Story by LSON
With super high tides in the Rockport area, fish were not stacked up like anglers had hoped. Many searched in vain during the Port Bay Club annual fly-fishing tournament held Oct. 15.
The Eric Nelson Memorial Fly Fishing Festival was a fun event for 13 anglers and the seven teams casting for reds, trout and anything else they could catch. The teams could fish anywhere along the coast, but had to be back in Rockport for the 5 p.m. weigh in. Most fished Copano and Port bays and some fished near Port Aransas.
Winds were light in the early morning, picking up as usual throughout the day. Luckily, the clouds never formed as forecast.
Each group fished for a total-inch stringer of two redfish, one trout and one wildcard fish.
As with any event at Port Bay Club, there was nothing standard about the catches.
John Kisalus had the most unusual catch, a “message in a bottle” that he discovered was cast into the bay that very same day. Justin Glowczwski caught two trout on the same fly at the same time. And Dean Meyer caught a popping cork with a small redfish attached to the broken line.
Most of the anglers reported very finicky fish, and had a hard time getting the reds to eat a fly.
Team “Chaos” stuck a 19 ¼-inch red in the Lydia Ann Channel near Port Aransas, along with a 12 1/8-inch trout and took third place.
Team “Turtlehead” had 56 7/8 inches with two reds, a trout and a needlefish to win second place. The 20-inch wildcard needlefish won team member David Barer at TFO rod and reel of his choice. Barer was shocked at his win and prize.
And team “Last Minutes” were fishing the pumpkin patch in the middle of nowhere and managed 75 7/8 inches with 50 inches of redfish, a 15 3/8-inch trout and a 10 ½-inch sand trout to win the festival. David Sams went through 16 fish and four different flies before he dialed in with a heavy shrimp-pattern fly that a few fish didn’t resist.
“It was one of the toughest days of fly-fishing I have had,” Sams said. “The picky fish swam right in front of me all day and everyone I landed took three to four shots to get them to bite. My partner, Dean Meyer, had it tough as well with as many fish in front of him that would not bite.”
Team “Voyager” took the spot Calcutta with two spots.
Following the weigh-in, the teams celebrated with a toast to their late friend, Eric Nelson, who was a true sportsman and long-time member of the 110-year-old club. Some of the anglers fished well into the night catching 100’s of trout under the lights.
This year’s event sponsors were Temple Fork Outfitters (TFO), Tailwaters Fly Fishing Co., The Fly Trap, Made by Mimi and Lone Star Outdoor News.
Results:
WINNER: “Last Minutes” David Sams & Dean Meyer
Redfish: 50
Trout: 15 3/8
Wild card 10 ½ (sand trout)
“Turtlehead” David Barer & Randall Lucas
Redfish: 26 ¾
Trout: 10 1/8
Wild card: 20 (needlefish)
“Chaos” Bill Minyard & John Kisalus
Redfish: 19 1/4
Trout: 12 1/8
“Two Stoke Bandits” Joseph Anderson & John Burgess
Trout: 10 1/8
Wildcard: 5 7/8 (croaker)
“Voyager” Kirby Taylor & Justin Glowczwski
Trout: 11 1/8
Spot Calcutta winners
“Last Chance” Jonathan Clarkson
“Dos Diablos” Nathan Allen & Bret Scholtes
