Gulf Coast Flats Fishing

After several years of running Texas Flats Fishing and discovering just how popular flats fishing is among Texas anglers, I've decided to test the waters so to speak for the rest of the gulf coast.

I've been fishing my entire life, growing up on a small river in Kentucky I was introduced to freshwater fishing at an early age. Since then I've been fortunate enough to fish destinations such as the Florida Keys, multiple locations along Florida' West Coast, the bayou's of Louisiana, and of coarse all along the shores of the state I call home now, Texas.

For the past three or four years I've primarily focused on flats fishing, for those that don't know it's unlike any other form of fishing.,I compare it to hunting. You literally hunt for fish in shallow areas and sight cast to them, all the while attempting not to spook them, when it all comes together it can be quite an adrenaline rush!

While flats fishing sounds simple, it requires a certain level of skill and some rather unique equipment. The best "manual" available to learn the tricks of the trade is experience, and if you're new to the sport you obviously have to start someplace. Texas Flats Fishing has been helping Texas anglers discover new techniques, fishing locations, and equipment needed for around three years. The launch of Gulf Coast Flats Fishing is an effort to do the same for anglers all along the gulf coast, from the Florida Keys to the Texas Mexico border. Registration is free and the fishing is just heating up, join us as we become the premiere Gulf Coast Flats fishing resource.

Cedar Bayou - Next Steps

The future of the Flounder fishery, health of our bays, the restoration of our wetlands, and tradition of our sport is our responsibility, and once in a while we get the golden opportunity to make a difference. Will we allow apathy to stand in the way of protecting OUR resource so that future generations might enjoy them? I think not! For those of us that are truly passionate about our sport, we’re equally as passionate about conserving and protecting it.

I'm sure you’re familiar with the ongoing effort by Save Cedar Bayou Inc. to obtain a permit to restore the Cedar Bayou / Vinson Slough pass, I personally got involved a couple years ago to help spread the word and bring as much attention and support to the project as possible. While I don't always see eye to eye with how the president of Save Cedar Bayou Inc. handles things, I do respect her tenacity and fortitude to stand strong fight the good fight. Again, that sort of self sacrifice inspires me!

All studies done to date indicate that when this pass is open our bays benefit, in times of flood it balances the salinity levels by providing an escape for the fresh water inflow. In times of drought it does the same thing by allowing gulf waters in to the bays to keep salinity levels from skyrocketing.

As it is, there over fifty miles between the two closest passes, with the closest being some twenty miles away in the Port Aransas shipping channel, if Cedar Bayou were open it would not only provide a highway to the gulf for the Flounder, but all species! It would restore thousands of acres of wetlands and marsh habitat that is critical right now with our developing coastline.

We are working with some of the best engineers in the field who have spent thousands of hours researching and putting together a sound plan to restore this pass and keep it open.

The time to act is now! At this moment the CORP has placed the permit online and is accepting public comment. It can be viewed toward the bottom of this page: http://www.swg.usace.army.mil/reg/pn.asp

What you can do, write your letter of support and fax it or mail it to the project manager with the CORP at:
Denise Sloan
Regulatory Branch, CESWG-PE-RB
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
P.O. Box 1229
Galveston, Texas 77553-1229
409-766-3962 Phone
409-766-3931 Fax

Re. Permit Application Number SWG-2007-00813
Save Cedar Bayou Inc.

The deadline for public comment is March 26th, 2009. and whether you support this project or not, this is a golden opportunity.

Sincerely,
Jeff Dean
texasflatsfishing@gmail.com
www.texasflats.net

Flounder Gigging

With Flounder numbers on the decline, and TPWD investigating changing the regulations to help them rebound, I decided I might as well see what all the fuss was about and give gigging a try.

My good friends Steve and John have been gigging for years and decided they'd show me the ropes. We left the ramp just before dark and headed for Corpus Christi bay, as we arrived at our first fishing spot we quickly realized that it was going to be difficult to see them. The wind had been blowing all day and the water was stained, but we had made the run and we were going to make the best of it.

After getting our waders on and all the gear ready we were off, Steve and I went one direction and John went another. As mentioned Steve and John are both very experienced at gigging and they made it look easy. We were in the water less than five minutes and I literally stepped on one, I don't know who was surprised more, me or the Flounder, but I didn't scream, honest.
Steve was showing me the ropes and in less than desirable conditions was having no problem locating fish..
When he finally stopped laughing at the Flounders reaction, he called me over to our first fish of the night, how he saw it is a mystery to me, but after he pointed it out I could see the faint outline of a quality flounder, Steve gave me the honor of gigging it! It is was a twenty plus inch flounder in about eighteen inches of water, and when she realized she was stuck she became irate! They warned me to hold on, they were right, it was exciting!

Within a few minutes Steve located another and gave me the honors again, it was fun but I was determined to find my own. Steve took off to deeper waters and I chose the shallow stuff, it was much easier to see in the skinny water, it was still a little stained but much clearer than the deeper stuff.

After several minutes of scanning the bottom it happened, I saw my first fish, I slowly crept toward it and took aim, I stuck it hard and held on, I thought with the lack of movement I must have stuck it good! I moved the gig a little to see if it would move before lifting it from the water, only to realize there was no fish at all! Steve got another good laugh as he explained flounder beds to me...

But I was determined, so on I went.. A few moments later I saw another, this one was obviously home as I could see the hump in the water, again I approached cautiously and lined up the gig, as I stuck it, it began to shake wildly, my heart was pounding as I held on, moments passed and it settled down, I lifted it from the water and placed it on the stringer. Finally, success!

Moments later I see the second fish, then a third, as we finished the wade we counted the fish, we had eight flounder with several over twenty inches!

We picked up several more quality fish at this spot before deciding to make a move, we left Corpus Christi Bay and headed for the channel, after a cold and windy boat ride we arrive at our second location. This time I decide to venture out by myself, I've been doing this for a couple of hours now, I'm experienced. John heads one direction and I go the other, it wasn't long and I was spotting fish in all directions, after a long wade of finding fish both coming and going, I come back to unload fish, I'd found six or seven, not the quality fish as the previous location but decent fish nonetheless.

After a quick fish count our mission becomes apparent to all three of us, we have to stay late and go for the limit! Both Steve and my lights were getting dimmer by the minute as our batteries slowly drained, but John's light was still bright. Steve eventually calls it a night and gets in the boat, my light was now barely working but we still lacked a few fish, without being able to see I wasn't going to be much help. After a quick assessment of the situation I realized I had to do something, I couldn't see to fish so I did the next best thing, I put my light in the boat, grabbed a stringer and went to offer John moral support. We made a valiant effort but it just wasn't meant to be.

We ended the night with twenty seven Flounder, many of which were over twenty inches and a couple pushing twenty five.

It was a very successful and educational first trip, and it's obvious why so many Texans enjoy Flounder gigging.