Bay Flats Archives - Texas Outdoors

OCTOBER HAS BEEN GOOD SO FAR at Bay Flats Lodge Resort & Marina

A SOLID OCTOBER

By: Capt. Stephen Boriskie

As I halt all outdoor activities while this strong cold front bears down on us today in the middle coast I am reminded of how solid the first half of October has been. When the calendar turned to ten-one, it was almost like a switch was flipped and all of the sudden we had higher, more normal Fall water levels. The air seemed different even though a front had not slipped through. The water seemed cooler and the fish more active. The days are shorter giving way to more overnight rest. Even the crowds had thinned out around here as if deer season had already begun. Add it all up and the result was a fish almost every cast!

Redfish are the talk right now with numbers of undersized fish in the 18″ to 19″ range abundant. My experience has been the smaller under 10″ rat reds are not as common as these larger ones ending up on the hook. Limits of slot redfish are almost the norm with a few oversize thrown in to keep it real. I have polled our guides with text messages throughout the day and they are catching similar fish too. It doesn’t seem to matter whether it’s live or dead shrimp but they are both working better than cutters.

The speckled trout catch isn’t up to snuff in my trips right now like in the past few years for this time of year. Most of my guys are in the boat throwing bait and I chalk it up to the higher than preferred winds we have been seeing due to these fronts that are now blasting through Texas. I cannot seem to get out on the reefs where they have been holding because of the angry bay both before and after the fronts. The wade fishing trips however have produced impressive numbers and size of trout using either croaker or lures, true to wading year round.

Black drum and Sheepshead with a rare showing of Flounder are the other species we have been boxing regularly in this first half of October. This is to say we are not limiting out on these guys but seeing good numbers. This should continue in the rest of the month and on into the end of the year.

It’s no wonder why this is our favorite time of the year and why the lodge is booked almost every guide for every day. This is the perfect time to round up the family or customers and get to the coast. When you are catching a fish on almost every cast it makes you realize what a wonderful abundant resource we have in our coastal waters. There are many to thank for such a bounty aside from mother nature and the time of the year. Conservation efforts are working and you can see that in the numbers of fish we have and also in the health of our bay and our estuaries. Donate where you can to these groups and participate with your time and effort to ensure the future generations not only will have the right to fish and the waters to do so, but they will likely enjoy days like we are having right now wearing out your arms and putting some fine fish on the dinner table.

NOW THAT THE WEATHER’S GETTING COLDER

The first couple weeks of October have produced a steady flow of fish for our guides, particularly large numbers of redfish and black drum. This is probably due to the higher tides we’ve experienced so far this month, and the fact that we didn’t seen any substantial change in the weather along our coastal bend area during the first part of the month. Until now, we’ve gotten a bit of rain and a brief north wind that cooled the daytime and nighttime temperatures a bit, but up until the third week in the month, trout catches have been shadowed by some really impressive catch-and-release activities on redfish. However, that’s all going to turn around for us now that the first major frontal passage has arrived.

The weather is changing right now, and so is the fishing pattern as we progress into the fall season. The weather one day might be cloudy and cold, and the next day sunny and warm. It’s for this reason that anglers should look for a bottom made-up primarily of mud, not sand. The atmospheric changes are telling the fish that it is now the time for them to begin transitioning to the insulating qualities offered by that of the wintertime mud. As bay waters continue to cool, a mud bottom acts as an insulator of sorts – the mud absorbs the heat of the daylight sun and holds the heat for a much longer period of time over that of sand. Big trout will instinctively probe the bay bottom in search these warmer spots, and will look for food in surrounding areas. This transition to mud takes place every year at this time, and wading anglers who don’t mind getting into water with knee-deep mud can often expect rewards that outweigh the difficult walking.

An effective wading pattern to exercise during this period of seasonal change is the zigzag routine. At this time of the year you may find the fish warming themselves in bright sunlight in skinny water, or they might be clinging to the depths of deeper water for security and warmth. That’s why walking back-and-forth between shallow and deep water is a good idea. Start your wade session in deeper water so you don’t startle any fish that may already be in shallow water – face the shoreline and walk toward it. Fan your casts from three o’clock to nine o’clock as you walk in a diagonal line directly toward the shore. Once you’re in shallow water, turn your back to the shoreline and walk in a diagonal line away from the shore while heading back out to deeper water. This is a proven method of attack during this changing time in the year, and it allows you to cover a lot of territory, as well. Good luck out there, and be safe!

