Gigging Help Please

[Jerkyourcroaker]

I am pulling a camper down to Matagorda on Wed for Spring Break. We are staying at the LCRA campground at the end of the river road. I am going down Wed. The fam is coming down on Thursday. The boys watched The TPWD flounder video Coe stars in and they want to go gigging. It's been a while since I have been so here's my plan. Let me know if I am generally headed in the right direction. Advice is welcome.

• I borrowed the gear. I have an o&h PVC light, deer feeder battery, a two prong gig, bug spray and a stringer. I'm traveling light.
• Low tide in Freeport on Saturday is at 6:28a. Low tide in Port Lavaca is at 11:22a. I split the difference to guess at the tide at the mouth of the river and came up with 9a. I want to fish the middle to late of the outgoing if remember right so my plan is to get out at 3:30-4:00a and gig til sunup then let the little guys rest. I may also try going out at midnight or so.
• I am going to fish the bayous and drains in east matty (spring bayou, boiler bayou, etc). I may try the mouth of the old Colorado between the old jetty and the new jetty. I plan to scout it out wed night before they arrive.

Well see how this goes. I'll try to get some pictures and will definitely report back. I plan to fish til I drop all weekend.

JYC

[Reef Drifter]

Good luck !! lookin forward to the pics

[H.Maier]

Good luck, JYC. Hope you get after them!

[WestEndAngler]

Stingrays are scared of the flounder lights, they generally move out of the way and don't bother you.

If you can't see your feet then you are not in clear enough water. Make sure you can see the bottom and slowly move along looking for the flounder imprint. I have gigged flounder in water as shallow was a few inches on the edge of a drop off and some where I had to get my face wet reaching down for them. Just depends on water clarity & conditions you are presented with. Work protected areas and banks you should do good.

[Milkjug]

Don't pay too much attention to the tides. The water level makes a difference depending on the spot, a big flat can be good on a high tide, while somewhere with a grass line is too deep to see then. Keeping that i mind, just go and see what you can gig. The more walking ya'll do, the more fish will be found. Hard sand is much easier to walk than mud. Grass shorelines are great in the wind as they protect a strip of water you can see well in. However, too high of water and you can't see the bottom, too low and the giggable water is too far away to be protected.

If you can't see the bottom, you should shuffle for rays. You also shouldn't be there because you can't gig flounder.

[WestEndAngler]

Yep, them wild hogs will get a gigger!

[2112]

Good luck and if the boys get just one apiece they will be hooked for life.

[H.Maier]

Incoming tide is a must b/c the out going tide pulls mud off of the flats which makes it harder to see. Rays will come to the light so don't think that they are afraid of it. If you can't see the bottom you can't see the flounder. A barbed gig is best b/c you don't have to reach in the water to get them. Been gigging for forty yrs and much hasn't changed except limits and lights. No need to worry about snakes right now but they are also attracted to the lights. Had a water moccasin swim between my legs in west bay one night, he didn't get far once I got the ole 45 out.
Good Luck, be safe.
Wild hogs also are attracted to the lights, don't believe it. Google it. It happened in west bay.

Excellent opinion. The few times I've been with the old coleman lantern slowly moving it from side to side I've spotted pink objects in my perifial (sp) vision swimming along besiside me. Turned out to be stings. Two on the left, three on the right side of me. Maybe the lights Coe was using in the video remedy the situation being closer to the water, I can see where you would see the fish much better with that application but I make a practice of staying off the water at night. Call me a sissy and gig on.

[WestEndAngler]

First for everything Rocky. Come out with us sometime they move away fast. Now that big toad he sounds like he owns the place. Perhaps he wanted you to move

[H.Maier]

I hung one this morning wading over by Jamacia. Never felt the bite so I must have put that jig head in an eye socket or tail. He sat down and I proceeded to rub that line and guitar pick a while but he never budged. Knowing I wanted no part of him I wrapped three or four wraps around my hand and backed up far enough to break him off at the jig. Damn loop knot failed me but ok. Anyone catch that joker you can keep that 1/4 jig head and the chicken on a chain. Only thing I've ever hooked on that bait anyway.

[Jerkyourcroaker]

Well we gave it a go but conditions were tough. The river was dirty all the way to Selkirk. My spot in east bay was blown out too. We walked some shoreline but couldn't see more than 4 to 6". Still had a good weekend on the beach and caught some crabs in the marsh. Had lunch at the riverbed tavern. Haven't been there for years.