PACKTX

Bolivar Trip Postponed

DeadliestCatcher — Mon, 11 Dec 2023 19:33:00 GMT

Howdy gentlemen, after checking the weather for this coming weekend trip to Yates Bayou, I have decided to postpone the event to a future weekend. The winds will be upwards of 25mph out of the north on Saturday the 16th with mixed rain. Sunday will also be windy between 15 and 20mph. I will reschedule it to a time most likely after christmas. Tight Lines, Ryan W.

Port Neches Trip moved to 11/20

DeadliestCatcher — Wed, 10 Nov 2021 01:44:00 GMT

Hey all, I checked the conditions for this upcoming trip to Port Neches, and while not bad, I don't believe they would be very conducive to a good fishing outing (cold, a north wind that is almost completely unprotected, and no tide). That being said, I have decided to go ahead to move it to next Saturday (November 20th) which has better fishing conditions (if the weather cooperates).   I will send out an email to all people currently enrolled for the event tomorrow for confirmation.   Ryan W.

October 2021 Meeting Overview

DeadliestCatcher — Sun, 24 Oct 2021 15:49:00 GMT

Howdy, everyone. For last Tuesday’s meeting we had a good turnout, but for those that missed it, here are some of the talking points that were touched on by our speaker, Bryan Treadway, along with some other general club business.   General Club Information <ul> <li style="list-style-type:disc">Upcoming Trips <ul> <li style="list-style-type:circle"><a href="https://www.packtx.org/Events/tabid/53/ModuleID/372/ItemID/1834/mctl/EventDetails/Default.aspx">Bolivar </a> (11/4-7)- </li> <li style="list-style-type:circle"><a href="https://www.packtx.org/News/tabid/56/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/822/Port-Isabel-TX-SNOOK-TRIP-Nov-5--8.aspx">Port Isabel</a> (11/5-8)- Additional information can be found below <ul> <li style="list-style-type:square"><a href="https://www.packtx.org/News/tabid/56/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/822/Port-Isabel-TX-SNOOK-TRIP-Nov-5--8.aspx">Article I</a> - </li> <li style="list-style-type:square"><a href="http://packtx.org/News/tabid/56/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/824/Port-Isabel-TX-ADDITIONAL-INFO-Nov-5--8.aspx">Article II</a> - RV park info</li> </ul> </li> <li style="list-style-type:circle"><a href="https://www.packtx.org/Events/tabid/53/ModuleID/372/ItemID/1852/mctl/EventDetails/Default.aspx">Port Neches</a> (11/13) - Everything still looks good for this trip. The water is fresh up around that area, so the two targeted species will be bass and redfish. Trout are still possible, but not likely. As the trip approaches, I will send out some final information.</li> </ul> </li> <li style="list-style-type:disc">Club Positions <ul> <li style="list-style-type:circle">Come next election, both Blaine (president) and I (secretary) will be stepping down, so both positions will be open for reelection.</li> </ul> </li> </ul> Speaker Information <ul> <li style="list-style-type:disc">Flounder (the main topic of discussion) <ul> <li style="list-style-type:circle">As many already know, the season harvest flounder will be closed from November 1st until December 15th</li> <li style="list-style-type:circle">The flounder need a very specific temperature of water of between 62-67 degrees for larvae to thrive, and recent trends in temperature have not been conducive to flounder reproduction.</li> <li style="list-style-type:circle">The last good spawn was in 2018, so most of the fish we are catching this year were from the 2018 spawn.</li> <li style="list-style-type:circle">If you do hook a flounder deep and plan on releasing it, just cut the line instead of trying to do surgery. This leads to a much smaller mortality rate after release.</li> <li style="list-style-type:circle">When targeting flounder, move higher in jig head weight, from 1/4oz to 3/8oz which is ideal for texas marshes.</li> <li style="list-style-type:circle">If releasing, consider crushing the barbs on hooks for a reduced mortality rate.</li> <li style="list-style-type:circle">A very effective strategy is putting a cork (no rattle) 1.5-2 feet up the mainline and popping it so it goes up and down, which is very enticing for a flounder.