North wind right. Tides honest. Birds moving with purpose. Fish acting reckless. This past weekend at Castaway Lodge checked every box, and clients got to experience the coast exactly the way it’s meant to be done.
The Crymes Party — Feathers in the Morning, Fly Lines by Noon
The Crymes crew wasted zero daylight.
Mornings started in the marsh, tucked into blinds with coffee steaming and shotguns ready. Ducks worked early and often — teal buzzing, wigeon sliding in clean, and gadwalls finishing like they’d been doing it their whole lives. Solid shooting, steady limits, and that quiet satisfaction that only a good duck hunt delivers.
Then it was straight to the flats.
Fly rods came out, boots went back on, and the redfish played along like they were part of the plan. Tailing fish in skinny water, shots tight and technical, eats that made knees shake. Watching a fly disappear in a puff of mud never gets old — especially when it’s followed by a screaming reel and a whole lot of laughing.
That’s a full Texas coast day right there.
The Kraus Party — Ducks First, Airboat Chaos After
The Kraus group came in hot and never let off.
Their mornings belonged to the birds. Wind in their favor, ducks flying right, and limits stacking up with time to spare. It was one of those hunts where everything feels smooth calls right, timing right, and birds doing exactly what you hope they’ll do.
After breakfast, the airboat took over.
If you’ve never chased redfish from an airboat on the Texas coast, it’s hard to explain — fast runs, big water, and schools of reds pushing like freight trains. The Kraus crew got into them good. Slot fish, bull reds, and plenty of adrenaline. Loud laughs, bent rods, and fish that didn’t stand a chance.
Back at the Lodge — Same Ending, Every Time
By sunset, both groups were back where everyone eventually ends up — the lodge.
Mud on boots. Ducks on the table. Reds in the cooler. Stories getting bigger with every retelling. The kind of tired you don’t complain about, because you earned it.
This is what the first weekend after the split is all about.
Different groups. Different styles. Same result.
Duck hunting that reminds you why alarms go off early.
Red fishing that keeps you coming back. And Castaway doing what it’s always done — putting people in the right place at the right time.
If you were part of it, you’ll be talking about it for a while.
If you missed it — there’s plenty more coast left.
We’re just getting started.
Capt. Chris Nobles
