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The newsletter for CCA members in TexasApril / May 2013

CURRENTS

Nearshore Reefing moves ahead

~2~On the cover: Deep Red StructureAn oil painting by Sam Caldwell

CorpusChristi

nearshorereefing site

constructionunderway

CCA TexasHabitatToday for

Fish Tomorrow(HTFT) committeemembers recentlyvisited the job sitewhere construc-tion is taking placefor 470 pre-fabri-cated reef pyra-mids that will bedeployed in theTexas Parks andWildlifeDepartment’s (TPWD) MU-775 nearshore reef out ofPackery Channel.Construction on the pre-fabricated reef pyramidshas begun and as of May10, 2013, approximately 90pyramids have been com-pleted. The project contrac-tor, Callan Marine, has afull time crew on handbuilding the 470 pyramidsthat will be placed offshorein state waters and is targeting to havethem in place by the end of the thirdquarter of 2013.

“These new artificial reefs will con-stitute about 40 acres of habitat for reeffish and organisms that will go a longway in helping enhance the area reefproduction 10-fold,” commented HTFTCommittee Chairman Jay Gardner.Gardner further commented, “Thesereefs will provide protection for juve-nile fishes, such as red snapper andgrouper, that will enhance the area's

fishing potential and opportunitiesfor recreational fishermen in the Cor-pus Christi area."

The Corpus Christi Nearshorereef (MU-775) is a recently per-

mitted site by TPWD and en-compasses 160 acres. The originalphase of the reefing work was to reef400 pyramids within a 40 acre site.

With a $100,000 contributionfrom CCA Texas, the initial phase ofreefing will now be 470 pyramids andcover approximately 47 acres. To dateCCA Texas has contributed $400,000to nearshore reefing projects in the

state of Texas and has helped by mak-ing contributions, securing storage fa-

cilities (Freeport reefing project) andcoordinating transportation of materi-als (Port Mansfield and Freeport reef-ing projects). CCA Texas is proud to bea part of these projects that will pro-vide close proximity fishing areas forrecreational fishermen to target snap-per, grouper and other offshore species.In addition, much needed habitat is be-ing created at a time when the Idle Ironinitiative is removing much of thenearshore habitat along the entire Gulfcoast.

Other nearshorereefing news

TPWD recently announced that threeartificial reefing projects are in the lat-est round of projects submitted for thefunds being distributed from theDeepwater Horizon restorationfund.These projects include: The Texas Artificial Reef off the Midor Upper Coast (Jefferson or NuecesCounty). This project would place arti-ficial reef structures offshore if the nec-essary large-scale materials are avail-able. Or, it would enhance existing,permitted nearshore reef sites usingconstructed, stable and clean materi-

Continued on page 9

left to right, Jake Herring, Jay Gardner, David McKee (allHTFT committee members) and Joey Flores with Callan Ma-rine discuss Corpus Christi nearshore reefing project.

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A musical welcome tonew members of CCA

2013 CCAConcert for

Conservation—May 18, Sam Houston Park: Great mu-sic by the country's finest singers,songwriters and performers was en-joyed by an appreciative audience,many of them brand new members ofCCA.

This year, CCA Texas partneredwith Sam Houston Race Park to put to-gether a superstar lineup that offeredfans a wide variety of country musicfrom featured artists Dwight Yoakam,Robert Earl Keen, Hayes Carll and RayWylie Hubbard.

“We were extremely excited aboutthe turn out for our second concert. Itwas an awesome sight to see CCA beingpromoted in such a different and newlight. I think this event really elevatesthe organization to another level. Also,with this concert being a membershipdrive for CCA, we are excited about all

the new members that will now be part of theorganization. Hopefully these new memberswill help us to continue to make a difference inconserving our coastal fisheries,” said CCA'sExecutive Director, Robby Byers.

The 2013 Concert For Conservation may have been the largest group ever

convened for a GCCA or CCA event.Some 3,000-plus music fans and CCA mem-bers applauded with abandon at sundown,when Ray Wylie Hubbard began the concert.Hayes Carll maintained the electricity of theevent as the evening lights went on. As Rob-ert Earl Keen took the stage, every person inthe audience rose with deafening applause. Ina surprise move, Keenbrought onstage Houston'sfavorite son, singer/songwriter/musician LyleLovett for two pieces. Thecrowd, and Lovett, joined infor Keen's "That Buckin'Song."

After Robert Earl Keenturned the stage over toDwight Yoakam, the crowdnever stopped responding,until Yoakam halted the showfor an impromptu discussionof the reason for the con-cert—CCA's impact on theresource and environment.

Byers said, “This event was agreat opportunity for us to seea lot of our old friends and in-

troduce many others to the CoastalConservation Association."

As Currents goes to press, the re-sults are still being assessed, but thiswriter has never enjoyed a CCAevent more. For new CCA members,this issue of the Texas Currents news-letter and the upcoming issue of thenational TIDE Magazine will be theirintroduction to many elements of theTexas outdoors. Welcome aboard!—Sam CaldwellFor more photos, see pages 15, 16 and 17.

Above, from left: Dwight Yoakam, early in his performance and late in the event, stopped the con-cert for a brief explanation of CCA goals. Hayes Carll brought the house down with his stories andsongwriting skills. Ray Wylie Hubbard opened, and drew applause throughout his set. Below: Rob-ert Earl Keen stunned the audience when he brought Lyle Lovett to the stage for a duet (with audi-ence participation) of Keen's classic "That Buckin' Song." Photos, Sam Caldwell

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just the price of a $10 CCA“New Tide” Membership.We thank our generoussponsors for making it pos-sible for us to offer younganglers this great opportu-nity. Keep in mind, signingup as a “New Tide” mem-bership DOES NOT auto-matically register memberin STAR. “New Tide” Mem-bers MUST BE at least 6years of age in 2013 to beeligible to fish STAR and un-

der age 18 to enter for FREE. It is the “NewTide” Member’s responsibility to register eachyear for STAR.

Don’t miss “the boat” or “the truck and boat”…register today! You can sign up NOW online athttp://www.startournament.org/!!!

CCA TEXAS MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS - Ourmost generous sponsor offerings still continue toadd more value to your CCA Texas Membership.Be sure and remember to take advantage of thefollowing wonderful benefits your CCA member-ship affords you!

Ford X-Plan Pricing (see details below)$10 gift card courtesy of Academy Sports

and Outdoors (see details below)Texas Fish & Game Magazine subscription

(see details below)$1000 worth of free upgrades with your pur-

chase of a new Tilson home (see ad on page 23)

FORD X-PLAN PRICING - CCA Texas membershave been remarkably honored by the TexasFord Dealers. They approved X-Plan pricing forus; that is, every current member can buy (orlease) any Ford product at the same price Fordemployees must pay. This means we can saveup to $1,000 or much more, just by having a valid$25 CCA membership card!!! Our Ford PartnerCode # is CCA 61; go tohttp://www.fordpartner.com/>, if you are consid-ering a purchase. And please share your grati-tude with the dealers for helping to make thisgreat offer possible for CCA Texas members.

SPECIAL BONUS FROM ACADEMY SPORTS &OUTDOORS One more great reason to sign up!Academy Sports + Outdoors will mail a $10 giftcoupon in return for your support. This is a lim-ited time offer, so do it before it’s too late!!! Spe-cial thanks to Academy Sports + Outdoors forcontinuing to make your CCA membership andSTAR entry such an awesome value!

TEXAS FISH & GAME“BONUS” SUBSCRIP-TION!!! Texas Fish &Game will again honor thisyear’s STAR entrants with aONE -YEAR (12 issues) sub-scription to Texas Fish &Game Magazine. Please beadvised your subscriptionWILL NOT be sent automati-cally. If you wish to take ad-vantage of this special bonus you must declareon your application form. If you have alreadysigned up for the 2013 STAR, but did not declarethat you would like this special offer and/orhave questions regarding your past or currentsubscription, please call (713) 626-4222 or emailstar@ccatexas.org.

2013 PRIZE LINE-UP - This year’s contestantshave a chance at winning over 100 prizes includ-ing trucks, UV, boats, motors, trailers and col-lege scholarships in the following categories:

2013 Ford F-150 “Texas Edition” XLT SuperCab with Haynie 23 Bigfoot, the Redfish Division prize.

24th Annual CCAState of Texas

Anglers RodeoSixty “STAR” Quality Redfish Are

Out There Swimming!ATTENTION ANGLERS! The 24th Annual CCATexas State of Texas Anglers’ Rodeo (STAR) is infull swing with all summer to win! Sixty speciallytagged redfish, ranging from 20 ½ to 25 ½ inches inlength, were set free by Official Redfish ReleaseTeams throughout Texas coastal waters, wherepeople fish, from Sabine Lake to South Padre Islandjust days before the May 25th kick-off! These“STAR” quality redfish are out there swimmingaround just waiting to be caught! Could this beyour year to catch one? Anglers from all across thegreat Lone Star State can enter all summer-long tovie for over $1,000,000 in prizes in the 24th AnnualCCA Texas/STAR Tournament! So don’t delay…SIGN UP TODAY!

Trophy-sized prizes can be claimed by registeredSTAR anglers who bring in the first 10 tagged red-fish. The first five winners will drive home in a2013 loaded Ford F-150 “Texas Edition” XLTSuperCab, pulling a brand new 23’ Haynie BigFootboat rigged with a Mercury 150L Pro XS OptiMaxmotor and Coastline trailer. The next five taggedredfish winners will each claim a 23’ HaynieBigFoot boat with a Mercury Pro XS 150L OptiMaxmotor and Coastline trailers. You will have to sup-ply your own truck to tow these rigs home. Lastyear, six tagged redfish were caught, but onlythree anglers claimed prizes. The others, unfortu-nately and sadly, were not registered for STAR.

MORE EXCITING NEWS! To help with just theright baits, Academy Sports + Outdoors will againgenerously provide all current CCA Texas mem-bers with a $10 coupon. And, of course, don’t for-get to take advantage of all the other great Mem-ber incentives available to CCA Texas/STAR par-ticipants. Please see below for more details.

