# Late Summer & Early Autumn at Bay Flats Lodge Resort & Marina



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

*Bay Flats Lodge Resort & Marina
July 25, 2019*

*Caretakers of Our Bays​*_By: Murray Martin with Bay Flats Lodge​_
The quality of fishing in southwest San Antonio Bay, Ayres Bay, Mesquite Bay, Carlos Bay, and Aransas Bay will continue to decline as long as Cedar Bayou and Vinson Slough remain closed to Gulf water access, and as area anglers we need to become part of the solution.

Hereâ€™s the reason why: Formed in nature many, many years ago, Cedar Bayou and Vinson Slough possessed their own ability to provide continuous inward and outward flow of Gulf water thatâ€™s desperately required in maintaining rich and healthy estuary systems in Aransas Bay, Carlos Bay, and Mesquite Bay. Fish, crabs, shrimp and other marine organisms in these estuaries depend on Gulf access to nurture and retain their delicate life cycles. With an increase in fishing pressure resultant of ever-growing angler populations along our portion of the Texas coast, itâ€™s our shared challenge to become caretakers of our area bays by doing our part in helping to restore Cedar Bayou and Vinson Slough as soon as possible.

That means working together with organizations like the Coastal Conservation Association of Texas (CCA-Texas), and their national habitat program known as the Building Conservation Trust (BCT).






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*A Bit of History*

Coastal navigation charts dating as far back as 1884 and aerial photos from as early as 1967 indicate there once was a naturally-sustaining water flow union between Cedar Bayou, Vinson Slough, and the Gulf of Mexico. Unfortunately, in the wake of the Bay of Campeche oil spill in 1979, Cedar Bayou was purposely filled with sand as part of emergency measures to keep oil out of our bays. Since then, three attempts at dredging and re-opening Cedar Bayou have been made, but the first two tries at restoring the pass proved unsuccessful.

The 1979 closure remained in place until 1987, when the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department made its first attempt to re-open Cedar Bayou. Unfortunately, the project was underfunded, and the Bayou only remained open for a short time. It silted closed again by 1993. Texas Parks and Wildlife tried dredging Cedar Bayou again in 1995, but were also unsuccessful on this second attempt due to budget and engineering constraints.

*A Different Approach*

Previous attempts at re-opening Cedar Bayou have failed because various important factors were not taken into consideration, but the latest effort in 2014 was different. Extensive studies revealed to engineers a need for an increased water flow through the Cedar Bayou channel, and for hydraulic resistance to be reduced. Increasing the waterâ€™s flow rate through the channel allows the water to move at a greater speed, thereby scouring silt and sediment from the Gulf entrance at the mouth of the Cedar Bayou channel, without which would lead to eventual closure of the channel due to sediment build up.

For the 2014 re-opening project, engineers opted to re-establish the Cedar Bayou channel in its original form by connecting Vinson Slough to it. By reconnecting Vinson Slough, the total amount of water flowing through the Cedar Bayou channel would increase, thereby also increasing the water gradient and water speed where it is needed most, which is at the Gulf entrance to Cedar Bayou.

After more than a decade of perseverance on the part of a group of local people in Rockport, known as Save Cedar Bayou, Inc., along with the aid of the General Land Office, Aransas County officials, and many other partnerships such as CCA Texas, Matagorda Island and San Jose Island were separated from each other on September 25, 2014, for the first time since 1987, with the re-opening of the Cedar Bayou and Vinson Slough channels.

*The Wrath of Harvey*

This natural connection between the Gulf of Mexico and Mesquite and Aransas Bays was once again silted shut by a Category 4 hurricane late in the summer of 2017 when Hurricane Harvey made landfall on San Jose Island on August 25, 2017.

Harveyâ€™s wind, storm surge, and powerful water currents altered portions of the Texas coast, with one positive change being the widening and deepening of Pass Cavallo at Port Oâ€™Connor. This crucial avenue for water exchange between the Gulf of Mexico and West Matagorda Bay had been slowly silting shut, but Harveyâ€™s powerful strength scoured the channel running through Pass Cavallo, and even created a new Gulf access point at Sunday Beach at the tip of Matagorda Island on the west side of the pass.

