East Matagorda Trip Report

April 13-15, 2012

Looks like my plan to lead a trip on the windiest weekend of the year worked out.  Several PACK members and guests spread out amongst four campsites at East Matagorda Bay Nature Park for a weekend of steady 20+ mph winds sometimes gusting to over 30 mph.  When I arrived Friday morning around 10:00am Bruce, Brad, Tim, Butch and Brian were already on the water and Bill, Ron, Buzz, Joel and Ken were hanging out in their waterfront campsite.  After I set up camp Ken and I decided to go check out three-mile lake.  After a quick drive down the beach we arrived at our destination, unloaded the yaks and hit up a few of my spots that have always been productive in the past.  We didn’t want to venture to far away from the launch because we knew the paddle back against the wind was going to be a tough one.  After a few hours of battling the wind and no fish we decided to head back to camp and see if the others had found any fish.  Soon after we arrived Brad showed up with a few fish, but he had worked hard for them.  Later in the afternoon Brad and I headed back out to meet up with the rest of the guys out on the water.  Brad and I went to the “redfish hole” and each managed to pull out one red.  I kept grinding around the “redfish hole” while Brad started working towards the next lake.   I noticed a single bird hovering over by Brad and next thing you know he was hooked up.  He waved me over and the school of reds under the bird was still together.  I tossed my lure in and was immediately hooked up, Brad tossed his skitterwalk in again and he was hooked up.  We had ourselves a double in a 25 mph wind!  The school scattered after that so I started working towards a wind blown shoreline.  By the time Tim joined us the action had slowed so we split apart again.  As I came around a corner I noticed a group of tails upwind.  I paddled as hard as I could to get to them and made a few casts up wind at them but no takers.  I pointed them out to Tim because he was in a better position to cast to them but they spooked when his lure hit the water.  Around the next corner I see Brad closing in on another group of tails.  He waived me in to get the first cast because he already had his limit and I needed one more for my limit.  I made my cast and the wind caught it and my lure ended up landing right in the middle of them and they spooked.  We started blind casting around the area and eventually Brad picked up a trout and I caught a few dink trout.  The sun was getting low on the horizon and I was getting hungry so we headed back to camp.  Everyone was already out to dinner at “Snappers” so Brad and I put the fish on some ice and went to meet up with the crew.  After dinner everyone went to bed pretty early.

The next morning we were greeted with stronger winds.  Bill, Greg, Joel and Tim headed out first followed by Bruce, Brad and Brian who went to meet up with Andrew, who drove in early Saturday morning and was already on the water.  I decided to sleep in since my tent flapping in the wind all night had kept me up.  I hung out at camp with Ken, Ron and Buzz for a while and then Ken and Ron decided to go for a drive down the beach.  I finally got out on the water around 11:00am to find out that Bill was the only one to catch a fish.  I never saw it but I heard it was a nice red.  The wind was blowing so hard I almost decided not to launch but I’m glad I did.  I paddled over to the “redfish hole” and within 30 minutes I was hooked up.  It ended up being a hardhead but it felt good.  A few minutes later I got the tug I was looking for.  I landed a nice red around 22”.  The wind was really starting to howl and I was considering going in but I kept working around the “redfish hole”.  About fifteen minutes later I was hooked on to another red around 26”.  After about another hour of no bites I decided to head back to camp and meet up with my wife Meredith and her friend Eva who drove down Saturday Morning.   We sat around with Ron, Ken, Buzz and Joel enjoying a few adult beverages provided by Saint Arnold and telling stories.  Eventually the rest of the crew came in off the water.  I was very surprised to hear that they had all been skunked.  Everyone went to dinner at Riverbend and Meredith, Eva and I went to the restaurant in Matagorda Harbor for dinner.  I think fighting the wind Saturday had worn everyone out and no one fished on Sunday.  All in all it was a great trip despite the wind, a few fish were caught and all had a good time.