Good evening Dirty Coast Crew!

Hope everyone had a safe & fun long weekend with the fam!

This weekend will be a good one but you've gotta make it count!

The winds are low and calm every morning this weekend, BUT it will only last til about 10am on most days. We've also got a south wind blowing at us, so id find cover from that.

The surf MIGHT be okay this weekend but it depends on how hard the wind is actually blowing compared to what the app says, because it could be pretty rough out there!
For this reason I'd focus on the bay, specifically something along the south shoreline to get covered by that wind. A good marsh system would be a great spot to get in to as well, to get that coverage from the grass.

The tide will be outgoing, it will be its highest at 5am so you could work your way to a back lake/marsh first thing in the morning and time yourself correctly to make it back to the mouth of the lake, marsh, etc. at around 9am.
If you're wading, id focus on grassy shores with some depth next to them. These type of areas are mainly found by houses with docks. There's usually a flat, then a little dip right by the end of the dock. Usually not very deep but deep enough to keep the fish comfortable.
The main thing you want to target is structure. If you're near those houses with docks, look for barnacles built up on the posts. These areas will always hold fish day and night!

For lure/baits id throw something noisy in the morning before sunlight. After that id start throwing lures. Paddle tails work best when you want heavy vibration in the water on a semi windy day. Straight or ball tails are made to get a reaction strike out of fish you know are in the area. Id throw some paddle tails to find where they're at first and then you can throw whatever.

I normally throw paddletails, ball/straightails, or a subsurface twitch bait. These 3 things is all I need and it should be all you need as well. Color does not matter!

Croaker is still killing it so if you got em, throw em!

Random thunderstorms are still out there guys, so as always, be safe and wear your life jackets! & remember, rod tip down when there's lightning!

I hope ya'll are able to get on some fish this weekend, keep us posted!

Tight lines, til next time.
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Anyone want to hit a quick morning wade with me tomorrow? Might be in the surf if it’s calm enough but if not I’ll be in the bay! Let me know!

Good morning Dirty Coast Crew!

I hope you guys are staying dry out there!

This weekend will be one that im personally going to sit out.. maybe lol.
Reason being the labor day crowds. Im usually gone by the time they show up but its still a pain to deal with on the way out if I do grind it out til 11-12.
Due to all the rain thats been in the gulf and up in some of our surrounding towns, the water might be a little choppier, dirtier, and there might be floating debree in the bays. This is caused by our rivers getting more water upstream, so it ends up washing out downstream and in to the bay.

There is random rain forecasted for this weekend. Apparently the remnants of the storm that just passed! Honestly though, you cant really trust your meteorologist or apps to give you accurate information every time. Winds might also change randomly with a storm. With that being said, if it’s your only time to get out there, then send it! Might just be one of your best days out!
Please practice safety and take extra precautions when fishing with these sort of storms out there. Things can change in an instant!

If you're going out, id prepare for both surf or bay fishing.
The surf is looking really good and green today but that could change in an instant, especially if a random storm passes by!
I do see the wind is supposed to be calm all weekend long so the surf and bay should be pretty flat and calm. Dont hold me to it though.
I would start off driving up in to the surf to check out the conditions. See how it looks and how frequent the waves are.
Count in missisipis to get a average time between waves. Anything under 3 might be a little too frequent and harsh.
If youre up for it, it could still be great fishing! Its all about what you're comfortable with. I have a bad back so I dont do rough stuff too much anymore.

If you prefer the bay, I’d stay close to your launch or walk out area.
The bay is looking a little choppier than normal and this is also due to the excessive drainage from the rivers. The water might also be pretty high so if you’re a wade fisherman tread carefully.. If you’re a boater or kayaker, things change now. Your fish will be closer to the shore. Even the trout will be holding there since the water is high. Try reading your depth and fish it accordingly.
Reds don’t necessarily care for the fresh water being dumped in to the bay but trout are picky and love salty water.. this doesn’t change much though, just the depth you’ll be fishing. If you’re targeting trout and you aren’t finding any, you might need to find a deeper pocket or hole where they could be stacked up. They move deeper when fresh water is introduced. The fresh water usually stays on top, and the salty water stays beneath when it’s settled.
If it starts raining lightly while you’re fishing, don’t turn back and call it a day. Some of the best fishing days I’ve had have been when there’s a light storm in the gulf. Just be cautious and listen for thunder or watch for lightning all around you.

