Tag Archives: black drum

Red Summers

Sunrise Tailing Redfish

Hot hot hot! Thats the easiest way to describe dead of summer-time along the Texas Coast… If you are fishing gentlemen’s hours this time of year chances are you are seeing double from the potential heat-stroke, but now is when the old saying “early bird gets the worm” hold the most truth.

We have been pounding on some fine redfish early in the mornings with their tails up, and they are eating just about anything you throw at them so long as you don’t bomb the cast.

redfish tail fly fishing port aransas corpus christi rockport coast gulf mexico

Do you see it too?

Delicate presentations are key, as most shots are coming at close range. By 9am though most of the tailing has stopped but then the sun is high enough to spot these fish in the water.

redfish trout topwater port aransas texas gulf coast

Topwater Redfish at Sunrise

I have been telling everyone lately, I have found 3 situations where it is imperative that we wade fish and will list them for you hear. These are also 3 excuses to buy a good pair of wading boots!

The fish are in such skinny water that the boat might bump or drag the bottom occasionally, and the sound that makes will scare the fish, even if it doesn’t send them bolting away it can give them lockjaw.
Windy Fishy
The winds are honking (usually any winds over 15mph). This makes it difficult to fish slow enough. If the boat is moving too fast along the flat then there isn’t enough time to spot the fish and the fish doesn’t have much time to reveal themselves to us, which limits the number of shots you get at each fish. In the afternoons I prefer to work into the wind with the sun to our backs that way we can move super slow along the flat and that gives us more time to find that well camouflaged fish in the grass.
This is the big one… when there are so many fish in one tight area, the boat itself can spook the group of fish, interrupting their feeding pattern and behavior. Stopping the boat simply isn’t an option because the boat creates noise and sometimes this cannot be helped. It is then best to park the boat off to the side, preferably behind some cover like cord grass to obscure it and then wade into the fishy area like a ninja, moving painfully slow.
Cord Grass Galore

August is a very good month for chances at BIG redfish in our area as those larger redfish are moving into the shallows to gorge themselves to get ready for the spawn. The boat records have been both set and broken during this month so I encourage you, if you want your chance at a sight-casted redfish over 30inches in super clear shallow water, this is the time to get on the books. Give me a call ASAP to secure your reservation! Keep your hooks sharp, Capt Ken 361-500-2552

Black Drum Float

Black drum

Let the redfish alone today and spent some time working over some nice black drum.

Live Blue Crab

These little guys are everywhere and the fish are responding well!

spring weather

Tuesday (tomorrow), Wednesday and Thursday this week are going to be golden. Give me a call ASAP to get on board for an excellent chance at sight fishing the South Texas Coast. P.S. Wednesday & Friday are booked.

fly fishing, black drum, redfish, guide, port aransas, rockport, corpus christi

pulling tricks with the blue crab fly

If you happen to watch the weather reports and try to plan your trips around that, it is certain you will go mad as the hatter, unless of course you are already as mad as the mad hatter. In those cases you probably watch multiple forecast sources, and then throw it all out the window. If you try to determine the perfect weather window on your own and schedule everything last minute you will most certainly drive your fly fishing guide completely mad. He already has enough things to juggle without trying to convince his guest anglers that they are not meteorologists and even they are dead wrong most of the time. Regardless, the best way to learn how to fish is to fish in all the conditions that might get tossed at us.

Caroline stuck several of these trout in spite of less than favorable conditions.

As a true fisherman and mature sportsman once put it, “the best time to go fishing is when the chance comes. And the way to go is with a free and hopeful mind and an eye quick to take note of things. There will be days when the fishing is better than even the most optimistic forecast, and days when things are far worse. Either is gain over staying home…”

Today while we fish in overcast skies and windy conditions we will focus on topwater fly techniques and maybe some subsurface blind casting methods while the winds howl at our efforts. nonetheless we will laugh and have a good tine and learn some new things while we are at it. I fear the day when I would rather sit at home watching to boob-tube I stead of going out into the elements to make another fishy discovery.

Remember, the best guides don’t quit just because there is a little wind. Down here in South Texas if the wind does stop blowing you will certainly pray for it to blow again because the heat and humidity can make it hard to breathe and the bugs will eat you. If you learn to fly fish in the wind, you can fly fish most anywhere, most anytime!

5wt Redfish

redfish, skinny, flats, guide, fishing, fly, saltwater, coast, texas, port aransas

Salty Bendo on a 5 wt hooked up to a nice 22inch redfish in 6 inches of water

So I get this call, last minute, and Matt says, “Can we go fishing tomorrow?”

“Absolutely!” I tell him. “Be at the dock at 9am. Tomorrow is a fine day to use the 5wt!”

And sure enough, while the main water bodies were frigid, getting skinny in my skiff was the key to finding the right water temperatures and those little lakes and creeks had loads of redfish in them.

Uber skinny water redfish on 5wt couldn’t resist the chartreuse shrimp fly!

