Corpusfishing.com

[ironmanstan]

First off sorry for no pics on my lastest reports , my camera should be back this week. Actually my report is a little light with only 1 26in. red and 4 trout for Sunday. The tides are very low but not under average for this time of year, the reds were scattered mostly because of 2 tower boats that seemed to show up everywhere i made a drift zipping back and fourth
as if the fish were going to jump in their boats. They are pre fishing for a tourny next weekend and I guess there are no rules for them. Anyway the bite was slow for me, the trout I picked up were on the edge of a channel where there was mullet working along with many skipjacks, plastics were the bait of choise. We started fishing befor the sun was up, it was earlyand you couldn't see where your lure was landing, but it started off very agressive with topwaters, I mean pops and splashes, follow ups right to the boat. I tried different tactics of which I have many and no results, so we went around for again figuring we would hammer them on the second drift, thats when you know who showed up. When I'm drifiting and area I don't fire up my motor until I drift out, then I will circle wide, shut down, and troll back in, I like to be a little on the stealthy side. Not these guys they will run a flat and see one or 2 fish shut down and start slinging lures, I think its their version of sight casting and it probably works for them, just not my style,to each is own I reckon. Anyway thats my story and I'm sticking to it. Until next time, have a good one. IMS.
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I LIKE MINE FRIED.

[Bayslammer]

Burn Boats screw up the fishing for others, no question . Tournament Redfish anglers pre-fishing and recreational anglers burning flats are obviously not concerned with the negative impact this behavior has on other anglers. Flats burning is something we are going to have to deal with, and the number of shallow running tower boats doing this is only going to increase. I'm not a proponent of having the government step in or regulate, but I would like to see my fellow fishermen respect others and especially the seagrass. The rock formations and grass beds that provide habitat for the fish in the Laguna are being destroyed by outboard motors at an alarming rate. For every boater out ther who tries to do the right thing, there are more and more who just don't care. Personally, I have decided to stop fishing tournaments for some of the above mentioned reasons. Ten years from now we will look back at what we now have, and wish it was the same.
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Grind

[br1006]

Sorry about the burn boats Stan but glad you caught a few!

There are responsible ways to use / run a tower boat and irresponsible ways to run / use them. I think many guys do not understand the correct use of them and are irresponsible in how they operate. I am often on board a burn boat but we do not zig zag a flat or burn in areas others are fishing and NEVER in front of someone drifting!!! The best use for a burn / tower boat is to simply just run the boat like any other going as slow as possible and staying on plane and identifying areas where you are seeing the fish and then coming back to set up a drift / wade on those fish. You would be surprised at how little some of these fish move when you run right past them. The elevated platform makes it great for sight casting when drifting to me is the best part and that can be accomplished without a burn boat just by using platforms etc... I think the main abusers of the burn boats are the guys who run right on top of schools of fish and when they bust a school they cast right in to them.

I fish the tournaments and I have personally witnessed a burn boat practicing some questionable tactics in a recent tournament and brought it to the tournament directors. Several otehr teams had already done so as well. They are aware of the situation and are handling the problem behind the scenes which is the way to do it.

There will be a bunch of the burn boats out this week and Saturday for sure with the IFA tournament at Marker 37 especially since the TRFS Champ in Kemah postponed due to weather. If you see a tournament boat practicing poor sportsmanship Saturday go to Marker 37 and speak to the tournament director but please have good ID and clear facts on the boat involved. I assure you they do not want the bad press and it will be addressed in the captains meeting on Friday night I can guarantee you!

I will be fishing the tourney but not in a burn boat so it wont be me!

[Mad Dog]

You know I usually don't see the ruts in the grass caused by "burn boat" because the water clarity where I wade isn't ususally that good. But the last time I fished the water was gin clear and those ruts are really obvious and sometimes quite deep. They remind me of a freshly dug drainage ditch.

However, as I read the previous posts I had to stop and think that burn boats are not the only culprets tearing up the grass flats. Any boat running in water too shollow for it's draft will do damage at some point. I must confess that I have torn up the bottom more than I thought to count. In the past I never really thought much about it. That was just my ignorance. Now I know better.

We all have to respect the gifts of nature and do what we can to keep them viable while enjoying them. So, if your prop is churning grass, sand or mud you need to change what your doing. Slow down, more tilt, trolling motor, push poll, whatever... until you get to water where your boat can get on plane without churning the bottom. Know where you are running and when to get off plane.

