Corpusfishing.com

[Towboat Trash]

"A stiff headwind arose on December 15 and forced the ship to pass below Jamaica instead of on the side of Cuba. The storm abated on December 18, allowing a day of sailing to correct the course, then struck again at midnight with increased fury. Most of the religious company, half kneeling, half lying on the rolling deck, said their litanies and commended themselves to God's care. The rain came in torrents, and each mountainous wave crashed upon them with such violence that it seemed the small ship would be smashed. With all sails furled, there was nothing to do but hang on and try to keep steerage before the storm. The blow lasted throughout the day and the second night was even worse than the first. The priests said their confessions and, clustered in the sterncastle cabin, prayed throughout the night.

There was danger of complete loss of steerage and, when it seemed that the ship would broach to, the pilot put on a patch of sail to take the wind on the stern and "steer by God and chance to where the wind would carry us." Even with the narrow strip of canvas, the vessel moved so fast that it was feared it soon would run out of sea room or ground on one of the banks or shoals that puncuate the Caribbean southeast of Jamaica. A sea anchor was put out to check the speed, but still the ship made more headway than was desired.

On Saturday, December 20, Bishop Las Casas, the pilot, and Fray Pedro Calvo, himself an experienced pilot, conferred and agreed that if the storm did not soon abate they would steer for one of the shoals, where the people might have some chance of survival. The ship could not endure such punishment much longer. That afternoon the entire ship's company confessed, and many promises were offered in exchange for rescue. But that night the storm worsened still, and "the waves seemed to reach the sky."

--Arnold III, J. Barto and Robert S. Weddle. (1978). "The Nautical Archeology of Padre Island: The Spanish Shipwrecks of 1554." New York, New York: Academic Press, Inc. pp. 111


"On St. Barnaby's Day, August 20, San Salvador hove to, waiting for the slow-sailing caravels to catch up, then lay becalmed in a milky sea for 2 more days. The friars went swimming, and the sailors fished for sharks."

--Arnold III, J. Barto and Robert S. Weddle. (1978). "The Nautical Archeology of Padre Island: The Spanish Shipwrecks of 1554." New York, New York: Academic Press, Inc. pp. 109


"I find the camp equipage in remarkably good order considering the terrible hurricane it passed through and I think Captain Collins deserves much credit for the care he took of it. He was blown off a horse when crossing a slight rise of ground. The horse was also blown down, and when trying to secure the boats in the Laguna (Murdock's Landing) came near to losing his life. Strange to say, some of my signals withstood the blow and as far as I have examined them none of the points have been lost, though in many places the entire face of the country has been changed particularly on the lower part of the Island. I have not visited the site of my former camp on the south end of the Island, but I hear the locality is nearly all washed away and if the camp equipage had not been moved all would probably have been lost."

--official correspondence from R.E. Halter of the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey to Superintendent G.P. Patterson in Washington, D.C. dated October 31, 1880 regarding mapping operations on Padre. They were camped on Padre with no warning.


"I think we have escaped the hurricane-on the 16th and 17th we had a heavy gale accompanied by a "storm wave" and a very heavy surf. On the 16th we had the wind NE and on the 17th NW. I think the storm center passed to the NE of us but I had no communication with town and do not know with what force, only judging from the high water and the heavy sea. The sea rose 8 or 10 feet above the ordinary level and came in on the island in many places-but it soon subsided and did not reach us.

--official correspondence from R.E. Halter of the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey to Superintendent G.P. Patterson in Washington, D.C. dated September 27, 1877 regarding mapping operations on Padre. They were camped on Padre with no warning.


"Well it's right between the-the hill is between the house and the Gulf. Almost directly across there. The--one of the bad storms--and I think it was 1919 storm, that was one of the worse ones I guess--it was--the two Dunn children stayed on that hill. They were staying in that house alone and it got--the water--it's so flat out there from the house to the hill and they had to wade that flat to get to that hill and they took shovels and dug holes in the sand and buried their selves, I mean, in the side of the hill as the water rose and the hurricane came ashore. That was the Dunns....Burton...and his sister May."

