During the 1980’s I spent a lot of time fishing for bass on Lake Fork. I had a clone of a Skeeter boat with a Mercury 115HP motor that took me anywhere I wanted to go. We sold that boat to help fund my wife staying at home with our children in their early years. I down sized to a small two man bass boat and a 35 lb thrust trolling motor. It made me slow down and fish areas more thoroughly. Slipping the boat into the back of a cove and working my way to the mouth proved to be very effective.

We eventually sold that boat and moved to my home town on the Texas Gulf Coast. With more water to fish and the children going to college I began to look into purchasing a sit on top kayak. Surprisingly I found an intro level kayak at a very reasonable price. It was a bright red, 10 foot Perception Pescador for which I paid $400. The small kayak gave me access to a local marsh were I began to explore its possibilities. I took it under low bridges and through culverts to arrive at some very skinny water. The first fish I caught was a 28 inch redfish that took me for a sleigh ride in a narrow ditch. I think you could hear me hooting and hollering from miles away. Little did I realize that I now had an extra drag to work in my favor on big fish. Here are some trout, reds and flounder I caught in the marsh in my red kayak.

Soon I was eager to find other locations to fish that required a longer paddle. To make these journeys I saved up enough money to buy a longer better tracking kayak that I could actually stand up in to fish. After a lot of research, I decided on a 12 foot Jackson Cuda. A more streamlined design allowed for more glide and less sway without a rudder. This kayak has been a dream come true. It has plenty of storage, an adjustable more comfortable seat, rocket launcher rod holders to keep your reels high and dry, and it even has a mount for your Go Pro. The accessories and possibilities for rigging the kayak are endless. Surprisingly the first fish I caught from it was also a very large bull redfish. I was fortunate to have my son video the lengthy struggle on his iPhone from my old kayak.

I really love the stealth like approach a kayak offers when searching for tailing reds or bedding bass. Cutting through lily pads, thick brush or pulling across a sand bar can be managed to get you where the fish are. Here is a video I shot last spring on a local lake searching for bass in the thick stuff.

My best reason for fishing out of a kayak is solitude. I love the fact that I often do not see anyone fishing were I can paddle. That solitude is very relaxing and the areas I fish receive very little pressure. That old saying that you feel at one with nature really rings true in those situations. To me it really means to be at peace within God’s creation.

John 1:1-5 says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was fully God. The Word was with God in the beginning. All things were created by him, and apart from him not one thing was created that has been created. In him was life, and the life was the light of mankind. And the light shines on in the darkness, but the darkness has not mastered it.”

On Christmas Eve in 1968, three astronauts circled the moon in solitude and shared the beauty of God’s creation from above.  They recognized God’s mighty hand in creation and shared it with the world.

Clearly we are blessed to live in a world full of God’s majestic creations all around us. At this time of year as we celebrate the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ, we are reminded that we were created by God and everyone is beautiful and worthy in his eyes. Take some time out from your holiday hustle and bustle to thank God for all he has given you and share it with others.

Thanks for reading and watching.

God Bless You and Merry Christmas!

Tim Lumpkin

 

My first experience with bass fishing was with a friend during my early teens. Jim lived outside the city limits and had access to a small pond in a pasture across from his house. We spent many hours walking across the pasture, poles in hand, trying to avoid the big bull who patrolled the local real estate. On one trip we were not so lucky and were chased up the only tree in the pasture by the Brahma bully. After some time we were allowed to pass. We usually arrived at the pond and waded into the shallow waters. Partly to cool off but primarily to reach the pockets of lilly pads and submerged grass beds with our offerings.

This pond is where I learned to throw a fly rod tipped with a surface popper. With the first cast, I was hooked. Bass and bream were plentiful and willing to devour the small bug imitations. There is something about using a buggy whip (fly rod) that takes you back to the very roots of fishing’s existence. Learning to pick up the line and place it back in the perfect position takes patience and persistence. When it all comes together and you connect with your target species, the experience is quite gratifying.

