Let the Games Begin

There comes a point in your angling career when you must decide whether you will go the tournament route.  This is a decision that I’ve been considering for about a year, and I can’t escape the question:  Are tournaments for me?

For some people, competition is a natural course.  For others, it seems that competition brings out an ugly side to something that is otherwise a peaceful outlet.  When you enter a tournament, your otherwise private skunk becomes embarrassingly public within moments after the weigh-in begins.  Instead of just a slow day on the water, you begin to wonder if all those who have supported or sponsored you will doubt their faith in you.

Fact of the matter is- if you want to be a pro, you have to prove that you are a pro in a public forum.  No longer does it matter if you are your mom’s favorite angler.  

I had been signed up for my first Lone Star Kayak Series Tournament for several months. The first event out of four was to be on April 18th. I was more than anxious on several levels. Before the 18th came around, I got the opportunity to fish in a local benefit tournament for Lance Linthicum . I was excited to be able to compete for a good cause, and this was also a great way to pre-fish for the LSKS.  I had my Hook 1 jersey ready for the winner’s stand and my new T-bone bed extender  was going to get my Wildy Ride 135  there in good condition.

 

It took me until about 10 pm the night before to rig up my HookSpit Performance Rods and finally decide on a spot to fish. I wanted to be close to the weigh-in located in Sunny San Leon, but at the last minute, I decided to fish a familiar spot in Galveston. Since this tourney allowed bait or artificial, I decided to use both.

 

This proved to be a fun mistake on my part. I know live shrimp can be a great choice, but I usually go with dead shrimp if I'm using bait. I was confident I'd catch some reds on it. Instead of a beautiful red, I ended up catching the following (on dead shrimp):

- Two stingrays

- a 22" gafftop

- several hardhead catfish

- one small black drum,

- a whiting

- a  couple of croakers

I knew I had back-tracked into a pattern of fishing I had started out with years ago and although I don't discourage it because it can be fun for some, it’s just not my style anymore. Too many unwanted fish caught and precious minutes with my line out of the water while releasing them. Running out of time, I found a familiar deeper channel in the marsh and started throwing a popping cork with a Vudu shrimp. A few minutes later, I felt that hit and knew I had a redfish. 17" was not going to cut it, but I was relieved it was not a stingray. My buddy, Jose, joined me in my spot and he, too, quickly got a smaller redfish. He was smarter and using live shrimp. Sadly our time was running out, and we both ended up with an empty stringer. Later on in the day, I found out that only four kayakers had signed up and out of the four of us- only one caught some tourney-grade fish. One keeper redfish, flounder, or trout would have put me in second place. I'm sure I won’t get that opportunity again.  This is likely something that will haunt me for quite a while, as my Hook 1 jersey will have to wait for another day in the sun.

The weigh-in was a blast as this tournament had a boat division as well, and I loved watching the fish being brought in, especially when so many were released to fight another day. Most importantly, they raised quite a bit of money to help Lance and his family out. I met lots of new people and saw some friendly, familiar faces. I'll be back, better and with no dead shrimp. Add in that I missed a couple of flounder and had a nice trout get off at the boat somewhere.

After getting a few high-fives and hand shakes from the wonderful Pier Pressure Girls and Mike Bishop (the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winner - he and his lady are cool as a fan) in my first-ever tournament, it was good to learn that most people in the angling world are still supportive and understanding when a day on the water doesn’t turn out as expected.  It was also important to learn that the only expectations I have to live up to are the ones I set for myself. No bad days on the water... only lessons learned.

Big Money Red Tourney

Me, Eric, Cody

Galveston Urban Ministries ( galvestonurbanministries.org)  hosted their First Annual Big Money Red Tourney a few months ago and it ended up being my first tournament too.

My #1 homie, Eric, and his brother, Michael, drove all the way down from Denton, Texas to represent and fish in the tournament. 

The tournament was supposed to start at 5 pm on a Friday, but we got there a few hours early to stake claim to our spot on the Galveston Fishing Pier.   I was pretty crunk when the tournament started because I was the first one to catch a red.  Unfortunately, it was only about 34" and I knew that wouldn't be big enough to place in the end.  So--- Fish on.  Most of the catches came that night.  It was cold and windy, but we tried to stay warm with a little help from a handle of Jim Beam and some of the best Habanero Beef Jerky from Mean E's Meats. (getcha some --->  facebook.com/meanesmeats )

Those two things kept us awake for 3 days straight with a few naps in between, but sleeping on the pier isn't that comfortable.  Even though we went most of the day Saturday and Sunday without catching much we couldn't complain because this was our view:

Eric ended up catching his first red at this tournament.  It was a good looking fish, but it wasn't enough to place either.  My buddy, John Stapleton showed up to fish the tournament and pulled a red in that made it on the board. My buddy, Cody Ryden (pictured above) did not fish the tournament, but he was there with a friend a few hours before the tournament started.  I actually think he is the one that caught all the reds, and I blame him for our slow weekend.    In hindsight, we probably should have gotten  a spot at the end of the pier because the guys set up down there were pulling in most of the reds.  If I'm not mistaken, that's where the tourney winners were set up.  