</li> <li style="list-style-type:circle">Some of Bryan’s views towards solunar activity are that the 4th day before and after a full moon are some of the most productive days to fish. Full and new moons also produce excellent tidal movement. However, if nights are cloud-free during a full moon, fish will probably feed at night, especially during hot summer months.</li> <li style="list-style-type:circle">The biggest factor when it comes to flounder bites is tidal movement.</li> <li style="list-style-type:circle">Flounder, compared to other game fish in Texas, have the shortest lifespan, which is the big reason for TPWD enforcing stricter rules since populations have been in decline. Other states will likely follow Texas in this decision.</li> <li style="list-style-type:circle">The majority of flounder decline, according to Bryan, was from the commercial area. While recreational gigging and fishing did't help the flounder populations, that is not the biggest reason behind recent declines.</li> <li style="list-style-type:circle">Texas is making major improvement in flounder hatcheries and are begining to increase output of young flounder into out bays and estuaries.</li> </ul> </li> <li style="list-style-type:disc">Chocolate Bayou <ul> <li style="list-style-type:circle">I wasn't aware of this, but it is possible that the launch underneath the FM2004 bridge won't be there when the new bridge is constructed.</li> <li style="list-style-type:circle">During the winter, the trout will push up into the bayou to the north of the bridge, so this could be a good area to target trout at during the wintertime months.</li> </ul> </li> <li style="list-style-type:disc">One of Bryan’s favorite baits is the Mann's Baby 1-Minus, which is a crankbait that runs about a foot under the surface.</li> </ul>   Prior Meetings Overviews: <ul> <li>(September) - <a href="https://www.packtx.org/News/tabid/56/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/819/September-2021-Meeting-Overview.aspx">https://www.packtx.org/News/tabid/56/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/819/September-2021-Meeting-Overview.aspx</a></li> <li>(August) -<a href="https://www.packtx.org/News/tabid/56/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/814/August-2021-PACK-Meeting-overview.aspx"> https://www.packtx.org/News/tabid/56/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/814/August-2021-PACK-Meeting-overview.aspx</a></li> <li>(July) -   None - Lure Swap</li> <li>(June) - <a href="https://www.packtx.org/News/tabid/56/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/802/June-PACK-Meeting-Overview.aspx">https://www.packtx.org/News/tabid/56/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/802/June-PACK-Meeting-Overview.aspx</a></li> <li>(May) - <a href="https://www.packtx.org/News/tabid/56/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/791/May-PACK-Meeting-Overview.aspx">https://www.packtx.org/News/tabid/56/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/791/May-PACK-Meeting-Overview.aspx</a></li> <li>(April) - <a href="https://www.packtx.org/News/tabid/56/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/785/April-PACK-Meeting-Overview.aspx">https://www.packtx.org/News/tabid/56/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/785/April-PACK-Meeting-Overview.aspx</a></li> <li>(March) - <a href="https://www.packtx.org/News/tabid/56/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/778/March-2021-PACK-Meeting-Overview.aspx">www.packtx.org/News/tabid/56/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/778/March-2021-PACK-Meeting-Overview.aspx</a></li> <li>(February) - <a href="https://www.packtx.org/News/tabid/56/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/778/March-2021-PACK-Meeting-Overview.aspx">www.packtx.org/News/tabid/56/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/773/February-2021-Meeting--Daniel-Underbrink.aspx</a></li> <li>(January) - <a href="https://www.packtx.org/News/tabid/56/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/778/March-2021-PACK-Meeting-Overview.aspx">www.packtx.org/News/tabid/56/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/762/January-2021-PACK-Meeting.aspx</a></li> </ul>   Have a great day -  Ryan W.

