< Previous50 COASTMONTHLY.COM | OCTOber 2022 FEATURE “People come to the beach looking at the water and look- ing for shells,” said Maureen Nolan-Wilde, a Texas Master Naturalist and sea-bean collec- tor. “But the real treasures can be found in the wrack line.” The best time to find these hard and buoyant drift seeds is after storms and turbulent weather. “True beaners, or drifters, are out there after a storm along the beaches in Galveston and Bolivar,” Nolan-Wilde said. Fish and sea animals don’t eat sea beans, which can be planted and grown. When a seed’s surface is nicked and it’s flushed with fresh, non salty water, it can produce a plant or vine that isn’t native to the area. The most popular sea beans found along the beaches are the “hamburger beans,” which look like little brown sand- wiches with a light colored top and bottom and a darker layer in the center, although some are red, tan and speckled. These are round and no larger than an inch in diameter and resemble a hamburger. The sea purse is another pop- ular find, and although it resem- bles the hamburger, it’s thinner, flatter and larger. But it also has an interior band of color and a “scar,” which had connected it to a pod early on. The sea heart is a large, dark seed shaped like a heart and comes from the Costa Rican forest. Legend has it explorer Christopher Columbus spot- ted the sea heart in the ocean, which alerted him land was near. This seed produces a spiraling vine called a monkey ladder, which creates long pods carrying 15 seeds inside. The sea pearl or nickar nut is common along the beaches and can be misidentified as a small gray rock. Some sea pearls also are yellow or brown, but they’re quite rare. These beans were used by children as marbles or sewed into clothes as buttons. A black Mary’s bean holds an unusual tale. It’s also called the Crucifixion bean because of the cross indented on one side. This bean travels farther than most and is said to be passed down from mother to daughter to ensure safe childbirth. “Carry a bean in your pock- et, carry life,” according to the legend. Perhaps one of the rarest beans was found at Galveston Island State Park several years ago. John Wright, a guide at the park and a Texas Master Naturalist, spotted a furrowed blister pod in a sandbox at the park. Its origin is unknown and how it found its way into the sandbox is a mystery. But what Wright and Taylor Galaviz, a ranger with the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department, do know is the furrowed blister pod is one of 13 documented in the world. The Texas sample was one of the largest recorded furrowed blister pods, which comes from a yet unknown spe- cies of plant or tree, Raymond van der Ham, a scientist with the Naturalis Biodiversity Center in Leiden, Netherlands, noted. Sea beans are collected and cherished for many reasons. Former Galveston resident Cathy Yow even wrote a book about making jewelry from sea beans, shells and sea glass. Proving the popularity of searching for and collecting sea beans, the Sea-bean Symposium and Beachcombers’ Festival is returning to Galveston, after a four-year hiatus. The symposium, which is free and open to the public, will be held at Menard Hall, 3302 Ave. O on Oct. 14-15. This lecture series began in 1996 in Cocoa Beach, Florida, to focus on sea beans, as well as conser- vation, plastics pollution, ocean currents, sea turtles and beach- combing. Nolan-Wilde will give a presentation. “It is like hunting — when you find a sea bean,” she said. “And when you find one, it is your lucky day. Keep it in your pocket.” The furrowed blister pod found at Galveston Island State Park is one of 13 docu- mented in the world. The sea bean’s origin is unknown, but it’s believed to originate somewhere in the northern South American Orinoco or Amazon River basins. All seeds, nuts and fruits that float in the seawater for longer than a month are con- sidered sea beans, but only about 250 species are collectible. Varieties include, clockwise from top, brain, Mary’s bean, heart, hamburger and black sea biscuit. PHOTO: COU r T e SY CA r LOS r IOS PHOTO: COU r T e SY ALAN WILD eRELAX. We’ll handle everything. 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Each Franchise is Independently Owned and Operated. Call us today and let us help you discover stress-free vacation rental management. 13450 Termini San Luis Pass Rd. | Galveston, TX 409.944.3220 | GaryGreeneVacationRentals.com Equal Opportunity Company. Equal Housing Opportunity West End Office 13450 FM 3005, Galveston, TX 409.737.5200 In Town Office 2615 Broadway St, Galveston, TX 409.763.803052 COASTMONTHLY.COM | OCTOber 2022 It’s finally fall, and rod-bending options are endless. COASTMONTHLY.COM | OCTOber 2022 53 HOOKED GO ALL IN FOR FALL ANGLING Late summer rain means feisty fish are all over the place story and photos by CAPT. NATE SKINNER O ctober means it’s finally fall along the upper Texas coast. Anglers can bet on change as water and air temperatures gradually cool. More tolerable conditions will not only make time in estuaries more pleasant, but will result in long periods of activity among speckled trout, flounder and redfish. Fall also tends to mean a decrease in pres- sure on fish populations. Kids are back in school, college and professional football sea- sons are keeping many at home and hunting seasons are getting underway. All that means fewer people on the water. With lighter