Corpusfishing.com

[Towboat Trash]

"Was fine and hot last night I had to rest or sleep the mosquitoes being so troublesome we saddled up at dawn and crossed the Lagoon which was usually deep the wate for about a mile splashing over our saddles it seemed doubtful whether we could get over at first, we took our breakfast in the sand hill near some willows which were full of Heron nests and most of the nests occupied by young birds. I saw a pair of Sandhill cranes flying around, the first I have ever seen here in summer. We then rode over to the beach and continued on for over twenty miles till we reached a spot, opposite a deserted hut called Curry Ranch , when we rode across the island till we reached it, and camped, we found the place a most desolate looking one. She only occupied mosquitoes and ants. One of the boys shot a hog which accidently came across near the house."


--Monday, July 10, 1865. Diary of my Life Commencing Janr'y 10, 1858. Thomas John Noakes. (describing traveling down Padre Island to salvage a wrecked sailing vessel)


"The wind being fair and the sea calm and then Hooper and I followed along the shore and agreed to get to CURRY RANCH that night if possible and lay up a day and rest the horses and kill some meat to save ourselves from starving..."

--Friday July 14th. Diary of my Life Commencing Janr'y 10, 1858. Thomas John Noakes. (describing traveling down Padre Island to salvage a wrecked sailing vessel)

"My camp is on the north end of the island which is a very desolate place. The nearest neighbor is a family living about twenty miles down the island escept an old hermit living in a hovel without even a dog."

--Official correspondence from R.E. Halter of the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey to Washington, D.C., dated Dec. 6, 1876.

"Last year we had no mosquitoes and few flies, this year they are very plenty and troublesome. We have killed as many as seven rattlsnakes in one day, and lately I have had a horse, and another dog bitten and hope to save the life of both.

--Official correspondence from R.E. Halter of the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey to Washington, D.C., dated May 31, 1878.


It was the end of the line as the mid day December sun shone down at the end of Blackswamp road on the 20,000 acre Two Shoes deer lease. "This is the spot, you're getting out here Colin...now you got about a half mile through the swamp you're gonna have to walk to come out on the other side, and when you get there, there is a ridge of pine and I want you to find an old deadhead tree that I've got a flyer on, and you set up right there and wait. I can't give you a radio, because it won't work down in there so you're gonna be on your own. Now watch your compass and don't you wander north or south, because that swamp runs 6 miles in either direction. We lost a dog in there last year and when it came out it was a week later and it was tore up real bad from fighting. Now we're gonna turn the dogs loose in about an hour which will give you time to get set up. Now don't wander off that ridge, there's an old man lives at the bottom end of it and he's got about 8 real big dogs and they're real mean, now, you hear? You just set there and be ready-you ain't gonna hear them dogs until it's too late-those deer are gonna be on the loose and on the run through there and that ridge is their funnel out the box we're gonna put 'em in. And you're gonna be the mousetrap down bottom waiting on em. And what does a mousetrap do? It sits in silence, waiting, and then it puts the jaws down and ends things. You just take a deep breath, let time slow down, and look right down that barrel but aim a few feet ahead of those deer, now, you hear? If you see any hogs don't shoot 'em unless you have to. You'll see their sign. If you have any trouble you remember what I told you and fire three shots off in the air, 3 seconds apart. This is up to you, you're on your own now." And I carefully slid Howell's beautiful 12 guage out of the middle of the old pickup front seat floorboard, grabbed an orange and some deer jerky to take with me for lunch, put my favorite flannel jacket on that was just like Howell's and those other heroes of mine, and I was off. What was to come in 2 hours, I couldn't have imagined.

--A "Low Country" South Georgia tradition, dog hunting for deer. With Brian's and Kevin's daddy, shrimper, Captain Howell Boone-and the rest of the deer camp boys on a South Georgia $185 dollar a year deer lease, 20,000 acres of logging land. Age 14, year 1996.

NE flow and a storm was rolling in...so....perfect time to hit the sand!!!!


And right before the winds picked up to howling speed, the sun broke through, and it was beautiful. And it was just me, and storming out the NE, and I loved every minute of it. It seems these days of fishing for fun, alone, are fewer and fewer these days, and Billy was right. You don't hear those Indian Flutes unless you're alone....



Nothing I love more than two Daiwa Sealines putting in work. Never could understand how a beach man doesn't fish a long rod. Long rods mean you can fish in almost anything!


And the winds blew, and I went to 4 ounces plus bait, and there we were! Pompanooooo!




And there was not a soul on Island and it was beautiful.


And there were very cool sea whip debris piles, and very small pen shells the length of the Island.




And the cormorants were the only bird species in any abundance...it's winter!


And those Indian Flutes played, and before I knew it, I was off in the dunes again. To a very special spot that holds great meaning for me. The Island is many many miles wide in this area, and years ago before the backbeach accretion, one could camp here next to this pole.


The Mexican ground squirrel holes were quite numerous, and nowadays, folks drive right by this area, including me. Just north of the old Coast Guard station, this area is in the area of the old Rio Grande delta's old riverbed.


I hear they are mean enough to come out and bite a person if one lingers.


And I knew already why I had grabbed the camera and lunch. I was going over the dunes to check out some things.


And I got back in there and was amazed to see it just like it always was, mysterious and adventure laden, and beckoning.


Kathy and I found an entire cow skeleton preserved in the dune hear after a storm one year, couldn't help but wonder if it was one of Pat Dunn's old ranch stock.


And back in my hidey hole I went.


Beautiful.


And the badlands in the distance called my name, just as they always do. I love Padre and after this many years feel so blessed to have had it for this long.




