I know this post is a little belated but I have been busy. I wish I could say I have been busy fishing but I haven’t been on the water as much as I would like. I expected to put this out at the beginning of the year but never made the time to put it all together so I am doing it now when things have slowed down a little.
No matter how you chalk it up 2010 was year to remember. It was phenomenal from start to finish. Many things happened over the course of the year that left me awestruck. I saw and did new things and encountered many amazing people along the way. People I now consider friends.
Highlights of the year include:
1. Andrew’s Big Trout -Andrew, Chris, and I met up for an afternoon rendevous and it was anything but hot and heavy. We landed less than 10 fish total that night but Andrew manged to beat his old PB 24″ trout with a beautiful trout that clocked in at just under 28″.
2. Personal Best Speckled Trout – Landing my PB speckled trout in early January on my birthday of all days was a great way to start the year. That day was a grind, but the pay off was well worth the effort.
3. Sam’s Big Red – This day in late March was the epidemy of a tough day of fishing. We were fishing a tournament duing 20-30mph winds caused by a late season cold front that was pushing through the middle coast. We fished all day long without a bite and then we almost struck gold right before we had to head in. We found an area loaded with fish but we couldn’t get the right ones to eat. Sam hooked and landed a 35″ 20+lb leviathan of a redfish while fishing an area we had never fished before.
4. John’s Big Snook – During an absolutely brutal 6-day camp trip in the Lower Laguna John caught his biggest snook of his life. This is the same trip I lost a snook of a lifetime, an estimated 30″-40″ linesider that left me with a bad taste in my mouth. This was probabaly the biggest heart breaker of the year. Although the weather didn’t cooperate we made the best of the situation and ended up having a good trip considering the conditions.
5. When Redfish Attack – Who ever thought you piss a redfish off enough to provoke an attack. As you can tell by my reaction in the vide, I sure didn’t.
6. First Redfish on the Fly – I caught my first redfish on the fly rod early the past summer. I probably caught over a hundred on the fly the rest of the year but the first one was the hardest and most rewarding.
7. Phenomenal Day in the Surf and Kayaking the Flats During Outdoor Texas Camp – During the Outdoor Texas we took a bunch of the campers to the surf on Mustang Island and had amazing day wade fishing the first and second gut. We caught and released over 150 trout in only a few hours of fishing one hot summer morning. Another memorable day during camp is when I took a few of kids out in kayaks on the flats and we hammered the redfish on topwaters.
8. Redfish on a Bare Hook and First Double – This past fall was the best I have ever experienced. I caught and saw more redfish in a few shorts months than all my fishing years’ prior. It wasn’t uncommon to go out and see dozens of schools in a single day with some pushing over a couple hundred to a school.
9. Nearshore Rig Skiff Trip – Although we didn’t landed our targeted species, fishing for Cobia with the fly rod was incredible. Doug and I took a technical poling skiff up to 8 miles off the beachfront searching the rigs for ling. We had plenty of shots that day we just couldn’t get any to the boat.
Those are just a few of the notable things that happened over the course of the year. As every year passes, I feel I am more knowledgeable. I am constantly maturing from my experiences and learning more about myself and my passions. Without giving too much away there are changes on the horizon this year for myself and this site. I’ll think you’ll enjoy the changes.
Casting Tales 2010 Recap:
Here’s some fun facts from the past year…
Most Popular Tide Link –NOAA Tides Online
Most Popular Gear Link – Breathe Like a Fish
Most Popular Photo Album – Speckled Trout Photo Album
Most Popular Post – Felt Like a Trout Day
Most Popular Photo – Skinny Water Trout
Most Watched Video – Redfish on a Bare Hook
Most Popular Fishing Video I Found on the Web and Posted Here (Three-Way Tie)- High in the Lowlands, Heart of the Marsh, Low and Clear
*Keep in my I started this blog mid-year on WordPress.
Goals for 2011:
1)Trout over 30″
2)Snook over 30″
3)Cobia on the Fly
4)Trout on the Fly over 28″
5)Texas Tarpon
6)Fish Baffin – Suprisingly, Baffin is about the only bay in Texas I haven’t fished.
7)Spend as much time as possible outdoors doing what I love to do.
This is a chronicle of the 150 days I spent on the water in 2010 and a symbol of my appreciation to my friends both new and old.
