2021 Salty H20 Fishing Thread Part II

[DUKFVR]

Congrats on your trip mj!

[justletmein]

Man it's nice to see gorda so flat. Looks like yall had fun, that's awesome.

[Mexico]

Good times right there! ^^^

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[AtTheWall]

Ran out of Conn Brown - Aransas Pass and met Glen and his son in his boat - they launched out of Rockport above Cove Harbor.

With the tides literally 2 ft below average, the choices were:

PINS and Pompano and read the surf zone with it showing her nearshore structures or run the boats during the last weekend, we can box flounder, and read the bays throughout that area, for further knowledge.

We ran boats Saturday - no surf.

Glen and son would power pole down and work a bait / lure spread and I ran my flats boat and worked the wind and trolling motor covering the radius with feedback on both boats to dial in patterns.

Needless to say, boats were out and the key areas, were all locked down with multiple around each stop. So I would work around everyone - keeping my distance and absolute silence - working arties non stop.
i released 21 reds, 9 specks, 1 flounder, 1 black drum, 3 lizard fish, 6 skipjacks, 1 hardhead, 1 sandtrout, 1 piggy perch and one Ribbonfish.

Glen had another mix of the same with live mullet not touched hardly. So much bait in the water in areas that these fish moved to hold in, as the water flushed them out.

Interesting trip with challenges.

Had I really thought it out, Saturday boats and Sunday PINS

Saturday and Sunday - PINS was loaded with Florida Pompano up to 4lbs.


I'm rolling rigged for both - adjust as I get down there and FISH!

[AtTheWall]

PINS - Surf was running around 87 degrees - too hot for Pompano. So eyeing the first seasonal frontal passages in conjunction with surf water temps, prevailing winds from the east to push clean water in with extra high tides - the temp swing began about 3 weeks ago - as folks hit deer stands - the water temps dropped to 78 degrees in the surf.

Glen and I met around Little Shell - both of us stop and fish checked as we worked south to the Big Shell area. Glen found me about 2 hours after sunup and we paired up and rolled sand - SHARKATHON FRIDAY SETUP WEEKEND.

So needless to say, I had forgotten about Sharkathon - with a full blown attack to cast and chase potential first run pomps!

A lot of the spots that promised pompano with nearshore ideal setups - sharkers had lines running out hundreds of yards - with short sets inside.

This really put pressure on finding and dialing in this year's first try at pompano


Had a local Vietnamese guy, running long surf rods stop and work me for info around the 22mm. He just came up from around 25 mm, with one pomp. I had two when he showed, told him where to target with 1ft surf and clear water. He was fishing too far out, 6 rods spiked down, beyond the zone.

Got him where he needed to be, he setup just N. of me about 200 yards away - he got one and rolled back down and said - he feels it's better below and now he knows where to setup. He rolled down and left.

Glen found me there and we rolled done to 30 mm then came back up to a zone - I hit literally based on so many years of chasing Pomps - and sure enough, my Vietnamese new friend had 6 rods out, just about 300 yards below us - no sharkers between.

We found them. My smallest was 15" largest 20"

Glen had another pile of the same.

Solid fish but - it was still early and the water temps need to really hit 73 - 68 to fire them up hard.

Brute 55 full of pomps





Oh JOY OH JOY OH JOY!

Flounder don't hold a candle to these guys - clams and shrimp eaters - bellies were full of coquina clam shells - KEY PINS READ

Certain shore birds and reading sand in conjunction with surf, cuts, rips and crustaceans to find them - reading 60 miles of beach. It's not easy to find them as many are discovering but when you do - they fight and pull drag on ABU 5000 to 6500 sized reels fishing 12 - 15 lb lines on long rods casting fake bait setups to score. It's fishing artificials but - slowly covering zones as the custom pompano leaders with color and floats with Fishbytes only for bait.

I fish AKIOS reels which are ABUs with all the cast mods and top drags of 17lbs - perfect to cover for POMPs - they fight.

I had 3 pompano leap over and over like tarpon, using light leaders and weights allowing them to jump over the sandbars - which many do not realize pompano are jumpers when using gear to unleash their fight. The big one jumped 4 times with one leap clearing 3ft of water - spinning trying to shake my #4 Owner light wire circles - nope - solid hookups.



A fast and sure way to eat the entire fish - this way. The skin has zero scales. Slits filled with butter - season - little oil and season with onions in a pan and low smoke till it looks like this.

The meat over the forehead and eyes are UNREAL

You do not want to overpower this fish with seasonings





Pompano PINS Tacos!

[AtTheWall]

Oh my new Vietnamese friend, he rolled up as we both gathered our gear to head home

He was so excited, hard to understand him, he has 20 pomps and got and out thanked me shaking my hand.