Fishing as a young boy on small ponds and creeks gave me just as much pleasure as it does today. I think the challenge of reading the water conditions like depth and current, along with the wind and weather conditions, makes finding and catching fish very satisfying, even at the age of sixty one.

Here is a video I made of my experience fishing some small creeks and ponds with my son’s  five weight fly rod and an assortment of poppers.

As you can see, the enjoyment I get from fly fishing for bass which began as a young boy still pleases me today.

I am very lucky and thankful that the house we have lived in for the last twenty six years, which has a small creek behind it,  gave me an opportunity to introduce fishing to my children at an early age.

Being thankful for all God has given us is something God has called us to do. Colossians 4:2 says, “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace.  And be thankful.”

I am thankful that we live in a country where we are free to worship as we choose, where we can fish so many public places and have regulations that preserve our outdoor resources for future generations.

I hope you have that peace in your heart. Thanks for reading my blog.

God Bless You!

Tim Lumpkin

It was the summer of 1970. I was spending two weeks of vacation at a friend’s beach house in Bolivar on Lazy Lane. In the mornings we caught speckled trout, and in the afternoon we pulled each other on skimboards using a long rope and a small dirt bike. One day we found an old surf board on a trash pile in the neighborhood. As teenagers we were thrilled to try it out in the mushy knee high shore break. We rode the first few waves on our bellies and then began trying to get to our feet on the board. It wasn’t long before we were riding the crusty fiberglass water craft straight in until the glassed on fin dug into the sand.

Wow.  What a fantastic feeling it was gliding with mother ocean under your feet. Little did I know that this would be the start of something I would pursue for the rest of my life.

In high school I bought a brand new blue 6’8″ Challenger with lightening bolts on each rail from Island Surf Shop in Galveston. This was the beginning of a new outdoor adventure looking for bigger and better waves. My parents questioned me about the excessive amount of long distance phone calls made to Sunrise Surf Shop to get an accurate daily surf report. Now we have the internet with daily and long range surf forecasts and surf cams from all over the world.

The summer after high school graduation, my brother and I drove by a longboard on a trash pile while coming home from work. I am not sure how we got it home on the yellow Super Beetle as it was a thick 9’6″ Rick single fin made in California. That board would catch any ripple, and you could walk on it like a battleship.

Some of my favorite memories were made traveling to South Padre Island in my parents’ Volkswagen bus with friends. My dad took the middle seat out and put two cots cut to fit even with the back seat. My mom rigged curtains on the windows. It soon became my favorite surf mobile. South Padre has some of the most beautiful clear blue water and some of the best waves on the Texas coast.

When I graduated from college and began teaching and coaching in North Texas, I still looked forward to trips home and the hour drive to the beach. My parents were kind enough to store the old 9’6″ Rick in the garage for me to use when I came home.

As the years passed, God blessed me with a loving wife and two wonderful children. We moved back to my home town in 1992 to allow me to coach with my high school coaches and players my dad had coached. It wasn’t long before beach vacations were a regular part of our summer routine. I spent numerous hours pushing my son and daughter into waves and hooting and hollering when they stood up and rode each wave. They also loved for me to pull them on the skimboard in the pools of water left at low tide.

When my son got old enough to paddle into waves, I bought him an old 8′ Fry tri-fin. What a thrill to see him trim the board and head down the line with a big grin on his face. It wasn’t long before we were chasing waves up and down the Texas coast. Years later we expanded our travels to include California from San Diego to Los Angeles. I can not begin to tell you how important it is as a parent to spend some quality with your children doing an activity they like.

When I was young, my mother, father and brother all had an interest in photography. I took to it also and became the annual staff photographer in junior high school. That love for capturing images was a natural transition into documenting many of our surf trips. Over the years I have edited and posted over 40 videos on Vimeo and YouTube. My screen name on an old surfing forum was Slug which I used to close each video with. I chose that name because I had a Hobie “Peter Pan Slug” surf board which was 9’6″ long and three inches thick. Here is a video I posted of me riding that board at Malibu. The video was shot by my son from PCH.

