Hooked Up: August 2011

"Boy, you better watch your mouth and mind your manners or Daddy is going to whip your butt!"

My generation and older heard that often and we knew they meant it. Manners is still a big deal around my house and I only hope that it all sinks in perfectly by adulthood for my stepson, but this isn't about Colton, (he is doing great so far). This is about boat operators that have been tagged as burners. If you are not familiar with the term burner - it is guy that runs around in a shallow draft boat attempting to find fish by sight versus actually fishing for them. The problem is that other people are using the same water and it really screws up the fishing. Unfortunately, the number of burners has increased dramatically zigzagging like an army of cutter ants across flats and along the shorelines.

We were fishing the King Ranch Shoreline the other day when a burner came by and swooped in close, barely beyond the area we were wading. I let out an expletive and my clients asked, You don't like those burn boats much, do you? I shook my head and tried to lower my core temperature. No problem with the boat, I replied. But the idiot driving it really pisses me off. His parents never taught him anything about manners. If they did it never sunk in.

Some days it seems that everybody loses their mind when they launch a boat. The lack of courtesy and respect for others is the main reason I avoid fishing on Saturday. Jay Watkins mentioned the mindset of entitlement in his July article and he hit it right on the money. It affects many aspects of our daily lives and scares the Hell out of me and when this entitlement attitude comes to the water it makes me fighting mad. Just to be clear, this is not a boat problem, it is a people problem; and these people evidently do not understand there are groups out there already trying to limit our boating/fishing access rights. Personally, I do not want anyone telling me where I can and cannot run my boat, but at the same time I have enough sense to respect the fish, environment, and other fishermen. Handing them free ammo will only get us shot in the back. Use some common sense.

This has been one of the prettiest and most productive summers we have had in recent years. Although it gets downright hot, a bowed rod has a way of taking your mind off it. Some tropical activity has allowed for good days of cloud cover, amplifying the comfort level. August should allow for more of this with the prediction of a busy hurricane season ahead. As the rest of the state can testify, we do not need the damaging wind of tropical storms but will gladly accept all the rain they can muster.

One of fishing's greatest myths says you cannot catch big numbers during the heat of summer (with a mix of quality trout) unless you use live croaker or piggy perch. Well, I'll be the one to let you in on a little secret; it's only folklore. As an artificial-only guide it is easy to judge our catch alongside other guides results. It is kind of a big deal around the marinas to check out the other guides box. My box is always small as I practice lots of catch and release (we keep a small amount for a fresh dinner). But I am no different in checking out what others have caught just to see how our day measured up. This summer has been good to me and I can honestly say that we are doing just as well, if not better, than the bait fishermen. We don't get back to the dock as early, but lure fishermen rarely do. My clients appreciate a full day and I do not mind giving it to them.

My fishing pattern and technique has not varied much since my July article. Starting in the shallows early, whether in Baffin or the Upper Laguna, and then moving to deeper potholes, rock piles, or ledges as the sun comes up. Some days I utilize the deck of the boat, trolling motor, and Power-Pole for the best results. No matter where we are fishing, the morning starts with finding a good bait supply and slicks to get started. Trout will not always be in the same place we left them, and it may take a 200-500 yard adjustment to get back on the previous day's pattern. Fishing with your brain, eyes, and nose before you ever make the first cast will pay huge dividends for a successful day.

A man's manners are a mirror in which he shows his portrait. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Set 'em loose, Capt. David Rowsey