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Reports & Forecasts: October 2006
Lake Calcasieu Louisiana
Jeff and Mary Poe | Big Lake Guide Service | 337.598.3268
Using birds, birds and more birds is the usual method of finding fish in the month of October. Get your binoculars cleaned and that trolling motor fully charged because you will need them this month. When approaching a school of fish with the birds working overhead, always come up to the birds as quietly as possible. At about 200 yards out and upwind of the school, drop the trolling motor and approach with extreme caution. Keep the wind on your back and use the tide to your advantage. At 50 yards out, drift and only use the trolling motor to bump forward quietly. Two things to pay close attention to while making your approach are the direction and speed of the traveling school. After the birds have left, the fish are still there if you don't get on top of them. Shrimp jumping and needle gar skipping across the water are sure signs of fish. Lures don't matter much; fish under birds will eat about anything. The most important thing is to keep up with the school without spooking them. October is normally an excellent month for reds and flounder too.
Sabine Lake | Dickie Colburn
Colburn's Sabine Connection | 409.883.0723
It looks as though the modest cool fronts we got recently were enough to put an end to a very tough summer for us. The gulls have started working over schools of trout and reds that are hustling shrimp exiting the marshes. That action will only improve with each additional front. We are once again catching trout up to five pounds working the shallow flats on the north end at first light with She Dogs and Catch V's. As the day warms, we are switching to tails in glow/chartreuse or pumpkinseed and catching both trout and redfish under the birds. The ship channel from the Causeway south to the jetties continues to turn out solid catches of trout for fishermen willing to deposit a few jigheads in the debris scattered along the shoreline The flounder bite is ahead of schedule and will only get better as well. We are currently doing well on both shrimp tipped plastics and live mud minnows on flatfish up to four pounds. If we can continue to dodge any serious storms, we should experience a phenomenal fall on Sabine Lake.
Trinity Bay - East Bay - Galveston Bay | James Plaag
Silver King Adventures | silverkingadventures.com | 409.935.7242
James says he had his best tarpon fishing session ever the day before giving this report. "We went 10 for 21!" he beams. For those unfamiliar with such lingo, that means they hooked 21 fish and landed 10 of those. That is truly phenomenol for Galveston area waters. He says he also had 5 other fish landed over the weekend, and expects to continue fishing for the silver kings until the middle of October if the weather is suitable for it, meaning if the seas stay relatively calm. "Went trout fishing the other day for the first time in a while and found easy fishing in East Bay, working slicks and bait over shell in four feet of water. It was good for September. Caught most of them on Bass Assassins, but my guys tell me the small topwaters have been working too, especially the Top Pup with the green back/gold side and yellow belly." He plans on heading to Trinity Bay in October for combination trips seeking trout, redfish and flounder. "The north end in October is usually productive for all three species. The trout aren't normally big, but they're plentiful."
Jimmy West | Bolivar Guide Service | 409.996.3054
Jim expects to have some outstanding fishing this fall. "I like October and November best of all. When we get fronts with enough punch to cool down the water and start draining the marshes, the fishing gets really hot." He reports that his tactics have already changed and that he'll be wading more of the time this fall. "We still have bird activity out in the middle, but the fish are smaller than they were a month ago. I've switched over to wading more of the time. We are catching some decent trout mixed in with lots of redfish in marsh lakes and on back bay shorelines. That should continue as we go through the fall. Usually, towards the end of October, we see some good trout on back bay shorelines in East Bay. Also, about that time, we will start throwing 51 or 52 Mirrolures more of the time. Right now, the tails are still hard to beat." He also mentions that the fields he hunts for doves are full of birds. "We are going to whack 'em. The milo is thick and the doves are thicker!" he says.
West Galveston - Bastrop - Christmas - Chocolate Bays
Randall Groves | Groves Guide Service
979.849.7019 | 979.864.9323
"We've been smoking the redfish when the storms allow us to fish the way we want to," Randall says. "Most days, we have complete limits, including one oversized fish for each of the guys to tag. Trout fishing has been spottier, with the surf kind of dying off and the flats behind the pass becoming less consistent than they were earlier in the summer." He expects the birds to start working in October to make the trout easier to locate, especially in the second half of the month and moving into November. "We usually have some good flocks working by the middle of this month; November is even better. We will also be wading reefs when we aren't chasing the gulls. There are some quality fish over shell in October around here. The fish will also make a move to the muddier bottoms sometime later on in the month." Topwaters will be the first choice on many days. "Our best luck lately has been on the chartreuse/sliver Skitterwalks, and of course the pearl/pumpkin SandEels."