NEW FOR 2013! Dargel Boats along with UV Coun-try Powersports have teamed up to offer a brandNEW prize offering for the 2013 Member BonusDrawing… the “TOTAL OUTDOORSMAN PACK-AGE”!!!

NEW FOR 2013! An-other icon in com-petitive angling haschosen to join us…Berkley GULP! Areyou looking for awinning edge thisyear? Take the 2013Berkley Gulp Chal-lenge “Use Gulp andWin! To qualify for theBerkley Gulp Chal-lenge Prize Package,STAR anglers mustcatch a winning fish using a Berkley Gulp bait,abide by all rules of the CCA Texas STAR Tourna-ment and be on the FINAL leaderboard after theclose of the 2013 CCA Texas STAR Tournament onSept. 2nd, 2013. The Berkley Gulp Challengeprize package includes a Limited Edition All StarTeam Series Rod, Abu Garcia Revo S BaitcastReel, Berkley Trilene XL fishing line, Gulp AliveBait and Berkley tackle bag. This fine collectionis bound to enhance your skills even further.Berkley Gulp and Gulp Alive baits are avail-able at Academy Sports + Outdoors, anotherproud partner of CCA Texas STAR tournament.You can see the display there. We thankBerkley for joining with us in the spirit of CCA’smission. We all want to put something backinto the water for everyone.

In the heat of our excitement, we never forgetour great family of sponsors that make this non-profit event possible.

YOU’VE GOT TO BE IN TO WIN! Are youspooled up? You’ve got all summer to makethis happen, so get your “STAR insurance”now! Therapy is too expensive and your entryfee is too cheap. Starting sunrise Saturday, May25 through 5 p.m., Monday, Sept. 2 (Labor Day),anglers from all across the great Lone StarState have once again begun the summer-longmission to try and win one of many prize pack-ages in the 2013 CCA Texas STAR Tournament,including truck/boat packages, UV/boat pack-ages, boat packages and scholarships. Afriendly reminder to all anglers who plan to fishthe Texas Gulf Coast during this time… in orderto win one of a $1,000,000 in prizes being of-fered in Texas’ largest, richest, summer-long salt-water fishing event, an angler must be a CUR-RENT member of CCA, in addition to being reg-istered as a 2013 TEXAS STAR entrant. TheSTAR tournament entry fee is still an awesomebargain at only $20 for ages 18 and up! Mem-bership fee is $25 annually, plus $20 STAR Tour-nament for a total of $45. In order to win atSTAR, an angler must be registered and be acurrent member of CCA. You know you’ll go somight as well do it now! Remember, everyoneentered in the STAR Tournament, who will be6 years old in 2013 and older, is eligible to winthe prizes being offered (even the TAGGEDREDFISH DIVISION)!!! Get everyone signed upfor the 2013 STAR!

YOUNG ANGLERS FISH FOR FREE! Young an-glers ages 6–17, the “New Tide” membershipfee remains $10 annually and the STAR entryfee is FREE!!! Parents, we want all kids on thewater! CCA “New Tide” members will con-tinue to have the opportunity to win giantscholarships to fund their college education for

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Texas Ford Dealers Redfish Division – Texas FordDealers continue to make this division the “Bestin Texas”! They will again give each of the firstfive registered STAR participants who catch taggedredfish a brand new truck to get to their fishingdestination in a tough, dependable and stylishride. The first five registered anglers to weigh-in atagged red will receive a 2013 Ford F-150 “TexasEdition” truck. Haynie Boats returns with theawesome Haynie 23 Bigfoot rigged with a Mercury150 L Pro XS motor and Coastline Trailer complet-ing this amazing package. The next five weighedin will receive the same boat, motor and trailerpackages.

For young anglers not of legal driving age and whoreel in the famous tagged red, he or she will re-ceive the boat package plus a college scholarship,in lieu of the truck.

Trout Division -With winners inthe upper, middleand lower coastregions, each win-

ning angler will take home the Shoalwater 22' Leg-end with a Mercury 150 L Pro XS motor andMcClain trailer. SPECIAL NOTE: If you’re unsure atrout is large enough to qualify, consider this “easyrule-of-thumb” - if length is less than 27 inches,chances are it won’t meet the eight pound mini-mum weight requirement for the Trout Division.Unless you intend to mount your fish as a per-sonal best, why not think about releasing anythingthat might not make the cut so she can re-seed thebays.

Offshore Division –Blue water anglerswho land theheaviest kingfish,

dorado and ling (cobia) will each win the awe-some Explorer by Dargel 216 Blue Water Seriesboat prize to cruise the big waters along with aMercury 200 XL OptiMax motor and McClaintrailer.

Inshore Division –Each winner thatreels in the largestflounder, gafftop

and sheepshead will be handsomely rewardedwith Blue Wave’s 180 V Bay boat, a Mercury 115 LOptiMax motor and McClain trailer.

In the past eighteen years, $4,635,000 in collegescholarships has been awarded to fisher-kidsacross the state. And 2013 continues to offer plentyof reason for everyone to round up their kid(s), arod and reel and head for the water.

Capital Farm CreditStarKid Flounder Divi-sion – This divisiongives entrants age 6-10 a chance to win a$50,000 college schol-arship for the largest

flounder caught throughout the summer.

FS SouthwestStarKid Gafftop Di-vision – This divi-sion gives entrantsage 6-10 a chance towin a $50,000 col-

lege scholarship for the largest gafftop caughtthroughout the summer.

Houston Com-munity News-papers StarKidSheepshead

Division – This division gives entrantsage 6-10 a chance to win a $50,000 college scholar-ship for the largest sheepshead caught throughoutthe summer.

Academy Sports & Out-doors StarTeens TroutDivision - This youthscholarship division isopen to all New Tidemembers ages 11-17 andawards a $20,000 college

scholarship for each fisher-teen with the largesttrout in the upper, middle and lower coasts. SPE-CIAL NOTE: The minimum weight requirement forthe trout is six pounds. For all fish weighing lessthan six pounds, if no intentions of mounting youngangler’s prize catch, please take a quick pictureand immediately release back into the water.

Time Warner CableStarTeens Inshore Di-vision - This youthscholarship divisionis open to all NewTide members ages

11-17 and awards a $20,000 college scholarship foreach fisher-teen with the largest flounder, gafftopand sheepshead statewide.

More Chances to Win Great Prizes!2013 Berkley Gulp Chal-lenge “Use Gulp andWin!” - To qualify forprize package, STAR an-glers must catch a win-ning fish using a BerkleyGulp bait, abide by all

rules of the CCA Texas STAR Tournament and beon the FINAL leaderboard after the close of the2013 CCA Texas STAR Tournament on Sept. 2, 2013.Prize package includes a Limited Edition All StarTeam Series Rod, Abu Garcia Revo S Baitcast Reel,Berkley Trilene XL fishing line, Gulp Alive Bait andBerkley tackle bag.

Runner-Up Prizes - The first through fourth runners-up in all divisions will receive various gift certifi-cates from Academy Sports & Outdoors.

“New Tide” Member Drawing- The “New Tide” ScholarshipDrawing will be offered againin 2013. “NewTide”/STAR par-ticipants at least, 6 - 17 yearsold in 2013, are eligible for a

bonus drawing that will net one lucky youth a$20,000 college scholarship even if the participantnever wets a line or enters a single fish during theentire tournament.

Tilson

Trout Division: Shoalwater 22 Legend withMercury motor

Inshore Division: Blue Wave's 180 V Baywith Mercury motor

Offshore Division Prize: Dargel 216 Blue Waterwith Mercury motor

Member Bo-nus Drawing“TOTALOUTDOORSMANPACKAGE” -This unique

drawing offers STAR entrants a chance towin a fabulous boat/UV prize package evenif the participant never wets a line. Onelucky contestant’s name will be drawn towin an Explorer by Dargel 210 Tunnel Veewith a Mercury 150 PRO XS motor andMcClain trailer attached to a UV CountryCustom PowerSports Kawasaki MULE Trans4X4 Utility Vehicle.

2013 Member Bonus Prize--TotalOutdoorsman Package

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GreatPhotosAwards

The envelope, please:Best In Show and FirstPlace receive art printsBest In Show: Sunrise

On The Spirit, by ClaytonGing

ACTION: Will DrostSCENIC: Sally Black

HUMOR: Rhonda AndersonKIDS: James Barnett

WILDLIFE: Patty ScanlanCPR: Neal Nichols

HONORABLE MENTION:Stephen Boriskie / FloydCheatham / Cole Aplin /Neal Nichols / James Prukop/ Melissa Lincoln / CathyHeine / Marsha Landers /Lee Hartwell David Ayes /Cathy Heine / Lee Thweatt /Audrey Black / Derek Cau-sey / Glenn "Bo" Gillum /Keith Bauman / John Blaha /Mike Everisto / GardinaWeaver Jonathan Esquivel /Belinda Eckols / Bob Evans /Scott Bandy / Melissa Lin-coln / Mark Mantell / BlaineWise / Cody Moravits /Bryan Robinson / GlennAdamek / James Barnett /

School Is In Session. The new STAR Platinumprint by David Drinkard.

Best In Show: Sunrise On The Spirit, by Clayton Ging

Scenic: Capt. Sally BlackWildlife: Patty Scanlan

STAR has reached $4,635,000 inscholarships awarded to children

6-17 years of age.Many thanks to our sponsors for

making this happen. Withoutthem, it would not be possible.

CCA Texas STAR Plati-num Print MembershipPackage, Series III –We’re pleased to an-nounce the new print be-ing offered for the 2013CCA Texas STAR Plati-num package is School IsIn Session. Renownedartist David Drinkardwanted to honor thoseparents who take theirkids fishing by creating aprint depicting the parentand child fishing scene.You never know…

maybe one of those “schools” has a “college scholarship” swimming in it!This special offer includes your CCA membership (new or renewal), your2013 CCA Texas STAR entry, plus a signed, limited-edition print created ex-clusively for STAR, all for $125! School Is In Session is a one-of-a-kind specialprint worth this price alone. If you would like to consider one, or several, ofthese limited-edition packages, go to: <http://www.startournament.org moredetails or to place your order with the STAR Dept., call (713) 626-4222.

