Offshore Kayak Fishing Matagorda Bay

Fishing. The meaning of that word to fisherman is just as different as the fish they are targeting. I’ve been fortunate to go on some awesome fishing trips in some really cool places and met a lot of great people along the way. One of the best things about living in Texas is the variety of fisheries she has to offer and the Gulf Coast is one of my favorites! Matagorda holds a special place in my heart and I find myself going back there time and time again. We’ve had some bountiful fishing trips on that small stretch of Texas shoreline but we’ve also had terrible trips that make you question why you’re even out there in the first place! Regardless of what happens we always keep going back for more.

For the latest trip beyond the breakers I met with the AnythingSportsman.com crew for some offshore fishing from kayaks. The margin of error is small when fishing offshore and it’s even smaller when you throw kayaks in the mix so monitoring conditions is a must. The high summer temperatures of Texas are driven by southern winds off the coast which also drive large swells and big breaking waves making kayak fishing offshore impossible, usually. Every now and then Mother Nature throws you a bone and switches her winds from the north for a few days settling down the swells making kayak friendly seas. Apps like magic seaweed are crucial for planning offshore trips because they provide accurate reporting on swell and wave size as well as wind direction and speed. The rig we fish is around 5 miles down the beach north of the beach access road and about 2 miles offshore which makes for around a 30-45 min paddle.

Time To Troll. . .

When I get about half way I like to start trolling a ribbonfish in hopes of catching something on the way there. Trolling out can be sort of a gauge to how good the fishing is, if you catch a king or a few Spanish mackerel (smacks) on the way to the rig then usually the rig will be on fire! We managed to hook up on 2 smacks and a small spinner shark on the way out which was a promising sign.

When we finally arrived to the rig the visibility was outstanding and we could see huge schools of baitfish swimming in circles around the underwater structure. My favorite lure to throw out there is the largest chrome rat-l-trap or other lipless crankbait I have attached to at least a 2’ wire leader. The smacks love to tear into those crank baits and when the conditions are right you can get bites on almost every cast, many times seeing the fish chase the lure all the way back to the kayak. I parked my kayak at the base of the rig and was content landing smack after smack but after awhile the school settled down and the fishing slowed. Plenty of fish were to be seen underwater so I knew the fishing wasn’t over so I switched to my ribbonfish rig and started trolling again. While I was trolling I looked over to see a buddy with his rod bent over and the drag screaming! After a solid 5 minute fight he pulls a beautiful 40”+ king mackerel into his yak. Seeing him land that fish gave me a second wind to keep paddling around until I too could catch a king mack. As I was trolling I glanced over my shoulder just in time to see something brownish grey darting back and forth on the surface of the water right behind my bait. A few seconds later my rod tipped slammed down as the fish took the bait. After being pulled around for a little while I was able to confirm my suspicions as to what was chasing my bait, a little black tip shark. We had been out fishing for several hours and needed to get the fish we caught out of the kayaks and into a cooler and even though my last fish wasn’t the king I was after, I figured the shark was a good fish to end the trip on.

After releasing her we departed the oilrig and started the paddle back to shore. There’s nothing better than feeling your kayak scrape the sand of the beach as you’re riding that last wave in, signaling the end of another safe and successful day on the open water. After quick rest and a bottle of water we get the fish in the cooler, load the kayaks up and bask in the glorious air conditioning as make our way back home, reminiscing on our experiences practically reliving the day. Until next time, just keep paddling!

Smoked Spanish Mackerel

Spanish mackerel can be fantastic table fare when prepared properly and above all preparation methods, smoking macks is my favorite. Mackerel is a very easy fish to clean, since they don’t have scales you can leave the skin on easily remove it after cooking.

I place my fish in a simple brine for anywhere between 3 and 12 hours before placing on the smoker. The brine only has 4 ingredients; water, salt, brown sugar and worcestershire sauce. First I add the salt, stopping when the water tastes salty but is not overpowering. Then I add just a little sugar since I don’t want the fish tasting too sweet. Then I add a few splashes of worcestershire sauce, which provides a little “kick” to balance out the sugar.

