Seadrift Fishing Report: Chasing Trout & Reds with Castaway Lodge

We’ve had a good stretch here at Castaway Lodge in Seadrift, and we’re finally starting to feel a little break in the weather. Things have cooled off some, which nobody around here is complaining about, and we’ve had a good mix of folks coming and going at the lodge and plenty happening on the water. The first week of school always changes the rhythm around here a little bit. Families are getting kids back in the classroom and everybody is trying to get back into a routine. Even so, we had a handful of drive-in trips coming through early in the week and kept the guys moving.

Ryan Hentschel came down for a couple nights and got out Flounder gigging with Capt. Chris Cady. Chris had him out two nights working the flats under the lights. It’s a completely different way to spend an evening on the coast and always a good change of pace from fishing during the day. Chris swapped gears and got back in the bay boat with Gabriell Burtchel and a party of five for some daytime fishing as well.

Heading into the weekend, Scott Smith and his family came down and spent some time on the water with Capt. James Cunningham. Always good having families at the lodge and getting everybody away for a few days. At the end of the day, that time together is a big part of what all of this is about.

We also had Josh Cooper, a new client for us, bring some of his clients down for a couple days. They wanted to mix things up a little, and we were able to give them a pretty good taste of what we do around here. Day one had the group spread out in a few different directions. Some of the guys went fly-fishing with Capt. Justin Dudley, while the others hit the bay with Capt. Casey Jones and Capt. Devin Spencer. They weren’t done when the sun went down either. That night they traded fishing rods for rifles and headed out Night Vision Hog Hunting with Capt. Jake Huddleston. Fly-fishing, bay fishing and chasing hogs after dark. That’ll make for a pretty good day in South Texas. The second day, Josh and his crew climbed back in the boats and went fishing with Capt. James Cunningham. We appreciate Josh giving us a shot and bringing his clients down. Hopefully it’s the first of many trips with those guys.

We finished things up with a trip that’s always a special one for us. Darrell Schacht with Serve Outdoors was back at Castaway, this time bringing a special young man down to spend some time on the coast. Capt. Braden Proctor had the privilege of getting him out on the water. We’ve known Darrell and been involved with Serve Outdoors for a long time, and we’re always glad to have them back. Those trips are a little different. Sure, everybody wants to catch fish, but that’s not really what you remember about them. It’s getting somebody out there, putting a smile on their face and giving them a day on the water they can hang onto. Hard to find a better way to finish out the weekend.

So, all in all, a pretty good August week around Castaway. We went from Flounder gigging at night to fly-fishing, bay fishing, hog hunting and a special Serve Outdoors trip to close things out. A little bit of everything around here this week, and that’s pretty much what we like to see.

Capt. Kris Kelley
Castaway Lodge
Seadrift, Texas