Joined: 25 May 2009 Posts: 615 Location: somewhere on 130 miles of beach
Posted: Sun Sep 23, 2012 6:53 am Post subject: Isla Blanca 9-15-9/21
"I came in from the wilderness, a creature void of form....
"Come in she said-I'll give ya....Shelter....from the storm"....
In a world of steel-eyed death and men who are fighting to be warm
"Come in," she said, "I'll give you...shelter from the storm".
I was burned out from exhaustion, buried in the hail
Poisoned in the bushes and blown out on the trail
Hunted like a crocodile ravaged in the corn
"Come in" she said
"I'll give you shelter from the storm".
Bob Dylan, 1975...
Howdy everyone. Yep-you read that title right. "Isla Blanca." To heck with all this PINS nonsense. Sounds like an acronym for getting stuck in the eye or some foolish federal nonsense. Ain't never liked it. Been gone a while, but I'm back, got a replacement for my broken camera, and I suppose I've got a story to tell.
Seems like lately...disarray, discord, discontent, dissension, you name it...is all I see around me. This one doesn't like that one, this one got thrown off the end of the cottonpicking pier, that one stole a Tarpon dead off the beach and ate it on a grill over near Golihar, the other one wants to know which wolf we're all gonna feed or something or other, someone dropped a case of fireworks in another one's yard and was almost taken out by assault rifle, someone ran a wader almost over while burning a flat, someone jumped up and down on a redfish until it died and 15 people were ready to beat him up... and heck-if I get another text about feeding wolves at 2am I guess I'll have to disown my buddies and then myself, cuz heck, we're all partially to blame aren't we? To top all of it off, a fistfight by a crewmember at work apparently having a mental breakdown (nothing new lately) on my tug took us all by storm, and I ended up coming home halfway through my normal hitch. I suppose none of us are truly happy, are we? Maybe briefly, but then again, permanent happiness seems so hard to find. Maybe the anwers lie within, but maybe looking back at time, the answers lie in history, and an understanding of who we are and our place in time. Like Billy told me one day during a visit..."We're all just walking around thinking we know all the answers, we know the way to live, and that everyone else is just doggone wronger than wrong, and don't know a thing." And maybe that's why old Rawalt never left Padre...the answer lay in isolation...at least for him...
The year was 1519, and one Alonso Alvarez de Pineda had just sailed around the rim of the present day Gulf of Mexico. He was searching for the mythical Strait of Anian. And no, that ain't no darn new Whataburger meal. And believe me, I hated these Spanish fools more than anyone in middle and high school, and have always thought if I heard one more thing about "Pounce up-n-down on a Leon" exploring Florida I would throw up, but as it turns out, life is surprising and there may have been a just reason for me and my little buddies getting thrown out of history class back in the day. So back to the story. Pineda (sounds like pineapple,eh? ---see I ain't changed THAT much from middle school) disembarked, more'n likely donned a suit of chrome armor, gathered up the loyal minions (some of which who were ready to mutiny and throw a fistfight riot upon the royal Galleon), and took off north from what they termed the "Rio De Los Palmas," present day Rio "War Zone" Grande. What he found, he mapped, and named "Isla Blanca," or "White Island," because of the overwhelming view of white from the dunes from offshore. This made him conquistador of present day Padre Island, which although still better than "PINS," remained unable to withstand the name influence of a Catholic priest who would over a hundred years later sire a small colony of illegitimate children and a personal kingdom of wealth, but again, that will remain another story for another day....
And as luck would have it, the sign for PINS (in the eye) was being repainted, so fill in the blanks with "Isla Blanca."
With no timeline for coming home, all I wanted was to disappear from humanity...disgusted, and fed up with every last minute of living in modern society....more and more wondering how Billy felt years and years ago when he headed south not to return for his year and a half of getting the signals uncrossed in his mind....
And right away, my increasingly watchful eyes spotted something amiss, in this gull.
