I heard a report this week on the radio that the bull reds were running at the Texas City Dike. This would be a perfect opportunity to try out my new Penn rod and reel on some bigger fish.
I chose a weekday thinking the numbers of people on the dike would be smaller. As I pulled up to Boyd’s to get some bait, I noticed a long line coming out the door. Surely the line would not reflect the number of people fishing on the dike.
As I drove down a few miles to the end of the dike, I saw cars and trucks lined up on the south side and lots of surf rods and pop up shade tents. Word had traveled fast that the October bull red run was in full swing.
I found a small opening and pulled my truck into an area I often fished at night with my lights. After talking with those around me, I found I had landed in a spot where, the day and night before, someone had caught fifteen bull reds all on a single rod using shad. My anticipation was now at a fever pitch.
I met a father and son duo from Sealy who were very kind and gave me a very nice leader made by a local fisherman. Just an hour earlier, the couple to my right had caught a thirty-eight inch red. For the next four hours, I soaked crab, mullet and shad without a single take. No one was having any luck as the hours rolled on.
Although the fish were not cooperating, the weather was beautiful with light winds and a slightly overcast high cloud day. We spent the hours hand feeding a local resident pelican and watching the ships roll by.
When the east wind picked up I decided to head for a more protected and uncrowded spot on Bolivar peninsula. After a short ferry ride, I set up on a point facing the deeper channel and slung my first offering in hopes of a run. It wasn’t long before the drag on my Penn reel started to click, and my rod tip bowed to the tug of a big fish. I tightened the drag, picked up the rod, and the circle hook penetrated its prey. After a few strong runs the big bully gave me my first glimpse. Big, bronze and unhappy, the red made one last explosion as it neared the rocks. I applied more pressure with the large surf rod and the hook proceeded to pull out of the large jawed creature. I could only watch as he swam away with an exhausted lazy swagger.
With no more activity at that location and the sun fading on the horizon, I decided to return to the dike with my lights thinking the nocturnal bite would be more aggressive. As soon as I set up my lights, I started catching small specs and sand trout on my smaller rod and reel using a shad imitation artificial bait. I had baited the surf rod with shad and thrown it out earlier. Soon I was out of shad with no reds to show. As soon as I caught another sand trout, I put it on the circle hook and cast it to the outer reaches of the light and began packing up for the trip home. The generator ran out of gas and it was getting late. The surf rod was the last item to load up. As I walked toward it to take it out of its holder, I heard a faint single click of the drag. When I picked the rod up, the tip gave a familiar wiggle from an undecided taker. As I slowly applied pressure, I could feel the fish began to move off with the live offering. One good steady pull and fish on. The outgoing tide was moving fast and the fish seemed to use this to his advantage. With my lights put up, I could not see my line but knew he was heading toward the rocks at a rapid pace. I made a drag adjustment and put more pressure on it. After several strong runs he went belly up with exhaustion. Using my long-handled jetty net, I scooped it up with only half of the heavyweight fitting into my net. As I lifted him over the rocks, I thought – finally success.
Patience and perseverance had allowed me to experience on of my favorite sensations. The steady strong lunges of a large bull red is a feeling I will always cherish.
Patience and perseverance seem to be dwindling virtues in today’s “I want it now” society. God’s timing is not always our timing. A verse that reminds me of that, and we should all strive to live by it, is Romans 5:3-5. “Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
What an awesome message. God wants what is best for us. We just have to be willing to understand and patiently seek his will in our daily lives. What ever you’re going through, I hope and pray that you have the patience and perseverance to see it through.
Thanks for reading this weeks journal and enjoy the video. Remember to get outdoors in God’s wonderful creation and leave a legacy for those around you.
God Bless You,
Tim Lumpkin
Legacy Outdoors 