STILL AVAILABLE… CCA Texas/STARPlatinum Print, Series I & II – STARReds & STAR Sightings are still avail-able. If you haven’t purchased yet andwould like to begin your CCA TexasSTAR Platinum Collectible Series,please contact the STAR Dept. and wecan get you fixed up. To own this first-ever commemorative piece, purchaseyours today before they’re all gone!

The proceeds from the sales of Plati-num Packages will help us continue tofund the STAR scholarships. Thanksfor supporting CCA Texas and the STAR

Tournament!

Please don’t forget to thank our gener-ous sponsors for their loyal support…return the favor by remem-bering them when makingyour purchasing decisions.They make this wonderfulfamily event possible. Ma-jor sponsors for the 24thAnnual CCA Texas/STARTournament include:

Texas Ford Dealers, Tilson HomeCorporation, Academy Sports + Outdoors, Whataburger, ShipleyDo-Nuts, Ozarka, Berkley Gulp, Houston Community Newspapers,Fox Sports Southwest, Time Warner Cable, Haynie Boats,Shoalwater Boats, Dargel Boat, Explorer by Dargel Boats, BlueWave Boats, Texas Fish & Game Magazine, Costa Sunglasses, TexasOilman’s Charity Fishing Tournament, Coastline Trailers, McClainTrailers, Chris’s Marine and Mt. Houston Marine.

Humor: Rhonda Anderson

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CURRENTS is a membership benefit of the CoastalConservation Association - Texas. It is publishedbi-monthly, alternate months from the CoastalConservation Association (CCA) TIDE Magazine.Address, 6919 Portwest, Suite 100, Houston, TX 77024.Phone: 713-626-4222. FAX: 713-961-3801.www.ccatexas.org

Editor, Sam Caldwell / sam@samcaldwell.comThis is the issue of June/July 2013, Vol. 31, Issue 4.

Great Foods / Food Editor Ellen Ohmstede

Welcome to theCCA Texas

Online AuctionSponsored By Costa Del Mar

We have some great merchandiseup for grabs this month!

Available online June 10 - June 17To bid and win, go to ccatexas.org and

click on the link (left hand side) online auc-tion. Good luck!—Erich Schneider

“Official SaltwaterFish of Texas” by AlBarnes.Be one of only60 people in the entirestate to own this greatprint straight from theCCA Texas Inventory.This amazing piecehas the Texas State billthat made the Redfishthe official saltwaterfish of Texas. The artalso has a great depic-tion of the Texas Flagand an awesome Red-fish. Do not let thisone go because this is our last one in inven-tory, and your last chance to own this greatpiece of art.

“Bowed Up” by David DrinkardThere is nobody in the State of Texas that doesa deer scene better than David Drinkard. Thislarge framed print depicts two monster SouthTexas deer coming together in a cactus-filledfield ready to defend their territory. This is oneof 60 prints that were produced for CCA Texasonly and will be a great addition to anyone’shome. Make sure to always know that everydollar spent with CCA Texas goes to supportingthe fish and our great cause.

Sponsored by ourfriends at Costa.

Seared Scallops on Potato PancakesRecipe Courtesy of M & M Bar and Grill / 2401Church Rear Street / Galveston, Texas

INGREDIENTS3/4 cup cold mashed potatoes / 1 egg2 tbsp. bread crumbs / salt and freshground black pepper to taste / 1 tsp oliveoil / 1 lb. scallops / cayenne pepper totaste / 1 tbsp. butter / 1 tbsp. capers1/2 roasted and peeled red bell pepper1 whole fresh basil leaves

DIRECTIONSAdd 3/4 cup cold mashed potatoes, 1 egg,2 tbsp. bread crumbs, some salt and pepperin a bowl. Mix well.

Add a little oil in a pan over medium heat.Put the mixture in the pan, make 4 roundshapes. Cook 7-8 minutes per side. Re-move and set aside. These are the potatopancakes.

Put 1 pound scallops in a bowl, drizzlesome salt, pepper and cayenne. Add a littlebit of olive oil. Stir well.

Pre-heat the pan on high heat. When thepan is hot, put the scallops in the pan. Addthe red bell pepper besides them. Cook thescallops for 3-4 minutes per side. Removethe scallops. Spread the red bell pepper inthe pan. Add the whole fresh basil leaves, 1tbsp. butter and 1 tbsp. capers in the pan.Stir and cook until the butter is resolved.Then add 1/4 cup water, turn off the heat.

To serve, put a potato pancake on a serv-ing plate, add 3 scallops on the pancake.Top the scallops with some red bell pepperand basil leaves. Spoon over the sauce.Enjoy!

Dropping in For Family Dinner: Great Wildlife photo by Norman Oates.

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als. Artificial reefs are used by fisher-men and scuba divers as recreationalareas because of the aquatic commu-nity that develops in reef habitat. Esti-mated cost: $1.8 million. Brazoria Near shore Artificial ReefArtificial Reef Enhancement (BrazoriaCounty). This project would enhance anearshore reef site off Freeport. Esti-mated cost: $2 million. Matagorda Nearshore Artificial Reef(Matagorda County). This projectwould include construction of a newnear shore artificial reef off ofMatagorda. Estimated cost: $3.5 mil-lion. In addition, CCA Texas has com-mitted $200,000 to this site for futurereefing work. —John Blaha

Continued from page 2

John Blaha, Jay Gardner, David McKee and Jake Herring stand infront of completed pyramids. The pyramids provide better habitatfor smaller fish. Below: Artist's concept of structure in place.

see opportunities everywhere, and we alsohave scientists and biologists, and folks whowork for state agencies with intimate knowl-edge of how to get these projects moving.The tricky part is finding funding for them.

Three years ago CCA began making plansfor the Building Conservation Trust (BCT), asupport organization dedicated exclusively tothe business of funding marine habitat creationand restoration in areas that can be accessedand enjoyed by recreational anglers. BCT wasenvisioned to provide funding for marine habi-tat conservation and restoration projects toCCA state chapters for grassroots-drivenprojects achieving one or more of five key ob-jectives: restore degraded habitats; create newhabitats; advance the science of coastal habitatrestoration and marine fisheries conservation;foster habitat stewardship; and educate coastalcommunities on the value of conservation.

Our vision for BCT took a huge step toward reality in 2010 when Shell OilCompany agreed to fund $1.5 million

over three years for a habitat program. It goeswithout saying that this dramatically raised thescope of what CCA could do in this arena andwe immediately put those funds into action.Program funds began to be applied in 2010 andover the past two years, that $1 million in CCAfunding has been put to work on 14 projectsand has been matched by more than $1.6 mil-lion from other partners, including state and lo-cal governments, private corporations andmembers of the community. More than $2.5million in marine habitat projects have beenfunded in just two years.

BCT was created to build on that record ofsuccess as a fully operational support organiza-tion of CCA and it was recently announced thatMatt Shilling will be the organization’s firstpresident. Shilling also serves as President ofOCEARCH, a nonprofit organization that facili-tates unprecedented research on thebiology and health of sharks, and hasserved in the White House and heldother government positions.

Casting Comments

CCA HabitatProgram –

The BuildingConservation Trust

By Tide editor, Ted Venker

From time to time in TIDE Magazine youwill see a wide array of habitat programshighlighted in our Building Conservation

Spotlight column. These projects come in allshapes and sizes, from grass plantings to marshrestoration projects to oyster shell recyclingprograms to reefs made out of concrete sal-vaged from hurricane-damaged bridges andbuildings. The Buras High School Reef thatCCA Louisiana helped install in Breton Soundin 2012, for example, was made of what wasleft of the school after Hurricane Katrina wasthrough with it in 2005.

Habitat has always been a core focus foranglers and conservation-ists, but events of just thelast few years have drivenhome how fragile our ma-rine environment is. Thehurricane season of 2005,brought to you by Katrinaand Rita, and the oil spill of2010, in particular, werecataclysmic events for ma-rine habitat in the Gulf ofMexico.

As a grassroots organiza-tion, CCA has no shortageof ideas for habitat projects.CCA chapters are made upof all kinds of folks who arein positions to make fantasticcontributions to a programdedicated to restoring andenhancing our waters. Wehave lots of fishermen whoare in a unique position to

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Middle CoastUpper Coast Lower CoastBy Capt. Steve Hillman By Capt. Bill ShekaBy Capt. Billy Trimble

It happens fast.Spring in Texas is a blink of the eye on atypical year, but this year has not been atypical year. In mid-May, we still had coldfronts pushing through, slowing the progressof our summer conditions.

There is still very little grass on the flatsand a lot of clean sand and mud flats wheregrass should be. Find grass and pods ofredfish feeding on grass shrimp, find somegreat sport.

As spring transitions into summer ourweather pattern will settle down and the waterwill clear, and it happens fast. Lately, fishinghas been very good. Fishing extremelyshallow water, on two days of north wind-grey overcast-spitting rain, my angler landed14 Redfish that averaged 27".

I had several days of wade fishing ankledeep water picking off large redfish, great fun.Almost every day we are getting shots atspeckled trout in the 24-28" range in less than18"s of water.

We have been taking some really nicespeckled trout, 18-20"s, off of mudding podsof hardhead catfish. I am seeing big schools ofsmall mullet and pin fish with redfish and troutfollowing them and can hear redfish crashingthem back in the flooded mangroves. Schoolsof Black Drum are moving up on to the flats inthe late afternoon offering some fine sport.

As summer approaches I am very excitedabout the “State of the Fishery!”

Last year was a tough one but this year isshaping up to be much better. We havereceived some timely rains which should helpthe food chain, shrimp/crab. I am seeing manymore fish this year than last and the patternsare what one would expect to see. Goodnews for the avid salt-water angler, so get outthere and go fishing! Tight Lines, —CaptainBilly Trimble www.trimbleflyfishing.combillytrimble@cableone.net 361-205-1266

The summer pattern hopefully will fall intoplace now. The spawn was behind nearly 2-3weeks, due to the abnormally cold temps fromall the late fronts. Even the shrimp runs, andthe size of croakers were off. I would say thatthe trout run and valleys and peaks of thespawning of trout could also be running longer.The temperatures and the continuance ofNorthers have changed the currents in ourLaguna Madre system to North to South, whichis not normal for the late April and Mayperiods. But, lots of bright, sunny days willbring our water temps up and a return to oursummer patterns of a south to north current.

