So, Seadrift?

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Neumie
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So, Seadrift?

Post by Neumie »

I've never really fished the Seadrift area but I'd like to give it a shot. I've fished from ANWR and Welders Flats, but have never launched from Seadrift proper.

San Antonio Bay is really exposed to SE winds, but northerly winds it seems like a good option, especially from my home base on Copano; it's less than a 30 minute drive.

Anyone have tips for fishing San Antonio Bay?
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Re: So, Seadrift?

Post by SWFinatic »

I've never fished there. Always wanted to but the areas I'd like to fish are a pretty good ways from the launch locations in Seadrift.
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Re: So, Seadrift?

Post by ben_beyer »

I've had an interest in that area too. Just the name and the location has me interested. Keep us posted if you plan to do anything. It's a 3.5 hour drive for me but I can start looking into AIRBNB's.
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Re: So, Seadrift?

Post by Neumie »

SWFinatic wrote:I've never fished there. Always wanted to but the areas I'd like to fish are a pretty good ways from the launch locations in Seadrift.
I've kind of always avoided it due to it being completely open to SE winds. From my cabin on Copano it's really not that much farther than going to Aransas Pass and closer than Port Aransas.
ben_beyer wrote:I've had an interest in that area too. Just the name and the location has me interested. Keep us posted if you plan to do anything. It's a 3.5 hour drive for me but I can start looking into AIRBNB's.
I was looking at doing a trip there this coming Saturday, but the wind forecast has already changed for the worse. Really need winds to be under 10 due to its openness.
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Re: So, Seadrift?

Post by ben_beyer »

Cool, if the forecast changes and you go, let us know how you do!

And I'm pretty sure you were going to do that anyways :D

Saturday is my first born's birthday so maybe another time.
Last edited by ben_beyer on Mon Nov 02, 2020 10:14 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Neumie
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Re: So, Seadrift?

Post by Neumie »

ben_beyer wrote:Cool, if the forecast changes and you go, let us know how you do!

Am I pretty sure you were going to do that anyways :D

Saturday is my first born's birthday so maybe another time.
I'll have report posted after the weekend. Looks like my sister and I are going to stick to Copano Bay area due to the forecast.
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Re: So, Seadrift?

Post by SWFinatic »

This new wind forecast has me looking at Friday instead of the weekend. The current wind forecast for Saturday looks pretty tough. Doable but windy.
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Re: So, Seadrift?

Post by h_10 »

It's been probably a decade but there used to be someone who often fished SAB/Seadrift. He'd park and launch somewhere in Long Mott. I think he fished the bayous around Long Lake. I know he posted about getting his truck stolen while fishing.

I've always wanted to fish Long Lake and the bayous but have always heard and read that there are some really big gators in that marsh system.
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Re: So, Seadrift?

Post by ben_beyer »

h_10 wrote:It's been probably a decade but there used to be someone who often fished SAB/Seadrift. He'd park and launch somewhere in Long Mott. I think he fished the bayous around Long Lake. I know he posted about getting his truck stolen while fishing.

I've always wanted to fish Long Lake and the bayous but have always heard and read that there are some really big gators in that marsh system.
I've wanted to fish the marshes around Saint Charles Bay launching from Salt Creek (I think) just north of Fulton and Holiday Beach on Highway 35 but I've found more than one warning of gators. I've seen one probably 6-7 ft. long dead along 35 in that same area too so I'm hesitant to go out there alone :lol:
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Re: So, Seadrift?

Post by Ron Mc »

just don't get out of the kayak - they're not going to hunt you down, though I heard we have some saltwater crocodiles coming back.

btw, Cavasso Creek is where TPWD releases all the gators they snare at GISP.
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Re: So, Seadrift?

Post by ben_beyer »

I was wrong, it is Cavasson Creek I was wanting to fish. Salt Creek is further up and looks like it might be harder to launch in.
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Re: So, Seadrift?

Post by TexasJim »

After Hurricane Harvey, I went to the Cavasso Creek kayak launch, and there were cow bones galore! Someone told me the ranchers drug their dead cows there, and the gators had a feast. I kayak fished and saw no gators, but they probably saw me. TexasJim
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Re: So, Seadrift?

Post by Kayak Kid »

I've fished around our Gulf Coast gators all my life. I've never heard of anyone being attacked by one. I did almost lose my retriever to one during a duck hunt near Tivoli, but that was partially my fault.

Ron Mc, tell us a bit more about these salt water crocs. I've run into these bad boys (caymans) while fly fishing 'creeks' in the Ascencion Bay area. They are quite dangerous, and extremely territorial. The Mayan guides are very respectful of these crocks.
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Re: So, Seadrift?

Post by Ron Mc »

KK, I must have heard wrong somewhere.
I checked USGS, and American crocodile is only indigenous to the Everglades, where they are working on restoration.
Non-indigenous occurrences were reported in Virginia, S. Carolina, and Puerto Rico.

We've paddled down Cavasso to St. Charles and wade-fished. It was coming back we met the ranger and watched him release a 10' gator.
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Re: So, Seadrift?

Post by ben_beyer »

Like I said I fish alone so I like to manage my risks. I know one coming after me is highly unlikely but being alone, I worry about getting near a nest and having a pissed off mama watching me.
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Re: So, Seadrift?

