< Previous30 COASTMONTHLY.COM | AuguST 2019“Our goal is to make this program suc-cessful by changing behaviors, educating the public and encouraging participation,” Becker said. “The success will keep wildlife safe and our waterways cleaner.”The first step for the group was to iden-tify where recycling stations were located, Becker said. The stations are 4-foot-long PVC pipes attached to fishing piers or on jetties or bulkheads where fishing is popular. The pipes had small “Recycle Monofilament Here” signs, but the program wasn’t pub-licized enough to make an impact. They found 94 stations in the county, but many had been abandoned or never used.The group photographed the stations, not-ed their GPS locations and entered the infor-mation onto Google maps. They redesigned signage — in four languages — to alert anglers it was imperative to put discarded fishing line in the recycling tube and not in the water or on the shore and beach.“The intent is to make the information available so people can go to where the sta-tions are,” Becker said. “This will be success-ful when fishermen get involved and there is peer pressure among that community.”Next, the team set up a program to moni-tor the stations and follow up to empty them on a regular basis. There were no stations on San Luis Pass, a popular fishing destination, and some recycling posts were unattended and full. Team members enlisted the help of other organizations and foundations to help sustain the effort, he said.Locally, the Harris and Eliza Kempner Fund, Friends of Galveston Island State Park, Texas Audubon and Marathon Oil have participated in funding the program. Each station costs about $70 and volunteers need to be trained to retrieve the contents and deliver it to the recycling center. COASTMONTHLY.COM | AuguST 2019 31FEATUREVolunteers take the contents of the tubes to the Texas AgriLife Extension Service at the Carbide Center in Hitchcock, where the monofilament is cleaned, organized and then sent to Berkley Conservation Institute in Spirit Lake, Iowa, to be recycled into tackle boxes, park benches or fish habitats. Since 1990, the institute has recycled more than 9 million miles of fishing line, Becker said.As an example of how bad the problem is, Becker and a team of Master Natural-ists recently went to the Texas City Dike, a popular fishing destination. Eleven teams scoured sites along the dike, spanning 100 feet on either side, which represented less than 4 percent of the entire dike. Within two hours, they collected almost 60 pounds of line, which was either laying on the ground or snarled in the rocks lining the water. Initially, after removing 20 pounds of debris and cleaning the monofilament, the teams prepared 9 pounds of unsoiled monofila-ment for recycling.“This points out the issue,” Becker said. “It just keeps killing and killing. Birds get entangled and starve. Turtles are beaching themselves with fishing line tangling their flippers. It is terrible for the environment.”Moving forward, the group plans to make appearances at fishing tournaments, outdoor and other nature/environmental events and conventions, as well as beef up its social media and Facebook page to en-courage participation. Members also plan to update the Google map page with recycling locations.“Plastic pollution is such an intractable problem,” Becker said. “Fishing line can last up to 600 years in the environment. But peo-ple can physically wrap their arms around the problem and do something that can make a difference. And that’s huge.” (Left) Keith Mahaffey, left, and Rick Becker screw in a sign for a monofilament recycling station at the Galveston Island State Park. Becker and a team of Master Naturalists collected almost 60 pounds of line at the Texas City Dike in two hours. (Below) The small opening in the monofilament recycling station is meant to discourage people from placing other trash and recyclables in the tube.32 COASTMONTHLY.COM | AuguST 2019FEATURERODEO ON THE WATERBoatmen who make a living off the Gulf compete to protect itstory by KATHRYN EASTBURN | photo by STUART VILLANUEVACharter fishing boat Capt. Scott Hickman routinely finds balloons, Styrofoam and other plastics floating in the water while out on fishing trips, he said. COASTMONTHLY.COM | AuguST 2019 33Professional boatmen love and depend upon Gulf waters to support their commercial fishing and charter businesses. In recent years, they’ve hauled in more and more plastic trash washed out to sea and are particularly concerned about the deflated balloons they continue to find floating on the water’s surface.“People release big bundles of balloons at graduations, birthday parties and weddings all the way up to Houston, and they end up in the Gulf,” said Scott Hickman, a charter boat captain out of the Galveston Yacht Ba-sin. “It’s particularly bad in the spring when there are a lot of weddings.”The balloons, when ingested, are fatal to the Gulf’s sea turtles.This year, the Galveston Professional Boat-men’s Association plans to bring awareness to the problem by staging a balloon roundup rodeo. Commercial and charter fishing oper-ations began July 1 collecting balloons from the Gulf, noting where and how many. They bring them in, and the crews that haul in the most by the end of October will win cash prizes at a special event.The association is a nonprofit collective of charter fishing businesses, commercial fishermen, seafood dealers and other sea-food or tourism-related businesses dedicat-ed to representing and engaging profes-sional fishermen in ensuring sustainable fisheries and enhancing the professional fishing heritage of Galveston, according to its Facebook page.“We throw multiple fishing tournaments each year,” Hickman said. “This year, we want to promote sustainable fisheries and conservation by making the public aware that by letting balloons go, they go out into the Gulf, sea turtles think they’re jellyfish, eat them and die. It’s a serious problem for these turtles that people love.”Sponsors of the rodeo are Galveston’s Turtle Island Restoration Network; Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary, of which Hickman is a board member; Ocean Conservancy; Moody Gardens Aquarium; and the Environmental Defense Fund.