11/30/2013

Corpus Christi Fishing Enthusiast, Jim Farrell

Corpus Christi fishing enthusiast sends us some nice pictures of some great catches. Check-out some of these nice catches of redfish, black drum and speckled trout caught here locally in the upper laguna madre bay. 



Y'all have a great day of fishin,
Dave Alexander
dave@justgofishin.com

10/31/2013

Emaciated Black Drum?

I received the following message from SEA via Scott Murray: "Recently there have been a few undocumented reports of poor or "emaciated" black drum showing up again in the Upper Laguna and Baffin. As many of you know, there are several studies planned and on going in Baffin."

The Black Drum is one of my favorite fish to catch and haven't personally seen the "skinny black drums". It"s worth noting and passing along photo's to your favorite game warden if you happen to catch skinny one.


There is a great report published this last April 1st, 2013 by the TPWD about the "Emaciated Black Drum". Their report basically says it is limited to the Baffin Bay area. It was thought that last summer (2012) Brown Tide was causing this emaciation, but their recent report said that the Brown Tide cause was more negligible and overridden with other factors. The good news is that the population is growing.

They compared black drum from Baffin bay and fish caught around the JFK bridge and found on average that the Black drum in Baffin Bay were under weight by 15%. There salinity trends seem to be inconclusive and further study needed to learn about the food supply.

Y'all have a great day of fishin,
Dave Alexander
dave@justgofishin.com

10/28/2013

2013 Sharkathon at PINS

This year JustGoFishin.com had the pleasure of sponsoring Captain John Little and his family to fish this years Sharkathon. This tournament sold out with 400 entries in only about 30 minutes. The 3 day event was quite a contest with hundreds of anglers lined up along the Padre Island National Seashore (PINS) going for a chance for to win cash prizes.
No sharks for the team this year. However, their daughter Morgan caught a nice redfish to get 4th place in the kids division for the weekend.

9/05/2013

John Trevino Bull Black Drum

Check out John Trevino's Bull Black Drum he caught at Copano Bay Piers! Weighing in at 58 lbs and 44 inches long this beauty took John almost an hour to land. Fishing overnight John used a cast net to catch crab hanging around the shoreline and then used them for bait. John cast his line out about 2:00am and this beast took the bait about 4:00am. Congratulations John and thanks for sharing!

Dave Alexander
tales.justgofishin.com
dave@justgofishin.com

9/03/2013

Tracy Moss Catches Gafftop at Snoopy's

Tracy Moss sent in this picture to us of a gafftop he caught near Snoopy's. Fishing with his mother off the pier they were able to catch this beauty.
Tracy Moss, Gaftop
These fish are also known as gafftopsail fish because of their long sail like dorsal fins. Many people keep these and fry them up for dinner. It's a white meat and difficult to fillet because they are bony and slimy. However, larger ones can provide nice fillets. Be careful not to confuse these fish with the common "hard head" or saltwater catfish. We don't let those on the boat.

Y'all have a great day of fishin,
Dave Alexander
dave@justgofishin.com

8/14/2013

Celebrating Shark Week!

August 9th and 10th a group of YSA Elders Quorum went fishing for shark at Mustang Island Texas State Park. This was our first time fishing the surf for shark and we had great hopes for beginners luck. Elder Peterson took the following pictures and created the following "Shark" video.


We used kayaks to run the bait out about 300 yards or so with hope of landing a big one! Manual Lara came along with us to show us the ropes (or the lines).


 
Who new that just a few miles down the road near the packery channel that an 11 foot tiger shark would be caught the same night! These guys were veterans and work together as a team . they tagged the shark and released her back into the Gulf. Congratulations to those guys catching a tiger shark! 
 


We had a great time hanging out at the beach BBQing, catching a few fish, catching ghost shrimp to bait our small game hooks.
 
Y'all have a great day of fishin,
DaveAlexander
dave@justgofishin.com




8/05/2013

Fly Fishing the Utah Weber River

In a recent trip to Salt Lake City, Utah I had the opportunity to try fly fishing for the first time. The Scadden family were kind enough to take me out and "show me the ropes" of fly fishing. We took a trip to Cabelas the night before to buy some tackle and equipment for the next days trip to the famous Weber River. Half the fun is going to Cabelas picking out stuff we know we'll need for our trip!

