< Previous80 COASTMONTHLY.COM | SepTeMber 2023 When Only the Best Will Do. We Love Working with Designers & Contractors! Kitchen Design, High-End Custom Cabinetry & Gourmet Appliances For Kitchen Remodels and New Homes, Since 1983. • We have a kitchen showroom in Webster • Professional Kitchen Design Services • Sub-Zero, Wolf and Cove Gourmet Appliances Bay Area Kitchens 281.338.2737 www.BayAreaKitchens.com 17306 Highway 3 @ Medical Center Blvd. – Webster Appointments Recommended Home of the Month TANYA JONES, CRS ePro GRI 409.789.7222 Tanya.Jones@garygreene.com 7328 La France • $283,000 WATERFRONT - ROOM WITH A VIEW! The view will hold you spellbound! Water, pelicans, roseate spoonbills, etc. surround you on this rare peninsula on Highland Bayou. Catch every sunrise and beautiful sunset from the complete wrap around deck! COASTMONTHLY.COM | SepTeMber 2023 81 KARENFLOWERS-(409)789-7377 DAVEBRIDGWATER-(409)392-5655 JOETRAMONTEREALTY (409)765-9837 PORCHSTREET31 Beautifulone-story,3/2.5inprestigiousEvia on2lots.Openconcept,idealforentertaining withasuperbkitchen.PrimarySuitehaslarge walk-inclosets,spa-likebath,andallthe extras.Largefrontporchperfectformorning coffeeoverlookingserenegreenspace.Living areaopenstobackporchwithhottub, fenced-veryprivatebackyard. OFFEREDAT $725,000 Award Winning Complimentary Decorating Service Solid Wood Furniture Zero Down - Zero Interest Financing Delivery & Set-Up Open 7 Days A Week Labor Day Weekend 15% Off! Free Local Delivery Now Open www.leelandhousegtx.com82 COASTMONTHLY.COM | SepTeMber 2023 HOOKED CHANGE IS IN THE AIR Cooler September means hotter angling action on the upper Texas Coast story and photos by CAPT. NATE SKINNER S eptember is a transition month on the upper Texas coast. It can be blazing hot, but also offer glimpses of autumn. Luckily for anglers, there are many options while Mother Nature is in this limbo mode. If you like catching redfish, the ninth month will not disappoint. Opportunities to chase large numbers of red drum abound in marshes and back lakes and along jetties, passes and the beach front. Just about all the marshes and back lakes will be holding large concentrations of reds. Tides are usually up this time of year, so there should be plenty of water to navigate safely by boat or kayak. The best areas will have shell or grass, and clean water. Keying in on stretches of marsh loaded with baitfish and shrimp also will be important. I’ve targeted redfish in most marsh complexes along the upper coast over the years, but some of my favorite back bay areas to fish in September are just southwest of COASTMONTHLY.COM | SepTeMber 2023 83 Learning how to be successful on the water during the transition from summer to fall patterns in September will make you a more well-rounded angler. (Opposite) If you like to catch redfish, the ninth month of the year will not disappoint you.84 COASTMONTHLY.COM | SepTeMber 2023 HOOKED Freeport, along the San Bernard River wa- tershed. They include Cowtrap Lake and the Cedar Lakes. These satellite lakes are loaded with oyster-shell reefs, and redfish gang up in large schools to feed near the edges of the shell during the early fall. When the reds are schooling in these back lakes, catching 20 to 30 in a day is common. The fish will eat just about anything you chuck, because each is trying to eat your bait before another does. This behavior produces aggressive action that is downright fun to experience. I like to throw topwater plugs at schools of redfish in the back lakes. It’s hard to beat watching the fish come up to the surface to strike. Along jetties, passes and the beachfront, schools of oversized redfish will be staging for their annual run and spawning season. Both natural and artificial baits will work in these areas, and the best action occurs when the tide is moving. Flounder activity should begin to pick up as well this month as fall approaches. Many can be found stacked up along main bay flats and shorelines, as well as in the mouths of marsh drains and bayous. Anglers after flatfish at night with lights and gigs also should find consistent action along shallow flats with clean water. Some flatfish will begin staging along the edges of channels and cuts, especially later in the month as cooler weather approaches. More and more flounder will begin to mi- grate toward areas adjacent to deeper water with each passing week. Speckled trout fishing can be good in both deep and shallow water. Mid-bay reefs in East Galveston and East Matago- rda bays can offer some tremendous trout action this month. Winds are usually light, so open bay waters surrounding the reefs are typically calm and decently clear. Some of my best trout fishing has been over mid-bay reefs on the upper coast, especially a few days before or after a full moon. Stretches with heavy oyster shell in 4 to 8 feet of water can produce many quality