# BIG TROUT ON THE SCENE at Bay Flats Lodge Resort & Marina



## Capt. Chris Martin

*Bay Flats Lodge Resort & Marina
April 18, 2019*

*YOU CAN NOW CHECK OUR ROOM & GUIDE AVAILABILITY​**CHECK AVAILABILITY​*Did you know that sixty guests can enjoy our five-star accommodations nightly? Booking as either an entire property, or individually, makes Bay Flats Lodge perfect for family reunions and corporate retreats that everyone will want to do again! For reservations call 888.677.4868 now!

*CONSERVATION AND BEER​*





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Recently, the Karbach Brewing Company was the guest of CCA here at Bay Flats Lodge. Last year, this Houston based brewery created â€œTasty Wavesâ€, a beer whose proceeds went to CCA to help with all the efforts CCA is undertaking. Coming this year, look for â€œCC Aleâ€, which will do the same thing. We are proud to be part of a community that is actively working to help make fishing better here on the Texas coast, and all around the country. Bay Flats Lodge is again partnering with the Building Conservation Trust, the habitat arm of CCA, to help build, maintain and restore fishing habitat on the central Texas coast.






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There are things all of us can do to make a difference. First of all, if youâ€™re not a member of CCA, join. Secondly, take time to consider making a donation to BCT here at Bay Flats Lodge, and weâ€™ll match it dollar-for-dollar. Another thing all of us can do to make a difference is to obey all the game laws. And lastly, buy some Karbach beer, especially â€œTasty Wavesâ€ and â€œCC ALEâ€. Who knew beer and conservation could go hand in hand?

*THE GUIDE REPORT​**SATURDAY - Apr 13th*
*Capt. Doug Russell* - Todayâ€™s guest was new to the art of fishing for redfish, but youâ€™d have never known it to see him in action. He truly made things look really easy!






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*Capt. Todd Jones* - Joe, Brooks, and David, first-time customers with the lodge, kept plugginâ€™ away and finished the day with a nice box of fish. First saltwater trip for David resulted in drum to 21â€, and a full limit of trout, with one stretching the tape at 22â€. Solid day of fishing for these guys, despite the tough wind conditions!

*Capt. Heath Borchert* - Productive day on the water for these two gentlemen! Despite howling winds, they managed to get a decent box of fish.






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*MONDAY - Apr 15th*
*Capt. Todd Jones* - Good first day on the water this morning with these three buddies from the Austin area. Brent, Chris, and Jeff filled the box with their limits of trout to 19â€, drifting over scattered shell and mud. One lone redfish added some color to the box before calling it a day after battling some pretty stiff winds. Back at it on Tuesday!

*TUESDAY - Apr 16th*
*Capt. Stephen Boriskie* - Relaxed customers take a redfish each on a beautiful afternoon trip along the middle Texas coast.






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*Capt. Cody Spencer* - On Monday we had some bad luck, and lost a bunch of really good reds and didnâ€™t end up with any keepers - had a big olâ€™ goose egg! Luckily, however, we were able to follow Monday up with some solid action for a quick Tuesday morning effort to salvage the trip.

*Capt. Jeremy McClelland* - Todayâ€™s extremely high winds may have dismayed some, but not my crew! They got serious, and got into some windy water action! One of todayâ€™s trout catches caused a smile that became nothing less than contagious! A good time was had by all!






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*Capt. Todd Jones* - Day two with this fun group. Fortunate to find early limits of trout to 20â€, we had a little more time today to search for some bigger pulls. After visiting more with the guys, I learned they purchased this trip at their local CCA banquet as a good excuse for their first visit with the lodge. Took us a few stops, but we finally found a few they were looking for. Brent bowed up on the first, with a bruiser that went 30â€. He opted for the quick photo and release. They boxed three more solid fish, and lost another oversized right at the boat. All in all, the day was a good ending to their first trip. Thanks for supporting CCA, and for visiting Bay Flats Lodge. See yâ€™all again next April for round two!