September 2021 Meeting Overview

DeadliestCatcher — Sun, 26 Sep 2021 17:51:00 GMT

Hey all, If you missed the meeting, here are a few key points from our speaker, Danno Wise, this past Tuesday. To see the full video, >Click Here<. Below are some timestamps and key points that Danno touched on during the meeting as well as some basic club information.

Meeting Summary

Upcoming Trips
- Baffin Bay -Blake’s plan is to leave for Baffin after work friday, stay the night and fish through Saturday, Sunday, and half of Monday, then head back on Monday. As far as the pass, it might be possible to pass it with a 2 wheel drive, but be very cautious since getting stuck is about an $800 tow fee. Redfish and trout have been good, trout have been a bit slower. IF the north winds continue, camping will likely be on the bayside side of the pass. Water supply is also contaminated on the island, so don't get water from there unless you plan on boiling it.
- Point Comfort - still looks good. Lots of marshes to explore and lots of reds to catch there.
- Panther point - 12 signed up (as of the meeting), 10 of which are going with Van. The weather looks good so far and payments can be made via Paypal or check to Ken B.
Danno's talking points
- Fishing this time of the year - Big trout seem to have taken less of a hit from the freeze in the Lower Laguna Madre (LLM). Redfish are schooling in the bay and the big bulls can be found at the jetties along with a good amount of mangrove snapper. There are still some kingfish and Spanish mackerel off the jetties.
- Group Housing and Accommodations
  - Mansfield offers a lot of rental houses on the bay (getaway lodge). Not many motels and condos. They also have an RV park
  - Port Isabel doesn't have much, but White Sands is a basic motel/marina for fishermen with a restaurant
  - South Padre has condos, beach houses, and lodging on the bay, but it tends to be pricier.
- Red Snapper - Boca Chica has some of the closest scattered debris (sunken by TPWD) about 1.5 - 2 miles out. There is also lots of debris off of South Padre Island that can hold year-round snapper.
- Tarpon - The majority of tarpon fishing is on the beach and on the jetty. Juvenile tarpon (25-30lb) stay year-round, and during the winter, they will stay in the Brownsville Ship Channel and Arroyo Colorado. The big ones (125-200lb) show up between April/May until the first hard cold fronts. Mansfield Jetty also offers a good tarpon population, but they don't seem to be as big. If you are looking for a guide, Brian Barrera is one of the best for tarpon fishing.
- The fly rod state record trout was caught along the spoil islands that run the middle of the bay, which is an easy paddle from Holly Beach and Port Isabel.
- South Bay is one of the few places where you can find shell in the LLM and it has a great snook population, along with other inshore species like redfish, trout, and black drum.
- Wade Fishing - The west side of the bay will be softer and muddier, the east side will be hard-packed sand. There is also a sandbar along the highway 100 road that is hard-packed sand great for wading.
- Lures - DOA shrimp both freelined and under a cork are popular options here. Smaller, lower pitch topwaters are preferred for this area like a superspook JR. The doa weedless topwater is also a good option for when the floating grass is bad (Note -it does require a hard hookset). 3-4” paddle tails are also popular with lighter 1/16-⅛ oz jigheads
- Leader - Fluorocarbon does help with the clearer water down there and light leader is also preferred. Fluoro is especially important with tarpon. There isn't much shell, so with the exception of snook mouths, abrasion isn't an issue.
- Snook - There are always snook in the ship channel, but in spring they move into the bay and around the Jetty. You can use the same lures you would use for trout and reds. In the ship channel, you can use ½ - 1 oz jig heads to target the deeper snook.
- Photography - Canon DSLR bodies and Canon mirrorless (inexpensive) are preferred since they get beat up and constantly exposed to saltwater. Pay attention to conditions: if it is rough, using a monopod or tripod for some stabilization. As far as angles and points of interest, don't try and set up the shot, but rather look through the viewfinder and focus on the fish, not the person. Have the person look at the fish instead of the camera, which makes for some awesome, natural shots.
- Beachfront Fishing - This time of year, there are mainly tarpon, sharks, and bull reds. Pompanos tend to run during the winter. Early in the summer, the Smacks begin to show up along with trout and redfish.