After you’ve let the fish sit in the brine for the desired amount of time its time to take the fish out of the brine and allow to dry for at least an hour before placing them on the smoker. After an hour of drying a nice glaze will form over the filets and that’s when you know the fish is ready for the smoke!

When it comes to time and temperature of the smoker I’m going to have to leave it up the personal preference so I guess that means you’ll just have to catch a bunch of fish so you can experiment more! When it comes to smoked fish I prefer a little extra time on the smoker making it a little tougher and jerky like but that’s just me. You can leave it on for as short as 30 minutes, pulling it off as soon as it turns white and becomes flaky. A squirt of lemon over the top and a side of some fried goodies and its time to conceive a food baby!

View Puddle Duck Mounts & Waterfowl Taxidermy Work

Best Texas Waterfowl Taxidermy Service!

At Cypress Slough Taxidermy, our goal is to keep you, the customer happy and provide you with a trophy to showcase to all of your friends. We don’t just pump out duck and goose mounts in mass at a low quality, we produce waterfowl mounts to your satisfaction Guaranteed. You only get one shot to have it done right, so when you’re ready to get your next waterfowl mount, give us a call (409) 781-0267.

Your San Antonio Texas Taxidermy!

Cypress Slough Taxidermy has been mounting game birds and big game taxidermy since 2014. We strive for perfection in every detail in all mounts we create, no matter how big or small. Attention to detail is key at CST. The only limitation at Cypress Slough Taxidermy is your imagination. We can create any bird mount, big game mount and small game mount to all of your requirements. No matter the pose, sculpture or habitat we’ll create it. Visit our San Antonio Taxidermy Studio to discuss your next duck mount today!

Guide To Elk Antler Repair Taxidermy

Every now and then the brutality of nature can wear down on an animal. As hunters, we often see this in the form of broken antlers or horns of the animals we are hunting. Most of the time when a customer brings their trophy into a taxidermy shop this wear and tear on the antler or horn is just part of the story of that trophy’s life. Maybe a tine broke off in a fight for breeding rights or maybe it broke off as he was trashing his favorite rubbing tree just a little too hard, no matter how it happened these breaks are usually regarded as unique qualities of the trophy, and go unrepaired.

Yet in some rare instances, customers want these tines repaired and that’s when a taxidermist’s artistic skills are put to the test. The latest challenge like this to come through the doors of Cypress Slough Taxidermy came in the version of a beautiful elk taking on a low fence piece of property in Texas. While out elk hunting the customer spotted a nice 6×6 bull elk off in the distance. The trophy was a little too far for a shot so after a short stalk the bull was in range and presented himself as a perfect broadside target. Boom. The bull buckled as he took the round through the vitals and ran just a short distance before tumbling down and piling up at the bottom of a draw. Shortly after the shot was made the recovery of the bull took place to reveal a nice Texas 5×5 bull elk. Yep, two tines short of the bull they glassed. While it was still the same bull the tumble down the rocky hill broke off both crown tines. Since that elk was chosen for his maturity and also the fact that he was carrying a full rack at the time the trigger was pulled, repairs were requested and were carried out by the taxidermist that mounted this bull. A few years after the trophy was mounted the repair job made by the taxidermist started to fail and break loose of the original rack, and that how it came to my shop.

Repaired section separating from original beam.

The first thing that I did was assess why the repair job failed so that I made sure I wouldn’t make the same mistake. After looking over the point I figured two factors played a roll in the damage. One thing being the fact that antlers have the tendency to shrink a little after drying and much like the foundation on a house, a slight shift can cause the rigid concrete to crack rather than bend. Since the antlers were definitely dry I wouldn’t have to be concerned with that. The second thing that attributed to the crack was the tiny wire used to attach the repaired tine to the main beam. To fix this I used a much lower gauge wire and ran it all the way to the tip of the crown tine and a couple of inches into the main beam.

