P.I.N.S. TX surf report 1/1-3/3/09

I have not visited this site much since registering. I thought someone should be representing Texas Shark fishing ....old news if you visit others sites....but here is a collection of my reports since Jan 1st of this year through yesterday. Not exactly Florida caliber....but the best this semi-newbie can do...hope ya enjoy.....

NEW YEARS DAY

My first fish of '09

Leon was headed down and the plan was to put a sandbar on the beach. It didn't take long for one of the first baits dropped to get picked up. Leon had a solid fish on his 6/0, they exchanged line a few times but the hook would eventually pull.

While studying the bait obviously mangled by a shark my 4/0 goes slack....but this one wouldn't put up much of a fight....

and then Leon would winch one in.....

and then just like that...the bite was OFF
our last few lines would get weeded out and we turned in early.

We ran baits early the next morning and waited.....and waited.....and waited but couldn't give a fish away.
It stayed windy for the most part then changed to really freaking windy in the afternoon....and then one of my lines finally goes slack....another bullred in the wash and leaderboy redeems himself and drags in my personal best 44"

Not long after sunset the wind would die and it became eerie calm, another one of my lines goes slack and I begin to winch in what I assumed to be another red....but this one was tuggin a 'lil different.....

First shark of the year

A drum that leon dropped deep would get picked up, he picks up the slack and feels a fish.....a good fish.
They took line from each other a few times and then that sweet dorsal fin pops up in the wash...sandbar

The J hook had caught him right in the lower jaw

After a few quick pictures we release Leon's biggest sandbar to date...a healthy 6'8'' Male

3 lines would stay out overnight, 2 would get washed in without bait, and the 3rd brought back in with a whole drum untouched.
Some nice fish, nice weather, and good time spent with a buddy.....here's to '09

Jan 8-9

The water was great, no weed or grass to be dealt with.

"STUD" pomp

A passerby and his son stopped to help measure and take pics.....this one taped out at 74'' and picked up the smallest bait in my spread......compared to the pic of the last 74" Blacktip I caught.....you sure can tell the difference between the cameraman lying down versus standing up....

This one went 57" and ironically picked up the biggest bait in my spread

I put out fresh baits at midnight and again in the morning, all were either picked clean or had small bites taken out.

JAN 22-23

Steven and I made it to the "spot" around 3am Wednesday crashing hard only to wake hours later to primo conditions.......

Steven went to work throwing his sabiki rig in the wade gut picking up whiting and reds

I was chunking fishbites into the second and managed to pick up a baitsized drum and some small pomps......the action was fast enough that a few times the bait was picked up before I could set the rod.....frustrating when you're trying to rig shark gear. While tying a leader on my 12/0 I notice my baitrod laid over.....after a nice tug session I land my best big ugly from the sand

Stevens kickass rigged baits

a few baits get deployed....as I walk over to recast my bait rod when I hear my 6/0 screaming.....right away I new this was no blacktip....moments later steven tailropes my longest sandbar to date....but not quite the fattest.....

a couple quick pics, tag and measurements and she is sent back to the deep.

throughout the day we would have multiple pickups and drops.....with the most heartbreaking being a mega bait on my 12/0 around dark 30 that was bit clean in half between the 16/0 j's

we got an early start the next morning on bait catching.....man was it cold

it was the same old story throughout the day....small sharks played havoc slacking up our lines....

late in the day my 4/0 gets picked up by a decent shark and "the bite WAS on"

a 6'1'' January bull.....man I love Texas

check out the tail on this guy

the sun fell and we had about 8 lines out and felt good about our spread. Early in the evening Stevens 6wide goes slack and he gets his first shark of the year....a nice female sandy

I drag her back to the water and Steven gets back to cooking a badass steak dinner.....before we could finish his 4/0 dropped short gets annhilated.....

after an intense 30+min fight full of headshakes and drag melting runs...Steven gets the fish in close only to have the hook pull at the first bar....
a little bummed out we make it to our quarters for some shut eye.....it seemed like only moments passed and another rod sounded...this one wouldnt put up much of a fight

while releasing this fish I notice my casted rod was slack.....expecting another mauled bait we find this little ankle biter


the "release"

good times were had for sure....seems like fishing was steady enough to keep me from catching a nap.....besides just making for good company Steven cooks steakhouse quality meals on the beach.....a nice treat compared to the cans of soup and lunchables I normally feast on.....these are the kind of trips that are hard to beat........

SOLO B-day trip...Feb 4th

5:30 AM my alarm clock starts buzzing. I roll over to hit the snooze when I realize where I am, open the door and with the first step fall flat on my face in the sand, my foot is still asleep as I hobble over to a jigmaster screaming as line peels off towards the mouth of the jetties. It was eerie calm, no wind, no waves. I fought the fish back to the rocks when suddenly a large dorsal fin pops up and with a splash from a tail my reel began to empty again. A few more runs like that and she's ready to be leadered. The hook popped right out, after a quick measurement and picture she is released....but not before giving me a few good tailslaps.

I was a little bummed out that Brandon couldn't make it down, but an adrenaline rush like that always makes a solo trip worth it. Being awake for a killer sunrise never hurts either.

NOAA had the weather window slowly deteriorating so I made a quick dash up the beach to run baits out before noon. Bait had been hard to come by so I was forced to use frozen bait and two whiting I managed the night before. Throughout the day lines would sit untouched, bait rigs reeled in with shrimp still intact. It was one of the slowest days of fishing I've ever had.

Around 3pm the wind picks up and a reel takes off, and I get this small Sandbar.

While paddling back in from dropping that bait off, another rod lays over screaming but would stop before I got to it. I tried to get a few more baits out but the surf was big enough to dump me over backwards....I called it a day and put on dry clothes. Shortly after sundown my last bait gets picked up and on the sand comes a nice chunky blacktip.

I made my way off the beach at lowtide early the next morning coming across some good beach finds including this killer shell.....

...and this washed up dolphin.

MARCH 2-3rd

Met Brandon at the 4x4 sign late Sunday, driving was fantastic as we made it to the 50's in record time. A campfire was built, welcomes exchanged and the late night caused a late start Monday morning.

The water was dirty, but there was no sign of weed for the time being. A few small pomps were caught and just before noon I get this 6'3'' Sandbar.

Later the wind picked up and large mats of weed plagued the first gut. About every 5 minutes we were clearing lines.
Brandon headed back to town and would later meet me at the jetties where I had camp set up and a few lines casted into the channel.

Around 3:30am I get a good run, as I head to the rocks and set the drag a small shark (i'm assuming) goes airborne and leaves me confused the entire fight as my 6/0 is near max drag and the fish is making slow long runs with head shakes. Brandon grabs the leader and it becomes obvious that I just got punked by a Sandbar.

Just over the 7' mark, this one must have intersected paths with another smaller fish that decided it best to jump out of the way
Props to Brandon for hangin out on the rocks in the cold night air, barefoot in shorts and a t-shirt to help CPR this big girl.

The sea looked awesome the next morning.

We ran down to the 40's with high hopes and a good spread, a few of Brandons baits were picked up but the only catch was this little guy.

Tired, sunburned, sore, and wreaking of coffee grounds (dont ask)......I've never been so glad to get home to a warm shower......