Kelby and Abbie came down to Port Aransas to fish with me on the last day of the year 2025. And we sure took advantage of our moon dependencies. Capitalizing on the day, we exercised patience while the fish were spooky and particular about the cast. Then, when the moon got just right, the fish turned on good!
Biggest Fish of the Day. Guess who caught it?
Kelby got some nice shots on some quality Port Aransas redfish but Mrs. Abbie bested him and landed the biggest fish of the day.
2nd Best Redfish of the day
There is still dates available this spring but winter isn’t over just yet either if you can call it winter its been so mild and warm. Check my availability for your preferred dates and book online ASAP!
Not all sight fishing has to be done with a fly rod. Certainly, using a spin rod can be productive. My crab flies tied on jig hooks work very well with redfish! Whether your fly or spin fishing, its worth the effort to go sight fishing the Texas Coast.
These two wonderful ladies hopped on board one gorgeous day after a cold front and told me they wanted to focus on sight casting with spin rods. So, naturally, I tied some of my crab patterns onto a jig hook and we went to town! It didn’t take them long to get the hang of casting ahead of the fish and reeling it into their path to feed the redfish.
One on the Line, another taking shots
So whether you fly fish or spin fish, hop on board and lets go see for ourselves what fun could be in store!
Every year, for many years, the great sportsmen of the Pasadena Casting Club in California have auctioned a two for one trip with Kenjo Fly Fishing. This year, Steve and Barry jumped on the opportunity to chase some Texas winter redfish with me for four days of glory. And they were astounded.
The weather for those four days we fished together was magnificent and the redfish and black drum kept us busy! One particular fish gave us a hell of a time, being that we casted at it 100 times. Continuously, it refused every offering and several different flies. Over and over and in circles, we chased the fish on the pole as fast as possible to keep it in range, and while this fish finally “seemed” to eat the fly, when we landed it, we discovered that we had accidentally snagged it in the cheek. We took our time boat-side letting the fish recover in the water, and with close inspection we could find nothing obviously wrong with the fish. Very interesting experience with more unanswered questions. This fish must not have been hungry at all!
Another keeper in the boat
Cravings
Steve and Barry’s cravings for catching redfish and black drum was not exactly their only desire. They mentioned to me one the first day about how they loved barbeque, so I offered to smoke a brisket that night and we chowed it down over the next few days along with some homemade kimchi!
boat lunches start at home on the pit…
Our fish were all very healthy and above average size with many shots at oversize redfish each day. Both anglers got to feed so many fish I too am amazed at how great the fishing is this winter.
brisket crabs for lunch
Hook Sets with Incentives
Both Barry and Steve had to overcome their “trout-setting” instincts. After trout-setting on several fish in a row one particular day, I decided to give them some incentives to “not” trout-set on these hungry red drum. The incentive I offered was a fresh $100 bill to the next person to break the tippet during the next hookset. Accordingly, they did not manage to win that “hundo”, but the challenge inspired him to set the hook properly with a strip-set, and he landed that redfish on fly!
PCC member Barry getting dialed in on Texas Winter redfish
Fly Fishing the Port Aransas region can be very challenging, and sometimes, extremely rewarding. Tenacity, courage, ever-evolving adaptation are key characteristics in fly fishing saltwater. Being a great sportsman also makes any experience a really great time!
The black drum couldnt resist KenjoFly.
While our Texas winter is not quite over at the moment, fear not, we have had a very mild winter with many “glory” days of sight fishing. And many more to come!
Teamwork makes the dreams work
The days of glory are not over though! We should really see some great fishing this spring. Don’t forget to book your next Texas saltwater fly fishing experience in Port Aransas! Fly Fishing dates are open for spring break as well!
Roger got a handful of these upper slot redfish with their backs out of the water belly crawling over grass beds not long ago Port Aransas redfish. He had so much fun his first day, he picked up a spare day only two days later! This month has been amazing with plenty of a lot of oversized redfish getting ready to go
Rogers “second” first redfish fly fishing Port Aransas Texas
The gar and shark are bonus fish if you dare pass up shots at some big redfish! Youve got to get commited and stay commited to the redfish or the sharks and gar. Neither will give you time to switch fly rods and then take a shot.
New angler Roger caught quite of a few “first” redfish on the fly!
There are still available few days open in October and November! Let’s get on’em NOW! Come on ya’ll! Lock and Load! Lets go fly fishing
Fly fishing Port Aransas Texas for redfish and black drum!
The recent rains and tides we have received have made Port Aransas fly fishing exciting! And for Ed, it sure has been amazing! Ed did so well on his first trip. He managed to learn so much about fly casting to tailing redfish and black drum! It was a tangible day on the water!
Port Aransas Fly Fishing trips has open dates for October 2025 still available! Call Now or click the link below!
Low light fly fishing in Port Aransas will take your angling skills to the next level. Come learn with Capt Kenjo the many new fly casting techniques for the “quick-draw” short game of sight fishing in low light conditions. Point-blank sight fishing is super exciting and productive when you’re happy to accept whatever mother nature gives you!
Mrs Katie proudly holds her first Texas redfish
Mrs Katie and Ryan called me last minute to get on board this summer and while it wasn’t an easy day of “Here Fishy Fishy”, they did have a damn great time and managed to land several fish. Of course, the BIIIIG ONE that presented itself to Katie certainly “got away,” but folks, those memories will stick out for a long while! And Ryan and Katie got a great lesson in sight fishing quick draw style in the low light conditions!
