At this writing, oil continues to spill into the Gulf from the Deepwater Horizon disaster off of Louisiana. The latest word is that they still don’t expect that flow to stop until they finish drilling the relief wells toward the middle of August. But as we have seen in all of the previous attempts to contain or cap the well nothing is guaranteed. The consensus so far is that it will not reach our beaches anytime soon unless tropical activity steers it this way. At the recent Oil Spill Response summit held at Texas A and M Corpus Christi on July 9th, John Metz, warning coordination meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Corpus Christi, said right now there is a less than 1% chance of the spill reaching our coastline but that likelihood would increase in the event of a hurricane in the area. If the oil does reach the area, wind and currents will have likely turned it into small tar balls.

                What a tragedy for the entire areas affected. We can only imagine what a spill of that magnitude would do to our wildlife, beaches and tourism, our economy, and our way of life. I got to thinking about that and it makes all this whining about the sargassum seem silly if not ridiculous.

                For my “real” job I do the voice work and sound editing for a company that makes educational software for schools, C.E.I. which stands for Creative Education Institute. For the past couple of months I have been working seven days a week to get the sound files recorded for our latest science program called Science Learning Systems- S.L.S. Since our programs have to be finished and out the door in time for the new school year, that means no time to fish until my part is finished. But really, with the two tropical systems, wind and rain, I have not missed out on much it seems.

                I like to look back on previous notes and articles I have written over the past eight years or so to give you an idea of the patterns and trends that you can expect during a “normal year” that should be happening in the surf at the time my article comes out.  What normally happens in mid to late July is that the beach driving gets horrendous due to the normal lack of rain during the summer. The sargassum is there but usually diminished. Trout fishing is usually pretty good in the morning and evening if the skipjacks let you get a lure in front of one. Shark fishing off the beach normally slows after the 15th of July because that is the traditional opening date of the Gulf Shrimping season. The typical blacktip and bull shark will head offshore while the shrimpers provide the by-catch buffet.

                This year may not be one of those “normal” years.  I was talking with Nick Meyer of Breakaway Tackle about this and he said “you know it’s always something affecting us”. He was right. Last summer we had the persistent coldwater upwellings that muddied the surf out to the fourth bar. This year, the sargassum has been pretty bad and we’ve already seen two tropical events, Hurricane Alex and the last unnamed depression that gave us a lot of high tides and rain.  So far Nick has observed a serious lack of trout. He thinks the red tide events the past few years have done a lot more harm than we realize. Normally in June and July a good fisherman can count on catching at least three or four trout every evening just cruising up and down the beach throwing topwaters. This year he says it has been really tough even in spots with lots of bait and good structure. I hope he is wrong and as soon as this edition of the Saltwater Angler hits the stands I will be freed of the work bonds that have kept me from surf fishing. Be sure to look for my sexy white 1988 suburban prowling the beaches as I travel from spot to spot in search of contestants who want to play “Eat the Topwater”. I can’t wait.

                                Sargassum has remained heavy at times but shows some signs of finally abating. New and old weed have made some areas impossible to fish with the long rods. Trout are still scarce as Nick mentioned though those using live bait have done better than the lure fishermen. Whiting have saved the day for many a trip with plenty available using shrimp and Fishbite combos on the short rods. Driving is okay but bad during those tidal periods that push you up above the weed line. The water is brown most of the way down and could be that way for quite awhile especially down south due to run off from flooding from the Rio Grande. Fish early and late when the water is green for trout, ladyfish and Spanish Mackerel using top waters, soft plastics and spoons or try live bait. If the more glamorous fish aren’t cooperating, try for whiting. The best advice I can offer you is to “Cherish any time you get to spend on the beach with family and friends, breath in the salt air, and relish the fact that it is only sargassum under your feet and not oil.”

   Bring out more trash than you take in and enjoy the resource responsibly,

Tyler Thorsen