Italian Bend - October 20th, 2022

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Neumie
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Italian Bend - October 20th, 2022

Post by Neumie »

The next day the winds were forecast to start southwest and swing to the southeast throughout the morning. We weren't really sure on where to fish the next day, but we eventually decided on Italian Bend hoping the eventual SE wind would push us back towards Port Bay Rd. It’s a place I enjoy fishing starting around this time of the year and have had really good luck.

We launched just before 7:00 am to lighter than forecast winds and paddled to the right of the launch.

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I went to the little pocket to the right just past the two fishing piers with a topwater. I caught a schooly trout, but that’s about all I had to show. Ron and Lou were fishing with me and Andy had gone up farther into the pocket to see what was crashing the bait.

Turns out it was a great flounder.

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I had had much luck up shallow so I bounced out into more open water to fish 4’-5’ ft of water, but all I managed to catch was a gafftop on soft plastic. One of those days. By the end of that drift nearly everyone had made their way to the back lakes. My sister caught an absolute monster of a slot red; 28” on the button and almost 9-¼ lbs on the Boga; her personal best redfish. We measured her red twice on two different boards and it was right on the money.

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I wasn’t having much luck; really anyone. Whit had managed to string up a red, and that would do it for us on this day. Oh, the wind never switched to the SE so we had a decently stiff headwind for our 1.75 mile paddle back to the launch.

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Rolling three trailers deep on this trip.

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As I mentioned our group finished with two reds and a flounder.

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We decided to head over to Moondogs for dinner; a favorite place of the group. Tall cold beers, solid fish, and a great view of Fulton Harbor and Aransas Bay; it never disappoints.

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After dinner was a fire in the pit, adult beverages, and cigars out on the bluff.

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Meteorological Observations
Time: 7:00 am - 2:00 pm
Air Temp: 55°F - 75°F
Wind: 5-12 kn NNE (gusting to 14 kn)
Barometric Pressure: 1018 mb
Sky: Sunny
Water Clarity: 0-18 In
Water Temp: 74°F
Structure: Grass

Solunar
Sunrise/set: 7:30 am/6:51 pm
Moonrise/set: 2:51 am/4:28 pm
Moon Phase: Waning Crescent (19.8%)

Predicted Tides @ Rockport (MLLW)
High @ 10:40 am (0.74 ft)
Low @ 9:51 pm (0.50 ft)

Lures
Silver Mullet Spook Jr
Strawberry/White Norton Bull Minnow
Pumpkinseed/Chartreuse Down South Southern Shad
Strawberry/White Chickenboy Pyscho Chicken
1/4oz weedless Gold Spoon

Fish
Reds: 2 Keepers, a couple of undersized
Trout: A handful of undersized
Flounder: 1 Keeper
Gaftop: 1

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shoffer
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Re: Italian Bend - October 20th, 2022

Post by shoffer »

Thanks for these great reports, Neumie. Not only are you helping this poor boob regain some sanity from a crazy work schedule which has kept me landlocked for far too long, but you have taken me to spots I have never before fished. That's always a treat.
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Ron Mc
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Re: Italian Bend - October 20th, 2022

Post by Ron Mc »

Josh had a plan this year, to mix "dirty" marsh water with the clear grass flats we normally fish.
For Thursday's S to SW mid-teens, we fished up the Aransas River delta in Port Bay.
(Josh's report missed the wind - it was coming from the WSW and into our teeth for the paddle home.)
Good start and a glorious sunrise.

My camera saw the morning a little differently than Josh's, though his caught a beautiful sunrise.

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Here's the calm sunrise with Josh leading us to fish topwaters between the deep piers and shallow beach on Port Bay.
Whit went the other way, and picked up a 24" red in the marsh across the bay.

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No one got a keeper trout for this side of Matagorda, but the topwater explosions were a hoot.

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My lure for the trip was this prop-tail topwater shrimp, INX Supra 65 (Japan), and I'll be talking about it tomorrow, too.

The wind took us into the marsh lakes and trails most of two miles downwind from our launch, and would be a tough paddle home.
Three early fun trout on that lure was my whole day - I just didn't come out with the mindset to fish mud marsh, so used to drifting clear grass, but really enjoyed exploring it.
My photo of Josh taking a photo of Nina's big red doesn't compare to the great photo he posted, so leaving that one out, too.

The trip to MoonDog's once again answered the critical question, can you fit Seven people in a Q7 ?
The answer is Yes, but after the day's paddle, I don't know how we folded Lou from the back seat.
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Kitsune
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Re: Italian Bend - October 20th, 2022

Post by Kitsune »

Awesome photos. Fishing and whiskey :D . I have taken the last month off, but TKF has me wanting to get out there. Thank you for sharing.
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Ron Mc
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Re: Italian Bend - October 20th, 2022

Post by Ron Mc »

Thanks for posting - the several days every fall fishing and feasting with this group out of Copano is always the fishing highlight of the year.
I'm surprised there have been so few contributions on these daily reports, especially from the day on Welder flats, since it's right between the upper coast and the middle coast.
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Ron Mc
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Re: Italian Bend - October 20th, 2022

Post by Ron Mc »

oops - posted on wrong thread....

And since I'm editing,
The one tale that missed every trip thread so far.
Last year and twice this year, we had 7 people to convey to a local restaurant.
So twice again, we had to prove that 7 people could fit in Nina's Q7.
After a day of paddling, I'm not sure how we got Lou folded out of the back seat.

I think if DD had been back there, we'd just leave him.
Last edited by Ron Mc on Sat Nov 26, 2022 7:18 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Dandydon
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Re: Italian Bend - October 20th, 2022

Post by Dandydon »

Josh, thanks for that strong fishing report from an area I know nothing about. Your trip details and photos tell a wonderful story, from daybreak to past dinner.

And that concluding dinner puts on a nice night-cap. But you still need some Speckled Trout down there! ImageImage

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