We finally got a break from the wind on Tuesday. Marvin, Merlin(506), and I went out in the afternoon. We picked up five trout and four gafftop. Marvin wanted to use live shrimp, but Gulp was doing much better and soon changed. I did put a shrimp on at Paul's Mott to give it a try. I hooked into the biggest thing I ever caught in the bay, outside of sharks. It never made a run, but fought its way to the boat and made two circles around the boat. After the second lap it came out of the water about 15 feet away. We all saw it and did not know what it was. It was not a red and not enough girth for drum. On the third lap it made a short run and the hook became dislodged. It was between 30 and 40 inches long and dark on top. The tall dorsal fin and tail were very dark, but the body was lighter and svelte.
The entrance channel is really filling in. I had the jackplate all the way up and still couldn't get in. I had to tilt the engine all the way up and float over the hump at the west end of the channel. Something will likely have to be done before summer. I think the problem was that a turn was not incorporated into the breakwater and the waves just come right down the channel and deposit their suspended solids further and further up the channel. Initially the failure of Moose to close the wall where it joins the old wall was clearly a problem and it still is the most shallow area. However the whole thing is filling in from the constant wave action. The very end is still seven feet deep, but near the former end of the pier it is down to two feet.
Justin is back from California and Rob is in California until early next week.
Marv and Rita left yesterday to go back to Pearland. Rita said the wind was so strong last weekend that the it overturned a table on the deck and the table then smashed the window and scattered glass into the condo.
Merlin has been doing well on the pier using really small perch for bait. I saw his catch on Monday and he had three really nice trout in only about a hour of fishing.
I was passing through Holiday Beach on 35 at dusk recently. An Aransas County Sheriff's officer pulled me over and said that I was driving without headlights. I showed him that the headlights are automatic and if its dark, they are on! I don't believe I could turn them off if I wanted to. He walked around to the front of the car and came back and said, "I think I have the wrong car." What's up with that? Maybe that's why the current sheriff lost in the primary in March.