--mid 1970s interview with the old Dunn Ranch foreman about the two Dunn children's hurricane experience alone down Island. They survived by burying themselves in the upper reaches of Green Hill.


"Oh sure, I stayed in line camps with Dunn. The 25 mile ranch, that's the furthest one south. No, below the Mansfield Pass, now, you see. We had a corral and a tent there. And let's see--Burton--I was talking to him one time--his son Burton Dunn--Burton, his son, and a cousin of Burton's, "Red" Dunn--they were caught down there during the 1919 storm. The spent the '19 storm in that little shack. He said the water got about three feet deep and no place to go. 'Course that back there, you know, is flat. You have to go this way to get to the sand dunes. I asked him was he scared and he said, "What do you think?" He said, "Red Dunn, as mean as he was, he even prayed."

--1978 oral interview with Louis Rawalt


"Later on in years, he and Mrs. Dunn would go back and forth on Mustang Island because they had a paved road and they would drive back and forth and look at the cows and we went over and bought 23 head of real top cows and calves and brought over there and they would call them up to keep along the fence and they'd drive back and forth on that road to see those cows. That was every evening seven days a week--and we had a storm just about the time we brought them over here and the old cows would swim when the water would start coming up they would get on a knoll and as the water would get higher, they would swim to a taller knoll--just swim to another hill till they got to the highest hill and would keep out of the water. Our new cows didn't know anything about that and the eye of the storm was going out to the Gulf. The water was coming out of Corpus Christi bay--this was on Mustang Island and course those cows had no knowledge of this moving to the highest hill, so they--I'm sure they got on one but they didn't get on one tall enough and they didn't know how to change and they all drowned and they all washed out into the Gulf and several days later when we came over here for an inspection, why they--the 23 cows were lined up on the beach dead. They washed out into the water and then waves had washed them back on shore."

--1977 oral interviews with Jim Lynch, Dunn Ranch foreman of what is now the National Seashore


The hallway was dark. Darker than Padre Island on a foggy new moon night in March. Dark enough that I couldn't see my feet, could only feel my way back to Billy's office, which was at the end and on the left. On the right wall lie a collection of fly rods on hooks on the wall, and other high dollar rods that I just knew could be my undoing. If I bumped into just one, the rest would probably fall to the floor like dominoes. And heck, then I'd probably step on one in the dark, and there we'd go. Deceased before the ripe old age of 36. But I made it one more time, and stepped into Billy's office. "How's it going!" I yelled. "Just fine Colin," was the quiet reply. "You know what!?" I exclaimed-"What we need around here is a storm! We're overdue! This nonstop Schnexnailder development everywhere nonsense on every inch of that Island across the way needs to get the kabosh put on that arse!" Long silence. Then a slow deliberate reply. "WHY would you SAY THAT?? We would lose EVERYTHING COLIN! God, no we don't need a storm!"

One month ago I said those words. And as I left that day, I knew Billy was right, and that his rods were the least of my worries after uttering such words in the presence of this tomahawk looking weapon that I'm quite sure he has practiced throwing. I almost didn't write this report when so many have lost so very very much, but I received a letter from a kind stranger telling me how much she looks forward to pictures and tales of Padre. And I suppose that IS what recovery means. We get back up, we dust ourselves off, and we do what we have been doing all along. Businesses serve hot meals, stores reopen their doors and sell what remains, and humans pick up the wreckage and pile tree limbs in piles out front. And when it's all said and done, we rebuild. A mighty cost was paid by our forefathers for all that we have, each and every one. Whether your family hails from Ireland and Sicily through Staten Island like mine, or they immigrated from anywhere else-their struggles made them STRONG and their sacrifices have allowed us to enjoy a country as great as America today. We WILL get though this, and nobody is better equipped than TEXAS to get the job done and move forward. God bless America and God shine His light on Texas.



Meet the "Bible" of Padre. I've hesitated to share this one for a long while, lest I stir the pot of the gold fever of the 70s and 80s all over again down there...but every page is a treasure, and every word worth remembering. Just get your wallet out if you buy it! $$$


The Seashore was set to reopen last Wednesday at noon, and there I was at around 1130.