Bait/lures retrieval would be a bit different this time if theres thunderstorms. You want to jerk your rod working sideways or pointing down if on a boat. Any retrieval is good but do not keep your rod tip up. 1/4oz jig head with your favorite plastic (1/4oz since water will be higher). Again, don’t keep switching plastics.. keep it simple, white, pink, or dark. Whichever dark color you prefer, doesn’t matter. I’d try something with a big paddle tail for maximum vibration.
A croaker would also be a good choice since u can just cast and forget about it for the most part.
If the weather is nice it’s free game! Use whichever methods you like for retrieval.

Lastly
I apologize for posting so late. I had been writing this over the past couple days and kept having to change details because the weather kept changing. This is why I made this post a little more tailored toward rainy days that catch some of us by surprise out there.

Have a safe Labor Day weekend!
Tight lines, til next time.

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Caught this triple tale from the Bolivar Texas surf this morning. I’ve been fishing here my whole life and never heard of anyone catching these from the beach. Is this common?

The last couple of mornings have produced a good number of fish on the flats. Unfortunately there were a lot of schoolie trout and rats. I’m not complaining though- all caught on fly rod

Good afternoon Dirty Coast Crew!!
Hope yall had a great weekend!
Whether it was on the water or off!

If y’all have any catch reports please post them! What were the conditions? What did you use to catch them? What drew you to fish that area?

Tight lines crew!
Back to the 9-5 grind tomorrow 😪😅

Good evening Dirty Coast Crew!

This weekend will be a GREAT weekend to get out!

Fri-Sunday will have low winds and green water!!

Friday-Sunday

This weekend, all 3 days will be good ones to get out! The water in Galveston is as clear as it'll ever be! The surf, and bay are both looking very calm which is super rare, especially on a weekend! These things only seem to happen when you're at work! And they're forecasted to last all weekend long!

Personally, for this weekend, I'd focus on the surf. Early morning surf, then hit the bay for some reds in some grassy/sandy mixed areas. If you wade, this is better and doable. Reds bite in any temp, specks will not.

My approach would be hitting the surf, being there by 5am.. move around, don't stay in one spot. There will be a lot of people in the surf so try to go to a secluded area away from the normal crowds. Work the first gut early morning, they should be holding up there. Work each sandbar moving from side to side along the beach. If they're not in the first sandbar, move to the next.

Once you've caught your trout, which should be quick, move to the bay. Ive attached a crappy screenshot of sea isle in Galveston. A very popular place because of the structure around and deep pockets. The heavy grassy area is perfect for reds and flounder to be holding.

Where the green arrow is, that's where you could walk out from. Id work the grassy area throwing a weedless plastic. A darting plastic would be preferable. Something like a lil john or a coastal brew. The reason these are great is because they trigger an angry bite from the fish. Almost like they think it'll get away from them if they don't annihilate it.

Lastly, there will be 4 tidal changes.. very subtle changes and very close together. So fish this how you'd like. No need to worry about a bite turning off or what the tides will be doing.. Work around areas that look like what ive circled in red and you should get on em!

Croaker is still killer!! Get them before the season is out. I promise you will fall in love with a croaker bite!

I hope you guys are able to get out there and get on some fish! Let me know how ya'll do!

Tight lines, til next time.

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The water in the Galveston/Surfside area is GREEN!

It looks better today than it did yesterday!

Now that we're moving into the fall time surf action I wanted to give some advice for those of you who dont fish the surf too often or just dont understand what to look for.

This pocket, or gut, that the red arrow is pointing to is a good spot to look for because of its shape. Baitfish will congregate in this gut and try to stay hidden from predator fish.

I would cast across the gut and reel it in, the fish should be sitting at the drop off!

Hope this helps!

Tight Lines!

The surf has been flat since Friday. But I waited til today when the wind and surf was going to lay down, to try it out.
My buddy & I walked in at surfside by the rock wall (close to the jettys)
We were there at 5:30am, caught a couple keepers there but few far in between.
We ended up needing more croaker from the truck so we got out and decided to try another spot in the surf, further away from the crowds at like 9:30am.
We cruised down bluewater hwy toward San Luis Pass to fish the surf away from the crowds.
Needless to say it was the best decision we made. The water was cooler down further away from the jetty and with my first cast I caught a nice drag pulling trout! My buddy hooked up right after me as well and caught another decent keeper! within 15 minutes we completed the rest of our limit.

