The Natural Angler's Cabin
         217 FM-2031 (Beach Rd.), Matagorda TX 77457          
       "The Last House on the River - the First to the Beach"         
Guests' Comments

These are the comments we received from our guests on our www.HomeAway.com site and the emails we received:

This place is awesome!!

5/5

Stayed May 2018

Kara S.Purcell, Oklahoma 

We just left the house this morning. It was a perfect get away, loved that it was the last house on the river, very quiet and peaceful! My son hooked a 100 plus stingray off dock, fought it for an hour before it broke off. Also, caught a small hammerhead shark, several crab, shrimp (with a cast net) and catfish! We grilled the shrimp outside & boiled the crab! So yummy! We will for sure stay here again!!!!!

Submitted May 29, 2018

Quiet getaway but property needs TLC.

3/5

Stayed May 2018

Terrific location

4/5

Stayed Dec 2017

carl H.Houston, Texas

Right on the river, quite, well furnished and a full kitchen. 

Will be returning

Submitted Dec 26, 2017

We had a lovely time. The house was very nice. Was thrilled when I realized it had a laundry rooom

5/5

Stayed Jul 2017

Marci M.

For all the fishing clothes!

Submitted Aug 4, 2017

Older but very clean and nice

4/5

Stayed Jun 2017

Jerrald M.

The property is clean and comfortable. We enjoyed our stay and the location is great. The kitchen and amenities are exactly what you need for a stay at Matagorda. We also felt it is priced right and would definitely stay again. Thank you.

Submitted Jun 26, 2017

Great spot for the fisherman

4/5 

Stayed Apr 2017

Daniel S.

Online booking and key code entry made reservations simple and easy.

 

Excellent location.

4/5 

Stayed Sep 2016

RONA F.

Great place to stay. Fishing by the dock is so convenient. The bait store is walking distance. The beach is short distance to drive (4mins) away. A great place to relax unwind from the city life. Place is clean.

Submitted Sep 20, 2016

It was perfect for my wife and I and the fishing was fantastic.Caught our limit of trout every night

5/5 

Stayed Jul 2016

Fred D.

Had a blast! Have not caught that many trout in a long time.

Submitted Jul 20, 2016

Absolutely amazing

5/5 

Stayed Jul 2016

A guest from Willis, TXWillis, TX

We had an absolutely amazing time very relaxing I have already told everybody about it we even had guests over and they love the cabin as well..... I definitely recommend this to anybody who wants a quiet relaxing vacation and who loves to catch fish and crabs it is the perfect location for both.... I am definitely going back real soon.... I'm already working on our next vacation and it is definitely going to be here

Submitted Jul 7, 2016

Nice little fishing cabin.

3/5 

Stayed May 2016

Roxann A.Rosenberg, Tx 77471

Nice little fishing cabin right on the river. Just walk out onto the deck and fish. Comfortable. Owners Great! Look forward to coming back.

Submitted May 12, 2016

Can't wait to go back! Cool place!

5/5 

Stayed Jul 2015

cwUnited States

Great time and location. Caught lots of fish. Real peaceful.

Submitted Jul 31, 2015

Great spot for family and fishing!

5/5 

Stayed Mar 2015

James C.Saint Simons Island

We had a blast despite the weather. It was rainy, but the house being elevated allowed us to hangout under the house and play. The house is nice and was clean. We have stayed at other homes in the area, but this home was on the water, quiet and located near the beach and pier. We will definitely try to use this home again in the future.

Submitted Mar 14, 2015

Outstanding Fishing Camp

5/5

Stayed May 2014

Larry C.Seabrook

Spent a week at the house had a great time. The accommodations were excellent as described on the website. The house was very clean, the beds and furniture were very comfortable, the A/C nice and cold, appliances in good working condition and overall house well maintained and stocked. The back deck was great for sun bathing and viewing wildlife and assorted boat traffic. Location to overall facilities such as grocery store, boat launch, bait, restaurants; etc. was excellent. The weather was not very good for dock fishing (high wind and rain runoff) however, we did hire a local guide on two separate occasions and fished both west and east bay. Even though the weather conditions were less than desirable we were still able to catch enough reds, specks, gulf trout and black drum for 5 large bags of fillets. Would recommend hiring a guide if you do not have a boat and/or do not know the area very well. The Matagorda Harbor Marina has outstanding facilities and is close by. The owner is very helpful and pleasant to work with. My deposit was refunded within 24 hours of my stay. I would highly recommend this fishing camp to my friends and family. Thanks Ken for everything! LRC 

Submitted Jun 5, 2014

Nice Cabin on the Colorado River

4/5

Stayed Apr 2014

Magali

Reservation was made on line, very convenient, no direct contact with the owner but we received via email all the necessary information.

This cabin was perfect for a family week end. My husband and son enjoyed fishing from the private pier in front of the house. Lots of birds around (bring your binoculars!). The house is facing west, and the sunsets on the river were terrific. Very close to the beach as well.

