# TROUT ARE GAINING MOMENTUM at Bay Flats Lodge Resort & Marina



## Capt. Chris Martin (May 22, 2004)

*Bay Flats Lodge Resort & Marina
May 2, 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!

*THANK YOU TO OUR REPEAT CUSTOMERS​*





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The lodge welcomed returning guests this week for meetings and fishing. Thank you for the business!

*CCA-TEXAS AND THE 
BUILDING CONSERVATION TRUST (BCT)​*_By: Randy Brown - Lodge Manager_






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Iâ€™ve written before that my favorite time of the day is getting people to the boats and their guides and watching them leave for a day of fishing. My second favorite time here at Bay Flats Lodge is the day each month we total the donations from our guest to the Building Conservation Trust. Adding up all those donations and multiplying times two (the Bay Flats Lodge matching program) gives me a great sense of satisfaction. I have the blessing of working for a company doing everything it can to give back and take care of this precious resource we make our living from. I also get to spend time with some very generous customers who are just as committed to conservation as we are.

I tell our customers regularly that there is no donation too small (every donation is doubled by the Bay Flats Lodge matching program). This team effort between our customers, the Building Conservation Trust, and Bay Flats Lodge produced over six thousand dollars this month. Is this enough to keep Cedar Bayou open? No, not even close, but donation upon donation, month after month means we are all making a difference. If you canâ€™t get here to Bay Flats Lodge, but would like to make a donation, please visit our website at www.bayflatslodge.com or call us at 888-677-4868. Or, better yet, find the time to come spend a day or two with us and make that donation in person. Weâ€™re always glad to meet another teammate.

*THE GUIDE REPORT​**THURSDAY - Apr 25th*
*Capt. Todd Jones* - Changing winds and a shorter timetable left yesterdayâ€™s group a few trout short of their limit on this morningâ€™s half-day trip. Mike was able to upgrade yesterdayâ€™s personal best 20â€ to a new mark of 22â€. It also won him the big trout award for his corporate group, adding a nice Lewâ€™s rod/reel combo to his arsenal! Nice way to end their first trip with Bay Flats Lodge!

*FRIDAY - Apr 26th*
*Capt. Doug Russell* - Well, we finally received some calmer winds today, and we were posed to take advantage of every minute of it. Todayâ€™s party of four from the James H. group recognized their full limits of trout. I certainly hope this weather and bite pattern continues!

*Capt. Billy Freudensprung *- We drifted today, and that tactic paid off for full limits of trout for my crew of three. This fish didnâ€™t have a lot of size to them, but the bite continued as we made set after set throughout the day. We look to get into some larger trout as we finish-up April and head into May!






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*Capt. Jeremy McClelland* - Low winds while fishing over shell produced trout limits (some fairly descent) today for my four guests. Itâ€™s good to see such an aggressive bite!

*Capt. Stephen Boriskie* - Slow early and better later with all four of these fabulous folks catching fish that they kept and fish that were shy of minimal size limits, but all had a great time with beautiful weather at Bay Flats Lodge. Boy do these 4Horseman corks do the trick - with zero tangles!

*Capt. Todd Jones* - It was a big swing and a miss on our first stop, with the exception of a little line stripping from a 24-inch drum. Changing gears completely, we made a drift over a shell bottom in about 4-feet of water. Gene, Billy, and Andy made short work of a solid 3-man limit of trout, mostly in the 18-inch range. A few other stops in search of a redfish yielded more trout, and a few undersized reds. No complaints, on a day where we finally had some calm winds.

*Capt. Heath Borchert* - Tough start this morning with very little action, but a lot of smack talking going on. These guys held in there until a phone call from Capt. Billy Freudensprung and Capt. Todd Jones, then it was steady action for the next two hours. A sincere â€œTHANK YOUâ€ goes out to Capt. Billy and Capt. Todd! These four guys also got â€œBig Trout and â€œBig Redâ€ in a friendly 3-boat competition.

*SATURDAY - Apr 27th*
*Capt. Jason Wagenfehr* - They didnâ€™t come fast or easy for us, but todayâ€™s guests managed to get it done (one angler missed the photo).






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*Capt. Billy Freudensprung* - Itâ€™s nice to make one set and get your trout before the winds get too strong. 
Chris and Patrick had a great first-time fishing at Bay Flats Lodge.