That made me feel good - he spotted my rods - I roll rigged with some gear and it's all custom.....so he figured I may know something - LOL

Yes now we both know something.

That's what I enjoy the most - helping others as they learn the game.

[justletmein]

Love reading all that, and that dish looks off the charts.

[Snowflake Killa]

Ran out of Conn Brown - Aransas Pass and met Glen and his son in his boat - they launched out of Rockport above Cove Harbor.

With the tides literally 2 ft below average, the choices were:

PINS and Pompano and read the surf zone with it showing her nearshore structures or run the boats during the last weekend, we can box flounder, and read the bays throughout that area, for further knowledge.

We ran boats Saturday - no surf.

Glen and son would power pole down and work a bait / lure spread and I ran my flats boat and worked the wind and trolling motor covering the radius with feedback on both boats to dial in patterns.

Needless to say, boats were out and the key areas, were all locked down with multiple around each stop. So I would work around everyone - keeping my distance and absolute silence - working arties non stop.
i released 21 reds, 9 specks, 1 flounder, 1 black drum, 3 lizard fish, 6 skipjacks, 1 hardhead, 1 sandtrout, 1 piggy perch and one Ribbonfish.

Glen had another mix of the same with live mullet not touched hardly. So much bait in the water in areas that these fish moved to hold in, as the water flushed them out.

Interesting trip with challenges.

Had I really thought it out, Saturday boats and Sunday PINS

Saturday and Sunday - PINS was loaded with Florida Pompano up to 4lbs.


I'm rolling rigged for both - adjust as I get down there and FISH!

You are a legend

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[El General]

I have never wanted to target pompano more.

[SaltwaterSlick]

Rob, you had my mouth watering til I saw that cilantro on those otherwise great tacos... Love your fishing posts!! I think, "Man, I wonder what his garage/shop looks like!" Bet Fishing Tackle Unlimited ain't got nuthin' on you brother!!

[Jerryg]

Rob, you down in Rockport often?

Jerryg


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[AtTheWall]

LOL thanks!

SaltwaterSlick - I just walked around and counted rods and reels

47 rods
66 reels

Fly
Offshore
Spin
Cast
Ultralight
Surf

I have a spare bedroom - wall to wall to the ceiling in tackle and tackle storage.

I have plastic baits from the 80s to now - The Original Kelly's and Cocahoes and Mirolures and a Bingo or two from the 60s - 70s

And the rods are all custom built by me and a couple dozen or two more for my dear fishing buddies who share time offshore when we can plan to do so.

6 years old to now - started building rods at 12 years old - the original rod blank - a Calcutta bamboo rod blank from India - when surf rods from Fenwick and Harrington/Harnell builds - first came onto the scene - modernizing surf fishing and distance casting.

I talked to my old High School friend a few months ago - and we were catching up on life issues. His wife was murdered in Houston back in June - tough times - we were all kids together.

But - we finally got to talking about our lives......and those days as innocent kids.

He told me - I was raised on the Gulf Coast Fishing pier. All summer during our summer breaks - every weekend - Dad drove me to Galveston (Pearland was 7500 people then) and SEA ARAMA (sp?) was one of the first fish and porpoise aquariums around and it was right there at the pier. Friday afternoon - to Sunday afternoon - all summer long, till I was able to drive myself there - then I hauled friends off and on - those who wanted to learn and experience something they never really tried.

And they bought surf rods and started fishing as we all grew and moved on.

When I couldn't get to the beach - I fished every body of water around Brazoria County I could find. Fly spin and cast - weekends were hard core surf casting.

I'll close. During the 90s, Coast Guard days in Corpus, I went to Bob Hall Pier - no rods - just felt I had to check out the Kingfish run with guys using highline rigs with two rods and live bait. As I watched, a guy a bit older than me walked up and stood next to me.

I looked over and said hello and he did likewise - then we talked about Texas surf fishing. He was named Jackie Borelleno - one of the older guys on the Gulf Coast Pier who ran with another close friend of his Frank. Both of these guys kept tabs on me as I lived on the pier for days at a pop - sleeping under my rods rigged - clicker wake up call.

The old Galveston salts, Jackie and Frankie where the younger guys who were raised with some of that areas best surf anglers - all custom rods - all of them either built or were in the process of learning to build as they had others build for them.

Jackie remembered many of my standout fights and so many different species Tarpon (hooked and never landed) Kings, Rays, Sharks Reds - the entire list of upper coast species and I was the only guy anyone knew to that date that managed to catch a flying fish off that pier on a night that in water so clear, you could see the bottom in 10ft of water - the entire pier length. Huge specks with lock jaw everywhere - it was one of those nights where you see everything and go nuts trying to hook anything - water too clear and no waves - silence.