The house is simple but clean, linens, towels are provided. Kitchen OK, BBQ on site. A few more glasses and serving dishes would be appreciated though.

We will certainly rent again and recommend this cabin to our friends.

Be aware that Matagorda is a very small town and you'd better stock up on food before driving in (but you can buy excellent local shrimps and fish in Matagorda).

On Oct 30, 2014, at 2:50 PM, Steve wrote:

Ken, We loved the Natural Angler Vacation House!!! My wife and I stayed Oct 19, 2014 for four nights. The fishing was off the hook with that great spot light you have shinning down into the river channel. The light drew up all kinds of bait and big trout every night. Specks and sand trout were jumping out of the water and we must have caught 100 every night. Not to mention the 20” inch flounder in the picture I included. This was my wife’s first flounder and she couldn’t have been happier. The Stone Crabs were biting as well, we caught about 25 in the crab trap that you or someone had generously left on the deck. This was by far our best vacation fishing trip ever. The public pier at the jetties was incredible too, that’s where we caught a dozen big Golden Croakers and Sheepshead. The house is all an angler could ask for. Can’t wait to do it again.

 

Thanks

Steve 

Big Spring, Texas


On Jun 23, 2013, at 1:36 PM, Kenneth E. <> wrote:

I wanted to let you know, we had a wonderful time at the Natural Angler. Fishing was great at night! We were able to catch flounder, specks, gaftop, and lots of  sand trout! We plan to book with you again for next summer! Thanks again for sharing your cabin with us!

On May 31, 2013, at 7:29 PM, Daniel C. <> wrote:

Hey Ken, again we had a great time at our stay at the Natural Angler. People should not be deceived by the name though because it's so much nicer than a your typical "fish shack" in fact we found that it was really nicer than it had to be! You don't have to be a fisherman to appreciate this place, the water, beach, birds and views are great! The place was clean well stocked and very comfortable. Love the porch, lighted fishing pier and the great breeze that come through there. We did some fishing and let me tell you no disappointment there! We caught plenty of croaker, sand trout big gafftop, a stingray and one big ole 40" Black Drum all off of the pier! We even received our deposit back a full week sooner than promised! Thanks again Ken, we'll be back for sure!   

Ps, I should note that drum was so spent after the battle that I had to walk him on a stringer for 20 minutes up and down the bank to get him right side up and breathing strong again. I'm happy to report that this beast swam off to fight another day!  
 
 

On May 20, 2013, at 11:52 AM, "Ronald H." <> wrote:

I just wanted to let you know we had a great time at your river house this weekend.  We caught lots of Gaff top catfish. The kids had a ball crabbing across the street. Your river house is located at the perfect spot on the river. We will defiantly rent from y'all again. Next time I will bring my kayak.

Thanks ,  Ronnie Huddleston.   

Sent from my iPhone

On Nov 28, 2012, at 9:09 AM, Pat A. <> wrote:

Just checking in.  My son and I had a great time and enjoyed the fishing.  The lights worked great and the weather was terrific.

We did lock ourselves out when going for bait.  The lock box downstairs did not have a key in it so I had to call your maintenance man to come and unlock the door for us.  He was very nice and even gave us some fishing tips.

Also, FYI.  There was a young man digging and installing a water line over to the travel trailer next to you.  He connected to the water line next to your building.  Just thought that was odd and you should know.

Thanks again

On Jun 17, 2012, at 12:29 PM, Kenneth E.<> wrote:

I just saw your email! We had a great week! The new flooring looks great and the new stairs were very convenient. We used the upstairs deck a lot more this year!  The air conditioner was just a small problem, but did not affect our trip! The refund is not necessary!  We really enjoyed meeting David! He and his helper gave us fishing advice.  We tried their suggestions and were able to catch two to three flounder off the pier each night!  We also caught several specks,  a lot of sand trout, and some big gaftop off the pier! We were surprised by the size of the sand trout, they were quite a bit bigger than in past years!   We really had a great week and Thanks again for letting us use your cabin again this year! We look forward to booking a week with you next summer!                       
Thanks again for everything!

From:
"Alan S." <>

Subject: RE: PAYMENT SENT

Date: May 25, 2011 8:23:05 PM CDT

Hi Ken,

Thanks again for supporting the "Kiddy Rod Classic II".  We had a great time.  I have included a couple of photos, feel free to use them if you like.  My sister won the longest fish, a 24" stingray, and chose the buy one night get one free prize.  Her name is Anne Sprain.  I left you some commemorative coffee mugs for the house.  Have a good weekend, we'll be in touch for future bookings.

