Dozens of dolphins moving down the Brazos Santiago Pass to the Laguna Madre have a lot in common with the people aboard the nearby Bay King charter boat. One and all are fishing the bountiful waters of the Laguna Madre, enjoying the clear water, bay breeze and the camaraderie of fishing together.
Fishing the bay has a timeless allure whether you are casting your line into the gin-clear water from a kayak, the jetties, a charter boat or while wading near your own shallow water boat. Texas anglers trail only Florida in the billions they collectively spend on the tools and accessories of their beloved pastime. It’s easy to understand what draws people to the world’s largest hypersaline estuary. The 300 square miles of the Lower Laguna Madre have been ranked among the top 10 places to wet a line in the U.S. In fact, the world record speckled trout was landed here.
Dozens of Valley businesses cater to eager anglers beginning with local boat builders like Dargel and Bayside Marine. Tackle and bait shops range from mom-and-pop stores like R&R’s Hi-way Bait Stand in Port Isabel to Bass Pro and Academy. Dr. Oscar Sotelo forecasts when fish will be most active based on lunar transit times and sells an annual calendar on his Smart Outdoorsman website. Hilco fabricates custom boat canopies and boat covers. Island and Port Isabel hotels offer lodging for anglers as does Atascosa Outlook. Charter boat businesses like Captain Murphy’s and guide services make it is easy to test the waters. Boat storage is available inland and at Sea Ranch Marina which has dry stack storage and wet slip docks. Kingfisher Taxidermy preserves the big one that didn’t get away, after all.
The catch of day might be red snapper, flounder, speckled trout, snook or black drum, something fresh to bring home for supper.
Bring only a fishing license
Captain Tommy de la Rosa and deckhand Jimmy Chalfant welcomed passengers aboard the 54- foot Bay King at the Pier 19 dock on a sunny but windy afternoon. The charter or party boat had already completed a four-hour morning fishing run with 16 passengers who had hooked speckled trout as well as a stingray and scorpion fish. Charter boats provide rods, reels, tackle and bait along with coaching on how to cast and land fish safely.
“We’re going to help you out as much as we can,” said de la Rosa. “The wind is making it tough since we’re targeting bottom feeders.” With the Bay King anchored in 27 feet of water across from the Boca Chica dunes, passengers began casting heavily weighted lines baited with squid. “The bait is going to move and attract fish who detect the vibration.”
“I enjoy the smiles that are on people’s faces,” said de la Rosa, smiling himself, happy to be on the water. As one of six licensed captains who take out boats in the Osprey fleet, he gets paid to bring his customers to where the fish are biting, to fish with them when possible and to get people safely back to harbor. “This boat is busy year around. During the summer we double up on our schedule. The bay is a constant resource. Big and little fish migrate in and out with tides. In the fall, we get people from the Valley with a few vacationers. You’ll see the Bay King out on water more often than others.” On slower days in slower seasons, other charter companies refer anglers to the Bay King, which requires a minimum of six to go fishing. “Every day is Saturday for me,” added the good-natured deckhand.
The Osprey fleet used to be strictly fishing charters, but when demand grew for Port of Brownsville trips and dolphin watch trips, the company expanded to become a “one-stop shop” for water entertainment. It is becoming affiliated with Schlitterbahn, de la Rosa added.
Passenger Mike Zarletti, a Winter Texan, went out on party boats eight times last season. He, like many charter boat fishermen, finds it easier than owning a own boat and doing all the maintenance. Instead, they just hop aboard and fish. Also on board, Cheryle and Gary Hack of Tucson decided to try fishing on the last day of their stay on the Island. Early on, she landed a larger whiting with a big bite out of it. “Shark bite.”
Fishermen everywhere love to tell fish stories. De la Rosa mentions that recent trips have brought up octopus, mangrove and lane snapper, moray eels and eagle rays. He recalled having seen a 30 foot long whale shark shadow a deep sea fishing boat. Over on the jetties, families and individuals are fishing on the jetties. They are enjoying a combination of solitude, dolphin watching and fishing success.
Patrick Murphy, who with his brother and mother, operates Captain Murphy’s Deep Sea Fishing charters and bay fishing, which was started by his father in 1961. “It’s cheap entertainment. You see pelicans and dolphins, and at the end of the day you get fresh fish,” he said. During the summer, fishermen on board have come from all over Texas, including the Valley. In the winter, his customers are Winter Texans, who wisely have given ice-fishing a pass.
In the middle of the spectrum are the thousands of Valley fisherfolk, male and female, young and mature, who believe that a bad day fishing is better than a good day working.
Expert guides
Licensed fishing guide Randy Cawlfield and his wife Lydia bought the Kingfisher Inn and Guide Service in Arroyo City in 2007. “We’re known on the Texas coast as the premier fly fishing destination, not because were fancy or have over-the-top amenities,” Cawlfield said. “Scott Sparrow (previous owner of the Kingfisher Inn) and I have carved out a niche and know how to fly fish the bay. “ Cawlfield described his typical clients: male, professional, short of time and typically from Austin, Houston, San Antonio or out of state. Their goal is to spend three to four days fishing for redfish and speckled trout on the Laguna Madre. They want to arrive and have the details taken care of so they can fish. Cawlfield, who grew up fishing and hunting in Brownsville, arranges it all.
“We fish in 12 inches of water or less. Most of our clients have fly fished all over the world and are catch and release,” said the tanned guide. He noted that occasionally an angler will bring home a fish for dinner at the inn. Those who have fly fished along the Texas coast have told Cawlfield that the Laguna Madre has the clearest water and the firmest sand footing for wading. “As a clear sight fishing destination in Texas, we are the end of the road (as in the pot of gold.) It doesn’t get any better than this.” He works with three other guides (each with his own boat) as needed to handle the fishing parties that are booked into Kingfisher Inn.
The Cawlfields now operate the Kingfisher Inn from three buildings with one large lodge that can handle up to 10 along with two smaller lodges. Lydia Cawlfield is in charge of hospitality and oversees the evening meals at the lodge for larger groups. “It allows us to interact with the clients. We have a good time getting to know them,” she said. The full package for larger groups, she joked, includes waking them up in morning and tucking them in at night.
Kingfisher Inn and Guide Services keeps well-booked solely through recommendations and a strong internet presence. Cawlfield offers “cast and blast,” a combo for duck hunters. But the business slows down when the winter hits. “In January and February, I discourage anglers from coming down here,” Cawlfield said. But by mid-March, when the northers have ended, the familiar sign is up again: Gone Fishing.
November cover story by Eileen Mattei.