 

My son progressed to the more versatile short board but has some classic old school style on his 9′ McTavish Original longboard.

 

 

 

 

One of the nice things about surfing is the number of good people you meet in and out of the water. Doctors, lawyers, pilots, blue collar and white collar workers. The diversity of people all drawn to the sport creates a unique bond. The mostly positive vibe in the water as we all hoot and holler when someone catches a good wave is contagious and creates a fun atmosphere.

Surfers are like any other sportsmen looking for that next wave and challenge. One of the best scenarios for waves on the Texas coast occurs during hurricane season. When a hurricane generates a swell, and you’re lucky enough to be on the dry side, you may get long period wave intervals and offshore winds. This happened recently with Hurricane Michael. I caught some of the best waves I have ridden in a while in Surfside. Here is a video I put together of pictures I took in Galveston and Surfside during the swell.

 

 

Another quality time for waves on the Texas coast occurs in the fall as frontal boundaries start moving through. Before the fronts hit the coast, the strong onshore flow creates a building short period wind swell. When the front arrives, the offshore winds clean up the choppy surf and create long clean lines. When the wave breaks over a shallow sand bar and the offshore wind holds it up, you get a hollow section of wave that all surfers love to tuck into. Here is a video of that scenario I shot in Galveston featuring one of the best local surfers Gabe Prusmack.

 

 

 

 

 

Here is one more recent video I shot with a Go Pro session a couple of weeks ago. It was in Galveston with some clean post front conditions.

 

 

 

If you would like to see more older videos you can search my old user name on Vimeo (McTavish Original) or (Tim Lumpkin).

As you can see, surfing to me is more than a sport. It’s almost spiritual in the way that it makes me feel. In the water I feel closer to God and more at peace with the world and myself. When I come out of the water tired and happy from a good session, my attitude is good for the rest of the day. The closest thing that I can parallel that feeling to would be the relationship I have with my savior Jesus Christ that gives me peace.

Just like the north wind cleaning up choppy surf, our attempt to keep our spiritual life on a true north heading can be a challenge. Scripture reminds us of how we ought to be in and out of our comfort zones. 1 Peter 3:8-9 says, “Finally, all of you, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.”

It is my prayer that you find that peace and forgiveness in your heart as you go through your daily routines. Take the time to breathe deep, enjoy the outdoors with those around you. Catch a wave and leave a legacy for others to follow.

God bless you and thanks for reading my blog!

Tim Lumpkin

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

Webster defines legacy as a gift or a bequest that is handed down, endowed or conveyed from one person to another. It is something descendible one comes into possession of that is transmitted, inherited or received from a predecessor.

I am a retired teacher and coach and have spent thirty-eight years guiding students and athletes. It is my hope that I left a small legacy for those I taught and coached by influencing their actions and decision-making skills to create a better life for themselves and those around them.

My dad left me a legacy which influenced my love of sports. I watched him from the sidelines and the classroom as he mentored young people and treated everyone with respect and dignity.

My mom, also an educator, gave me an appreciation for the arts. Growing up in a house with music, paintings and photographs inspired me to enjoy those aspects of my surroundings.

Both parents were a strong influence in my spiritual life. Attending church regularly, helping with any chores, taking communion to shut ins and watching them lead worship activities strengthened my desire to walk the Christian path.

As I grew up I developed a love for outdoor activities. Sometimes it was pretending to be an archeologist in the ditch behind my house. Other times it was fishing for crawdads. My mom would sometimes drop us off at the spillway on Trinity Bay where we would spend the day fishing the foamy waters around the pier. My favorite trips were to the Bolivar beaches in search of speckled trout or surfing in the warm summer waters. Other good memories were made learning to throw a fly rod and catching small bass in a local pond.

As you will see, I have a deep appreciation for nature and God’s creations. I have tried to share that legacy with my children and extended family and friends. That love for the outdoors and its Creator inspired me to start this blog.

So come along with me on this journey as I share my experiences in God’s Great Outdoors. Thanks for reading and God Bless You!

Tim Lumpkin