         



Date:
October 25, 2012 4:36:27 PM CDT

To: "naturalangler@hotmail.com"

Reply-To: Daniel G. <>

Ken,

My wife talked to you a while back and asked about reserving the dates to stay in the Natural Angler Cabin December 31st to January 2nd.  I was just letting you know that I am putting the rental agreement and deposit check in the mail today.  Also she told me she mentioned to you the shark we caught off your dock in one of our past stays.  Attached is a few pictures.  It was a bull shark and measured 6 foot 3 inches.  It took about one hour to land the shark.  I started off on your dock but had to follow it down river.

On Sep 26, 2012, at 11:33 AM, Frankie R. <> wrote:

Dear Ken,

We checked out this morning about 9am, and wanted you to know we enjoyed our stay very much.

Our only mishap was that we lost one of your keys.  My husband got the backup key from the downstairs lockbox to get in.  I called your handyman number to let him know what had happened, and told him to be sure to have the key charge deducted from our deposit.  I mentioned that I'd leave "the key" in the upstairs box when we left, and that the downstairs lockbox would be empty. At the time, I didn't realize that Dave had gotten 2 keys in the downstairs lockbox.  We left both keys in the upstairs box.

And on the way back I found the page of your instructions for checkout that said to turn off all air conditioners, but I only turned off the bedroom one since that was the way I found things when I arrived.  Sorry about that.  The handyman said he would be there around 10 since we were leaving earlier, so I assume he will turn them off. 

As for fishing, it could not have been much better.  We caught about 14 different types of fish - I did not realize so much variety could be caught from a dock!  Only one redfish, but a couple of large flounder, some speckled trout, many snapper and white trout.  Much fun!

Thanks for everything,

From: "Roger B." <>

Date: July 25, 2012 8:56:35 PM CDT

To: "Khanh Nguyen" <NaturalAngler@Hotmail.com>

Subject: Re: Notification of payment received

Great time as usual Ken. We had to get up early for the Sand Trout and Specs (about 3 am to 6 am) but it was worth it. We filled the ice chest each night. Thanks for letting us rent your place!


A Vacationer from Conroe, TX wrote:



Date: 
December 8, 2010 2:28:56 PM CST

To: Ken Nguyen <naturalangler@gmail.com>

Subject: Re: Anglers Cabin


Hello Ken,

 

The house was great and I will be using it again whenever possible. Do you know how long before I get my deposit back. Just wondering....again though, loved the house.

 

A Vacationer from Hewitt, TX wrote:

Date: November 24, 2010 11:58:34 AM CST


To: "Ken Nguyen" <naturalangler@gmail.com>


Ken,


This is the fish we caught while we were at your place.  I caught the 2 that is on the deck.  These were caught across the river and the west bank.  We never caught a fish under the lights .  This is only the second time I have been to Matagorda that we didn’t catch a fish under the lights.  Don’t know if the dredging had anything to do with it or not .  guess we give it another shot next year.  Thanks for letting us stay at your place. 

 

 

                        Thanks   

A Vacationer near Austin, TX wrote:

Date: October 13, 2010 11:17:24 AM CDT


To: naturalangler@gmail.com

Subject: (no subject)


Ken,

 

Just wanted to thank you for a wonderful weekend at your cabin. Everything was wonderful, we caught a bunch of fish and generally relaxed and enjoyed everything. I'm sure I will be contacting you in the future. Thank you again!


A Vacationer from West, TX wrote:

Date: August 1, 2010 12:49:49 PM CDT


To: "Ken Nguyen" <naturalangler@gmail.com>

Subject: Re: Natural Angler's Fishing Report



Thanks Ken. We had a great time as usual and caught plenty of trout and even one decent red right off the pier. I will be in touch soon about next year!


A Vacationer from Hewitt, TX wrote:


Date: November 10, 2009 9:50:09 AM CST
To: "'Ken Nguyen'" <naturalangler@gmail.com>

            Ken,  

 

                        I just wanted to send a msg and let u know we really enjoyed the stay in Matagorda
                        We didn’t have much luck fishing in the river during the day but we caught quite a few
                        Fish under the lights.  Thanks again.  Hopefully we will be able to rent it again next year. 

             Thanks   bf                 
A Vacationer from Guy, TX wrote:
Date: November 5, 2009 11:50:07 AM CST
Subject: Flounder caught off pier at Natural Angler 

Ken,

My family and I stayed at your cabin this past summer July 24-26.  I’ve been meaning to send you a picture of the flounder my son caught off the pier.  It was the biggest he’s ever caught. 

We always have a wonderful time staying at your cabin. 