Matagorda | Tommy Countz
Bay Guide Service | 979.863.7553
"We've got tons of redfish right now and they're pretty easy to catch," Tommy says. "I had three on a fly the other day, and I'm not an expert with a flyrod by any means. My customers did better. When you've got groups of ten to fifteen reds tailing, it makes for great catching." Most of the best concentrations of the old spottails are in south shoreline coves of West Bay. "We'll see the action in East Bay improve in October," he predicts. "There are already some nice trout on the mid-bay reefs, and by the time we get a couple more good fronts, the birds will be working open water around those reefs. It's sometimes possible to catch solid trout up to five pounds under birds; at other times, it's better to drift deep shell away from the birds to find the better trout." After the bird chasers show up, he likes to make forays to West Bay again. "We like to wade in West Bay in October, especially on the weekends. There are some good fish on the grass beds over there, and the crowds are usually lighter."
Palacios | Capt. Aaron Wollam
www.palaciosguideservice.com | 979.240.8204
Outstanding fall fishing has arrived. Cool weather combined with a great shrimp hatch has our local bays full of fish. Redfish action is as good as it gets. We have been on schools of fish in the twenty four to twenty seven inch range for about two weeks. These fish have been in pods of twenty to thirty fish and are detonating topwaters. Green/chrome Shedogs, blue/orange Skitterwalks, and black/chrome Super Spooks have been the top baits. When they won't hit a floating plug, Berkley Gulp Shrimp in pearl and nuclear chicken have been hard for the fish to turn down. Trout fishing under the birds continues to be awesome. Shrimp colored Norton Bull Minnows rigged on 1/4 ounce jigheads have been the best baits for the keeper fish. Most fish are ranging from fifteen to seventeen inches and are healthy from eating tons of shrimp. October fishing should continue to be hot with bird activity in East Bay, and along the seawall in South Bay. The mouth of the Tres Palacios River will be a hotspot for reds in the upcoming months.
Port O'Connor | Lynn Smith | Back Bay Guide Service | 361.983.4434
Lynn reports that the surf fishing has continued to be outstanding as of this writing, but that he knows it will be over by October. "We are still catching them in the surf right now, and there are some quality trout, but soon we'll be changing over to our fall tactics. By then, the hungry sharks that have been stealing fish in West Matagorda will be gone, too." He likes to wade sand and grass shorelines in the first half of October. "I'll be fishing areas south, like San Antonio and Mesquite and Ayers bays, working sand and grass with topwaters. I like the Super Spook and the She Dog, particularly the black one with the chartreuse head. We will try to stay shallow as much as possible, since we catch some of our biggest trout knee-deep once the water cools down. If we get a couple of stronger cold spells, I will start looking for the fish to make a move to mud. There is plenty of soft mud in those bays, and if the water drops to below normal temperatures, the fish will often seek that type of bottom after fronts."
Rockport | Blake Muirhead
Gator Trout Guide Service | 361.790.5203 or 361.441.3894
Blake plans to mix in some dove hunting with his fishing in the first part of the fall season. "I've got some really nice fields I hunt in the Premont area. It's usually fast shooting, lots of fun." On the water, he says he expects to see an improvement in the fishing as the marshes drain and the bait comes pouring out. "All the bayous in St. Charles, San Antonio and Aransas Bays can be great when the fall migration goes into full swing. I'll be focusing on shorelines near the mouths of the marsh drains. I'll throw my topwaters as much as I can, primarily Super Spooks and Top Dogs. I've had really good luck lately on the black/silver Top Dog." Of course, the old stand by lures have been producing too. "Around here, it's hard to beat a pumpkin or purple/chartreuse Norton Sand Eel if the fish aren't blowing up on topwaters." He's already finding lots of redfish ganged up in advance of their migration and expects to find more this month. "We should be on plenty of reds," he says.