And surprisingly enough to me, it was like ole Isla Blanca was waiting for me, and tears came to my eyes, which surprised me again. This gull with only one leg, crippled in a most terrible way, was living its life as if nothing but God himself could stop it, feeding, hopping, and overcoming it's handicaps. And most amazingly, here I sat in one Dodge Ram feeling sorry for myself, when this simple creature went on living without missing a beat.
But as sat alone at the 0.5 alone with my thoughts, yep-some SPID-tard went flying by hauling a trailer right through the freaking ocean....almost running over this creature of nature. I decided then and there that I needed to go south, because in Billy's day a man could get peace for a year and a half at the 21, but in our day, it's all we can do just to find what we search for...
And the tide was high as heck as expected, but I had chosen convenience over running low water...
I stopped for a bit on the bay side, looked out over the water, and realized....south....I needed to go south...
And the day crept along and the water rose...
And I was happy to be back on the Island that I love...and knew that the Kronks may have been busy gathering food for winter, but welcomed my foolishness and antics, as Billy has said, they probably "laugh like H%ll at me the whole time I'm there"...
And the plants from June remained alive and well, at least half of them that is....Jay? What are they???
And the skies caused me happiness yet again...
And due to BTD activites in the morning, I chose my camp....
With Oz, Ryan, Steven, maybe even "Booty-Luby Ryan" slated to make an appearance by Monday am, the only thing causing me concern was a surprise appearance of the "Bait Snaggin-Wagon" of GWeb. I kept my eyes on the horizon, as his "Wagon" is just about a monster truck and could have come over the dune playing the Dukes Of Hazzard noise at any minute.
With thunderstorms forecasted, I knew tonight there would be heck to pay...
But if the "Pounce up-n-down on a Leon's" could handle it, I suppose I could as well...although chrome armor-less....
So with the fishing washed out by the high water, I dropped dead nastiness out into the abyss and sat back to read appropriate literature...
This new one is now one of my favorites....believe it or not, it's written....from a shark FISHERMAN'S...persective. Not some nerdy fool describing a fish he/she has never seen, that only supplies some crummy drawing that looks like a whiting for the different species.
And as I read, I heard an old Kronk yell..."gata kwan!!!!!" In the Karankawa language this means...'cat's offspring.' Thanks to Billy I am learning their language...so while I will NEVER apparently learn Spanish, I will one day be able to speak Kronk. I realized I was impressing NO ONE on such a dark and stormy night in the high 30s, and that the loud "CRAAAAACK!!!" further north meant my time spent messing around was limited....so I made a face, the old Kronk laughed...and at least quit calling me a geek while I battened down the Towboat hatches for the onslaught...
And cooked dinner.
And after a long, stormy, rainy, and windy night, I awoke to a beautiful, refreshing, and cool Isla Blanca.
And was reminded, that while I might throw an eaten peach out the window, that nature recycles everything.
I wonder...right now...where is my old ghost crab buddy right now? Does he remember the night the white fool amused him and the Kronks by hiding in his tent cot during the storm?
And having been looking for the oil I had heard tell of...I soon found some...on a red mangrove seed from Mexico....
But me and Van moved along...
And I suited up to do what I came to do....
When's the last time you saw an oyster shell on PINS? Darn Kronk...carrying around his fast food last night with him....
And left his scraping tool behind too....
And the Island was so beautiful that I couldn't believe it...
And I felt mystery....adventure...and the soul of the Island surround me...
Wax....associated with the needs of the Spanish church and the ships that brought it, which was actively attempting to convert the old Kronks and Coahuiltecans almost 200 years ago...
But the Island became angry...
And I had to hide in the truck...I love when it storms on Isla Blanca....the Island is like that, it's not some touristy, crummy, ruined, piece of crap....Florida?
It's wild, it's untamed, it refuses to bow to you and me or him or her and our sorry butt collection of overpriced Japanese fishing rods...it's been around for an estimated 5000 years and it will never be dominated by man...
So....I read some more Jay!!! On the Rocks buddy!!!
And when the rain finally stopped, there was 4 inches of water puddled in the bottom of the tent cot. Thankyou, oh mother nature!!
