Corky Season - Fact or Fiction

Chris Martin

Owner - Bay Flats Lodge Resort

Published Aug 2, 2018

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Bay Flats Lodge Resort & Marina

August 2, 2018

IN THE NEWS AT BAY FLATS LODGE

By: Randy Brown – Lodge Manager

When you make your living from the water, it only makes sense to take care of that water. We at Bay Flats Lodge continue to do our best to do just that. Partnering with CCA’s Building Conservation Trust (BCT) allows us to join our customers in making sure the middle Texas coast fishery gets better and better. The picture accompanying this post is of a couple of our guides who are just as committed to this project as anyone else. Like everyone else here at Bay Flats Lodge, they make their living from the fishery around us, so giving back just makes sense!

THE GUIDE REPORT

MONDAY – July 30th

Capt. Doug Russell – Granted, the wind may pick up in the afternoons after things have had a chance to heat up each day, but we are finally beginning to see some much welcomed calmer winds on a more regular basis now. Today’s crew consisted of a father and his two young children, all of which were a blast to fish with. The kiddos struck first by catching the first fish of the day, which (BTW) happened to be a very handsome and solid trout! Later on, Dad enjoyed a true fight supplied by a beautiful Jack Crevalle. I think the kids used more energy than the fish today, but everyone enjoyed their time together while out on the water and that’s what counts!

Capt. Kevin Matula – Today was a great day with this couple from Temple, TX. The morning bite started out very slow, but once we located the fish, it was game on! The couple managed their two-person trout limits, with one of the trout being of really good size!

TUESDAY – July 31st

Capt. Cody Spencer – I had the privilege of taking some members of the Bay Flats Lodge housekeeping staff out on the water today for a break from the everyday grind! They caught some fish, and we all managed lots of laughs, with Tejano music in the background all day long! I even had a few dance moves to add to the mix of things! It was a blast, and I really enjoyed being able to show these ladies my appreciation for all that they do on a regular basis around the lodge! I hope we get to do it again real soon!

Capt. ‘Lil John Wyatt – I was honored today with the opportunity to take members of the Bay Flats Lodge staff fishing. It was a chance for me to give a little bit back to theses ladies for all of their hard work, and for everything that they do for us on a regular basis. It turned out being an absolute awesome trip with lots of fun, and even lots of fish!

Capt. Jeremy McClelland – What a treat it was today to take out a couple of our Bay Flats Lodge staff members. One of the ladies caught her biggest fish ever, and the other one caught her first fish ever. We took a break from the action later in the morning for some quick photos up against some flowers along the shoreline, and then it was on to sightseeing – looking for any gators we might be able to catch a glimpse of. I really enjoyed being with these ladies, and was very proud to have been able to be a part of two such memorable fishing accomplishments! My thanks go out once again to those ladies for all that they do for not only our Bay Flats customers, but also for everyone else here at the lodge.

CORKY SEASON – FACT OR FICTION

By: Christopher Bush of “The Speckled Truth”

Please join us as we send a tremendous thank you to today’s highlighted outdoor author, Christopher Bush, for allowing us to share with you the following condensed excerpts from his latest article off of his award winning fishing blog, The Speckled Truth, which can be found on the web at http://blog.thespeckledtruth.com. Whether you’re an old-salt or novice, The Speckled Truth seeks to provide you a better understanding of the commonly sought after speckled trout – the unique qualities these fish possess, as well as their distinguishing characteristics. The Speckled Truth equips you with local tips, techniques, and insight into the experience of chasing that elusive “gator trout”.

As an early 80’s baby growing up in the city of New Orleans, I was fortunate to remember a time before social media. Days on the delta weren’t measured by likes and shares, but were seared into a camera’s film instead. We liked to fish…a lot. Better yet, magazines and other periodicals gave us insight on a monthly prescription versus the Google keyword searches we now live by. In one of those magazines, I remember hearing and reading about the legendary Paul Brown Corky. Following the introduction of the world-wide-web, I remember reading posts and gawking at pictures of Texas anglers with larger than normal trout. One thing I distinctly remember was that as temperatures cooled, big trout pictures became more prevalent and it never failed that the “Corky” was the lure of choice. For me, now with tangible evidence (see detailed data at http://blog.thespeckledtruth.com), it’s safe to say that Corky Season is indeed a real thing. Let’s examine why for a minute.

The first reason is water levels. Regardless of which estuary, water levels in the wintertime typically get lower. However, with a lowering water level mean, these baits slow their descent rate tremendously as the water gets colder. In other words, this means that you can still fish these baits consistently and confidently where trophy trout roam – skinny flats earmarked with deep water nearby.

The second reason, and most importantly, is the fact that the Corky imitates a finfish. Wintertime trophy trout in south Texas can be found in surprisingly skinny water. Also in wintertime, most other food sources for big trout have now vacated the shallow flats, typically leaving mullet and other small trout as their main forage. So, confidently fishing a lure that performs better in a shrinking water column coupled with a mullet profile imitation can lend itself to some epic wintertime trophy trout action. With that said, however, I’m not dismissing the notion that these baits don’t work year round. I’m just saying the characteristics these baits possess in the wintertime versus summertime lend themselves to being that much more productive.

