Capt. Paul Parks spotted birds working a huge school crashing bait along the shore.
“Just what we are looking for,” he quietly spoke. “Get ready!”
After years of wind, rain, and anything but ideal conditions, the weather finally cooperated for the annual Eric Nelson Memorial Fly Fishing Festival near Rockport. Light winds, clear skies, and warm fall sun greeted five teams that launched early in the morning, rods rigged and hopes high.
“It was lights out for about the first 30 minutes after sunrise,” some anglers said. “Then they shut down hard.”
Still, a few teams found their rhythm. Port Bay Club junior member Dean Meyer had two solid fish on, but both spit the hook—one heartbreak after another.
“They just weren’t staying buttoned up,” Meyer said, shaking his head.
Parks rubbed salt into the wound. “That fish was big—36 easy.”
David Sams pulled a 16 1/4-inch flounder out of the same school.
Johnathan Clarkson’s crew stayed steady, pulling in several fish in the 18-inch range. They fished near the club early but moved into Swan Lake, working a strange, charted-out plan. Somehow, it worked. They stayed on fish and kept the pressure on.
Over on San Jose Island, Bill Minyard fished with guide Will Chesser and reported spooky fish refusing fly after fly—nothing unusual for this tournament.
“They’d follow, look, and just slide away,” Minyard said. “The water was high, tide was full, and the fish had too many groceries. Classic October.”
Around 1:00 p.m., things lit up.
“Fish started eating like crazy all over,” said Tye Green, Port Bay Club Manager and weigh master, who had his own stories to tell. “We had three teams within a half-inch of each other on total inches. It was anybody’s game.”
That’s when Dean Meyer hooked a 5-inch speckled trout.
“Measure every fish,” Sams told him. “That one’s gonna’ matter.”
David Barer landed a 19-inch fish and was on the board. Brian Harrison and John Strom stuck a 17 and 19 1/4. Everyone was close.
But the final swing belonged to Team Last Minutes.
Poling a hard sand shoreline, they found cruising reds. The fish refused fly after fly until Sams managed to fool a 16 1/2-inch red missing an eye and sporting no spots.
“Ugliest fish I’ve ever seen,” he laughed. “But she counted.”
Minutes later, another red taped at 17 1/4. That fish likely sealed the deal.
Still, Sams was nervous, and time was running out.
Parks spotted another huge school crashing bait along the shore. “Look at that school coming right at us,” he shouted. “Get ready!”
Sams looked at his clock. “We have three minutes to make some magic happen,” he said.
Meyer made the first cast, right into the middle of the melee. Fish boiled all around.
Sams dropped his fly in also. They both stripped air; the fish would not bite.
Even if they bit there was no way we could land it in time. But what a way to end it.” Sams said.
Green sent a text saying lines out and that another team had a slot fish.
“I was crunching the numbers on the way in, even if they had a 28-incher, their next fish would’ve had to be huge to beat us” Sams said.
Back at the weigh-in, it was official: Team Last Minutes took the win with a combined 55 1/4 inches.
“We needed every inch,” Sams said.
Team Results
Grand Champion: “Last Minutes” David Sams and Dean Meyer- 55.25 inches
Largest Red: “Hunt for Redfish October” Bill Minyard- 45.25 inches
“Talking Turtle Heads” Johnathon Clarkson and Randall Lucas -37.25 inches
“Wolves” Brian Harrison and John Strom -36.25 inches
“Swan Dave” David Barer -19 inches
