Vacation 10_27_18 to 11_3_18 Surfside, Tx
Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2018 4:29 pm
Sorry for the late report, but I have been playing catch up from being off all last week. I finally have a chance to post a report and it is easier to do on my desktop at work than try on my phone. Anyway, I took all of last week off and headed down to Surfside, TX Saturday 10/27. Got to the beach around 3 and found a spot to put my tent up then headed to Amigo Ln to fish Christmas Bay. Launched and headed toward Churchill Bayou following the shoreline to see if anything was happening there. The tides were real low and very clear and I saw nothing. Decided to paddle further away from shore to find deeper water when I noticed the color change from the sea grass and where it stopped and was sandy. Fishing with dead shrimp under a popping cork I threw out in the sandy deeper water. Second cast, 18" red. 3rd or 4th cast, another rat red. I stayed anchored there for the next 2 and a half hours and ended up catching 8 reds. 3 of them were keepers at 20.5", 21" and 24" plus a handful of croaker and a few hardheads. Now that's the way to start a vacation!
Sunday morning was a beautiful sunrise and perfect weather, light winds. I went over to Drum Bay to see what was happening over there. Nadda! And truthfully I half heartedly fished. I was just feeling very lazy. Went back to the tent and cracked open a beer around 2:30. I waited as long as I could and I was in the tent sleeping by 9!!
Monday I made plans to have lunch with my son. He started working for TPWD at Sea Center in Lake Jackson about 4 months ago. Went over to Stahlman Park and had a refreshing shower. Had lunch and visited with him.
By the way, someone asked about a flounder breeding and stocking program a few weeks ago, Sea Center does breed and stock flounder from what my son said. Sea Center is the only one in the state (or he may have even said country) that does it for flounder.
Fished a little that afternoon in the same area at Christmas Bay around the mouth of Churchill. Very very shallow. That whole sand bar between the south shore and the boat cut was exposed. And I saw more bird activity and stingrays than I ever have. The stingrays were in schools of 4 or 5 together feeding. Ended up catching a stingray and 3 small reds.
Tuesday a friend came to meet me and fish. I took him through the boat channel on into Churchill and the marsh.
He was casting a paddle tail in the boat channel on the way and got a hook up. Whatever he hooked just about spooled him and spun him around 2 times while he was anchored. He tried to use his thumb to keep from getting spooled and all of a sudden, a very loud snap. Whatever it was broke him off. He saw a flash of grey but we have no idea what it was. lol
Checked the weather forecast and made a decision to come home and let that front pass. Got my old bones rested up and drove back down around 1pm Thursday. Wow, how things changed. You could see the drift wood and debris pushed all the way up into the dunes. My tent would have been flooded! Fished a little bit Thursday afternoon in the surf with just a few whiting and hard heads. And a small bonnet head shark.
Friday morning I got back to Amigo Lane launch right around 8:15 or so. I was hoping to meet Schoffer and Dandy Don and introduce myself but I never saw them. I ended up paddling southwest instead of going into Churchill. Ended up catching 4 small reds and 1 small trout. Got to see a lot of tailing reds up into the flooded marsh along the shore but could not get them to eat what I offered and then they disappeared. I have more pictures of fish, sunrises and sunsets but hey, after so many they get a little redundant. So here is just a few choice photos. That red was the 24" one.
All in all it was a fantastic week of camping and fishing!
Sunday morning was a beautiful sunrise and perfect weather, light winds. I went over to Drum Bay to see what was happening over there. Nadda! And truthfully I half heartedly fished. I was just feeling very lazy. Went back to the tent and cracked open a beer around 2:30. I waited as long as I could and I was in the tent sleeping by 9!!
Monday I made plans to have lunch with my son. He started working for TPWD at Sea Center in Lake Jackson about 4 months ago. Went over to Stahlman Park and had a refreshing shower. Had lunch and visited with him.
By the way, someone asked about a flounder breeding and stocking program a few weeks ago, Sea Center does breed and stock flounder from what my son said. Sea Center is the only one in the state (or he may have even said country) that does it for flounder.
Fished a little that afternoon in the same area at Christmas Bay around the mouth of Churchill. Very very shallow. That whole sand bar between the south shore and the boat cut was exposed. And I saw more bird activity and stingrays than I ever have. The stingrays were in schools of 4 or 5 together feeding. Ended up catching a stingray and 3 small reds.
Tuesday a friend came to meet me and fish. I took him through the boat channel on into Churchill and the marsh.
He was casting a paddle tail in the boat channel on the way and got a hook up. Whatever he hooked just about spooled him and spun him around 2 times while he was anchored. He tried to use his thumb to keep from getting spooled and all of a sudden, a very loud snap. Whatever it was broke him off. He saw a flash of grey but we have no idea what it was. lol
Checked the weather forecast and made a decision to come home and let that front pass. Got my old bones rested up and drove back down around 1pm Thursday. Wow, how things changed. You could see the drift wood and debris pushed all the way up into the dunes. My tent would have been flooded! Fished a little bit Thursday afternoon in the surf with just a few whiting and hard heads. And a small bonnet head shark.
Friday morning I got back to Amigo Lane launch right around 8:15 or so. I was hoping to meet Schoffer and Dandy Don and introduce myself but I never saw them. I ended up paddling southwest instead of going into Churchill. Ended up catching 4 small reds and 1 small trout. Got to see a lot of tailing reds up into the flooded marsh along the shore but could not get them to eat what I offered and then they disappeared. I have more pictures of fish, sunrises and sunsets but hey, after so many they get a little redundant. So here is just a few choice photos. That red was the 24" one.
All in all it was a fantastic week of camping and fishing!