trout. For wade-fishing, flats along the San Luis Pass and grassy stretches along the north shore of West Galveston Bay can be dynamite for speckled trout. Look for good concentrations of small mullet. When September reveals a glimpse of the fall weather that is to come, the flounder action heats up. (Right) Speckled trout can be found both shallow and deep right now. Pursuing redfish, speckled trout and flounder during this transition to fall can be challenging, yet rewarding. COASTMONTHLY.COM | SepTeMber 2023 85 AMY LARNER 281-795-6674 amy@amylarner.com https://www.har.com/amylarne r 26934 Estuary Galveston 4-5 BR 3.5 BA 26911 Bay Water Galveston 25618 Spotted Sandpiper Galveston New Construction Pointe West! YOUR CUSTOM DREAM HOME AWAITS YOU! Once the first cold fronts of fall arrive, fishing should really kick into high gear. In my opinion, the best time of year to fish on the upper coast is just getting start- ed. The fish are moving back and forth between late summer hotspots and their typical autumn haunts. Pursuing redfish, speckled trout and floun- der during this transition to fall can be chal- lenging, yet rewarding. There’s an opportu- nity to employ a variety of tactics in a bunch of different areas. Figuring out how to catch fish in both shallow and deep water using varying techniques ultimately will make you a more well-rounded angler. Summertime crowds are dwindling, and the best is yet to come. I’ll see you out there. 86 COASTMONTHLY.COM | SepTeMber 2023 COASTMONTHLY.COM | SepTeMber 2023 87 HOMEPORT ‘SPOKE TO ME’ Savior of island mansion accepts challenge to preserve its history story by CAMRYN BACON photos by JENNIFER REYNOLDS I n the heart of Galveston stands the League-Kempner House, one of the few remaining “Broadway Beauties” that was once at risk of decay and demolition. Unlike others that have disappeared from the island’s architectural land- scape, however, the League-Kempner House found a savior in Janie Mitcham and a new life as a nonprofit sanctuary. Designed by acclaimed architect Nicholas Clayton, and built in 1893, the League-Kemp- ner House embodied luxury and showcased the wealth of its original owners, John Charles League and Nellie Ball League. The three-story mansion boasted modern amenities, including central heating, running water and electric lighting. After League died in 1916, the house came under the own- ership of Eliza Kempner, matriarch of the Kempner family. “I always drove by the Kempner House thinking it was a beautiful building that needed to be shown off on my way to the other property I have on the island, the Lucas Apartment Building I purchased in 2013,” said Mitcham, a principal of the nonprofit J.C. League House LLC., which owns the property. Over the years, neglect and decay had tak- en their toll on the residence. But Mitcham saw beyond the crumbling facade. (Left) The League-Kempner House, designed by architect Nicholas Clayton, is getting a new lease on life from Janie Mitcham and the nonprofit J.C. League House LLC. Built in 1893, the house is one of the few remaining “Broadway beauties.”88 COASTMONTHLY.COM | SepTeMber 2023 HOMEPORT “When I purchased the house in Jan- uary 2021, I knew it needed extensive work,” she said. Mitcham encountered numerous chal- lenges as the restoration progressed, including termite damage, a leaky roof and rotting wood. “It was in a bad structural condition, with boarded-up windows and no power,” she said. “But there was something about its original charm that spoke to me.” Among the challenges was designing a way to restore the house without bury- ing its history. (Clockwise from top) Original windows and salvaged woodwork are stored in the parlor during renovations. The room, with ornate columns on either side of the fireplace, would have been used to entertain guests; the foyer and main staircase are being renovated from the plaster ceiling and walls to the woodwork, some of which has been damaged by termites; photographs from 1895 are displayed in the dining room. COASTMONTHLY.COM | SepTeMber 2023 89 “I didn’t want to turn it into a modern house,” Mitcham said. “I wanted to bring it back to its original architecture, and that is what we have done.” One aspect of the ongoing restoration was very contemporary, however. “Through social media platforms such as YouTube and Facebook, people from around the world tuned into the work, Mitcham said. “We’ve had visitors from North Carolina, California and West Virginia visit the house, and they mention our YouTube most of the time,” Mitcham said. The League-Kempner House in the spring reopened doors to the public as a house mu- seum, offering visitors tours two days a week. Mitcham envisions it becoming more than a tour destination, however. The goal is to transform the house into a cultural and educational hub, offering class- es, lectures and community events.Next >