No Fish -- No Fishing Days

Now that the chill has returned to the Corpus Christi area (after hitting record highs a couple days ago), I had to dig out the space heaters around 2:00 a.m. to keep the temps above 60 in the RV.  Yesterday, I didn't fish at all as the winds had shifted and were blasting out of the northwest as the cold front dipped down this way and freezing temps were hitting northern Texas.  The waters in the shipping channel were churned into white caps among big rolling waves from both ends of the channel -- sandy and muddy looking again too.

The day before, the winds were whipping out of the south and some gusts were around 50 mph but, I had sucked some shrimp from the beach around low-tide and thought of giving it a try at the south jetty in Port Aransas.  I arrived around noon time to find few cars parked there and only a few anglers along the jetty as the sand blew all around my Jeep.  I rerigged both lines while still inside my Jeep to avoid getting the sand blown into my eyes, ears and mouth -- that changed as soon as I got out and started the walk out onto the jetty (think I still have some of the gritty, fine sand around my ears and in my hair). 

After a short walk (much less than the usual walk), I passed the waves lapping at the beach on my right and had my eye on the usual spot short of the green channel buoy (to my left) but, the fierce winds had me stopping at a closer outcropping of the granite boulders that seemed to offer some possibly better protection from the wind -- so that I might not get blown into the waters of the channel or lose my golf cap.  Two casts and I caught two 18 inch hardhead catfish then, on the third cast, I lost my rig to another "Rockfish" -- time to rethink and decide if I really wanted to be the only fisherman standing on the jetty (all others had left by then or maybe got blown into the water).

I didn't use any of the shrimp and decided not to waste any attempts with my small rod for fear of losing the new rig to the rocks being pummelled by the waves nearby.  I headed back to the Jeep and put my gear back inside and drove down the beach to think things over -- thinking of possibly stopping at a nearby lodge on the beach for a tall draft beer.  On the way to the lodge, I decided to go back into town and explore the park next to the ferry launch -- where the winds from the south and southeast might not be so intense and maybe catch a Mangrove Snapper or two with the shrimp (near the little fishing pier there).

I found a nice spot just east of the foot of the little fishing pier behind a line of bushes that offered shelter from the wind and started "feeding" my shrimp to some little "bait stealers" of some kind without hooking a single fish.  Shortly thereafter, a couple came walking back off the pier and before they got to the end, the woman's hat blew into the water and I could see it blowing under the pier so, with my "freshly cleaned hook", I went up onto the pier and attempted to hook the hat before it floated into the shipping channel -- my luck at hooking something continued and the woman's hat got away too.  Another fisherman on the pier joined in the attempts to hook the hat but, he failed too.

While I was on the pier, I asked the guy if he had caught anything and he said no but, had mentioned a line of anglers on the point to the left had caught 5 or 6 big Black Drum -- 20 to 40 pounds.  With that fresh bit of information in mind, I returned to my spot and then to the Jeep to get my big rod and put new tackle on it and some "Fish Bites" -- threw that out into the shipping channel and planted the rod in a crack in the boulders and continued to feed my shrimp to the fish.  A couple more anglers arrived on the pier and fished the bend in the pier -- saw the younger guy of the two catch one after another Stingray (4 or 5 of them).  No thank you!

After dumping the rest of my shrimp into the water in the cracks of the boulders, I played with the deep line and managed to catch two baby Whiting is all and released them.  Time to head back to the RV and take Tiger for a walk or an outing -- dig some fish out of the freezer too (Red Snapper!).

Forty-five Days out of Singapore

I started the day by going to the beach to suck some of those Gulf shrimp from the sand during low-tide (around eight something in the a.m.) but, had to cut short my gathering of those critters because my pump handle broke -- with only about a dozen shrimp in my bait bucket (and half a dozen to the sea gulls as they beat me to them at times).  I thought that I still might catch some of those Sheepshead at the end of the jetty next to the shipping channel in Port Aransas so, I dried my feet and switched into some socks and my soft hiking shoes.  Afterwards, I thought I could stop in the tackle shop where I bought the pump to get them to glue the handle back on.

When I arrived on the beach by the jetty, I discovered that there were quite a lot of spectators gathered on the jetty and some folks with large video cameras.  At first, I thought they were fishermen and feared the end of the jetty would be full by now -- binoculars proved otherwise and I could see something huge approaching the channel from the east -- the Far East!  Singapore as it turns out and it left 45 days ago on its trip here to Corpus Christi to be worked on and completed.  Another oil rig to be sent 150 miles south of New Orleans and dropped to the floor of the Gulf -- another fishing reef I thought (hopefully not to become another spill disaster like BP's).  This one is owned by Shell as I learned from a guy parked next to me.

