The Passing of the Torch

My dad and I woke up at 5:00 AM to meet Aaron Cisneros, his father, Capt. Ernest Cisneros and Jake Haddock. Aaron launched his boat and we were ready to go fishing. Aaron and Jake are former youth writers for this magazine. This trip was set up so that Aaron, Jake, and I, would have the experience of fishing together and to establish a mentor relationship between the three of us. Advice from seasoned professionals can be very useful to an amateur, like me, who is just starting.

Hello fellow anglers, my name is Marcos Garza and I am the new youth writer for Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine. I live in Port Mansfield, Texas which has been my family's new home for the past two years. I am 16 years old and I am a sophomore in high school. We moved to Port Mansfield from Pearland, Texas in 2010 and I really am loving my new home. My dad is Capt. Ruben Garza Jr., otherwise known as "Snookdude." My mom is Sandra Garza, and my younger brother is Daniel Garza. You may recognize me and my family from an article in the August 2006 issue of TSFM written by our editor Everett Johnson - Just Carryin' on an Old Family Tradition.

My first year in Port Mansfield, my dad helped me get a summer job at Getaway Adventures Lodge working with Capt. Bruce Shuler. This summer will be my third year working for him and hopefully the best year yet. My job at the lodge is to accompany Capt. Bruce on his charters in the bay and offshore, and help with the other chores at the lodge. Being exposed to all this fishing action and talking to and receiving advice from seasoned guides and anglers is an experience like no other.

Now back to the story at hand; we were wading a sand bar trying to get a good bite going before the wind picked up. Jake had a nice five pound trout that was photographed and released short after reviving it. The bite died soon after the release of the fish so we talked for a little bit before moving to the next spot. I took advantage of this down time by getting to know Jake, his father, and his brother a little better. After about ten minutes of talking, we loaded up on the boats and took off to our next destination.

Power-Poles down, we hopped off of the side of the boat into about mid-thigh water. Right off the bat, Capt. Ernest Cisneros hooked a red on a topwater. On this wade, my dad saw the perfect opportunity to get a picture of Aaron, Jake and me lined up wading together. The redfish that Capt. Ernest caught was the only solid fish on this wade, but this trip really wasn't about catching a lot of fish, this trip was about the relationship that Aaron, Jake and I would establish, because they went though the same obstacles I'm going to face while writing. The trip was really so that they could help me understand the responsibility that I was now taking onto myself.

The next wade was in a small, cove-like flat, which was about knee deep. Before we got to fishing, Capt. Ernest wanted to make some photos Aaron, Jake, and me. After our photo op, we started fishing this shallow and protected flat. Again, Capt. Ernest set the bar high for the wade by catching another big fish. This time though, it was a 30.5 inch trout that weighed about 6.25 pounds. This trout had laid its eggs most likely the night before with the full moon being as bright as it was.

Our day ended with wading another sand bar trying to catch a few, last minute trout before heading in after a half day of fishing. Capt. Ernest, Jake, Jake's dad and brother had headed in because the needed to be on their way back to Houston. Aaron, my dad, and I stayed behind for one last wade. At around 11:30 the wind really picked up and on the last wade we didn't catch but a few dink trout. Thus began our short, but wet, ride back to the boat ramp on the island.

This trip was worth the few fish that we caught because it was a great experience for all of us. Getting to meet everybody and learning some tips to help me write was fun and cool. The tips I learned will be greatly beneficial in my writing and in my fishing.