*SUNDAY - Apr 28th*
*Capt. â€˜Lil John Wyatt *- This little man had a big time today, as he out-fished Mom and Dad! That smile says it all!

*Capt. Jeremy McClelland* - We had some wind, but we found some protection and set to work. Our guests from west Texas got some good ones!






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*Capt. Todd Jones* - Full-circle kind of day! Five quick trout on our first stop before the bite died. Fifteen miles round-trip, what seemed like a hundred undersized trout, two keeper trout, three drum, and four hours later brought us back to our first stop. Thirty minutes later, and the guys were ready to head in with their three-man limit of trout to 19 inches. Sometimes, (really, most times) you just canâ€™t explain the fish bite. Good times on the water today with Shane, Joe, and Joe!

*MONDAY - Apr 29th*
*Capt. Todd Jones* - Wading with lures today lowered our quantity a little, but a couple of higher quality fish made up for it. On our second wade, Trey landed a healthy 23-inch trout. The olâ€™ captain even managed a solid 25-incher, which was released after a quick photo. All of our trout today came on soft plastic paddle tails in waist deep water over mud/grass.

*TUESDAY - Apr 30th*
*Capt. Stephen Boriskie* - This morning marked the second day with my guests, and it was a shorter day due to their schedule. They made the best of it, however, and these guys landed their best redfish of record at Bay Flats Lodge.

*Capt. â€˜Lil John Wyatt* - Today was the end of two great two days with this couple who are repeat BFL customers. They always have a big time at the age of 85, and theyâ€™re still running circles around the boat while catching fish.

*Capt. Todd Jones* - Short afternoon trip was a challenge in todayâ€™s blustery winds with Mike and Wayne. Accomplished fisherman, they were able to put a few quality fish in the box before heading in. Mike had the photo worthy fish, at just under 23â€. Tomorrowâ€™s forecast looks just as challenging!






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*ITâ€™S TIME TO GET IN ON THE ACTION​*_By: Capt. Stephen Boriskie​_Itâ€™s time to get out on the saltwater and get in on the action, because itâ€™s about to burst wide open down here on the Texas mid coast. May is one of my top three months to fish with because the action is almost non-stop, given our normal weather with winds in the 10-15 mph range and partly cloudy days. Warm air and water temperatures set the stage for hot action, with speckled trout being the main focus while using a variety of angling methods, with live shrimp decorating my hooks beneath 4Horsemen popping corks being the most popular!

Look for feeding fish to present slicks that will start popping up all over the bay from the back lakes to the shell reefs to the skinny flats, which are signs that these trout are working the bait, and theyâ€™re feeding their appetites as they spawn for the first few times of the year. These fish need to keep themselves in top shape for this exhausting activity as they are producing future trout populations by the millions. Itâ€™s a good time of the year to be out drifting in a boat using a myriad of bait to box some good trout for the dinner table. Iâ€™m often asked what my favorite table fish is, and hands down itâ€™s the trout - lightly battered and fried to perfection! The key on cooking fish and other delicious bay fare is not overcooking it. Hot grease and a hot pit will turn those fried fish and shrimp, or half-shell redfish, into your next meal quickly, so keep an eye on it, or youâ€™ll end up with a rubbery mess.






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A phrase I hear almost every trip from our customers, who are here at the lodge entertaining their guests is, â€œWho do you useâ€¦?â€ Who do you use for shingle purchases? Who do you use for a title company? Who do you use for large lumber buys? Who do you use for crop pesticides? All good questions, and itâ€™s great to get that kind of information and feedback from folks - itâ€™s always good to â€œnetworkâ€ with your customers in a relaxed setting.

We often receive rave reviews regarding the lodge and the friendliness of our staff, the excellence of the food, compliments on the accommodations, and of course positive feedback on the fishing guides. Although hard to measure, but commonly achieved down here at Bay Flats Lodge, is the bonding of business relationships and the renewing of those relationships for the future. We all need to reach our customers, but we sometimes lack the proper channels to really get in their ear in order to get to know them on a one-on-one basis. We do this each day at the Lodge - itâ€™s our business! We donâ€™t just take people fishing, weâ€™re creating an opportunity for you to entertain your customers and to get to know them in ways that are uncommon to normal, everyday operations, and we love doing it! Tight lines, and see you down here in paradise!