 

Thanks,

Nancy

A Vacationer from Fort Worth, TX wrote:

Date: September 28, 2009 10:56:12 AM CDT
Subject: Rental

Ken,
I looked at the calendar and I think the weekend of November 13-15 is open. If so I would like to rent the cabin again. We had an unbelievable weekend of fishing. I brought my boat this time and Friday evening we went up river and caught 15 black drum and one redfish. (There were 3 of us, including my sister) That night we caught sand trout until we were wore out, but just one legal speck. Then Saturday night (or I should say Sunday morning) we caught 9 legal specks (one 22” and one 24”) and tons of sand trout again. A few of the sand trout were big enough to filet, so all in all, we ate fish twice over the weekend and took some home. We took some pictures that I’ll send you for your web page. Go ahead and just keep my deposit for that trip if the November date is open. Thanks again.
Terry 

From: Nancy

Date: November 5, 2009 11:50:07 AM CST

To: "naturalangler@hotmail.com" <naturalangler@hotmail.com>

Subject: Flounder caught off pier at Natural Angler 


Ken,

My family and I stayed at your cabin this past summer July 24-26.  I’ve been meaning to send you a picture of the flounder my son caught off the pier.  It was the biggest he’s ever caught.  

We always have a wonderful time staying at your cabin.  

 

Thanks,

Nancy






A Vacationer from Georgetown, TX wrote:

From: Joey 
Sent: Friday, November 14, 2008 7:58 PM
To: Ken Nguyen
Subject: Re: reservation

Thanks Ken,

We had a great time once again. Only 3 flounders, Mom caught her biggest redfish to date off your dock. She fought it like a champ. 27 7\8 inch. Bullreds and shark in the surf was good. Talk with you soon.

Thanks again,

                          

Joey

Note:  All reds were caught on large pieces of cut mullet. Flounder was caught on small soft plastic crappie jigs.

A Vacationer from Porter, TX wrote:

 
Sent: Thursday, October 23, 2008 8:12 PM
To: Ken Nguyen
Subject: Information Request

We are interested in staying at your cabin again. We were
there over spring break and are currently interested in Friday, Saturday and
Sunday nights before the Thanksgiving weekend  the dates are November 21,
22,23  please confirm availability and totals and we will get all set up and
monies in.   We had a great time there and looking forward to a repeat!

 
Sent:   Wed 8/20/08 7:32 AM
To:   Ken Nguyen (naturalangler@hotmail.com)

A Vacationer from Guy, TX wrote:

Hi Ken,
We really enjoyed our stay.  Your house is very nice.  We did a lot of night fishing and caught about 28 trout in total.  My husband caught a 22 inch speckled trout.  I'll send over a few pictures of our catch.
We will definitely be staying there again. 
 
Thanks so much,
 
A Vacationer from West, TX wrote:
Sent: Wed 8/13/08 11:34 AM
To: Ken Nguyen (naturalangler@hotmail.com)

Ken. We had a wonderful time! We caught at least 100 sand trout, a couple of specs, and 3 flounder, not to mention about 20 crab. Fantastic eating all the way around!
Thank you so much for letting us rent it!
Sincerely,
 

A Vacationer from Evant, TX wrote:


From: Joyce Brooks (jbrooks@centex.net)
Add contact
Sent:Tue 7/08/08 8:08 PM
To: Ken Nguyen (NaturalAngler@Hotmail.com)

Dear Ken:

We took your advice and finally caught some fish!  The trout were really biting in the light between 2:30 and 3:30 am.  Not my favorite time to fish, but seemed to be the only time we could catch anything.

Thanks for a nice place to stay.

Best wishes,

Joyce Brooks
Author of "Around the World In the Middle Seat: How I Saw the World (and Survived!) as a Group Travel Leader" and "Seven Before Seventy: One Woman's Quest for the Seven Continents"
To order an Autographed copy contact author direct.
P.O. Box 280
Evant, TX  76525
Phone/Fax (254) 471-3134
www.joycebrookstravel.com

Our Stay at the Natural Angler
From: 
Sent: Tue 6/24/08 9:54 PM

Mr. Nguyen,

My sister and I along with our families stayed at the Natural Angler cabin on June 19 through the 21st.  We want to let you know that we had the best time ever. We fished on the pier all day and half of the night. We caught several croaker and crabs from the pi

er and even caught several small  Next summer we would like to rent the cabin for a whole week. We had so much fun that we did not want to leave.  Could you let me know when you are going to post the calendar for next summer? We really want to reserve a week in early June!

Thanks for a great vacation!

RE: Fishing House Rental
From:
Sent:Thu 6/26/08 4:42 PM
To: Ken Nguyen (naturalangler@hotmail.com)

Hi Ken, 

Sorry for not getting back to you sooner. We had a great time and caught about 100 crabs. You have a great place down there. The wind was blowing about 25 to 30 mph and blew us out on fishing, but we had a great time none the less. Hopefully we can rent it again in Oct.   Thanks Again,        

 

A vacationer from Bryan, TX wrote:

Sent: Monday, November 19, 2007 9:43 AM
To: Ken Nguyen
Subject: Information Request

Another great weekend at the house!!  This time we brought my mother and my 96 yr. old grandmother and they loved the place. My husband doesn't fish at all but still loves coming to the house. Saturday afternoon, I caught a 46lb 36" Bull Red off of the pier,  ( Course, had a lot of help from my friends!), and later that night, my brother caught a 40lb 36" Red in the same place. My brother-in-law hooked what felt to be a huge fish but it got caught on an oyster reef and eventually cut the line. Also, on Saturday night, there were a lot of small sand trout biting off the top of the water.  You could barely wet your hook before you were reeling one in.  Of course, we released them all but it was alot of fun.  On our last visit, we caught a lot of good sized sand trout and a sting ray. 