Fall Trout Making a Showing at Bay Flats Lodge Resort & Marina

THE GUIDE REPORT

THURSDAY – Sept 20th

Capt. Stephen Boriskie – Another good day of fishing with the boys, and while the fish eluded us we didn’t wait long before chasing after them. We started out doing what had worked on Wednesday, but around here “yesterday” is about as reliable as tomorrow! So, of course it didn’t work! Going back to what worked a couple weeks ago, I found some fresh mullet that were willing to come along. We gave ’em a good try and ended up with two beautiful Redfish before time caught up to us. Lending a hand to a customer shuttle, we helped bring a couple anglers in off a boat in distress. The cool thing about that was there were three of our guide boats helping one downed boat – all of us keeping the guests safe, and on time back to the dock. It’s just another example of the teamwork we are dedicated to around these parts. So, all these clients smoked the Redfish yesterday, and persevered today with a smaller box, but it turned out being a much better story of the typical team building adventures at Bay Flats Lodge.

FRIDAY – Sept 21st

Capt. Todd Jones – Tough sleddin’ the last few days. Brandan and David were up for the challenge, and scratched out their limit of reds up to 25-inches. It was David’s first saltwater trip, so he’s off to a good start. I think the highlight of their trip might have been watching the little gator play with a cork! It was a lot of fun watching them catch fish!

SATURDAY – Sept 22nd

Capt. Billy Freudensprung – A wise man once said, “If it ain’t blowing, we ain’t going”. Well, we went today and it was blowing! Blowing those fish against the shoreline kept Jeremy and Paul busy. They managed their redfish limits and chased a few extra nice-sized drum to top things off! Today turned out positive for these two!

Capt. ‘Lil John Wyatt – Great day today with these guys! They had limits of reds and drum, to include several oversize reds that were released back into the bay to fight another day. The redfish action has been consistent lately, but the trout are making a slow appearance once again. Some of the guides have gotten into some good ones the last couple days – just another fun item to look forward to as things begin to cool off more around here! Stay tuned to the latest action!

Capt. Kevin Matula – It wasn’t easy just getting out in the strong winds this morning, but we got out there! These guys stuck with it to the absolute end in an effort to bend some rods. They did alright considering today’s conditions!

Capt. Steve Boldt – I wasn’t too sure about what sort of outcome we were going to have when we first started out this morning, because we didn’t hit upon the redfish bite like we have been doing quite regularly the past couple weeks. At least the trout cooperated, and they even allowed one of my guys a Texas slam – trout, red, and flounder!

Higher Tides Bring Fall Action at Bay Flats Lodge Resort & Marina

WEDNESDAY’S SCOUTING REPORT

By: Capt. Chris Martin

While on a Wednesday scouting session, I dialed-in several areas that needed to be investigated, especially with the bull tides we’re seeing right now. The top water bite was more of the “slap, swing in a miss”, so it was necessary to work the other portions of the water column. Interior back lake drains with swollen tides gave up scores of trout while working 6-inch Gambler flapp’n shad chicken on a chain tipped with 1/8 oz. screw lock jig heads. While scouting sandy shorelines in other areas, I found shrimp jumping nervously out of the water 100-150 yards off the salt grass, which resulted in fast-paced trout action. Norton tequila gold sand eels rigged on a Norton screw lock worked best. The best lure action was away from the shoreline and was a slow, but steady, retrieve – it felt like a heavy weight on the lure, or a slow pull on the line. I hope this helps!

Date – Wednesday, September 5, 2018

Time of Day – 2:30 pm – 3:30 pm

Water Temperature – 84 degrees

Air Temperature – 88 degrees

Wind Direction – Southeast

Wind Speed – 10-15 mph

ES Custom Boats Mercury Marine

THE GUIDE REPORT

TUESDAY – Sept 4th

Capt. Stephen Boriskie – Today was day #2, but it was a shorter day for these gentlemen. They had just as much fun, however, catching today as they did yesterday. Before we called it a day, one of the guys hooked a Gar on a live shrimp on a croaker hook. Imagine that! Anyhow, it was an interesting ending to a couple of fun days on the water with good people. We’re really looking forward to the fall season and the fall fishing pattern – it can’t get here soon enough!