Such an impressive sight and I even remembered to leave my camera in the Jeep -- just had to find a baggie for the trip out to the end of the jetty.  Well, the fishing didn't go so well but, such a beautiful day could not be ruined after seeing this spectacle.  I could even see it on the far side of Port Aransas as it manuevered the channel beyond and headed to the south towards Corpus Christi and the shipyards there.

Of course, I ran out of shrimp (instead of tackle) and only caught a couple Sheepshead and one hardhead catfish -- too small to keep.  The wind was blowing out of the south southeast and the waves were really impressive at the end of the jetty -- sometimes spraying water 8 or 10 feet in the air (glad I had my swimsuit on and suntan lotion too).

 

After making the long walk back from the end of the jetty, I stopped by the ferry to see how busy it was and finding it a short line, I headed over to Aransas Pass to refuel the Jeep (15 cents cheaper there).  I made a stop at H.E.B. next to the gas station and picked up a few things and restock my supply of Fish Bites (for the fishing days ahead).  On the way back to the RV park, I stopped at the tackle shop and had them reglue the handle onto my pump.  Almost good as new -- and ready for more "Blisters".



 

Over Sixty Whiting -- Freezer Full

Well, by the late afternoon yesterday, I have caught over 60 Whiting this week since Sunday and the one keeper Black Drum on my birthday.  I only kept 4 of the biggest Whiting yesterday and released the others after my piece of Fish Bites had dissolved -- leaving me time to hit Bernies for a couple $1 drafts.  I had caught a few small Pinfish at the Packery Channel yesterday before hitting the nearby Walmart for some more supplies (food and tackle).

I decided to use the live Pinfish for bait back at the shipping channel in Port Aransas after using up all my stinky, 3 day old bought shrimp.  All the spots along the jetty at Packery channel were already taken when I arrived there and since I had gotten a warning ticket for not having a Corpus Christi parking permit while I walked the short jetty, I went into a park farther back along the channel where I caught the Pinfish.

When I arrived at the shipping channel, two of the Pinfish were dead so, I found the nearest small Pelicans and fed them each a meal.  The live Pinfish didn't get any bites so, I fed them to another couple of Pelicans and broke out the Fish Bites to get those other Whiting (still need to clean them this morning).  Still trying to figure out where and when to fish today (if at all) but, may go ahead and suck some shrimp first in case I want to try for some Sheepshead.

Finally able to attach a couple pictures so you can see some of the week's catch -- starting last Saturday with the Red Snapper trip.

Friday Fishing Wrapup

Monday, the 21st of January, was my birthday and the weather was really rather decent and I thought perhaps some birthday luck would bring me a few of those keeper size Sheepshead at the end of the long jetty at the shipping channel so, I took the leftover shrimp from the day before and headed out.  When I arrived at the jetty, I broke out my binoculars to see if that "hole" at the point of the jetty already had someone fishing it and since it looked clear I started the long walk out over the boulders -- slipping once on the way on a slightly blackened, and slightly wet section of concrete (no twists, no falls and no harm -- good luck so far).

After arriving near the end, I discovered a group of a couple men and three young boys there before me but, they had not taken up the positions I had my eyes on -- more good luck, I thought.  I threw my big rod deep toward the southeast from the right side (or south) of the point -- it already had some bits of Fish Bites on it.  Then, I put a piece of the shrimp on my small rod and started fishing the hole I hoped would produce some nice Sheepshead like the ones I had seen caught there on a previous trip.  Nearly an hour later, I had not caught anything other than a couple small "trash" fish on my small rig and there had not been any bites on the Fish Bites.  I could see the high tide line approaching from the east (a sort of slickened or oily looking flat section of the water) and I thought optimistically that the action should be starting up about when it arrived.

Sure enough, when the line of water arrived at the point, I caught two small Black Drum (they look like Sheepshead with black, vertical stripes but, they're flat on the bottom) one after the other.  Both were less than the minimum 14 inch size so, I released them and put another piece of shrimp on my small rig and threw slightly farther out.  Shortly after it settled down in the water, something hit really hard and the rod doubled over and some line began to peel off the reel as the fish tried to head for deeper water to the east.  I thought the fish was going to take my line into the boulders as it headed for deeper water so I set the drag tighter and reared back to turn him and started to crank on my reel -- and then, the crank broke off in my left hand and the other half of the crank fell into the water (so much for the good luck).  I thought for sure this big fish would get away or tangle me up in the boulders and break the line so, I climbed onto some of the bigger boulders to my left to get the rod higher and Istarted to turn the spool with my left hand as the drag kept it from turning the other direction while I hoped to steer him back toward the hole.

