IB Hooked - Oct. 26, 2007

Under the catch all header Of all the things I’ve lost I miss my mind
the most. I can’t believe nobody mentioned that Frenchie was the last
mayor of Turner Avenue in Isla Blanca Park. For decades this strip of
trailers served as the only real community on the Sandspit, it housed the
worker bees and the likes of Sandy Feet the Amazin’ One and scalawag
Calloway to name just a few. Then Squeaky Conway got romanced by some big
parks up the valley that were tired of havin’ to compete with the
affordable rent they were charged. Using the excuse that the Corps of
Engineers wanted them removed so they wouldn’t end up as debris in the
channel after a storm they kicked’um out and tore down the Jetties
Restaurant for good measure thus closing one of the coolest bars in the
world The Hideout.

The good folks at Tarpon Tomorrow, came saw but didn’t really conquer
much. They did get three of the beasts to the boat and managed to deploy
one satellite tag and one outstanding shot of a jumping tarpon, you can
view it at 2coolfishing on the Tarpon forum. They did four tournaments and
deployed nine tags which shoot info every time a fish rolls at the surface
giving the researchers a track plot on the beasts movement. One tag from
the Port O’Connor bash was tracked to south of Port Aransas where it came
off prematurely, they tracked up the beach, over the causway through
Corpus and up I-37. It now resides somewhere north of San Antonio. It’s a
shame nobody fished around the Arroyo cuz heard tell there are a bunch of
10 to 20 pound skyrockets hangin’ there. But naw they wanted to track the
big fish at the jetties, maybe next year if there is a next year they’ll
take a shot at some of the baby fish.
Congrats to those that fished the 2007 South Texas Big Game Fishing Club
season condolences to High Cotton, Mystery Strike and All In whom share
the honors of Club Champs. The rag didn’t have enough dinero for three
flags sooo there ain’t gonna be none, it’s that California thing.
And big time congrats to Nick Bomarito he won top junior angler with 497
points aboard Quick Sea, Estee Combs was second aboard Producer with 399
points and third to Kyle Pattenson with 302 points aboard Reel Salty. To
the rest of ya’ll better luck next year. The winner of the dreaded Coastal
Current Rusty Skillet award for futility once again goes to Captain Bryan
Ray aboard Master Plan. Many many moons ago he won it with Cathy Thomson
with the biggest sail of TIFT, this time it was Doug Dunkin durin’ TIFT
with a 58.5 pound sail that was worth mucho dinero in the
jackpots.