Highland Bayou to Jones Bay
Dec. 22nd, 2013
by Kenny Pape
Kent Walters, Dave Kitson, my wife Tracie and I met at Louis’ Bait Camp Bar and Grill on Highway 6 in Hitchcock on a quiet Sunday morning. This convenient location near I-45 offered easy and safe parking next to a boat ramp. A short paddle south and downwind on Highland Bayou brought us past numerous docks and bulkheads belonging to the Bayou Vista neighborhood. With passage under a railroad causeway we were in Jones Bay looking at Tiki Island over a little more than a mile of salt water.
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Our crew on
the water |
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Off to our
island |
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On the beach |
This bay is relatively lightly travelled by motorized boats, and then most of them small since the bay is relatively shallow and channels aren’t well marked. Salt marshes mark the western edge and most of the northern end of the bay. I’ve sighted flounder around these marshes on previous trips. The winter is a great time on the water here because the water is more clear.
We continued past Tiki Island and up to dredge islands just off the intracoastal waterway, about 3 ½ miles from the ramp where we stopped under a cloudy sky for sightseeing and snacking. Our chosen island had small trees, cactus, and flowering plants with a view of passing barge traffic. The day was relatively balmy for the day after the solstice with air temps in the 50s.
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| Island get-away |
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Kenny & Tracie |
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Trip track |
We weren’t there too long but by 1 pm the north by northwest wind picked up considerably on our trip north and back to the ramp. It seems that we also ran into an outgoing tide coming out of Highland Bayou. We soldiered on.
Luckily, our efforts were rewarded with oysters, and oyster po-boy, and burgers back at the bait camp. Every trip should offer such amenities!
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| The author, Kenny Pape |