I slept all night extremely wet, and ya know what...I dealt with it. Beats being in the middle of a fistfight riot at work....so when the sun rose on me, I geared up as modern day Naked Indian...
And little did I know, what an omen this toothy sight would be...but THAT will come later....
Who can tell me how old, or what this may have contained??
Old Louie was a bottle collector too, and I know I darn sure am...but only the pics, not the bottles....they stay, that is the way the Island deserves...
And this one??
Is it tequila? Is that the worm?? Lol...
And heck...I didn't know...so I fist pumped!!
And I told Billy I'd ask...what the heck is this!!??
I guess he heard I don't taste worth a crap, so he wouldn't bite....
And I invented a crappy way to get a better signal! But there was none! No NOAA report today!
This one's for you Billy, you said get all the cactus shots of cacti that I come across....
And ya know.....it had been a few days....I had NO desire...to fish.....but now it was time. And as Billy has said, when it's time to fish, he does. As he does, so do I.
So I "jacked" the rack up high, and let it all hang with the best I had to offer the Gulf of Mexico...
Right side of the ray sacrificed for BTB adventures...because while in High Island apparently no one drops a SLAB of a 35lb ray over the side of the boat, I personally don't wanna live to be old....
And as I rigged up gear, I caught a fresh blue, so guess what, OUT ya go there pal!!!
Lookit that blood run through the tankwell....shark fishermen rejoice....
And after 5 drops were out, I did the usual, and went for a swim...sharks be darned....if a snake won't bite me, I reckon a shark might, but oh well.
Now...I was HAPPY!!
If you're gonna choose this life, this fishing, this Island, this calling....then let it all hang out! You only live once, and if you have nothing to lose, then put it out there!
And as the sun set, I paid my respects to Louis and to Iron Hill from the dunes, where I always do...
And when it's all over, this is what I want to be remembered as, just a Naked Indian fighting the conformity, that according to ole' Louis Rawalt that threatens to kill us all...due to the immense wealth my generation has, we forget how to be human, how to fight for survival, how to learn to help others, how to challenge ourselves...finding my own path in this life whether its painful, fun, sad, or glad...
Let the Naked Indian hang out!!!
And this one's for the City of Corpus. One-you have boned me on my utilities to the point where I'm home 9 to 10 days a month, and I'm paying 139 bucks last bill. Two-you forced me to recycle. After...I had to pay for three of these miserable cans, which are now obsolete. Therefore-they will now go down island as float containers. And I sent my payment for 139 crummy bucks in today so don't get my water off again, please. The tank in my truck only holds 34 gallons, thanks. Do not force me to run for mayor, fisherman will likely get utilities half off.
And the night's dinner was something new on the beach...and ohhhh my gosh....was that freaking macaroni good....
But the night would play out eventless.
So I made coffee.
And sat...and thought about how blessed I was to see these things, alone, no SPID-tards running birds over, just me, the breeze, the sounds of waves, and the old Kronks giggling from behind me....
And I tickled em pink by eating some Special K....LOL....with berries???
And geared up, and headed offshore in search of fish unseen....
And with a bag full of goodies...
And my baits? Untouched.
And some moronic boob apparently vandalized my floats in the night....
And good NIGHT the STENCH was UNBEARABLE!!!!!!!
But the turtles didn't care....
And I finally got my revenge on about 15 of the fishes with "big lips" from last fall!!! The harassment of baits shall end! Err...until next time...
And my first....rock hind grouper.
Back to land before the blows gets much worse and this tub gets capsized!
And as I headed back in, I saw a sight that caused my heart to skip a beat....NOT because I've fallen into the category of shark fisherman always on the lookout for bait...but because I've read, I've heard, heck-Oz has seen these guys offshore...and here they were, 30 deep, a school of cownose rays just under the surface and swimming south, and what struck me as funny, is that they were like family....together, close to eachother, and swimming as a group, just as their pelagic status labels them.
Where's my Iphone radar crew?
Naked Indian don't need none.....