crowds, anglers can expect more water to explore and fish that haven’t been constantly harassed by immense boat traffic. The summer months were among the driest along the upper coast in many years. Salinity was up just about everywhere, and because of that typical summertime hotspots didn’t hold as many fish as usual. It seemed a lot of trout, reds and flounder had moved upstream as close to freshwater inflows as they could get. Luckily, at the end of summer, rain here and inland sent freshwater flowing down rivers, bayous and other tributaries that feed the bay systems. This set up an excellent fall fishing season, and many areas should pro- duce bent rods over the next several weeks.54 COASTMONTHLY.COM | OCTOber 2022 HOOKED The mouths of bayous, creeks and other watersheds should be loaded with bait activity and predatory fish as freshwater inflows push estuarine life downstream into the estuaries. Outgoing tides can intensify the effect as water pulls out of these drains. When this occurs, some of the best action of the fall will take place. It’s hard to talk about fall fishing on the upper Texas coast without focusing on oyster shell. Live oyster shell reefs will be ground zero for excellent angling this month. Oyster reefs across mid-bay waters of both East and West Galveston bays are great options for speckled trout. Soft plastic jigs, topwater plugs and even live shrimp rigged under a popping cork will do the trick when it comes to fooling specks. The same can be said about oyster reefs in East Matagorda Bay. The bottom of this estu- ary is covered in oyster shell — its western half has many charted, heavy oyster reefs, while its eastern portion has more stretches with scattered shell, sand and mud. Wherever there are signs of activity across the open waters of East Matty, there likely will be speckled trout nearby. Slicks, color changes, current lines and concentrations of baitfish and shrimp along the surface all are in some areas along the shore. They’ll be loaded with redfish, trout and flounder throughout the fall. Topwaters, soft plastics and popping cork and shrimp setups work well there, too. Anglers also should look for flocks of seagulls and terns picking at the water’s surface. The birds will be feeding on swarms of shrimp and baitfish that schools of redfish and trout are chasing toward the surface. Fishing the birds can be a lot of fun, but also can render a lot of small fish. The key to getting the attention of larger specimens un- der the birds is throwing bigger baits. When the birds are working, you might as well for- get about live or other natural bait and chuck large, soft plastics and surface plugs. I throw full-sized topwater baits almost exclusively when I’m fishing the birds. This typically keeps small fish from eating the bait and usually gets strikes from the biggest fish in the school. Aside from our open bay waters, marshes, back lakes and upper reaches of the bay sys- tems also will still be holding plenty of fish during the fall. That’s what makes this time of year special — you can find productive places to wet a line no matter where you hit the water. Take advantage of aggressive fish in the time leading to winter. Don’t miss out, be- cause it won’t last long. signs an area is probably worth fishing. On Sabine Lake, anglers should focus on clam shell beds. Nearly the entire Louisiana shoreline is littered with small clam shell reefs that jut into the estuary from grassy banks. You can see the edges of shell beds Predatory fish like red drum will be more willing to feed for prolonged periods of time because of the mild conditions that occur in October. Birds picking at the surface at this time of year typically mean there is a school of fish feeding in the area.58 COASTMONTHLY.COM | OCTOber 2022 FEATURE REAPING WHAT THEY SEW Island house becomes a peaceful retreat for avid quilters story by KATHRYN EASTBURN | photos by JENNIFER REYNOLDS A quilt is more than the sum of its physical parts — scraps of fabric, batting and thread. A quilt embodies the labor and creative thought of its maker. It comprises the time and skills that go into the project and, in some cases, friendships made quilting together with others along the way. On Galveston Bay in a small residential island community sheltered by tall vegetation from the busy traffic of Harborside Drive, Pelican View Quilting Retreat House, 8002 Channelview Drive, represents the vision of avid quitter Susan Carlton, and her husband, Jason Chide, to provide a peace- ful haven for quilters. The only retreat house in Texas directly on the water, Pelican View provides quilters time together honing their craft while enjoying perpetual views of birds, bay and sky. Open for just a year, Pelican View hosts groups of up to seven visitors at a time for a minimum of three nights, to enjoy a space thoughtfully designed with state-of-the-art amenities and plenty of extras. (Above) Susan Carlton and her husband, Jason Chide, have created a bayside retreat for quilters with their Pelican View Quilting Retreat House. They have outfitted the house with everything a quilter might need, from large tables to adjustable lighting and plenty of power strips. (Right) Patty Jane Coefield sews small squares of fabric together for a queen-sized quilt she’s working on at Pelican View Quilting Retreat House in Galveston. The retreat house overlooks Galveston Bay. COASTMONTHLY.COM | OCTOber 2022 59Next >