And arrival at the beach was quite....flat!




The storm surge really cleaned things up that day on Island.





And the I/O boat was still around.




And the surf remained sandy from the storm.


And the erosion of the Mansfield Jetty area was complete.


A favorite! Spiny Jewelbox!


And the crew that was rescued during the storm....their vessel remained grounded.


Heading north, I got to fishing.


I had told a good friend I was quite literally going to sit under an umbrella all day and not do a darn thing, so there we were!


And little did I know how many undersize reds there would be not just this day, but in the week to come....




And this one? A favorite picture and a more pleasurable event! The "double hardhead disaster!"




But I straightened it out and got back to it.




And yet another rat red.


And I watched the birds all around me.


Fly Willet, fly!






And the day went peacefully, just dead stick fishing.


And night came soon.


And I saw lights. No one left around but me, the daytrippers all gone home...


And they stopped.


And I didn't know them, so I went over to make new friends and say hello. Lol.


And cooked dinner.


And crashed out up by the dunes after cast out bait shark fishing for a while.


And morning came early, with me already packed up ready to run and gun.


And the sea of mullet was unreal. The entire surf was just littered with them, having gotten pulled out of the bay maybe a tad early from the huge storm that just inundated the bay system and then drained it.




Well good morning Mother Ocean....




And I discovered more undersize reds!


Still hadn't caught a keeper yet!


And ladyfish.


And a few trout!


Ole snaggletooth....


Bam!


There she is! Gettin' bigger!


And more undersize reds....still fishing lures....


And some more nice trout!


Who were eating whole mullet!


And more trout.




And more rat reds! Still hadn't caught a keeper!


But there were plenty of trout!






And then....mangrove snapper!


And I just knew there were more fish, but doggonit, no matter what I did they wouldn't hit a lure or a bait!


So just for curiosity's sake....I hit em with a good lick of the cast net just to see!!!! And holy cow! Not only were the mangrove that thick off in that hole that the storm had created in the wade gut....but is that a SNOOK I see!!! And more trout too?! I KNEW that 5 foot hole in the wade gut was chock full of fish!


And more baby black drum!






Little snook! Awesome! And back everybody went into the surf to be free once more and my curiosity was satisfied! Awesome!


And I found some washed in commercial fishing gear, and caught more fish off of that...


And the Nicaragua shipwreck remained alive and well.


Over 100 years of storms it has weathered....




And before I knew it, the baitballs started up. Being prime dusky anchovy migration time, combine that with the mullet migration, and we have THIS!!!!!


Nuttiness!




Now....you can toss anything you want into these schools....but if you catch 1,000 ladyfish, don't be surprised! It's darn hard to reach the Jacks when the "crazy-ladies" are in town!


And the pelicans were quite over it. Lol.








And round 11 began...




BAITBALL MANIA!








Ka-splash!






Fly ladyfish, fly!


Crazytown!


Ladyfish, just knocking anchovies every which way!!!


Ladyfish! Doing the R. Kelly "I Believe I Can Fly" maneuver!


And then the disappearing trick.


And I can't quite tell...but is that a Jack I see??? Didn't see him at the time....


And then....things got downright DUMB OUT THERE!!!!


And until you've been in a feeding frenzy like this, you can't say for sure WHAT you're gonna do! When all mayhem and chaos breaks loose, it's everyone for themselves that's for sure!


Dusky anchovies!!!!


And mullet trains!






Mullet!




Arses and elbows!




Downright mania!




A thousand skipjacks later, I took a doggone bath!!!




And resumed the hunt the next morning. And yep-found a loggerhead turtle's nest!






Pretty cool.




But the coyote tracks were all around, so I didn't know if any eggs remained.




Or if the sand the loggerhead threw on top of the eggs had masked their smell.


What a beautiful Padre early morning sight.






And sat and watched over it until Heather from the turtle patrol could come on down and do her thing. Turns out, there were 111 intact eggs in the nest.


Pretty awesome! Loggerheads are big old boys and quite cool! Well....for a cold blooded reptile and all.....


But the day must go on, and the black terns appeared and readied for the day.