The algae bloom has been with us sinceMay of 1990. A different strain last year,according to TP&W, was to blame for killingmany fish, including some trout, redfish, drum,sheepshead and large numbers of ourmenhaden shad. What I have seen now is theflushing of the Laguna Madre with a drop ofover 12 inches in the water table in in May.This displaced lots of water and the bloom ranhard to south of the Land Cut with threerecording-setting frontal passages, whichhelped it change directions. Talk about trying tostay on top of the water color... We had a shortrun on some LARGE trout from 28 inches to 30inches and a few a bit larger.

That strain of algae bloom could end upappearing again during June and July periods,but as the currents stay south to north we areseeing much prettier water moving north fromthe lower Laguna Madre. With all that beingsaid, the current algae bloom is not killing fishas of yet but hampering watery visibility andthose wanting to throw artificial lures and topwaters are going to have to rethink and usescented lures like my favorite Berkely Gulps.Try an Almeda rattler, Mansfield Mauler orCajun Thunder with a Gulp and a 1/8 or 1/25ounce jighead. Think sound and scent for thebloom waters. But, if you can concentrate in theareas from Baffin Bay south, including theYarbourgh Pass area, Kennedy Ranch shore-line, the Landcut, the Nine Mile hole and southto the Lower Laguna, these areas are shapingup for CLEAR water with NO Algae Bloom.Good fishing and God Bless, —Capt. Bill Shekabillsheka@msn.com 361-991-7191Many of us old salts know Cap'n Bill as a fineguide, and appreciate his military service.

Algae bloom not withstanding...

Jeff Sadler sent this 6 pounder back for furtherduty. Photo, Capt. Steve Hillman.

The easiest fishing one could ask for.Fishing in Galveston Bay has been well aboveaverage, with trout up to 7 pounds when theweather cooperates. Sustainability of our troutfishery is very important so we’re releasing allof the larger trout. The pattern for June and Julywill be a sequel to May. Drifting slicks overshell in 4 to 7 foot depths is about the easiestfishing one could ever ask for. Birds havealready started feeding over migrating brownshrimp in certain locales, with quite a fewundersized trout under them, but this willchange in coming weeks as the shrimp getlarger.

Trinity, East, West and Lower GalvestonBays will continue to hold plenty of fishthroughout the summer. Work the eastshoreline of Trinity early in June and thenspend more time around the wells later in themonth and into July. East Bay reefs are reliablewhen the wind allows, while the shorelinesare good for wading on the breezy days. WestBay’s San Luis Pass can give up some nicetrout. Lower Galveston Bay around theCauseway will produce, especially on two-tidedays.

Drifting or wading, the key is to locateactive bait and / or fresh slicks. Lots of surfaceactivity? Try throwing topwaters. If you just seeslicks and not much surface bait then softplastics will probably work better. Keep itsimple when choosing lure colors. Remember,it’s more about contrast in a speckled trout’sworld. Dark or overcast conditions in off-colored water call for dark colors such as RedShad, Morning Glory or Texas Roach.Limetreuse, Pearl or Glow are good examplesof colors that will work well in green water /bright sunlight conditions. Throw small, lowpitch topwaters in low wind conditions andloud, high pitch ones in choppy waters. It’s notNuclear Physics.

Also, using the right equipment willincrease your odds of catching exponentially.Using a rod that is better suited for an Olympicpole vaulting competition won’t get the jobdone. I use a Shimano Core 50 Mg rigged on a6’6" Waterloo Ultra Mag rod and while I maynot stick every fish, I can definitely feel everybite. Have fun and remember….the big onesjust don’t taste as good. —Captain Steve Hillmanwww.hillmanguideservice.com 409-256-7937

Headed your way? Cutt Ableson's CPR of Neal Nichols big trout.

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Chapter Updates are edited forbrevity to allow everyone’s voice tobe heard. For the full version, go to

your chapter’s area in theCCA website. Drop by

www.ccatexas.org,click on Local Chapters.

July 17. Our guest speaker will be CaptainDworaczyk from Bay Flats Lodge. A lot of usfish the Seadrift/Port O’Connor area, so don’tmiss this one. Come out and learn from one ofthe best. We’ll have great giveaways and a freemeal compliments of Smokey Denmark’s. Youdon’t have to be a member to come, so BRINGA FRIEND AND ASK THEM TO JOIN CCA.

Be sure to “Like” Coastal ConservationAssociation Austin Chapter on Facebook tokeep up with everything this awesome chapterhas going on.

We have an incredibly dedicated and hardworking board in Austin that puts together allthe amazing events for you throughout theyear. If you would like to jump on board, andhelp us grow even more, just send me a noteand we will welcome you. You will have a lotof fun and make a difference in the conserva-tion of our great coastal resources. See you atANO! Warm regards, —Scott Sandersonscott@mbsquoteline.com

Bay AreaCurtis Anderson 832-421-6377

Wow, do we have something to report! Weheld our annual fundraiser and crawfish boil onApril 4 and it was an OUTSTANDING SUC-

CESS. We INCREASED our REV-ENUE over last year by 116% andeven better, we INCREASED OURNET by 117%. It’s gonna be hard totop that next year but we are alreadyplanning for it.

As I write this on April 24,the temperature outside is 58 de-grees. I can’t believe it. Well hope-fully, this is the last cold front of theyear and we can get out and startsome serious summer fishing fun.Have a great summer. —Kent LacyVice President, Bay Area Chapter.

Brazoria CountyWes Dingee 979-299-8245

The Brazoria County Chapter of theCoastal Conservation Association(CCA) wrapped up our annual ban-quet in March with a very positiveoutcome. The banquet is our onlyfund raiser of the year, so our spon-sors, underwriters, and attendeesare very supportive financially. Thisyear, big sponsors were Beef ‘OBrady’s and Mammoet who helpedwith our gun/cooler raffle and din-ner. Attendance was fantastic — wepacked the Lake Jackson Civic Cen-ter!

Our chapter will host a freepublic presentation at 6:30 pm onTuesday, June 18 at the Sea Centerin Lake Jackson. This CCA chaptergeneral membership meeting willfeature recognized Gulf Coast fish-ing guide Tommy Kountz. TalkAbout Good catering will providedinner. There is no charge for thisevent which also includes a raffle ofseveral fishing items for attendees.

There is no reservation re-quired and attendees do not have tobe CCA members. For more infor-mation call Dan Johnson (979) 265-6555, Wes Dingee (979) 299-8245,or any other Brazoria County CCAboard member. The BrazoriaCounty chapter assists Sea Center,Kid Fish, and several other commu-nity projects. –Wes Dingee

Alvin-PearlandRex Richards 281-923-3050

Aransas BayCarter Crigler 435-830-5984

jccrigler@hotmail.comBabes on the Bay XIV is now in the historybooks and we would like to thank all entrantsfor their participation. We would also like tothank the vendors, volunteer TP&W GameWardens who conducted the weigh-in and faith-ful chapter volunteers for their support. A spe-cial thanks goes to Karol Scardino, tournamentdirector, for her continued dedication and com-mitment to making Babes on the Bay theworlds best all women’s fishing tournament.

As in the past, a donation of $3,000 on be-half of CCA Babes On The Bay, Aransas BayChapter, will be made to Go For Fish, NotDrugs kid’s fish event sponsored by theTP&W Game Wardens. We do hope you allhad a great time and that you will join us againnext year.

Our 14th Annual Banquet is scheduled forAugust 10 at the Paws and Taws ConventionCenter in Fulton, Texas. We hope you will joinus for a fun-filled evening con-sisting of a live auction includ-ing trips. sculptures, art, etc.;raffle; door prizes; and silentauction. Tickets will be avail-able at Rockport Tackle Townand Seaworthy Marine and in-clude dinner, open bar, and aCCA Membership. For anyquestions concerning ad-vanced ticket reservations,Sponsor opportunities, dona-tions or any other matter con-tact Michelle Green, BanquetChairperson, atjeepgirl.green@gmail.com

May the summer of 2013be your best ever for fishingand time with family andfriends. Tight lines, —Carter

AustinScott Sanderson

512-637-1750scott@mbsquoteline.com

On May 9, the Austin Chapterrewrote history again. The34th annual banquet for Austinwill go down again as arecord setter on every level.The event was sold out with1500 attendees. And those inattendance got to partake inlive and silent auctions andraffle games that were abso-lutely stuffed full of great trips,boats, 4WDs, guns, art, awe-some gear and more.

We’ll have a full report inthe next issue but as epic aslast year was, 2013 will makeit a distant memory. And forthat, we owe a great debt ofgratitude to our MANY gener-ous sponsors, donors andmembers for their incrediblesupport-support that hashelped the Austin Chapter ofCCA reach heights never be-fore imaginable.

Next up on the calendar isANO at Abel’s on the Lake

Galveston's 21' Shallow Sport, put together by Coastline Marine.

Winner of the San Antonio boat, Manuel Longoria.

Matagorda Bays fully rigged 23ft HDX Dargel KAT w/ 200HP EvinrudeE-Tec, McClain Tandem Aluminum Trailer. Thank you to our boat spon-sors, Polasek Construction, Quality Lease Services, Q.C.E. Supply, Inc,and Dargel Boats.