Padre Island National Seashore
Billy Sandifer | Padre Island Safaris | 361.937.8446
October brings exceptional fishing for a variety of fish species in the surf zone, but it is imperative to plan trips to occur during periods of favorable weather and tidal conditions. Incoming frontal passages will make conditions excessive for a short period. As winds, seas and tides moderate, conditions and water quality become excellent and then the southeast winds begin to blow excessively in advance of the next incoming front. When the southeast winds get going for several days, the catching is reduced dramatically until after the next frontal passage. This scenario will continue throughout the fall and winter months. Pompano and whiting will be available on fresh, peeled shrimp and "Fishbites." Slot and oversized redfish, large Spanish mackerel and occasional speckled trout will be available on a variety of lures and cut bait as well as on live finger mullet. Bull and Blacktipped sharks are extremely common and typically within casting distance of the shore. Target areas of bait abundance and bird activity.
Upper Laguna Madre - Baffin Bay - Land Cut
Robert Zapata | [email protected] | 361.563.1160
My favorite way to catch fish is on topwater baits and the weather has been just right for fishing with topwaters until about mid-morning for the last few weeks. The wind has been relatively calm in the mornings and this had allowed me to use MirroLure She Dogs and She Pups in colors like CRBN, CRBL, GCRCH and CRRW in water depths of one and a half to two and a half feet. It has been really exciting finding fish in shallow water and sightcasting with MirroMinnows in colors like CHBL, #21, #18, BNSBO and #11. The MirroMinnows are great for fishing in water that is 18 inches deep or less. When the topwater baits are not working, I'm using Exude RT Slugs in colors like pear/silktreuse, bloody white, bone diamond and mardi gras rigged on 1/16 or 1/8 ounce jig heads. I'm using the 1/16 ounce jig heads in water that is two feet deep or less, and the 1/8 ounce jig heads in water that is more than two feet deep. On days with dead calm wind, the best way to fish an area is by wade fishing with small baits, which don't make much noise when they land.
Corpus Christi | Joe Mendez www.sightcast1.com | 361.937.5961
Joe says that the fishing has been gradually on the decline in the Land Cut and Nine Mile Hole, so he plans on moving north for October. "My client Dave Hamasaki did catch five different species, including black drum, trout and redfish on fly the other day along the edge of The Cut. It's the first time I've ever seen one guy catch so many species on the same trip on a fly." He plans to concentrate much of his effort in October on the flats near the JFK Causeway, and also further north into Corpus Christi Bay, specifically Shamrock Cove and the East Flats area. "I'll be looking to do a lot of sightcasting to redfish, using lures and flies. Those flats usually fill up with reds for a little while after it starts to cool down. The schools that had been further south in the Laguna Madre will have moved up here and should be fairly easy to locate from the casting platform of a shallow-draft boat." He says that the pumpkinseed/chartreuse Exude RT Slug continues to be his go-to lure, and should be this month too.
Port Mansfield | Bruce & Brandon Shuler
GetAway Adventures Lodge | 956.944.4000
"Let's go catch a redfish!" Bruce says when asked about the prospects for fishing the Port Mansfield area in October. "We've got some nice herds of reds around here right now and they should be concentrated on the north and south flats adjacent to the East Cut come October. We'll be targeting them in shallow water, around knee deep. The easiest way to catch them is on a gold spoon, of course, but I like to work at them with topwaters most of all. The blowups are just incredible in that shallow water." Trout fishing shows great promise, too. "Our trout have already moved off the deep humps onto the grass. They should be nicely schooled up over shallow grass and potholes as the water cools down a little more." Offshore fishing holds potential this month as well. "Our nearshore water stays warmer a while longer than on the upper coast. We get a good push of pelagic fish moving through during October, as they migrate toward Mexican waters."
Lower Laguna Madre - South Padre - Port Isabel
Janie and Fred Petty | www.fishingwithpettys.com | 956.943.2747
With school starting and the traffic slowing, we're beginning to see larger herds of reds on both sides of the bay, making limiting easier. The trout are still skinny, but the numbers are increasing on the drop off at the Game Refuge and in potholes on the east side. We've had the best luck with the new penny and nuclear chicken Gulp Shrimp under maulers for trout, and gold weedless spoons for shallow reds. Freddy says, "The new Gulp Squid is working great; the four inch one is the easiest to use on a 1/4 ounce jighead." See Rip at Hook Line and Sinker. Tides are still running low from the point at Laguna Vista north. We've been unable to fish anywhere close to Cullen's house due to low tides in the afternoons. It's time we all face the fact that we aren't getting the flow necessary to bring water levels up to normal on the tidal flats. We believe the problem lies with the silting in of the Mansfield Jetties. Please call the Mansfield Chamber to add your name to the list of people who want to see the channel dredged. (956) 944 2354
Jeff and Mary Poe | Big Lake Guide Service | 337.598.3268
Using birds, birds and more birds is the usual method of finding fish in the month of October. Get your binoculars cleaned and that trolling motor fully charged because you will need them this month. When approaching a school of fish with the birds working overhead, always come up to the birds as quietly as possible. At about 200 yards out and upwind of the school, drop the trolling motor and approach with extreme caution. Keep the wind on your back and use the tide to your advantage. At 50 yards out, drift and only use the trolling motor to bump forward quietly. Two things to pay close attention to while making your approach are the direction and speed of the traveling school. After the birds have left, the fish are still there if you don't get on top of them. Shrimp jumping and needle gar skipping across the water are sure signs of fish. Lures don't matter much; fish under birds will eat about anything. The most important thing is to keep up with the school without spooking them. October is normally an excellent month for reds and flounder too.