Unfortunately, Hurricane Harvey didnâ€™t have the same positive effect on the Gulfâ€™s entrance to Cedar Bayou some thirty-five miles to the south of Pass Cavallo. For whatever unexplainable reason, this massive storm that turned out being among the costliest natural disasters ever in the United States didnâ€™t scour the opening at Cedar Bayou, but instead filled the entrance to the channel with sand, silt, and debris. These two natural Gulf-water passes, Cedar Bayou and Vinson Slough, remain closed to this day.

*Next Steps*

The mobile sediments carried by the Gulfâ€™s water currents are trying to stabilize sections of Texas beaches that were destroyed by Harvey. This process, along with Harveyâ€™s elimination of Vinson Slough, is causing a natural build-up of sediment at the Gulf entrance to Cedar Bayou.

Ever since the last opening of Cedar Bayou in 2014, local, state, and federal organizations have been developing dredging plans to keep Cedar Bayou and Vinson Slough open. The original plan was to perform maintenance dredging operations every five to seven years, but the onslaught of Hurricane Harvey means that the maintenance dredging schedule will now need to be pulled in by a couple of years.

Aransas County has funds in place for future maintenance dredging and is in the process of acquiring regulatory authorization for a 10-year maintenance dredging permit. CCA Texas Executive Director, Robby Byers, commented last July that maintenance dredging has always been a part of the Cedar Bayou project and that CCA Texas is attempting to move the progress along as quickly as possible, as they are certain that the maintenance dredging plans will do an adequate job of keeping both the Cedar Bayou and Vinson Slough channels open.

*Current Status*

Final approval for the dredging permit is still being worked, and officials are currently talking with FEMA regarding funds for the effort. The goal right now is to have the dredging done in 2020, as the window of opportunity for getting that done in 2019 has already passed â€" any and all work that takes place on the Cedar Bayou project must be done between April 15 and October 15 in any given year due to certain environmental and natural wildlife regulations.

*How You Can Help*

Research specialists who have been studying the Cedar Bayou area since the time of its most recent closure in 2017 state that adult marine life will not be negatively impacted as long as Cedar Bayou and Vinson Slough are re-opened within the next few years. However, juvenile fish populations will be affected as long as these two natural Gulf passes remain closed.

In a nutshell, this means that the current adult fish population will be alright until such time that it is depleted, and that there will be no new fish population to replenish the current population until Cedar Bayou and Vinson Slough are once joined together and re-opened.

As you can imagine, dredging is a costly endeavor. The costs for this next Cedar Bayou / Vinson Slough dredging effort are expected to be close to that of the 2014 re-opening costs, which were in the millions of dollars.

With that said, participating project partners, like Aransas County and CCA Texas, are going to need all the help they can get. If youâ€™ve been fortunate enough to have spent any time fishing the lower portion of San Antonio Bay, Ayres Bay, Mesquite Bay, Carlos Bay, or Aransas Bay during times when Cedar Bayou has been open to the Gulf, you know the difference it makes on the fishing in these areas. We owe it to ourselves, to the fishery, and to the future generation of Texas coastal anglers to become the caretakers of our bays, and there couldnâ€™t be a better opportunity to start doing so than right now.

If you would like to contribute toward the vital re-opening efforts of Cedar Bayou and Vinson Slough, you can do so by contributing to the CCA-Texas effort on our Bay Flats Lodge website at *https://www.bayflatslodge.com/cca-donations*. Thank you, and God bless!

*WINTER FISHING SPECIAL: Dec. 2019 â€" Jan. 2020​*Affections tend to be fleeting. There are so many things that catch our attention in our technology-saturated world. We pour ourselves into activity after activity, and there is no end in sight. From golf to fishing, to hunting, to cars, to wood-working, to gardening to â€" well, you get the idea. We move interests and affections regularly.