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Brazos ValleyLarry Purifoy 979-229-4752

BrenhamDennis Crowson

979-451-2472Dennis.crowson@hotmail.com

Brush CountryHank Henry 361-215-6803

CentexBrad Hensel 254-776-3411

Central HoustonTodd Buster

Mobil, 713-545-1897We had the most successful banquet inthe history of our chapter last month, andI want to personally thank all of our spon-sors and board members! Our 2014 ban-quet will be May 1st, 2014 with an excitingboat raffle. Stay tuned. Best, —ToddBuster

Colorado ValleyJames Loehr 979-250-3958

We presented a Distinguished ServiceAward to JK Brandt and Gary Janda.We’d like to thank all of those who at-tended and participated with us at our an-nual banquet. The event was a great suc-cess. We’d like to thank the KC’s for pre-paring a fantastic meal. Thanks to OviedoChrysler Dodge for sponsoring our rafflecaps. We’d like to thank Prime ProductsInc. for sponsoring our koozies. Specialthanks to all of our print sponsors, tablebuyers and donors we couldn’t havedone this without your support. Thanksto all of our board members who spend count-less hours collecting donations and sellingticket and tables. —James Loehr

Corpus ChristiRandy Poelma 361-851-1129

r_poelmacpa@sbcglobal.netSpring is here and fishing is only going to getbetter. The STAR Tournament opens on Memo-rial Day weekend and closes on Labor Dayweekend—Good Luck— maybe a boat, motor,and trailer is in the stars for you! Please markyour calendars now for the three upcoming“on the water” events (listed below) for theCCA Corpus Christi Chapter.Upcoming events – Guides Cup - October 3-4,2013. Contact Cody Roesner, Chairman, 916-531-0078. Captain’s dinner and Calcutta, Thurs-day evening (Doc’s Restaurant) at 6:00 pm.Babes on Baffin and Blue Ladies Fishing Tour-nament – October 11-12, 2013We are looking forward to our Babes on Baffinand Blue Ladies Fishing Tournament, whichtakes place October 12 at Bluff’s Landing inCorpus Christi. Doc’s Restaurant (under theJFK Causeway) is the location of Friday night’scheck-in and social. The Tournament features alive weigh in / donation bonus with the livefish going to the CCA/CPL Marine Develop-ment Center in Corpus Christi. For those not fa-miliar with the Marine Development Center, itis one of the world’s largest state-of-the-art salt-water hatcheries, which provides educationaloutreach and cutting edge marine sciencework and produces tens of millions of finger-ling redfish and spotted seatrout for release intoTexas bays for stock enhancement.

Contact Lauren Hollon, Chairwoman 361-461-9396Poco Rojo Kids Fishing Tournament – October19, 2013 / Contact John De John 361-728-8152or Mike Henry 361-816-0300.The Kid’s Fish will be held at the CCA/CPLMarine Development Center in Corpus Christi.E-Blasts are forthcoming for early registrationfor this event.

As always, if you have an interest in join-ing our board and being involved in conserva-tion of our coastal resources, please contact aboard member or me atr_poelmacpa@sbcglobal.net —Randy Poelma

Dallas / North TexasCraig Jones 817-239-6200

East TexasDr. Jim Norman

936-554-3165jnorman7@suddenlink.net

CCA East Texas Chapter held our banquet thefirst week in February. Our BBQ pit crew ofBilly Cox, Dan Hafner, Bill Kaczynski, RustySanders, Mike Miguez, Frank Still, MartySmith, Allan Spruiell, and Brent Rogerssmoked up brisket, pork and chicken to perfec-tion and very little was left over at the end ofthe banquet. Thanks go to R&K Distributorsfor providing refreshments and Budweiser-themed raffle prizes. Also, thanks to ClearSprings Restaurant, Butcher Boys Restaurantand Brookshire Bros. for donations for theBBQ. We had a good night and racked up ourbest banquet financially to date.

We are having our spring fishing tourna-ment June 1, headquartered at Stingaree Ma-

rina, Galveston East Bay. Our meetings areheld monthly at Clear Springs Restaurant inNacogdoches and are announced by e-mail. Ifyou have been to one of our banquets, you area member of CCA East Texas Chapter by wayof your ticket registration. We encourage newfaces to come to our monthly meetings andparticipate in planning and putting on our ban-quet. We try to have two fishing tournaments ayear where we award some nice prizes and oc-casionally sip a cold one and tell lies. If you areinterested in joining us, contact me at the e-mailbelow. Tight Lines, —Jim Normanjnorman7@suddenlink.net

Fort BendClint Shepard 832-595-5375

We are fresh off of our 27th annual banquet, andlet me tell you, it was a blast. Our board mem-bers put together an awesome event, and it wascomplimented by great attendance. I would liketo thank all who attended for their support andparticipation. Additionally, I would also like tothank our sponsors, and the board members fortheir efforts that made the banquet go off with-out a hitch. Way to go guys!

Mark your calendars: The “Ladies Only”fishing tournament, Lingerie On The Bay, isscheduled for June 15 in Matagorda. Entryforms will be posted atwww.matagordabay.com. Due to LOTB fallingon the same weekend as ICC this year, the FortBend Chapter will not be attending the ICC. Wewill see you there next year.

The Jimmy Guest Memorial Kid’s FishingTournament is scheduled in Matagorda on July13. Information for this event can be found atwww.matagordabay.com. Be safe, have a greatsummer, and take a kid fishing. See you on thewater, —Clint Shepard

Fort Worth Fearn Mastin 817-291-1302

GalvestonDr. Ken Ellis 713-962-7731

The days have gotten longer due to daylightsavings, and the fishing should start picking uponce the water temperature increases... Thesmall cold fronts need to stop, so that we canall get on the water...

The S.T.A.R. tournament will be startingsoon, so please know your local weigh-in, incase you catch “the fish” with “the tag”...Goodluck to all, and if you have not yet registeredfor the S.T.A.R. tournament, please go tocca.org, and do so...

Just a reminder also of the upcomingGalveston Chapter CCA banquet ...Pleasemark your calendar for August 3, 2013 atMoody Gardens...We will have a large varietyof raffle, silent and live auction items...Trips toall sorts, to fishing destination ... Gun raffles,and do not forget about our 21' Shallow Sport,that was put together by Coastline Marine, thatwill be given away that evening to one luckyperson... Only 350 tickets at $100 will be sold,and we are running out quickly... So if youwould like a raffle boat ticket, or a table (10) tothe banquet, please call me personally, and Iwill get one (or as many as you would like) toyou. Tight Lines —Dr. Ken Ellis

Golden TriangleWelcome new president, Josh Kaczynski

409-554-1325

Distinguished service award winners JK Brandtand Gary Janda from Colorado Valley. The pic-ture is in order, JK Brandt past president, JamesLoeh, President and Gary Janda, board member.

Seniors of the Country Village Care. Hosted by SeaCenter Texas and Brazoria CCA Texas.

2013 Corpus Christi Chapter Banquet Committee

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Greater Sugar LandWelcome new president, Weems Turner

713-857-8897wtuner@ducommun.com

First, I would like to welcome Weems Turneras our new chapter President. The board and Ilook forward to working with him.

We held our annual banquet on April 11th.Everyone enjoyed crawfish and catfish. Thanksgo out to all that came out to support theGreater Sugar Land Chapter. Also I want tothank all the members for making this anotherGREAT event!

On April 27, we held the New TerritoryKid Fish. About 175 kids showed up for the kidfish. Thanks to Julie Kveton with New TerritoryParks , Fort Bend County Constable Precinct 4and the Sugar Land CCA for an awesome timehad by all.

On May 4, we held a Kid Fish for specialneeds children with the Elks Lodge No. 151 atSea Center Texas in Lake Jackson. The ELKSbused the children and parents in for the event.The kids had a fantastic time.

On May 18, we will have had the SugarLand Kid Fish.

On June 1, as you receive this newsletter,we will have the Missouri City Kid Fish, 1700Glenn Lakes.

On June 29, we will have a chapter fishingtournament at Sargent. We welcome all tojoin. For info email me at dokveton@gmail.comor call me at 281-808-4870.

Our chapter will not meet in June and July.The next meeting will be on August 7 at SpringCreek BBQ, Hwy. 6, Missouri City. Come joinus for a great time. For more info on our chap-ter go to Sugarlandcca@comcast.net or checkout our facebook page at //www. facebook.Com/ccasugarland. —David O. Kveton

Greater WoodlandsJames Kay 281-363-4417

www.ccatexas.org/greater-woodlandsHere comes our 6th Annual Banquet – Thurs-day July 18– The Grand Palace 314A PruittRd. – Spring, Texas. The event starts at 6:00p.m. and ends around 10:00 p.m. Single ticketadmission is $50, which includes a year’s CCAmembership, adult beverages, and a catfish &shrimp dinner by Clint’s Kuntry Katfish Cater-ing. Sponsorships and Corporate Tables are stillavailable for purchase beginning at $750 and

continuing to $5,000 for a Platinum Sponsor-ship. The evening’s live auction will featurehunting and fishing adventures from around theworld, along with original artwork and uniquegift items. There will be plenty of outdoor re-lated bargains and other treasures among theraffle items and on the silent auction tables. Pro-ceeds fund conservation projects along thecoast, fisheries research, conservation lobby-ing, and equipment to help with fisheries man-agement and in the enforcement of game laws.The event is headed for a sellout, so don’t de-lay in purchasing your tickets, a CorporateTable or a Silver, Gold or Platinum Sponsor-ship, by contacting Drew Adams at 713-626-4222 or Bryant Bennett at 281-757-5011.

Larry Bozka and Mark Mantell were in-vited to speak to the CCA TX GWC group onMarch 26. With an informative and entertainingmix of fishing advice and a veritable travelinggallery of top-notch photography and artworkto boot, Larry put on an unforgettable program.After sharing a few funny stories, Bozka pre-sented some insights as to how he interpretsand utilizes wind, tide and other conditions tonarrow down his choice of potential fishinghotspots. As a full-time outdoor writer andbroadcaster for more than 35 years, Bozkadraws on that experience and more as a popularpublic speaker, video and seminar producer,photographer and marketing consultant. Hehosts the award-winning website and blogCoastalAnglers.com, and can be emailed atlarry@coastalanglers.com. Better yet, “friend”him on Facebook. Larry brought out his closefriend and creative collaborator artist MarkMantell of Friendswood (on Facebook at artname Marcus Mann: Email:mmann@mckelleygalleries.com). Mark broughthis limited-edition sporting art prints “Home-coming” and “Reflections” and sold them at asubstantial discount in support of our cause. He

and Larryprovidedsignatures

and personalized inscriptions toboot.

