the GPS during this time of trip. We managed to catch a few undersized trout while using a popping cork rig. We then decided to move on down to rocky slough to improve our wind cover. We managed to catch a few more undersized speckled trout using the same popping cork method.

The day was starting to get away from us and at about 1:00pm we still hadn't found the fish. With the winds kicking up to about 20 mph the birds weren't feeding to help us locate the fish.

We moved on down to the Land Cut to improve our coverage from the wind and try dropping our bait on the bottom. We finally started getting into the fish. Catching some nice slot redfish, black drum and speckled trout. The fish were just nibling our baits and you had to really be patient to allow time for the reds to swallow the hook.


Art limited on redfish and had we stayed longer we all would have perhaps done the same. However, we were running out of daylight and needed to start our voyage back home.

Arthur Meru and Manual Lara

Check-out other great catches at Papa John's Fishin Tales


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11/10/2010

Captain Michael Angell Trips

Some nice catches sent in by Captain Michael Angell from the Laguna Madre. See if you can recognize the fishing spots they caught these reds and trout and fillet at Clems Marina:








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10/28/2010

Joseph Becker's Nice Bull Redfish

Joseph Becker and his friends caught about 20 of these bull reds, along with some spanish mackerel at the Port Aransas Jetty using live mullet for bait, fishing the bottom. We tagged three of the smaller ones, 31,32,33.


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9/27/2010

De Francis Nice Bull Redfish

Port A Jetty is delivering up some nice Bull Redfish this time of year. De Francis visiting from Amarillo Texas sent in this awesome picture of a 44" bull redfish which was his personal best ever!.Caught on 9/23/2010.
Check-out other great catches at Papa John's Fishin Tales
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9/25/2010

Cookie Vela Nice Bull Redfish

Cookie Vela caught a nice 26 inch black drum at the Port A Jetty using mullet. Cookie from Corpus Christi Texas enjoy's fishing the jetty's for bull redfish and had caught several bulls reds and released them prior to my arrival.
Cookie decided to catch a nice 43" Bull Redfish while I was there hiking the bolders of the Port A Jetty. Very nice catch and release of this beauty. That had been his 6th one of the afternoon.

Check-out other great catches at Papa John's Fishin Tales
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9/24/2010

Roland Morales Bull Redfish

The Bulls are runnin at the Port A Jetty where Roland Morales caught a nice 35" redfish using live mullet. Roland visiting from San Antonio Texas enjoying the afternoon and tagging his prize for the day.

Check-out other great catches at Papa John's Fishin Tales
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Mike Mata and Troy Morgan Slot Reds

Mike Mata and Troy Morgan caught some nice slot redfish at the Packery Channel using live mullet. Both live close by in Corpus Christi and took advantage of the break in the rain. Still windy and choppy water but the made the most of it.
Check-out other great catches at Papa John's Fishin Tales

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9/23/2010

Tommy Cochran Redfish Catches

Tommy Cochran catches some nice slot redfish at the Packery Channel today. The reds are early this year and should be a great fall season. Tommy visiting from Belton Texas was glad to get a break from the rain for a little fishin. Mullet was his bait of choice. 

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9/21/2010

Ruben Cisneros Nice Redfish Catch

(The above pic is about the average size redfish we were catching this past weekend. We saw some big ones in the mid 40" range, but no takers.)

I was traveling this past Thursday and didn't return till late Sunday evening. I spent the weekend at a cabin down on the Land Cut fishing Nine Mile Hole and Middle Ground with some good friends.

It wasn't the best weekend to be down there obviously, but we did manage to find some very nice redfish in locations that are normally above the water line. It's a weird deal running and fishing in areas that are normally considered land. We had both wind and rain in every direction with occassional slack wind. There were lot's of red fish in the North end of Nine Mile going into Mud Flats and Middle Ground. We chased several big schools that seemed to be very good at staying just outside our casting distance. The majority of our fish were sight-casted, but we did manage several fish blind-casting during the rains. We ended up boxing some nice trout in the 16 to 18" range as well.

