The pool really looks nice today. With the smaller crowds, the water clears up and looks very blue. However last three chaise lounge chairs are all on the cusp of being unserviceable, but help is on the way. UPS was scheduled to deliver six new chaises today. They may be installed by tomorrow.
Yesterday afternoon three women drove up in three nice late model vehicles and parked near the pool. They all stayed in the pool for about two hours. They then packed up and drove out and turned south on highway 35. With the pool looking as nice as it does and the new chairs, we may have more non guests coming to enjoy our amenities.
This nesting Mourning Dove in the top portion of the picture is nesting late in the season. It may be a good idea since dove hunting season opens this week staying out of the fields and closer to home is wise. I have done my share of bird watching and have never witnessed what this dove does. I have seen videos and read about this behavior, but never seen it. When I go near her nest by the pool, she flutters to the ground and drags her wing in an attempt to lure me, or any presumed predator away. When she has fluttered to near the 700 building she takes off and flys away.

This article was recently posted in the Victoria Advocate.

Hello Anglers! I know four months from now I will probably be telling everyone how cold it is but right now it is extremely hot. We'll be fighting these temperatures for at least another month so take all precautions when pursuing game fish in the Coastal Bend area.
It is very encouraging to hear reports from numerous anglers about trout being caught from the Colorado River all the way down to Corpus Christi Bay. This same time last year trout fishing was horrible because of the high salinity levels in all the bays on the Middle Coast. I was spending time last August in the Baffin Bay system because the Rockport area was void of keepable trout. They migrated north and south. Now with all the fresh water we've had since last December, the trout have begun to move back into the bays on the Middle Coast. Numerous limits have been taken on the shorelines and shell by summertime anglers everywhere. You still have to hunt for the trout but at least I know that they are available to be hunted.
The best bait to catch keepable speckled trout is still a free-lined nasty little croaker. We've had some great trips the past few weeks wading the shorelines and shell pads using croakers with a Pink Salt Shaker attached 14 inches above the hook. This combination continues to be the most effective. The fishing, or should I say catching, would be over the top for the Rockport anglers if Cedar Bayou is opened. First of all let's look at a short history of Cedar Bayou.
Cedar Bayou is a natural pass that was intentionally closed in 1978 to prevent oil during the Bay of Campeche oil spill off the Texas Coast from entering the local bays. There have been two attempts to re-open Cedar Bayou cut, but those openings closed after only a few short years after each attempt.
A cheaper method was used in the dredging process. A straight cut from the Gulf to the first curve was used instead of re-dredging the cut the way that Mother Nature or God had formed it.
Texas coastal anglers and birdwatchers continue to question why the effort to restore the Cedar Bayou and Vinson Slough Pass has faced so much opposition; the average angler understands that the pass is very beneficial to the fish and wildlife in the area. Cedar Bayou and Vinson Slough provide the only conduit for circulation and water exchange between the Gulf of Mexico with 20,000 acres of wetlands and (7) bays in the Texas Coastal Bend System. The intent of reopening Cedar Bayou is to re-establish this pass as a route for migrating marine species and subsequently improve the fisheries of Mesquite Bay and the surrounding bay system.
Additional benefits will include enhancement of salt marsh areas through improved circulation and stabilization of salinity during times of drought or heavy freshwater in-flows.
Last year at this time the bays had a much higher salinity level than the Gulf. If this cut was open speckled trout might have stayed in these (7) bays instead of migrating to bays with lower salinity levels.
Numerous Rockport guides, including myself, went further south to locate fish. You can imagine how Rockport's economy suffered and has been suffering for years because of Cedar Bayou being closed. When there is a greater abundance of fish there are a greater number of people in their pursuit. Rockport's economy could sure use it.
Lynn Edwards with "Save Cedar Bayou, Inc." has relentlessly been using every means possible to see this through. During the past months, more than 1,200 signatures have been gathered along with letters of support from concerned citizens throughout the State of Texas. After 10 years of fighting for the cause, the battle is still ongoing.
There was a glimmer of hope the middle of July as C.I.A.P. had a $5 million grant for the project available if the permit was issued by Sept. 1. Now just a few weeks ago, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said that before a permit is issued there must be a formal access plan through Mesquite Bay. This is not possible before the Sept. 1 deadline. The battle continues. I have a lot more information on this subject that I'll share at a later date.
Thanks again to Lynn Edwards for all that she has done and is still doing.
Good Fishing,

Captain Danny