# New boat, this dog can hunt....



## Redfish Rick (Aug 27, 2004)

6/28/2015 - First trip in the new boat

The new flounder boat is finally complete, and I took my first real trip in it tonight. There are still a few minor bugs to work out, but overall I am very impressed with the way it runs and handles. The boat is 26' long and 9' wide, drafts 4 1/2 inches (6 inches with 4-6 people onboard), and runs 45mph on the top end with a full load of 6 people and gear.

I had the Ralph P. group of 6 onboard tonight. Conditions were fair, with South wind at 10-15mph and very low tide. The low tide and dirty water combined for some tough conditions early tonight, and we didn't gig our first fish until 10:30pm. We worked several more areas and finally found some scattered fish holding very shallow over grass bottom. We ended with 18 flounder by 1:30am, and the kids had a great time. The flounder were very nice size tonight, with most in the 18-21" range.

Capt. Rick Hammond
Night Stalker Guide Service - Rockport, Texas
Flounder Gigging - Bay Fishing - Duck Hunting
361-727-0045
www.nightstalkerguideservice.com


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## Redfish Rick (Aug 27, 2004)

*Quick limits with a group of 6*

*6/29/2015*

I had the Ralph P. group of 6 onboard again tonight. Conditions were nice with 10-15mph South winds dropping to less than 5mph after dark, and very low tide. We found clear water and the fish right away tonight over hard sand/grass bottom. Half of the fish tonight were sitting in thick grass areas, making them very hard to spot from a distance. We found an unbelievable school of flounder in one small 200 yard area, and hammered them until we had our limit. The flounder were actively feeding in this area, moving around a bunch and chasing bait in front of the boat, sometimes going airborne in their attempts. New fish were constantly moving in to replace the fish we already gigged. We made multiple passes through the same area, picking up more fish each time, even some laying in old beds of flounder we just gigged minutes before. This was the definition of a "hot spot", and something I haven't seen in quite some time. It reminded me of the "good old days" where we used to see this kind thing on a regular basis. We ended with a 30 flounder limit by 10:45pm. The fish tonight were a bit smaller than last night, with all of them in the 14-19" range.

Capt. Rick Hammond
Night Stalker Guide Service - Rockport, Texas
Flounder Gigging - Bay Fishing - Duck Hunting
361-727-0045
www.nightstalkerguideservice.com


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## Redfish Rick (Aug 27, 2004)

*Night 3 of 4 for the Ralph P. group*

*6/30/2015*
I had the Ralph P. group of 6 onboard for their 3rd night in a row. The sunset tonight was amazing, the best I have seen in a long time, and pictures don't do it justice...As they say, "red sky at night, sailors delight". Conditions were nice, with 5mph SE wind and slightly low tide. We had some big winds up to 45mph from a squall line early in the afternoon today that absolutely shredded the bay. Even with a drop in winds during the evening, the water took a long time to clear up. We faced lots of dirty water for most of the trip, but it gradually cleared up later in the trip. The gigging started slow, but got really good as we neared the bottom of the low tide. The fish tonight were holding in clear water pockets over soft mud bottom with scattered shell. We gigged our 30 flounder limit plus 1 black drum limit by 11:45pm.


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## Redfish Rick (Aug 27, 2004)

*As good as it gets*

*7/1/2015*
I had the Ralph P. group of 6 onboard for their 4th and final night of gigging. Conditions were nice, with South wind at less than 5mph and very low tide. We started slow, finding dirty water and only a few skittish flounder in the shallow areas. Around 10:30pm, things changed as large numbers of flounder poured onto the flats. We found the fish buried deep in mud/sand bottom far away from the shoreline. We ended with a 30 flounder limit by 11:30pm (2 1/2 hours of gigging). The fish tonight were better size, with most in the 16-20" range. This group had a remarkable 4 nights of gigging, with 3 out of 4 trips resulting in a 30 fish limit before midnight. Windy weather is forecast to start tomorrow and last through the coming week. I hope I can stay on the fish and find clear water in the coming nights.

Capt. Rick Hammond
Night Stalker Guide Service - Rockport, Texas
Flounder Gigging - Bay Fishing - Duck Hunting
361-727-0045
www.nightstalkerguideservice.com


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