Capt. Jeremy McClelland – We have had some great fun the past few days with customers from age 6 to 60 – everyone’s been getting in on the action! The fish have been cooperating for the most part, with the most recent activity coming from the Redfish and the Black Drum. The trout are here, and in numbers, but many times we have to go through quite a few before we locate a slot fish. But that all seems to change from day to day, as well, because the other day some of our guests found numbers of nice size trout, even a couple of “Bigs”. Once this heat is broken for good, and the fall pattern sets in, we’ll be looking for greater numbers of larger trout. I can’t wait!

WEDNESDAY – Sept 5th

Capt. ‘Lil John Wyatt – I have been fishing with different groups the past few days, and the fishing action has been nothing but steady! If things continue at this pace, we’re in for a great month of fishing in September. We’re seeing Speckled Trout, Redfish, Flounder, and Black Drum almost daily. We continue to swap between croaker and live shrimp, but the results have almost turned out the same regardless of the bait. As they bay water starts cooling a little bit later this month, we’ll start fishing more over grass and mud. Fall is always a transition worth waiting for around here – the weather cools off, and the fishing heats up! Get ready!

HIGHER TIDES BRING FALL ACTION

Twice a year, at the September equinox and the spring equinox, the earth’s equator is aligned with the orbital plane of the earth around the sun. This is when we experience extremely high tidal ranges that generally peak in September, October, and sometimes even into the early part November, with the absolute highest tides occurring a day or two after the full or new moon nearest to the equinox. This is good news for us because favorable fishing conditions commonly exist around higher tides, specifically in coastal marshes, and especially following such extreme slack-tide conditions like those we’ve had here during the last part of the summer.

The trout, redfish, and flounder will suddenly all be able to go places that were previously unavailable to them. The trout, and particularly the redfish, will once again start looking for food on outgoing tides, tides that will dump an assortment of food out of the grassy areas and upon adjacent flats. When this happens, anglers need to be ready to take advantage of some of the hottest action of the year. Toss top water baits for trout during the first hours of light, but later switch to soft plastics, working them slightly above the bay floor. While wade fishing for the trout over grass, place your focus from the middle to the outside edges of the grass, as you’ll often find larger trout to be just on the outside edges where there’s sand.

The next few weeks will offer anglers who may be new to the sport of artificial fishing a fighting chance at boosting their confidence while fishing with lures. This time of the year is truly a magical time in the outdoors, a time that can certainly raise the bar for anglers of all levels wanting to improve their skills

Trophy Technology at Bay Flats Lodge Resort & Marina

Bay Flats Lodge Resort & Marina

August 23, 2018

TROPHY TECHNOLOGY AT BAY FLATS LODGE

Aside from being two terrific men, Jay Madden and Scott Head are the owners and operators of Trophy Technologies, Inc. Trophy Technology has been with us here at Bay Flats Lodge the past few days filming two future shows. Capt. Harold Dworaczyk and Capt. Cody Spencer of Bay Flats Lodge acted as hosts and fishing guides, as well as general lodge experts. You can look for the Bay Flats Lodge episode of Trophy Fish Hunter on CBS Sports Network in the first quarter of 2019.

Founded by avid anglers, Trophy Technology seeks to produce brands that cater to professional anglers, while at the same time provide superior products at a price within reach of the average angler. Headquartered in Trenton, Texas, Trophy Technology is home to these great brands: Castaic, Reaction Strike, the BD Series, Musky Armor, Kitana Hooks, MonsterBass, Throwback, Backstabber, and Bulldawg Rods. Continue reading “Trophy Technology at Bay Flats Lodge Resort & Marina”

Shiny Seduction for Sunup Specks at Bay Flats Lodge Resort & Marina

Bay Flats Lodge Resort & Marina

August 20, 2018

THE GUIDE REPORT

WEDNESDAY – Aug 15th

Capt. Todd Jones – Family fishing trips always seem to be the most fun, especially when you have a good day of catching. Returning customer Doug got the chance to bring his family down for the first time. His wife Helen, son Daniel, and daughter Nicole enjoyed a rare day on the water together. It was a slow start, but they kept the grind going until we finally got on a solid, fast and furious bite after lunch. It was fun to be a part of all the smiles and laughter. Hope to see all of you again very soon!