We said goodbye and goodluck - he was down from Galveston visiting family and i went home for another round of family and work the following day.

I remember fishing with Oz, when Oz was young and learning - still living in Austin. Got into snook with him at Port Mansfield N jetty one night - he left right before that first fish bit. He was looking for them as well - but got pressed with the old Kayak group, when Extreme Coast was in the beginning stages.

Befriended Billy Sandifer and Nick from Breakaway. They always stop and say high - bless you Billy! And even our own PocoBueno - and I - stop and get updated when we see each other on the sand.

So proud of him taking Sharkathon a few years ago. I can feel real good about the new group of anglers - who are building on a world I've lived all my life.

And the 20 years in the USCG - had me fishing the entire time - I've learned so much with so much more to learn.

I will try to remember everything I've hooked - it's nuts now in reflection. The diversity as well as techniques - all salt - and even today - I have friends who are hard core as they were when I was a kid and young man.

Hatteras - I fished Avon Fishing Pier the world record redfish - this is it. Larry Hack sponsored by Fenwick, Stren & ABU Garcia - was a standout distance surf casting competitor. He helped Fenwick develop the SURF STICK. Fiberglass top and graphite butt for long distance casting and he modified the first generation ABU 7000s - all had level winds - ripping it all out and replacing that with custom fit brass cage frame bars for strength - custom leaders to take the shock and he would pendulum cast 200 yards with me about 40 yards behind him - casting old school. The ABU7500 CT Big Game was Larry's involvement with ABU and surf casting tuned reels of that era. Magnets were yet to come.

He walked up to me the first time he fished with me, I hadn't seen him make a cast yet and though popping off a 175 yard 5 oz weighted no bait warm up cast would give me some room in between the locals - it did and Larry immediately came up to me and said - You can flat out cast old school - and I know you are not from here. I had a custom modified Penn Squidder I had modded to control overrun with a leather bushing on the axle. I learned this trick from the best Squidder Casters in Texas at the pier in the 70s. He also jumped all on my Sevelon steel leader and 9/0 J-Hook. He asked me - are you shark fishing cuz we don't want any GARBOS here (garbo is code for sharks) and you can't chase record redfish with Tiger sharks - looking for a meal and having one hooked up without cutting it off - takes up all of the T-Head as the GARBO is fought out.

The key for me was - these guys are serious redfish record chasers and the RED DRUM TACKLE SHOP crew and Larry ruled that place.

I quickly followed his lead, he showed me his primo redfish leader for distance and told me - I will gain distance - which I did with no bait.

Miami - I had men with high dollar offshore boats - building rods to match a quiver and boat trim and free offshore trips when they a spot - I went

My old Coast Guard Commander became a major fishing guide in Naples - Leon Howell - Leon is now the Head Park Ranger in Flamingo now.

Hewes Bonefisher - the original flats boat - 18ft was his ride. And we fished the Everglades out front and behind - for 3 years straight. There I put my oldest step son on his first and only tarpon - a 175lb class fish - Government Island - Biscayne Bay Miami. I used to fish the lights at night on that island - Columbians across the bay - machine gun fire - cops sirens - 1987 era there. Tarpon became literally garbage fish - they will suck down a freeline live shrimp flipped out on a spinning reel and jump till they broke off. I had several land on Coast Guard small boats and docks - scales flying - just to watch the show. Guys who didn't fish - you cant land them! My answer - you cant eat them - watch the show

This is why I've stayed so committed - the challenge and friendships made and some I've shown this world too for the first time, one Texas kid who had never even seen an ocean anywhere - from Waco - he now runs the La Pesca at Dolphin Docks and once ran a Port A ferry, after earning his 100 ton license. I turned him loose running shark baits all day in my kayak - surfing and wiping out as he learned to ride the surf and work the paddles.......at night - some of the old Coast Guard stuff shared.

That really makes me so darn proud!


God bless and always try to take and teach a kid or someone - how to fish.

We all know for some, it will shape their lives like it has mine.

[Quackerbox]

Let's go Astros!!!!

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[Mayhem]

I have 162 down south lures and 264 jig heads.

142 1/8th oz 63 1/16th oz and the rest are 1/4oz.


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[AtTheWall]

Rob, you down in Rockport often?

Jerryg


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Yes and Glen moved there - Wildman is in Seadrift - not far away and Doug will be there in minutes - when we fishing Jerry?!?!?!?!

Once Wildman tasted Salt - see any hunting posts from him in a decade now? He's running a Panga - and he's ate up with salt as well.

Some of us old TBHers are running together chasing dreams in the salt right now.