Timestamps (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h89-Hfwwtug)

0:00 - Pre-Meeting Talk

13:45 - Meeting Starts

17:15 - Upcoming Trips (Baffin)

20:25 - Point Comfort

21:25 - Panther Point

25:00 - Speaker starts discussion

28:00 - Trip Accommodations

30:25 - Limits on LLM and Red Snapper

32:15 - Tarpon

37:05 - ***The lay of the land/water*** (I found this very informative)

44:00 - Wade Fishing

45:10 - lures to throw

46:50 - Fly Information

49:05 - Leader

51:00 - Snook

54:50 - Photography

1:02:30 - Snapper Spots, Kingfish, Ling, and Bonita

1:07:25 - SpaceX

1:08:30 - Brian Barrera

1:10:15 - Writing story and Fishing Book

1:13:20 - Birding and Waterfowl

1:16:35 - Food

1:18:30 - Artificial Lures

1:21:35 - Beach Front

1:24:30 - Post Meeting talk

To check out Some of Danno’s work, check out Texas Outdoors Journal, Texas Outdoors News, Instagram, American Fly Fishing, or his website.

Prior Meetings Overviews:

-Ryan W

August 2021 PACK Meeting overview

DeadliestCatcher — Mon, 23 Aug 2021 01:25:00 GMT

Hey all, If you missed the meeting, here are a few key points from our speaker, Bill Rodney, this past Tuesday. The discussion was mainly about the state of oyster fisheries in Galveston Bay and efforts taken to rebuild them.   Club Business <ul> <li style="list-style-type:disc">Elections for board positions are coming in a few short months, so if you feel like you can/want to contribute to PACK, consider running for a position. The president position will also be open this election, so we will be needing a new one after this year. </li> <li style="list-style-type:disc">Upcoming Trips <ul> <li style="list-style-type:circle"><a href="https://www.packtx.org/Events/tabid/53/ModuleID/372/ItemID/1862/mctl/EventDetails/Default.aspx">Ride The Bull </a>(8-27)</li> <li style="list-style-type:circle"><a href="https://www.packtx.org/Events/tabid/53/ModuleID/372/ItemID/1859/mctl/EventDetails/Default.aspx">Ft. Anahuac (9-4)</a> - *after speaking with blake personally, this trip will likely be canceled due to a large influx of freshwater. (<a href="https://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/ofs/ofs_mapplots.html?ofsregion=ng&subdomain=gb&model_type=salinity_forecast">CURRENT SALINITY LEVELS</a>)</li> <li style="list-style-type:circle"><a href="https://www.packtx.org/Events/tabid/53/ModuleID/372/ItemID/1860/mctl/EventDetails/Default.aspx">Point Comfort </a>(10-9)</li> <li style="list-style-type:circle"><a href="https://www.packtx.org/Events/tabid/53/ModuleID/372/ItemID/1821/mctl/EventDetails/Default.aspx">Panther Point</a> (10/14-17)</li> <li style="list-style-type:circle"><a href="https://www.packtx.org/Events/tabid/53/ModuleID/372/ItemID/1834/mctl/EventDetails/Default.aspx">Bolivar</a> (11-7)</li> <li style="list-style-type:circle">**Yarborough Pass (15miles down PINS) is passable, so Baffin bay could possibly be a future trip. Make sure to keep your eyes open for that trip.</li> </ul> </li> </ul> Speaker Notes <ul> <li style="list-style-type:disc">Restoration Projects (click for the link for location - sourced from a Hook-n-Line Map (<a href="https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=1ep3kmj1Di7k9mogR71uCTWGDnglkCqmi&usp=sharing">FULL MAP</a>)) <ul> <li style="list-style-type:circle"><a href="https://goo.gl/maps/P99Ucft619EqeiQz6">Frenchy’s Reef</a> - located a few miles west of Frozen point, this is a grouping of reefs that had restoration efforts done</li> <li style="list-style-type:circle"><a href="https://goo.gl/maps/xwg9bGaDaLkTPonL8">Dollar Reef</a> - This is another well-known reef that is a mile or two NE of Moses Lake that has somewhat declined from oystering that was rebuilt to allow for more oyster growth</li> <li style="list-style-type:circle"><a href="https://goo.gl/maps/qWS16194pL6NuhBm8">Eagle Point Reef </a>- This is located just west of Red Fish Island that was included in one of Bill’s first restoration efforts.