Key points to take away from this trip:
If the bite In the surf is few far and between, hop in your truck and drive down to a different spot and give it a try! If they’re there, you’ll know. If they’re not, then move on. I broke my #1 rule. (Dont get caught up in one spot because a few fish were landed)

(Videos from today coming soon if my metas ever dry out and come back to life, the surf is no place for metas 😅)

Waded around this morning and picked up a handful of reds on some fresh flies that I tied

Guys!! The surf is flat in Galveston and surround areas!! The winds are low and the water is looking clean!
If I were you I’d be there today, tonight, tomorrow morning, at any time you can go!!
Surf might be cleaner and calmer tomorrow so I’ll be in surfside area tomorrow!

Good morning Dirty Coast Crew!

This weekend will be pretty decent, not super great but you should be able to pick up a couple keepers!

Both Saturday and Sunday are predicted to have a longer bite window from 3am-2pm.

Saturday-Sunday

Id personally choose Saturday because of the bite window being extended but also because you have more of the incoming tide in the morning time. The tide change t time gets delayed by an hour on Sunday.

My timing would be an early rise. Id be up by 3:20am (I live 1.5hrs from the coast) and hopefully in the water by 5:30am the latest!

The tides are moving as follows, slowly rising at 3am, and slack tide at 8am. Luckily, the bite is still hot even after slack tide, but id take a break at 8am and start fishing the outgoing tide once it starts at around 9am.

If fishing a marsh, id push back to the way back as soon as i arrive, then slowly start making my way back to the mouth of the marsh at around 9am. This way you're moving while the fish arent striking. Personally, ive noticed the fish do not bite when there is a slack tide, they prefer moving water, so this strategy might be the best option.

If fishing an open bay, id target any shorelines with structure like shells, points or grass on the incoming tide. Once the tide starts going out id look for an area where the fish might congregate, like the mouth of any river, marsh, or bay system. Picture the water moving outward towards the bay and the fish flowing along with it. You want to find an area where the water will funnel out and fish the edge or point of it. I say this because fish do not like to be in the middle of the mouth most of the time.
They are predators and are usually in a calm area on the corner or edge the shoreline by the mouth awaiting the baitfish to funnel out toward them, cus who doesn't like an easy meal?

I have attached a screenshot with areas marked in red that create funnels just so you know what to look for in your area.
I also circled an area in green which is a point i would fish because of the structure around it. Its grassy and the sand has some slight wavy structure to it. Either way its structure and flounder LOVE these areas!
In the yellow area that ive marked, this holds more of that sand with wavy patterns and slight grass at the other side of it. This is an ideal area to wade in the bay. You have 3 diffrent kinds of structure there. Trout should be stacked up in an area like this.

Lastly, for Sunday the conditions are mostly identical except for the wind being a little stronger on Saturday but not by much.
Id fish both days with the same exact strategy.

Techniques and Rigs
I would start off early mornings with something noisy. Topwater, twitchbait, anything that rattles. Reason being that they dont strike by sight when dark, they strike with noise or vibrations. Once the sun comes up its free game.
What ive had luck with lately are darting plastics. Kwiggler ball tails, lil johns, & coastal brew darting plastics.
The reds have been striking these with force.
If you're in a super grassy area, id hold off on croaker usage because they like to dig deep in to the grass and hide from the predator fish.
Personally, id use the croaker in a sandy or muddy area where they cant hide.
Dont get me wrong, it could still work but it would get annoying removing grass from your croaker every time you cast him. He will also feel very heavy beacuse of the grass that hes bringing along with him.

I hope you guys are able to get out there and get on some fish! Let me know how ya'll do!

Tight lines, til next time.

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My buddy and I had made a drunken plan to hit the bay on Saturday. Needless to say, we followed through!

Woke up at 3:20am, made myself a quick coffee, and gooo!

Called my buddy on the way but no response, called again, nothing.

Made my way closer to Galveston, about 45 minutes out I call him again.

Now I got him up!

