2011 Club President Ron Romeis opened the meeting thanking Adrian Ramos for his leadership for the past three years as well as the other members of the board. He introduced Ken Jennings (past president) as the 2011 Vice President, Will Henderson – Secretary, Eli Rivera, Treasurer, and Bruce Beherns – Webmaster.
Ron acknowledged Michael Emshoff and his 2010 award winning photo of a Matagorda Island Sunset. Ron added that all those who think they have a photo that they would either wish to submit for the 2011 trophy or the club’s printed scrapbook to enter their full size digital photo directly to him for the “Fish Whisperer” selection process or to Joel for the scrapbook. All other photos can be uploaded to the website. Bruce noted that the website will automatically reduce the pixel size hence the overall resolution of the photo.
Guests and new members were acknowleged.
PACK Catalog: New PACK hats will be sold directly at the meetings for $12 each, cash or check.
Chris Arceneaux presented the PACK Safety tip of the month, proper fit and inspection of standard foam and the more popular inflatable life jackets we use on the water.
Trip Reports: Ken Jennings reviewed a weekend trip he, Ron and Michael Harris made to Aransas. Michael H. covered the recent Anahuac Refuge / Double Bayou trip to East Bay. John McClain recent trip with a few other members to Bolivar fishing the marsh edges and the Intracoastal Waterway. Alex Torres would say where, but “Down South” but he did have photos to brag on.
Upcoming Trips: Ron is leading a freshwater weekend trip to Fayette County trip Feb. 25-27. See the club website for details: [http://tinyurl.com/4faefhl ]
On with the program… Ken Jennings introduced long time PACK friend Dean “Slowride” Thomas and his wife Jennifer. Dean and Jennifer operating a kayak and bay-boat guide service down in Aransas for the past 10 years.
Dean spoke about the merits of fishing the famed Light House Lakes, Brown and Root Flats and Redfish Bay all in his backyard. This time of year, mid winter, Dean recommended fishing the edge of flat drop offs since the flats are frequently blown dry making it to shallow to get around in a kayak. He repeated that Aransas fish feed on: Shrimp, Crab, and Minnows! The winter tides pulls this bait off the flats and into the drop-offs. His favorite casting baits: Spook Jr. and D.O.A. Shrimp in either clear with gold glitter or glow since the glow represents the look of the white shrimp population.
On that Spook Jr., Dean has replaced all the treble hooks with a single Gamakatsu live bait hook with a built-in ring. While working the treble hook of the lure, leave the manufacturer’s split ring on, follow the treble hook with the single hook. [http://www.meltontackle.com/products/gamakatsu-live-bait-hooks-with-ring.html ]. He fishes the ¼ oz. D.O.A.’s by popping them up and allowing them to “swim” down. Listen to pod-cast for more details. Dean uses 20-lb fluorocarbon mono for his leader with a line-to-line knot to his line. He fishes with both mono and braid. Oh yeah, no Gulps.
His go-to flies are his tiny custom gold spoon fly and a chartreuse & white clouser. He fishes the clouser deeper on the drop offs. He works the flats with an 8-wt rod and he makes his own 5-1/2 feet furled leader / tippets with a loop-to-loop connection. Again, listen to the pod-cast because that description went over my head. The mantra, repeat after me: Shrimp, Crab, and Minnow!
Dean talked about how much he and Jennifer enjoy the raw beauty of the Light House Lakes system. Along with awesome fish photos, he presented great shots of the wildlife and scenery the area offers to boaters and campers. Dean and Jennifer are major supporters of the local Boy Scouts. He leads a group to they own coastal paradise to the “Fish Camp” shelter on Quarantine Shoreline at the mouth of the Corpus Christi bayou six miles from the put-in on the highway. He offered that PACK can use the camp, and to park at the local marina’s for $2 / day for better safety of our vehicles.
A great time to “hook” up with Dean and fish the Aransas area is that slow period between Thanksgiving and Christmas. If you go down in April, be prepared for the winds. As well as the scouts, Dean and Jennifer hosts “Heros on the Water” with the help of Scott Null, another PACK friend. Dean provides at least four kayak fishing schools of the year. The first one is fully booked, but call Jennifer and Dean at 361-758-0463 or visit their website: www.slowrideguide.com to check out all their services.
Ron closed the meeting, and announced that our next meeting is Tuesday Feb. 15th for the latest fishing reports and to hear Vincent with Team Ocean Kayak.