Sabine Lake | Dickie Colburn
Colburn's Sabine Connection | 409.883.0723
It looks as though the modest cool fronts we got recently were enough to put an end to a very tough summer for us. The gulls have started working over schools of trout and reds that are hustling shrimp exiting the marshes. That action will only improve with each additional front. We are once again catching trout up to five pounds working the shallow flats on the north end at first light with She Dogs and Catch V's. As the day warms, we are switching to tails in glow/chartreuse or pumpkinseed and catching both trout and redfish under the birds. The ship channel from the Causeway south to the jetties continues to turn out solid catches of trout for fishermen willing to deposit a few jigheads in the debris scattered along the shoreline The flounder bite is ahead of schedule and will only get better as well. We are currently doing well on both shrimp tipped plastics and live mud minnows on flatfish up to four pounds. If we can continue to dodge any serious storms, we should experience a phenomenal fall on Sabine Lake.
Trinity Bay - East Bay - Galveston Bay | James Plaag
Silver King Adventures | silverkingadventures.com | 409.935.7242
James says he had his best tarpon fishing session ever the day before giving this report. "We went 10 for 21!" he beams. For those unfamiliar with such lingo, that means they hooked 21 fish and landed 10 of those. That is truly phenomenol for Galveston area waters. He says he also had 5 other fish landed over the weekend, and expects to continue fishing for the silver kings until the middle of October if the weather is suitable for it, meaning if the seas stay relatively calm. "Went trout fishing the other day for the first time in a while and found easy fishing in East Bay, working slicks and bait over shell in four feet of water. It was good for September. Caught most of them on Bass Assassins, but my guys tell me the small topwaters have been working too, especially the Top Pup with the green back/gold side and yellow belly." He plans on heading to Trinity Bay in October for combination trips seeking trout, redfish and flounder. "The north end in October is usually productive for all three species. The trout aren't normally big, but they're plentiful."
Jimmy West | Bolivar Guide Service | 409.996.3054
Jim expects to have some outstanding fishing this fall. "I like October and November best of all. When we get fronts with enough punch to cool down the water and start draining the marshes, the fishing gets really hot." He reports that his tactics have already changed and that he'll be wading more of the time this fall. "We still have bird activity out in the middle, but the fish are smaller than they were a month ago. I've switched over to wading more of the time. We are catching some decent trout mixed in with lots of redfish in marsh lakes and on back bay shorelines. That should continue as we go through the fall. Usually, towards the end of October, we see some good trout on back bay shorelines in East Bay. Also, about that time, we will start throwing 51 or 52 Mirrolures more of the time. Right now, the tails are still hard to beat." He also mentions that the fields he hunts for doves are full of birds. "We are going to whack 'em. The milo is thick and the doves are thicker!" he says.
West Galveston - Bastrop - Christmas - Chocolate Bays
Randall Groves | Groves Guide Service
979.849.7019 | 979.864.9323
"We've been smoking the redfish when the storms allow us to fish the way we want to," Randall says. "Most days, we have complete limits, including one oversized fish for each of the guys to tag. Trout fishing has been spottier, with the surf kind of dying off and the flats behind the pass becoming less consistent than they were earlier in the summer." He expects the birds to start working in October to make the trout easier to locate, especially in the second half of the month and moving into November. "We usually have some good flocks working by the middle of this month; November is even better. We will also be wading reefs when we aren't chasing the gulls. There are some quality fish over shell in October around here. The fish will also make a move to the muddier bottoms sometime later on in the month." Topwaters will be the first choice on many days. "Our best luck lately has been on the chartreuse/sliver Skitterwalks, and of course the pearl/pumpkin SandEels."
