Teal Limits, Trophy Gators & Full Days on San Antonio Bay

September is doing exactly what we expected around Castaway Lodge—keeping us moving from daylight until well after dark. Between Early Teal, alligator season, fishing, and night vision hog hunting, there’s been plenty going on around here, and our guides have been bouncing from one adventure to the next.

We kicked off Early Teal with an outstanding opener. John Wilson and his group started their morning in the blind with Capt. James Cunningham and had their limit in no time. From there, they traded shotguns for fishing rods, hit the bay, and kept the day rolling by loading up on fish. That’s about as good as an opening-day Cast & Blast gets around here.

“The birds worked good first thing, and once we wrapped that up, we still had a whole morning ahead of us on the bay. Hard to beat a day like that.” — Capt. James Cunningham

The alligator side of things has been just as exciting. Breton and his group came down  for a combination trip that included an Early Teal hunt along with chasing gators. The gator hunt was actually a surprise for his son Peyton, and it turned into one he won’t soon forget. Peyton was able to put a nice 8-foot gator on the ground and add another Texas adventure to the books.

And Peyton wasn’t the only one getting in on the action. Between our hunters, we saw some impressive gators hit the bank, including three measuring 8 feet and two at 9 feet. Jonathan Merriman’s group really put together a heck of a hunt, harvesting two 10-foot gators along with an 11- and a big 12-footer. With a season this short, you have to make every opportunity count, and our gator guides have stayed on their toes keeping everyone on them.

“Gator season goes by quick, so when you get your opportunity you’ve got to be ready. We’ve had some really good hunts and made some great memories with these groups.” — Capt. Jake Huddleston

We had plenty happening on the fishing side too. Jeffery Yules drove in with 10 buddies, hit the bay, and put some fish in the box. September can have us running in every direction, but there’s still nothing better than seeing a group of buddies show up ready to fish and head home with some fish to show for it.

Closing out the weekend, Troy Robinson and Paul Ortiz with First America Homes brought in a group of 33 guys for two days of fishing. A group that size takes a lot of moving parts both at the lodge and on the water, and our Castaway Guides did a great job keeping everybody headed in the right direction and making sure the guys had a good time.

Steven Ledbetter also showed up ready to get after it. He started with a half-day fishing trip, rolled straight into a Night Vision Hog Hunt that evening, and was back at it the next morning chasing three big gators. That’s about as much Castaway as you can pack into a short stretch.

By the time it was all said and done, we had nine different groups through the lodge along with a few last-minute drive-ins mixed in. September has definitely kept everybody moving, and that’s what we like about this time of year—you never know if the next group is headed to the teal blind, chasing fish on San Antonio Bay, looking for a big gator, or climbing in the buggy for a night hunt.

“September gives us a little bit of everything. Long days, early mornings and plenty of moving parts, but that’s exactly how we like it around here.”

A big thank-you to everyone who came down and spent time with us and to all of our Castaway Guides and staff who keep everything rolling behind the scenes.

Castaway Lodge – Seadrift, Texas
Capt. Kris Kelley
361.482.0570