Fortunately, there were two new arrivals on the point behind me and I had noticed one of them had a net with a long handle and as I got the fish steered back toward the hole, I yelled to see if one of them could bring their net over and help me land this fish.  Thanks to one of them and his net, I got the fish steered through the openings in the boulders and into his net and it turned out to be a nice twenty-one inch Black Drum (tastier than Red Drum).  Another nice Birthday Present.  Thank goodness and thanks to the guy being there with his net.  I gave him and his buddy that spot and left them with some directions where I had been catching the Drums.  Hope their luck was as good as mine.

Since my small reel is still broken, I have only returned to the jetty to fish for Whiting since Monday and have been nicely rewarded with a dozen on Tuesday, another dozen on Wednesday and eighteen yesterday (almost one on every cast toward the channel).  I gave seven of the cleaned Whiting to each of my neighbors across from me (Chris and Tina and Ethel and Stan).  Stan had hurt his back and shoulder a few days back fishing in the surf and is in too much pain to fish anymore so, since my luck has been better, I decided to fish some for them.  It's taken less than two hours each of those days to catch all those Whiting (and so much fun).

Today, I am going to get my backup reel switched onto my big rod and move that reel over to my small rod sometime this morning and then will head south to Packery Channel jetty around noon to look again for some of those Sheepshead (I'll make room in the freezer, if I'm lucky).

Fish Bites win the Day

"Mikey likes it" (that's Mike Holland from Flagler Beach year before last), and so did the Whiting here yesterday.  Maybe that fishing charter the day before has changed my luck but, whatever, I caught more than a dozen nice Whiting at the shipping channel yesterday and some spectators even gathered as I brought in one after another Whiting (one on almost every cast toward the middle of the channel).  As I let the 2 ounce sinker drift with the incoming current from the green marker buoy, something would hit it almost everytime when it reached the end of the manmade boulders to my left.  I think I only reeled in twice without a fish on the line -- once when I missed a bite and once when I had drifted farther left than I had wanted it to.

It only took about an hour or slightly more to catch those dozen Whiting and the last shreds of my fish bites were nearly dissolved or torn up -- nothing but the cloth mesh left on the top of the hook. Time to quit and go clean fish.  Other anglers came from the other side of the jetty to see and ask what I was using for bait.  Some of the spectators just wanted to watch and some came to talk -- which I tried to do while casting and catching more fish.  I met and talked with two couples from Colorado -- some had stayed at Fun Valley in South Fork, Colorado (near where I will be this spring and summer) so, I may bump into them again (there or here).

I had started out the day, trying to catch some Sheepshead farther back on the seawall but, I only managed to lose the last two hooks in my tackle box (and caught just one Pinfish) so, I moved to the jetty and broke out the big rod and the Fish Bites.  Good move it turns out and hopefully today, I will get those Sheepshead.

Since I caught and cleaned those fish before 1:00 p.m., I managed to get both Tiger and Molly outside the RV at the same time in their harnesses and on leashes -- most time out for Molly since we arrived down here.  Shorts weather here again too.  Much nicer and am hoping this continues today.  My birthday.

Fish in the Freezer and on the Grille

Although it was a bit chilly and somewhat bumpy on the water, the charter trip yielded six of us campers (Bob, George, Jerry, Jim, Marlo and me) our limit of four Snappers per person and one Red Drum that came home with me -- though George had caught it but, didn't want to keep it.  I used my Texas "tag" to keep him and fed some of it to the twins and me last night.

We travelled some 34 miles northward up the coast to some gas rigs that dotted the 9 mile limit of Texas waters which allowed us to keep our limit of Snappers since they were caught in Texas waters.  It took about an hour and a half to get to the first pumping rig and that is where George caught the first and biggest Snapper of the day and the Red Drum -- no one else got any bites so, we moved over to one of the larger rigs that looked to be occupied.  The fish were showing up on the sonar but, they didn't seem to want to bite on anything we dropped down to them.

After we hit the second of the larger rigs and again had no bites, the captain (Jim Anderson) took us south to a more distant rig and when we arrived, there was another smaller boat with four guys tied up to the west side of the rig.  Our captain took us to the opposite side of the rig and as we maneuvered in that direction, we could see that the other boat had just brought up a couple nice sized Red Snappers to the side.  Soon after dropping our lines, the action heated up and within an hour we had caught our limit of 24 nice Red Snappers.