New Wire Set

After the epoxy I used to set the wire cured, I began the process of building up the tine with two-part apoxie clay. Several layers were needed to achieve the circumference needed and also the detail to match the existing antler then the apoxie was left to cure.

Blending and sculpting new tine.

Once I achieve the size, shape and texture I was after I could finally move onto the painting part of the job. First I mixed paint to match the lightest color of the antlers to be applied as the base color. When painting it’s important to start light and work your way to the darker paints. The base color was applied and then left to dry. It’s important to let each layer of paint dry before moving onto the next layer since wet paints can smear leaving a mono-colored mess.

Base Paint Applied

After the base color dried it was time to move onto the multitude of browns, greys, yellows and red shades that make up all the colors you see when you look at the antlers of any cervid species. With some time, patience and of course the right paints, the brown hues were slowly matched and laid down according to the original beam. As I mentioned before, the lighter browns are laid down first followed by the darker browns. Being carful to continue the patterns of the main beam, I recreated them going up the repaired crown tine. I won’t claim to be a great artist or that it takes one to attempt a repair job like this but it will test one’s sculpting and painting skills. As long as you pay attention to what Mother Nature already made and really pay attention to what you’re recreating it can be done.

Starting the detail work.

The Finished Product.

While you might have to get creative and apply new tools or materials, the basics of this technique can be applied to any of the horned and antlered species of trophy animals us hunters never grow old of pursuing.

View Big Game Mounts & Deer Taxidermy Work

Best Texas Big Game Taxidermy Service!

At Cypress Slough Taxidermy, our goal is to keep you, the customer happy and provide you with a trophy to showcase to all of your friends. We don’t just pump out deer mounts in mass at a low quality, we produce big game mounts to your satisfaction Guaranteed. You only get one shot to have it done right, so when you’re ready to get your next deer mount, give us a call (409) 781-0267.

Your San Antonio Texas Taxidermy!

Cypress Slough Taxidermy has been mounting game birds and big game taxidermy since 2014. We strive for perfection in every detail in all mounts we create, no matter how big or small. Attention to detail is key at CST. The only limitation at Cypress Slough Taxidermy is your imagination. We can create any bird mount, big game mount and small game mount to all of your requirements. No matter the pose, sculpture or habitat we’ll create it. Visit our San Antonio Taxidermy Studio to discuss your next duck mount today!

Time To Empty Your Freezer And Fill Your Wall!

To many folks, this picture doesn’t mean much, but to duck and goose hunters this picture can mean literally a thousand things! It can sum up a once in a lifetime hunt, a dog’s first retrieve, a trophy bird you’ve been after for years, or a child’s first trophy that introduces them to the addictive sport we call waterfowl hunting. Unfortunately, many of us spend entirely too much time looking at our trophy birds wrapped in plastic bags stuck in the freezer than on the wall where they can be admired for years.

Procrastinating a trip to your taxidermist’s shop can eventually lead to freezer burn which can decrease the quality of a duck mount or goose mount. Of course, the best way to prevent freezer burn is not to hesitate to get your bird to a taxidermist. If for some reason it will be a while before you drop your trophy off, there are several steps you can take to prevent freezer burn. First is to make sure the bird is in a freezer bag large enough to for the bird to fit and be properly sealed. Do not use a plastic shopping bag to store your bird in as it cannot be sealed allowing freezer burn to set in quickly.

I’ve been guilty of using the old’ wal-mart bag to store ducks in but it is always temporary and I switch to a good freezer bag for long-term storage. Another thing you can do is wrap the head and the feet in a wet paper towel. Freezer burn is the dehydration of the skin and this wet paper towel acts as a sacrificial layer of moisture. Finally, make sure you remove as much air from the freezer bag as possible. of and your bird will be safe in the freezer until you get it to a bird specialist such as Cypress Slough Taxidermy.