As the winds picked up to darn near 30knots ESE/SE, myself and Steven and Ryan (camped just south of me) packed up to head south. Out we went.....not knowing what would await us....
About a mile south, we all saw a sight that stopped us cold....a MASSIVE Dusky Shark on its back/side...lying in the wade gut beached, stranded, and ready to die...but still alive....that would measure out to a rough size of 10ft 6 inches....
And what about YOU? What would you have done? We did what we love...we wanted this fish to live...because I don't know about all the sharkers, but us three were gonna go down fighting to help this rare offshore fish...
This is Steven from Catchsharks.com...he is a hero of mine, a GREAT dude....and real story....the first time I met him I couldn't understand how a light kept going around and around his camp all night....the next day I met him and learned he sleeps very light and checks his lines constantly, and his gear that is out.
And as for Ryan, I tell ya'll what, you mess with him if you WANT to....he fearlessly swam this fish out to the bar, and then gave it a mighty push into the deep....but again....to no avail, as she was just so weak, so tired, so exhausted, and so apparetly disoriented and prepared to die....
And everytime we would right the shark, drag it out, turn it, and swim it to freedom...it would turn around, come back in, get rolled by the horrendously pounding surf, and be further south due to the current...
And as I got some footage, Steven and Ryan did everything they could to immediately put this unbelievable pelagic fish back into freedom and life...
And after maybe a mile or a mile and a half of beach....Ryan, Steven, and myself could do no more....Ryan had even gone so far as to fearlessly swim/push that 600lb BEAST over the bar into 7 ft water....to no avail....it just kept getting spun around...so we made the decision to run to the jetty and call HARTE, ASAP. Ryan and Steven quickly jetted out....and I secured some gear and looked back...and here...is where it gets weird.....very weird....
We all think we know ourselves....and I personally have always felt that some folks are some weak-arse fools that need to realize nature plays its course whether we like it or not....and as the years have gone on, and I have found myself turning 30 I suppose the anger has built up....against our crooked freaking politicians, against the very government that was founded upon liberty and taxation only with representation, against those who put my father out of work over and over again while they had plenty. And as I grew up we always had enough, but only off the back and the very lifeblood of my Vietnam veteran father....victim of a generation put into a war they didn't volunteer for, they didn't necessarily believe in, and who had their youth STOLEN out from under them....so while folks like myself have had the chance to run around like an idiot in Boston trying to get through college, get beat by a BPD patrol officers club for my big mouth at 20, get thrown out of underage bars for drinking about 15 beers at age 19, and in general act like a complete buffoon, his generation spent those impressionable years overseas fighting a war, without any "college" opportunity. So why am I, and so many of my generation so angry? I dunno....maybe we're just spoiled. This whole emo crap definetely qualifies. But as I stood in the late afternoon Isla Blanca sun and watching Steven and Ryan disappear, I saw something that stopped my blood cold. The magnificent dusky's eye rolled back...and it looked me straight in the eye....and I knew that come heaven or H#ll below that I wouldn't leave this fish, spoiled, not spoiled, war veteran or NOT....that until nightfall me and this fish were gonna fight....TOGETHER....until death would come calling for one of us....
And I was shark rashed so bad on my arms and sides I could have cried, but a Naked Indian never shows weakness, they soldier on for only with pain and suffering will we grow...
But she continued to wash back in....but every time....her eyes....her yellow....yellow, yellow eyes would roll back and see me approaching her...and look me straight in the face...the sight of those yellow eyes rolling to see me, will stay with me forever....I'll never forget it....as this poor fish lay in the wash, unable to regain the life that awaited it....
And I realized...that as angry as I came down the Island....my war, my battle, was here tonight, with this fish, against the death that wanted her so badly....
And everyone including myself back in the day, considers shark fishermen D-bags, rightfully so, about 3/4 of us are...but while I have my problems, I would NEVER let this poor creature lay upside down in the pounding Padre surf to die....
And my arms hurt SO bad....but as we worked our way south, I'd push her out, she would take ten minutes and try and try and try to get over the 2nd bar...and wash back in 900 feet south...so I would have to run back to truck and move it...
