Corpusfishing.com

[Towboat Trash]

"Rode down the highway
Broke the limit, we hit the town
Went through to Texas, yeah Texas, and we had some fun."

--Thunderstruck, 1990 The Razor's Edge album, ACDC

WELL WELL!!!! I guess it's been time for another beach trip for a while, eh? Aside from the wind, rain, and misery tunnel that our weather pattern has been in, all that's been going on around here is truck upkeep and maintenance, and non beach-beatdown related stuff like mowing grass and parking near the new Starbucks next to the house to watch women fight over parking spaces and mocha-choca-latte-dawdi-dawdi-tooti-frooti-frappes. Who ever thought Club Macaw/Get shanked would get ripped down by the wrecking ball and replaced with a Starbucks?

So when Billy called last week with a super awesome land based mission, I locked and loaded. The plan? Find "the last remaining native stand of Yucca plants left on Padre." The ranchers eradicated most of them, and any of those you see such as near Novillo Line Camp or on the roadside was planted by none other than Captain Billy Sandifer.

But first, Daddy wasn't a mechanic for nothing! This is much "Never Seize" on a man's hands is ALWAYS a good thing! Never let the beach win?


Shock time! The Foxes are a sight better than anything I've ever put on any beach rig! But get your wallet out!


And because no one would buy these old school 130 Watt KC's, they were half off and here we are ready to rock and roll before sunrise again!


But I digress! Hitting the beach at dawn, the plan was to possibly stop first to find those native Yucca plants, and maybe even keep riding all the way down just to scout for next week's charter.


And the sunrise was brief and the wind continued out of the north, not great fishing weather.




The old wild and wooly Padre's Island!


Georgeous!


And the beach devoid of all others.


Miles and miles away...a flash of light caught my eye. Now I'm not dumb, and I might just work for a living on the water, and I know a spotlight hitting me when I see it. For the first time in years, my scope was not with me, and there was no way I could shoot out there with the lens and see who was up to what.


And I know old boy saw this big red bright truck....sure made me wonder....and later on, finding a whole lot of something that is probably best left unshared, I wondered some more...


But it was time to go.


And find mile and miles of "Blue button jellyfish" and "By the Wind Sailors!" Both are a colony of polyps that work together for the entire organism to survive. Translation? Only a mild sting.


Super cool! This means spring! And sargassum weed and the birds coming back in numbers, and the smell of seaweed in the sun, and trout and BULL sharks!


And the birds were present in greater numbers than in a while! Two immature first year Herring gulls! Look at those black eyes!


Who are so pretty in flight!


Yes, they are. I love spring so much on the Padre's Island.


And of course, a squadron of Brown Pelicans, flying north today.




And look at that breeding plumage! Yellow head and yellow neck! He's just showboating around looking for love baby! Haha!


Yes, he sure is!


What a hoot.

And back to the Herring gulls again, this center fellow is a breeding adult too, but with a juvenile behind him and an immature first year herring gull to the left. Seemed like everybody was breeding! And I waited to see if the breeding adult was going to feed the juvenile by regurgitation like they do, but I didn't see it happen.


And it was a regular breeding party out there with everyone sporting the color yellow if they had it! What's that mean? OPEN FOR LOVE!


And the Caspian terns and the Royal terns were hanging around too, and after a long cool lonely winter it was so nice to everyone back on the sand again. And even they had their breeding plumage!


Scratch that back! Scratch that back!


Just a springtime day for our feathered friends...




Annnnnnnd.....SCRATCH!! GO!!!


Bird 1: "Awwww that felt good!" ..... Bird 2: "Dude, do that again, it's hilarious!"


Bird 3: "Your turn! You scratch now!"


Bird 4: "BAWWWWWKKKKK!!!!!!".....


Bird 5: "I'm outta here, you guys are ridiculous with the noise and the scratching!"


And the Gulf? She just kept right on rolling, wave after wave....love this beach that we are so blessed to enjoy...


Bird 1: "I'm not looking at you, are you looking at me?" Bird 2: "Dude, I'm totally not looking at you, seriously, I'm not!!!"


"Wait, what's that, a snacky snack snack???


And I made it to the jetty area, where the erosion caused by the jetty just being there has gotten so much worse. The Island has breached in at least two places, and is definitely NOT the place to be camping.


What a tree. Every bit of 80 feet.