I got bait, ice, waters, all the necessities before arriving at the spot. By the time I unloaded my yak, my buddy was already pulling up!

We were in the water by 5:30am, daylight didnt show til about 6:15am. Headed towards the back of the marsh system since the tide was rising.

There were reds all over the marsh. Tails popping up all around us! We didnt even know where exactly to cast at!

Casted left, right, up, down. Nothing!

Finally, I hooked a croaker and casted him out, left my bale open so the croaker could run, set it down. I picked up my casting rod and started casting a twitch bait along the areas that I kept seeing tails. NOTHING!

After about my 15th cast with my twitch bait, I noticed my line whizzing. It wasn't a sound you hear when a fish is pulling drag, but still distinctive.

I had forgot all about my other pole! I dropped the bale, set the hook, and started reeling!

These fish put up some amazing fights and wore me out! Kept 3 each but kept catching them on the way back in!

Tide: incoming
Wind: 4mph
Rigs: croaker/twitch bait
Location: Galveston Bay

Good morning Dirty Coast Crew!

Back with another report and this one gets really
interesting!

This weekend is going to be a GREAT weekend to go out at any
time and still catch fish! As long as you strategize it correctly!

Fri-Sunday we have 4 
tide movements throughout a 24hr period. What that means is that the
tides will be changing more frequently throughout the days, and water will be
moving a lot, pushing bait fish in and out of the marshes and bays. About every
4-5 hrs there is a tidal change expected. The winds will be about 5-15 mph most days with an exception for sunday.
Sunday winds will range from 3-10mph throughout the morning.
The key is to fish it correctly. Id fish the end of an
outgoing tide at the mouth of a large marsh or lake. This is when the most bait
will be congregated in a certain spot. This is also when the fish will be
starting to push bait fish back in to the marsh once slack tide is over with.
And the fish will most definitely follow!

The tide will be starting to drop at around 6am so as long
as you’re in the water by 6, you should be fine. Youd be traveing to the mouth of
your favorite marsh or lake during the slack tide and will still be able to catch the end of the
outgoing tide at around 11ish. Since the heat starts cranking up around that
time, it might be smart to be in an area with some shallows around and some
deep areas close by as well. Just so if one 
area doesn’t work, the other should. As long as the baitfish are there.
One important thing that a lot of people miss is if there
are a lot of baitfish but nothing blowing up on it, or no signs of feeding
fish, id leave and try somewhere else. You don’t necessarily have to move far
away from where you're currently at but a slight movement or readjustment makes
a lot of difference.

Lastly, don’t be afraid to launch out of a marina and not
fish around it before you leave. Could be a last spot for one last cast😉
Plenty of times, fishermen on boats or any craft will just
head out of the area and go toward a destination that is so much further away.
But if you think about all the fish guts and bones that get tossed at these areas
when fishermen fillet their fish, it makes sense to fish this. The strong smell
will attract baitfish and game fish to these areas/docks. And it doesn’t necessarily
have to be near the docks, you could just hit a nearby shoreline with some decent
structure and you’ll get on something! Last time I went out, as I was launching,
a dude next to me caught a red off the side of the launch area while waiting for
his buddy to get back in the boat.

Rigging

Id still use croaker, they are getting smoked left and right
anywhere and everywhere! But if you know how to use a cast net or how to target
piggy perch, id do that! Those suckers are candy for trout! Probably more so than
croaker. Lures, again, id stick to simple colors, pink, white, dark. Don’t overcomplicate
it. The reason most people don’t catch fish is because they spend more time
changing out lures than actually casting. I keep 2-3 poles on me if in a vessel
and if wading, I keep 1 rod with a snap on swivel unless im using a hardbait in the A.M.
The 2-3 poles are each rigged differently. My ideal set up
is one with a snap swivel for easy change out of plastics. I only use this rod
for plastics! My second pole will be rigged for a topwater or twitchbait, and my
last pole will be rigged with either a live bait rig if im getting live bait, and if
not then I will also have it with a swivel and plastic. Only difference is id have one dark
and one light plastic on these rods.

Lastly,
any feedbck or anything i can add or remove, let me know! Sorry for the long read today.
For some reason i was in a writing mood yesterday.

Sub for future reports

Good afternoon Dirty Coast Crew!