I sat there for 10 minutes just contemplating things. Like life. Family. Like whose looking down on us all and wishing we did things on way versus another way, or not even at all. And I wondered at 2 am what creatures would still be able to sense my presence here at 1230 noon on a Wednesday, just sitting and existing. And something told me look back. So I did.


And I 'bout fell off the gottang dune! Javelina, on the Island? I can honestly say, in all the days, weeks, months, and years of wandering around on Padre I've never seen them. And I suppose I should have, but I just haven't. Not even their tracks. But I saw one last month at the 32, and with the park staff sent home, I havn't been able to let my friends know at the Division of Science and Resource Management (and awesomeness, love you guys! ) know.


And I did NOT have my good lens on the camera, and was absolutely shocked to see they had been sniffing and tracking me by my footprints in the soft sand. I do know they will eat a dead carcass, or incapacitated one, bones and all-and my good friend Nathan from Ranch Salt was telling me they scavenge for food to the point that they will follow a man.


What a picture and what an experience I haven't had before.


But-they are native, so I wonder why I haven't seen them on island before?


And all the tracks began to make sense that I've been seeing everywhere on the back beach now.


And I was pretty glad they spooked, and ran from me, because the other alternative woulda seen me flying over rattlesnake heads back to my doggone truck!! And I followed them, and lost them in the grasses, and never could find them again.


Question for the hunters here, is this Javelina poop?


And I came out on the beach quite astonished.


Not a soul on Island though, just me, the pigs, Billy, the Indians, and a few wandering Dunn Ranch vaqueros.


And I finally had answers for the tracks I've been seeing the last year or so.


But time waits for no man!!! Pompanoooo!!


And reds!


Not bad.


Love those blue beach red tails....


And two more! A limit that day, how good for our family. Our baby daughter eats fish like a normal kid eats McDonalds!


And the sun broke through for 5 minutes, and I had to start letting 'em go, and almost cried to leave 'em biting with no one around, not even any birds, and nobody there to catch em but me and once I was gone nobody to know it had ever even been that good.


And that was a wrap, had to get home and get ready for little Jonathan to get tubes in his ears today at the kids hospital. Poor little guy is feeling better though. I suppose telling stories of 15 jacked up 4 wheel drives, 6 four wheelers, two rebel flag flying outlaws on 3-wheelers, and 20 grown men and 3 women driving said objects while holding onto 12 gauges, yelling on Channel 19 CB radio, riding around the hunt club shooting at anything that moves while the dogs run and the deer haul a** and folks duck in the ditch to avoid getting accidentally shot and people buried their trucks in mudholes and had head on collisions driving 45mph down dirt roads chasing those dogs and those deer is highly politically incorrect but that's the way it was and if I could go back and relive just one more dog hunt, one more early dawn dirt road ride looking for tracks and sign to let the dogs loose on, I would. Ya'll take care and I hope you get some time alone down Padre with those Indians and maybe even some of your memories.


God Bless and tight lines.


--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

[Donnie]

Colin, with all of that, and all of that , was beautiful and I really like your writing and your thoughts out there. My first trip to the island was in around 1956 or so - and my first sighting of something - strange, well ghostly strange to be exact, i see lots of strange every holiday weekend - occurred last saturday - maybe as I heard that Billy had to say - 'you had to be receptive'. My important question, is what and where do you get those waders ? Thanks - I am sure I have seen you heading down.

Thanks.
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Don - permanent prescription of salt water therapy.

[ratherbefishing]

Thanks for another great post, Colin...
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[deputydawg]

Another great post and pictures!

Those javi's are cool! I was just wondering the other day if you, or anybody else, had ever seen hogs down there. I didn't even consider javi's though. It always amazes me the wildlife in the dunes!

Awesome fishing day too! Looks like the young un will have plenty of groceries.

Finally I'm old enough to remember when it was still legal to hunt deer with dogs in Texas. I never got one doing it but i remember it was fun and quite a show! East Texas was very similar to what you described! Times sure have changed!

Can't wait for your next adventure!

[BeachBum]

Hiya!,

Great trip! Thanks for sharing! I know a few people post pics of a single javi on the beach....now there are two. PINS seems to always surprise.
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FISH ON!!,

BUM

[Sinker]

Thanx for the report and photos.
I did not know javalina inhabited PINS.

[Donnie]

Javelinas are pretty much everywhere in south texas, we had a couple in our front yard a few years ago - and we are a couple miles from open country here. The animal i was surprised to see was a badger - its been 20-25 years ago, but there it was, heading up into the dunes.
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Don - permanent prescription of salt water therapy.

[saltyhook]

That;s my bud Collin . he catches fish in blizzard's and wash tub water with one hand while fighting off the Indians , ghost , wild hogs , and the Googans with the other hand !

As always thanks for the ride Colin .
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Fishing is not a matter of life or death it is much more important then that !
Saltyhook

[SandJKENNELS]

[Towboat Trash]

[SandJKENNELS]

[deputydawg]

[Donnie]

Thanks for that- i will check Roys and of course Amazon.. Work and business is temporarily taking up large amounts of my fishing time - but - things will change - and the fish better watch out. Take care and enjoy your posts.

Donnie
_________________
Don - permanent prescription of salt water therapy.

[BayFly]

On the dogs in East Texas, Bon Weir is not in "North East Texas" and the use of dogs for hunting deer and hogs was prevalent there, and continued south to Kirbyville, Mauriceville, etc.

[parttime]

I always enjoy reading your posts.
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Parttime fishing, parttime wishing...
https://www.youtube.com/c/AJOutdoors1