Pier Pressure part 6

  A few miles to the south of the now-extinct Copano Bay Causeway is a string of small, independently owned hotels that line the shore of Aransas Bay, one of which is called The Sportsman's Manor. Like many of the other bayfront hotels, the Sportsman's Manor catered to the saltwater fisherman, and maintained a private pier for its guests to use. And, although we did fish off of the Sportsman's Manor pier during our stays, there was a private pier about 500 feet to the north that was owned and maintained by a local bait stand called The Beach Road Baithouse, that we fished much more often.

  One particular year, probably around 1985, my dad took me and my buddy Brandon down to Rockport, where we stayed at the Sportsman's Manor for several days. At least several times a day we were over at the Beach Road Baithouse purchasing live shrimp or dead mullet for the day's (and night's) fishing. Over the course of the week, we got to know the owner...a local man in his mid to late twenties named Duane. As we got to know Duane through our frequent bait purchases, he was kind enough to allow us "after hours" access to the bait house private pier by leaving the entrance gate open, which was normally closed and locked when the bait house itself was closed.

  One night Brandon and I were over there fishing under the lights when Duane showed up, and walked out on the pier to join us. I guess he was curious to see if we were having any luck, or maybe he was just bored. Upon his arrival however, it was obvious that Duane was mildly dazed, and most obviously under the influence of something he had smoked earlier that evening! The consumption of canabis fit quite well with his beach bum stoner/ surfer persona...think Jeff Spiccoli from the famous 1980s movie Fast Times At Ridgemont High.

  At one point during the evening, Duane walked over to the left side of the T-Head to relieve himself, when at that very moment a GIANT Black Drum rose from the depths to scoop a small fleeing crab off the surface. He yelled at Brandon and I, "GRAB YOUR RODS AND GET OVER HERE NOW!". I think it was Brandon that asked "What is the big deal?" To which he excitedly replied, "BIG FISH IS THE BIG DEAL". And ever since that fateful night in 1985, and even to this day.... the catch-phrase "big fish is the big deal" has become a more than occasional utterance between Brandon and I. For a year or two after that trip, I used to call Duane about once a month to get a fishing report from the Beach Road Baithouse pier. But like many folks that have moved in and out of my angling life, we eventually lost touch.

  I often wonder what happened to Duane, as the Beach Road Bait House closed down in the early 1990s. And, what was left of the bait stand and the pier is now but another casualty of Hurricane Harvey that decimated the central Texas coast in 2016. About 15 years ago I stumbled across an ad in a local Rockport newspaper that featured a real estate agent named Duane with what I vaguely remembered to be his last name. And, the man in the ad did indeed look like a grown-up,more clean cut, and much less stoned out version of the beach bum bait stand owner that I met in 1985. For a brief second, I thought about calling the number in the ad to see if he was the same guy, and if by chance he remembered me.

  Regardless of where Duane ended up, the Beach Road Bait House Pier will always hold a special place in my memory. Not so much for the quality of the fishing, but rather for making the catch phrase "BIG FISH IS THE BIG DEAL" an integral part of my angling vocabulary.

And the truth is....Duane was NOT wrong. BIG FISH REALLY ARE A BIG DEAL!

Hope you all are having a great week.

Andy