Returning The Favor

From Tanzania to Texas

Words can’t describe the hospitality and quality of adventure our Damn Good Guide Dom showed us on our two-week trek fishing across Tanzania, Africa.

Dom lined up a seamless trip fishing for ferocious Tiger Fish in Ruaha National Park, hunting Dogtooth Tuna offshore at Latham Island, and fly fishing for gorgeous rainbow trout in the foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro.

This was the trip of a lifetime, and my Co-Founder Attison wrote all about it.

So needless to say, when we heard Dom was making a trip over to Texas, we had to return the favor. We knew exactly who to call.

Fishing Rockport with Captain Bryce

We had been itching for an excuse to get out with Captain Bryce down in Rockport. Bryce has earned nothing but 5-star reviews, so we had to see what the hype was all about.

So we booked it up, drove down from Austin, and all shipped out from the Copano Bay boat ramp at the base of the Copano Bridge.

First off, Bryce’s rig is sick. His 22’ Coastal Custom center console managed some Aransas Bay chop with ease. We were ripping it up the Intercoastal powered by his 300 horsepower Mercury outboard in no time.

The ride was smooth as butter as we glided by porpoises and blue herons on our way to some wind-protected fishy spots up the coast.

Dom and I sat up front, catching up and talking about the usual suspects we might catch: redfish, speckled trout, black drum, sheepshead, and the lot.

We shot the gap into one of Bryce’s favorite spots and got to fishing live shrimp on a popping cork.

Dom was quick to catch onto this tried-and-true technique: launch the shrimp and 4 Horsemen popping cork out a couple feet off the bank, pop the cork by jolting the rod back just enough to get the beads on the cork knocking, and then wait for the bite.

The 4 Horsemen popping corks are widely considered some of the loudest on the market, and the ruckus attracts predator species over to chomp on some shrimp.

After a couple casts, we got tight and redfish and black drum were coming boatside with regularity. Bryce’s center console tower is a huge advantage- from his perch up there, Bryce has a great vantage point, and he spotted fish after fish through his Redtail Republic shades.

The bite wasn’t completely on fire, so the fish caught onto our antics after a bit. Bryce was on it though and we bounced spot to spot, catching em up and then readjusting once the bite slowed.

Dom was having a blast and was on the board with some Redfish, Black Drum, and a nice Flounder. At the risk of jinxing his day, we told him about the Texas Slam which consists of catching a Redfish, Speckled Trout, and Flounder in one day.

Turns out we did jinx him- Dom never caught his speck to complete the trifecta, but countless reds and drum more than made up for it.

All in all, we had an awesome day. Most of Dom’s safari and fishing clients in Tanzania are Texans and Dom says every single group mentions how “the bush” in Africa looks just like the landscapes of South Texas, West Texas, and the Coastal Bend.

It was great to get Dom out there to experience Texas fishing for himself. We couldn’t have had a better guide in Bryce to show Dom some Texas hospitality and Texas reds.

Dom had to leg it back to Houston, so we cruised back to the St. Charles Bay boat ramp, and trailered the boat.

But Dom’s taste of Texas didn’t end there- before parting ways back to Houston for him and Austin for us, we stopped at Whataburger in Victoria, which just like the fishing didn’t disappoint for Dom.

Thanks for an awesome trip Bryce, and thanks for coming down Dom!