Bay Flat's Lodge Fishing Report 8/6/08

Last summer started-off as being what must be one of the wettest summers on Texas record. This very same time last year I was talking to you about the importance of being able to familiarize yourself with freshwater tactics and strategies. But dealing with the effects of unusually high amounts of freshwater runoff won't be the topic of discussion for this edition of Guide Lines. No sir, 2008 has dealt the Texas hill country and coastal plains another extremely hot, dry summer leaving us with only the thought of cooling, wet rainfall. These somewhat drought conditions tend to effect different things in different ways. One such noticeable effect has been the exceptionally high salinity levels of our bay waters and the resulting impact this has had upon the coastal marine ecosystem - for example, this year's annual brown shrimp hatch has been severely delayed simply due to a lack of a steady freshwater feed to our Texas wetlands and estuaries that allow for the re-establishment of the brackish environment required by the shrimp. However, salinity levels will vary by location and they are only one of the many different things that can offer-up hurdles during this time of the year. There are other naturally occurring events, such as major storm systems, that can also present directly-effecting physical forces that aid in the determination of the relative summertime fishing pattern. Recently, Hurricane Dolly demonstrated to us that even remote storm systems can have noticeable influence upon the physical actions that affect the ecological game plan in distant shallow coastal bays.As we rounded the midway mark in July, the month was turning out to be a good time for fishing as the water was clear and green and the top water action was heating up fast. However, that was just as the fourth tropical storm of the 2008 Atlantic hurricane season formed and made its way across the Yucatan Peninsula near Cancun. The storm proceeded into the Gulf of Mexico where it rapidly strengthened to hurricane force, and Hurricane Dolly made landfall two days later on July 23 as a Category 2 hurricane packing 100 mph winds in South Padre Island. Although our Lodge, in Seadrift, is located more than two hundred miles away from the actual landfall site, we still experienced the physical effects of this massive storm system. Torrential downpours were not a ramification for us here in the San Antonio Bay area. We got about one day worth of rain, but it was nothing in comparison to the 16+ inches that was commonly reported from some of the towns in the deep southern portion of the state. Instead, the marked impacts that we received were in the form of wind and tide. The wind forcing and physical responses of our local bays were evident through the strength and longevity of the southeasterly winds that we endured. These winds promoted what has to probably be some of the highest water levels we have seen in the San Antonio Bay and West Matagorda Bay areas this year - during the storm event, wind stress enabled a large pulse of saline-rich water to enter the bays, resulting in extreme high tides and increased salinity levels. The winds and the tides from Dolly made for some very tough fishing conditions, to say the least, in the days immediately following the passage of the storm. But the old adage of "that which goes up must eventually come back down again" is held true in Mother Nature, too, at least in some instances. Currently, the winds continue to howl on a daily basis, but the tides have since receded to a point to where they are now dropping below normal making the mid-bay reefs and the surf unthinkable options until such time that the wind decides to calm down. Some of our recent best action has been on protected flats on the windward side of the bay system near deep channels or canals. I recognized a particular redfish fortune while fishing on the windward side of protected shorelines during the period of the extreme high tides brought about by Dolly. But as I said earlier, the high storm tides are now gone, and I have since established almost the same level of success by focusing my attention in deeper water over sand with a Norton pumpkinseed/chartreuse Sand Eel Junior along leeward shorelines now that we are encountering much lower tide levels. As of late, some of the guides at Bay Flats Lodge have turned in results of daily averages ranging from 17 to 20 fish while using live bait, while others have seen single-digit to low double-digit trout numbers. However, and as I write this edition, I have just received a report from our own Capt. Chris Castillo which states that his entire party today managed trout limits. Well, we may have just witnessed our first step on the road to Dolly fishing recovery for the summer of 2008! August may very well turn out to be all that we hoped for and are used to.

In closing, we at Bay Flats Lodge join the rest of the state of Texas in sending out our sincere and heartfelt condolences to those who recently have fallen victim to the devastation brought about by Hurricane Dolly. In the aftermath of this storm, our thoughts and prayers are with all those whose lives have been impacted. Until next time, be courteous while on the water, and remind yourself to always approach wade fishermen in the same manner in which you would wish to be approached if you were in their position. Remember to practice CPR, "Catch, Photo, and Release", whenever possible on trophy Trout and Reds…Guide Chris Martin, Port O'Connor/Seadrift region. www.BayFlatsLodge.com…1-888-677-4868.

Capt. Chris Martin
Bay Flats Lodge, Inc.
391 Bayside Drive
P.O. Box 580
Seadrift, Texas 77983-0580
2 1/2-hours south of Houston, Texas
www.BayFlatsLodge.com
1-888-677-4868