Castaway Lodge Seadrift Report
By Capt. Kris Kelley
Sponsored by: Mercury Marine; Air Ranger Airboats; Haynie Bay Boats; Baysport Marine Victoria; Castaway Rods; JL Marine; Pure Fishing; and, Bob's Machine Shop.
"So Much To Be Thankful For"
It's been a hectic whirlwind over the Big Holiday with guests coming in from all over the State and Nation to celebrate Thanksgiving with us here at The Lodge. The Alexander's made it in on schedule with no problems from AZ for their visit dating back every year for over two decades. We welcomed some new and returning faces as well with eager youngsters and wives in for a first go round with duck hunting. All in all, I just had to step back and admire our Band of Brothers (our team of Guides) and the wonderful spirit of our visitors. We've been dealing with more negative setups on the waterfowling side of things from abnormally warm and mild; big flood tides; and a sparse migration thus far. Over the years one thing our team recognizes, when the chips are down, execution, eagerness, and a willingness to go the extra mile may be all we have to offer. Execute, and let Mother Nature take care of herself. And, execute we did.
Bait Outshines Plastics, But There's A Bright Spot!
With fishing staying well above expectations for seasonal norms, it's been a close in knife fight with hungry schools of foraging Redfish. I've lost track of the string of limits but it's dating back weeks now without a miss. We're working cut bait at present over mud/grass pockets pushing ultra shallow on huge water levels. Soft plastics fared poorly on strong winds as Capt. Chris Cady had to switch over to bait with no bite coming on targeted drifts. One bright spot appears to be a new lure we are field testing for Rot8 Lures. Capt. Chris Cady said he's got to have somemore time with it but he said "it appears to be a potential game changer"!
Texas Coastal Duck Hunting
Combination trips have been yielding near limits with a strange and near surreal mixed bag of species we're finding tough to keep track of. From GoldenEye to the rarist of trophy's a Masked Duck, one of two taken this season by Capt. Jake Huddleston, it's been a wide variety and mixed bag adventure. Tree ducks are still very much "here" as they haven't felt the need to "out-migrate" as of yet but it looks like old man Winter may be kicking it into gear so we're watchful and waiting on the 2nd Split opener on 12/12/15.
"Dress For Sucess"
It got chilly and nasty over the holiday weekend just the way we like it! From the low to mid 80s straight into the 40s touching 30s, in Texas you've got to get ready for the extreme temperatures and humidity shift. Pictured is Amanda Maughan on her first Cast N Blast with her husband Matt. When he booked the trip I explained that bringing your best friend (and spoiuse) has the responsibility of gearing her up purely on the husbands shoulders.
With today's waterproof and breathable gear, the conditions that left a bad impression on many in our younger days, don't have to lead to the same suffering and exposure to the elements. I've said it before, with the performance wear today, a duck hunter could darn near take the Summit on Everest. So, don't let yourself and your companions down by coming in for a trip unprepared and "Dress For Sucess".
Lodge News - "Castaway On The Bayou"
We took a big bite out of the dirt moving schedule and contours and sightlines are beginning to take shape. Of course anytime you're moving dirt (and we've got a lot to move), it's going to rain. So, we'll be delayed for a bit. What a special place this is going to be and just a great addition to our existing operations. We'll be scaling operations during the Spring of 2016 to host up to 40 guests totalling nearly 15,000 square feet under roof. We'd like to thank the expert guidance of The Alexander family who are "ultra custom" home builders in Arizona for tweaking the layout, saying Grace over our layout; and, giving us feedback on our plans.
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There's lots of moving parts right now but you won't find any place more warm and welcoming so from our family here at Castaway Lodge to yours......
Happy Holidays!
Capt. Kris Kelley
Castaway Lodge
1-888-618-4868
www.seadriftbayfishing.com
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