As it turned out, the water temperature at this last rig was about 7 degrees warmer and that is probably why the fish were more active and aggressive enough to start feeding on our bait.  I had worn my rubber/cloth fishing gloves and was thankful I had done so because of the blisters on left hand (from using that pump the previous two mornings to suck Gulf shrimp from the beach).  I think I caught five or six fish and my left hand and arms were pretty sore from the fun of bringing those beauties up to the boat (it was about 60 or 65 feet of water and we fished the bottom).

The Redfish had been nicked slightly by one of our outboard motors and I think that and the idea of having more fish for Tiger and Molly (and myself) made the decision to keep him easier -- and the fact my fishing results have not been too good. The way the action started so poorly, I had fears my "luck" might rub off on this trip but, thankfully that wasn't the case this time.  I forgot to mention that I did catch a sea trout at one of the spots (maybe the 2nd or 3rd spot) but, it was kind of bizarre as the fish was not hooked and instead was more or less "lassoed" in the monifilament leader with the hook and bait wrapped around its tail.  Texas style fishing, you might say.

The WiFi connection here still seems to be overwhelmed with users (even at 2:10 in the a.m.) so, I can't seem to get a picture to upload (showing our catch and some of the guys).

Birthday Present to Me -- Fishing Charter

Yesterday was another disappointing day of fishing here in Port Aransas and it started with sucking some of those Gulf Shrimp out of the sands and light surf (cold it was with my sandals on and jeans rolled up).  I did manage to get more than two dozen of those little shrimp and it seemed only one out of 3 or 4 holes yielded anything big enough to cover a hook -- more were small and I left them for the sea gulls to swoop in and feed on.  After about an hour of work, I decided that my feet were too cold and my arms too sore to continue the gathering and I had enough to catch something (or so I thought).

I decided to fish the seawall where I had caught numerous Sheepshead off the boulders with the hope some of the bigger ones like the one keeper I caught previously would return and attack the bait I had worked to get.  By 4:20 I had used all my shrimp and one sea lice I apparently had sucked from the sands and surf -- only caught two Sheepshead and both were too small.  I fished right near the parked RV of Annie and Peter (couple from Montana) and I had some good visiting time with them and any others that came by to inquire about the fishing.  After the bait was gone, I headed to Bernies for a couple drafts and a bottle of Coors Light before heading back to the RV.  Met some more nice people there at the bar -- one retired couple to my right from Des Moine and two young local couples to my left who were celebrating one of the guys birthdays.

Before I left the campground around noon, I had earlier visited another neighbor (Marlo and his wife Donna) to let him know that I would be willing to join him and 4 other guys on a charter going out tomorrow morning.  I decided this would be my birthday present to myself and am hoping to stock the freezer with Red Snappers -- apparently Texas has an open season on them even though all other states have a closed season until June but, they have to be caught within a nine mile limit.

It is supposed to be in the mid to upper 60s tomorrow and the seas are supposed to be less than 2 feet with us fishing in about 100 foot deep waters of the Gulf.  Today is supposed to be a repeat of yesterday so, I guess I will hit the beach around low tide (1:34 p.m.) and head to a different spot on the south side of the jetty in Port A.  The sun is shining so, that is a good start and the low last night was higher than some of our daily highs of the past couple weeks.  And the winds are not as intense as previous days.

No Fish for the Twins -- or Me

Well, yesterday had lots of sunshine and the temps were finally in the low 60s at some time though the wind kept blowing pretty hard from the north or northwest throughout the day.  When compared to the previous few days, it was hard to resist going to the seawall and the long jetty to use up those last remaining shrimp in my bait bucket.  I walked with the wind as I headed to the very end of the jetty and had thoughts in my mind of getting my limit of 5 Sheepshead for me and the twins -- buoyed with recent words from another fisherman who said he had caught more than a dozen of those fiesty fish and kept his limit (a few days back).

When I arrived at the end of the jetty (where the Aransas Pass begins), there already were 3 fishermen on the leeward (south) side of the jetty occupying the spots I most would have liked so, I took the next closest spot and threw my deep line into the ocean toward the fishing pier to the south (I already had some fish bites on it from getting it ready at the Jeep before I began the long walk).

Then, I decided to walk to the end of the jetty and check with the anglers there to see what, if any luck they were having.  The two guys on the end were only catching hard head catfish and the guy between them and me had the best spot for Sheepshead (a nice hole just short of the point) and said he had only caught one so far and it was too small.  I put a shrimp on my small rig and fished just past the large manmade boulders but, never got a single bit -- while the guy next to me caught over a dozen of the Sheepshead and kept a few that were above the 15-inch limit.

