Sunday, August 19, 2001

You don't have to go far for your fish

David Sikes/Caller-Times

The Boathole paid big redfish dividends last week for Troy Adler and friends, who never lost sight of the JFK Causeway during their day of fishing.

When asked where they caught fish, there is a standard response among anglers who launch under the JFK Causeway.
   It's as coy as responding with "in the mouth" or "in the water," but more devious. Because this answer could be true, if not for the subtle smirk, wink or nod that follows.
   Often this particular spot is dismissed simply for being too obvious, whatever that means.
   I'm talking about the Boathole, a loosely defined area off Flour Bluff's shore, north of the JFK Causeway. The Boathole is roughly bordered by Navel Air Station-Corpus Christi on the west, Dimit Island on the north, a set of power lines stretched across Laguna Madre on the south and a chain of small islands to the east.
   What once was a section of water carved out of Corpus Christi Bay for Navy sea planes to land is now a refuge for trout, redfish and flounder, not to mention a convenient stop for anglers. What makes it attractive to fish are the uneven contours of its floor, with channels, deepwater flats and seagrass beds.
   The Boathole is one of many consistently productive spots frequented by a

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number of fishing guides and fuel-efficient anglers without time to search, especially when high winds make for a jarring ride southward to more remote waters. Corpus Christi guide Clay Wernli, along with a handful of his colleagues out of Land & Sea Marina, offered to prove to me that more time fishing and less time traveling could mean more enjoyment overall.
   In the JFK's shadow
   Our day began with a slight change in plans. The misfortune of a veteran guide whose outboard motor failed to provide full power had his clients facing disappointment. So Wernli invited the crew from that charter to fish with us. Happy to join Wernli, Jennifer Sloan and I were Marty Singleton, Ronnie Franco and Troy Adler.
   Wernli's plan was to begin under the power lines at the Boathole, then hit several spots north and south of the causeway, never losing sight of the bridge. We would be using piggies and croaker and staying in the boat today.

David Sikes/Caller-Times

San Antonio angler Pauline Frerich found this impressive flounder mixed with trout last week in the Boathole.

   Several boats had beaten us to the power lines that morning, but this didn't bother Wernli. He motored between two floating cabins and throttled down. I'm unsure how anyone knows the specific contours of and structure of a bay bottom, unless they've seen it at extreme low tide or have waded in the area. But from a distance of about 100 yards, Wernli began describing the guts, old channels and depth changes we would be fishing.
   The Boathole's average depth is probably four to five feet. Its bottom can be hard, soft, scattered with shell in places or covered with shoalgrass. Certain sections of the nearby Flour Bluff shoreline are wadable.
   Trial and error
   Still 100 yards away, Wernli began his approach, using a trolling motor for stealth. This beats poling or paddling a heavy boat. I can't stress enough the importance of a quiet approach to shallow-water spots.

David Sikes/Caller-Times

Jennifer Sloan pulled this sand trout from under the power lines in the Boathole, north of the JFK Causeway off Flour Bluff’s shore, last week.

   Incidentally, net surveys of the Boathole have produced good numbers of reds and trout, particularly in springtime. Local anglers expect good fishing there during extreme temperatures as well. Not far from the Intracoastal Waterway and the Humble Channel, the Boathole holds some of the deeper waters immediately north and south of the JFK Causeway.
   Fishing this area involves trial and error. You might have to pick up anchor or let out a little anchor line several times to adequately cover each section of the Boathole. Drifting also is a good idea. Just last week, trout up to 28 inches, redfish (some oversized), flounder and sand trout were caught under the power lines.
   We caught a few trout and moved on. This is one of those spots where catch rates vary from boat to boat, despite proximity. This also applies to anglers within a boat. Franco had the hot hand for us.
   On to Packery
   Our next stop was the Packery Channel area. But I don't recommend this spot unless you have a shallow-draft boat. Wernli is familiar enough with the tiny access channel to run it with his bayboat on plane. An aluminum boat or kayak could get in easily.
   Anyway, Packery Channel opens into a wide flat to its north. These waters fill with baitfish at times and are one of Wernli's staple stops for trout and redfish. It didn't pay off for us this day.
   But that's the beauty of these near spots. Not much time is wasted checking them out.
   South of the causeway, We caught fish at several spots along the Pure Oil Channel, west of the Intracoastal Waterway. We did the same east of the spoil banks that line the Intracoastal Waterway's east side. This is as far south as we traveled.
   Then we hit North Nighthawk. Someone once told me that Nighthawk Bay got its name from commercial fishermen, who, under the cover of darkness, regularly hauled boatloads of fish out of the shallow bay a long time ago. They named it Night Haul, which eventually was corrupted to become Nighthawk.
   I don't know if this is true, but it's intriguing lore just the same.
   I've waded Nighthawk and sight-casted for reds in its clear seagrass beds. But I've never anchored within casting distance of one of the narrow ditches used for access into Nighthawk.
   That's what we did. And we caught some of the most beautiful trout of the day in a ditch that couldn't have been more than six feet wide in spots. You'll have to find this one on your own. It's difficult to describe. Look behind and between the spoil islands that form Nighthawk's western border for guts.
   Our last stop was also our first.
   We came full circle and returned to the power lines to find that everything had changed. In the same hole that held trout earlier, Adler, Franco and Singleton caught redfish at will, some that tickled the upper end of the slot.
   The boat ride back to Land & Sea took about five minutes, maybe 10.
  
  

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