THURSDAY – Aug 16th

Capt. Stephen Boriskie – Today was a tough day for catching fish, at least from a keeper standpoint. However, we did do extremely well in the throwback division! Today’s crew stayed in the game until the very end, as we tried just about every go-to reef and sandy pocket where I typically fish. There were lots of “firsts” today for the newbie, as well as a lot of fun times kicking around on a beautiful day down here along the middle Texas coast. Continue reading “Shiny Seduction for Sunup Specks at Bay Flats Lodge Resort & Marina”

Trout-Green Water at Bay Flats Lodge Resort & Marina

Bay Flats Lodge Resort & Marina

August 13, 2018

THE GUIDE REPORT

THURSDAY – Aug 9th

Capt. Cody Spencer – Today was Day #2 with this group of three friends that made up the Rusty K. party. Yesterday presented us with rain and a slow bite, so we were hoping for a much better day today, and that’s exactly what we received. The guys had steady action all day long while catching speckled trout, jack crevalle, and even shark. It turned out being a very interesting trip with these guys from the Smithville area! Hope we’re able to do it again soon!

MONDAY – Aug 13th

Capt. Stephen Boriskie – Thanks to Mike C. who has trusted BFL multiple times each year over the past decade by bringing his 20+ customers each time for a more personal and relaxing way to talk business, and to catch fish at the same time. Old school ways of doing business are sometimes the best way! Take Brian here, for example, shown holding a 27.75″ redfish that he landed today. Add to this today’s near limit of hard to find speckled trout and you know why these guys return time and time again. We are approaching one of the most productive times of the month, and the year, so get on the books and make the short drive from almost anywhere in Texas. I have plenty of dates open for you and your guests, so call Angie or Randy at 1-888-677-4868 to get your fishing trip of a lifetime booked now!

Continue reading “Trout-Green Water at Bay Flats Lodge Resort & Marina”

High Temp Fishing at Bay Flats Lodge Resort & Marina

Bay Flats Lodge Resort & Marina

August 13, 2018

THE GUIDE REPORT

SATURDAY – Aug 4th

Capt. Kevin Matula – Had a great morning wading with lures with this group from the Ben M. party. They managed a decent box while wading waist to knee deep sand and grass. Their day ended with a dozen well-proportioned Speckled Trout and one nice slot Redfish. It was great to be able to get in on some awesome wade fishing with such a great group of anglers. Hope we can all do it again soon!

TUESDAY – Aug 7th

Capt. Billy Freudensprung – This morning was extremely slow, but my crew of four from the Chris M. party wouldn’t settle for a “goose-egg” finish on the day. They stuck out the hardships and proved to everyone that they had what it takes to turn a day of poor fishing into a time to remember. These folks put their heads together on our very last stop of the day and managed four handsome Redfish and nine Black Drum. It was an impressive recovery on the day!

Capt. ‘Lil John Wyatt – Everyone had a good time this morning out on the water. Today finished up two good days with this group from the Jared L. party. We had to work for the fish yesterday and today, but these guys were able to put fish in the box each day, plus they got to take plenty home for later. They were all-around happy customers! Continue reading “High Temp Fishing at Bay Flats Lodge Resort & Marina”

Southwest Wind Presents Challenges at Bay Flats Lodge Resort & Marina

Bay Flats Lodge Resort & Marina

July 30, 2018

THE GUIDE REPORT

THURSDAY – July 26th

Capt. Doug Russell – This morning we were presented with a lot less wind than usual, which allowed us to do a couple things we’re normally not able to do when the wind is blowing. All of this resulted in us being able to locate the trout bite early in the day while it was still cool. My crew of three ended their morning with a 3-man trout limit and a bonus big red. Maybe the redfish are back to stay – we’ve seen some nice ones over the past few days! We’ll keep our fingers crossed! Come on down and get in on some of the action!

Capt. Todd Jones – Today was a good day on the water with Gage and Jerry. A phone call from Capt. Billy, and a hungry school of redfish, saved the day for us! Our cell phone camera, however, didn’t do justice to this morning’s sunrise over the bay – I’ve never seen the sun so red! It was beautiful!