I have never fly fished before so this was mostly going to be working on my casting technique than fishing. The scenery was spectacular and the sounds of the outdoors was very peaceful and tranquil. It's a reminder that a bad day of fishing sure beats a good day at the office. But this was no bad day. Only awesome.
Fly Fishing the Weber River
As we arrived into Coalville we parked and setup our gear. This is where I learned the surgeons knot in creating a fly fishing rig for nymph. This is basically bottom fishing using fly rod gear.
Fly Fishing the Weber River
Richard Scadden was very patient in showing me the proper setup for nymph rigs. Richard had only been fly fishing for a few years but showed the skill and patience of a veteran. His boys Russ and Jeff also had a great appreciation and respect for the quality time they had to enjoy fishing with their dad. Fly fishing as I learned on this day is very different than other types of fishing. You seem to gain a greater appreciation for just being there on the side of the river taking in the beauty around you while concentrating on your casting skills, finesse and fly placement.
Fly Fishing the Weber River

I enjoyed the casting motion and placing the fly in the water at various parts of the river. However, I did struggle with getting my leader tangled up. My casting motion was more sideways instead of overhead. The sideways motion messed me up everytime. You can see in the picture above I had a chicken mocking me along side the river as I almost caught her. 
Fly Fishing the Weber River
Russ Scadden is the programming wizard that created our website JustGoFishin.com. It was great to spend some time with him in the great outdoors then behind a desk programming. I'm really pleased with what he was able to create and far exceeded our programming expectations for JustGoFisin.
Fly Fishing the Weber River
Jeff Scadden actually caught a small brown in this part of the river. Wow, what an awesome setting to enjoy fly fishing with a great family. On the right is Richard Scadden (Dad), Middle: Russ and Jeff on the far left. Picture perfect I'd say. 
What a tremendous day to enjoy fly fishing for my first time. Great company, great outdoors, and a great day! Thanks y'all!

Dave Alexander
dave@justgofishin.com

7/12/2013

CCPD Patrol the Waterways

The Corpus Christi Police Department is looking to fill a lack of patrol coverage in more than 300 square miles of water and over 100 miles of Gulf Coast Beaches to keep up with growth. Visitors to Corpus Christi access about 70 miles of the beach. So who patrols these areas in maintaining safety and order?

Currently, six Texas Game Wardens are the only law enforcement agents patrolling these waters with arresting powers for state crimes. Their focus is on enforcing game and safety laws. Their two most cited violations are given for a) not having enough life jackets on board and b) children younger than 13 not wearing life jackets. Their work contributes greatly to the safety of the waterways.
Stolen Majek Boat
Stolen Majek Boat at Marker 37
However, in addition to enforcing game and safety regulations, officials are also charged with patrolling for and responding to criminal behavior on the water. The Corpus Christi waterway is increasingly vulnerable to many types of criminal activities. Calls are made to CCPD reporting a variety of crimes on the waterways, including theft, burglary, disturbing the peace, recklessness or intoxication while operating watercraft, and speeding through the canals. These and other crimes jeopardize the safety and enjoyment of the many people who reside in or visit the coastal areas.
Crashed Boat
Reckless Boat Driver Result 
The well-known ski area for local residents on Padre Island can be a particularly hazardous area, especially during very crowded weekends and holidays. As recently as June of this year, a boat operator going too fast while turning caused the boat to skip, catapulting the driver and passengers off the boat. The craft continued to run full speed into the sand bank, miraculously missing other boats and innocent bystanders. With the crowding and under-regulation of such areas, tragic incidents seem inevitable.

Some boat accident statistics might make you raise an eyebrow and wonder if our community can do better. Fifty percent of all boating fatalities involve alcohol and nearly 85% of boat drowning victims were not wearing a life jacket.