A little later one of the guys from the point (Marvin) came over and talked a bit and asked if he could buy a heavy sinker so, I offered to give him one but, he insisted on giving me 50 cents (actually less than half the cost).  Soon thereafter, he and his friend left the point and moved to the right of me to fish for awhile so, I moved to the point to take their spots.  One problem with the point on the jetty is that there are lots of slippery rocks there so getting close to the water to fish for the Sheepshead is treacherous -- even getting a fish landed is more testy too as there are few openings over the last few rows of slippery, manmade boulders.

The only advantage on the point yesterday was this single, large manmade boulder that sits atop all the other boulders around and it acted as a nice shield to the wind (if you stooped down on its east side).  After not getting any bites on my putrid shrimp and losing two hooks and sinkers on my small rig, I gave up the effort to catch any Sheepshead and focused on casting the large rig toward the two visibly different shades of water at the end of the channel -- the best thing that yielded was one 18 inch hard head catfish.  Around four o'clock, a guy showed up at the end with his camera in hand and we talked for awhile before some fish hit hard and took me into the rocks -- resulting in my losing yet another bottom rig, sinker and hook.  A good time to quit, I decided and started the long walk back to the Jeep parked on the beach.

The long walk back was directly into the wind and it seemed even longer without a single fish in my bucket to show for the four hours of fishing -- not likely to take that long walk again until the weather is a lot better and the winds are coming out of the south or southeast (will also check with my binoculars from the Jeep to see if that good hole is already taken).  I will be content, in the meantime to fish the spots where I have had some better luck and get some of those "free" gulf shrimp from the beach first too.

About 2/3 thirds of the way back to the Jeep, I bumped into a guy I had met in Flagler Beach last winter -- the one who had told me about Port Aransas.  Manuel Borges and his brother and sister-in-law were fishing the rocks on the leeward side of the jetty and they already had caught two keepers of the Sheepshead and while we talked, one of them caught another one -- too bad I didn't have more shrimp (or some fresh ones with me).  Shortly thereafter, his wife, (Marie, I think that's her name) came walking/climbing out on the jetty to join them -- camera in hand to take pictures of their catch.  I hope to join them sometime on the jetty during the next couple of months -- maybe they will bring me some good luck and some of those Sheepshead.  If not, then I'll get a bottle of wine to share with them.

Well, it's a much colder start to the day but, temps are again supposed to be in the low 60s again with a low tide around noon so, I may drive onto the beach and get out the pumping device and see how well I can "suck" at getting shrimp -- I really "sucked" at getting fish yesterday (just hope I don't get sick on top of it all).

First Month in South Texas -- BRRR!

Today marks the completion of my first month in South Texas and hopefully, it brings some warmer weather than we had since Christmas -- it starts with some sunshine finally arriving again though the wind is still blowing in the 20 mph range from the NNW and the temps in the mid 30s (not exactly what I consider good "Snowbird" weather.

I stayed in most of yesterday and only ventured out late in the afternoon to see how busy the ferry might be and then determine whether to head over to Aransas Pass to the Walmart north of there.  Since they only have 2 of the 4 landings on the other side open because of construction, it sometimes gets pretty backed up -- luckily it wasn't so, I headed over the channel on the ferry with my shopping list.  I decided on the way to stop at the H.E.B. Store to check it out and found that their pricing was much the same as Walmart's so, I did most of my shopping there and saved driving another 5 or 6 miles farther to Walmart.  They didn't have a large Home Goods department at H.E.B. so, I didn't get the fitted sheet I needed for my sleep number bed (ripped the other one with my gnarly toe nails) -- and they also didn't have the Lucky Duck Riesling I usually buy at Walmart for $3.97 a bottle.

After getting through the checkout, I walked to my Jeep in the parking lot and saw that it was snowing lightly as I loaded my bags into the car -- so much for the warm weather in South Texas.  Won't be reserving this place for next winter or any thereafter -- Florida will get me and my rig next winter (maybe Panama City Beach or Destin or Clearwater).

On my way back to the RV, I decided to stop at the seawall in Port A and see how things were in the fishing department.  Not many cars lined the seawall and only a couple were parked near the jetty running toward the east.  I decided to try a few of the shrimp that were still in my bait bucket and walked just a short distance out on the jetty to a spot I last fished and caught the last batch of Sheepshead (all too small to keep).  I had my heavier coat on but, had forgotten that I left my gloves in my lighter jacket (back in the RV) so, I barely made it through two shrimp without any bites and decided the bite of the winter weather was too much for my freezing hands and fingers.

It didn't get out of the low 40s yesterday and the sun didn't shine through at all during the day so, today is already looking better and later I may possibly be tempted again to drive the short distance to the seawall again -- with my gloves tucked into my coat pockets, of course.  Maybe a shot of Brandy in my next cup of coffee will help me make that decision (and take the bottle along too for another shot in the car before baiting up the hook).

