We spent the night in Rockport setting the alarm for 3:15am to make the drive up the coast to Port O'Connor where we met Captain Scott Hataway.  We did our hellos, boarded the boat and made our way 45 minutes up the Inter Coastal and into the bay among a blanket of shooting stars from a distant meteor shower.

We found our destination and proceeded to set up the spread and climb up in the duck blind.  Scott and some guides he works with have 26 ground and box blinds throughout the Port O'Connor bay area and they sure are comfortable.  It's so nice to go on a duck hunt and be able to bring your camera and not drown your gear in mud.

We gave the ducks a good wait, but it was warm and there wasn't much traffic out on the water to move them around.  All of us have been hunting most of our lives and know that it's just that - hunting.  The bag isn't full everytime. We also were a bit anxious to pull our jigs through some grassy flats.  As a result, we pulled up the decoy spread and pulled out our rods.

Many of my trips to the coast have been ruined by hurricanes, northerly winds or too much freshwater in the bay system.  Today was different.  We had a perfect Southeasterly wind and I was in a t-shirt taking advantage of every minute of November on the coast.

The first drift through a flat and Chuck pulled out a nice sized Red.  Adam and I looked over at him for a second then straight back to the water - the challenge was on - who was next?

A few minutes more and we hit a nice hole with some real healthy fish.  We each pulled out a few and made our way back to the other end of the same flat to make another pass.  This proved to be a great idea as we persuaded some nice specks to come on board.  We even had a handful that were just short of being keepers.

Scott was as good as a guide could be just waiting to take the next fish off.  You could tell right off he knew where the honey holes were and he was extremely excited to put us on them.

After a couple more successful drifts we moved over to a nice long flat with a good mix of muddy water and holes to drop our jigs in.  We were making the third or fourth pass when I set my hook.  immediately the adrenaline provoking sound of the drag started to play.  Was it beautiful!  I had hooked onto a really nice redfish and was doing everything I could think of to make sure I landed him.  After a couple more runs of line, he was close enough for Scott to sweep him up.  What a blast!

Most drifts we would hit a spot and starting catching one fish after another.  During the time in between we were fishing our hearts out knowing that another one of those spots was coming up any minute.  There is nothing like the coast because you never know what you're going to reel in next.  I even brought a crab in on a retrieve. Not to mention the big Sting Ray that hovered under our boat.

We fished a good part of the afternoon in part of the bay where someone had stolen markers that showed boaters the location of a really dangerous sand bar.  After witnessing 4 boats hit the sand bar and get stuck, the worst collision definitely came last.  It was tough to take your eyes off your line, but when a boat went by we would watch to see if they cleared this obstacle in the water.  One came cruising by at about 40mph late in the afternoon and hit dead center.  It may as well of been a brick wall because it stopped the boat just as quick.  The back of the boat flew stright up out of the water and mud shot every way.  The driver plunged right into the center console - face first.

Situations like this always make me thank God for my own safety and at the same time remind me that there are dangers tied to any outdoor trip.  These dangers are not neccesarily a bad thing either because they are challenges we overcome to enjoy the outdoors even more.  We can all learn from them and apply them to other situations down the road.

We pulled up anchor and brought in our lines to wade over in case they needed assistance.  The driver had busted his lip about as bad as he could.  We rushed to help them get the boat back into the channel so they could get medical assistance quickly.

We decided to call it a day after having a cooler full of tasty fish from the great Texas Coast.  I was already thinking about the lemon, garlic and potatoes I needed to grab on the way home.

I'd like to thank Scott from Sprigs and Speck Guide Service for the incredible opportunity he allowed us to have out in the bays of Port O'Connor.

Give him a call today to enjoy the awesome duck hunting and fishing the coast has to offer.  A day full of duck hunting and reeling in Specks and Reds is a day that can't be beat!  Call him at 361-550-7774 or find more information on their website Sprigs and Speck Guide Service.

Smiles Tell All!!!