And as I looked north and south I saw no one...and knew this way MY war to fight...
And me and the fish covered about four miles together, just working our way south, I'd swim her out and rub her guts just like Billy says to do, and she'd wash back in 900feet south...
And I read my books...determined to learn why...why, why, why would this beautiful and rare and wonderful offshore creature that had likely NEVER seen land would continue to beach herself???
And the "Towboat thermometer" read that nightfall was approaching fast...
But a Naked Indian don't give a good go#%amn about pain, about the weather, heck, they ran around naked covered in shark oil to keep the mosquitoes at bay on this very ground I stood on...so onwards I would push...
And ya'll that know me, know I don't like a light on the beach at night, a dark camp is how I go, but I had to see if she made it....my last push was right after dark...me and the old gal went out to about 5ft of water, I held my breath.....I pushed.....and I had been doing for 2 hours all I knew how to do from Billy...he always said to rub the guts free, because many of these sharks have NEVER seen dry ground, they aren't made to have the pressure of sand on their undersides.....and I don't understand....I don't know where or why I did this. If I'm a responsible adult, have a good job, what possesses me or others to do these things? All I know is that this life doesn't provide the meaning that I want for myself, it doesn't give gratification, that working your tail off for the latest CRAP from Apple doesn't mean for a minute you'll ever be happy....and I only can guess that I needed a war to fight, if only briefly...
But wonder of all wonders...she didn't return...I couldn't find her anywhere....I was awestruck...could the sun going down have caused her to finally make it? Or as the winds laid or dark came have made all the difference?
And I rolled south and ate a late dinner at 11pm at night....
And the morning came after yet another rain shower, soaking me in my miserable and restless sleeplessness....
Leftover coffee helped...as did the finally FLAT surf!!!
I rolled north...to see if my old gal had washed up in the night....dreadfully hoping against fate...
But I couldn't find her in 10 miles.
I was elated! So I fished, with tears rimming the corners of my eyes...for while it wasn't my life at stake...it was my war to fight....
And I wished I could teleport Tyler...El Surf Trout master to assist with this most AWESOME day of lure fishing that would be to surely come...
Wreck, Wreck, Wreck!!!!
But soon it became time for round two, with same ray, that I had been hauling around and that had been causing HORRIBLE racoon attacks every night...
And another Isla Blanca sunset would be mine....again....
And it once again became time to watch glowsticks..
And breakoff number one would occur...
And my sealine 50 would get put through the paces over and over and over again....
6ft female blacktip...
With...the ever present remoras....
And again and again....my sleep would be disrupted within minutes....68 inch male....
And crap from other countries would make fighting fish hard....
And my BIG GUNS would get screaming runs from picked up baits...only to be dropped....
And morning would finally come...
And mullet procurred..
And baths taken...
And anooooother beach burger expertly produced....
And Billy's beach bird migration occuring...
And I laid down in the goat's foot morning glory to smell the greatness of it all, and lay in the midst of peace....and isolation....
And baits stayed out....for over 2 days....
And another 6 footer...
And breakoffs on the big boys....
And my homeboy Steven's leader would get mauled....
And I would go out, catch a hardhead immediately at 3am, toss it out, and immediately get THIS....
But it became time....to.....roll OUTTTTTT!!!!!
Out of ice, out of water, out of my sanity thanks to some SPID-tard driving through my camp on day 7 at 9am at 45mph in the 50's running over about 4 of my leaders and weights as I packed up. Thanks a bunch, GRAY NISSAN CRUMMY 1986ish pathfinder.....
I knew it was time to leave, and as I packed up, I hauled back in my last bait, a live whiting, and as I unhooked it, and helped it swim off...I realized...I was just so tired of hurting things...whether a whiting or a mullet or anything else, and I just wanted these creatures to be left in peace for a while, and that it was my time to take my leave from THEIR world, and head back to mine...
And the Nic....
And as I headed north...THIS...we do NOT do....
idiot wanna-be shark fisherman......
This, we DO....take every...last...piece of trash with us...