I'm looking forward to normal tide patterns and cooler temps...the redfish fishing should be outstanding.
Ruben Cisneros
www.tightlinescharters.com

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8/31/2010

Tommy Nichols, Juvenile Cobia

Juvenile Cobia caught by Tommy Nichols in the flats North of Humble Channel, South of the power lines in approximately 2 feet of water. Kind of an unusual location to catch a Cobia.
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8/12/2010

Tim Holmes Great Speckled Trout Catch

Tim Holms caught this nice 30 1/2 inch speckled trout at the King Ranch Shoreline Last May by the power plant using live bait.

Check-out other great catches at Papa John's Fishin Tales
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8/03/2010

Captain Scott McCune Client Catches

This past week the fishing has been very good even with the rain.  I have notice weird tendencies with the bite though, Trout for example have been picky...once I get them to start eating Croaker after a little flurry of about 6 fish in the boat they will turn off...I then throw piggies to them and they eat again.  This is only in water from 10-14 foot deep and it does not hold true if you are fishing shallower.  I have found Redfish in the deeper pot holes, but only a few holes are holding the fish.  Since they are deeper holes and if I don't just hammer the hell out of them I can go back day after day and get a few fish.  I don’t like to hammer my good holes because it keeps the fish in the pot hole and it helps keep it a secret so it's not ravaged by boat watchers (the fisherman...if you can call them that...who drive around looking for guide boats or boats with a fish on who run your fish off trying to cut in on your action).  I try to have 2 or 3 deep holes to fish so I can easily pick up 5 or 6 Redfish after I’m done trout fishing, also fishing the holes later and using bait that is a little weaker helps the bite and keeping the hole a secret!  Tight Lines!

Capt. Scott McCune

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7/16/2010

Captain Garza's 4th of July Weekend Trip

Captain Garza sent these pictures in on some nice catches over the forth of July weekend. Nice catches!

Check-out other great catches at Papa John's Fishin Tales
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6/30/2010

TGWA Awards Lifetime Fishing License

Chuck Ford (Left) of the TGWA and Ashley Campbell (Right) of Coastal Offshore Awards Lifetime Fishing License to Karen Bradey (Middle)

6/23/2010

SEA 2010 Boat Winner

2010 SEA Boat Winner, Adan Flores
From left to Right: Stan Willson, SEA President; Adan Flores, 2010 Boat Winner; Scott Robinson, Sponsor Andrews Distributing/Coors Light
Back Row:  DeeAnna Griffin, Board Member; Charlie Mader, Secretary; Billy Holmes, Owner Gulf Coast Marine.

6/15/2010

Capt Jimmie Dooms Client Catches

We fished for the reds close to the JFK and trout in Baffin. Had a great day with Capt Jimmie. All fish were caught using plastics. It was one of those magical days with great friends and catching fish.

 Capt Jimmie Dooms, Scott Robinson, Ken Griffin and Charlie Mader
  
Check-out other great catches at Papa John's Fishin Tales
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6/02/2010

Captain Micheal Angell Client Catches

Fishing this past week was very good, Redfish and Trout and a few Flounder, Free lining Live Croaker In Baffin Bay, Low winds and Clear Skies made it easy to work around rocks. Captain Micheal Angell






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Mike Shoffield's Great Speckled Trout Catch

How about this beauty caught over the Memorial weekend at the Boat Hole by Mike Shoffield. Measuring at 28 inches makes this catch one to remember.

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5/28/2010

John Niro's Speckled Trout Catch

My neighbor and I went out to do some fishing for a few hours today before he left to go back to Connecticut. I saw him in his front yard yesterday and thought that we hadn't gone fishin together yet. So we decided to get together for a few hours today and see what we could find. Take a look at these beauties, after catching a lot of small stuff we managed to pull in a few keepers in Emmords Hole! We certainly wish John Niro and his wife well and look forward to seeing them again this fall. (Peppie too! Their dog)

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Port A and Packery Jetty's

It's Memorial weekend and the anglers will be out in droves looking for a great day fishin. Thursday I went out to see how the Packery Channel & Port A Jetty's were looking and what might be getting caught this time of year. The weather was just great, sunny and warm and clear waters.The bite was slow midday in both places perhaps due to the full moon night before. This didn't stop anglers from coming out.