</li> <li style="list-style-type:circle"><a href="https://goo.gl/maps/YGLqJ61eYTSwM7288">Middle Reef</a> - As of this meeting, Middle Reef is in the sweet spot for salinity, and a 5” layer of river stone was dropped (20 acres), allowing for spat (juvenile oyster larvae) to form new reefs.</li> <li style="list-style-type:circle"><a href="https://goo.gl/maps/EX9rybZTrkSf3ydn8">Hannah Reef</a> - Hanna Reef is one of the more well-known reefs in Galveston with a large natural reef. Next to the reef, a rectangular plot of a new oyster reef was created. This was a larger project, partly funded through Deepwater Horizon</li> <li style="list-style-type:circle">Peppergrove Reef (<a href="https://goo.gl/maps/eQtKsptsvCNCT9z18">1</a>)  (<a href="https://goo.gl/maps/aZsd7vxLCxNiDMQMA">2</a>)  (<a href="https://goo.gl/maps/yaKzcNHi35GfpFg19">3</a>) - This cluster of reefs NW of Goat Island got hit fairly hard by Ike and restoration funds from the Deepwater Horizon allowed for more reef construction in the area.</li> <li style="list-style-type:circle"><a href="https://goo.gl/maps/8CX1erxchDtc65ne6">Pasadena Reef </a>- This reef is closer to the middle of Galveston Bay and 10 acres of new, thick domed reefs were added to this area, which makes this a unique reef with plenty of habitat for both fish and oysters.</li> <li style="list-style-type:circle"><a href="https://goo.gl/maps/3YPePDp4uWejZEYP8">Todd’s Dump</a> - This slightly more recent restoration right off of Eagle Point in San Leon. A new method of reef development using mounds was utilized which helps juvenile oysters (spat) better cling to the rocks that were dumped there. This reef also has a depth gradient, as the north end is shallower, gradually getting deeper to the south.</li> </ul> </li> </ul> <ul> <li style="list-style-type:disc">General Oyster info I found interesting <ul> <li style="list-style-type:circle">Salinity-wise, oysters thrive in between 10-20 PPT (parts per thousand), meaning that closing off Rollover Pass allowed for a less saline environment for oysters to thrive in.</li> <li style="list-style-type:circle">Oyster harvesting boats can have up to an 80% reduction of harvestable oysters on a given reef. Oyster season in Texas spans from November 1st to April 30th and opening day can have hundreds of boats congregated on a given reef.</li> <li style="list-style-type:circle">Data he collected before and after constructing a reef had an increase in biodiversity for that area, indicating a healthier ecosystem.</li> <li style="list-style-type:circle">The reason Ike was so much more destructive to oysters was because of the debris that was moved due to the storm surge, which essentially buried the oysters in silt/mud. Most reefs constructed were in efforts to "revive" the reefs destroyed from this hurricane.</li> <li style="list-style-type:circle">When scanning for oyster reefs, a depth finder with side-scan is a powerful tool and it allows you to not only see the reef but how dense it is as well.</li> </ul> </li> </ul> Sorry this is coming out a bit late, Ryan W.