Texcraft Construction LLC - As I like tomention, are key sponsors in this article, myhat (or) visor is off to Charles Upshaw forbuilding an outstanding business. Texcraft Con-struction has just celebrated their 9th year ofbeing in business as a full services generalcontractor of Class A business interiors.Charles has been in this business for 28-yearsand has a solid reputation. Texcraft Construc-tion has been one of our cornerstone sponsors

for the past 5-years. Thank You Charles and Su-san Upshaw for all your support.

Please visit our web page for up to dateevents and information. http://www.ccatexas.org/chapters/inland/greater-woodlands/ Keep Conserving …To Keep Fish-ing —James Kay

Guadalupe ValleyCliff Weber 361-275-6506

Hays CountySteve Schiber 512-524-2989

Heart of the HillsRandy Plummer 830-377-0737

Cool weather lasted longer than we expectedand the winds blew, but several members stillreported good catches of reds and some nicetrout. One of our active supporters fromBlanco, Dobie Benson of Benson Body &Paint, was seen enjoying a weekend at thecoast with his family. Hope you have had thechance to get out and fish, also.

We are preparing for our Banquet onThursday, September 12, 2013 at the BoerneCommunity Center. If you would like to donatemerchandise or sponsor an auction item, pleasegive me a call. We also have volunteer oppor-tunities - come and be a part of the group!

Remember Boerne Marine, Full ServiceAuto Parts, Concept Builders, Academy,Kendall County Abstract, Brady’s Automotive,and C. Joseph Industries/Garrett Mechanicalare proud sponsors of CCA Heart of the Hills!See you on the water—Jim Simmons210-380-5709

Hill CountryDarlene Cook 800-594-2056 ext 217

darlenec@knbt.fmThe Hill Country Chapter had our first CCA So-cial Sunday, April 28. It was held at the TexasAgriculture Education and Heritage Center inSeguin. The venue offered a stroll through his-

tory of buildings from the German heritage offarmers and immigrants from the 1850’s. Gar-dens and livestock were also among the favor-ites of the participants.

We had 171 CCA members and guests at-tending with 50 to 60 children, toddlers to 14year olds. Games for the youth included a fishpond casting contest and a crawfish race! A bigthank you to the Epps and Morgan families forthe games and the Koehler’s for the crawfish

Hill Country Kid Fish— fun with a crab.

The Greater Woodlands group, Pres. James Kay presiding, enjoyed the Con-cert For Conservation.

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and game. Some ofour Director’s kidshelped out at thefish pond and cast-ing contest –thanks Hayden,Wyatt, Haley,Montgomery, Eric,Brae and Kortlyn!

Adults en-joyed the gardens,music, door prizes,raffles and a greatfish fry. We signedup some new mem-bers and STARparticipants.I wantto thank Dawn andQuinn Koehler forchairing this firsttime event for theHill Country Chap-ter. It was wellplanned and wehad a surprisinglybig turnout for afirst time!

OUR NEXTMEETING willhave been MAY21st at the NewBraunfels Elk’sLodge at 7pm. Dr.Lee Fuiman withthe University ofTexas Marine Sci-ence Institute willhave been theguest speaker.CCA Texas made asizeable donationto start alarviculture facilityto raise and research young gamefish, and Dr.Fuiman detailed the advances our money ismaking.

OUR FAMILY FISHING TOURNA-MENT is June 8 in Rockport. There will not bea meeting before the tournament so you havehad to sign up at the May 21 meeting or bymail. For more information on the tournamentcontact Sterling Schulz at 830-305-5128 or JoshDowney at 830-708-2986. They can send you aregistration form for the tournament. Deadlineto register for the tournament is June 2, 2013.There will not be a registration the Friday nightbefore.JULY 16TH MEETING Dr. Greg Stunz will beour Guest Speaker.OUR BANQUET IS AUGUST 15 at the NewBraunfels Civic and Convention Center. Pur-chase your table now. We sold out last yearand had to turn people away.

If you have a product or service youwould like to donate to the banquet please callme, 830-214-3067. We also accept cash dona-tions to purchase art work or other items. Weneed a lab puppy. We are looking for a huntingjeep in good condition or an ATV, mule orranger. Have one? Would you like to donate ahunt, fishing trip or condo? Hope to see you atour next meeting or banquet. Wishin' to befishin —Darlene Cook

Houston Real EstateDale Couch 281-953-2510

KatyClint Hilton 713-515-3991

LaredoJesse Martinez jmartinez@bushlan.com

956-763-5555Lee County

Byron Kalbas 979-540-0056We held a membership/business meeting onApril 22. There have been some family emer-gency issues that have come up concerningour some of our chapter officers and we havecalled a membership/business meeting at theLion’s Den in Giddings. It’s Monday, July 15, at6:30 pm. We will be electing a 2nd Vice Presi-dent and a 1 year Executive Board member. Wewill have a speaker that night with refreshmentsand drinks provided, and encourage any LeeCounty CCA member to attend. We hope tosee some new faces along with some old onesas well.

Mark your calendars for the Third AnnualLee County CCA Chapter Banquet, which willbe on Thursday, October 17 at the Sons ofHermann Hall in Giddings, TX. We will startselling pre-banquet raffle tickets and tickets tothe banquet by the beginning of August. Pleasecontact me, or any other committee member, ifyou are interested in purchasing tickets. I hopeeveryone has a safe and successful summer onthe water, and don’t forget to register for theSTAR Tournament! —Byron Kalbasbkalbas@yahoo.com 979-540-0056

Live OakBrad Kotrla 979-

732-1669Lower Colorado

J.L. West 979-318-9007

Lower LagunaMadre

Travis Flanagan956-207-6391

MainlandEric Minor 281-

534-6242By now we willhave had our 15thannual banquet onMay 3. The dead-line for this Cur-rents edition pre-cedes this date sowe will have moreinformation aboutthe banquet in thenext one. We dohave a date for ourfourth annual KidFish Tournament,which will be heldon Saturday Au-gust 24. Onceagain, HarborWalk Marina willhost the event andwe expect it to beour best one yet. Ifyou would like toget involved, wemeet at Dickinson

Bar-B-Que every third Tuesday of the month.—Eric

Matagorda BaysLinc Lutrick 979-541-9901

The 28th Annual Matagorda Bays CCA Ban-quet will be held on Thursday June 27 at the ElCampo Civic Center. This year’s boat raffle willfeature a fully rigged 23ft HDX Dargel KAT w/200HP Evinrude E-Tec, McClain Tandem Alu-minum Trailer. Thank you to our boat spon-sors, Polasek Construction, Quality Lease Ser-vices, Q.C.E. Supply, Inc, and Dargel Boats.

This year’s live auction will feature a Cus-tomized Golf Cart from B&D Carts, ArgentinaDove Hunt from Frontera Wingshooting,Matagorda Bay Fishing Trip & Lodging do-nated by Sunrise Lodge on Matagorda, BinkGrimes & Mark Talasek, and many otheritems.

Don’t forget about the Matagorda BayGuides Cup to be held at Harbor Bait & Tacklein September. This event is made possible bythe support of our local guides, and sponsorsDuckett, Bouligny & Collins LLP, Las PalmasLodge, and H&H Oilfield. We are pleased toannounce that for the fourth year in a row, theGame Warden of the Year will be recognizedat our banquet. To be awarding one of thesefine folks at our banquet is truly an honor.

Be sure and get your tickets early, as thebanquet has sold out the past three years. Youmay contact Wesley Smolik at 979-543-2753 formore details.

Early in the concert, the crowd is still filing in, but ready to enjoy the music. Below—the crowdfrom the musician's perspective.

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The 8th An-nual MatagordaBays CCA Lil’Salties FishingBlowout was heldon May 11 at theMatagorda Harbor.This is a FREETOURNAMENTFOR KIDS be-tween the ages of3 and 14. Thisevent has aver-aged over 200 kidsfor the past 7 yearsand it is only pos-sible because ofthe generous dona-tions of our spon-sors. Thank youagain to all of thesponsors whomake this event ahuge success andto our Event Spon-sors: DaltonLodge, E. ACollins & Sons,Mustang CAT,Schmidt Imple-ment, Inc., WieseCrop Insurance,Gulf Coast LeaseServices, BackupUtility Contractors,Texas Tackle Fac-tory, D A M Ser-vices, Inc, Prasek’sHilljeSmokehouse,Polasek Construc-tion Inc., CedarCreek Woodshop,Multi Fab Metals,and Quality HotMix, Inc. See thenext Currents Pub-lication for moredetails on thisevent. For more in-formation on thetournament or tobe a part of thisgreat event, con-tact Chad Hensley(979-541-3239).Thanks, —LincLutrick

MidCoastDavid Jenkins361-578-5580jenkins12@sbcglobal.netThe past few months have been very busy anda lot of hard work preparing for our annual ban-quet. Thanks to the hard work and dedication ofthe board members of Mid Coast Chapter CCA,we had one of the most successful eventsever! I want to thank our guests for your atten-dance to the banquet, all 800 of you are the pri-mary reasons that we can continue to enjoyfishing along the beautiful waters along theTexas Coast.

As always, we could not get this donewithout our sponsors, and I thank you. Acad-emy Sports & Outdoors, Majek Boats, RickKresta and family of Krestas Boats & Motorsand his new 5th Lake Trailers, Jimmie Burnsand Waterloo Rod Company USA, Del Papa

Distributing, Hartman Distributing, UncleMutts Bar B Que, Bernie’s Boats & Motors,Victory Auto, Victoria Oliver Co., Twin Foun-tains Walk In Clinic, De Tar Healthcare Sys-tem, Lowes, Coastal Bend Marine, The TackleBox, and all of the donors of items for our liveauction, Raffles, and Silent Auctions. I wouldlike to give special thanks to our BanquetChairs. Curt Allison, Banquet Chairman, did agreat job this year in securing items and mak-ing sure the banquet would be a great success.Hector Mendietta, Table Chairman, Dr. BrianBurns, Live Auction Chairman, Doug Ander-son, Silent Auction Chairman, MalloryThurman, Raffle Chairman, Eric Macek, IceChest Chairman, David and Lisa Jenkins, Boat

Chairmen, LisaJenkins, Placemat andPo Mans Raffle Chair-man, Captain DannyGoyen and DennisLala, Guides CupChairmen, and all ofour board members forthe commitment anddedication for the longhours spent prior andduring the banquet.

