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December 2007 Monthly Newsletter Breakaway Tournament Attracts All Ages Junior Champ with Breakaway LDX Michael Mahaffey with 32” Jack Crevalle Merry Christmas from your friends at

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Page 1: Breakaway Tournament Attracts All Agesnickaway.com/s/December Issue Informer07.pdf · Breakaway Tournament Attracts All Ages Junior Champ with Breakaway LDX ... He was drinking a

December 2007

Monthly Newsletter

Breakaway Tournament Attracts All Ages Junior Champ with Breakaway LDX

Michael Mahaffey with 32” Jack Crevalle

Merry Christmas from your friends at

Page 2: Breakaway Tournament Attracts All Agesnickaway.com/s/December Issue Informer07.pdf · Breakaway Tournament Attracts All Ages Junior Champ with Breakaway LDX ... He was drinking a

I don’t believe in luck, more in Karma; so I consider that you lot must have good Karma as Annie is going to run the magazine for us. I sincerely hope that you all support her in this venture and provide articles for her to include in the magazine. I think the magazine has a ton of potential, it’s your magazine, written by the fisherman-woman for the benefit of all. One day hopefully we will get arti-cles from all over the world. Annie is smart, so don’t worry too much about the spelling etc as she will sort it. I would like to take this opportunity on behalf of the staff at Breakaway to wish you all a great Christmas, thanks for your support. Go Annie! Regards, Nickaway

Breakaway Tournament Pictures

Page 2

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Page 3 THE INFORMER

All styles available at Breakawayusa.com

The Complete Rod Repair Video - DVDA7 You will learn everything you need to know to repair

broken and damaged fishing rods. Video - $19.95

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Page 4

out to sea. I crossed several sand bars as the water got progressively deeper. I stopped about mid-chest deep, leaned back, and cast as far as I could. The large surf weight must have overpowered the rotten 6-lb test line because all I saw was my hook, line, and sinker some 10 yards in front of me. Back to the beach for more tackle. *Lesson #4- Supply yourself with good balanced equipment, not just any old tackle. I found some stronger line in my tackle box, got it ready, and was off again. Stationed at the same place, I cast; and this time the line held. The weight was too heavy for the rod so the cast went only some 30 feet; but I was fishing. I thought I could feel something bit-ing my bait, but I could never set the hook. About every 8 seconds a large wave would roll over me and I could do one of two things: try and jump up high enough to keep my head above water or just hold the rod up high and let the wave wash over me. I finally chose the latter. *Lesson #5- Trust your instincts. (I thought something was wrong with that picture.)

I was going through my bait pretty quickly without catching anything. I made several trips to the beach for more bait and each time the wife happily cheered me on. One time when a wave knocked me down I looked at the beach and there were two trucks stopped at my camp. As I walked in closer, I saw several people talking to the wife; I noticed they were laughing. One guy said “What in the heck are you doing?” I proudly said, “I’m surf fishing.” They (including my wife) all laughed and pointed to the man down the beach sitting under an umbrella. He was drinking a cold one with his rod held high in a rod holder and another guy said, “No, he’s surf fishing. I don’t know what the hell you are doing but it sure is amusing to watch.” (That put a big damper on my day. Ok, let’s review: I had the wrong beach equipment, rod, line, and hooks; bad bait, no map, no local information, no surf fish-ing knowledge; and basically no idea what I was doing. I guess I did have the right truck at least. The surf kicked my butt in every way there was. I was embarrassed and mad at the same time. Back in New Mexico I started a quest to gather all of the knowledge I could about surf fishing. This involved the web, books from eBay, fishing magazines from Florida on salt water fishing, and lots of reading. In the tackle department I ordered a Quantum Great White spinning reel from Cabela’s catalogue. On my next vacation to Paradise, I stopped in at Bilmore & Son hardware store in Port Aransas. I guess I looked out of place. The lady said, “You look like a fish out of water, do you need some help?” I told her I wanted to go surf fishing but all I had was a reel. She told me all about surf fishing, guided me to an entry-level 10-foot rod, wound good line on my reel, and sold me all the hooks, and tackle I needed to fish the piers, jetties, and surf. I was now armed and dan-gerous! Later that week my trip to PINS was what I call 'success'. I had some proper beach equipment for the wife (she hadn’t given up on me yet), a good map, and, to make a long story short, I even caught some fish. I started catching fish from the docks, jetties, shore, and surf. I had begun to crack the code of salt water fishing. Like the surf has its highs and lows so does beginner's surf fishing. Just remember how much fun it could be to learn to fish all over again. More on the progress of my learning next time.

Have a fishing story that you’d like to share? Send it to [email protected].