More Rain and Cold in Texas

Still not able to post pictures with any blogs -- not that I have been out to take any for this posting, unless you wanted to see grey clouds and water running down the middle of the concrete roads here at Pioneer Beach RV park.  I went to the first pot luck dinner last night since my arrival here in mid December and saw a different style of serving it up -- I had taken a pot of Pinto beans with ham and rice, chopped peppers and some hashed browns thrown in (more of a stew) with a dozen freshly baked corn bread muffins.  Forgot to mention that the stew had some Port wine added in the last couple hours of cooking too -- to fight the chilliness and dampness down here (Boy!  Does Florida look ever so much better now -- even at their outrageous prices.)

Well, at this campground, they have the people take a seat somewhere around a large rectangle made of tables and chairs with their dish of food placed in front of them.  They introduced any new campers who were attending their first pot luck dinner and I, of course, was one of the half dozen or so they introduced.  Then, instructions were given to stand with plates in hand and put your right hand on the table and walk to your left around the tables serving yourself as you go.  The rectangle was broken in half at the longer sides so that people could sit on the inside too and everyone worked around the half of the rectangle they were seated at until they ended up back where they started.  After that the platters or dishes of food were placed at two tables in the center of the rectangle so that people could go back for seconds (or whatever they couldn't fit on their plate during their trip around the tables).

So, I got to meet three new couples (all new to the pot luck dinner too like myself) and the first two couples to my left were from Colorado -- around the Lamar area.  The new couple to my right were from the St. Louis, Missouri area.  There must have been nearly 150 people at the dinner and quite a selection of food to choose from -- many bean type dishes so I will think of something different for the next dinner in two weeks.

After the dinner, most everyone stayed and cleaned up and rearranged the tables back to where they had started and the majority of people stayed to play "Dime Bingo" for the next hour and a half (including myself).  A fun evening and my toes even thawed out enough before heading back to the RV around 8:30 -- where I had play time with Tiger and Molly before heading to the chilly bedroom.

Still rainy and cold again today so, not likely to use up the left over bait shrimp still in the cooler of the Jeep -- just hope the smell doesn't get unbearable in the Jeep.  No breaks in the cloud cover and the kitties are napping for now so, may head to the ferry and the Walmart beyond -- check the smell and decide whether to chuck the shrimp at the seawall (or throw them in on a hook, one-at-a-time).

Jan 10th - Tiger Escaped Again

After spending most of the day at the seawall and jetty catching some fish for dinner, I came home to the RV and started getting a platter of 3 Whiting and one seatrout ready for the grille.  I had left the door open and the screen door closed but, forgot to close the little sliding cover for the hand hole in the screed door.  Of course, Tiger had been crying immediately upon my return to get out but, I had to rinse the fish again and season them for the grille before getting myself something to eat -- hadn't eaten breakfast and I fished from 8:30 to 2:30 with no snacks (except for bait shrimp lickings from my fingers).

Well, Molly didn't mention that Tiger snuck out the little opening and was free again to roam wherever.  I spent about an hour walking all around and up and down the roads in an ever expanding circle here looking for Tiger and came back once to be sure he hadn't been hiding in the RV somewhere.  My mind went to something a neighbor had mentioned about cayotees being in the area and I thought for sure they would make a big meal of my playful guy, Tiger.

After a few circles around the RVs and checking again under my rig, I passed another camper walking her little doggie and asked if she had seen a black and white cat roaming around.  She said she had not and I returned to look again around my RV and as I neared the front of the rig, the woman said she saw him under the front end of the RV -- and there he was, the little smarty pants.

I thought for sure I had lost my favorite and most enjoyable little companion but, guess he had enough smarts to stay close or was overwhelmed with the surroundings and some of the noises of barking dogs and golf carts or pickem up trucks.  We enjoyed the trout for dinner and I had Tiger out with me to cook them on the grille -- he must have liked the smell too -- fresh fish.

Saturday Sunshine - First Ferry

Well, after a five day stint of nothing but, grey skies and only one peek of the sun, we finally had a day of mostly sunshine and I have nearly forgotten what I did that day -- though, I probably fished some that day and didn't have anything to put on the table for me and the twins.  The Wifi has been funky here and with all the people staying here, I suspected it was because of heavy use and folks staying indoors and not rendering their use of the connection (must be Texans).