The fall bird staging is something I look forward to every year. It's special, just like this Island.


But I had fishing to do.....and here's a nice one that was worth the morning hunt!




Yes!


Not a Baffin bruiser, but they, this ain't Baffin!


Right on size, nice and fat.


And aw heck, just for fun I went down to the jetty and broke out the mask...


And went shell hunting.




Beautiful.






Rock! Do believe they call this trout territory!


And I coulda cried....lol....as I farted along down there in the dirt, a trout came right up to me and took a look before turning around and taking off. Having just got done fishing and come up dry, I couldn't help but laugh. Doggonit, that's fishing.






And I did my best to get a shot of the mullet train!




And after the long holiday weekend, picked it back up on Tuesday the 5th.


And the weather was quite unsettled with Katia forming in the lower Gulf and Irma to the East.






And the tide back high where it should be, and the beach reforming it's pinches and guts again after the storm.


And wait! What's this? Blue land crab!!


Super cool!




Appeared to be a juvenile.




Yellow legs and brown carapace.


And I caught up with the mullet train.


And finally! A slot red! But foiled again! He had been hit by a shark and had half his side ripped off plus his back.


And I caught up to the Jacks finally as well. Where you fellas been?






No 20 pounders but still good bait.




And packed for another overnight, with the front forecasted to roll through that night after midnight....the birds began circling high in the sky. An old shrimper's telltale-this meant bad weather coming. But aside from a rainshower, what could it be?


Haha, and back to the darn mangrove snapper again.


And my question was answered. Just look at that thing steamroll over the top of the Island.




And 12 rat reds later....still no more slots.....


And the tide started hitting the dune line and the wind started howling and that was a wrap.


And that was it. Done deal, to the house. It's been a very long week and a half for so many... Ya'll take care of eachother and be safe. So many have suffered so much as a result of the storm, and so many have so long to go to be made whole again. None of this is easy. Take care everyone and help one another. Remain patient, and lend a hand to anyone you can. We'll have to wait and see what happens with the fishing after this strange first of the year September 6th cold front passes.

Tight lines.

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

www.padreislandexpeditions.com

[Donnie]

Awesome set of pictures Colin, thanks for posting them. How far down is the nicaragua wreck ? Do you throw spoons mostly ?

Donnie

[Towboat Trash]

[Donnie]

[ratherbefishing]

Colin, again you did not disappoint. Thanks for the report....
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[BayFly]

Enjoyed the trip! I look forward to the day you take Elizabeth on one of your trips!

[Towboat Trash]

[Donnie]

There might be some that say I am making this up , but since I found out I can fish in the surf, and have been going back out there, this is just about 4 weeks now, while it may not look like it, I think my leg is getting better. The warm salt water, and the wave action forciing me to strain against it , and the boyancy of the water helping me to stand with my walker or my cane, its working for me. The doctors said I would walk again some day, but just not like other people, there was too much damage for that, and so thats ok. As long as I can fish, and if its only surf, thats freaking awesome. God knows where I belong.

Donnie

[HungerBuster]

Man do I have an itch to get down there and see the island after the storm. Things are crazy around here though--my parents have been in town for almost two weeks (they live northeast of Houston).Their place is fine, no damage, but there's no food, no gas, no open restaurants-- it's just downright depressing, so I told em to stay as long as they like rather than be bumps on a log in a disaster area. I'm no JJ Watt or Oz, but I can at least let them shack up for a while here in Dripping Springs. Thanks for the report and pictures as always my friend. Good stuff, and definitely took the mind off of everything. I think I actually broke a few smiles.
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Fish ON!

[deputydawg]

I needed this in the worst way! Unfortunately its gonna be awhile before i get to hit the sand again. Thank you for letting me see it thru you!

Me and my girls little part of the world took a pretty hard hit about a week ago. We are safe though and better than a lot of folks. It will get better! We have friends, family, and a place to stay.

[manuel9622]

Awesome post and pics!
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Shallow Sportn' it

[chapcat54]

I always enjoy your posts. Thanks so much.

[parttime]

I look forward to your reports every time, you never disappoint. thank you.