If you are one of over 10,000 registered boat users in Nueces County, you have probably experienced the ski area at Padre Island on weekends or holidays. It can be one of the most dangerous places to be with your family. All it takes is one reckless boat driver to ruin the fun for all.

Reckless Driver Outcome
On 6/24/2013, a vessel was being operated in the main Whitecap canal near Dasmarinas in the late evening. According to witnesses the vessel began doing donuts at a high rate of speed in the canal. The operator lost control and struck a pylon and a bulk head. Both the operator and passenger were injured and transported to Memorial Medical Center. Texas Parks and Wildlife is investigating and alcohol is suspected to be involved. In the picture provided you can see the damage done to the boat.

Recently, a resident reported a 20ft Majek boat stolen from a lift at Marker 37 marina. The lift was lowered and the boat was removed sometime overnight on 6-5-2013. The boat was located by Texas Parks and Wildlife on 6-13-2013 in Northern Night Hawk Bay. The boat was left stripped and there are no suspects.

Future Growth

Every summer and holiday weekend hundreds of boaters come to Corpus Christi to fish and enjoy our local waterways. Approximately 5 million people visit the Corpus Christi area every year. The new Schlitterbahn resort development is projected to open for spring break of 2014 and will bring further economic growth in our community. New resorts and hotels are in development as well.

Ski Area Packed Shorelines
Particularly during this time of growth, visitors and residents depend on local law enforcement to maintain a safe and enjoyable community. The Corpus Christi Police Department sees both a challenge and an opportunity to help maintain public safety and keep the peace. To accomplish this they are seeking help from the community in order to place CCPD’s first patrol boat in service. Giving CCPD a physical presence on the water will enable officers to enforce the law and protect citizens as they are sworn to do.

Their goal is to have the first CCPD patrol boat in place by 2014 Spring Break. To accomplish this, the Police Department will need to secure funding from sources outside of their annual budget by this fall, 2013. Contributions from local businesses and individuals are a vital part of this initiative.

Majek Boats and Ronnie’s Marine (Premier Yamaha) have teamed up to outfit a brand new 25.5 Majek Extreme. The Majek will be discounted and specifically designed to meet the needs of the CCPD Marine Unit.

CCPD Officers Josh Swain and John McGinley are the lead contacts to donate to this cause.

Your contribution will help the CCPD put their first water patrol in the Nueces County water ways, giving them a visible presence and greater ability to respond to those requiring help.

Please make checks out to "IF Beautification Fund / Marine Unit". Check can be delivered to Marianne at the Seashore Early Childhood Development Center on Padre Island.


Dave Alexander
dave@justgofishin.com


7/01/2013

Fishing Charter Going Out of Business

Van Saun Charters in Ninilchik Alaska will be going out of business because of new proposed Government regulation. Letter from the Captain:

Hello Everyone,

Twenty one years ago I started my charter business.  I had no money to advertise, very little for my start up costs and I had to get a co-signer to secure the loan buy a boat.  I was on a wing and a prayer.  When I started I was living in a beat up camper and filleting fish on the tailgate of my truck.  It has been through blood sweat and tears that I am still in business now.  But more than that, Van Saun Charters is still here because of the amazing people who return to fish with me year after year.  I am so thankful for your support and the incredible friendships forged through more than two decades of fishing with you.

Now the Powerful Commercial Halibut Fishing Sector has manipulated the Politics of the North Pacific Fisheries Management Council to create what they call the Catch Share Plan.  There is a 30 day public comment period on the Federal Register.

This Catch Share Plan (or as those of us who understand it call it "The Catch Taking Plan) will take fish traditionally caught by you the guided angler and reallocate it to Commercial Fishermen.  It will decrease your limit to one halibut a day and likely one halibut under 32 inches.  Then it allows you to purchase the right to catch a second fish from the Commercial Sector.  You would have to pay an additional 150-200 dollars to have a chance to keep two fish.

This plan will in effect put me out of business.  It will hurt our industry to the point it is unlikely there will be boat launches in Ninilchik or Anchor Point.  It will close down our local fish processors. 
The Catch Share Plan has nothing to do with conservation.  It only has to do with Allocation.  The Commercial Industry wants to take your fish away and catch and sell them for a profit.

