# FINDING COLD WATER FISH at Bay Flats Lodge Resort & Marina



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

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*Bay Flats Lodge Resort & Marina
December 19, 2018*

*A CHRISTMAS STORYâ€¦!​*





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Weâ€™re thankful for our many blessings, and weâ€™re paying it forward here at Bay Flats Lodge. Several weeks ago, in the true spirit of the holiday season, the fishing guides along with the owners and staff adopted a well deserving family within our community in hopes of providing a very special Christmas that otherwise may not have happened. Donations were collected, and after lots and lots of shopping was done, and a collective group effort of wrapping all the gifts led us to the big surprise this past Sunday. The adopted familyâ€™s mother knew our plans, but the four children had no idea what was in store for them. Even the Mom had no idea of the special gift that we had for her. Below is the rest of the story, as well some of the fun pictures of Santa and his BFL helpers making Sundayâ€™s delivery! We were all very happy, indeed, to be in a position of being able to help provide a memorably special Christmas for this wonderful family! Now, the rest of the storyâ€¦!

When our customers, friends, and family think of Bay Flats Lodge, the first thing that naturally comes to mind is the great fishing, first class accommodations, and 5-star dining. While all of those are definitely at the forefront of our services, with the exception of a few hours of personal interaction, the true spirit of our guides and staff can sometimes go overlooked. These are all people with huge hearts, who have a true passion for making others happy, and a genuine gratitude for the blessings we all have.

In the true giving spirit of Christmas, while tapping into those huge hearts, we started our first-annual Bay Flats Secret Santa Family project. We wanted to help a truly deserving family within our community who might need a â€œhand-upâ€ during a time that should be filled with joy and happiness, without the worry of the financial strain that sometimes surrounds the holiday. After reaching out to a friend, we were given the name of what seemed to be that perfect family, and without any further thought, we took it on blind faith that this would be our Secret Santa Family.

A hard-working mother of five (two children are grown and serving in our military), she recently found herself being the sole provider for her three children at home, along with her 2-year old granddaughter, whoâ€™s mother is serving in the U.S. Army. She works full-time, does odd jobs where she can, and all while maintaining the household and expenses. She asked no one for help, and was completely surprised when she learned of her referral, and our plans to help. Mom provided us with a Wish List for the kids, and for herself, only asked to have one of us look at her oven that had recently stopped working, to see if we could possibly repair it.






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Immediately, everyone at the lodge was completely onboard with the idea. Donations were generously given, volunteers shopped for the gifts on the childrenâ€™s Christmas List, and a large group assembled to help wrap all of the gifts. As for mom, Santa works in mysterious ways. At the beginning of our project, Judy, with our breakfast staff, made it a daily point of hers to tell all of our guests during their meal about our project. One customer, who had fished with me before and requested to remain anonymous, happened to be fishing with me again on this occasion. That morning, when we met at the boat, he handed me $50 toward our fund. At the end of the trip, he handed me his business card and said, â€œYou know, Iâ€™ve thought about that family yâ€™all are helping and what a gesture it is. Iâ€™d like to buy a new oven for mom, so she doesnâ€™t have to worry about that. Please call me when yâ€™all pick one out, and Iâ€™ll give the store my credit card info.â€ I was overwhelmed at a complete strangerâ€™s generosity toward our family.

On the day of delivery, our â€œappropriately sizedâ€ guide, Garrett, volunteered to dress as our Santa Claus, while another staff member, Nikki, volunteered to be Santaâ€™s elf. Lodge owners, Chris and Deb Martin, volunteered their boat as Santaâ€™s Sleigh, pulling it to the familyâ€™s house. Other guides, family, and staff members joined in for the delivery. Gifts were loaded onto the â€œsleighâ€, along with Santa, his elf, and other helpers, and the big moment was here. Mom and the children met us as Santa arrived, with Christmas carols and all.