Each year weelect a board memberwho displays dedica-tion, continued effortand hard work repre-senting CCA TexasMid Coast Chapter.This year’s award ofBoard Member of theYear was presented toCaptain Danny Goyen.

Upcomingevents, later this year:This Fall we will behaving a GeneralMeeting and date andtime will be deter-mined at a later date.On October 2013, wewill hold our yearlyGuides Cup Tourna-ment. Mid Coast Chap-ter gives thanks to allof the guides who willbe participating in thisyear’s event.

If you are inter-ested in becoming anew board member,please contact a boardmember or me directlyat 361-578-5580. TightLines, —David Jenkins

Northeast HoustonJason Law 713-898-

8594Northwest Houston

Blayne Eversole832-444-4579

The next GeneralMembership meetingis June 4. It will be heldin the Stein Room atHouston Distributingas it has in the past. Wewill announce thespeaker when we sendout the meeting notice.

April Member’sMeeting: Our April speaker was Lt. Com-mander Scott Parkhurst who is the CommandCenter Chief - Sector Houston-Galveston. Heprovided a very informative session and ad-dressed pointed audience questions. He was agreat complement to our annual member ap-preciation fish fry. Many thanks to Mark andRenea Mohr who sponsored the cooking andto Catfish Steve and his fishing buddy Dan forproviding the fresh caught catfish. We cookedover 100 lbs of fish, along with beans, cole-slaw, fries, onion rings and more. A greatevening topped off with beer courtesy ofHouston Distributing.

Above: Dancing as Ray Wylie Hubbard began the concert. Hayes Carll begins his set, and be-low, tremendous applause as Robert Earl Keen brings Lyle Lovett to the microphone.

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Partners inconservation

initiativesAt Anheuser-Busch, focusing on envi-

ronmental sustainability is a keyissue. The company operates effi-

ciently to reduce water and energy use andincrease recycling in its facilities across thecountry. As part of this commitment to con-

servation efforts, the company has supported theCoastal Conservation Association in their mis-sion to protect coastal resources.

In addition to supporting CCA, Anheuser-Busch promotes outdoor sports and wildlife con-servation in several ways, including a $10 mil-lion investment in on-the-ground conservationistinitiatives.

For the past 17 years, the company hadawarded the Conservationist of the Year,

along with the National Fish and Wildlife Founda-tion.

“Since 1995, the Budweiser Outdoors pro-gram has celebrated and supported the passion,dedication and leadership of conservationistsacross the country,” said Bob Fishbeck, senior

manager for the Budweiser brands. “We

all have a responsibility to help protect ournatural resources and the work being done byCCA and other wildlife advocates is an inspira-tion for all of us to follow.”

Throughout the years, the Budweiser Out-doors Program has supported numerous

conservation organizations.“Budweiser has become an important sup-

porter of CCA, and we’re proud to be amongtheir many conservationist partners,” saidRobby Byers, executive director of CCATexas. “Our programs aim to conserve, protectand enhance our coasts for everyone toenjoy.”

NW Houston CCA Kid Fish: Here is the infofor our 2013 Kid fish.

Date: Saturday, May 11. Time: 7am – 1pmat Sylvan Beach Park – Fishing Pier, in LaPorte. Rain or Shine! Lots of Prizes! Hotdogsfor all after the event along with the awards.

Many thanks to Harris County Precinct 2,The City of La Porte and Linda’s Bait & Tacklefor their support of this annual program. CallBlayne Eversole for questions at 832-444-4579or email Theresa Sims, simstopdog@aol.comto RSVP.

Our Annual Fund Raising Banquet isscheduled for Thursday, August 15th. This yearagain, the banquet will be held at the CrownePlaza – Houston Northwest located at 12801Northwest Freeway. (Pinemont @ Hwy 290).Get your tickets early by calling me (Blayne)or Alan Massey at 281- 414-6341. Dinner isserved at 7 pm and the auction soon thereafter.Please plan to attend and support the NWHouston Chapter of CCA. You can count on agreat venue and evening program.

Our sincere thanks to both Houston Dis-tributing and Academy. They are active spon-sors of our meetings and many events. We areespecially fortunate to have such great support.As a reminder, we are using email for meetingannouncements. If we don’t have your e-mailaddress and you would like to receive our an-nouncements, please send your e-mail addressto js_declue@yahoo.com. — Blayne Eversole

Orange CountyScott Bandy 409-988-3667

sabandy@ymail.comAs we enter the months of May and June, it’sfull blown banquet planning time again. Aug 22is the date we have set. This year’s event willbe held in the brand new Orange County Con-vention and Expo Center, so we will be able tohandle a larger crowd this year. Mark your cal-endars with the date. This will be our chapter’s5th banquet and the biggest one yet! The nextchapter meeting will be on May13 at RobertsMeat Market and Steakhouse at 6:30 pm.If you would like to join the chapter or partici-pate in the planning of the 2013 banquet, pleasecome to the meeting or contact Scott Bandyat409-988-3667 or Louis Moore at409-988-4845. –Scott Bandy

Piney WoodsJess Mowery 903-736-3891

Port O’ConnorBill Moore 361-983-4690

We're in the process of planning the 14th an-nual POC CCA banquet and Auction, which isslated for Saturday, October 19. As usual, yourparticipation and ideas to improve this year’sbanquet are welcomed. Tables will again besold to individuals, groups, businesses or cor-porate sponsors. Be on the lookout for updatesand announcements over the next few monthson meetings. We are looking forward to seeing

you there and if you want to get involved,give us a call.

Also, many of you reading this will be inthe POC area, July 17-20 for Poco Bueno.Come by and visit some of our banquet do-nors. See you at POCO in POC, “Where it allbegan.” –Bill Moore

PrairieSharon Goebel 979-877-4103

On April 4, we hosted our 16th annual CCAbanquet at the Cat Spring Hall. The eveningstarted with our cap and card game. There wereseven guns raffled off. With every cap pur-chased, there was a playing card attached to it.If that card was drawn the person won. Thanksto Westley Goebel for organizing the guns andthe game.

Also, there was a pistol raffled in the onedollar raffle.We would like to thank MarkSwitzer and his helpers for putting together agreat live auction which included fishing andhunting trips as well as prints that were framedby Pat and Frances Sechelski.

This year we had something different inthe live auction. It was a custom built proteinfeeder from Kenny Frank. Thanks to AcademySports and Outdoors and all the sponsors thatdonated items for the silent auction. Manythanks to Jerry Mikeska Catering for servingan outstanding meal of prime rib and shrimp.Also, we would like to thank Mandy Goebel,Erin Beaman, Jenifer Flantge, Amy Herbrig,Lori Cruz and Cassie Kasprowicz for sellingour five dollar raffle tickets as well as participat-

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ing in other duties. Thanks to Wittenburg Print-ing for embroidering the cups as well as manyother services.

We would like to thank all the sponsorsthat purchased corporate tables this year as wellas Kirk Hoppe for managing all the tables. Ifyou are interested in purchasing a table for nextyear’s banquet, contact Kirk at 979-885-8868.Thanks to Mark III, Cool Blue Fans, and HairReflections for donating all the koozies. Andthanks to all the Board Members who volun-teered their time to make this banquet a greatsuccess. Also, thanks to all the sponsors whodonated caps for the cap and card game. With-out their help our banquet would not have beena success. We would also like to thankColeman Todd and his staff from the CCA Of-fice.

On May 18, the chapter will have our ap-preciation dinner at the Goebel Ranch. Therewill be a skeet shoot and good fellowship.Don’t forget to bring your shotgun and shells.

On June 29, we will have our second an-nual CCA Bay Blast fishing tournament whichwill be held at Matagorda harbor. There will beprizes given to the winning teams. In theevening there will be a raffle. For more info,contact Travis or Amy Herbrig at 979-530-7126.

On Saturday, September 21, we will haveour annual Kid’s Fish tournament that will beheld at the Eberly Ranch in Chappell Hill. Therewill be t-shirts for the kids as well as food anddrinks. Just bring your rod and reel and a yardchair. For information, Mandy Goebel at 979-

887-8690. Thanks, —Ron Chess, Sr. 979-992-3295

Redfish BayNorman Oates 361-758-0266

A big thank you to our Redfish Bay Board,John Blaha, CCA Texas staff, and our many do-nors and sponsors for making the 2013 AnnualBanquet a very special event! Chris Marine inAransas Pass was the Title Sponsor for the 10thyear in a row - thank you Chris and Julie foryour continued support of CCA Texas.

The event could not be a success withoutthe many attendees who buy raffle tickets andbid on silent and live auction items; we appreci-ate your attending and taking part, and we hopewe made it enjoyable for you!

It seems that each year is bigger and betterthan the last, and we had the largest attendanceever. A great meal (and coconut shrimp appe-tizers) catered by Jay Jones of Castaways al-ways adds to our event. The Port Aransas Ro-tary helped with all beverages, and they do abang-up job. All-in-all, a very successful andfun event - thank you to all who played yourpart!

The annual “Take a Kid Fishing” event willbe over May 31. It is a shrimp boil and June 1fishing and awards ceremony. As always, it willbe held at Woody’s Sports Center in PortAransas, and rods and reels and trophies for all.

