We had the good fortune of connecting with Augustus McGarraugh and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Augustus, how do you think about risk?
I know for a fact that I would not be where I am today without taking risks. My business started with one phone call out of left field that a sane person would have brushed off without a second thought. I saw an opportunity to try something new and even though it was terrifying, the adventure was exactly what I needed. Then, once I was comfortable in a routine for a few years, another opportunity came up. I once again uprooted my life of welding, going to school and guiding hunters and moved 1500 miles away to South Padre Island to live in the closet of a bait shop and learn how to be a professional fishing guide from the legendary Skipper Ray. The risk one has to take to pack everything they own and a dog in a 2001 f150 and blindly drive to an island nine miles north of Mexico with zero dollars in the bank but a brand new credit card is stifling in itself. I know my mom has laid awake worrying about where I am and what insane decision I am going to make while she was asleep. Risk has been the fuel that has kept my fire burning the last ten years.
Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
My name is Capt. Gus McGarraugh and I am from Colorado Springs, Co. I guide elk, mule deer and bear hunts in Gunnison, Colorado in the fall then whitetail, exotics, and duck in the winter in South Texas and finally bay fishing charters in South Padre Island, Tx in the spring and summer. My dad moved south in 1999 looking for a new start, opening the door for me to explore the Texas coast in the summer time but leaving me to find myself in’s mountains of Colorado during the winter. It’s hard to believe I have been fishing and duck hunting the bay for over 23 years but dad was never one to leave me home if there was an adventure to go on, I was right there with him. Through this, a love of the outdoors was engrained in me. Because of my passion I put every ounce of energy into providing the best charter experience for my clients. You might find a better guide but I can guarantee you will not find one who works harder than me. I have been so blessed to have some of the best and brightest in the business take me under their wing and teach me how to read the environment around me. Everyday I learn something new, I see something I’ve never seen before and my love for the world around me is renewed. Getting rolling has not been an easy task, there is so much that goes into starting a business. So many people think it’s just buying a boat and going fishing, but the hurdles one has to jump to be legal are endless.
I want the world to know, at the end of the day when you come to hunt or fish with me, that I have given you my absolute best. This is not just a hobby, it is my passion, it is my life, and has formed the man I am today. When I hear an elk bugle on the adjacent ridge or see a redfish tailing in 6” of water, my heart pounds just as hard if not harder than yours. My time to shine is those last few steps to help my clients make perfect cast and thats what makes it all worth it.
If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
South Padre Island and the surrounding area is such a special place in the fact that most businesses are family owned and operated. When you get off the plane head strait for Tequila Sunset on the bay side and get a shashimi burger. Then head to the end of the dock and hop on the banana boat with Sunny’s once back on land they’ll put you right back on the shuttle boat for the parasail over the Gulf of Mexico. The next morning head down to Sea Ranch and meet up with Capt. Jeff Hartung owner of Playin’ Hooky Fishing Charters for the offshore fishing charter of a lifetime. Red snapper, kingfish, black fin tuna, sail fish, you name it! After filling the box full of fresh fillets head over to Wanna Wanna’s and ask for Chino. He will make you the best Turbo Piña Colada north of the equator. Here you’ll watch the waves roll in from the gulf and the locals playing beach volleyball in the Texas sun. Then head back to Sea Ranch Restaurant for the best sea food experience in Texas. The next morning meet Alexa Ray with AOR Photo Co. At beach access 6 for your family Portrait photo shoot. From here you can drive up the beach 26 miles to the Port Mansfield jetties and have the GULF OF MEXICO all to your self for the day. The last morning of your trip meet up with Capt. Skipper Ray To fly fish for tailing reds and gator sized speckled trout or have him take you to the surf to jump the Silver King, Texas sized Tarpon. Then take your catch to one of our local favorite restaurants like Tom and Jerry’s or Blackbeards and have them cook your catch. Don’t forget during the winter time we have some of the best duck hunting and red fishing in the country. I provide a blast and cast that you will write stories about for years to come. Sometimes it’s hard to choose weather to stay still for the flock of redheads coming in or set the hook on the bull red fish that just smoked your bait thrown up against an oyster reef adjacent to your decoys. The last night of your trip should be spent dancing into the early hours of the morning at the isla grand night club where they rock the house every night with a new live band. I am only scratching the surface of what to do in Padre but a week is it long enough to experience it all.
Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would like to start by recognizing Larry Knott. He was the first person who took a risk and decided to hire a 19 year old kid in his second year of college to come and guide on one of the most prestigious hunting ranches in the state of Colorado. He saw the potential in me and decided I was worth training and molding. Without him I would have never even fathomed I could make a living hunting and fishing, the two things I am most passionate about in life.
Also, I have to recognize Capt. Skipper Ray in South Padre Island, Tx. Skipper and I were introduced while I was on Spring Break down on the island by my step mom India Bowls. We got to chatting about where I was in life, what I did for a living and how I lived for the adventure and ever changing lifestyle of a hunting guide. He took me fishing for the next three days and over a glass of whiskey and game of pool the last day, told me to go home and pack my things. He offered to teach me everything he knew about the bay and running a fishing charter business and I knew I couldn’t say no.
Website: Captgusswa.com
Instagram: @captgus_swa
Facebook: Capt. Gus’s Saltwater Adventures
Image Credits
AOR Photo Co for the best ones