FRIDAY – July 27th Continue reading “Southwest Wind Presents Challenges at Bay Flats Lodge Resort & Marina”

Duck Hunting in Seadrift, Texas

NOW BOOKING DUCK HUNTS FOR THE 2018-19 SEASON

Along with the anticipation of this year’s daily limit for Pintail increasing to two per day, per hunter, there will be much more wing action available in the back lakes and along the bay front up and down Matagorda Island along the southern portions of Espiritu Santo Bay and San Antonio Bay. There will be redheads (and lots of ’em!), widgeon, blue and green-wing teal, canvasback, bluebill, gadwall, and even the occasional cinnamon teal and mottled duck.For those passionate about the outdoors, summertime along the Texas Gulf Coast typically means school is out, vacation time is near, and some of the year’s best fishing has yet to come. And regardless of how true that statement is, for us here at Bay Flats Lodge Resort & Marina the beginning of summer also means it’s time to begin our preparations for the upcoming duck season. That’s right, even with the hottest part of summer still months away, we’re already strategizing and planning for all that will be required of us in order to provide our guests with yet another satisfying and successful season next winter.

If that’s not enough to satisfy your waterfowl thirst, perhaps our latest addition to this year’s lineup of duck season tactics will entice you. Earlier this year we were fortunate enough to secure duck hunting privileges on a new piece of inland property, which is located just moments from the lodge and currently holds three freshwater ponds. We’re diligently working to complete seven more freshwater ponds prior to opening-day, and we look for this property to hold great potential for this year’s hunting guests.

Although not yet finalized, the TPWD “proposed” dates for our Texas south zone of the 2018-19 Duck Season are November 3-25, 2018, and then December 8, 2018 – January 27, 2019. For a first-class duck hunting experience along the mid-portion of the Texas Gulf Coast, look no further than Bay Flats Lodge Resort & Marina.

Bay Flats Lodge

Website
1-888-677-4868

Upcoming Fishing in August at Bay Flats Lodge Resort & Marina

Bay Flats Lodge Resort & Marina

July 26, 2018

Fun Fishing

THE GUIDE REPORT

MONDAY – July 23rd

Capt. Steve Boldt – Today was a grinder of a day, but my crew of three from the Jeremy K. party put their nose to the grindstone and got the job done. The wind wasn’t that bad this morning, and one of the guys stuck a fantastic trout just before 8:00am. At that point, we thought for sure we were into the fish heavily, and that it wouldn’t take any time at all to reach our limits. However, the bite weakened following that, and we suddenly realized we had our work cut out for us for the rest of the morning. The guys finished their day on a favorable note as they managed thirteen nice trout, four good-size reds, and two thick flounder.

Capt. Todd Jones – Not thirty minutes before this picture, Miles asked how often we catch flounder, to which I replied, “Not all that often”. He really wanted to catch a flounder. By pure chance, this happened not long after his question. It was his second ever, and new personal-best flounder on rod and reel, which measured right at 21-inches! Not pictured, also, is the 17-inch flounder that he caught on the very next cast! Ask, and you shall receive!

TUESDAY – July 24th Continue reading “Upcoming Fishing in August at Bay Flats Lodge Resort & Marina”

Sand, Shell and Beach at Bay Flats Lodge Resort & Marina

Bay Flats Lodge Resort & Marina

July 23, 2018

THE GUIDE REPORT

THURSDAY – July 19th

Capt. Perry Rankin – Today was wading with artificial bait day with Jeff, Eric, David, and Taylor. They all worked hard throughout the day, and it was a grind. However, they ended their day with some nice fish and some great fun. Everyone had a good time catching!

FRIDAY – July 20th

Capt. Doug Russell – My party of three today from the Todd H. group was actually able to get a little bit of a break from the searing heat. The decided to wade fish with lures, as well as with live bait, and had a much cooler time of things over that simply fishing out of the boat. The three of them each managed their own trout limit, some of which were pretty decent fish. I think they all had a good time today, and I hope they get to come back to see us soon!

SATURDAY – July 21st

Capt. Steve Boldt – Great trout action this morning with these guys. Not only did they manage a three-man trout limit, they also experience a Texas slam with one of them catching trout, redfish, and flounder. It turned out being a pretty nice day for being so darned hot outside. This same crew of mine will be back at them strong again tomorrow, so we hope things turn out as good as they did today! Continue reading “Sand, Shell and Beach at Bay Flats Lodge Resort & Marina”