Full Boxes & Full Calendars — October Is Here At Castaway Lodge In Seadrift Texas

October is officially underway here at Castaway Lodge, and just like that, we’ve rolled out of alligator season and straight into one of our busiest stretches of the fall.

We wrapped up the final day of Texas alligator season with Jeff Koza making a last-minute run down to Seadrift and getting it done with two gators. It was a heck of a way to close out another great season. September kept our crew moving between gators, Early Teal, dove, fishing and hog hunts, and there wasn’t much time to sit around before October came knocking.

The weather had us watching the forecast pretty hard heading into the week. Patrick Pulliam and his group were scheduled to come down, and we watched those rain percentages all week long. As the chances continued to drop, they made the call to head south and get after it. It turned out to be the right decision.

They hit the water with Capt. James Cunningham, Capt. Chris Cady, Capt. Braden Proctor and Capt. Casey Jones, and the fish didn’t waste much time making them glad they came. The guys had their limits of black drum and redfish in the box with time to spare, so they spent the rest of the trip doing a little catch-and-release and just enjoying a good day on the water. No rain delays, full boxes and plenty of extra action — not a bad way to kick off October.

Capt. James Cunningham: “You can’t catch ’em sitting at the house watching the weather app. Sometimes you’ve just got to get down here and go.”

At the same time, Joshua Wollard kicked off what is going to be a hot rotation around here for the next couple of weeks. We’ll have different groups arriving, fishing, heading home and another crew rolling in right behind them. Capt. James has been handling the Wollard groups, keeping the boat moving and the guys on fish as we work through the rotation.

Capt. Casey Jones: “It ain’t always about how many fish you put in the box. Some of the best days are just being on the water, cutting up and having a good time with the guys in the boat.”

Kneuper and the crew with Serve Outdoors were also back down with us, hitting the water with Capt. Braden Proctor. We always enjoy having the Serve Outdoors groups around the lodge, and Capt. Braden was ready to get them out there and make another trip count.

Capt. Chris Cady: “These fall trips are hard to beat. Cooler mornings, good groups and plenty of water to work with.”

October around Castaway Lodge brings a different feel. The cooler weather starts working its way toward the Texas Coast, corporate groups make up a big part of the calendar, and the phones stay busy with hunters getting their waterfowl trips on the books.

Around here, there isn’t much of a break between seasons. We went straight from September’s gators, teal and dove into an October calendar packed with fishing groups. Boats are leaving in the mornings, groups are coming and going, guides are turning around for the next trip, and the lodge crew is keeping everything moving behind the scenes. That’s exactly how we like it.

We’ve still got plenty of October ahead of us, and if the first few days are any indication, there’s going to be a lot more to talk about before this month is over.

Stay tuned — we’re just getting started.

— Castaway Lodge | Seadrift, Texas