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gulftrout
Full Grown Flour Bluffian
Joined: 20 Aug 2007
Posts: 1629
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 Posted: Sun Oct 13, 2013 4:05 pm Post subject: Coleto Creek Trip Turned Into Portland Causeway Stormy Catch |
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My friend Chris called mid week and said he was thinking about a fishing trip on Sunday. After fishing Nueces just the day before, I suggested Coleto Creek and I'd take some shrimp, if he would let me do a little catfishing. He suggested a call Saturday evening, to confirm the trip. I called Saturday and said it looks hot and windy, so lets make it a go. I asked what time and he said he would be out front at 8 am. I thought 8 sounded a little late since we usually get going around 6:30, but the extra sleep sounded nice so I said, "See you around 8."  |
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gulftrout
Full Grown Flour Bluffian
Joined: 20 Aug 2007
Posts: 1629
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| Posted: Sun Oct 13, 2013 4:22 pm Post subject: |
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I finally got going a little after 7 and checked the wunderground local radar for Portland. It said, "Radar down due to maintenance." I went ahead and punched in the San Antonio area radar and it showed a small storm right over Coleto and another new cell building just to the south east. After seeing this I called Chris and relayed the information and suggested giving "Old Nueces" a try. I could tell he had already loaded all his freshwater stuff in his car, so I said I would take enough lures for the whole town of Portland if he would just bring a couple rods. He said that sounded "OK" and that he would be at the Nueces ramp a little before 8. I then went outside for the first time today and saw all the dark clouds and started laughing. I thought Chris must think I'm nuts worrying about a couple small showers, when the skies over Corpus Bay looked like a "Tropical Storm!"
Last edited by gulftrout on Mon Oct 14, 2013 3:01 am; edited 1 time in total |
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gulftrout
Full Grown Flour Bluffian
Joined: 20 Aug 2007
Posts: 1629
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| Posted: Sun Oct 13, 2013 4:34 pm Post subject: |
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I loaded up and hit the "Donut Palace" for $10.00 worth of drinks and sugar before driving the 4 miles across "The Causeway." Just as Chris arrived the skies opened up. I jumped in his "Jeep" and asked if he was interested in fishing under the "Concrete Rainbow" at Matagorda. He said he had seen the bridge once and said, "No Thanks." I said it's only 135 miles from Portland and I could almost guarantee him a 1/2 box full of "Silver Dollar Croaker." He looked at me with a funny look on his face and never asked what I knew he was thinking!  After a 15 minute rain storm I said it looks like things are clearing, are you ready? He said I'm ready to go back home and get my rain gear. I said you wont need any so lets go! |
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gulftrout
Full Grown Flour Bluffian
Joined: 20 Aug 2007
Posts: 1629
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| Posted: Sun Oct 13, 2013 5:01 pm Post subject: |
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We got launched and I asked if I could run his boat. We usually take mine to Nueces and would have, if that had been our original plan. We always take his when we head to the lake, since he has a trolling motor for bass fishing. I do not recall ever running his, but I asked for the helm and he complied. I looked at the water at the ramp and it was nice and green. It appeared that the tide was still coming in so I turned the bow of the boat to a westerly heading as I shoved the throttle down. As soon as we got a mile from the ramp the skies opened up again. I told Chris, I sure wish he had wanted to wait an extra 10 minutes or so! After running almost to the first set of highline's, I stopped to check the water color. I noticed that the nice emerald green had turned to sandy brown as the rain and salt spray from the thunderstorms whitcapping winds, peppered my face. I looked back to the east and could see a color change a 1/4 mile back or so. I stopped, idled around for a minute or two and started heading back to the east. I decided I would pretend I was back in the early 80's and fish near the "Causeway", like I had many times 30 years ago. The closer I got to the bridge, the better the water got. We fished from a little after 8am to a little before 2pm catching one throwback trout and two keeper specks. We also landed three nice reds, all around 22". Everything was caught with the same lure's I threw back in the 80's. There was never a paddle tail tied on today. No topwater plugs for me. Everything I caught was either on a "Red Queen Beetle" or rootbeer shrimptail. Chris caught his speckled trout and redfish on a red-white tail "Kelly Wiggler!" 
Last edited by gulftrout on Mon Oct 14, 2013 8:51 am; edited 14 times in total |
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gulftrout
Full Grown Flour Bluffian
Joined: 20 Aug 2007
Posts: 1629
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| Posted: Sun Oct 13, 2013 5:02 pm Post subject: |
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FishLady
Member White Shrimper Boot Club
Joined: 22 Feb 2011
Posts: 715
Location: Aransas Pass, Texas
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| Posted: Sun Oct 13, 2013 5:12 pm Post subject: |
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Nice lookin' fish!! Good job.