I must have fished and had nothing to clean or cook so, more tuna has most certainly found its way to the food dishes of Tiger and Molly.  Come Monday, I did take my first trip on the ferry from Port Aransas to Aransas Pass and then to Walmart and the Bank of America there.  Just another grey, dreary day here in south Texas and did buy some frozen shrimp Monday to try at various times when the weather looked less threatening.  Fished the seawall and the jetty one day and caught a Whiting and a couple of hard head catfish -- not enough of anything worthwhile to clean and cook.

Yesterday morning, I did try to use up the left over shrimp in the morning and caught a few of those Sheepshead but, none of them were over the legal size of 15 inches -- then, the rains came and lasted through this afternoon.  So, I headed again to the seawall and fished with artificial bait for the first hour around the rocks trying for a big Sheepshead but, only had a couple nibbles.  Then, I decided to throw deep into the channel with my surf casting rod and only caught one Whiting and an 18 inch hard head catfish -- gave the Whiting to a guy fishing from a camper just down from me and headed for Bernies to get a couple $1 drafts before heading back to the RV.

Yesterday evening I went to play bingo at the recreation hall instead of staying in and watching TV.   I didn't win a game but, I came up one short of a win in one game.  The couple next to me (Bob and Susan from Toronto) must have spent over $30 on cards and various playing sheets but, he did win one game and that may have put them in the black -- he looked pretty ridiculous though with 8 cards in front of him and his wife had four in front of her.  I only had two cards and one each of the little playing sheets for two special games (a $4 investment and a buck for a fudge sicle at the intermission).

Time to open a can of tuna for the twins and get three bugers out of the freezer too.  I did find out too last night, that they changed the security code for the Wifi on Monday and that is why I had problems getting connected -- though some of the heavy use problems continue, I think.

Internet is still flukey so, I haven't been able to upload any pictures.  Sorry!

Another Day under a Blanket of Grey

Well, here on the Third Coast the continuous cloud cover again persists for the third day in a row -- not a break in the cloud cover either for the sun to shine through and the steady 20 mph winds continue to blow from the north -- erasing any desires to get out and travel about on foot or in the Jeep.  The news last night from my son Tim and his wife Kathryn that she is pregnant occupies my thoughts -- I will become a grandfather sometime in late July or early August (depending on when the baby decides to come).

It makes the daylight seem brighter and my thoughts drift to my time in South Fork for the upcoming summer and whether to take this big rig to the west coast as the birth of my first grandchild approaches.  I will be studying those options and the different routes that might be available to Santa Rosa, CA -- excluding the one that would take me over Wolf Creek Pass (Never again, I say).

In the meantime, I have tried numerous times earlier this morning to get on my blogspot but, it seems the WiFi connections have been occupied by others staying indoors as well and tweeting or twittering away on the airwaves -- so, me and the twins have occupied the air cushions of the sleep number bed and tried to stay cozy as I have awaited a turn on the internet.  Now to check on the stock market.

The Gulf Bends - The Third Coast

These sound like the more appropriate names this area should be identified with and the latter most possibly is more acceptable in my mind -- the Third Coast could have been spelled as "Turd" and been more correct.  The skies are still blanketed with a continuous grey cover but, at least the rains have stopped overnight and we are just getting "drizzle" off and on -- still not condusive to getting out and about to check out things to the south (Padre Island).  In my mind, I have set next Monday (the 7th) as the day I will venture to the ferry in Port Aransas and take it to the road that goes into Aransas Pass where the nearest Bank of America is located and maybe the closest Walmart too.

In the meantime, I check on the stock market to see how AAPL is doing and get the latest updates on our Mr. 51.8% Majority Elected Leader Obama to see where he is pointing his finger -- too bad he doesn't look in the mirror more often -- as he and his Democratic Senate continues to spend 3 billion dollars a day on his way to the next 4 trillion dollars to be added to the deficit.  When will the next downgrade on the U.S. bond rating occur -- Inauguration Day perhaps?  Glad I won't be watching that event -- a complete waste of my time.  I have better things than that to waste my time on and have no desire to listen to more of his phony rhetoric.

Guess I'll rinse off my fishing gear and then go shoot some pool in the rec hall followed by a hot bowl of soup and some sauteed shrimp (which I cooked after breakfast).  Fiesta Bowl tonight and will head into town to watch it at Bernies -- shoot some pool there too.

Port Aransas - The Texas "Rivierra"

Well, I wouldn't say that the word "Rivierra" even comes close to my mind when looking around this area and at the trash strewn beaches, jetties and dunes, the murky waters and mostly featureless dunes (with more trash).  If they spent a billion dollars to clean up the mess they would have a "Texas-size" pile of trash and still nothing very appealling to the eye like the Florida beaches and waters (numerous other places too like New England, the mid-Atlantic, California and the west coast).  The beaches here are flat and featureless except for the man-made jetties and fishing piers that occasionally interrupt the view up and down the beach with some other man-made resorts (hi-rises) interspersed some miles apart.

