Articles

How to drink your way through the fishing day: Big Thicket National Preserve

Your guide to food, drink, and local culture in East Texas
Photo: Chris Hunt

It’s not too late as you listen to the endless parade of locals who’ve come out on a Saturday night in Beaumont, Texas, to sing karaoke at the LogOn Cafe and Pub, but 5 o’clock comes early.

Possum peckers

You probably didn't know that male opossums have forked genitalia
Photo: Johnny Carrol Sain

You’ve likely heard of Ockham’s (or Occam’s if you prefer Latin) Razor, a problem-solving proverb bandied about by many pseudo-philosophers as the principle that says the simplest answer is usually the correct answer.

What lies beneath

Fly fishing the Big Thicket National Preserve
Photo: Chris Hunt

The mist lifting off the water of the slow-moving creek that meandered through the Big Thicket National Preserve added to my mounting anxiety. Not only was I about to board a kayak for the first time since back surgery completely rewired my balance and my confidence, but the rusty, brown water hid whatever lurked beneath.

Hidden bounty on a late summer riverbank

Paying attention to what's on—not just near—the river's edge can pay dividends
Photo: Matt Reilly

Sploosh!

A crater in the river’s surface formed just a dozen feet off the bank behind the boat, and my head swiveled on my shoulders. Strong rings emanated from the source of the commotion, and my mind raced.

Of course, in such an instance, you want the racket to be the product of an amped-up and still-hungry smallmouth hunting in the shallows, but they rarely exhibit such recklessness when feeding on natural, surface-trapped food, particularly in the bathwater of summer’s peak. The answer is in the trees.

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