Eric's first red

1st catch (34 in.)

2nd catch (36 1/2 in)

Even though we didn't place--- it was a great experience.  This shout out goes to Eric Murphey for driving 5 hours to sleep on a wooden pier in the cold, and Michael Murphey from Mean E's Meats--- thanks for sponsoring us, bro.


Y'all go check out Galveston Urban Ministries to see how you can give back to underprivileged youth on the island.

The Puffer Fish

  

I caught this bad boy on The Galveston Fishing Pier.  It is actually the second one I have caught there and was told this isn't particularly normal.  Either way, I was crunk about it.

Most of you know that a puffer fish is called a puffer because it inflates.  It does this by inhaling large amounts of water or air to increase its size as a defense mechanism.  The puffer fish has tremendous eye sight, but it isn't very quick.  

Not only do they puff out to help fight off predators, they also possess a toxin called tetrodotoxin.  Tetrodotoxin can be stronger than cyanide and is one of the most toxic components known to man.  One large puffer contains enough toxin to kill several men; however, sharks can eat puffer fish without consequence.

 But if you ever catch one, be careful when you get your pictures and try to use gloves (just to be safe) when you toss it back.  While we aren't too big on eating puffer here in Texas--- in Japan, highly trained chefs will serve Fugu (puffer) as a delicacy.  I have also read that dolphins are fans of a little puff here and there; they have been filmed off the coast of Africa passing puffer fish back and forth in order to get high.

 


Catching this guy landed me a spot in the Reel Report in The Galveston Daily News. Capt. Joe Kent explains the reason for the puffer (which is usually an offshore fish) being so close to the pier: "the warmer waters and higher salinity levels have contributed to a large variety of fish being reported in shallower waters this year."

This shout out goes to Capt. Joe Kent and his Reel Report in The Galveston Daily News--- Thanks for making me famous!

And a special shout out goes to Virginia Adair for being a loyal Daily News reader--- if it weren't for her, I wouldn't have even known that I made it in the Reel Report.

Galveston Fishing Pier

I don't know how I ended up there the first time I went, but Galveston Fishing Pier has been my home away from home since I fell in love with saltwater fishing.

Here is what my wife loves about the pier:

1) They have clean bathrooms (apparently that is important for girls since it made #1 on her list)

2) They serve mixed drinks upstairs and the bartender "don't play" (surprised that didn't make #1 on her list)

3) It's the longest fishing pier in Texas.

I'm not sure that I can narrow down the things I love about GFP to just 3; however, my list has a whole lot more to do with fish than my wife's list. 

So let's start with fish.  One of the things I can never quite wrap my brain around is how many different species of fish there are in the ocean---some of which have not even been discovered yet.  I thoroughly enjoy pulling them all up and over the rail of The Galveston Fishing Pier. Click on the link to peep the slideshow of some catches.....

Galveston Fishing Pier

These are just a few of the pictures I have from the pier.  Obviously, I love catching reds, but, on the pier, I have caught:

• ribbon fish
• cobia
• sheepshead
• black drum
• gafftop
• hard head (aka wastes of my time)
• pompano
• bonnet head shark
• black tip shark
• whiting
• croaker
• sand trout
• golden croaker
• angel fish
• puffer fish
• stingray
• blue fish
• piggy perch
• blue crab 
• spanish mackerel

Here are some of the fish I have seen caught there, but I have never happened to pull up myself:

• flounder
• speckled trout
• spinner shark
• bull shark
• jack crevalle
• sea turtles (yes, I know it's not a fish.  And, yes, proper authorities were called and the turtles were released)

So far, the GFP has been my biggest learning experience when it comes to saltwater fishing.  It was a great place to learn many different species just from reeling them in, but it was also a great place to meet anglers with all different levels of experience. Depending on the time of day, day of the week, or how many beers you have consumed,  you could end up losing a pole, getting your lines crossed with a complete stranger, or almost losing a thumb to a hard head barb.  I might just be speaking from experience- small prices to pay for the knowledge and lifetime memories I have gained.

All in all, my idea to create Coastie Culture would not have been born had it not been for my time at Galveston Fishing Pier.  It's a wonderful place to learn, to fish, to bring a friend, and to be treated like family (thanks Diz). 

This Coastie Culture shout out goes to the owners of GFP, Jimmy and Kelly.  Thanks for the fun.