“I could do one of two things: try and jump up high enough to keep my head above

Fishing is fishing, and water is water, right? I’ve caught hundreds of fish and could be called “experienced” in most circles. My buddies always asked me where to go and what bait to use when we went fish-ing because I always caught the most, or at least, the biggest fish. So on one summer vacation to “Paradise” some ten years ago, I decided to find out what was so great about surf fishing down on PINS. I convinced the wife she would have a blast sitting on the beach in the hot sun with no shade watching me catch fish after fish, and she en-thusiastically said “Well, I guess so, but I can’t stay all day.” We were off. Needing bait, I stopped by Circle K for some ice and shrimp. I had brought my best trout rod but had no big tackle, so I grabbed some leaders and hooks along with some drinks on the way out the door. Once we hit the sand I shifted my truck into 4WD and we drove down the PINS beach marveling at all the people parked and camped on the beach. I had been to beaches in California and Florida where you can’t even find access to the beach, much less see the water from the road. This was truly Paradise! The tents and camp-ers and RV’s seemed to stretch down the beach for ever. We finally came to a sign that warned only 4WD should proceed further. The campers thinned out below that sign and I started watching the water for ……? I didn't have a clue what to watch for. The first thing I did notice was that the groups of people stopped to camp and fish were spaced out with about 400 yards be-tween them. I found this really neat, especially compared to most lakes and rivers where people will stand next to you and throw their lines over the top of yours. I came across a man and women (that looked to be retired) who were both sitting in beach chairs watching their rods. They gave a friendly wave as we drove up. I stopped and got out to ask how the fishing was. They were very informative. I asked them questions about fishing, bait, and the 'sacred' space between fisher-men. I told him it was my first time in the surf, and he asked to see my gear. I showed him my 6-foot rod and Mitchell 300 reel, the leaders, and the hooks. I think he politely turned away and laughed. He said “Come over here and look at my stuff!” I had never seen a tackle box that big, with drawers full of tackle. He started taking things out and handing them to me saying, “Try these hooks” and “You’ll need to put this swivel on your line.” “Do you have any weights?"... I left his spot with a sack full of weird, new tackle, a wish of good luck, and a request to stop back by on my way home and tell him about my fish-ing day. (I have since come to learn that this gracious man repre-sented most people who fish PINS.) Driving down the beach and trying to honor the “400-yard” spacing rule, the wife kept asking when we were going to stop. My only criteria for selecting a fishing spot became space between other fishing parties. Upon finding one, I stopped and set up our camp (one folding chair.) *Lesson #1- Bring more creature comforts for the wife. I tied a hook and one of the surf weights the man had given me on the end of the line. When I opened the container of shrimp, they were frozen solid. *Lesson #2- Don’t keep your frozen bait on ice if you want to use it when you first get to the water.

I broke the brick of shrimp into three pieces, put a hunk in my shirt pocket, and waded out into the warm water. Swishing the shrimp back and forth to quicken its thawing, I lost one half of the hunk; but at least the rest was thawed enough to bait up a hook. *Lesson #3- (You know)-Don’t swish your bait. I was some 30 feet from shore, but the water was ankle deep. Even I know that big fish live in deep water, so I start walking

Virgin Surf Fishing MexicoMike

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To cook the garlic,

wrap it in aluminum

foil and bake it on

350 degrees for 15

minutes.

ANNIE'S MEDITTERANEAN-STYLE POMPANO

Season fish fillets with spice. Heat oil in a sauté pan, add fillets and sear until golden brown. Turn carefully and sear second side until golden brown. Add olives, tomatoes, eggplant, onion, garlic, and rosemary. Stir vegetables around taking care not to break fish, 3 minutes. Add stock, bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer to reduce slightly. Whisk in butter a few pieces at a time, and adjust seasonings to taste with salt and pepper. Serve fish with generous spoonfuls of sauce and vegetables. Garnish with cherry tomatoes and scallions. My dad and I like it on a bed of couscous with pine nuts. Try it. It’s a very nice variation on the versatile Pompano. Yield: 4 servings

• Ingredients needed: 4 6-ounces pompano fillets • 1 to 2 tablespoons Creole spice • 1 to 2 tablespoons oil • 1/4 cup each chopped green and black olives • 1/4 cup sliced mushrooms • 1/4 cup chopped tomatoes • 1/4 cup diced grilled Japanese eggplant • 2 tablespoons chopped onion • 1 tablespoon mashed roasted garlic cloves • 1 teaspoon chopped rosemary • 1 cup chicken stock • 1/2 stick butter, chilled and cut into small pieces • Salt and pepper

Page 5 THE INFORMER

Have a tasty recipe to share? Please send it and a picture of the dish to [email protected].