We met a few of your neighbors and they were all very nice and friendly.  Overall, we have had two really great trips to the house.  To anyone interested in renting a place, I highly recommend The Natural Angler.  Ken is great to work with, the house is perfect and the fishing is a blast!!

Thanks again for two great weekends!!

 

 


A Vacationer from Round Rock , TX:

From: Ken Nguyen mailto:NaturalAngler@Hotmail.com]
Sent: Sunday, November 18, 2007 7:50 PM
Subject: Refund Copy

Thank you Ken

By the way, we really enjoyed the stay.  I hope you were happy with the way everything was left.

Edward


Sent: Tuesday, October 30, 2007 8:39 PM
To: NaturalAngler@hotmail.com
Subject: Enjoyed our stay

Had a great time at the cabin. Caught three nice flounder and plenty of sand trout.
Saw some coyote on the other side of the river.The new light works great.
Hope to do it again next year.

Eugene

 

From: Texas Select Seasonings

Sent: Friday, October 12, 2007 12:21 AM
To: 'Ken Nguyen'
Subject: RE: Texas Select Seasonings

High water? I wish I had cast my surf rods!! The reds were probably running hard.

Stone crabs are my favorite to eat with spicy butter. I also like to make a hot boil soup with blue crabs, stone crabs and dried hot chilies. The best bait for stonies (stone crabs) is fresh whiting or croaker. Crush the heads on these fish fresh and add scales, guts after cleaning (we keep the fillet for a snack). Put all of these parts in women's panty hose and tie off in the middle of the trap. The scent will travel with the tidal movement and stonies will make their way to the trap. The left side of your pier on the incoming tide at night is best for big stonies.

Your river house is perfect for so many species and most customers, even dedicated fisherman, do not read all of the signs for maximum harvest. The river has every opportunity to catch fish and crabs but they must have patience and do more than just fish the lights. Stingray are plentiful. The picture I sent was the biggest so far on our past trips but I have caught smaller ones that we ate sautéed with butter, chilies and my herb seasonings over rice. Stingrays are good eating and most people think they are trash.

You can use any photo I send. We love your river house and I hope one day you and I can fish together.

William R. Powell-Owner

www.texasselectseasonings.com

 

From: Vacationer from Brownwood, TX

Sent: Thursday, October 11, 2007 2:37 PM
To: Ken Nguyen
Subject: Re: Deposit Refund Natural Angler

Ken,
Lana and I thank you for letting us rent your summer home.It was a wonderful experience.Wecaught a few specks thursday night off the pier,I think I kept four but we quit before 10:00.We went to east bay with James Arnold Friday morning.He guides out of Bay City but used to have a shrimp and oyster business in Matagorda and Seadrift.He was a great guide and new the water well.Lana caugh a 26" red and we kept 3 more reds and 5 specs.We were on good fish for about 4 hours.Bay was pretty rough coming back but we made it just fine.We spent most of Saturday between rain showers on the deck and pier.Met the neighbors to the south of you from Rosenburg.I had told Lana that I wanted to fish late Saturday nite off the pier.she wasn't to enthused until about 8p.m. when the sandies and specs really turned on.i think we quit about 2 a.m..The neighbors and some of their other family came by about 9 p.m. and we were catching fish on every cast.About 10;30 it slowed a little bit and then the larger specs moved in with a few nice size reds mixed in.We had a great time and had no problems with anything.We have already checked your calender for a time for a trip back.Met some wonderful people while we were there at the riverbend resturant and rawlings bait store.Thanks again for everything.       Lana & Billy Laird
Ken Nguyen <NaturalAngler@Hotmail.com> wrote:

From: Vacationer from Houston, TX

Sent: Sunday, September 30, 2007 7:37 PM
To: NaturalAngler@Hotmail.com
Subject: Cabin

Ken,

We had another good time at your cabin.  We did not catch any reds from the pier but caught a few keeper reds.

Look forward to visiting your cabin again.

Tim

 

From: Houston, TX 
Sent: Monday, August 27, 2007 5:56 PM
To: Ken Nguyen
Subject: Re: Natural Angler's Cabin Refund Deposit

We had a great time and look forward to renting your cabin again next year!!!

From: Vacationer from TX 
Sent: Sunday, August 26, 2007 6:53 PM
To: Ken Nguyen
Subject: Re: Item #Natural Angler's Cabin - Notification of Payment Received from brent matula

ken,

i recieved my refund.we had a great time at your place,fishing was great,we caught around 80 keeper trout off your pier,we tryed fishing the surf & jetties but it was way to much wind.

