Home in a couple of weeks

[NateSmith]

Hey everyone,

I'll be home in Texas the first two weeks of July. I'll be spending the first week in Georgetown (with my mom) and the second week in Fredericksburg and the Corpus Christi area (with my Dad). If possible, I'd REALLY like to get out and shoot some fish. I'm more than willing to do both freshwater and saltwater fishing, I can chip in on gas, I'm good for pullin' anchor/deckhand work, yadda yadda.

I'd really like to hook up for some fish slayin' with some Texan spearos while I'm home. People who talk, think, and act normal. Plus, if you ever get out this way, I'd happily return the favor.



Nate

[David Deman]

Are any of you seriously thinking about taking a guy out who looks like that?!?! :rofl:

[Seahuntress]

:cool:

[los mentirosos]

Will you be in CC for any weekends? I have to work Mon thru Fri. We go out of Port A or Packery ( Marker 37 under the bridge to the Island) on Sat or Sun weather/wave height permitting. Its still off and on right now, but July should provide better conditions. Keep this thread updated as time draws near and I'll keep you posted.

[NateSmith]

I'll try and head out there the Saturday and Sunday after the 4th. Will you be around/available? What's the normal gun size that you guys use? Is a polespear more appropriate? Also, here in central Cali I use a 5mm wetsuit. What do you guys use? Would it be more appropriate for me to use a pair of shorts and a rash guard? Do you freedive or scuba (that way I know what to bring)?? We're leaving Cali this Friday and we'll be in the Hill Country sometime on Saturday.

Also, if you work mon-fri, can you make it out on any of those evenings?

[JLittle44]

48"-60" gun rigged with cable. Water temp 20 miles out of Freeport this weekend was 84 on top and not much cooler at depth so anything more than a 3mil is way overkill. The visability has been pretty crappy lately, but you're probably used to that. Expect a 20-mile run to 100+ feet. The best spearing around is rig-diving. There are a number of freedivers but most spearos here scuba. I burned one tank this weekend and spent the rest of the day shallow freediving. If you can freedive hunt in the 30'-40' range you will most likely find some decent fish to shoot. The bigguns are usually down deep but you can get lucky.

[los mentirosos]

July 7th would be ideal. I like having Sunday to clean up and rest a little. Weather/wave heights often push us into Sunday though. I will save you a spot if you're interested. I'm not a captain and it's not a charter. Donations accepted after the trip for fuel and up keep but are up to the individual. John's advice is right on. I don't know anybody who freeshafts around here because the bottom 15' or so is usually 0 viz murk. A 3mm wet suit is fine, mostly for protection for the rig and noseeum jellyfish. Will you need to rent any gear or tanks? I get air at Ascuba Venture, they also have Nitrox available. You can look them up on the web. We just got back from our 4 day family trip to Schlitterbaun. I will write more in a few days.

[NateSmith]

Looks like I'll be wearing shorts and a rash guard then. I scuba dive, but prefer to freedive if I can. I'm pretty comfortable in the 30-40 foot range. Do you have to go out that far to spear? Can you do it in the ICW if there's not much traffic? I'll be bringing my new Riffe, it's got a 13 foot range, but beyond that I've just got a couple of 75cm euros (a Beuchat and an Omer). Is it possible to kick out in the surf and do it say a few hundred yards off the beach?

July 7th sounds like an ideal plan to me. I'll have to run it by my parents to see if we'll be down there then. I'll keep you informed. Lookin' forward to divin' with you guys.


Nate

[MichaelBaranows]

Yes, you have to go out that far. The viz in the ICW is about 0" and the surf isn't any better.

[JLittle44]

Every now and then we get some green water up close to shore. The vis can open up to 5 or six feet, but that kind of water is rare. It only happened twice in Freeport last summer that I saw. You are in State waters, so you can't spear gamefish, and there is little to no structure to hold fish. With the exception of debris and a few wrecks there is nothing but sand for miles and miles. Spearing that environment is pretty pointless. The odds of seeing any kind of life is slim to none much less a fish you can actually shoot.

There are jetties around Corpus that get decent vis from time to time and you can jump in on the snapper and sheephead. Send a PM to bug_power about jettie diving. Check these out:

http://www.spearboard.com/showthread.php?t=42541
http://www.spearboard.com/showthread.php?t=42818
http://www.spearboard.com/showthread.php?t=38345

But seriously dude, the rigs are where you want to be. If you have never dove one, you will not believe how many fish these structures hold. There ain't a reef in the world that can hold anywhere near the sheer volume of fish. You have to look through hundreds of fish you don't want to shoot to see the ones you do. Trust us, do the run and go rig diving. You will never forget it.

[NateSmith]

Ok. Sweet. Rig diving it is. I'll also PM bug_power about diving off the jetties. That sounds like a lot of fun.

Well, I'm looking forward to hopefully hooking up with somebody while I'm home to do some diving then. I'll post when I'll be available.

[CountrySpearo]

hey turd might be nice of you to make a trip out my way while I'm still out here. :P

[NateSmith]

Shaddup cockbag. I'm not going to Alabama from Texas. It's closer to drive back to California. But not by much. :P

How bout you make your way back here? Oooooh, I got my first ling this past weekend. hehehe.

[bug_power]

Hopefully I'll have a new rig gun to shoot and we can all head out. I'm itching for some more fish in the freezer. Dave let me know when you'd like to go again. Nate if you're up for a drive about 3 hours or so south, You can basically dive in south padre which is ALOT cleaner and has a few inshore spots you can load up on fish typically.

[los mentirosos]

This weekends forecast is looking good so far. Saturday is the plan so get your tanks ready. I know John W. and Mike P. are for sure and I will be calling John C. as well. Rodney, you will make 5. If you can't make it let me know. We will probably be leaving from Port A. about 7:00 am. Keep watching the NOAA forecast.

[NateSmith]

Can't do this weekend (will be arriving late Friday evening/early Saturday morning). I'm mainly interested in the following week weekend (the weekend after the 4th of July) and maybe week & weekend after that. Anybody need a deckhand/anchor biatch?

[bug_power]

Dave I'm interested, but have some stuff I need to take care of before hand. I need to get up to Houston to bust some heads over a suburban I can't get the title for after buying it.

[los mentirosos]

Nate, we will be going that weekend as well, weather permitting.
Rodney, I remember you telling me about that. Good Luck with your title hunt.
Take your speargun :thumps:

[NateSmith]

I'm bringing my Beuchat, a short Omer T20 that I have, and my Manny Puig polespear. I'm REALLY looking forward to getting together with you guys.

Nate

[NateSmith]

Hey Guys,

Sorry I couldn't meet up with any of you while I was home. The dynamic situation of my family (dynamic = DRAMA) just wouldn't let me out of the house long enough to get any diving in while I was home. I do however look forward to meeting you guys in the future. If you're ever out this way between now and July of 2010 let me know. I'd love to take you guys out and show you some of our shore diving spots.

Nate

[los mentirosos]

Nate you missed 2 weekends of rough seas, poor viz and my Bro n law chumin.
This weekend looks good for Sunday, but alas my step moms not doing well. I will be going to Houston to see her. 4th stage of lung cancer. If you still smoke PLEASE STOP before you get to that point. :(