Lots of smiles, lots of pictures, lots of stories, lots and lots of gifts, and new memories, along with new friends were made. If youâ€™ve ever had an experience that seemed to change your perspectives on life, then you can relate to the feelings that I think we all experienced on this occasion. It was truly a special moment.

I relay this story to you not to spotlight Bay Flats Lodge, or to pat ourselves on the back in any fashion. I share the story as an example of the giving and helpful nature in all of us, and to encourage everyone who might find themself in a position to help others, even in a small way, to do so. Weâ€™ve all needed help at one time or another, and you never know what even the smallest gesture might mean to someone else.






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*Merry Christmas to all, from all of us at Bay Flats Lodge! - Capt. Todd Jones*

*THE GUIDE REPORT​**SATURDAY - Dec 15th*
*Capt. Doug Russell* - I've met and taken a lot of people hunting and fishing. However, today was the first of three days of having the honor of taking a retired NYC fireman and his son on their first-ever duck hunt. Peter retired after the 911 event - respect to the fullest! Thank you for your service!






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*SUNDAY - Dec 16th*
*Capt. â€˜Lil John Wyatt* - Sunday afternoonâ€™s trip was met with a slight overcast in an otherwise blue sky, with absolutely no wind, whatsoever. You usually want just a little wind for good fishing, as complete calm conditions can often be the â€œkiss of deathâ€ to an active fish bite. But regardless of the lack of any wind, this eveningâ€™s crew took a stance and swore they were going to catch some fish, and thatâ€™s just exactly what they did. The redfish bite turned on strong for them, and there were able to box plenty of great fish in the little time they had to spend out on the water before sunset.






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*WEDNESDAY - Dec 18th*
*Capt. Cooper Hartmann, Capt. â€˜Lil John Wyatt, and Capt. Kevin Matula* - What started out as a quest for a some big wintertime trout somehow ended up becoming a chance at filling the box. It was nice being able to do some wade fishing for fun with fellow guides. We didnâ€™t catch any big ones, but we certainly got enough meat for everyone to eat well at a holiday fish fry.






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*FINDING COLD WATER FISH​**Written By: Capt. Stephen Boriskie​* A bad day of fishing is surely better than a good day at work, we all agree. But there are times when you just should not be out on the water. These are times when the wind is roaring out of the North and the conditions for small craft advisories are in affect and everyone thinks you are plain nuts for braving the bay. I whole heartedly agree that you should not be out there but then there are times when experienced boaters and anglers can get around the weather and have a safe day on the water. Further, I have found that with todays shallow running boats you can avoid the majority of these less than perfect rough water conditions and not only survive them but catch some decent boxes of fish by running tighter on the shorelines and avoiding the severe chop of the wind blown swells!

Fish are smart enough to figure out early in the Fall that things will be changing soon and they have a built in survival technique that allows them to take cover when the times come. I can say that of all the winter fishing I have done over the years I spent way too many of those days in 45 degree water temps and a foot or two of water wondering why I wasnâ€™t seeing any bait and dang sure wasnâ€™t getting any fish to bite. Talking to many guides over the years and sitting in on presentations at boat shows and other anglers nights out in addition to running guided fishing trips for over seven years, I realized the best way to learn this is experience gained from others and trial and error on my part. Finally Iâ€™m at a point where I sort of understand where to look for these cold-water conditions fish!

Concentrate on deep passageways but look for guts coming out of it and adjacent two to three foot flats where the fish can come up to bask in the warming shallower water of a sun filled day but deep enough to provide a quick escape when things go cold on them. Realize these guys are cold blooded and will be moving and eating much slower during these times than what you may be used to during warmer water conditions. Similar to Croaker fishing in the Summer, give the fish that bites your bait a two to three second period of taking the bait in their mouths to be sure you can make a good hook set. Too early on the set and you may miss the fish since they hadnâ€™t had enough time to move their jawbones enough to eat it. Likewise donâ€™t wait six to ten seconds because if this is a smaller fish or throwback you donâ€™t want that hook in so far it kills the fish to remove the hook. Pay attention to the pace of the bite and let the fish teach you the timing of what to expect on their feeding pattern because they will likely all be on the same program. Itâ€™s the angler that can adjust easily and land more fish for the dinner table or enjoy a catch and release day whilst freeing the fish less harmed and able to fight another day!