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FishLady
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justimm
Horse Mullet
Joined: 13 Jul 2012
Posts: 138
Location: Portland
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| Posted: Sun Oct 13, 2013 6:22 pm Post subject: |
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nice fish man! thats where i do about 80% of my fishing, and its been GREAT through there lately!
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A woman once told her husband to tie her up and he could do anything he wanted, so he tied her up and went fishing! |
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gulftrout
Full Grown Flour Bluffian
Joined: 20 Aug 2007
Posts: 1629
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| Posted: Mon Oct 14, 2013 12:44 am Post subject: |
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| FishLady wrote: | | Nice lookin' fish!! Good job. |
Thanks! |
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gulftrout
Full Grown Flour Bluffian
Joined: 20 Aug 2007
Posts: 1629
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| Posted: Mon Oct 14, 2013 1:10 am Post subject: |
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| justimm wrote: | | nice fish man! thats where i do about 80% of my fishing, and its been GREAT through there lately! |
I was very fortunate to pick Portland for my new "Home Town" back in 1978. I looked for an apartment in several of the surrounding areas, Rockport, Ingleside and Aransas Pass. None were to be had at that time due to the "Oil Boom" in the area. On my second trip down from Houston I checked back at the "Coral White" apartments on Wildcat Dr. and the manager said I must be serious since this was my second visit in just two weeks. She put me at the top of the waiting list and we moved to town a month later. Thirty five years later and we are still here. If I had moved to any of the other locations I doubt I would have ever fished Nueces like I have since then. I moved here to commercial fish with a rod and reel and there was actually enough trout around back then to make some kind of a living just fishing like that all year long. My first winter here in 1978 I could catch school trout all night long in Aransas Pass at Conn Brown Harbor, but my friend "Point" and I wanted to start fishing "The Causeway" hoping to catch some of the huge trout that Portland fishing legend's, David Ganem and Rudy talked about at the old wooden Indian Point Pier as they put custom colors on their favorite old lures. Rudy was the pier manager and told stories about box filling days and had the pictures to prove it. For several years, when the weather got cold and nasty there was a handful of local guys that could be found anchored or drifting somewhere around the old causeway that was tore down and widened, sometime back in the early 90's. I can remember wade fishing at Indian Point that year and feel the bay bottom vibrate every time the pile driver pounded on the new column's being driven into the hard sand along the causeway. Besides David and Rudy one other name comes to mind that first year, another Portland fisherman named "Will Marshal." We kept an eye on each other, during the winter those early years for me, from 1978-1983. After the major freeze in 1983 and the second one in 1989 the Nueces Bay Causeway has never really been the same, for me during the winter months. Yes, there are fish to be caught, but no heavy stringers day after day with fish averaging over 20" and it was not uncommon to have several over 25" in one morning's trip. Every winter I keep hoping that I will have just one more day where fish after fish will try to pull my old fishing rod out of my hands with a solid strike as they immediately start tailwalking across Nueces Bay's, winter time emerald green water. Just last winter I had two days that came pretty close, reason enough for me to change out the rusty hooks on my old, battle scared "Mirrolures!"  Here is a picture of "Point" and I with our first "Portland Causeway" big catch.(Every speck being held up is over 25") Our first catch, just like the ones David Ganem and Rudy had talked about earlier that year. I cannot remember if the catch came in December of 1978 or January of 1979, but I can remember Point and I looking at each other in amazement at these huge specks, as each one came over the side of his blue 16' Monarch aluminum flatbottom skiff. All were caught on Mirrolures, cast after cast, from one spot, one wet and cold afternoon. I do remember him calling his dad and mom to meet us at his house on Crosby St. and taking this old photo on his front porch. Times were different back then, this catch was perfectly legal and after selling these fish to the "Y" fish market in Aransas Pass, I'm pretty sure they ended up in restaurants in San Antonio. Catches like this were made on rod and reel, even with gill nets stretched legally across Nueces Bay. People these day's, just do not realize how many trout there were back then, before that first major freeze in 1983. 
Last edited by gulftrout on Wed Oct 16, 2013 1:49 pm; edited 21 times in total |
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gulftrout
Full Grown Flour Bluffian
Joined: 20 Aug 2007
Posts: 1629
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| Posted: Mon Oct 14, 2013 1:39 am Post subject: |
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A couple more pictures from the action yesterday and a close up of my favorite soft plastic for Nueces Bay, a red 4" "Queen Sparkle Beetle!"    I really like Chris's early 80's Striper Edition Whaler and my old stomping ground has a new look.   |
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LoneOak
Horse Mullet
Joined: 24 Mar 2010
Posts: 150
Location: San Antonio
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| Posted: Mon Oct 14, 2013 7:52 am Post subject: |
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Thanks for a great report. Continued good fishing to you! 