*WHAT OUR RECENT GUESTS ARE SAYINGâ€¦​*_Great staff - couldnâ€™t have asked for better! Capt. Cooper Hartmann is an awesome guide! The facility is very nice and clean, the appetizers are killer, and everything has set the standard for me. As a second year guest, this year's visit was just as awesome as the first year! - Chris H. 5/1/19

Capt. Stephen Boriskie worked hard for us in tough conditions! At dinner, the steaks and the pork chops are always very good! - *Richard M. 5/1/19*

Capt. Billy Freudensprung was excellent! The room, also, was excellent and very clean - looked brand new! - *Hal M. 5/1/19*

Great staff - very friendly and helpful! My boys loved fishing with Capt. Garrett Wygrys! - *Jason T. 4/29/19*

The lodge staff was beyond expectations! BIG HUGE shout out to Capt. Cooper Hartmann! He was awesome, and he worked hard to put my group on the fish. I will recommend him to anyone interested in booking/fishing with y'all! I will be requesting and booking to his availability! Great job Capt. Cooper! Keep doing what you're doing! - *Tony B. 4/29/19*_

*SEVEN-DAY WEATHER FORECAST​**Thursday 10 % Precip.*
Sunshine and clouds mixed. High 81F. Winds SE at 10 to 20 mph.
*Friday 20 % Precip.*
Cloudy skies early will become partly cloudy later in the day. High around 80F. Winds SE at 10 to 20 mph.
*Saturday 60 % Precip.*
Partly to mostly cloudy skies with scattered thunderstorms in the morning. High 83F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%.
*Sunday 10 % Precip.*
Sunshine and clouds mixed. High 84F. Winds E at 10 to 15 mph.
*Monday 50 % Precip.*
Mixed clouds and sun with scattered thunderstorms. High 82F. Winds ESE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 50%.
*Tuesday 40 % Precip.*
Mixed clouds and sun with scattered thunderstorms. High 84F. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
*Wednesday 40 % Precip.*
Scattered thunderstorms. High around 85F. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
*Synopsis:* Small Craft Advisory conditions may arise Friday as moderate to strong onshore flow of 20 to 25 knots is anticipated ahead of an approaching cold front. Additionally, isolated to scattered showers and thunderstorms will be possible Friday through perhaps parts of Saturday. Onshore flow this weekend will weaken to around 10 to 15 knots.
*Coastal Water Temperature:* 
Port Aransas 75.9 degrees
Seadrift 78.1 degrees
Matagorda Bay 77.0 degrees

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Captain Chris Martin
www.BayFlatsLodge.com

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## Capt. Chris Martin (May 22, 2004)

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## Capt. Chris Martin (May 22, 2004)

*Searching for self-improvement*

Hereâ€™s a question I ask myself from time to time, "If I love fishing so much, why do I feel so uncomfortable about leaving the dock under such extreme windy conditions?" The expectation placed upon me of finding fish is tough enough without adding weather challenges atop my expectations. When I do finally make it safely to my destination, an enormous wave of relief washes over me, and all I have to do now is prove to myself that I have, in fact, landed upon the fish. All I have to do is prove to myself the fish are here. If I could only move beyond the tension placed upon me of finding fish, I know the catching would suddenly become much easier!

While snapping this morning's sunrise photo, I realized that throughout the course of my professional career, Iâ€™ve been through the process of coastal fishing enough to know that in selecting when to fish often becomes a metaphor for the bigger picture, but we seldom recognize it. Fishing is what we all do on a daily basis, whether we have a rod and reel in our hands, or not! As a person, we're constantly searching for self-improvement, or a better method of doing things, or even a more advanced strategy for placing ourselves ahead of the next guy. Fishing is what I will be doing this week, but it won't necessarily be for the reasons just mentioned.

Instead, I'll be focused on the moment - will the fish be aggressive, will my favorite top water catch both trout and redfish today, or did I tighten my Ray Guards enough this morning to keep me out of harms way? I realized this morning that catching isn't necessarily the most import aspect of fishing; it's the fact that I'm fishing that makes me stronger. My ability, as a fisherman, to examine my actions and to improve upon them accordingly, based upon my results, should prove to myself I'm willing to make the necessary adjustments required in order to fulfill all expectations. Fishing is meant to be a fun sport, and a way by which we release our stress, so try with all your might not to worry about the things you can't control. HAVE FUN!

Captain Chris Martin


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