Tag Archives: bay

Hardcore Challenges

topwater, redfish, doublebarrel, fly fishing, trout, port aransas, texas, gulf, coast, rockport, corpus christi, laguna madre, bay, hatch outdoors, power pole, beavertail, skiff, flats, guide, charters, saltwater, airflo, howler

Quick Topwater Selfie with Don

…Challenge accepted! Do you want to sight cast at trophy trout? Odds are slim, but you just might get your shots! We did yesterday out of Port Aransas.

Often you will hear someone say, “You should have been here yesterday” but I prefer to say, “You better be here tomorrow!!!”

Little did we know just how cool the day would become when we started well before false dawn… Out of bed at 4am with plans to be off the water at 2pm when the 97F heat is baking hot. And honestly I didnt expect to run into big trout…

The forever prevalent winds were gusting South southeast to 20mph … for some of us though, this kind of challenge cannot be refused. Lately the stronger winds have been every other day, and overall this year the winds have been down more than usual in the last 6 years. For this reason, this year is a great time to fly fish in the Texas salt!

The initial deep water hunting grounds we checked revealed no tarpon and just as we were relocating 4 or 5 jacks in the 20# class came bursting up in a fleeting 3 minute moment and the excitement dissipated just as the heavy morning boat traffic near the harbor began to increase. We got 2 shots on them but didn’t get the eat. We waiting another 45 minutes, didnt see them again. Seeing the surface life is always incredible to witness, but seeing the fish maneuver so deftly through the water is exhilarating!

Onto the next shallower set of fishing grounds deeper into the bay’s interior we worked the entire circumference of a quarter-acre island and only spotted one or two small redfish. Rather than continuing up the island chain, we bailed and went to the next sweet spot.

Getting setup on the pole took no time at all, even with the oyster reefs cooking in the 9am sun. Deep water access points are critical in low tide situations in order to avoid having to burn miles of 6-8″ habitat and this spot is easy in/easy out.

On the pole, Don sets me up on numerous shots at redfish, all long range and outside the 60ft radius. I like taking long range shots and Airflo’s Bonefish/Redfish Fly line performs perfectly for these shots. Too bad I missed a few hooksets or we would have more pictures. Haha. May could have used a larger fly with all the wind. It seemed though that half of the fish we shot at didn’t see the fly. Everything moves fast in the wind. Nonetheless, I was committed to getting my eats on that tiny size 8 “damn-near dry” fly and had we wade-fished, many more fish would have come to hand and at a much closer range. Someone just forgot their boots yesterday. Ahem! Cough cough

Onto the next line, short and quick, we poled a deep water edge along the flat and picked up a nice mid slot red that was floating but the hook pulled halfway into the fight. Up and at it again, onto the next location we simply weren’t seeing enough to continue that track. Quick drift over some deep water grass shoals proved to yield a bottom slot red and trout, both on top-water under midday bluebird skies… a nice bonus for the day for sure. Yet again, we hit some deep water, fired up the engine and ran to the next spot. Hit the edge and began to pole in about a foot of water then “Holy Smokes! Look at that!!!”

There the Tiger Trout were, tailing in the jungle… We got 1 shot on a 25inch plus speck as it was leaving casually but no love, then there was another, even bigger than the last, and probably in the top 5 biggest trout I have laid my eyes on in the past 6 years here fishing average 250-300 days per year…

Don kept his cool like no other, waiting for me to setup the boat to get him in the best position, slowing down to allow for more than 1 shot and once within a comfortable casting range like 50ft, Don began to work the magic wand…  Don made one beautiful and deliberate cast after another and finally the fish moved on the fly, her massive head and sand colored tiger stripes on her back were lit up and wide! Rising up and leveling herself like a submarine coming into port, you could see that she was looking around for Don’s fly.

While that second cast got her to look around, just at this precise moment, I began to hear the roar of an airboat, approaching from downwind, heading practically straight for us. Don kept working the fish and he didn’t even seem to react to the intrusive hail of 300 horsepower engine careening over slicked-out turtle grass flats. I tried to flag them off but it seems like they either didn’t see me or didn’t care. On a mission maybe.

