Keep on Rockin’ in the Free World
The Beat Goes On
By now, I trust you have crept your little finger over and clicked on my “Dead Drift” link to get a taste of Pirate Radio – my style. Not funded or hosted, and definitely unauthorized, the Dead Drift does find a few listeners because, lately, when I am spotted by strangers? I am no stranger, and have to think for a minute … “Did I say that?” To which the answer has slowly become … “oh, yeah, I said that on the Dead Drift!”
We Move On
The Dead Drift was aptly named, and can obviously become relevant again in a moment’s notice! But, we are not dead drifting any longer my friends. The anchor is not dragging, and the tide is moving, southward to a brand new port of call, a brand new place to take all these years of hard learning knocks, dings, scratches and stitches – take it all and put it to work in a brand new field that has been sitting fallow for decades. We’re going to Port Isabel, Texas, and if I said it out loud? I wouldn’t believe myself.
The New Digs
Not only will Downtown Port Isabel, in the shadow of the Lighthouse be home business base: It is home base period. Part of “bringing it” south will be the newly named radio station I am firing up. It’s called, “Los Pescadores Pirate Radio,” and will be a bouncy mix of news, views and music from the southern Tip of Texas. Like the Dead Drift, it is self-hosted and doomed for only a cult following that loves hardcore beach-music-tide-following-surf-watching-fly-fishing-bird-spotting and shameless sales promotions. Does that work for you? It does for me.
Los Pescadores Coffee & Outfitters
Let it be known. Progress begins on the new Outfitter shop in Port Isabel, and I want to take a minute in every post to ask you what you want to find, when you walk in the doors of LosPesCO for the first time? And what do you want to see the next time you walk in the door? What matters most to fly fishers when it comes to a new business like LosPesCO? While we will grow to be a true “outfitter,” that will take awhile, and getting one foot in front of the other means a heavy fly fishing presence right away. If I have any say in the matter (yeah, maybe I do), I know what will be greeting you on day one. But does it match your expectations? Opinions, are like orifices; everybody has one. We won’t try to be all things to all people. We will simply be the FINAL DESTINATION south of Corpus Christi, Texas. We’ll either have it, or you won’t get it any time soon.
DESTINATION VERSUS DEPARTURE
The great thing about coming down south is the fact that the entire family can come, and the entire family will have something to do, all within cell phone distance of each other, and meeting back as the beautiful sunsets call us all in for a great meal at some restaurant we’ve never been to, maybe never even seen! Port Isabel and South Padre Island, Texas, are unquestionably a destination. I have claimed, quietly, for years that this is THE DESTINATION for anyone seeking the best the Texas Gulf Coast has to offer. Now, I will be shouting that from the rooftop of Los Pescadores every single day. Am I wrong? You’ll have to prove it to me. And you’ll have to judge by the correct set of standards.
STANDARDS ABOVE ALL OTHERS
So what makes South Padre Island, Texas, so great? Well, honestly, before it was discovered (in modern times) it used to be a lot greater. But here are some things I believe that make this far-and-above the greatest destination on the Texas Gulf Coast.
- Great Fishing & Fly Fishing
- Beautiful Clean Water & Beaches
- Diversity of Activities – too many to list but for ALL AGES
- Diversity of Habitat
- Year Around population and activity
- Safe
- Convenient Access – International Airport
- Close to Mexico – Multinational Destination
- Close to SpaceX – Elon in action! Talk about entertainment?
The biggest complaint I get is, “It’s just toooooo far!” and to that I say, “OK.” For millions of others, South Padre Island is apparently not too far. Part of the charm is the fact that people will drive 700-miles to a small stream north of Denver, no problem. But coming south to the Borderlands? The math is the same, if not better, and the gas is cheaper in Texas. Feel free to tell us all about that experience! We would still love to hear about it.
Know Before You Go
Do you remember that phrase? Know Before You Go. Well, if all goes accordingly, you will know more about South Padre Island’s fly fishing and other entertainment than you ever thought possible. And it’s all coming to you from here – and from the Pirate Radio Station, and from YouTube and from … YOU GET THE IDEA, this will be a total saturation of information that helps you sell it. And once you get here, turn loose your heathens, and get on board with us for a fly fishing trip you never knew existed in Texas – for its sheer beauty and experience.
LAST BUT NOT LEAST
I never ever enter into these things with high expectations! In fact, quite the opposite for me is true. But, this exercise has helped me realize some things that will come in the future – even if this adventure gets four flat tires today! There have already been some significant hiccups as this engine sputters to life.
Category: Adventure, Body-Mind-Soul, Fly Fisher Health and Wellness, Fly Fishing World Destinations, Fly Shops, Los Pescadores Coffee and Outfitters, Saltwater Fly Fishing Texas
