Wind breaker


By Ralph Winingham
For the Amarillo Globe-News
Publication Date: 05/03/09

ROCKPORT

Wind is no stranger to the Texas Gulf Coast fishing grounds so popular with anglers chasing redfish and speckled trout during the spring and summer months.

Veteran saltwater guides have learned to ply their trade around the choppy waves and murky water, although this year the high winds have been making their jobs just a little bit tougher.

"I've been a guide for the past eight years and have been fishing down here for more than 30 years - there has just been a lot more wind without a break than I can remember," said Ron Coulston with Ron's Guide Service.

Combined with the sputtering economic climate, the windy conditions have resulted in an unwelcome impact on this well-known fishing destination about 30 miles northeast of Corpus Christi.

"With lots of wind and no rain, this season is starting off pretty mediocre," he added. "Some of the guides are saying their business is down about 40 percent."

Katie Roussy, a meteorologist at the Corpus Christi National Weather Service Station, said windy conditions are normal in the area during March through May, although this year has experienced slightly unusual circumstances.

"The difference this year is the prolonged, continuous days of windy conditions. We usually get a reprieve," she said. "There has been a persistent low pressure system in the southern plains of the Rocky Mountains that is producing these conditions."

So far this year, the peak wind gust has been 48mph and the highest sustained winds (over a two-minute period) have been 40mph - both statistics within the norm for the area.

To counter the big winds, Coulston said he has adapted his fishing tactics to take advantage of sheltered areas where reds and trout can be found in good numbers.

"Going out early before the winds come up is a good idea," he said recently while launching his skift before a pre-dawn venture out of the Cove Harbor South Marina.

"We'll stay close and keep in the areas that are protected by islands. We'll still feel the wind, but the waves won't be as rough as when you are out in the open."

After a 10-minute boat ride, the retired civil service worker turned fishing guide dropped anchor and broke out the fishing gear. His plan was to use free-line cut bait on the bottom for redfish and live shrimp under popping corks for speckled trout.

"Croakers, which are the best bait for big trout, have been scarce and the ones we can get are a little weak so far this year," Coulston said.

While he would normally hit his hot spots found farther out in more open water, the sheltered areas have been productive in the early morning hours so far this season, he explained.

The proof that Coulston's plan was working came quickly - a big redfish snatched one of the free-line baits, bending the stiff action rod into a rainbow, before snapping the line within minutes of the bait hitting the shallow water.

"My guess is that the line was cut on a piece of shell. I'm using 30-pound braided line that normally doesn't break that easily," he said.

The next hit, mere minutes later, did not prove to be so lucky for that red. After several minutes of give and take, complete with a few line-stripping runs that make redfish such an exciting catch, a 21-inch keeper was brought to the net.

Just after the keeper red was dropped in the box, a popping cork on another line disappeared from sight and the fight was on with a chunky speckled trout. That pole-bending action ended with a nice 22-inch trout being scooped into the boat.

Several keeper reds and trout, plus a few undersized fish, kept the fishing action hot and heavy for another hour. By about 8 a.m., the action came to a sudden stop.

"We are expecting the season to get better as we go along," Coulston said, pointing out the prime time for catching reds and trout - particularly with the very popular live baits of croaker and piggy perch - will continue through August.

"A little less wind would be nice," he added.