Matagorda | Tommy Countz
Bay Guide Service | 979.863.7553
"We've got tons of redfish right now and they're pretty easy to catch," Tommy says. "I had three on a fly the other day, and I'm not an expert with a flyrod by any means. My customers did better. When you've got groups of ten to fifteen reds tailing, it makes for great catching." Most of the best concentrations of the old spottails are in south shoreline coves of West Bay. "We'll see the action in East Bay improve in October," he predicts. "There are already some nice trout on the mid-bay reefs, and by the time we get a couple more good fronts, the birds will be working open water around those reefs. It's sometimes possible to catch solid trout up to five pounds under birds; at other times, it's better to drift deep shell away from the birds to find the better trout." After the bird chasers show up, he likes to make forays to West Bay again. "We like to wade in West Bay in October, especially on the weekends. There are some good fish on the grass beds over there, and the crowds are usually lighter."
Palacios | Capt. Aaron Wollam
www.palaciosguideservice.com | 979.240.8204
Outstanding fall fishing has arrived. Cool weather combined with a great shrimp hatch has our local bays full of fish. Redfish action is as good as it gets. We have been on schools of fish in the twenty four to twenty seven inch range for about two weeks. These fish have been in pods of twenty to thirty fish and are detonating topwaters. Green/chrome Shedogs, blue/orange Skitterwalks, and black/chrome Super Spooks have been the top baits. When they won't hit a floating plug, Berkley Gulp Shrimp in pearl and nuclear chicken have been hard for the fish to turn down. Trout fishing under the birds continues to be awesome. Shrimp colored Norton Bull Minnows rigged on 1/4 ounce jigheads have been the best baits for the keeper fish. Most fish are ranging from fifteen to seventeen inches and are healthy from eating tons of shrimp. October fishing should continue to be hot with bird activity in East Bay, and along the seawall in South Bay. The mouth of the Tres Palacios River will be a hotspot for reds in the upcoming months.
Port O'Connor | Lynn Smith | Back Bay Guide Service | 361.983.4434
Lynn reports that the surf fishing has continued to be outstanding as of this writing, but that he knows it will be over by October. "We are still catching them in the surf right now, and there are some quality trout, but soon we'll be changing over to our fall tactics. By then, the hungry sharks that have been stealing fish in West Matagorda will be gone, too." He likes to wade sand and grass shorelines in the first half of October. "I'll be fishing areas south, like San Antonio and Mesquite and Ayers bays, working sand and grass with topwaters. I like the Super Spook and the She Dog, particularly the black one with the chartreuse head. We will try to stay shallow as much as possible, since we catch some of our biggest trout knee-deep once the water cools down. If we get a couple of stronger cold spells, I will start looking for the fish to make a move to mud. There is plenty of soft mud in those bays, and if the water drops to below normal temperatures, the fish will often seek that type of bottom after fronts."
Rockport | Blake Muirhead
Gator Trout Guide Service | 361.790.5203 or 361.441.3894
Blake plans to mix in some dove hunting with his fishing in the first part of the fall season. "I've got some really nice fields I hunt in the Premont area. It's usually fast shooting, lots of fun." On the water, he says he expects to see an improvement in the fishing as the marshes drain and the bait comes pouring out. "All the bayous in St. Charles, San Antonio and Aransas Bays can be great when the fall migration goes into full swing. I'll be focusing on shorelines near the mouths of the marsh drains. I'll throw my topwaters as much as I can, primarily Super Spooks and Top Dogs. I've had really good luck lately on the black/silver Top Dog." Of course, the old stand by lures have been producing too. "Around here, it's hard to beat a pumpkin or purple/chartreuse Norton Sand Eel if the fish aren't blowing up on topwaters." He's already finding lots of redfish ganged up in advance of their migration and expects to find more this month. "We should be on plenty of reds," he says.