Enjoy this period of time on the water even with changes in water levels and temperatures. Some of the best ways to learn your bay system is to get out when the water is the lowest. This way you can learn where the reefs begin and end and you can find obstacles in the water that pose a threat to your vessel so you now know how to avoid it. Mark those in your mind and on your GPS and it will give you more confidence the next time the water levels are normal and you are running through the open bay. Customers of mine are puzzled and impressed when I can explain what cannot be seen on the waters surface. Knowing the bottom of the bay floor will help in so many ways and most important will contribute to the safety of your trips and the success of your angling experience! - *Capt. Stephen Boriskie*

*WEâ€™VE GOT YOU COVERED​*





Itâ€™s not too late to shop for a Christmas gift. We have some really cool Gift Certificates we can email you. Call Angie today 888-677-4868!






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*HEREâ€™S WHAT SOME RECENT GUESTS SAIDâ€¦​*_Capt. Jason Wagenfehr is a excellent guide, and I really enjoyed fishing with him! - George L. *12/18/18*

The lodge staff was very polite, friendly and professional! Got into some specks - it was great fun! Keep up the good work! - *Keith H. 12/18/18*

Capt. Garrett Wygrys was incredible! - *Shane P. 12/17/19*

Patsy made me smile and laugh right away - she's an excellent first-face to meet upon sign-in! My finding is that fishing and hunting guides are not typically excited to meet someone at 4AM or 6AM in the morning, but the Bay Flats guides were very pleasant. Capt. Nick Dahlman really went above and beyond and set the "can-do" standard of Bay Flats Lodge. Capt. Harold Dworaczyk rocked the fishing in the afternoon, and Capt. Stephen Boriskie kept the fish coming in the next morning. I personally didn't meet Capt. Perry Rankin, but our clients had a nice time fishing with him! The entire facility is extremely nice and clean, and our clients that we brought raved about the food! - *Mark S. 12/17/18*_

*SEVEN-DAY WEATHER FORECAST​**Thursday 10 % Precip. / 0.00 in*
Sunny with gusty winds. High 66F. Winds NW at 20 to 30 mph. Winds could occasionally gust over 40 mph.
*Friday 0 % Precip. / 0.00 in*
Mainly sunny. High 66F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph.
*Saturday 10 % Precip. / 0.00 in*
Mainly sunny. High 71F. Winds SSW at 10 to 20 mph.
*Sunday 10 % Precip. / 0.00 in *
Partly to mostly cloudy. High around 70F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph.
*Monday 20 % Precip. / 0.00 in*
Mainly cloudy. Slight chance of a rain shower. High 66F. Winds ESE at 10 to 15 mph.
*Tuesday 40 % Precip. / 0.03 in*
Considerable cloudiness with occasional rain showers. High 71F. Winds SE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
*Wednesday 40 % Precip. / 0.05 in*
Scattered thunderstorms. High 73F. Winds SSE at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
*Synopsis: *
A weak to moderate westerly wind can be expected today becoming more northwest as a cold front moves through the area. High pressure will build across the area tonight through Thursday, with strong to gale force winds expected to develop. Small Craft Advisory to Gale conditions are possible, and a Gale Watch is in effect for Thursday afternoon through late Thursday evening. Strong offshore flow early Friday will become light to moderate by Friday night. Weak to moderate onshore flow and increasing moisture will prevail on Saturday. A coastal trough will contribute to isolated showers Sunday.
*Coastal Water Temperature: *
Port Aransas 62.1 degrees
Seadrift 64.0 degrees
Matagorda Bay 60.1 degrees

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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