At the Packery Channel I met Mark Beverlly who recently moved here from Georgia. He caught a nice slot redfish on live shrimp on the south packery channel jetty at the tip. Nice looking redfish to start the day and weekend off.

I decided to head on up to the Port Aransas Jetty to see what he fishing conditions would be like further North. As I arrived it looked like there were twice as many anglers fishing the Jetty so I was hopeful on finding some great catches.

As I walked and climbed over granite boulders and talking with anglers about the day. There wasn't much going on. I made it all the way to the end of the South side jetty and there were no catches. As I made my way back  Art Gonzales of Rockport pulled in a Spanish Mackerel using dead mullet for his first catch of the day.

With the Memorial weekend coming and great weather conditions the fishing aught to be GREAT. Hope y'all have a great and safe weekend of fishin.

Dave Alexander
www.JustGoFishin.com

5/20/2010

Bay Fishing with Bait 101: Fishing A Low Tide

5th of 5 Articles, by Captain Scott McCune
This is the last in a series of articles I've written for the average bay fisherman who is interested in a professional fishing guides perspective on selecting how to fish, where to fish and what bait to use during a day a fishing. This last article is perfect for the approaching Winter and early Spring fishing patterns as the low tides from cold fronts are more predominant this time of year. It has almost been a year since the I wrote the first article and I hope at least someone, somewhere has found them useful! If you haven't read all the articles you can go to www.fishntexas.com to find the others in this series. One of the most often asked questions is what causes low tides and in our area that is easy, cold fronts with strong north winds! Next add a full or new moon phase, limited rains and you have the perfect scenario for a low tide. In closing this first paragraph I would like to add that ethics in this type of fishing really come into play as many times the boats are stacked together on a shoreline or gut, please give the guides courtesy and they will return it, more than likely they were the first ones there anyway!

Now for the fishing, on a low tide you can expect the fish to be grouped up and what the fish will eat will be your first question! There are two main baits that are used this time of year and they are Shrimp and Mullet, both live and dead. We also have a choice to use crab and sometimes it is the difference, however Shrimp and mullet are the main stay. Many days during the Winter and early Spring we cannot find live shrimp at the bait houses, this is usually do to the weather. Shrimpers have trouble locating shrimp schools at times and the price of fuel doesn't allow too many days of not bringing them home, so they stay at the dock until things look better. Although I prefer using live Shrimp, dead shrimp will work just fine most of the time, however make sure it is pretty fresh and big! There are a number of local fish markets that keep Shrimp for these occasions, so when you find one make sure you keep the number handy because there are many slow winter days when the bait shop will not open because of weather, slow business or no bait!

Once you've chosen your bait, the next line of business will be to decide on several different areas to fish, I say several because you'll always want a backup plan. Remember to be careful on the water when the tide is low, all sorts of things can hamper your progress to your fishing hole. Really pay attention to following the guts or passes and do not cut corners! Every year we have a fishing phenomenon in which the fish are really get stacked up in places like South Bay Gut, Morris & Cummings Cut, Quarantine shoreline, Yucca Cut and the list goes on! Now before shallow running boats became the norm even for the weekend fisherman us guides really enjoyed these areas and the were dead on productive, however of late everyone has a shallow running boat - even the dreaded Winter Texans (I wouldn't say it like that if I ever saw one release a fish they had caught! LOL!), so the fishing isn't as predictable as the old days (or what the papers report). With that said there are still a lot of fish to be caught, you just need to be smarter than the fish! Use your previous knowledge of the area, any deeper water spot you've crossed could hold fish! Also pay attention to other boats on the water and keep in mind that just because there are a lot of boats in an area most of the time only one or two are catching fish and when trying to join these groups go the opposite direction of the fish and use your TROLLING motor. Never attempt to enter with your big motor, if you don't have a trolling motor you can drift in there but you better have a push pole to get out or you'll make a lot of people really mad if you drift through the fish or fire up your motor to head the other direction! With all this being said be equipped properly or don't do it, that is just plain ethical.

Fishing Morris and Cummings cut this last March 2010!
Note this jerk, cut me off and said he would shoot me off my boat after he told me he was a MMA fighter, I asked him if he would give me his autograph after I whipped his butt...LOL! Why would you act like that with your family on board? Guides are trying to show customers a good time allow them and other anglers their space! Thanks!


