More Beach Camping and Shark Fishing...

We made another beach camping trip to the spot by Brazoria County Free Beach beach access road #3 (here's a tip) that we are calling Pop Pop's Secret Fish Spot. This is the third trip of the summer here, once in the old Rpod and now the second beach trip for the new camper which if I see some kind of bumper sticker that says "beach house" I may purchase it and sick it somewhere prominent because that's how we feel down here camping. Some almost always stops and asks, "Is it just free to camp here?"  

We could see a few other campers down the beach but not close enough to feel crowded as people that camp here are looking for solitude and the weekend beach traffic was also low.   

Fall is the time for the Texas Redfish run but while we caught no reds there was plenty of ankle bier shark action to be had. Final total was four sharks, three lady fish (poor man's tarpon), a sting ray, a small pompano and several whiting. We ate the biggest shark, a 27 inchers (gotta be 24") cooked on the iron cooktop with Jamaican jerk spices, peppers, onions and cheese as fish tacos and sometime I'd like to catch enough whiting for a meal as they are good and I also like to eat the pompano if big enough to fillet.    

 

There's always a variety of opinions as to whether shark is good eating. This was a very mild tasting black tip, not all kinds of shark meat is created equal, and I think it's important to fillet the shark as soon as he is caught. When they die the body fluids pollute the meat so don't haul one around in the bottom of the boat, the ice chest or on a stringer till you are finished fishing. If the good fish, trout, reds and flounder are biting toss the shark back but in this case I was able to tend to the cleaning properly.  

By the way this shark was in the first gut, or the first little deep spot you come to on wading out, very close to the beach. 

Plenty of good bait was available and all fish caught on live finger mullet on a falling tide. So many mullet left in tidal pools that the grandkids Warren and Coraline got good experience throwing the cast net. 

Here's a sting ray, which they say this makes good hut bait for shark but I removed the barb so he's harmless incase I step on him the next trip. I've been stung and it took 9 weeks for the wound to stop draining. That could be considered the mildest outcome you can expect from something like this.  

Coraline with mullet. 

Cathy and friends

Warren was much more interested in fishing if he caught the bait. Note the clear water. It's the time of the year to hit the beach.  

If the fish aren't biting take a note from the seagulls. Sit around until they start again.