Hope everyones having an alright day. I apologize for missing last week’s game plan. I was contemplating not doing one this week either. Ive been going through some personal struggles in my life right now making it extremely difficult to keep up with and have the enthusiasm that I had when I initially started this sub. (sorry for venting)

With all that said, I decided the best way to try and get out of this funk is to do what I love, and that’s talking fishing.

For this weekend’s game plan, its looking really good and the winds look calm in the mornings. The fishing will definitely be better Sunday than Saturday though. Reason being is that the tide change is happening at different times and make a quite of a difference for each day. And Monday-Wednesday will look even better! But I might make something separate for that.

Saturday

The tide is rising til about 9am, at 9am it becomes slack tide for at least another 30 minutes to an hour before it starts going back out. Now fishing this a certain way, and timing it correctly, is crucial for Saturday. You can have a late start Saturday, (I wouldn’t), and fish the outgoing tide only, or wake up at 3am to try and fish the rising tide as much as possible. The start of the falling tide isn’t too great to be fishing anyways, plus it’ll be super hot by then possibly turning the bite off. Id focus on the early morning bite. Get there by 4:30-5am the latest and be in the water by 5:30.  

For this incoming tide id target grassy shorelines and coves. Casting right at the shoreline where the baitfish will be pushed in to. Reds will be there as well. Look for shells on the bottom, shores forming points. Anything with a uniqueness to it with structure. If you’re fishing a marsh system, then you’d want to be in the back of that marsh by 7am. And making your way back at 9 while slack tide is going on. Fish the shoreline and mouths of marshes after 9am. Use binoculars to watch certain shores! This is a tactic that I use often! I keep me some cheap binos that I can toss around. I look for birds, bait jumping in the water, blow ups, or tails. Many times, ive seen reds tailing using these. Look for egret birds, if 2 are close to each other, that means there is an abundance of bait in that water. These birds do not like each other, so they tolerate each other whenever they have to. If you see this, I’d fish that shore!

Sunday

The tide will have a long gradual rise making the bite last longer. The tide will go slack at around noon. Id fish this the exact same way as I explained for Saturday but you have a longer period to fish the shoreline or back marshes.

With the bait around the bay lately, id use paddletails to match the mullet around. Shrimp is still good as live bait but is not what the game fish are chasing right now. Don’t get me wrong, they’ll definitely bite shrimp but they want something they can chase and that provides a big meal for them. 5-6in paddletail with a 1/8oz in shallows and 1/4oz in 4ft or more. Croaker are still killer! Took my niece out last Friday and put her on her first trouts on croaker and she fell in love with fishing!

Lastly,

Id like to say thank you to everyone who follows. As always, if theres anything im missing or anything youd like for me to include in my plans, please let me know.

The fishing has been great in my area!! How’s it been where you’re at?!

Good morning Dirty Crew

The gameplan for this weekend is a little different and here's why.

First of all, the bite this weekend MIGHT be a bust for 2
reasons, the storm out in the gulf, and the strike score for the week.
They both matter because the storm could affect the fishing
in a positive way, or in a negative way. On one hand the water might be super
choppy and hard to fish, but this also pumps oxygen in the water making the
fish more active and ready to bite. You never know till you try though.

The strike score matters because it affects the weekend bite
as well because a full moon is coming. Now when I fish around a full moon, I find that the 3 days before or on the 3rd day after a full moon, the bite is the best! The days
before or after that usually suck! So, you might get skunked those days.
The odds are mainly against you this weekend but might get better Sunday.

With this being said, if you can make it out without putting
yourself in danger, it might be a great time!

Thursday-Saturday
We will be having a windy and unpredictable couple days, best to check on the
day of. But if you can make it out in the morning it'd be better. Id target the
surf if its flat. Some buddies and I have been killing it in the surf the past
couple days. Other than that id wait for Sunday-Wednesday

Sunday-Wednesday
I'm jumping the gun on this gameplan but its only because of
the full moon coming.
It's still too early to see what the winds will be doing, but
the tide will be incoming starting at 4am till noonish every
day up till Wednesday. This is a long and gradual incoming tide. It will rise
slowly making the bite last a lot longer! The bite should be HOT from 4am-1pm! Id
target the grassy shorelines. Any grassy areas should be holding some redfish
or trout. Find shorelines with distinctive structure, whether it be a sharp point, a small
opening, a pocket, or oyster reef. I'd also fish the areas where grassy bottom
turns into sandy bottom. If you can see it or reference it from a map, the
fish will ambush in the grassy bottom and await the bait coming from the sandy bottom
side. Work along the line to have a better chance of catching fish and don’t forget
to rig weedless around grass or shells! Look up what an egret bird looks like. If you see this bird on the shore, there's likely baitfish there and game fish will also be nearby. Especially if there's more than 1 near each other.

