FIRST MATE VACATION RENTALS Blog

Finding the Fish June 2026 – Saltwater Angler Magazine “What do you look for when you’re trying to find a spot to fish?” It’s the question I hear almost every day—and the honest answer might surprise you. I’m not always looking for fish. I’m looking for signs. Because when you’re running 30 knots across miles of shoreline, open bay, or back lakes that all look the same, fish don’t give...

CCA Currents Oct/Nov 2025 Forecast for Mid Coast Fall Fishing: Abundance Defined Fall fishing on the Middle Texas Coast means many things to me, but one word sums it up best — abundance. When someone asks me, “What’s your favorite time of year to fish?” my answer has never wavered: October and November. There’s abundance in everything this season — the schools of bait, the number of anglers, and, most...

The story here lately on the middle Texas coast has been high wind. Growing up on the Texas coast, I can remember our typical summertime pattern being calm mornings and breezy afternoons. However, there are other times throughout the summer when you get a hard, consistent breeze that keeps the mosquitoes down, but rips your hat off before you even get on the boat! Translate that into trying to find...

As a full time, fishing guide years now I have had opportunities that I had dreamed of for most of my life. The day I received my driver’s license I remember hooking up my dad’s boat and trailering to the ramp!  Since that time, I have been lucky enough to live on or near the coast and take advantage of our many coastal resources. Whether it was boat or wade...

Port O’Connor is a sleepy fishing village where life slows down and the outdoors calls your name. Spend your days casting a line in our nearby shallow bays or heading a few miles offshore for deeper water adventures. Walk-in anglers can enjoy our lighted fishing pier, the little jetties, or Boggy Bayou. If kayaking is more your speed, Port O’Connor offers many well-marked trails that are easily accessible from local...

I love taking families fishing along the saltwater of the Middle Texas Coast. Truth be told, any stretch of the Texas coastline can offer a great day on the water—but there’s something special about this part of the middle coast. Around here, there are very few days when the weather keeps you from running safely. That’s because of the countless smaller cuts, guts, back lakes, and hidden gems scattered across...

TAKE A KID FISHIN’ Teach a kid to fish and they’ll be hooked for a lifetime. But take your whole family fishing… and you’ll hook something even bigger—memories. There’s something special about being out on the saltwater together. The laughter when someone misses a cast. The cheers when a rod bends. The quiet moments between bites when the breeze rolls across the bay and everyone just breathes it in. Those...

One phrase that has followed me through most of my guiding career — and long before that — is, “according to the forecast.” Now, it’s not that I expect forecasters to get the weather and wind right every single time. That’s why I always build a little wiggle room into my daily plan, just in case conditions don’t hold the way they’re supposed to. When you’re planning a day on...

Spring Changeover: When the Bay Fills Back Up April on the Texas coast is less a month and more a movement. The tides begin to breathe deeper again. What was lean and wintry grows full and generous. Shorelines that felt high and dry start swallowing water. The bay system rounds out, fills in, and warms up. With that warmth comes life — nervous rafts of baitfish flickering in the shallows,...

ADJUSTING TO CHANGING CONDITIONS More than 12 years ago I began guiding for hire as a full time fishing guide in the Port O’Connor and Seadrift areas of the Texas Middle Coast.  My parents had always taught me it was better to keep your mouth shut and your head down and simply do your job when coming into a situation where you were new to something and they were very...