Mario Castellano's Guide Service
Capt. Mario Castellano
Baytown, Tx
Fishing Made Easy
Have you ever wanted to go fishing but got lost at the thought of not knowing what to use, or where to go? If you’re like most occasional anglers, the sport or hobby of fishing may be confusing. Fishing can be extremely intimidating by not having the knowledge of what type of bait one should use, or what particular rig setup to use, or even where to fish at. Fishing in the Baytown area, you are exposed to several types of water, for instance, there is salt, fresh and brackish water within a 20 mile radius. Another dilemma is how are you going to fish, are you going to fish by boat, kayak, wading, bridge, pier, beach, river, bayou, canal, stocked pond. Fishing in Baytown has a vast variety of fishing areas, and can be as fun and easy as you make it. I’ve been hooked on fishing since I was a kid. As an avid angler I have experimented with a broad variety of fishing techniques and numerous bodies of water. As a young boy I grew up in Deep South Texas, in the small town of Edcouch. Edcouch was surrounded by an abundance of bayous and canals, and only 30 miles from the great fishing city of Port Mansfield, and also only 45 miles away from South Padre Island, which also happens to be an amazing fishing area. Growing up with a family who loved and constantly went fishing, I was exposed to several different fishing techniques. The easiest of them is a three-way swivel rig, which is effective by simply just tying a weight at the end of your line and a 4” loop with a hook about 6-8” above your weight or the rig can be bought at your local Wal-Mart or just about any convenience store. Another simple technique I learned is fishing with a popping cork. Both of these techniques are used with shrimp or other native bait. The most difficult fishing technique I learned was the art of artificial fishing. Fishing the dirty bay of Baytown, I have come to find out that my acquired fishing techniques have been effective not only in Baytown, but in most waters I have fished in. Fishing the dirty bay can be as easy and fun as you want it to be, without the confusion one may think comes with the experience of fishing.
Fishing with live or dead bait
Fishing with live bait or dead bait are the easiest of my techniques acquired through my many years of fishing. Whether you fish on the bottom or fish with a popping cork (float), the trick is to try to use native bait to the certain area, but you could also use shrimp in most places if you could catch some or even buy some at your local bait shop. Shrimp will work just about anywhere you fish at, whether you fish on the bottom or top. If fishing on salt water, I recommend to use shrimp, shiner, finger mullet (2"-3"), mud minnow, and cut bait (big mullet and shiner or squid). All are native to most salt water areas around Baytown and most of the Gulf Coast. When using a bottom rig, all of these baits will work to catch several species of fish including Red Drum, Speckled Trout, Catfish, Black Drum, and other salt water species. When using a bottom rig, another frequently asked question other than the bait is, what weight to use? I recommend using a pyramid weight of about 1 1/2 oz. (shown in picture above), but you need to keep in mind the wind and the roughness of the water or the speed of the current. If fishing in rough water or a fast current your bottom rig will probably keep going with the flow of the water, so I suggest going up in weight by 1/2 an ounce, till your bottom rig stays in place with you line slightly tight. Keeping you line slightly tight helps you feel the fish better and gives you the best chance of feeling the fish bite your bait and snagging (hooking) the fish on your hook for an easy catch. Bottom fishing is as simple as you make it, and should be easier after you read this blog.
Fishing With A Popping Cork
No matter what age you are, the popping cork (float) with a treble hook between 12"-20" (depending on depth of water) will work just about any salt water areas you fish at in Baytown. A popping cork gets it name from the pop it make when you jerk the line. The popping sound is suppose to imitate the sound of a shrimp in distress, and the rattle it makes imitates the sound of a feeding trout. When these two sounds are combined, they attract fish to the sound of a feeding frenzy. The most effective bait to use with a popping cork is live shrimp, but you could use dead shrimp as-well, or a small bait fish like a piggy perch or a finger mullet. When using a popping cork i like to give it two quick pops as soon as it hits the water, then let it sit for about 20-40 seconds and pop it twice again, and continue this till your line is couple feet from you. I say to continue this untill it is couple feet from you because there has been many times that I hook a fish just literally couple feet from me. Always keep you line with some tension (slightly tight) on it so that when you see you popping cork go under, or feel the bite, you can jerk the rod and set the hook on the fish. If there is slack in you line, it will dramatically decrease your chances of catching the fish, by giving the fish a chance of realizing its a hook and spit it out. As a true angler (fisherman) one of the things that discourages me is seeing my popping cork go under the water, and I miss the fish because of the slack that I left on the line, so I advise you to keep your line slightly tight.
Fishing With Artificial Lures
Fishing with artificial lures is the most challenging of my techniques acquired through my years of fishing. I consider it one of the most challenging techniques because it requires an abundance of patience. The trick to artificial fishing is to make your lure seem like a natural and realistic bait fish, to entice your targeted fish to eat the lure. The lures below are the ones that I commonly use and have found to be effective and I strongly recommend them for all anglers. Early in the morning the best artificial bait to use is the top water lure (Top Dog). I usually use one with a black top and a gold or silver bottom, with two treble hooks. When fishing with a top water lure i try to make them go left then right by jerking the rod slightly while you reel it it. The left and right action on a top water lure is called "walking the dog", and should give the effect of easy prey by mimicking an injured mullet swimming on top of the water. Another method is to use a jig head with a sand eel attached to it. A jig head is a hook with a lead head on it to weigh it down and causes it to sink towards the bottom. There are several different sand eels that I like to use, for instance there is the straight tail, swim tail and flat swim tail. Each of these sand eels have a different affect in the water and give you a variety of movements. The swim tail exhibits the motion of a swimming bait and requires little to no movement of the rod to make is swim like a bait fish, just reel in slow, but fast enough to keep it off the bottom. If your reeling it in to slow you will feel your lure snagging to the bottom, so next time you cast out just go a little slower. It requires patience because you need to get the right feel of the speed you are reeling in, to keep it from hitting the bottom. The straight tail sand eel is used similar to the swim tail, except this time you want it to hit the bottom. When you feel the lure hit the bottom, you want to jerk the bait to give the impression of a bait fish bouncing of the bottom and entice the fish to bite it. The jerking motion should be a light jerk, just enough to get the jig head bouncing.
Mario Castellano's Guide Services
Fishing with Mario Castellano's Guide Services it does not matter whether you are three years old or retired, I will put you on the fish you want. If Speckled Trout is what you want, then it is a school of Speckled Trout that I will put you on. By a school of trout, I mean that you will be catching so many trout that your arms and shoulders will be sore from constantly reeling then in. I will send you home with the maximum amount of Speckled Trout you could legally catch. I will even fillet your catch for free. For the low price of $69.99, I will give you the fishing trip of a lifetime. I will not only put you on some fish, but I will give you some knowledge and techniques I have acquired through my many years of experience with fishing. I will also inform you with some of the knowledge I have learned with my avid fishing family. If you want to bring your three year old fishing, and teach them young, I will educate you on some fishing tactics that will form an everlasting bond between you and your child, and between child and nature. If you are retired and want to catch a late start on fishing, I will also teach you the basics to catching fish. It is never too late or too early to start fishing. I live for the pleasures I get from seeing my customers with a successful catch and most of all, the fishing experience and knowledge they will never forget. Fishing is a hobby and tradition that can be passed on to other loved ones, and I will give you some great insight into fishing. Fishing with Mario Castellano's Guide Service, it does not matter the age, I will teach you the basics to fishing and give you the experience of catching fish. Red Drum or Speckled Trout, I'll put you on some no doubt!
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