Once you're anchored and ready to fish, look around to see what bait or rigs seem to be working. If you can't tell or you are alone keep rods with the various methods described below, if one is catching more fish, well then rig more rods like that one! Sometimes you will not be able to get too close to the fish, use the rig you can cast the farthest. A general rule, but not absolute, for choosing bait is the wind and water color, dirty water/windy day Something with scent and in clear water/calm day live bait! There are times when I have had very fresh frozen shrimp from the seafood market and can't get a hit, however if I squeeze the head off of a live shrimp the fish go to town...or rather my cooler! That is why I always choose live Shrimp when available even though it costs a lot more! Last thing, don't move around, pick a spot and be patient, the fish will work their way to you usually. If you move around too much are getting in between boats you'll only make enemies and spook fish! I waited 2 hours once and watched a couple of guide buddies catch their limits, when they were done I was first in line to the spot and smacked the fish!

Carolina Rig, Live or Cut Mullet and Crab
 
Texas Rig, really helps with distance casting

Jig Head
Long Shank Big Shrimp
Short Shank Small Shrimp


Let’s get down to the rigs I prefer when fishing these baits. I always use 20# fluorocarbon leader tied to the main line with or without a swivel. I use a Carolina Rig when fishing cut bait, live Shrimp or live Mullet with a 1/4 to 1/2 oz weight. I sometimes use a Texas Rig with live shrimp for more casting distance. As with most live bait or lures I use a loop knot at the terminal or hook end.

Leader – Easy, I use only 20# fluorocarbon! The leader length should be about 18” give or take. It should be long enough to were the knot does not have to go through the eye when casting which prevents longer casts. When using a popping cork you want the bait to sit just above the height of the grass.

Hooks – 3/0, 4/0, 5/0 6/0 Gamakatsu or VMC Kahle hooks depending on the size of the bait.

Weights – 1/4oz - 1/2 oz barrel weight.

Jig Heads – I predominantly use Bass Assassins jig heads. I like the 1/4 oz version and I keep both chartreuse and plain colors!

Knots – I use a line to leader knot instead of a swivel for the Jig Head leader however I tie a loop knot on the Jig Head. The only time I use a swivel is when fishing the bait on the bottom using a weight because at times I need a longer casts on the calm shallow flats and I want the bait to stay down. I tie a loop knot at the Kahle hook or end of the terminal tackle for more realistic movement.

Special Techniques
Here are some special tips to keep in mind with this type of fishing, after time you’ll be adding your own special touches that work for you or your fish, whatever the case may be!
  • When the bite is slow try using smaller pieces of cut bait and smaller hooks.
  • Use the bigger shrimp, grilling size, at times I have to buy double the bait just to get enough of the size I want.
  • When fishing guts use your trolling motor to look for mud puffs, that is where the fish are, setup to cast at your maximum distance to that area.
  • Remember structure, the fish are sometimes in the middle however the edges like grass, shell, drops are what the fish orient themselves to.
  • If the bite is soft try peeling the Shrimp, I know, I have to really like you to peel Shrimp or pistachios for you!
  • If the fish aren't taking the bait good let them run with it before they feel the line pressure, drop the rod tip to them.
  • If frozen shrimp is not working use live shrimp, squeeze the head off, I mean squeeze not break, you want all the guts and legs left on them.
  • If two guide boats are next to each other at a certain distance, it is usually for a reason ask permission before getting between them, they'll be glad to help you out.
As always remember that nothing about fishing is set in stone, pay attention, vary your approach and find what works! When your group gets their limit (couple more if you want to release) leave quietly to let other anglers enjoy it…don't just keep hammering them, if there are other around. I hope you’ve enjoyed this article and remember if you don’t eat it release it , preserve some fish for our kids!

For all other articles visit FishinTexas.com

Capt. Scott McCune (USCG Master)
fishntexas.com with 'The Saltwater Cowboy'
361.563.TUNA(8862)cell
Email: scott@fishntexas.com
Web Page: www.fishntexas.com
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