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*WEDNESDAY - Apr 17th*
*Capt. Stephen Boriskie* - This morningâ€™s cloudy, muggy conditions didnâ€™t alter the redfish bite much! Boxed some good ones this morning!






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_*The Houston Chronicle presents*​_*RESIST THE LURE OF THE LUREâ€¦​*_Excerpt of an article written by: Shannon Tompkins​_
A mottled matrix of shoal grass swards dotted by patches of bare, black mud carpeted the bottom of the flat along the Espiritu Santo Bay shoreline. We could see the marine landscape beneath the shallow green water covering the reach on which Billy Freudensprungâ€™s boat silently drifted.

As we passed over one of the shoal grass patches, a small blue crab resting atop the seagrass clump darted sideways, burying itself in the brown/green vegetation.
â€œLooks like a great place for redfish.â€

â€œIt is,â€ Freudensprung said, smiling as he moved to lower the mechanical shallow-water anchor on the boatâ€™s stern and secure a metal pole in the bay bottom amidships, staking the vessel parallel to the shoreline.

It seemed, too, the perfect kind of place for wadefishers to employ their favorite fishing tactic, stalking the shallow afoot while throwing topwater plugs, silver spoons or jig/soft-plastic artificial lures in hope of tricking a thick-shouldered redfish into believing the fake was a real meal. But no waders â€" no other boat, even â€" were anywhere to be seen on this foggy early April morning.

I mentioned the lack of company, particularly lure-chunking wadefishers.

â€œBottomâ€™s too soft. You canâ€™t wade here,â€ Freudensprung explained. And drift-fishing the flat, chunking lures, would have been tough because itâ€™s shallow and easy to spook the fish.

But there was another way to mine the gold-scaled prizes hunting prey on this flat.

Freudensprung pulled a fresh blue crab from an ice chest, cut the crustacean in half, trimmed the legs, and peeled the carapace, exposing the rich muscles and innards. He threaded the chunks on the wide-gap single hook, arming the spinning rigs fishing partner Will Ohmstede and I held, and nodded downwind.

â€œJust throw it as far as you can and let it sit there,â€ said the veteran fishing guide who grew up fishing and hunting along Texasâ€™ mid-coast. â€œRedfish will find it.â€

They did. Quickly.

Just a couple of minutes after casting his chunk of crab onto the flat, Ohmstede set the hook, connecting to a thick-backed 26-inch redfish that boiled the water then bore off across the flat, pushing a wake like a torpedo.

Then it was my turn. That distinctive â€œtickâ€ traveled up the braided line, and I set the hook into a fish almost the twin of Ohmstedeâ€™s.

â€œSometimes, you can actually feel them crunching the crab,â€ Freudensprung said. â€œThey love â€™em.â€

Indeed they do. We steadily traded catching fish, enjoying the simple and unhurried pace of this style of fishing while watching the coastal estuary come to life, above, on and below the surface.

Fishing with natural baits, live or recently alive, is one of the most enjoyable and undeniably productive methods of angling on Texas coastal waters. Itâ€™s also the most traditional as well as the most often used tactic by the stateâ€™s million-plus coastal anglers.

This truth often gets lost or at least obscured by some in the inshore fishing community. So much of recreational saltwater fishing discussions, public and private, are today focused on fishing with artificial lures. Fishing with natural bait tends to get short shrift or worse, especially among some of the more high-profile coastal anglers who fish exclusively with artificial lures.

Yes, thereâ€™s a special kind of thrill and satisfaction in experiencing a speckled trout explode a topwater plug worked on the surface of a bay flat, or having a redfish come torpedoing through inches-deep shallows to crush wobbling gold spoon. But itâ€™s just as satisfying to watch a popping cork drift just right in a seam of current pushing along an oyster reef disappear when a redfish grabs the snapping live shrimp suspended beneath it, or when that tell-tale â€œtickâ€ travels up the line and into an anglerâ€™s fingers signaling a speckled trout has snatched a live croaker, spot, piggy perch or finger mullet free-lined along a jetty or some other submerged structure.