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A little salt water in your veins is good for you! |
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lifeaquatic
Member White Shrimper Boot Club
Joined: 17 Dec 2012
Posts: 932
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| Posted: Mon Oct 14, 2013 11:53 am Post subject: |
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Looking at LoneOak's tag line...I think GT has Nueces Bay water in his veins!
As always, you have a very entertaining report. |
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gulftrout
Full Grown Flour Bluffian
Joined: 20 Aug 2007
Posts: 1629
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| Posted: Mon Oct 14, 2013 12:35 pm Post subject: |
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| LoneOak wrote: | | Thanks for a great report. Continued good fishing to you! |
Thanks! |
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gulftrout
Full Grown Flour Bluffian
Joined: 20 Aug 2007
Posts: 1629
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| Posted: Mon Oct 14, 2013 1:03 pm Post subject: |
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| lifeaquatic wrote: | Looking at LoneOak's tag line...I think GT has Nueces Bay water in his veins!
As always, you have a very entertaining report. |
I'm not sure about Nueces Bay water in my veins, but if they wanted to check my blood they could get a pretty good idea if eating Nueces Bay trout for 35 years is a good idea! Back in the 80's when I was running offshore charters out of Port Aransas I fished in Nueces every winter. I would ask a few of the other offshore captains occasionally if they wanted to give Nueces a try. The only one that went several times was Captain Paul Eccleston. Paul and I bay fished together in Nueces occasionally and I fished with him down in the Laguna and Baffin through the late 80's. One night I called Captain Jim Harmon and asked him if he wanted to go the next day. Fishing had been pretty good since the weather had settled down after a couple really cold spells. He said "Yes" and asked if he could bring a friend along. I said "OK" not knowing who he had in mind. Well, the next morning he shows up with the Caller Times sports writer, Larry Morgan! Larry Morgan, I believe was the "Caller Times" sports writer after Roy Swann and before the current one, Dan Sikes. Instead of describing that trip I will just go ahead and retype a shortened version of what Larry Morgan wrote, changing a couple names to protect the "Innocent!" The title and sub title was: Causeway Specks, Nueces Bay produces despite weather. Now for the rest of the story: The pickup truck headlights illuminated the boat ramp in the darkness of 6 a.m. and while peering at the scene I figured there was a good chance our fishing trip along the Nueces Bay causeway might be scrapped. It was Thursday morning and the northeast wind was blowing across Nueces Bay, pushing whitecaps across the expanse and up the concrete slope. Had I been in charge of this trip, serious consideration would have been given to a leisure breakfast at the Town and Country restaurant. The glimmer of light didn't look like it would be the dawn of a good day to entice speckled trout. But I was the guest, not the host. So Jim Harmon Jr. and I waited for "gulftrout", a guide from Portland who had done well along the causeway the two previous days. "GT's" full-time job is as captain of the Port Aransas-based "Sparky", a 38-foot Pacemaker sportfisherman. But during the offseason he runs bay fishing trips, capitalizing as a commercial rod and reel fisherman. The night before he told Harmon, "It won't be great, but if we fish hard I think we can get about 15 fish. None of them will be real big, 2- to 4-pounders."
Last edited by gulftrout on Mon Oct 14, 2013 5:08 pm; edited 3 times in total |
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gulftrout
Full Grown Flour Bluffian
Joined: 20 Aug 2007
Posts: 1629
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| Posted: Mon Oct 14, 2013 1:25 pm Post subject: |
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Two other fishermen pulled up as we launched "GT's" boat but they stayed only a few moments before driving away with their boat still on the trailer. Although the conditions bordered on lousy "GT" remained confident. "Yeah, I think I can put us on some fish." And he did. The first 45 minutes we fished was the most productive period we had all day. We caught perhaps eight fish, all but one speckled trout, between 6:30 and 7:15 using three different lures -- "GT" a chartreuse MirrOlure, Harmon a strawberry shrimptail under a Mansfield Mauler clicker cork and I with an orange MirrOlure. We used that same hardware throughout the morning, none being any more effective than another. The day's best fish was a 26-inch redfish, about a 5-pounder, that hit Harmon's shrimptail as we were anchored in Nueces Bay about 40 feet from the causeway. We'd caught several fish just before in the same area but the redfish was the last -- everything shut down when an airboat cruised past between us and the causeway. The resident fish probably were in Ingleside by the time the airboat's roar faded away. Forced to move, we fished several other reefs in Nueces Bay and drifted the Corpus Christi Bay side of the causeway. Clear water and overcast skies made the reefs easy to find but not so the fish. We caught a fish here and another there, and headed home just past 11 a.m. with 17 specks. The biggest trout was 24-inch, 4-pounder and five others more than 20 inches long.   This article was in the Caller Times sport section on Sunday December 7, 1986. |
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