However, there are those who remain affectionately committed to a single pursuit, and wintertime coastal anglers tend to fit this description. Those who go looking for the trout of a lifetime in marginal to severe winter weather conditions have to be committed. This winter, Bay Flats Lodge will be supporting this commitment by once again running their Winter Fishing Special, December 2019 through January 2020. â€" *Randy Brown, Bay Flats Lodge Manager*









_Boat or Wade Fishing (Includes 3 Meals, 1 Night Lodging, and Fishing Guide)_​
We still have December 2-22 and January 3-31 dates available!

The following conditions apply to the 2019-20 Winter Fishing Special:
â€¢	Live bait and Texas Hotel Tax costs not included.
â€¢	When rescheduling due to bad weather, we will allow you to reschedule your trip any time within the following 12-months.
â€¢	If you reschedule for any reason other than bad weather, you will be required to reschedule your trip for the period of Dec. 2020 thru Jan. 2021.

â€œWINTER FISHING SPECIALâ€ Rates:
Full-Day 2 anglers per boat â€" $500/angler
Half-Day 2 anglers per boat â€" $475/angler
Full-Day 3 anglers per boat â€" $375/angler
Half-Day 3 anglers per boat â€" $350/angler
Full-Day 4 anglers per boat â€" $350/angler
Half-Day 4 anglers per boat â€" $325/angler

â€¢	Simms Chest-Wader Rentals + Boots are $35/day
â€¢	Simms Wading Boot Rentals (Boots Only) is $20/day
â€¢	If you plan to wade fish, please bring your own rods & reels. Rod and reel rental is $30 per day (we supply rods & reels when fishing from the boat).

*Share Your Bay Flats Memories​*








*CLICK HERE TO GO TO SMUGMUG*






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Thereâ€™s nothing more special than you, our Bay Flats Lodge customers. Thatâ€™s why weâ€™ve put photos from your lodge visit out on our SmugMug page so you can show them off to the world. These photos, just like your visit, pull people together. Now you can showcase the memories of your visit with friends, family, customers, or co-workers in the way in which you wish for them to be seen. Bring the memories back to life!

*Late Summer â€" Early Autumn Forecast​**By: Capt. Stephen Boriskie​*Autumn is a word seemingly unfamiliar on the Gulf Coast, but I guarantee itâ€™s a specific time period along the middle Texas coast unlike any of the other months of the year. August means we are deep in the heart of summer heat, and the patterns of July are giving way to lower water levels and hotter water temperatures. The fish are going deep around Gulf passes, and while the dog days are upon us there are opportunities to catch a fish of a lifetime closer to the dock than you might imagine. A time of calmer winds in the mornings, and days where the weather patterns are more consistent, means greener waters closer to the jetties, even blue waters at times. With that comes larger fish that are more common to offshore waters than to our shallow bay systems.

Speaking of the bay, the times we are catching the most fish during August and September can be traced to the cycle of the moon and how it relates to tidal movement and water volume, and also to the fact that the fish have been attempting to stay cool by going deeper in the water, gathering around both natural and man-made bottom structures such as artificial reefs, oil and gas rig shell pads, natural breaks in the bay floor, barge canals, and the ICW.






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There are other things to consider when trying to find fish this time of year, with knowledge of the type of bay floor youâ€™re fishing above being at the top of the list. Using a little logic can lead to more success as you find those targeted species lumbering low in some grass while they keep cooler as they ambush surrounding baitfish, which are also drawn to the same environment. Learn to ask yourself some quick questions this next month as youâ€™re fishing: Are you fishing over a hard sand bottom, or soft sand? What about the structure of the bottom, is there anything to help hide bait, like a solid oyster reef, scattered oyster shell, or perhaps spotty patches of grass? Is there deep grass, with deep, soft mud below it? Find some cooler water over sand and grass, and youâ€™ll up your chances significantly.