Now if some idiot runs across my drift or wade then curses upon them.

MD
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Ego piscor, ergo sum

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[ironmanstan]

I completely respect both answers from the slammer and br1006 great points of view from both. I just want to let everyone know that in my post I'm not yelling or really mad....just a little confused on the matter as a whole. I fish a small section of the pie a rather thin slice, but its a very sweet slice. Its really upsetting when these guys squeeze you out and they have bigger faster better and way more expensive water craft than I will ever have. I also respect my fellow rat and Island brothers and the grounds upon where they fish, thats the difference of being a local or not. I used to fish with a friend who had a tower boat its just not my style but it does have its advantages and the view is great.....really great. I have learned to read the water and can normally tell whats going on below by watching the top. Just ask any ratz that fish the flatz.
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I LIKE MINE FRIED.

[DOA]

In the last two years I get run up on every time I have been out. But in deadmans a couple of weeks ago, I got burned by an airboat of all things.

[JLKing]

Not that I would condone this...

But, say if one were to be blatantly burned by a pre-fisher this week...



I wouldn't lose a lot of sleep if the burn victim followed the burner around on tournament day and ran over him everytime he shut down to fish..


It really does get old..

[Bayslammer]

Just to clarify....I'm not mad either It wouldn't change matters anyway... and It's not my intention to bash tournament fishermen and single them out as the sole group of "burners". Most tournament anglers I associate with are very respectful and aware. I hate to see our delicate ecosystem being destroyed by boaters who are most likely unaware of the damage they are doing. The number of shallow running boats on the water is going through the roof! I'm sure the majority behind the console are more concerned with the number of fish they box than the condition of the bottom of the bay at the end of the day.
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Grind

[Rebecca of Sunnybrookfarm]

[quote="Bayslammer"]Burn Boats screw up the fishing for others, no question . quote]

that's right, and I'm not afraid or too nice of guy to say the practice sucks, and the people doing it are actually flippping the bird to their fellow boaters by burning by people anyway.

pretty dang selfish and self-centered practice if you ask me. not all of them do this, as there are some that can be responsible, but on the average, many do.

oh, and I"m not some angry wadefisherman who has been burned once, I have a flat-bottom with a high console that has capability, and I've done it a couple times, but when I was young and dumb and well away from people. I refrain from even doing so nowadays.
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[ehuntingdaddy]

Seagrasses take a long time to grow back, flats burning and rooster tailing it away from an anchor spot are destructive, and folks who do those thing destructively are inconsiderate moroons. Some day those practice will in all likelyhood be illegal, folks can do something about it now, or greenies will do it for us. These tournaments for the most part are a joke, to my knowledge there are very few that do anything worthwhile for the resource, they are pure profit and oneupmanship, not things that sportsmen care about. The CCA tourney is an exception, it encourage kids, and pays for activism and projects that help the resources, there are others too-but some of these redfish races that go on are total trash!

[Gib]

Get TPWD to allow saltwater trot lines again.

Not really, but it does become frustrating as integrity and respect are lost and dying arts.

[Bluffer]

[gcoppin]

You are all right. I think more action should be taken. Why can't a warden sit between pida and pure oil and ticket these guys. It is against Texas state law to hurry Redfish. That means if you intentionally run a school of redfish off their feeding ground your breaking the law not to mention tearing up sea grass which is also a violation. If you break any state law in a tournament you should be disqualified. These individuals don't have the conscience to effect them when they take the polygraph. I will call TPWD and request that a warden be present to police the event and I urge others to do the same. If we continue to allow burn boats to misuse their equipment and our resources someone is going to get hurt and I don't mean by hitting something.


Capt. Grant

[Bayslammer]

Interesting reply from a current redfish tournament vet/pro/guide . Thanks Grant for the input, and do what you think is right to protect your workplace! .........and let's hope no person ever gets injured on the water or at the dock over this .
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Grind

[New Water]

it's only gonna get worse cuz the FLW Rockport is 10 days following the IFA.
Those schools better run and hide in the ditch.

And by the way.....I also fish these tournaments....and dispise "herding" of redfish. There will be more boats in the ULM Backyard area than ever before....especially because of the low water.