We didn’t find a single fish in water deeper than 12 inches. Matt did pretty work with his 5wt Scott rod and landed 9 redfish before 3pm! We got some very aggressive eats from these fish and the big ones we chased kept the excitement levels on top of the roof!

Forget about the weather and leave that up to your guide and it is sure he will put you on the fish!

Fly Fishing Texas Gulf Coast

redfish, tailing, port aransas, corpus christi, rockport, guide

Tailing Redfish can be found this time of year!

The 2016 Fly Fishing Season is officially underway and the last month has been fantastic and should continue if our weather patterns hold. Give me a call ASAP to book your next saltwater guided fly fishing trip. Don’t let February pass us by without going fishing! We will dodge the cold fronts and the fishing can be exceptional this time of year! Schooling fish and tailing fish can be found and these fish are hungry and willing to eat!

crab fly, black drum, fly fishing, port aransas

Good fun on the fly!

Back in January I spent a week, or maybe it was two, chasing some trophy trout that were quite the size of my leg! I don’t particularly focus on these fish but this year I found so many giant trout in one general area that I continued to target them for a bit. It was a tough bite and was only able to get a handful of shots over the course of the week and finally I didn’t catch one of those tree trunks.

black drum, texas, coast, fly fishing, guide

Monster Black Drum

Those chances are not entirely past either though as the possibility of finding more trout in the trophy class should last into March!

fly fishing, peanuts, black drum, guide, rockport, corpus christi

peanuts catch big fish!

In the meantime we continued to clean up on redfish in less than a foot of water and the sight casting opportunities just kept coming. Then the schools of redfish and black drum came.

They are schooling up thick and while they were picky I did manage to find out what they can not resist!

black drum, big ugly, fly fishing, port aransas, corpus, rockport

Giant Black Drum

Fall Run Update

“It has been crazy!” to say it in as few words as possible. Somehow I thought being a sleep deprived fly fisherman all these years would make being a sleep deprived parent easier but let me tell you folks… There is no comparison. October was by far the busiest month of the year. Thank you to all my clients who fished with me during a crazy month and through some wild weather patterns!

Cat and mouse was played with the weather (and fish) all season, some of us got out there on some fantastic days and others persevered through cloudy days. A few others have had to reschedule.

The fish are still very prevalent and I am seeing schools of fish again mostly black drum and redfish mix throughout the day. The most consistent and persistent casters on cloudy days are seeing good action with speckled trout.

The redfish have been upper slot fish and I am seeing at least one over slot red per day. There are plenty of ham sized black drum around as well. It is beginning to look like the weather trend is 4-5 days between cold fronts with the day or two after the front subsiding being the best weather days… the day or two before the next front are trending to be cloudy but we’ll see if this farmer’s forecast pans out!

I’ve got a few days in November available, particularly before and after the holiday. Give me a call to take your chance to roll the dice!

Lastly, here are some of the photos that actually developed into halfway decent shots

Redfish Head First

Hooked up again!

I sight cast to this 40-inch heifer from the rock with a crab fly! Thanks to Bob for leadering the fish and shooting this photo!

Tom & Jerry

Rich Waldner’s Spoon fly tricked this 29-incher with Outdoor Journalist Phil Shook on the long rod and with the fly of choice!

David worked tirelessly on some of the toughest fish I have encountered this year!

Massive Black Drum on the Loose

Just how BIG is a black drum when he is tailing in 3 feet of water? You can be sure to call them all THE BEAST!

We came around the point and began working a secondary grassy edge and from 100 yards away we saw it clearly. “Oh my gawd! Do you see that? NOW THAT’S a Hooge Foosh!!!”

Carefully approaching with the boat and working hard to keep the boat upwind and the fish down from us with the sun at our backs, the sun light began to shine bright lighting up the creatures colors and we let the skiff glide into position. On the approach, nerves grew tense but the angler was prepared and got off 4 excellent casts, landing the fly just two feet ahead of the fish each time. Somehow though the massive 4 foot black drum did not show any interest in this particular fly so we let the wind slip us off of the flat away from the giant as the brute glided himself into deeper more secure water. Knowing that this beast was grazing like a water buffalo we circled back upwind ahead of where we spotted the giant tailing and made sure to give the area wide berth and allow enough time for the massive fish to move back onto the narrow grass flat and resume the feeding ritual. While repositioning the boat I spoke of courage, and the need for a change of flies. Sure enough, the angler produced a good looker, and I assured him it would get him some attention.

black drum, fly fishing, saltwater, guides, charters

Little Beast Sliding By…

In short order the skiff slid into position again and slightly further down the grassy point, the white back and dorsal fins of the trophy black drum glowed white against the bottom and we saw it turn on its side while it worked the sea floor for some grub. Then as if on command, a large skillet-sized tail flared up and out of the water, waving like wet cellophane reflecting the now shining sunlight and I slowed the boat to a crawl despite the moderately stiff breeze.

