This was our first trip for 2020 so getting things together on the first trip of the year takes a little longer than the others going forward. After taking a little longer than projected to pack up the truck, we were finally ready to hit the road. A quick drive by my place to drop of my SUV then away we went. As we were driving down Hwy 59, halfway between Rosenberg and El Campo, Bryce and I were talking about things in preparation for the next day when we saw something that we couldn't believe. A white truck, looked to be brand new, started to veer side to side on the road. Bryce and I both saw this and slowed down to not get in the way of this vehicle. Within about 20 seconds, the truck finally peeled off the highway to the outside and hit one of the green highway signs completely wiping it out. The metal on this sign to hold it up is no joke. This truck took it out with no problem then finally stopped after making it back onto the highway shoulder. Bryce and I saw the driver as we passed by him and he seem to look okay. Bryce and I guessed that he may have fallen asleep while driving on the road. The truck almost hit a car right before hitting the sign but the car managed to slow down just in time to avoid a collision. No matter what the reason was for this person to hit the sign, I am glad to see that nobody got hurt.
Backing up for a second, we did stop at Buc-ee's for all the usual things. I wish Buc-ee's would figure out a way to make it where their ice machines could actually keep ice from melting during the day. For those of you that stop at Buc-ee's, you know what I mean. The machine can't keep the ice frozen so it starts to melt. Sometimes in the evening, it will melt the ice again. Other times the cold water just sits in the freezers at the bottom of the bag staying cold but never freezing during the day. You would think that Buc-ee’s would build some sort of top over the ice machines so that it would keep it a little cooler or just put the machines indoor. That could possibly help. After Bryce and I fill up with gas at Buc-ee's and grab a few other things, not ice, we headed back onto the road.
We make it all the way to Corpus without any other problems. After making through Corpus and on to the island, we grab ice. After grabbing ice, we fill up with gas. Now we are fully geared up and ready to get to our destination. Right before we get to the beach line, I look at the forecast one last time to see what's in store. Everything looks great on Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and even Monday.
Once we are on the beach, this is what we saw.......
The forecast looked to be even better than what was projected and it was only supposed to get better as we moved into the weekend.
After a bunch of driving, we arrived to our destination. It was time to set up camp so that we didn't have to do it in the dark. Plus, if there were any mosquitoes in the night, that is no fun dealing with those while setting things up. Bryce and I set up our tents first, then the canopy, next the shower, then prepared the kayaks for the next day.
One of the things we noticed when we arrived is that there were two vehicles parked not far from us but nobody was in the vehicles. One of the trucks has a bed extender so we knew that it was kayakers. I usually don't see people out this late in the evening so I was guessing that maybe they left only to return later (idk). Around 7:30 pm Bryce sees a kayaker coming back in. This person was about 400 yards from the surf zone. At first, I thought it was a paddle yak as they had their paddles out but later, I found out it was a PA 14. This person came in forward through the surf and managed to make it back in with no issues. Once he made it back, I went over to greet him. After introductions (his name is Angel), I asked him if he went out by himself but he has a friend that was working his way back to shore. His buddy is in a Hobie Outback. After talking to this person for a few minutes, I asked him if he caught any fish. In the short time they were out there, he managed a few kings and a limit of snapper. His friend caught some fish as well. When I went to see what he had caught, the kings were big as well as the snapper. It was great to see that the snaps were finally getting some size to them again. As some of you know, red tide hit back in 2015. Red tide destroyed much of the fish down around the Corpus and surrounding area. It has taken some time for the fish on the structure to grow. Now I am getting excited! Those guys made it on and off of the water in a short time. If they were catching fish that size in the short amount of time that they did, it should make for great fishing on Saturday. Finally, Angel's friend started to make it back to shore through the surf. Angel's friend is Kyle. Kyle had some pretty good fish as well.
After talking to Angel and Kyle, Bryce and I decided to head back over to our camp area and get some dinner ready. Bryce and I were going to have cheddar bratwurst for dinner.
After cooking dinner and eating, Bryce and I finished some final touch ups on the kayaks and then just sat to watch the ocean as the night began to start. After a while, Marshall pulled up. We were expecting him but we just didn't know when he would arrive. We went to chat with Marshall for a time then he had to get things ready. Marshall brought some wood along and we picked up a few logs along the beach line so that we could have a fire. Marshall was putting some last-minute touch ups on his kayak. That took a little bit of time but he managed to get some sleep in preparation for Saturday.