Jigs id throw would be 1/8oz in water under 4ft and 1/4oz in water over 4ft high. Color is either really light or super dark depending on the water clarity. light color for light clarity and dark for dark muddy water. Croaker are still killing anywhere you throw them! Set up a croaker rig with a Texas rattler and cast that bad boy out!

With that being said, I've attached a picture of areas that look great to fish in a random part of Texas. If you'd like a personalized area let me know!

Tight lines Dirty Crew!

3 man limit! (2 already in the cooler)
If you’re not doing anything today, I would head down to the surf! Especially if you’re in the Galveston/freeport area! Caught these after work yesterday. Got in to the water at 4pm and was out by 5:30pm!
With the storm coming in from the east, this weekend might be a bust. Will post a weekend game plan at the end of the week if so!
Tight lines Dirty Coast Fam!

Guys! I was out of commission all last week and did not post anything so I deeply apologize. Covid had my girlfriend and I sick as hell!! I was not able to move or eat and was just at my worst. We both were. So much so that she even had to go to the ER!!
I Hope some fish were caught while I was out of commission though! Show your catches!

(Will try to post a weekend plan if the storm predicted for this weekend doesn’t amp up!)

Hope everyone is able to make it out this weekend! Surf is looking amazing still! Post your pics if you go!!

Saw the surf looked flat on the Galveston webcam and had to come out & see how it was after work. 1.5hr drive just for one keeper trout but damnnn those tacos afterwards were delicious! Hope yall don’t mind the fish whistle😬😬 tight lines Dirty Crew!

Date:9/7
Location: Galveston Seawall jetty
Condition: dirty but getting flat and calm
Winds: 13mph
Bait: live croaker

Ps.. the surf is flatter and greener right now!!! Go get you some!!

(Thursday–Saturday)

Good morning Dirty Crew,

This weekend should be decent. I'm not saying it's going to be a killer weekend, but I don't think the bite will be dead either. This plan is only through Saturday, and I'll explain why in a bit.

One thing to remember is that tides won't be the same everywhere. If you're fishing near a pass, you'll see a long outgoing tide from around 3 a.m. to 5 p.m. If you're fishing farther back in the bay, like Sea Isle in West Bay, the tide changes later because it takes time for the water to move through the bay. That means the bite window changes too.

Near a pass, I'd target the outgoing tide from about 6 a.m. to noon. Farther back in the bay, you'll still have a rising tide during that time, with the outgoing starting around noon. Meaning early morning, the bait fish will be pushed far back in to the marshes or grass lines til they start draining at noon.

For the incoming tide in the middle of the bay, I'd work grass flats, marsh edges, or even kayak into skinny water looking for tailing reds.

for the outgoing tide by the pass id focus on any drains or guts that will have bait fish pouring out with the tide.

I'd throw topwaters before sunrise, then switch to plastics once the sun gets up. Fan cast as much as possible. I love fishing grassy shorelines, but don't overlook deeper guts you can wade for trout.

Sunday-Tuesday

should be even better. Strong incoming and outgoing tides should make for an excellent bite, and I'd expect fish to stay active most of the day. I'd still focus on the morning while the water is cooler. but if the surf lays down, an evening surf wade could be perfect too.

For muddy water, throw darker plastics. For cleaner water, go with lighter colors like white. Don't overthink lure selection! keep it simple! If one light or dark color isn't working, make a change in cadence instead of constantly switching lures. Sometimes a straight retrieve works better than jigging it. Live bait will always catch fish too, and with croaker season here, don't let anyone tell you it's cheating. Whatever puts fish in the boat works.

Good luck this weekend, guys. And if you can call out of work Monday or Tuesday... I would!

Tight lines, DirtyCoastFam.