Our Beeville fish fry will be the Thursdaynight before dove season starts. It will be anentertaining evening with food, drink, and agood time. Much like our banquet, there willbe raffle, silent auction, and live auction items.Thanks in advance to the Beeville Board mem-

bers who do the prepa-ration. Also, thanks inadvance to the manydonors and sponsors ofthe event. We will seeyou there. —NormanOates H 361-758-0266C 361-790-2748

Rio Grande ValleyPhil Teinert

956-367-4267pteinert@fcbtx.com

Sabine-NechesDarin Johnson 409-790-9855darin.johnson@delpapabud.com

The Sabine Neches Chapter hosted its 3rd an-nual Kid Fish on May 18 at Walter UmphreyState Park on Pleasure Island. Kids and volun-teers had a blast and many fish were caught andreleased to fight another day. We would like tothank your sponsors of the event, Ancelet’sCajun Market and Marina for the links, Cause-way Bait and Tackle, Anthony Toups and Clas-sic of Southeast Texas for the water and theircontinued support of the Sabine Neches Chap-ter, Daley’s Hunt and Fish for the goodies,Matt Peavey for all of the Little Debbie snacks,Beaumont Pepsi, Texas Marine and Del PapaDistributing.

A special thanks goes out to the additionalvolunteers from Orange County CCA andSALT Club members for helping us introduceand encourage our young anglers at this year’sevent. Tight Lines to All! —Darin

Sam HoustonMark Robinson

936-662-0841 mark6469@hotmail.comSan Antonio

Johnny Rayburg 210-837-5500CCASanAntonio@yahoo.com

[Apologies to San Antonio from the Currentseditor for missing the April May Report]

On May 2, we enjoyed our 34th Annual Ban-quet and it was another example of how wellthings can go when you have a top notch crewof volunteers. Our venue, the Expo Hall on theFreeman Coliseum grounds, was full to thebrim. I would like to thank our Sponsors, CoorsLight, Academy Sports and Outdoors, SilverEagle Distributors, IBC Bank, Metro Ambu-lance, Diageo Guinness, Ben E. Keith, Con-Cor/Arrowall Co., Corona Beer, AnheuserBusch, Davenport Drilling & Pump Service, Fo-rum Construction, Chicky Tackle Co. /

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Rockport Rattler, Red Bull North America, HillPharmacy, Paloma Medical and Sail and Ski.

We had a new item this year, a Z-1 24’Travel Trailer donated by ExploreUSA RVSupercenter and Crossroads RV. It was a bighit! All this was possible because of our Ban-quet Committee, Augie Flores, Barry Williams,Becky Hermanson, Beth Vacek, Bill Sommers,Byron Buzzini, Bob Brumby, Bob Thomae,Vicky Sablatura, Bobby Birnbaum, BrandonKneupper, Catherine Bani-Yassin, CharlesSablatura, Chris Smisek, Diana Butler, DougBoyd, John Kocurek, Forrest Thompson, PeteTurnbull, Jeremy Fenechi, Jimmy Gibson,Charles Rodriguez, Joel Lamy, John Botter,John Graham, Carl Bohn, Johnny Lee Rayburg,Tom Weber, Liz Hewitt, Mark Luitjen, MarkSarosdy, Mitch Brownlee, Pat Cowles, LisaBruce, Peter Velasco, Richard Capps, LorraineLawrence, Robert Mendoza, Rick Neitzel,Burr Thornton, Robert Lozano, Tim Kiker,Tom Akin, Chris Lindsay, David Barrera, Rob-ert Colunga.

The San Antonio Chapter wishes to thankall banquet committeemen, all table sponsors,all donors and all members of CCA that at-tended for their support. Now on to planningfor next year, our 35th! —Liz Hewitt, BanquetChair and Mike Sarosdy, Banquet Co-Chair

San BernardRoyce Macha 979-472-5211

San GabrielJohn Melnar 512- 497-8284

San JacintoPete Ruiz 832-496-4903

SouthwesternJody Jacobs 210-827-7180

TAMU Burr Thornton 559-901-9783

Texas UniversityLuke Horadam 830-481-3466.

Tomball/MagnoliaMatt Maddox 832-590-1828

Tri-CountyJason Trial 830-570-2988

Trinity BayGerald Payne 281-385-2894

The “Dog Days of Summer” and “All eyes onthe Tropics” means the annual Trinity Bay Ban-quet is getting close.

Members are currently engaged in regu-lar meetings of the minds, determined to hostone of the best banquets along the Upper GulfCoast. Our 2012 event exceeded all expecta-tions with new and long-time sponsors pavingthe way for success. We anticipate the 2013Banquet to be yet another sell out and evenbetter event.

Bring an appetite for plenty of tasty boiledshrimp and fixings, along with a variety of coldbeverages to wash it down with. In addition toa delicious meal, there will be live and silentauctions, raffles and exciting games for prizes.Mark your calendars for Friday, August 23rd at

Kenny Chesney kicked off his No Shoes Nation tour in Tampa, Fla. with a check presenta-tion to the Coastal Conservation Association (CCA). Over the past two years, more than$80,000 has been raised to benefit the CCA through the sale of Kenny Chesney’s LimitedEdition Costa sunglasses, now available at www.costadelmar.com.

Pictured left to right: Pat Murray, president, Coastal Conservation Association; KennyChesney; Amanda Perryman, marketing manager, Costa Sunglasses; Brett Palmer, president,AbiJack Management.

CCA Texas losesPresident Bill Schwarzlose

CCA suffered a tremendous loss with the passing of CCA Texas Presi-dent and CCA National Vice Chairman, Bill Schwarzlose. Bill passedaway on May 10th after a long fight from surgery complications.

Bill has been part of CCA for many years starting out at his localchapter in Beaumont to moving up to become the CCA Texas Presi-dent. His vision and leadership played a key part in the creation of ourMariculture Lab in Port Aransas as well as our habitat program, HabitatToday for Fish Tomorrow (HTFT).

These along with many others ac-complishments and milestones for CCAwill be a legacy that Bill left that willcontinue to benefit CCA members andall recreational fishermen for genera-tions.

Bill will be remembered as a greatfather, husband, friend, outdoor enthu-siast, and conservationistand will always be a per-manent part in the fabricof CCA.

the Bay Area Community Center inSeabrook, Texas and see what we are talk-ing about. —Gerald “Get er Done” Payne

West HoustonJoe Perez 832-279-4794

West TexasCraig McDonnold 432-682-3499

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Enter GreatPhotos2012

Categories:Best In Show / Action / Scenic / Humor / Kids / Wildlife / CPR

Important: for jpegs, be sure you include name of subject, title, yourname and address. On back of prints, write your name and address, as

well as the names of anyone in the photo. email jpegs to:sam@samcaldwell.com

Color prints to: CCA Great Photos Editor / 6919 Portwest Dr., Suite100 Houston, Texas 77024

Art prints for Best In Show, First, Second and Third Place winners.Give us your best shot, and keep Currents an

award winning newsletter.

Watch for this billboard in various locations.

Knee deep to a tall bird, or a shallow dolphin? Near Sargent Beach. Great WildlifePhoto by Judy Matula.

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www.samcaldwell.comTexas State Artist 2004

DU State Artist 2010-2011281-455-9390

The Last Laugh

Jessica Badgett IS NOT HAPPY her fish isn't bigger. Next, aCPR for Jessica. Photo by Denna Badget.

Quail To GoMy new favorite quail hunting painting. An edition of20 gclee art prints. 28 x 24, signed and numbered.Drop by my website for a larger image. A few other

new paintings from recent CCAevents are also available as 20print gclee editions.

When Kenny Chesney decided to get personal, hestripped away expectations, pulled out a bunch ofsongs he’d written just for himself and kicked backfor a soul-search that turned into Life On A Rock,available now on iTunes.

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6919 Portwest Suite 100 / Houston, TX 77024

CURRENTS NEWSLETTERJune / July 2013

NON-PROFITU.S. POSTAGE

PAIDHOUSTON, TEXAS

PERMIT 2532

U.S. Coast Guard Air & Sea RescueNational Response Center: 800-874-2143Port Isabel: 956-761-2668Corpus Christi / Marine Safety Office:boating emergencies, chemical andoil spills: 361-888-3162Port Aransas: 361-749-5217Port O’Connor: 361-983-2616Freeport: 979-233-3801Houston, Galveston: 409-766-5620Sabine: 409-971-2195

COASTAL CONSERVATION ASSOCIATION TEXASMEMBERSHIP APPLICATION (including STAR Entry)

Name Phone______ Date _________________________

Address City State Zip_______________

NEW MEMBER _______ RENEWAL ______ (Member ID for renewing members only)_______________________________________ EMAIL ____________________

MEMBER: $25 ___ Membership card, decal, bumper sticker, Texas CURRENTS newsletter & TIDE magazine. ASSOCIATE: $15 ___ Per each family member. All membership privileges except TIDE and CURRENTS.

PRINT MEMBER: $100 ___ All of the above plus CCA Texas print of your choice. LIFE MEMBER: $1000 ___ CCA Life Membership piece, print, plus member gifts. Payable in four $250 installments.

STAR ENTRY FEE: $20 ___ Tournament entry fee. Must be a current CCA member. NEW TIDE: $10 ___ Tide newsletter, decal.

Members 17 and under only Age: ______ Date of birth: ________ NEW TIDE / Star: $10 ___ Same as above, plus “FREE” STAR Tournament entry. Age: ______ Date of birth: ________

Credit card number ________________________________ Signature _____________________________________________________________________________________

Credit card expiration date _________________________ By entering this tournament, I agree to be bound by the STAR Tournament Rules, Release and Indemnity Agreement. I understand that thereare specific rules governing the conduct of the tournament and that upon request a copy will be mailed to me. 6919 Portwest, Suite 100 / Houston, TX 77024 / 713-626-4222 / Website: www.ccatexas.org

Method of payment___ Check/Money order Charge to my:___ MASTERCARD___ VISA___ AMEX___ DISCOVER

The Texas Parks & Wildlife website is yourstarting point for almost anything you needto know about outdoor Texas, includinglinks to many areas. Visit http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us To focus on fishing and boating,visit http://www.tpwd.-state.tx.us/fishboat/

Current size, bag and possession limitsare now available through the Texas Parks &Wildlife website: TPWD has a number to reportgame violations. 1-800-792-4263. A partner with CCA in aiding Texas game andGame Wardens is Operation Game Thief. Dropby and put this website on your favorites list:http://www.ogttx.com/

CoastalConservation

Association

Welcome to manynew members,courtesy of the

Concert for Conservation