I so wish I could have filmed what all went down in that entire 30 second moment. Not the airboat coincidence but to capture what my eyes were viewing in the water. The true beauty of witnessing a wild animal doing what it does best and then using a single hook and line to interacting with it on a very challenging and now personal level. We accept these defiant challenges with pride knowing that we will succeed and if we don’t that time, we will never stop trying. It all about how things can go wrong, then finally go right, then go wrong again, just as thing are going right. All somehow, coincidentally, at the perfect moment and so much uncontrollable… This is why I fly fish, and this is why I sight-fish almost exclusively, even on the worst of days. Only you can make your day, even a bad one, into a good one.

I truly think we would have been able to feed that fish better had the airboat not been in the equation. I certainly felt the need for urgency in the moment. Kudos to Don for not freaking out more than me, and keeping his cool through it all.

That there is the relative end of the story. We continued to pole for another mile or so, generally continuing our planned route down the flat and off into deep water again to use the engine, we didn’t see another hint of fish… Irregardless, our smiles were just as big as ever, knowing that we saw many great things that day despite what wasn’t.

And with that, you can be damned sure, I WILL fish every day.

Port Aransas Texas, fly fishing, rockport, corpus christi, red, drum, redfish, sight casting, guide, charters, adventure, things to do in, flats, hatch outdoors, airflo, fly lines, beavertail skiffs, bull, red, record

38 inch Bull Redfish

August is big fish month as the bulls begin to move towards the jetties for their annual spawn. This year I expect to encounter quite a few along the edges of the flats and during suitable weather conditions I am offering single angler bull redfish trips around the inlet when conditions allow.

Guided dates are available and posted now and the fishing is hot if you want to take the shots! Call me NOW  361-500-2552 or book online to make an appointment and get the first available dates quickly!

 

 

 

 

 

Deep Sea Smiles

“There once was a fish with the deep sea smile and it lived down deep in the sea a mile…”

redfish, fly fishing, texas, coast, gulf, mexico, guide, charters, skiff, beavertail, yeti, trouthunter, port aransas, corpus christi, rockport, laguna, madre, padre, bay, deep, sea, roundup, 2018, casting, instruciton, lessons, classes

Sunrise Surprise

When Jake called me up and asked me to fish the 83rd Annual Boatman’s Deep Sea Roundup there was no way I would turn him down. Simply because Jake is a great angler and sportsman, he is fun to fish with and can hang ten while throwing shots on the fly. Win-win situation even if we lose!

Early on Day 1 shortly after false dawn we landed this beauty of a redfish but my livewell pumps had died recently and we decided to ice the fish and hope she didn’t shrink too much by the 2pm weigh-in…

Official length and weight of this fish was 27.25inches (half an inch smaller than when alive) and 7.6lbs… Very likely a winning redfish!

redfish, fly fishing, texas, coast, gulf, mexico, guide, charters, skiff, beavertail, yeti, trouthunter, port aransas, corpus christi, rockport, laguna, madre, padre, bay, deep, sea, roundup, 2018

Treat all Life with respect and everything becomes a gift.

On Day 2, we met at the dock well before sunrise again, this time Jake brought along his lovely bride Whitney, and Jake’s desire to see Whitney catch her first redfish on fly took priority. It was a gentleman’s gesture, and for me, there seemed to me to be no better gift than to give her the bow and shots at tailing redfish in the early morning hours of dawn. It was an honor for myself even to have participated and love seeing the beautiful expressions on everyone’s face when they get that redfish for the first time!

We still hunted for that lurking trout (21 inches was to beat from day 1) and Jake even spent the remaining time on the bow letting excessive amounts of mid slot redfish swim away untouched for that 1 chance at another tournament winning redfish and he displayed a level of patience that you don’t see often.

redfish, fly fishing, texas, coast, gulf, mexico, guide, charters, skiff, beavertail, yeti, trouthunter, port aransas, corpus christi, rockport, laguna, madre, padre, bay, deep, sea, roundup, 2018, tournament, jackson walker

Captain and Crew! Yoop yoop!

Nonetheless, our 27.25in redfish on fly from Day 1 held up and we took 1st place in the Fly Division. Overall I would say this event was more than a success and a super fun time worth doing again and again.