 

From A Vacationer in Texas

Sent: Thursday, August 23, 2007 9:49 PM
To: NaturalAngler@Hotmail.com
Subject: rental for October

 

We would like to rent your cabin in the month of October. On the 10th and 11th if at all possible. Let me know if these days are still available. When I looked at the calender they were O K. we rented your place last Oct and enjoyed it very much. Last March we used another cabin on the river and have come to the conclusion that your place is the best by far.

From: Vacationer from TExas
Sent: Monday, July 23, 2007 8:03 PM
To: Ken Nguyen
Subject: RE: Information Request

Ken,

Had a great time. Caught 19 keepers from pier. Rained

sat. @ 4:00pm till 7:30pm and again @ 5:20 mon. am.

Hope we left the house the way you want it. If not,

tell me so we can fix. You have a wasp nest under bench on upper porch. Your faucet with hose on fish cleaning station won't turn off all the way and has a good drip. I,m not

complaining but thought you should know. I'm sure the

cleaning lady won't see the drip.

My son and daughter in-law came down sat. and left sun.

If I owe you more money let me know. We are checking your

calender to find more dates. would like to come once a month.

I can fix things like faucets, and kill wasps. next time I come I will take care of these things and not bother you.

Once again, thank you. Had a really nice time.

The house is very clean and very pretty.

Dan  

From: Vacationer from Austin, TX

Sent: Thursday, May 24, 2007 6:57 AM
To: NaturalAngler@hotmail.com
Subject: The fishing trip was great

Hi Ken:

We had a great time in Matagorda, and your cabin was a big part of it.

 We caught flounder, a very small black tip shark, toadfish (ick),

silver perch, gaftop catfish, eels, loads of crab (by accident, using

rod and reel), and croaker right off your fishing pier!  We even saw a

guy catch a ray just downstream.  We also booked a guided kayak tour

and went to the beach.  It was all fun!

The cabin was very accomodating.  I can't think of a single thing that

would make it more enjoyable.  I've already recommended you to some

work friends.

Attached are some pics.  Let me know if you can't view them; I'm using

iPhoto and its not the best utility for sharing.

Thanks again Ken,

Jill


From: Vacation from Houston, TX

Sent: Tuesday, March 20, 2007 4:29 PM
To: Ken Nguyen
Subject: RE: Rental agreement 3/15/07-3/18/07

Thanks Ken,

We had a great time.  Would love to rent with you again.

Sharon

From: Vacationer from Lagrange, TX

Sent: Sunday, June 04, 2006 5:21 PM
To: NaturalAngler@hotmail.com
Subject: Re: Beach House

hey Ken.

Sorry i didn't respond. I had alot of work to do before our trip, and the locked boxed work. My family and I had a really great time at the house. It was a perfect set up with the fishing and relaxing. My uncle and I fished most of the time in the bays, but my mom, aunt, and girlfriend fished and crabbed at the pier the whole weeked. My aunt cought a 22 inch red on your pier, but i didn't take a picture of it. Everything worked good in the house. I used your water hose to wash my boat and motor, but it didn't reached where i parked so i brought my water hose with me. The water hose i brought with me i forgot it. i lefted it connected to your water hose so you can have it, i really don't need it around the hose. The door to the washer and dryer was open, but we did not need us it. Well thanks again for letting us rent your house.

Joey 

 

From:  Vacationer from Houston, TX
Sent: Sunday, October 22, 2006 7:02 PM
To: NaturalAngler@Hotmail.com
Subject: RE: FW: Pictures from This Past Weekend

Hello Ken, just wanted to let you know we had a great weekend at your cabin.  We weren't quite as successful as Wild Bill but we did land one 43inch Bull Red off of your pier with dead shrimp on the bottom of the river about 4AM saturday morning.  My friend and I were the only ones awake at the time and we didn't have a camera so we woke everyone up to show them.  That was easily the most enjoyable fight I have ever had with a fish although I was nervous about losing it since I caught it on a baitcasting rod/reel with 14 lb test.  We also caught some flounder, redfish and a stingray all on dead shrimp we just let sit on the bottom of the river.  We did not catch any speckled trout at your place but caught a ton of sandtrout on all different types of lures and bait.  Our guided trips on Saturday were great too and I would recommend Bink Grimes and Bobby Gardner if any of your customers need recommendations.

Thanks again,

 

 


From: Texas Select Seasonings [mailto:spice@texasselectseasonings.com]
Sent: Wednesday, October 18, 2006 2:43 PM
To: 'Ken Nguyen'
Subject: RE: Our rental this past weekend-Billy Powell

 

I have chased bull reds and sharks in the surf since 1979 from West of San Luis Pass to my favorite beach, Bryan Beach in Freeport. The end of Bryan Beach is similar to where your place is because a river dumps into the Gulf at one end and that is usually where I camp.

 

There are many artificial choices but they work best for slot reds and undersize. The bulls have a mouth that you can put two fists in so a big chunk of fresh cut bait on a circle hook is always your best bet imo.