Redfish in Hand
October is practically here, and the next best chance to create more “Here Fishy Fishy” memories!!! Book Online or Call Direct ASAP to get on the skiff and feed some redfish and black drum with a fly rod in the Texas saltwater!
Average size baits in the 1-3 inch range seem to be prolific most of the year. But quite a few large gamefish can be caught using effective big fly techniques when larger predator and bigger baitfish are present. That is when a saltwater fly fishing trip can become a big fly combat mission. Line control during casting is the most critical key in success and it will most certainly get your heart beating when a huge predatory fish lunges out of the darkness and swallows your 7-9 inch fly in plain sight!
One can dredge deep water to fish these seriously big flies on weighted fly lines. This is where the fly and line are simply laid in the water (not really cast) and allowed to sink as the boat drifts away. Unless your marking fish on your sonar down deep, this technique isn’t too productive
What can be more exciting though is hold a hand cannon while locked and loaded with a 7 inch half chicken on the end. It can be rewarding if you have the patience to not cast blind. Waiting for that big fish to reveal itself and firing off a clean and accurate shot instantly before the submarine fish disappears from sight is the challenge.
The other big fly combat mission technique which I call the “rifling method” incorporates more of an extended & intense workout. It is a seriously active technique in fly fishing, which requires a good strong casting style, a mean double-haul and an ability to maintain line control in a way which has the fly line land straight with line tight.
This is necessary because this technique draws instinctual bites from huge predatory fish and they will move on it within the first 15 seconds the fly hits the water and explains why it is necessary to have the fly moving back toward yourself on the first strip.
Big Fly Combat Mission Alligator Gar
The difficulty is solved by making the cast complete in less than 6 strokes of the rod. You will eventually make these casts with proper instruction and practice. Then, distance wont be a problem with these lines as long as line control is maintained. Casting parallel or at slight angles to these ledges and breaks in terrain is the key.
Big fish regularly prowl the deep & dark edges along shallow sandbars and other hard breaks along underwater terrain. It is on these second and third points of an estuary where large baitfish are ambushed violently.
Sitting in deep water close to a vertical shoreline with a steep slope is a good place to start. It is important to find one that flattens out on the top edge to hold a few feet of water. This is a perfect location for big fish to lurk in the dark shadows down below. Looking up onto the edge of a carving shelf it will strike when it sees helpless baitfish struggling. It then heads back to the deep to reposition its food for better swallowing.
Deploying these tactics can bring a huge rush of adrenaline. It is certainly exciting in locations where big fish roam the oceans, gulfs, bays and estuaries frequently. Give it a try next time the variables are right (location/large forage present). Let me know how it turns out! I can think of a many species where this combat technique would produce. It is possible to gain large results throughout the seasons! Give it a whirl and worst case there is nothing wrong with a little strength training!
Fish On!!! Woop woop! Matthew got on’em back in May, even in the wind and clouds we were not discouraged! The fish were hungry then and the tailing schools of Texas Redfish are plentiful right now! August saw loads of tailing redfish on the flats, if you can float the flat! Let’s go get’em in September and October!
Coming this Fall! October-December are some of the BEST months of the year to sight fish the Texas Coast! Fly Fishing Port Aransas with Capt Kenjo will certainly help you step up your game in the saltwater world of sight fishing saltwater!
Port Aransas Newest Fish Market /// Open Now! We proudly have the absolute freshest redfish and black drum! Available NOW!!! Book a Trip NOW to take advantage of this special offer!
Fish Market Now Open
Wade Fishing Trips are available for when the conditions are wind or cloudy! Contact Capt Kenjo Now to directly book your next fly fishing trip in Port Aransas Texas!
Take home some black drum and redfish from “The Port Aransas Fish Market” when you catch them!
Winter doesn’t really settle into the Texas Coast until around February. But Tom from Colorado knows all too well that he can come down to Port Aransas for some great fly fishing action during the winter low tides.
Tom caught his second personal best record breaking Texas redfish measuring 30 3/8″ on the fly with KenjoFly Fishing
On this particular day of winter low tides, the fishing was great!
We had multiple schools of cruising redfish to chase for hours. They were swimming in formation, evenly spaced like fighter jets. Tom connected with several quality redfish in the marsh. Managing to set his own personal best redfish record on the fly twice was icing on the cake.
Tom admires his first personal best redfish for the day with Capt Kenjo measuring 29 inches.
Kissing a fish makes a lot of people feel disgusted, but every true fly fishing angler with good sportsmanship knows that kissing the fish before letting it go brings good karma!
Tom kisses another Texas Redfish before releasing it back into Aransas bay
The blue in the tail of a redfish comes from the blue green algae that the food of the redfish eat. Crabs, shrimp and mullet all eat blue green algae and it is passed onto the redfish and is revealed in their tail fins.Tom racked up the numbers sight fishing Texas redfish on the fly.
Additionally, with the winter low tides, April and May are already showing great promise with loads of baitfish moving into the bays and marsh areas to feed, and the redfish, trout and drum and feeding on them heartily as we breathe. Get on your calendars folks and book a fly fishing trip in Port Aransas with Capt Kenjo! The jack crevelle are right around the corner and hungry to put on the feed bags for ya’ll!!!