Padre Island National Seashore
Billy Sandifer | Padre Island Safaris | 361.937.8446
October brings exceptional fishing for a variety of fish species in the surf zone, but it is imperative to plan trips to occur during periods of favorable weather and tidal conditions. Incoming frontal passages will make conditions excessive for a short period. As winds, seas and tides moderate, conditions and water quality become excellent and then the southeast winds begin to blow excessively in advance of the next incoming front. When the southeast winds get going for several days, the catching is reduced dramatically until after the next frontal passage. This scenario will continue throughout the fall and winter months. Pompano and whiting will be available on fresh, peeled shrimp and "Fishbites." Slot and oversized redfish, large Spanish mackerel and occasional speckled trout will be available on a variety of lures and cut bait as well as on live finger mullet. Bull and Blacktipped sharks are extremely common and typically within casting distance of the shore. Target areas of bait abundance and bird activity.
Upper Laguna Madre - Baffin Bay - Land Cut
Robert Zapata | [email protected] | 361.563.1160
My favorite way to catch fish is on topwater baits and the weather has been just right for fishing with topwaters until about mid-morning for the last few weeks. The wind has been relatively calm in the mornings and this had allowed me to use MirroLure She Dogs and She Pups in colors like CRBN, CRBL, GCRCH and CRRW in water depths of one and a half to two and a half feet. It has been really exciting finding fish in shallow water and sightcasting with MirroMinnows in colors like CHBL, #21, #18, BNSBO and #11. The MirroMinnows are great for fishing in water that is 18 inches deep or less. When the topwater baits are not working, I'm using Exude RT Slugs in colors like pear/silktreuse, bloody white, bone diamond and mardi gras rigged on 1/16 or 1/8 ounce jig heads. I'm using the 1/16 ounce jig heads in water that is two feet deep or less, and the 1/8 ounce jig heads in water that is more than two feet deep. On days with dead calm wind, the best way to fish an area is by wade fishing with small baits, which don't make much noise when they land.
Corpus Christi | Joe Mendez www.sightcast1.com | 361.937.5961
Joe says that the fishing has been gradually on the decline in the Land Cut and Nine Mile Hole, so he plans on moving north for October. "My client Dave Hamasaki did catch five different species, including black drum, trout and redfish on fly the other day along the edge of The Cut. It's the first time I've ever seen one guy catch so many species on the same trip on a fly." He plans to concentrate much of his effort in October on the flats near the JFK Causeway, and also further north into Corpus Christi Bay, specifically Shamrock Cove and the East Flats area. "I'll be looking to do a lot of sightcasting to redfish, using lures and flies. Those flats usually fill up with reds for a little while after it starts to cool down. The schools that had been further south in the Laguna Madre will have moved up here and should be fairly easy to locate from the casting platform of a shallow-draft boat." He says that the pumpkinseed/chartreuse Exude RT Slug continues to be his go-to lure, and should be this month too.
Port Mansfield | Bruce & Brandon Shuler
GetAway Adventures Lodge | 956.944.4000
"Let's go catch a redfish!" Bruce says when asked about the prospects for fishing the Port Mansfield area in October. "We've got some nice herds of reds around here right now and they should be concentrated on the north and south flats adjacent to the East Cut come October. We'll be targeting them in shallow water, around knee deep. The easiest way to catch them is on a gold spoon, of course, but I like to work at them with topwaters most of all. The blowups are just incredible in that shallow water." Trout fishing shows great promise, too. "Our trout have already moved off the deep humps onto the grass. They should be nicely schooled up over shallow grass and potholes as the water cools down a little more." Offshore fishing holds potential this month as well. "Our nearshore water stays warmer a while longer than on the upper coast. We get a good push of pelagic fish moving through during October, as they migrate toward Mexican waters."
Lower Laguna Madre - South Padre - Port Isabel
Janie and Fred Petty | www.fishingwithpettys.com | 956.943.2747
With school starting and the traffic slowing, we're beginning to see larger herds of reds on both sides of the bay, making limiting easier. The trout are still skinny, but the numbers are increasing on the drop off at the Game Refuge and in potholes on the east side. We've had the best luck with the new penny and nuclear chicken Gulp Shrimp under maulers for trout, and gold weedless spoons for shallow reds. Freddy says, "The new Gulp Squid is working great; the four inch one is the easiest to use on a 1/4 ounce jighead." See Rip at Hook Line and Sinker. Tides are still running low from the point at Laguna Vista north. We've been unable to fish anywhere close to Cullen's house due to low tides in the afternoons. It's time we all face the fact that we aren't getting the flow necessary to bring water levels up to normal on the tidal flats. We believe the problem lies with the silting in of the Mansfield Jetties. Please call the Mansfield Chamber to add your name to the list of people who want to see the channel dredged. (956) 944 2354