 

I make my own leaders for reds based on what has worked over the years for me and will take some photos one day and email them with dimensions. One very important note about fresh cut bait is how it is cut, presented and kept fresh. I use larger croaker (cut or live), sand trout and especially mullet. A large piece cut a few inches behind the head at an angle and then split the head from the brain through the lips puts out a scent that will drive a big bull crazy. This technique with a large cut bull mullet is what I call the “silver bullet”.

 

When catching bait fish other than with a cast net I always use artificial baits called fish bites. The inventor sent me samples several years ago and I have been hooked ever since. I call them whiting killers when surf fishing because it is guaranteed if whiting are present this bait will catch em 8-1 over dead shrimp. This time of year dead shrimp catches a lot of hardhead, especially in off color water like the river was last week.

 

The numerous trout we caught in the “very windy” conditions were mainly on trout rigs fished under a rough weather cork with weights or with a lure a good friend of mine invented called “Snapper Slapper”. The original designs were offshore but he has some killer options with the right amount of lead to use alone or tipped with cut bait for scent. I highly recommend these if you target reds with lures. If you do buy some tell Woody and Russell “Wild Bill” said howdy!

 

The gafftop were caught on chunks of sand trout. On small 7” or less bait fish I dock the tail then cut the rest in half. I also cut the top and bottom fins out of the bait because gafftop like to soft nibble like a fresh water catfish and I have more luck with that technique. Over 40 gafftop were caught during our visit even with the rough weather.

 

Bull reds will be in and out of that river cut in front of your house until the first big cold front so wet a line as often as possible. Most folks say September is the best month but my best months have been April-May and October-November. Of course they can be caught year round but those are the best months for the type of fishing I usually do.

 

Work has kept me away from the surf most of this year so it was a real pleasure to hang a few off your pier!! Make sure and get a rod/reel combo to cast about 2/3 across and set a surf weight in the river bed. I hope my schedule allows me to get in on some more of the action this month also.

 

Good luck with the reds!!!

 

PS This is an awesome recipe we make for shark and bull redfish steaks. It was featured in a magazine earlier this year. The sauce is great for scallops, shrimp, lump crabmeat etc. over a grilled fish fillet.

For more recipes go to  www.TexasSelectSeasonings.com.


From: Texas Select Seasonings [mailto:spice@texasselectseasonings.com]
Sent: Tuesday, October 17, 2006 9:23 AM
To: 'Ken Nguyen'
Subject: Our rental this past weekend-Billy Powell

 

Hiya Ken,

 

Wow! We survived a big storm that hit around 11:15PM Thursday evening with estimated wind gusts at 60+. I spotted my 5x10 trailer under your house and the tires were resting against the deck. The wind came in without warning across the river directly under the house and flipped a 162 marine ice chest full of ice upside down breaking all three hinges! I was making my way in under the house when the wind grabbed this 6’2”, 226 lb frame and spun it like a top. I was only a few steps from being in front of the house and out of the wind fortunately but it was a really crazy feeling no doubt. Rain ran sideways for over an hour then slacked off for the next few hours. Lights went in and out. I looked around for damage and everything looked OK. That’s Gulf Coast weather for ya!

 

At 1:30AM I started fishing the light on the pier and trout were boiling the water both undersize specks (15”) and all size sand trout including keepers. The water was off color but fish were biting. The next few days the wind shifted and blew non-stop with occasional rain showers. Water looked better on Friday and large gafftop up to 9 lbs. were hitting steady on large chunks of cut bait cast with a surf rod deep in the river and anchored with surf weights because of the moving water. On Saturday the bull reds finally showed after fishing hard for them and I managed 4 really nice ones (released after photos). We dressed several big gafftop to fry and sand trout. I also caught a stingray and eel.

 

Sunday after the wind shifted, the surf pushed into the river cresting over the bulkheads and your neighbors pier. In the front of the driveway was flooded also. I have some pictures for you that will follow later today. My prediction is whoever gets the house this week will have all of the bull redfish they can handle! That’s what I fished around the clock for!!

 

We plan on making your wonderful river house an annual event. Next year we are talking about renting in the spring and again in October for bull reds and trout.

 

Have a great week!

 

   

 

 

From: Vacationer from Brownwood, TX
Sent: Tuesday, September 19, 2006 10:11 AM
To: Ken Nguyen
Subject: Re: Rent Check TodayNaturalAngler's Cabin

 

Ken,

 

Is there anyone staying at the house on Thursday night? I caught the flounders in the late afternoon and

early evening walking the pier and by dragging a small finger mullet along the bottom. When you get to

come down, I'll show you how to rig up for flounder fishing. If they are running, you can catch them all

day long.