Hirolurite! Ocean vent sands!


So cool and such light grains. And I always wonder where the source is....maybe Senior J would venture a guess?


And after a quick stop at the jetty, I decided to forgo fishing and head back to the original plan, to scout for Billy's lost Spanish dagger colony. So...over 35 miles later.....


There we were, back in the high banks.


And burnt SUV remains right where that judge's son left her to burn....


And I noticed a bit of rain erosion from the burn taking all the grasses...great job "Googans-R-Us" starting wildfires.


But the view was breathtaking as always.


But treasures remained and the grasses are all growing back just like before and all was well.


Looked like a desert out there for a while after the fire.


And I walked a mile but I never did find trace of Captain Billy's Spanish dagger Yucca plant colony.


And then things got downright interesting....knowing I was quite near Coast and Geodetic Survey Station "Gumbo," there were TWO quite factual points worth remembering. ONE-I didn't recall any Yucca in this area back in 2012. And TWO-ALWAYS check out old stations if in the area just to recertify their existence! And I just KNEW I had old pictures of the station....


Let's see here....back in the 2012 folder....here we go-WAIT this isn't it!!!!


Ahhhh...there we go....the old picture folders come in handy.


This would have been May....


And this would be Station Gumbo.


But the monument disc was gone.


Only pieces of the base remained...see where they used beach shell back in 1939 when this one was monumented?




And I remember being all kinda weirded out at finding only a quarter deliberately laid where the disc should have been...and wondering if maybe a bird carried this quarter up there...after all these hills are their roosts...


But on this day, the actual cemented station base wasn't even evident...


And only pieces remained of the pipe.






But the view is always great. Laguna Madre to the left, Gulf of Mexico to the right.




And on the way outta there....this specimen!


Ouch! Texas BULL NETTLE! Agonizing itch and sting! Either pee on it or make a baking soda paste!




Youch!






Back on the beach, the winds had really picked up.


Shell time!


Man O'War! Worse sting of all!


Looks like spring to me!


Fly laughing gull, fly!


And what's this!? Turkey vulture? There were two, flying together.




Spanish wax!




And the willets are back thick again!




Ring billed gull!


See the white spot on the tips of the outer primaries? You guessed it! Breeding plumage again!









Aw heck, I guess that better be about a wrap. Just wanted to share some photos, didn't even think I had taken any, but as we all know now, THAT was wrong. If ya'll venture down Island, go easy, it's breeding season and these guys and gals need to meet a mate doggonit! It's their beach, we just visit! Oh, and sorry for the epic kayak photo, dunno WHO put that in my folder stash. I think there's a story behind that one though....Sorry for no fish, I didn't even wet a line! Sure enough brought 8 rods though. As for those Yuccas, the search will continue another day...they're there, I've seen Billy's picture of them from years ago...

Ya'll take care,

--Colin
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Protect Padre at all costs for future generations to use and enjoy and never forget our freedoms aren't free.

www.padreislandexpeditions.com

[NaplesJohn]

As always we weave it together!

[deputydawg]

Oh man did that kayak pic make me laugh!!! i had forgotten about all that!!!! Made my night!

As usual i enjoyed the rest of it! What is the spanish wax? Thats new to me.

Hope your girls are good!

[Jettybandit]

That was some awesome pictures what kinda camera you using?
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Hey that gull took your bait

[ROBDOG]

Once again, thanks for your awesome posts. Nothing makes an early Monday morning in the office better than pulling up Corpus Fishing and seeing a new post from you. It's a great way to start a cold and windy Monday.

Robby

[Towboat Trash]

[Central Scrutinizer]

A Chark B_ait sighting!!! That's almost as rare as a Solar Eclipse in a Leap Year photographed by a Ambidextrous Ginger Midget!!!

But nice photos, as always (see, what I did there? Weave 'photographed' into my joke!?!?! MAN, I CRACK MYSELF UP!!!).

[deputydawg]

[SaltyMutt]

That kayak pic really made me laugh out loud. lmao. Still remember them days.
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I like fishies

[Tyler]

[BayFly]

As always, I enjoyed the trip and the education, but I must have missed the Yucca plants?

[Towboat Trash]

[topdog15]

Peace, love, and assault rifles.......

Thanks for the laugh, Colin!

Great report and pics as usual.
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"Ya'll must eat a lot of fish"