This is a great time of the year, and everyone has kicked their lives into overdrive with the return to school, the beginning of football and volleyball seasons, the opening of the dove and early teal seasons, and the effort of getting their wintertime hunting leases in order. Then thereâ€™s the saltwater down here in the prime area of the Texas coast thatâ€™s just waiting for you. Itâ€™s telling your subconscious that something special is about to happen. The challenge for you is to arrange your schedule so as to allow yourself a visit down here to enjoy the warmer waters, the calmer conditions, and the Autumn bite thatâ€™s sure to keep you coming back time and again!

*What Our Recent Guests Are Sayingâ€¦​*_Capt. 'Lil John Wyatt is an awesome guide! He put us on fish right away, and we limited out on speckled trout by 10:30am! - *William S. 7/25/19*

Capt. 'Lil John Wyatt was excellent! We had an absolute blast! I know I will be coming back! - *Oliver Rust 7/25/19*

I look forward to this trip every year, as it's my favorite place to get away to when going fishing. The accommodations and the staff are first-class. Being from west Texas, it's always hard to head back home after a weekend at Bay Flats - I love this place! Who knows, maybe next year I'll just stay down there and make a home there! Our guide was Capt. Perry Rankin - very professional and knowledgeable. He's very friendly, and we got to talk about our favorite places to fish back home - very cool guy and very helpful! The ladies who prepared the meals were very friendly and professional. They did one heck off a job with the food, and were all very easy to talk to - made me feel like family! The Lodge facility is top-notch when it comes to cleanliness - the whole property, and all of the rooms! It's obvious that the housekeeping staff and maintenance crew work hard to keep everything looking great. Everything was excellent! - *Mitchell L. 7/24/19*

Patsy was very helpful to me the entire time! - *Matt L. 7/24/19*

All of the staff, from the ladies in the kitchen to the guides, were amazing! The dinners were also amazing - I loved the pace of having appetizers outside and moving up stairs for dinner! - *PJ M. 7/23/19*_

*Seven-Day Weather Forecast​**Thursday 10 % Precip.*
Clear. High 88F. Winds E at 10 to 15 mph.
*Friday 20 % Precip.*
Intervals of clouds and sunshine. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High around 90F. Winds ENE at 10 to 20 mph.
*Saturday 30 % Precip.*
Isolated thunderstorms in the morning, then partly cloudy late. High 88F. Winds SE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 30%.
*Sunday 40 % Precip.*
Partly to mostly cloudy skies with scattered thunderstorms in the morning. High 88F. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
*Monday 20 % Precip.*
Partly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 89F. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph.
*Tuesday 20 % Precip.*
Intervals of clouds and sunshine. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 89F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph.
*Wednesday 20 % Precip.*
Partly cloudy skies with stray shower or thunderstorm possible. High 91F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph.
*Coastal Water Temperature: *
Port Aransas 85.3 degrees
Seadrift 82.0 degrees
Matagorda Bay 86.0 degrees

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Captain Chris Martin
www.BayFlatsLodge.com

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## Fishwrangler (Jul 23, 2019)

Best update I’ve seen on Cedar Bayou as of yet. It’s been sad to see what little press the reopening effort have gotten this time around. I think the last report I saw was from Victoria last fall talking about the damage of the closure to the bays ecosystem. Just surprises me that the CCA wouldn’t be all over this with the research reports, the emotional attachment of the general public’s negative perception of Harvey, and the benefits it had for the whooping cranes. After they did such a great job the first time around, it just seems like they’re dropping the ball. 

I almost had a an opportunity to talk to George P. Bush, our Texas Land Commissioner, at a luncheon about it as it sounds like he’s the guy in the Texas government that could get it done, but he got whisked away afterwards not allowing me to ask him.

Thanks for posting this. After fishing the area for 25 years, I KNOW it makes a difference. If there is any other information or support, please let me know.


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

Fishwrangler,

We will definitely let you know of anything we learn in the following weeks or months from CCA, FEMA, the Corp of Engineers, Aransas County, or anyone else associated with the re-opening of Cedar Bayou! Thank you taking the time to write your response!
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