“This is our first year and we want this thing to grow,” Hickman said. “We make a good living off the ocean and this is some-thing we can give back.” 36 COASTMONTHLY.COM | AuguST 2019HOOKEDTARGETING TRIPLETAILIt’s an adventure that involves covering a lot of waterstory and photos by CAPT. NATE SKINNERSometimes, it’s nice to do something completely out of the norm, even when it comes to fishing. The consistency in weather patterns that we typi-cally see along the upper Tex-as coast during August allows us to explore new areas and target just about any stretch of water because winds are generally light.That said, conditions in August often are favorable for covering miles of water. I prefer to use this to my advantage to break away from my standard summertime fishing grounds and search for tripletail, both inside and outside of our estuaries and passes.If you’re unfamiliar with tripletail, the species gets its name from the three fins it sports along its rear. The fish looks like some sort of crappie on steroids, and the three fins make it a powerful swimmer. This results in sporting fights when they’re hooked on a rod and reel.(Above) On a calm, sunny day, tripletail floating along the surface will stick out like a sore thumb in clean water. (Opposite) West Matagorda Bay is known for producing monster tripletail within its estuarine waters. COASTMONTHLY.COM | AuguST 2019 3738 COASTMONTHLY.COM | AuguST 2019HOOKEDPerhaps the most attractive aspect about the species is that it can be successfully targeted using a variety of strategies in many locations, and as table fare, it’s arguably second to none.Tripletail can be found in bays, passes and along the beachfront in Gulf waters. They are drawn to structures, and most are caught near channel markers, buoys, well heads, platforms, weed mats and floating debris.Data from surveys and studies from the early 2000s to present reveal that West Matagorda Bay has the highest tripletail landings in a bay or estuary, while the Sabine Pass area has the highest within the Gulf, said Josh Harper, a Texas Parks & Wildlife Coastal Fisheries biologist.“Gill net surveys dating back to 1978 have seen the largest amount of individu-al tripletail caught in West Matagorda Bay, compared to the rest of the Texas Coast,” Harper said. “Galveston Bay ranks second on the list, while the most recreational landings for tripletail in the Gulf of Mexico occur just outside of Sabine Pass.”My favorite way to pursue tripletail is to sight cast for them when they’re hanging near the sur-face. In clean water on a calm, sunny day, they stick out like a sore thumb. They are often found floating motionless on their sides. There’s no clear explanation about this behavior, although many biologists be-lieve they’re trying to mimic a piece of floating debris to attract prey.“Floating debris creates shade underneath the surface of the water, which attracts baitfish,” Harper said. “Tripletail may be using this fact to their advantage to bring their food straight to them.”The best sight-casting action I’ve ever experienced for tripletail has (From top) Bryan Maley shows off a nice tripletail he landed along the beachfront; a 3-inch Z-Man scented shrimpZ rigged on an 1⁄8th- or 1⁄16th-ounce jig head is a deadly bait for sight casting to tripletail.Targeting tripletail is very similar to hunting. It’s an adventure that involves covering a lot of water, and any type of structure or piece of floating debris could be holding the next fish. taken place along the beach outside of the Sabine Jetties. The tricky thing about targeting them this way is that some of the fish you’ll encounter won’t be willing to eat. I’ve had days when every fish I chunked a lure toward would aggressively strike. I’ve also spotted more than 50 fish and had only a handful try to take the bait.Anglers should use small lures that can be accurately cast when fishing for tripletail floating along the surface. It’s hard to beat a 3-inch Z-Man scented shrimpZ rigged on a 1/8th- or a 1/16th-ounce jig head.Casting live shrimp rigged under a slip cork around vertical struc-tures is the best way to catch tripletail inside upper coast bays. I’ve landed several tripletail over the years fishing around the Bolivar gas wells in Galveston Bay near the Texas City Dike.The most tripletail I’ve ever caught in a single trip on the inside of an estuary took place on West Matagorda Bay while fishing with vet-eran guide Capt. Tommy Countz. We spent most of the day working channel markers and old well heads. None of the fish could be seen from the surface, and most seemed to be hanging about 5 to 6 feet down. All the tripletail we caught were holding tight to whatever type of structure we were fishing around.Targeting tripletail is very similar to hunting. It’s an adventure that involves covering a lot of water, and any type of structure or piece of floating debris could be holding the next fish. Even something like a small plastic bag or piece of trash floating on the surface shouldn’t be overlooked. You’ll be surprised what these fish will hang around.Take advantage of the late summer weather, and go try something new. Tripletail will provide a sporting experience that will test the skills of any angler, and pursuing them along the upper coast is just downright exciting. Nestled along Galveston Harbor, Pier 21 offers waterfront views, delicious dining options and a cluster of attractions that showcase the island’s cultural and maritime heritage – from the Texas Seaport Museum and 1877 Tall Ship ELISSA to the Pier 21 Theater, Ocean Star Offshore Drilling Rig & Museum and Dolphin Tours. Pier 21 is located steps away from the Galveston Cruise Terminal.Historic downtown Galveston’s main shopping street, The Strand, draws visitors to its diverse collection of boutiques, gift shops, restaurants and attractions housed in majestic iron-front buildings that once made up the “Wall Street of the South.” From the old-fashioned candy shop LaKing’s Confectionery to the Galveston Railroad Museum and concerts at Saengerfest Park, The Strand and its surrounding streets serve as a hub for activities and entertainment.Marked by its beautiful Victorian architecture and colorfully painted storefronts, the Postoffice Street area is full of charm, offering an enchanting blend of art galleries, boutiques, antique shops, chic eateries and lively entertainment, including The Grand 1894 Opera House. Its artsy atmosphere has made this area a fresh hangout for locals and the center of the island’s popular ArtWalk held every six weeks.This eclectic area west of the downtown district boasts old-fashioned, fabled establishments with lots of room for new tenants. Area anchors include Maceo Spice and Import Company, where visitors can sit at a community table for a new experience every day; cocktail speakeasy Daiquiri Time Out, which features fresh, classic cocktails in a sleek, urban setting; and free-flowing Gypsy Joynt, offering eclectic fare locals crave and evening entertainment. 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