It goes without saying that these baits perform differently given the water temperature and salinity levels in your estuary, and whether you fish from North Carolina to south Texas I encourage you to reflect back as to why these may have been successful. As we continue to navigate the summer heat and look forward to the cooler temperatures ahead, we should all look forward to the possibilities these baits possess. After all, it’s not that much longer of a wait. So, until the coolness of fall arrives, keep in mind the use of hard plastic suspend-style baits – never stop learning, and keep pluggin’. Tight lines and God bless! – Chris Bush

THIS WEEK’S BFL STAFF FISHING TRIPS

By: Randy Brown – Lodge Manager

A lodge, like any business, will only be as good as the people working at it, and the team at Bay Flats Lodge is as good as they come. It takes everyone – kitchen staff, guides, housekeeping, maintenance and management – working together to provide the very best for our customers. It is truly a team effort that makes Bay Flats Lodge special. And we think something else that sets us apart is our confidence in that team. You see, unlike some other businesses, our clients interact with all of us. We don’t hide anyone. You can see our maintenance guys working to keep our portion of the coast safe and beautiful, and can see the kitchen and housekeeping staff taking care of our customers to make sure their every need is met. Management is on site most of the time, and our big secret is that we love it. One of the great joys of my job is talking with all of you at our outdoor grill after a day of fishing.

But, of course, everyone wants to feel appreciated, so on Tuesday morning of this week three of our guides took the time to say “thank you” to some of the housekeeping and kitchen staff by providing a morning fishing trip. These three parts of the team are very dependent on each other – it’s a pretty cool cycle. When you arrive at the lodge, it’s housekeeping that has done the bulk of the work in creating a homelike atmosphere for you to eat, drink, play games, and to rest. Almost immediately, you are dropped into the capable hands of our kitchen staff and served restaurant quality food in that homelike atmosphere. The next morning you are handed off to guides who are awesome at facilitating sport, exercise, and bonding opportunities, and it doesn’t hurt that the guides get to share in some of the outstanding breakfast served daily. When you return from your fishing or hunting trip, the cycle starts all over again.

Every member of the Bay Flats team is vital to this cycle, but today we’re focusing on some of the fantastic female members of our team. So, Capt. Cody, Capt. Jeremy and Capt. ‘Lil John, thanks for showing these hard-working women just how much we all appreciate them!

HERE’S WHAT SOME RECENT GUESTS HAD TO SAY…

Capt. Steve Boldt is a great guide, and an awesome person! It was a great experience, and I’m going to recommend Bay Flats to all my friends and family! – Rick G. 7/30/18

T.J. did an awesome job getting us taken care of during check-in! Capt. Jeremy McClelland worked his tail off, and was a great host! The food was amazing as always, and this was my first time to stay in the Flounder Suite and it was great – a perfect setup for us! We had an excellent time – everything was on-point, as always! – Aaron T. 7/30/18

The attentive, enthusiastic and charming staff was joyful – they treated us like family! Capt. Todd Jones was the best guide that I have had in my 70 years of fishing. He knew when to support us, get on fish, remove our game from lines, net our catch and have bait on-the-ready to get hooks back into the water. He was able to figure out how to hook up some monster black drum and fill our limits through two days of great action, pleasant company and gracious attention. Capt. Todd not only made our trip special, but he gave us unique memories that we will carry for a lifetime! The pork chops were great, too! – Jerry K. 7/30/18

FIVE-DAY WEATHER FORECAST

Thursday 10 % Precip. / 0.0 in

Except for a few afternoon clouds, mainly sunny. High 94F. N winds shifting to E at 10 to 15 mph.

Friday 0 % Precip. / 0.0 in

Sunny skies. High 92F. Winds E at 10 to 15 mph.

Saturday 60 % Precip. / 0.07 in

Scattered thunderstorms in the morning. Partly cloudy skies late. High 89F. Winds SE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 60%.

Sunday 30 % Precip. / 0.02 in

Isolated thunderstorms in the morning, then skies turning partly cloudy late. High around 90F. Winds ESE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 30%.

Monday 60 % Precip. / 0.04 in

Partly to mostly cloudy skies with scattered thunderstorms in the morning. High around 90F. Winds SE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 60%.

Synopsis:

A weak frontal boundary will meander over the region, creating weak and variable winds Thursday. Dry conditions are expected through Thursday. The combination of an upper level disturbance and greater moisture will contribute to isolated to scattered showers and thunderstorms Saturday and Sunday. Weak to moderate onshore flow expected Friday through Sunday, due to surface low pressure over the Southern Plains and over West Texas.

Coastal Water Temperature:

Port Aransas 84.9 degrees

Seadrift 84.9 degrees

Matagorda Bay 82.9 degrees

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