 

 

Photos submitted by our guest, Cliff Waddell of  www.brownwood-tx-realestate.com 

 

From: Vacationer from Bryan, TX
Sent: Thursday, August 03, 2006 8:23 AM
To: NaturalAngler@Hotmail.com
Subject:

 

Ken, I received my refund.  Thanks.  We had a great time this summer and we plan on coming back again.  Maybe even before it starts getting cold!  Your place is great and it fit us all perfectly.  Thanks again!

 


 

 

From: Vacationer from Bryan, TX

Sent: Monday, July 10, 2006 9:19 AM
To: NaturalAngler@hotmail.com
Subject: Re: Item #Natural Angler's Cabin 

 

First of all, I changed my email address so it might not be familiar to you. 

 

The house was great.  I loved how organized it all was, how clear the instructions were....  Perfect. 

 

I am looking forward to my next trip at the end of the month.

 

And, my aunt came and stayed with us which I hope was okay.  She decided at the very last minute to take us up on the invitation. 

 

Thanks again!

 

From: Vacationer from LaGrange, TX
Sent: Sunday, June 04, 2006 5:21 PM
To: NaturalAngler@hotmail.com
Subject: Re: Beach House

hey Ken.

Sorry i didn't respond. I had alot of work to do before our trip, and the locked boxed work. My family and I had a really great time at the house. It was a perfect set up with the fishing and relaxing. My uncle and I fished most of the time in the bays, but my mom, aunt, and girlfriend fished and crabbed at the pier the whole weeked. My aunt cought a 22 inch red on your pier, but i didn't take a picture of it. Everything worked good in the house. I used your water hose to wash my boat and motor, but it didn't reached where i parked so i brought my water hose with me. The water hose i brought with me i forgot it. i lefted it connected to your water hose so you can have it, i really don't need it around the hose. The door to the washer and dryer was open, but we did not need us it. Well thanks again for letting us rent your house.

 

p.s. hope everything was lefted ok, and if not please let me know.

 
 
From a Vacationer in Palacios, TX:
Sent: Sunday, December 04, 2005 3:37 PM
Subject: Matagorda Trip 12-03-05

Hey Ken, Just want to let you know that we had a WONDERFUL time this weekend, we love your place, just right for the eight of us, your living room was the Kids room, they just took it over, and the down stairs was the "parents" place.  We are looking forward for the next trip to see when the men are off again. OH when she called you this morning, as soon as she hung up with you the kids were yelling their heads off, My daughter caught a 38 inch, 41 1/2 Lb. Bull Red off your dock with dead shrimp, it took her dad and uncle to get it in, we had to net it on the lot next to yours, they had a hard time lifting it, attached you will see the picture. Once again thank you so much for letting us stay at your place.


                                                  
 
                                             
Note:  She emailed me to inform me the huge fish was released after taking the nice photos, and it turned out to be a drum.
 
 
From a Vacationer in Brownswood, TX:
Sent: Sunday, November 06, 2005 9:14 PM
Subject: Weekend at the beach

Ken,
I just wanted to let you know we had a great time this weekend. I forgot  a minnow trap that  tied down to the dock. This will serve as my excuse to go back to get it next time :)  We did not catch as many fish as we were wanting and expecting to, but we did get a great deal of blue crab.  We really enjoyed the improvements you have made since the last time we were there. The filtered water was wonderful. The cleaning station was very useful for the few fish we caught and the out side shower was also a very good idea.  The pier light on the other hand needs a little bit of work. Well sir, I just wanted to thank you for the weekend. If you will have David store that minnow trap for me I would greatly appreciate it and I will let you know the next time we have time to go out that way.
Thanks.
 
 
From a Vacationer in Camdenton, MO:
Sent: Monday, October 17, 2005 5:17 PM
Subject: Re: Reservation for Natural Angler Cabin

Dear Ken,
You have a lovely home there on the Colorado River, and we appreciate your sharing it with us for our four days. Indeed, we had a marvelous time. Wednesday morning I caught two plate-sized flounders wade fishing in one of the bayous off Three Mile Lake inland off the beach. That was a perfect end to our vacation: wade fishing is by far my most favorite, whether freshwater or saltwater. Thank you for your quick processing of the security deposit; we did try to take care. We were even able to make a contribution to your home: the TV alerted us that the remote control batteries were low, so we put four new AAA batteries in it. Our pleasure to be of help.
Regards.
 
 
From a Vacationer in Spring, TX:
Sent: Tuesday, July 26, 2005 5:34 PM
Subject: Re: rental

Hello Ken,
I was going to send you an email last night, but didn't get around to it.  We enjoyed you house very much, it fit our needs, and the fishing was pretty good.  My husband caught a 33 inch. bull red, and a 26 inch bull red off your pier.  They caught lots of trash fish, and that was even fun.  He is going to send via email a picture of his catch.  They guys (husband, son & dgts. fiance) went on guided fishing expedition and caught quite a few in the bay. 
 We will recommend your house to others.  We tried to leave it like we found it.  We are planning to make this an annual trip.
Thanks aga


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