Make sure to check out our mount galleries for ideas on what you would like your next trophy duck, goose or turkey mount to look like in your game room, office or living room.

View Puddle Duck Mounts & Waterfowl Taxidermy Work

Best Texas Waterfowl Taxidermy Service!

At Cypress Slough Taxidermy, our goal is to keep you, the customer happy and provide you with a trophy to showcase to all of your friends. We don’t just pump out duck and goose mounts in mass at a low quality, we produce waterfowl mounts to your satisfaction Guaranteed. You only get one shot to have it done right, so when you’re ready to get your next waterfowl mount, give us a call (409) 781-0267.

Your San Antonio Texas Taxidermy!

Cypress Slough Taxidermy has been mounting game birds and big game taxidermy since 2014. We strive for perfection in every detail in all mounts we create, no matter how big or small. Attention to detail is key at CST. The only limitation at Cypress Slough Taxidermy is your imagination. We can create any bird mount, big game mount and small game mount to all of your requirements. No matter the pose, sculpture or habitat we’ll create it. Visit our San Antonio Taxidermy Studio to discuss your next duck mount today!

Turkey Fan Mounts & How To Prepare Them

With turkey season coming up it’s time to knock the rust of your turkey calling, pattern your shotgun, clean the dust off your turkey decoys and hit the woods. After deer, duck, elk, quail and pheasant season is over we all start dreaming of hearing turkeys fly off the roost and that spit drum of an ol’ tom coming to your calls and decoy like it was rehearsed. Turkeys are a great game bird that offer a thrilling hunt and plenty of options to display your trophy, such as a turkey fan mount, half-life, and full-body mount.

Turkeys offer plenty of options that fit any budget or space while still showing off your success in the field. If your lucky enough to harvest that tom you’ve been after, don’t let improper field care ruin your trophy turkey fan mount! Contact us if you have any questions regarding how to properly care for your trophy until you get it into Cypress Slough Taxidermy.

Preparing Birds For Turkey Fan Mount

• Turkey Fan mount- Grab the handful of feathers you would like to keep in your mount. Remember that you can never provide too many feathers but you can definitely not provide enough! Cut skin at the base of the tail feathers down to the backbone. Use a large knife or wire cutters and cut the backbone freeing the fan. Get the fan into a freezer ASAP and keep frozen until you can get it to us.
• Turkey Fan and back mount- Start at the head of the bird and cut the skin at the base of the head. On either side of the back feathers, there are areas that do not have feathers, cut here. Carefully skin out all the way to the base of the tail and free the fan much the same way for a fan mount but do not separate the fan from the back feathers. Get to a freezer ASAP and keep frozen until delivery.
• Keeping the bird whole and frozen is the best way to ensure the best looking trophy display possible. If you’d like to still harvest the meat on your bird yet still get it mounted please don’t hesitate to contact us on how to properly skin out your trophy or we can do it for you!

Make sure to check out our turkey fan mount gallery for ideas on what you would like your next trophy turkey mount to look like in your game room, office or living room.

View Puddle Duck Mounts & Waterfowl Taxidermy Work

Best Texas Turkey Taxidermy Service!

At Cypress Slough Taxidermy, our goal is to keep you, the customer happy and provide you with a trophy to showcase to all of your friends. We don’t just pump out turkey mounts in mass at a low quality, we mount turkeys to your satisfaction Guaranteed. You only get one shot to have it done right, so when you’re ready to get your turkey mounted, give us a call (409) 781-0267.

Your San Antonio Texas Taxidermy!

Cypress Slough Taxidermy has been mounting game birds and big game taxidermy since 2014. We strive for perfection in every detail in all mounts we create, no matter how big or small. Attention to detail is key at CST. The only limitation at Cypress Slough Taxidermy is your imagination. We can create any bird mount, big game mount and small game mount to all of your requirements. No matter the pose, sculpture or habitat we’ll create it. Visit our San Antonio Taxidermy Studio to discuss your next duck mount today!