“…And now, you see, our smiles shine down in the sea, at least a mile”

 

 

Spring Rush

Spring-time weather varies and one thing is certain, the wind blows. And then, once every few weeks, she tuckers out and lays down, which is what should happen MON-FRI next week. The forecast is looking AWESOME for sure, so call NOW to book your weekday of sight casting fish under bluebird skies and with feeding fish as far as you can see! 361-500-2552

redfish, fly fishing, port aransas, texas, coast, drum, wade, fishing, shrimp,flies, grass, wind, trout, spotted, speckled, sea, guide, bayou city anglers, tailwaters, roys bait and tackle, corpus, christi, rockport, laguna madre, padre, mustang, island, vacation, bull, catch, release

Wet wading wide open spaces

For the last few weeks, the fishing has been exceptional, despite raging winds and overcast skies. We adapt our techniques and application of fly gear depending on the weather and it has certainly produced some fine fish (see pics below)!

Redfish have been in such shallow water they cant keep their backs wet… I guess they are putting on their summer suntans early!

redfish, fly fishing, port aransas, texas, coast, drum, wade, fishing, shrimp,flies, grass, wind, guide, bayou city anglers, tailwaters, roys bait and tackle, corpus, christi, rockport, laguna madre, padre, mustang, island, vacation

Keep’em wet

Regardless of tides we are finding fish in very diversified locales which keeps the hunt extremely interesting!

redfish, fly fishing, port aransas, texas, coast, drum, wade, fishing, shrimp,flies, grass, wind, trout, spotted, speckled, sea, guide, bayou city anglers, tailwaters, roys bait and tackle, corpus, christi, rockport, laguna madre, padre, mustang, island, vacation, bull, catch, release

Lawrence personal best trout!

Big healthy sea trout have been plentiful and are hold eggs for their spawn. Please keep’em wet and let them go so they can make BABIES!

redfish, fly fishing, port aransas, texas, coast, drum, wade, fishing, shrimp,flies, grass, wind, guide, bayou city anglers, tailwaters, roys bait and tackle, corpus, christi, rockport, laguna madre, padre, mustang, island, vacation

Flounder Pounder

When going low and slow, flounder have also been coming to hand as surprise catches for the patient sportsmen!

Bonus fish have been oversized redfish in deeper holes (many thanks to Mark and Wolfe for insisting that I cast 60ft into a 35kt headwind) I owe ya’ll big-time for this fish!!!

redfish, fly fishing, port aransas, texas, coast, drum, wade, fishing, shrimp,flies, grass, wind, guide, bayou city anglers, tailwaters, roys bait and tackle, corpus, christi, rockport, laguna madre, padre, mustang, island, vacation, bull, catch, release

Bull Redfish Release

AGAIN, the weather next week is forecast to be exceptional, and I expect the fishing to be eye-opening! CALL NOW to reserve your dates for next week!

Capt Kenjo 361-500-2552

Looking at Bait

fly fishing, redfish, drum, texas, coast, saltwater, clyde, port aransas, corpus, rockport, bay, laguna madre, corpus, christi, hatch, tfo, airflo, tailwaters, bayou city angler, roys bait and tackle, guide, charters

Texas redfish on Fly

Redhot redfish action today and non-stop for several hours! Landed 3 bonus keeper trout to boot!

Matchin the hatch meant alot though! The redfish were popping and crushing baitfish and throwing wakes coming up onto the edge then circling back around for their next ambush but if you werent imitating the prey they were after they wouldn’t respond positively at all. It didnt take long to realize what they were eating and it was pretty cool to see the red drum thrashing themselves into the grass to annihilate their prey and see baitfish spraying in all directions while a red drum cartwheeled in a sloppy attempt to turn around and get back in the water!

Dont miss out on another weather window! The forecast looks solid through the rest of the week/end and there is plenty of room on the flats these days! Give me a call to get on board and experience some aggressive spring run saltwater fly fishing in Port Aransas Texas!

There are loads of jacks in the bay too and we will be checking prime locations routinely between redfish flats / The 11wt is rigged and on the boat ready to do battle!

Back on’em tomorrow! CALL ASAP! 361-500-2552

Capt Kenjo

 

Mangrove Lake Redfish

Going thru some client emails I found a sweet little video that a client put together very nicely of a fantastic day in May sight casting redfish about my old skiff, the 16ft Ankona Shadowcast. Matt had a quick learning curve and within short order was nailing fish left and right. I believe we got 9 fish to hand that day and missed at least 5 others. The big ones escaped without much damage from us but beware, we’ve got our eyes on you again now during the FALL RUN GOING ON NOW!!!

