- SOUTH TEXAS SLAM by Danno Wise
Substitute
a snook or tarpon for a flounder in this trio.
- Up and down the Texas coastal curve,
inshore anglers often set their sights on catching a "Texas Slam."
For the majority of Lone Star State fishermen, this achievement is marked
by catching each of the traditional "Big 3" - redfish, speckled
trout, flounder - in a single session. However, along the extreme southern
stretch of the Texas coast, a more tropical species lends a totally different
personality to the slam. In the waters of the Lower Laguna Madre, fishermen
substitutesnook for flounder to complete what is known as a "South
Texas Slam."
The South Texas Slam is an attainable goal for anglers fishing the swath
of coast from the Rio Grande River to just above the Port Mansfield Cut.
However, serious slam candidates should focus their efforts in the waters
surrounding Port Isabel and South Padre Island. Simply put, that is where
the greatest concentration of snook can be found on a consistent basis.
Thus, the odds of completing the trifecta greatly improve when fishing in
this area....
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- WRECK RANGERS by
David A. Brown
- Keep moving for maximum productivity...
- If the Gulf of Mexico's vast seabed were a desert,
its shimmering oases would be the diverse smattering of hard bottom sites
abounding with splendid assortments of marine life.
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- Now, those fishing anywhere west of Florida waters
will surely sing the praises of drilling rigs. No doubt, these titans of
oil and gas exploration harbor vibrant ecosystems rich with sportfishing
potential. However, there's no hiding several stories of steel, so you're
always subject to unwanted company.
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- Reefs and wrecks, especially those unpublished
numbers, require more effort to locate, therefore theirs is a more clandestine
opportunity. Rare is the day that one site delivers all you care to catch,
but working your way through a handful of carefully selected structures
may very well satisfy your angling appetite.
- From as close as a mile or so off the sand, to
as far as you care to go, the Gulf of Mexico offers numerous opportunities
for savvy anglers to connect with their next big fish....
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UNTAPPED
LAVACA BAY by
Capt. Kyle Tomek
- Victim of industrial abuse, Lavaca Bay fights
back...
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- Lavaca Bay is rarely the topic of any fishing report, outdoors magazine,
or online forum. Although it serves as a liquid border between the budding
streets of Port Lavaca and Point Comfort, the bay is a ghost town when
compared to other coastal bays.
Perhaps the bay's fishing potential is buried beneath layers of its rocky
past. All too many are familiar with Lavaca Bay being "home to what
is arguably the worst environmental disaster on the Texas Gulf Coast".
Despite the fact that the bay's conditions have made a significant comeback,
fishermen have not. And few are aware of such prime fishing potential that
remains untapped and abandoned.
In the late 60's, Alcoa's aluminum manufacturing plant on Lavaca Bay
expelled enough mercury-filled waste water into Lavaca Bay to contaminate
64 square miles. Estimations put the figure to be about 67 pounds of mercury
per day (permitted by the State at the time), from its location on the north
east side of the bay. In 1970, the practice was discontinued; and in 1988,
retaining fish from specific waters ("closed area") was outlawed
due to health risks. The meager amount of Lavaca Bay anglers quickly dispersed
elsewhere.
Things changed in 1994...
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- BEACH FRONT SNOOKING by Robin T. West
- Sight fishing snook from Florida hotel beachfronts...
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- I am a lifelong angler, living and working
in the UK. I do all sorts of fishing at home, but come out to Florida to
fish your lovely beaches whenever I get the chance which is usually around
three times a year. This is not an attempt to write a comprehensive general
article on snook fishing, but just to describe one method of my own and
how I fine tuned it and improved it over several years.
My rationale is to have a family style vacation where my wife Lin can
relax and sunbathe on the beach whilst I enjoy fantastic fishing just a
few yards away at the waters edge. The snook cruise along in ones and twos
very close in to the edge, taking short detours around the legs of bathers
and paddlers who are generally completely unaware of their existence.
We stay at various resort hotels anywhere from Sarasota down to Marco
Island and the fishing is as good all the way down. The only inconvenience
is that I use live shrimp and have to keep any left over in the hotel, either
on the balcony at night or in the room during the day. Lin gets a bit mad
at me sometimes because of the noise from the bait pump so I usually wrap
it up in a bath towel.
The tackle I use is very simple;...
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- Gulf Coast Closeup - by Mike Price
- MASTER FISHERMAN - Eddie Douglas
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- Business, like fishing, can get complicated.
But good business people use the KISS rule: Keep it simple, stupid. Eddie
Douglas applied this approach to fishing and like a well run business his
bottom line increased; he caught bigger and more fish.
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- In 1957 Eddie moved from East Texas to Matagorda County, Texas, close
to East and West Matagorda Bays. He knew how to catch bass but realized
that if he was going to be a successful saltwater fisherman he had to learn
from others. Eddie said, "I learned from some of the best fishermen
that walked. One would be real good on working lures, another on reading
water, another good on timing - knowing what to do and when to do it. I
started filing all that together and I was fishing a lot." He was
the county agent, but in 1960 he decided to go into the real estate business.
Eddie told his wife, "I can't work for anybody, and they are going
to fire me, because when the water is good I am going to fish."
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- Over the years Eddie has won many fishing tournaments including the
prestigious Poco Bueno at Port O'Connor. He is one of the most respected
fishermen on the middle Texas coast.
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- I fished with Eddie in August and as he caught fish he told me that
the key to successful fishing is...
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- This issue in OUR DEPARTMENTS...
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- Paddling Out - Deep
Water Reentry (How to get back in once the inevitable happens) - by Jeff Herman
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- Rod & Reel'n Offshore - Make a Sting-a-Ling
Jig - by Patrick Lemire
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- Equipment Notebook
- Vinyl
Cushion Repair - by David Ayers
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- The Bay Naturalist
- Fish in Season
- by John Hook
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- The Fly Guy -
Fun With the Ladies
- by Pete Cooper, Jr.
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- Tackle Time
- Modern Spinning Reels - by Colby Sorrells
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- Bait Hook
- Spanish Lessons
- by Jim Martin
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- From the Publisher...
- Besides all these great articles and departments, Gulf Coast Fisherman
is the only source for the Wells Daily Fishing Forecast.
Each issue carries three months of the Wells Daily
Fishing Forecast - with Monthly Fishing Calendars. Also, don't forget
about the Advance Planning Calendars in each issue that takes you out three
months past the current issue. This will provide what you need to intelligently
plan your fishing trips - hours, weeks, and up to six months in advance!
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- Top saltwater guides and fishermen use the Wells Daily Fishing Forecast - shouldn't you be using it ,too?...
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- "The fisherman that knows what the currents
are doing has the advantage - over fish and fishermen!"
- And remember - "Fish feed everyday, somewhere
" - Harold Wells
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- Gary Ralston
- Publisher
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- Home
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