The town of Port Aransas is a quaint, small fishing town of some 3,480 people with fishing wharfs, bait and tackle shops, and fish markets with a few bars mixed in -- still very quaint when compared to Destin or Pensacola Beach or Panama City Beach. Those are destination places that people flock to in the spring and where "snowbirds" also go for the winter.  This is more of a gathering place for the mid-west snowbirds and lots of Texans with their pickem up trucks and 4-wheelers.  Not nearly as nice as Florida and not quite as warm either -- no "sunshine state of mind."

I will venture out these next couple or few days and see what else could possibly make this anything other than what I have seen thus far.  Temps will only be in the 40s and low 50s so the warmth of the Jeep will be good and I will see for myself.  So far, I have made the trip south and west (some 20 miles) to the nearest Walmart in Flour Bluff but, haven't gotten to Padre Island to the south.  When I see a break in the weather, I will be looking to head there and look for things to take pictures of -- maybe some waterfowl or prettier beaches (couldn't look much worse than what I have seen so far).

North of Pioneer Beach RV Resort (where I'm staying for the winter), the short drive past the Newport Beach and Golf Club gets you into the developed section of Port Aransas (southern reaches).  The nearest beach access road (road 1) goes right past the club house (more like a single-wide trailer home) and then onto the beach.  Going south on the beach gets you back to the RV parks boardwalk entrance to the beach -- a fairly long walk from my site.  Going north takes you past one hi-rise resort on the dunes and to the next closest beach access road which is where the "On The Beach RV Resort" is located -- first place I tried to get into but, didn't have space for my big rig (it is a much smaller RV park and fewer spaces).  Farther to the south (about 8 miles), is where the Fish Pass jetty is located on the beach -- where I first saw people catching lots of Pompano and Sheepshead -- that first really nice Wednesday when the temps were warm and the breezes were blowing from the south -- the water looked lots better then too.

I fished there yesterday afternoon to use up the rest of the bait shrimp someone had given me at the sea wall -- no one but, me out there and the stiff breeze from the north and northeast had me fishing the opposite (south) side of the jetty to keep the wind at my back or left shoulder.  Only caught one trash fish but, fed the rest of the shrimp to his brothers and sisters (most likely) -- one little glimpse of sunlight about an hour before sunset had me hopefull but, then it was gone and so was my bait.

Another mile or two north on the beach and you arrive at the closest fishing pier, bait, tackle, ice and beer store but, who would want to pay to fish from the pier when the nearest jetty by the shipping channel is within view -- free for walking a greater distance from the beach to cast your line (better chance for catching the really big one and you don't have to wrangle the fish up to the pier -- just over some of the rocks).

The drive on the beach can be really bouncy and slow as the speed limit is supposed to be 15 mph -- for that reason (the bumps).  There are port-a-johns at most of the beach access roads.  If you prefer the smoother ride, route 361 goes directly into Port Aransas and directly to the wharf areas, bars and shops if you wish.  Make a right on Cotter and follow the road again to the beach (after going straight  through one stop sign and winding past the University of Texas Marine Life Center).  You will arrive on the beach and next to the shipping channel that takes the big tankers and cargo ships or barges to the Corpus Christi waterfront.  You will probably see a few RVs along the seawall and elsewhere on the beaches -- some like Gypsies moving around from time to time from one spot to another (depending on whether they obtained county camping permits -- for a fee).  I met one couple there from Alberta that seemed content to move about -- even though they checked out the Mustang Island Campground 12 miles to the south (decided it was too small and out in the middle of nowhere).

There are two really small RV parks right in Port Aransas (Mustang RV Resort and Tropical Island RV Resort) which would put you in walking distance to all the local bars, shops and other activities of the quaint town -- not fully known to me, yet.  One of the parks is where a couple (the Borges) I met last year in Flagler Beach is staying but, they went back to Canada for the holidays and won't be back until the middle of January (guess they knew already that this is the dreary time of the year down here).  Still, I look forward to seeing them again and Manuel and I should be out on the jetty trying to catch some fish together -- maybe his wife has taken up the sport too but, will wait to see.

Looks like the rain extends from here all the way up past San Antonio and may continue for the next couple of days so am thinking of driving into "Bernies" one of these evenings to see a bowl game or two -- most interested in the Fiesta Bowl tomorrow night and the championship game on the 7th between the Irish and Alabama (Go Notre Dame!  Kick their butts).