“There! 11 o’clock, 60 feet and closing,..” I say with certainty. “Wait for it! Wait… wait…” I whisper, “50 feet now, then 40 feet. Go! Cast! He’s looking away and left and distance is closing!”

I see the fly land perfectly in front of the fish, we count for a few seconds under our breaths for the fly to drop and then call out the cadence, “strip, pause, strip, pause, strip again, OH!!!! He’s looking!!!! Let it lie!” But then the next strip ends up moving the fly too far from the fish and the trophy black drum lost track and turned away.

As we watch the beast glide away, I heard a little sigh let out by the bravest of anglers. The sound of that sigh seemed to have several emotions behind it, including the one of relief that the pressure was finally off. We laugh out loud, already in a state of reminiscence, and protest that the excitement was enough for now, we felt as successful as if we had actually hooked it and landed it because in fact, we moved that fish a good distance by changing our fly, making a good presentation and repeating the steps we took to get off more than one excellent shot at this monster of a fish. That was success enough for sure and not even a minute later as the salt water buffalo disappeared, we saw a dolphin surface in extreme close proximity and as it begin working the same area as us we knew that our chances had ended for the day and agreed to head to the marina.

All in all, we stalked 9 individual black drum all averaging 25-40 pounds, (with half of them easily breaking the 30-lb mark and all were at least between 3 and 4 feet long, maybe the biggest of them were more than 4 feet. Of the 9 fish we stalked, the Angler of the Day managed to produce eight fantastic casts at these fish with perfect fly placement. These monster saltwater brutes are well known for their tenacity and sluggishness in feeding, and the degree of difficulty of even hooking a fish of this caliber on the fly is enormous not to mention how difficult it is to even get them to show interest in a fly! Great respect is deserving for the angler today for his endurance and great exercise of patience while searching for and tracking the massive beasts that prove to even the best angler to be a fair match.

black drum, fly fishing, guides, charters, texas, coast

This one not even a fraction of the size of the monster’s we were actually targeting today.

Fortunately, tomorrow is another day to fish, and another day to even the scores, or at least the chance to take at least one more shot at the gregarious beasts.

There are still a few dates open for guided trips to hunt these massive black drum although the weather window may be closing fast with a strong south blow in the lineup.

Call now for your shot at a monster black drum on the fly with Captain Kenjo 361-500-2552

Redfish and Black Drum on the Texas Coast

redfish, fly fishing, spinning, tackle, charter, guide, saltwater, port aransas, corpus christi

Last catch of the day

We chased hundreds of black drum and redfish today while the weather conditions shifted from a hard North blow at 15kts to less than 5kts in the afternoon with flat seas. The tides also turned’em on good for us and proved good numbers of fish are here! A few charter dates are open over the next 5 days and with the weather forecast looking good, now is a good time to hop on board and take the countless shots at all these black drum and redfish that we are getting. Call me direct ASAP while the fishing is hot and before another Norther shuts it down! Hundreds of fish were spotted in small to medium sized schools and they just kept on coming. Tim did a great job sticking it out with artificial lures and his determination brought him the best fish of the day, a fat 32.5-inch redfish safely released after this quick photo op with the full moon in the background!

catch & release, redfish, fishing, port aransas, Texas, Coast, Gulf of Mexico

Tim pauses to admire this fine 32.5 inch redfish before releasing it to swim again!

And, now that the weather has changed for the better, the fish will get back into their normal feeding routine and many more fish are expected to come to hand with both fly rods and spinning gear over the next few days!

Keeping the Hooks Sharp,
Capt KenJo
361-500-2552

Beating the Drum

On Guard!

While it has been a long time since I sat behind the musical instrument know as a drum set, it was refreshing to hear the beats that the black drum can make.

The black drum can produce loud drum-like beats which is how it got its name and surprisingly can make these sounds a a quick pace and repeating intervals.

badaboom!

These fish were hungry today and put on a good strong fight but due to higher winds and slightly deeper water conditions (knee deep) a more heavily weighted fly was necessary to stay in touch with the fly during the retrieve and made the strikes of these drum more easily detected. At one point the silversides were feeding on the back of my leg and the ghost shrimp are also starting to appear more frequently and can be seen flipping about like a single drop of water landing on the surface of the water.

heavily weighted flies turn tricks

Since the water’s surface was choppy from the steady wind with overcast skies it made sighting fish nearly impossible it was important to continue to slowly work the area making short casts in a fan-like pattern gradually increasing distance and angle with each cast and it showed that this technique can be used as a searching pattern and produced many more black drum before the day ended. The fishing is hot and only getting hotter with each day that passes so give Capt Ken a call or shoot him an email to book your trip!

Keeping the hooks sharp,

Captain Ken Jones

361-500-2552

ken@kenjofly.com

Kenjo Fly Fishing Charters

Texas Saltwater Flats Fishing Charters