One sad point is a huge percentage of the Commercially caught halibut do not even get processed in the United States.  They get hauled into Canada, processed, then sold into the Canadian Market.  Very little of the money from Commercial Halibut stays in the United States let alone in Alaska.
To help with this you have till August 9th to make a Public Comment.  It only takes 5 minutes.  Go to the below link and comment that you oppose the Catch Share plan and believe the Guideline Harvest Level is an appropriate way of managing halibut sport fishing.

Thanks for your help.  If the Catch Share Plan becomes law I hope to remain in contact with you even if I am no longer in the halibut charter business.

I also ask you to please forward this to as many people as you can and help through use of social media or etc. 

Rod Van Saun,

Here is the Link:

http://tinyurl.com/mzd9ccq
 

www.vansauncharters.com
Captain Rod Van Saun
Van Saun Charters
PO Box 39622
Ninilchik AK 99639
(907)567-3547

6/26/2013

Nicholas Kawamura nice redish catch


Nicolas said, "I caught a 51 1/2 inch 40.5 pounds redfish (the monster) with a spinning reel 15 pound line (which i thought i was going to lose this guy because I could see the weak spots on my line while fighting him). I was using skipjack as bait. This beauty of a fish was caught at the King Ranch shoreline on Laurles on 6/22/2013 it took about 45 mins to get him in and he still had a lot of fight in him. Nicolas sent this in from his iPhone. In picture from left to right Nicholas Kawamura ( the one who made the catch) Robert Saldana, Jerry Alvarez.

Dave Alexander
Tales.JustGoFishin.com

Scott Grundhauser's Black Drum Catch

Scott Grundauser Black Drum Catch
Nice catch at the Texas Land Cut. This nice Black Drum was caught on live shrimp by Scott Grundhauser.

Y'all have a great day of fishin,
Dave Alexander
dave@justgofishin.com

6/20/2013

Corpus Christi Law Enforcement Fishing Tournament, 2013

CCLEFT

August 2nd and 3rd will be another awesome fishing tournament you can't miss! Great prizes, great friends great catches with great memories. Sign up today online at CCLEFT! See y'all there...

Dave@justgofishin.com

6/13/2013

Trayner's at the Texas Land Cut

In spite of the brown tide we managed to make a few nice black drum catches at the Texas Land Cut. Had a great time with the Trayner's who have been serving missions for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons). 
Zack Trayner's Black Drum Catch, JustGoFishin.com
Zack who just returned home to McAllen from Chile where he served a two year mission caught this nice 24 inch black drum. He will be headed to BYU soon to continue his studies.
Stephen Trayner's Black Drum Catch, JustGoFishin.com
Stephen Trayner and his wife Sandy have been presiding over the LDS mission in Southern Texas. Almost at the end of their three years of serving they will be headed back to Utah where Stephen will continue his law practice. Pictured above is a 27 inch black drum Stephen landed on the boat after a nice struggle eventually tiring out this beast. This black drum ultimately found its freedom as we docked up at home. In attempting to place this fish in our barrel to clean, it made one last attempt at wiggling and it burst out of my hands and landed in the canal making a clean getaway! 


We certainly wish the Trayner's well in their future endeavors we will miss them for the great people they are and great example they have been these last 3 years.

Hope y'all have a great day of fishin,
Dave Alexander
dave@justgofishin.com

6/12/2013

Sheepshead Fish

Sheepshead are not as popular to target when fishing the Texas Laguna Madre, but they're a great keeper fish to take home for a meal. Their skin and scales are hard to cut through but the white meat you get from these prickly creatures are tasty. This nice sized sheepshead was caught at humble channel on dead shrimp.
Sheepshead fish caught at humble channel

Evan DeHart shows off this beast of a sheepshead getting it ready for the carving table. This young angler takes his fishin seriously! 

Other popular places to catch sheepshead's are at the Port A Jetty and Packery Channel Jetty. Be sure not to cast to far out on the jetties. Try to stay closer to the big granite boulders when fishing for these guys. Also, you might try the boat hole for this species as well. 