And this cloud was beautiful, just like this Island....
Which reminds me, I never sat down about a day ago to write the next great mental retardation novel, so I guess this needs to be about it. I can promise I will never EVER write something this long again...but I suppose for just a minute in this life I wanted every single one of you to experience that greatness that we are blessed with every single day by our natural resources, and if you physically can't do these things or go these places as some of you have told me, I'll take you there in words. If you don't have the time off work, I'll take you there in words. Just don't pay too much attention or all sanity will leave you, as obviously as mine has. Hah.
Thanks for all the advice about sharks Billy, for the articles, for the writeups. We may never ever know if that beautiful 10ft 6 inch Dusky shark made it or not, but just like this life, we NEVER stop trying, and in your words, "We don't leave our wounded behind." See? You think you're retired, I'll put your arse back to work. Lol.
I gotta go cut grass, and fight a miserable rotten weedeater. Then? I might just go fishing again....
You all take great care of yourselves, eachother, and our resources. Watch your backs if your venture down south, but then again, ya'll knew that. Not everything it always as it seems. I hope all of you find whatever it is you yearn for, and you find fun along the way.
Life's a trip.
See ya'll at thong-a-dong, sharka-thong, sharkapalooza, heck do we even know what it's called anymore?
--Colin _________________ Protect Padre at all costs for future generations to use and enjoy and never forget our freedoms aren't free.
Benjamin and I just got through reading the report....Awesome as usual!! Very cool pics bro. _________________ TAKERS GET THE HONEY, GIVERS SING THE BLUES.... - ROBIN TROWER -
Joined: 22 Feb 2011 Posts: 715 Location: Aransas Pass, Texas
Posted: Sun Sep 23, 2012 2:02 pm Post subject:
I put some corn on the cob on the stove to cook and started reading your post. Well, long story shortened, I almost cooke all the water out of the pot. Corn was overcooked but I just went back to finish reading your post like it was 'no problem'. Great photos too! Thanks. _________________ FishLady
Man what can I say!!! I been wondering when you were going to post another adventure and you didn't dissapoint! Just outstanding!!!! I don't have the gift of words like you do but i can simply say I appreciate every word and picture! I only get down that way occasionally but get to experiece a lot more because of posts like this. Thanks for bringing us along. Hope to see ya down on the sand one day and thank you in person!
Joined: 14 Jul 2011 Posts: 146 Location: San Antonio, Texas
Posted: Mon Sep 24, 2012 1:51 am Post subject:
LOL @ FishLady. No joke. (Glad it's the middle of the night)
Towboat, you really need a publisher. GREAT shark story & gorgeous pics (those sea oats really hurt). Have you got a food truck following you everywhere or have you missed (your other) calling? Good grief.
That looks like true peace of mind & happiness, right there. You are Blessed.
I truly admire the way you show your respect and love for nature in the way you almost poeticly express you adventures.
What you went through to save a wonderful, yet feared, creature is something not everyone would do. Your a good man Charlie Brown. Thanks for the temporary escape from this desk I am trapped behind.
Joined: 29 Sep 2008 Posts: 1056 Location: the bluff
Posted: Tue Sep 25, 2012 10:30 am Post subject:
gorgeous snake....looks like either a milk or king _________________ "When times are tough,
and the flocks are small,
take your time,
and kill them all"
Someone needs to get the horse tranquilizers out and shoot before we all look like fools. I mean, REALLY. Colin, you make my trips down the beach feel ...pedestrian... at BEST. Your novels (heh)( make me want to love the island all the more-- which I guess is the point behind the effort. I know how long all the pics and videos take. You really do share the love, brother. Can't wait to share another meal down island.
Joined: 21 Feb 2007 Posts: 1259 Location: CORPUS CHRISTI TEXAS
Posted: Tue Sep 25, 2012 2:31 pm Post subject:
One for the nakad indian,Alway enjoyed your post man ,Glad the shark and you met that day.Thanks for sharing your adventures and awsome pics.No you the man. _________________ ''ONE LAST CAST''
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