And sometimes, as was the case earlier this month during a couple of days fishing along the middle coast, natural baits are the only way to fish in some situations and almost certainly the most productive in almost all circumstances. Thatâ€™s why natural baits are most anglersâ€™ go-to choice and a cornerstone of Texasâ€™ inshore recreational fishing. More than half of all fish landed from Texas inshore waters by anglers fishing from private boats are caught on natural baits.

*WHAT OUR RECENT GUESTS ARE SAYINGâ€¦​*_The entire staff could not have been more friendly, and were always happy to do anything we needed. We really enjoyed fishing with Capt. Todd Jones. From the first time we met, to the end of our second day, he did a great job understanding what we wanted to do and how we wanted to do it! The dinner and breakfast were outstanding, and lunch on the boat was just the right amount also! - *Brent H. 4/17/19*

The staff is very friendly and accommodating. On the second day we fished, the wind was very strong and fishing conditions were bad, but Capt. Billy Freudensprung worked his tail off to try to put us on some fish. He tried as hard as he could, and I commend him on his effort! The pork chops at dinner were incredible, the breakfast was very good, and the sandwiches for lunch out on the boat were huge! - *Daniel J. 4/17/19*

The kindest and most polite staff I have ever seen! I do a lot of business travel events to various lodges, and I can tell you that I have never experienced a classier outfitter than Bay Flats. You guys are simply the best! No detail is overlooked. Seriously - a set of ear plugs and a bottle of water on every nightstand - fantastic! I cannot wait to come back! Plus, I never once had to take a fish off my hook - Capt. Todd Jones did everything we asked, and he did so with a smile! We were the last boat to come in every day, and Capt. Todd had no problem with it! - *Chris N. 4/17/19*

A very welcoming staff, along with a streamlined check-in process. Capt. Garret Wygrys was a great fit for our group. He was easy-going and good natured, and he made every effort to put us on fish even in tough conditions. We will definitely recommend him for future trips! The pork chop at dinner was incredible! Without exaggeration, it was the best I have ever eaten! Each course was excellent! Top-notch facility - pristine in every way, comfortable and inviting. It is evident that great thought and care are put into this lodge! Truly a great retreat. Keep up the great work! - *Matt S. 4/17/19*_

*SEVEN-DAY WEATHER FORECAST​**Thursday 80 % Precip.*
Thunderstorms during the morning will give way to mostly sunny skies this afternoon along with gusty wind. High 83F. Winds NW at 20 to 30 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Higher wind gusts possible.
*Friday 0 % Precip.*
Sunny. High 79F. Winds NNW at 15 to 25 mph.
*Saturday 0 % Precip.*
Sunny skies. High 78F. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph.
*Sunday 10 % Precip.*
Except for a few afternoon clouds, mainly sunny. High 79F. Winds SSE at 15 to 25 mph.
*Monday 10 % Precip.*
Partly cloudy skies during the morning hours will become overcast in the afternoon. High 79F. Winds SE at 10 to 20 mph.
*Tuesday 20 % Precip.*
Cloudy. High 79F. Winds SE at 15 to 25 mph.
*Wednesday 50 % Precip.*
Variably cloudy with scattered thunderstorms. Low 67F. Winds SE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 50%.
*Synopsis:* A cold front along with scattered showers and thunderstorms is moving toward the Middle Texas coast Thursday morning. Occasionally strong winds can be expected. Small craft advisories continue for much of the area through at least early morning. A weak to moderate offshore flow is expected much of the day, but will strengthen tonight with SCAs likely once again. Offshore flow will gradually subside Friday. Winds will shift around to the east and southeast by the weekend. Small Craft Advisory conditions will be possible again beginning Saturday night and will continue periodically through the early part of next week.
*Coastal Water Temperature:* 
Port Aransas 71.1 degrees
Seadrift 73.0 degrees
Matagorda Bay 71.1 degrees

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Captain Chris Martin
www.BayFlatsLodge.com

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*Thanks*

Happy Easter from all of us at Bay Flats Lodge


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## Capt. Chris Martin

*Location, Location, Location.*


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