Steve DeHart sheepshead catch
Steve DeHart's Sheepshead Catch

Y'all have a great day of fishin,
Dave Alexander
dave@justgofishin.com

5/30/2013

Breezy Day at the Texas Land Cut

This is what the weather report said for Wednesday the 29th of May, "Wednesday, A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 86. Breezy, with a south southeast wind 17 to 25 mph, with gusts as high as 31 mph."

Very borderline for whether we go fishing or not. We chose to take a chance and go about 7:30am. Arriving 8:45am the Land Cut it was very breezy but certainly tolerable. By 11:00am the winds got breezier and we decided to wrap up the days fishing and get back knowing we'd have 3 foot swells to navigate through. 

Tye Barrett from Alberta Canada managed to catch a nice 22 inch black drum in our brief few hours of fishing. Tye working at Shell Oil part of a work force preparing a new platform will be headed back home soon.
Black Drum, Tye Barrett, JustGoFishin.com



The boat ride home was treacherous most of the way back. Rocky Slough, Baffin Bay areas were especially rough to cross. When we got home I looked up the weather report and this is what it said: "A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 87. Breezy, with a southeast wind around 28 mph, with gusts as high as 34 mph.It was certainly a high adventure trip to say the least.

Y'all have a great day of fishin,
Dave Alexander

5/29/2013

Nice Catches at Night Hawk Bay

Floyd Anderson sent in this nice photo of some catches made at Night Hawk Bay! Sweet. You can see several speckled trout were caught along with a few flounder.
Speckled Trout, Floyd Anerson

Y'all have a great day of fishin,
Dave Alexander
tales.JustGoFishin.com 

5/24/2013

No Bananas at the Texas Land Cut

Enjoyed a nice day of fishing at the Texas Land Cut with Glen Evans from Springville, Utah and Roger Royce from Austin, Texas. We got started early Wednesday morning with some live shrimp from Clems Marina
As we anchored up along the shoreline of our fishing spot we started casting our bait along the shoreline with
hopes of some nice catches. We started to get several small things in our way that kept adding up. We lost three or four fish to broken hooks, lost half dozen leaders to snags on the bottom, lost several fish as we were about to land them on the boat, and caught several undesirables like hard-heads. Roger and I managed to land a few keeper speckled trout but the keeper fish seemed to elude Glen. With further investigation we discovered that Glen had smuggled on board the boat a banana! :o/ Now I don't consider myself a superstitious person, but when it comes to fishing, don't take the chance. Glen had never heard this superstition but he quickly tossed the banana overboard with hopes of breaking the curse.We moved to another location along the Land Cut and quickly began to improve our fishing. Things were getting back to how they should be catching some nice fish for the day.

Speckled Trout, Glen Evans, JustGoFishin.com

Black Drum, Glen Evens, JustGoFishin.com

Black Drum, Roger Royce, JustGoFishin.com

Speckled Trout, Roger Royce, JustGoFishin.com

Speckled Trout, Dave Alexander, JustGoFishin.com

Black Drum, Dave Alexander, JustGoFishin.com


We certainly had a lot of fun fishin with some friends and catchin some fish. I might have to pick up a banana scanner that will detect and alert me when a banana is entering the boat. 

Y'all have a great day of fishin,
Dave Alexander
dave@justgofishin.com


5/20/2013

Idahoans at the Land Cut

Roy and Jerry visiting family from Idaho joined us for a high adventure fishing trip to the Texas Land Cut on Wednesday May 15th. High adventure because of the high winds and waves we had to cut through to get there. We had to wait for a thunderstorm to blow through before we could begin our fishing journey. Delayed by 2 hours we picked up some live shrimp at Clems marina enjoyed a rough boat ride to the land cut. 
David Weatherston's Black Drum 27inches
First cast of the day David pulled in this nice 27 inch black drum. Great start and a good sign for things to come
Joshua Weatherston's Black Drum 23inches
 It didn't take long before Joshua landed this nice 23 inch black drum. Our trip was looking good.
Roy Weatherston's Speckled Trout
Roy and Jerry landed several nice speckled trout. Pictured are some of their best catches. Everyone caught speckled trout for the day and made for a nice fish fry that evening with the family.
Jerry Ricks Speckled Trout

Land Cut Catches
The boat trip back was a little harry with gusts up to 25-30 mph. All in the cost of catching fish. Enjoy the video created on this land cut trip.