Fish Dish

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On Sunday, my son Brian and I began loading the truck for a three-day shark-fishing trip. It was cold, rainy, and hard to get moti-vated; but I perked up and called my friend Eric Ozolins (Oz) to tell him we were head-ing down south to Big Shell. Thankfully, the weather Monday morning was perfect- a little cold, but clear and sunny. Brian fin-ished loading the rest of the truck. We were on our way. The low tide made for good driving, and even though Oz had a four-hour jump on us, we eventually caught up and found him at the shell banks, long rod fishing. We told him we were headed down to my favorite fishing spot to set up camp and asked if he wanted to join us.

As soon as we arrived, I had good feeling about the day's suc-cess. No-vember is the best month to target large Tiger

Sharks and the 64 degree water temperature was ideal. Brian and I had our baits ready around 3 pm; and shortly after, Oz showed up and started rigging up his; and everything was set at 5 pm: 2-

12/0 rigs each (six total). Night fall came quickly and we had a good dinner. Our friend Curtis showed up. He had been fishing at the jetties, catching large Skipjacks. We were all sitting around the camp fire telling fish-ing stories when we were inter-rupted with a loud 12/0 running its line out. It was my son’s reel and it didn’t take long for him to set the hook. Brian is just 17 years old and quite an impressive fisher-man: knowledgeable, talented, and passionate. The noble fight be-tween man and whatever was at the end of that line was on! Brian had his belly plate and harness on showing no mercy to the shark. After fighting the fish for forty-five minutes, we could see the float in the deep first gut .We all kicked into gear and got ready to land this shark. Curtis grabbed the tail rope, I started the truck then turned on the flood lights off the side of the platform, and Oz grabbed the camera and cable cutters. It wasn’t long before Curtis yelled “Tiger!” We measured the fish

and it was 8'8" long. Unfortu-nately we couldn’t remove the hook, so we unshackled and gave the 16/0 hook to the fish. Curtis was able to revive the fish and release it.

The next day, we headed fur-ther South. We set up another camp and ran the 6-12/0’s with Jackfish for bait. The short winter day ended quickly and nightfall came upon us. Amazingly, like clockwork, the same thing happened all over again. Except this time, Brian caught a 6'8" Sandbar shark that was re-leased successfully. Several hours later my 12/0 was cut off. I got all my line back

and told the group that I was sure a shark was circling the bait and had cunningly and successfully stolen it from me. Wednesday came and it was time to pick up and go home. So I took off in the Zodiac to pick up the leaders. One was missing, and it was mine that had been cut off the night before. I drove around looking for the float and finally found it a mile offshore with another 6'8" Sandbar on it. I pulled it behind the boat to the beach and released it. After all the excitement, Oz headed north and we headed home. He set up another camp and ended up catching two more Sandbars (measuring 6'8" and 6'11") and several Jackfish and Redfish. It was a great trip. To you shark fishers: good fishing; and remember to keep an eye on the weather and put out large baits when the opportunity is there. Chris Sessions

November Sharks on PINS Page 6

Oz with his Sandbar

Chris with Sandbar

Fishing for Reds & Reading the Beach -

DVDA16 "1% of the Fishermen catch 90% of the fish" This video explains how to read the water which is the secret to catching fish. Knowing were the fish are is clearly explained. Bait presentation, equip-ment and casting tech-niques will provide valuable information for the seasoned fisher-men and the beginner. A classic Nick Meyer - Breakaway tackle video.

Video - $19.95

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Adventures of Offshore Fly Fishing with Captain B

We kept moving and found more shrimp boats with crews on deck. We offered the crew members beer in exchange for their by-catch. They generously gave us 10 gallons of chum, free of charge. Then we headed toward an oil rig. From a distance, we could see the silhouettes of the Derrick looming on the horizon. We anchored about 100 feet up-current from the rig. Capt. B began scattering chum on the surface to attract the smaller fish. We cast 700-grain heads into the water and let them drop for fort-five seconds. Before long, small Chubs started . As soon as Capt. B saw the chub appear, he reached over for the chest, opened a bag of Cheetos chips, and tossed them onto the ocean’s surface. Almost immediately about twenty 3-pound Chubs came to munch on the chips! Capt. B told Doug, an AFF mem-ber, to put a popper onto a light rod and strip it through the patch of snackers. On the third cast, Doug hooked up. But, it was not a Chub, it was a small Jack Crevalle. As he slowly reeled in the fish, the water below welled upward and the large jaws of a barracuda came into sight, crushed the Jack, and pulled straight down in what seemed to be a nanosecond. What an awesome sight! Still casting into the Cheetos, another member called out a strong hit on his line. His 14-weight rod was bent over and about half his backing was already gone. He tightened his drag down as far as he could to slow the fish’s escape. Every chance he had, he would retrieve as much line as he could. Before long, a Barracuda showed at the sur-face. Capt. B grabbed hold of the leader, led the fish up along-side the boat, gaffed it, and brought it aboard. Hoisting the fish up with a Boga

