“SWEAT EQUITY, FIN & FOWL FEST”

Castaway Lodge Seadrift Report
By Capt. Kris Kelley

Sponsored by: Mercury Marine; Air Ranger Airboats; Haynie Bay Boats; Baysport Marine Victoria; Castaway Rods; JL Marine; Pure Fishing; Corrosion X; and, Bob’s Machine Shop.

Weather catalysts did the trick on the fishing scene as our guides dialed in limits after limits on fishing trips and afternoon trips following morning duck hunts. Tides remained extremely elevated helping the effort. On the duck hunting scene, we are looking for a water dump out of the bays and we were jumping for joy as the strong Northerly flow pushed more than two feet of water out “initially”. That was a short lived celebration as before we could even get our boats in the water it had snapped back maybe even higher than pre-front! Hopefully a constant chiseling by the north winds will do the trick in coming weeks but we are not so sure.

Schools of solid Redfish have been the target with windward and grassy beds being the hot spots from the Matagorda Island to shaller bays including Shoalwater. We even had some fast action pre-front in the North end of San Antonio Bay scouting ahead of trips and checking mechanicals on a boat.

Introducing Capt. Donnie Heath

Capt. Donnie Heath has made the leap from deck hand to deck boss and recently ran his first trip for us here at the lodge. Donnie has been one of those guys that “when the chips are down and your back is up against the wall, he seems to always be there with a helping hand and a kind word”. Donnie reflects our continued devotion to the development of talented local watermen that are well rounded, professional, and have a high degree of customer service and interaction skills.

Capt. Donnie Heath “Reporting”

While battling early morning slick off to mid-morning cold front, I found the fish were scattered and not feeding aggressively. Once the 30 mph plus winds hit, we were able to locate the fish dropping out of the shallow flats and moving to heavy grass. We were working the phones dialing in eveyone and it’s great to work with a team of guides that can “shoot, move, and communicate” where the fish are to ensure the success and a very fun trip.

Duck Hunting

Weather catalysts did not yield much improvement on the wing-shooting scene. Predictability and success rates are spotty at this time requiring tremendous effort on the part of the guides and plenty of second guessing, luck, and patience! We’d like to see a few of those variables start to get scratched off the list…LOL

Lodge News

Greenbelt contouring on the Bayou addition continues to take shape and we’ve finally punched through the jungle setting a beautiful vista of the bayou grounds, common areas, greenbelts, parking, and staging areas.
We’re not sure if we’ll get another report up prior to the Thanksgiving schedule as we welcome guests from all over the State and Nation for this special time here at The Lodge. We want to take a second to wish you and your family the happiest of occasions and safe travels.

From The Family of Castaway Lodge, to yours….

Happy Holidays!

Check dates and inquire at https://seadriftbayfishing.com/Calendar

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Capt. Kris Kelley
Castaway Lodge
1-888-618-4868
www.seadriftbayfishing.com
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