Dave Alexander
dave@justgofishin.com

4/10/2013

Bull Black Drum

Ceaser sends in picture of a 52inch Bull Black Drum catch.
Bull Black Drum
Is this the last of the early spring Bull Drum run?

3/19/2013

March Madness at the Texas Land Cut

Great trip to the Texas Land Cut last Wednesday (3/13/2013). Good friend of mind and "rod smith" took a nice boat ride to the land cut during spring break. This time of year usually doesn't disappoint and it didn't on this day either. Winds were coming from the Northeast which is good for this area (Best when they're Southeast). We managed to pull in some nice catches for the day using live shrimp from Clems Marina.
Manual Lara's 23 inch Black Drum
 Manual Lara polled in this nice 23 inch Black Drum. The Black Drum were in deeper water at the land cut. About 20 feet off the shoreline. Water temp was 65 degrees.
Dave Alexander's 23 1/2 inch redfish
Our redfish catch of the day was 23 1/2 inches. What was a little surprising was the lack of speckled trout this time of year. We caught a few undersized speckled trout but the slots were not around.  



Dave Alexander
dave@justgofishin.com 

2/27/2013

Ceaser and Lucy's Land Cut Trip

Check-out these nice catches sent over on a recent fishing trip "Ceaser and Lucy" made to the Land Cut. The Black Drum are runnin right now and can be a lot of fun for anglers. These beauties were displayed at Clems Marina.
Ceaser and Lucy's fishing trip

Ceaser and Lucy's 40 inch redfish
Ceaser and Lucy caught this nice 40 inch redfish on a custom fishing pole made by Manual Lara. People know Ceaser and Lucy as the owners of Mosca Boat Manufacturing.

Lucy's Fishing Rod


Now thats a Black Drum!
Congratulations on a great day of fishin to Ceaser and Lucy!

Dave Alexander
dave@justgofishin.com 

2/25/2013

Bass Fishing Records at Lake Fork, Texas

Patti and I traveled to Lake Fork, Texas and stayed at North Shore Landing guest house for a week to enjoy the great outdoors and some BASS fishing. The "Guest House" at North Shore Landing came equipped with our own Golf Cart to ride around the neighborhood. What a GREAT place to stay.
North Shore Landing Guest House, Lake Fork

North Shore Landing Pond
North Shore Landing also features a nice pond stocked with fish for your enjoyment. Our pups (Jazz and Doris) thought they were in puppy heaven running around chasing varmints.
North Shore Landing Hiking
Doris wasn't to sure about the Texas Long Horn's. They didn't seem to fit the varmint category and deserved much more respect.
Lake Fork Long Horns
Lake Fork is famous for its Bass fishing in the great state of Texas. Did you know that 33 of the top 50 Texas Bass records are out of Lake Fork? Yep, this is the place to go when you're after Bass "Hogs" for a trophy. The current Texas state record is 18.18 lbs caught on 1/24/92 at Lake Fork (31 years ago).
Lake Fork Bass Fishing
Knowing that my chances of catching a BIG bass were slim to none because of weather conditions and other factors like the season being pre-spawning season. I was able to hire one of the best fishing guides available on Lake Fork. David Vance took me to some nice areas where the large bass are known to gather. We worked hard all day using crank baits and jigs around the tree stumps, flats and shorelines.

North Shore Landing at Lake Fork, Pier
We were only able to catch a white bass for the day, but finished the day knowing we did all we could. I guarantee you that no other guide could have done better. I'll definitely give Dave Vance a call to go out again the next time we go to Lake Fork (Just hope he doesn't mind fishing with me again, lol).

Lake Fork, Texas

Patti and Dave at Lake Fork, Texas
Patti and I sure enjoyed a week of R and R at Lake Fork, Texas!