Post by Neumie »

h_10 wrote:It's been probably a decade but there used to be someone who often fished SAB/Seadrift. He'd park and launch somewhere in Long Mott. I think he fished the bayous around Long Lake. I know he posted about getting his truck stolen while fishing.

I've always wanted to fish Long Lake and the bayous but have always heard and read that there are some really big gators in that marsh system.
Yeah, I'm not about to fish the Guadalupe River Delta; too many gators for my liking. Also, the alligator gar are thick in there as well; no thank you.
ben_beyer wrote:I was wrong, it is Cavasson Creek I was wanting to fish. Salt Creek is further up and looks like it might be harder to launch in.
Salt creek can and does go dry many times of the year. Not worth putting in.
ben_beyer wrote:Like I said I fish alone so I like to manage my risks. I know one coming after me is highly unlikely but being alone, I worry about getting near a nest and having a pissed off mama watching me.
I was in East Pocket in ANWR off of St. Charles Bay, the tide was really high, so I decided to wind my way back to a back lake. The slough to get to the lake was only a few inches wider than my kayak, about 2 feet deep, and and a couple of tight turns my 15' kayak had trouble making. I was just about to make the last turn to get into the lake when I looked down under my kayak and spotted the tail of a big gator.

I'm certain my heart stopped. There wasn't a whole lot of water between the bottom of my kayak and her back; easily less than foot. It was close enough I'm not sure how my rudder didn't graze her back as I went over her. Now, the conundrum I was in was this back lake is one way in, one way out. Meaning, I had to paddle back over this gator. (gator: 28° 7'40.00"N, 96°57'25.62"W)

Before paddling back out I raised my rudder put on my PFD (like that was going to do anything if this gator wanted to chomp on me). However, with my rudder up I wasn't going to be as agile in the bends, where this gator was parked, so I was going to have to do this shimmy with my kayak, essentially making a 20 point turn over her to get past her. She started to move and I puckered up. I got a good look and she was easily 12 feet maybe longer but not quite as long as my kayak.

Once I got past her I a clamed down, slightly before my mind went "well you saw that gator, how many others did I paddle over and not realize it?" Heart rate shot up and I got out of that slough as quickly as possible. I got out in the middle of East Pocket and staked out. I was shaken and stayed out there trying to regain my composure for at least 15 minutes. It got to me pretty good and took several months for me to not be jumpy on the water every time I saw something that looked like a gator, such as a tree trunk.

Yeah, so I try to avoid areas which hold lots of gators.
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Re: So, Seadrift?

Post by Ron Mc »

I think you're supposed to feed the PFD to the gator and paddle like hell...

also a bad time to have a stringer of fish - right up there with sharks in the surf
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Re: So, Seadrift?

Post by ben_beyer »

Some good stuff lol!

I don't mind Rattlesnakes but I keep my distance and I don't go looking for trouble. That's my take on the gators too I guess.

I might still try it sooner or later. If I do I'll be sure to post it up on here and see if someone wants to join.
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Re: So, Seadrift?

Post by Ron Mc »

Swimming rattlesnakes are worse than gators and sharks.

Don't what possesses them to swim 10 miles, but we were wade-fishing Cedar Bayou Flat and one was coming off Mesquite Bay.
We hauled butt to the boat and got her on plane.
They want out of the water, and you'll do nicely.

Come to think of it, we did that same thing in Alaska when I landed a silver and mama bear was coming down the beach.
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Re: So, Seadrift?

Post by SWFinatic »

Neumie wrote:I was in East Pocket in ANWR off of St. Charles Bay, the tide was really high, so I decided to wind my way back to a back lake. The slough to get to the lake was only a few inches wider than my kayak, about 2 feet deep, and and a couple of tight turns my 15' kayak had trouble making. I was just about to make the last turn to get into the lake when I looked down under my kayak and spotted the tail of a big gator.

I'm certain my heart stopped. There wasn't a whole lot of water between the bottom of my kayak and her back; easily less than foot. It was close enough I'm not sure how my rudder didn't graze her back as I went over her. Now, the conundrum I was in was this back lake is one way in, one way out. Meaning, I had to paddle back over this gator. (gator: 28° 7'40.00"N, 96°57'25.62"W)

Before paddling back out I raised my rudder put on my PFD (like that was going to do anything if this gator wanted to chomp on me). However, with my rudder up I wasn't going to be as agile in the bends, where this gator was parked, so I was going to have to do this shimmy with my kayak, essentially making a 20 point turn over her to get past her. She started to move and I puckered up. I got a good look and she was easily 12 feet maybe longer but not quite as long as my kayak.

Once I got past her I a clamed down, slightly before my mind went "well you saw that gator, how many others did I paddle over and not realize it?" Heart rate shot up and I got out of that slough as quickly as possible. I got out in the middle of East Pocket and staked out. I was shaken and stayed out there trying to regain my composure for at least 15 minutes. It got to me pretty good and took several months for me to not be jumpy on the water every time I saw something that looked like a gator, such as a tree trunk.

Yeah, so I try to avoid areas which hold lots of gators.
I hear stories like this and want no part of areas with a lot of gators. Problem is they're in places I like to fish. Not thick but they're there. Port Bay for example has a good amount of gators. Main reason why I don't stringer fish anymore.
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