We all wake up around 5:00 am Saturday morning. It was still dark but we could see the surf barely. From what we could see, the surf still looked pretty good. It was time to get dressed, eat breakfast, and get the kayaks on over to the edge of the water. One problem stood in the way. There was a lightning storm that was going across where we might be. Everyone waited until we knew what that storm was going to do. After the lightning storm shifted south, people started to deploy. I wasn't too hyped on the idea of launching this early only because the surf had picked up substantially by now. What was supposed to be 1 - 2 ft surf was looking more like 3 ft +. I wasn't sure why the surf was picking up when it was supposed to be going in the other direction. I just made sure that I would keep an eye out on things as the day progressed. Bryce and I launched. Bryce made it through the surf as he was slightly ahead of me. A huge wave came through in the third gut that had a lot of wash that I wasn't unable to paddle through. I tried to keep the yak straight but it turned me. The next thing I knew is that I was turtled in the surf. Immediately I get toward the side of the yak but toward the rear as the front of the yak was pointed toward the shoreline. In between wave sets I managed to flip the yak back over. I didn't get back in as I just figured I would ride it back to shore. I did, however, get the mirage drive back in the yak. I have the drive attached to a leash of 400 lb test.
Once I made it back to shore, I put everything back in the yak. My mini cooler, very small, fell with all my food and drinks in it. Everything washed ashore so I grabbed the items and regrouped. After grabbing some more ice and fixing everything up, I bilge out whatever water was left in the hull from when I turtled. I grabbed something to drink from the cooler in the back of the truck. This gave me a few minutes to collect my thoughts. As I was doing that, I was studying the surf to see how she was acting.
After a little more time, I decided to give the surf a second whirl. I decided instead of paddling through the surf this time that I would mirage drive. As I got in the kayak to get ready to peddle, another wave came in and I had to paddle for a second. I needed a few more secs to get my feet on the peddles. After paddling through the third sand bar, it was about to get interesting again. Before I could do anything in regards to paddling or peddling, a huge wave came at me. This wave stood well over me. I tried to push through it but that wave had its way with me. I was picked up from the front and tossed to the side. The kayak went back over. When I made it back to the top of the water, I realized something was tugging on my hand. I also noticed that something was pinching me on my legs. After a wave came through, I pulled my left hand up and my hand had a HUGE 8" Yo-Zuri Bull Popper treble hook in my hand. The treble went through the top of my left middle finger, all the way through. To give you an idea of the size hook I am talking about and where the hook went in and out at, here it is...
I keep something on my vest that cuts line so I was going to do that but by the time I was trying to reach for it, the wave build would carry the water into it carrying all my reels with it (my rods/reels were on leashes). In turn, I was afraid that it would rip the skin completely. I decided to grab hold and pull the hook out the way it went in. I knew this was going to hurt because the barb was still embedded in my hand. I grabbed the hook and ripped it out like pulling a band-aide off the skin really fast. To my surprise there wasn't much blood. I didn't have time to think about the pain as I was still in the surf. I needed to focus my attention to getting back to shore.
After getting back to shore and flipping my yak back over. There was some damage, aside from my finger. First, the pinches in my legs were treble hooks from my king leaders that went into my clothing but didn't actually go into the skin. The tips of the hooks kept touching my leg leading me to think that there were hooks in my legs. Second, my drive was damaged. Third, my paddle ended up broken. Fourth, all the rod holders and bases on my rail-trak were damaged except for the outside two. Fifth, two of my reels ended up getting sand in them so they seized up (Not a problem once I made it home. The reels are cleaned and ready to go again.). I felt pretty beat up and needed to sit for a bit. After sitting under the canopy for about 1.5 hours eating food and drinking fluids, I finally caught my wind again. I started to come alive. Plus, those darn nats that were buzzing around my face were getting on my nerves, lol.
I went to assess the damages on my kayak. I decided to take off the hooks and put them back on after I made it through the surf. I am not sure why I let that slip by me from the get go but the past is the past so moving forward. Next, I took the fish bag and moved it to the back. I only took 5 lbs of ice this time. I left behind my measuring board and cobia beater. Since two rods were down for the count, I took only two rods instead of four. I took apart my mirage drive and found that I was able to repair it. After putting it back together, the problem was solved. After looking at my paddle, I remembered that I had some duct tape in my dry bag. I grabbed it and used it on the paddle, problem solved. Just a few more minor issues to fix then everything will be good to go for the time being. Now I am in a good place to try another launch. The question is, do I dare? lol
After making all these adjustments to the kayak and shifting the weight to the rear by placing the fish bag in the back, I'm now heading back into the ocean once again. I decided to not put the drive in so that I don't risk damaging it again. Instead I paddle out. I get into the water and make it to the second sand bar. After timing the sets and waiting for, what I hope to be, the right timing I get into the kayak and start to paddle. I clear the third gut and now making my way to Death Valley, lol (the fourth gut). As I sit in the fourth gut, I am checking the timing. Before long, I need to make a decision as one of the waves hit me pretty good and it took quite a bit to regain my ground. After one more wave came through, I decided it was now or never. I paddled and paddled. As I was paddling making my way through the Death Valley, things look good for a second. The next thing I know there is a surprise wave starting to form. I somehow found the strength to paddle like I have never paddled before when I saw that. This wave had some power in it. I can tell it was going to be a big one. I started up on the wave before it got too much lift. As it almost starts to crest, my kayak pushes through the top and makes it down and now I am free of the surf zone!!! If I had not made that wave, I would have been toast, lol. Out of 15 to 20 people that fished where I was at that day, I believe I was the only one to turtle (just my luck, lol).