grip, the scale showed that the fish weighed around 27 pounds, a state record for fly-rod! As we made our way back, the afternoon sun was shining down from the cloudless sky and the southwestern breeze was picking up. The sea was no longer calm. The 3 to 6-foot waves made the return a punish-ing trip. We who made the trip to Port Mansfield were rewarded with a new understanding of fly fishing. We had moved into a domain tradi-tionally reserved for conventional tackle fishermen and had some suc-cess. Captain Brandon Shuler actively promotes fly fishing offshore in the Gulf of Mexico. His limitless enthusiasm and energy has propelled Austin Fly Fishermen into a new dimension. We were the first groups of fly fishermen to visit the Lodge. And although there were some snags, I encourage all who dare to venture into the cast unknown of offshore fly fishing. Nils Pearson

While browsing the exhibits at the Shallow Water Fishing Show in Austin, Lorne McLachlan, President of the Austin Fly Fishers (AFF), found himself in conversation with a young fellow named Captain Brandon Shuler, “Capt. B” for short. He represented the Get-A-Way Adventures Lodge. Capt. B was a slim guy with sun-streaked, shoulder-length hair who looked more like a West Coast surfer than fisherman. However, when he spoke eagerly about his deep-sea fishing in the Gulf of Mexico, he spoke with a noted confidence. He spoke in the lan-guage of fly fishers. Lorne then knew that his preconceived notion of Capt. B was quite different than he had thought. Capt. B provided fly fishermen with opportunities for deep-sea adventures twenty-plus miles into the Gulf near drilling platforms and behind shrimp boats. Lorne couldn’t help but be intrigued. Capt. B’s enthusiasm was infec-tious. Later that month, Lorne introduced the notion of an offshore fly fishing trip to the members of the AFF; and from the replied show-of-hands (including mine), the adventure had already begun. Early afternoon on Friday, October 26, 2006 many of the members congregated around the pool at Port Mansfield’s Lodge to assemble their gear for the next day’s fishing. Bruce Shuler, Capt. B’s father and owner of the Lodge, came to discuss the arrangements for the weekend’s fishing trip. The plan was for Capt. B. to take four fishermen offshore in one boat while the two other guides would take the remaining AFF members into the bay and near-shore in their boats. Our plans were swiftly met with unexpected bad weather Saturday morning. A front had brought in strong winds from the northwest and there were small craft advisories with eight-foot waves. Our first day’s experience consisted of mixed results, lowered expecta-tions, and mechanical problems. All we could do was trade out woeful

stories back at the bay and hope that Sunday would bring us better conditions. I woke up around 6 am and saw Capt. B. He greeted me with great news: the waves dropped down below two feet and everyone would be able to fish in the gulf. My group would be going out past the jetties and fishing the deep water. Heading due east, we sped along the navigation channel, keeping pace with the small groups of low-flying pelicans. The sun quickly rose as we traveled the nine miles to Mansfield Channel, passing between the long granite jetties and taking notice that the Gulf was fairly flat. We headed toward a large drilling platform located about 25

miles from the coast. We were four miles from the jetty when we came upon about a two-acre field of Spanish Mackerel. Capt. B shut the engine down and were stealthily glided into their midst. We took turns casting into the giant school of fish and were all happily rewarded, but it was time to move on. Capt. B was after bigger game. With the favor-able conditions, he wanted to get out were the large predatory fish dwelt. After traveling another 20 miles, we came up behind a shrimp boat and anchored. We sat rather still in the calm, clear water. Capt. B threw some chum toward the stern of the ship and watched as the fish came from under the hull to feast. We all tossed flies out and brought back in Remoras. Capt. B took the time to show us the large suction pad set just behind the head of the fish. They use it to attach them-selves to whales and other large fish; they were the hitchhikers of the sea.

“Capt. B saw the

chub appear, he

reached over for the

chest , opened a bag

of Cheetos chips,

and tossed them

onto the ocean’s

surface.”

Page 7 THE INFORMER

Top view of Remora and suction pad

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Page 8

Pompano Paradise on PINS

Long Distance Fishing With Long Caster Nick Meyer - DVD12

This video has out sold all others when it comes to putting the bait or lure were the fish are. The video covers all you will need Rods, Reels, Casting Techniques and Rigs. A must have for the Surf Fisherman.

Video - $19.95

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Page 9

THE INFORMER