 

https://vimeo.com/164157445

Boot deep Redfishing

Redfish port aransas fly fishing Rockport Corpus christi

Backs out of the water

Some redfish have been visiting the shallows and these fish are up skinny on the feed. No nonsense, with a good cast these fish are pouncing the fly like a cat on a mouse.

Fly fishing redfish port aransas

Pothole redfish

When visibility is limited working the potholes strategically can also produce some decent fish.

I even tried taking a little video of the redfish feeding up shallow. Gotta watch the top of the frame to see it, and I don’t know if the quality is good enough.

Back at it tomorrow. I have some dates available this summer. Just give me a call and leave me a message. I’ll gladly return your call once I get off the water!

Capt Ken Jones 361-500-2552

Spring Fever Sprung

Schools of black drum and redfish all day in one spot. Only reason to change spots is to give the school you’ve been whacking a break.

Single and doubled up reds cruising the open sand flats midday on a slack tide crushing crabs.

fly fishing, texas, coast, guide

Slurped a top water crab fly

Redfish working an isolated turtle grass bed nailing grass shrimp, crabs, AND silversides.

Gangs of redfish in the mud creeks racing the grassy banks busting shrimp. Their crushers doing major damage to the blue crabs.

78 degree, calf deep water.Tails up for hours and well past sunset.

fly fishing, texas, coast, black drum, fly fishing

Mugshot

Sight casting to tailing fish no more than 30 feet away every 3 mintues. Nailing a fish 8 ft from your tippy toes after 6pm. That’s not easy with a 9ft rod. It’s always good idea to work on your short game!

These are just a few highlights of how great the fishing has been lately.

Some exciting new stuff is cooking for 2016! Book your next Texas Coast Fly Fishing trip today!

Capt Ken 361-500-2552 ken@kenjofly.com

 

Fishing Port Aransas Flats & Nearshore

Fly fishing the Gulf of Mexico

It has been “one of those times” …when you don’t get on the water as much as you want, and you know it would never be enough even if you did…

bluefish, gulf of mexico, fly fishing

Big Bluefish for being this far South in the Gulf of Mexico

When this struggle begins, and its not all under your control, it is easy to be satisfied by using whatever kind of equipment falls into your hands for more than 15 minutes. There is great satisfaction in the simple action of merely catching a fish (alive), admiring how extremely vivid its coloration is, morally respecting the fish’s willingness to fight for its own existence, then releasing it (still alive) back to the water so it can continue its own adventurous life throughout the mighty seas that this brave fish calls home.

redfish, fly fishing, Corpus Christi, flats, saltwarer, poppers

The BIG one got away

A recent saltwater flats trip with a solo fly angler proved that there are some bigger than usual redfish in the 30inch class making good game in areas where only the skinny flats skiffs can reach them.

It is mandatory though that the fly be placed carefully near and in front of the fish.

No need to start a retrieve as these fish have been eating the fly instantly when it hits the water and certainly before you can recover the slack from overshooting the line. Any 10 minutes in your yard spent practice casting to improve efficiency, accuracy and stealth will prove to be more than worth the effort when a 30 inch redfish eats your fly at 30 feet faster than you can set the hook. When sight casting these fish it is best to only use 1 false cast and lay down a straight leader, and prepare for the strip strike just as the fly hits the water.

 

kingfish, mackerel, gulf of mexico, live bait

Birthday Girl gets a King as a Grand Prize!

red snapper, rigs, gulf of mexico, fishing

 

Nearshore fishing has also been dependable with King Mackerel action taking the lead. Ling are still present and are suckers for live menhadden. Red snapper in the inshore state waters are present as well with some keepers in the mix. The False albacore (a.k.a. bonito) are also around with the spanish mackerel and if you haven’t caught a false albacore on fly you can’t appreciate the absolute speed these fish posses.

DON’T EVEN GET ME STARTED TALKING TARPON! Arghhhh!

These fish are here right outside my backdoor right now. The most commonly sighted tarpon are in the 10-40lbs class, BUT the larger fish are here too. The big ones just are not around the same habitat as the smaller ones. Only the most serious of fisherman posses the desire and patience required to spend an entire day scouting for that one fish that breaks their last personal best record. Find the bait and you will find the fish. I don’t know about you but I am certainly ready to put in several very long and consecutive days of hunting the Gulf’s monstrous Silver King.

Shoot me a message if you want to join in. Tight lines and keep your hooks sharp!

Captain Ken Jones (ken@kenjofly.com)