Now that I am free and clear of the surf zone, I head to 15 foot of water before making any adjustments so that I don't accidentally find myself back in the surf. After making it to 15 feet to make adjustments, I am set to troll out to my destination. As I am trolling, I see some people heading back to shore. Most people were fishing for snapper around 7:00 am and I didn't get on the water past the surf until 10:30 am. I wasn't sure why people were heading back so early. I knew the swells were not the greatest but surely that wasn't the reason for getting off so soon. When I arrived to where I was going to fish for snapper, I see five people in total there, including me. Two of these people were pulling anchor and starting to head back. The other two still out there with me was Bryce and Marshall. After about 30 minutes, Bryce started to head back. Bryce had a limit of snapper. Marshall decided to stay out a little longer. I was glad because that gave me a little longer to fish considering I barely fished. After about an hour more, Marshall was ready to head back. I decided that since the swells were picking up and safety is in numbers that I would roll back with him. I managed two keeper snapper and no kings. The kings weren't really biting that day all that well. A few people caught kings but it wasn't crazy mad catching as it usually has been in past years.
Marshall and I made our way back toward land. Bryce calls on the radio to inform us that the surf is not looking very good, therefore, we needed to be prepared. First things first, REMOVE ALL HOOKS BEFORE ENTERING THE SURF ZONE!! lol Next, I secured a few other things then brought my seat down to the low position. I don't normally do the seat thing until I get closer to the surf zone but the swells and current was doing some weird stuff that was turning us sideways at times. I needed to sit lower so that I could gain more stability in my Outback. Once the seat was in the low position, that problem was solved.
Finally, Marshall and I were at the surf zone. I don't recall how Marshall went into the surf zone but I decided to go in backwards. Going in backwards is fairly easy but not when the waves are 5 ft +. The fourth gut/sand bar had some pretty big waves. It was hard to see things with the waves being so tall. I did the best I could. When I entered, one wave passed over me as it was half way forming. The next wave, however, that was a different story! This wave was easily 5 ft + and I was smack dab in the middle of its way. I took one look at this wave and literally said, "Hello Mr. Wave!" Before you know it, my kayak was facing straight toward the sky. I felt like the astronauts in Apollo 13 right before they launched in the spacecraft as I was sitting in my seat in the exact same position. After that, I was starting to fall upside down. I somehow righted myself and grabbed the handles of the kayak on each side. I bent my elbows so that when I hit the water, I could push myself down under so that the kayak didn't land on the top of my head. Once that happened, I pushed myself to the outside side and held on for a few seconds. Once I was up and able to look around to assess things, I decided to drift back to shore. It was the end of the day and I didn't feel the need to try and flip the yak back over. After a while, I heard someone calling my name. I pulled myself up and saw Bryce standing on the second sand bar. He had thought I was hurt as he couldn't see me. The reason he couldn't see me is I was all the way to the back side of the yak and holding on. I'm glad to have a good friend, such as Bryce, that was there to have my back. What if I had been hurt? At least I know he was there paying attention to things ready to help when needed. When I arrived to the second sand bar, I was able to finally stand up. Bryce, being as tall as he is, went and push the kayak over into its upright position. The problem was that the next wave came immediately and flipped it again, lol. That surf was taking no prisoners. We all made it back to shore and sat down for a minute to take in the moments of the day.
While we all sat and relaxed drinking a beer, we started to talk about a few things. We all agreed that there was a reason for this nasty surf and that we shouldn't stay another night into Sunday. After we finished drinking a few beers, we all started to pack up things. At the very end, we all said our good-bye's and headed back off the beach line where we could get cellular access again. Along the way, I stopped to get a pic of my larger snapper.
Here is a pic of that same snapper on my cutting board next to my Bubba Knife so that you can see the size on him.
Once we made it back to range to where we could get a cell signal, I checked a few things and found why the conditions changed so drastically. On Friday, there was no major reports that would change our minds on going out. After we got out of cellular range, at some point, the tropical storm in the Gulf was the reason for all the bad conditions. We didn't know anything until afterwards.
Aside from a few problems we had, we caught some fish and managed to make something of it. I had a few issues while there but some of these things could have been avoided. I knew that I should have taken off my hooks in those rough conditions but I wasn't thinking and it cost me a tetanus shot on Monday. My hand is almost 100% healed so I will be ready to go for my next offshore adventures. I fished inshore this past weekend and my hand did just fine. I hope everyone had a great weekend and hopefully the Bob Hall Pier outing will be good to go for this upcoming weekend. Tight lines!!
