Tag Archives: bull

The Rarity of Tarpon

That morning everyone at the dock an hour before sunrise was jovial. As we cast off our dock lines in the Port Aransas Harbor for another optimistic day we joked about how the flats are over-run by summer boating crowds.

Sploosh!

Plying the shallow salt waters of Corpus, Redfish and Aransas Bays can be busy. Dreaming big while remembering the rarity of tarpon in our Texas Bays. Laughing a bit more knowing that it was only Thursday.

Blacktip shark light tackle redfish on the fly port aransas corpus christi bay aransas rockport texas salt water flyfishing fly fishing things to do charters trips padre laguna madre ingleside portland sight fishing casting spot stalk — Bent by a Blacktip Shark Port Aransas Texas

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Do you ever hear that little voice on your shoulder, horns and halos mistaken, telling you its gonna be a great or horrible day, but maybe not? Pay no mind, its just you’re fly guide talking himself out of and into it. Over and over again, he knows that there is a good hunt ahead of us. And he’s got some awesome folks onboard to keep it real and ever so “reary reary” fun!

light tackle redfish on the fly port aransas corpus christi bay aransas rockport texas salt water flyfishing fly fishing things to do charters trips padre laguna madre ingleside portland sight fishing casting spot stalk — Neighbors that brushed us off the beaten path to find the road less travelled and behemoths along the way. Thank you!

Aside from the mundane order of events, the first decision of the morning was to abandon all hope and strategy. Throw caution to the wind.

Regardless of our new found fishing buddies we turned our attention to the wide open spaces. What we expected for a summery Thursday sunrise did not come close to what we witnessed. “There, I saw something super big and super fishy.” Off in the distance we could see a fleeting glimpse of dolphin sized activity (excluding the dorsal fins).This was another rarity of tarpon. “Let’s go find out!” we all seemed to say at once. We motored slowly away from the flats hoop-la and setup on what would become one of the best days we had experienced yet.

Splooosh!

“What was that?” someone asked quietly… Then we saw the 12-ft hole in the water just outside of casting range open up. Was it jack crevelle? Was it sharks? Or was it Tarpon? “Naw! Not tarpon in the bay here! That ‘NEVER’ happens!” Our hopes were on the moon. We were sure that we didn’t know exactly what huge fish species was about us. Nonetheless, we suspected all 3.

Quietly shaking, the crew slid their rods out and the guys started prospecting the area. One angler with his 15-lb spin rod hooks a ladyfish on a quick steady retrieve. Then the fly angler gets a nice hit from a good sized skippy. “Hell yeahs” and high-fives were already being exchanged. Quickly the first ladyfish went off the hook. On releasing the second ladyfish a 5ft bull shark swims up from depths and nails the ladyfish! SPLOOOSH!!!

Now our nerves were on fire and the guys started stuttering their “holly hell” gibberish. As any good guide knows, this is time to keep the boat calm and get back to fishing… Out comes the another tarpon leader. And another ladyfish hits the gunnels. There! A fin! Is that tarpon?” someone whispers stressfully. Yes, and then, we hookup another ladyfish on the fly, and just as we are landing it, the spin angler’s jig gets hammered boat-side just out of sight.

SPLOOOOSH!!!

A giant 12-15ft hole in the water just opened up next to the skiff. “TARPON!” we all yelled! Water sprayed all over the crew as the reel started screaming. I look over and the shimano spin reel was getting smoked! Captain laid a waypoint, cranked the engine to give chase. The beast fought us for 5 minutes peeling line hardly giving any back. Over a half mile we followed, helpless with the tiny flats pole.

Shortly after it turned and ran right for us. When it came tight one last time, it shook out the hook. That folks, is all about the rarity of tarpon. Even if you get a chance, there is a better chance to loose. But, in doing so, we win, because we cannot give up!

Now, this story may seem impossible. Some even consider it to be embellished. But you can be sure it happened. Right here in Port Aransas Texas!

rarity of tarpon Blacktip shark light tackle redfish on the fly port aransas corpus christi bay aransas rockport texas salt water flyfishing fly fishing things to do charters trips padre laguna madre ingleside portland sight fishing casting spot stalk — Bent by a Blacktip Shark Port Aransas Texas

It was a fleeting chance to strategically work tarpon in the bay, not just see one, but we got to work them for quite some time. This is just another story of the rarity of tarpon.

There is also far more to the story, much detail was left out to save the author and readership time. It would be better spent on the skiff, hunting whatever sea creature we may encounter next!

Book your trip now with Kenjo Fly!

-Capt Nemo

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Fall Run is beginning

port aransas, tailing, redfish, texas, fly fishing, guide, charter, beavertail, hatch outdoors, beulah, airflo, fall run, bull, school, trout, speck, rockport, corpus, christi, laguna madre

Baby Bull Released!

The weather has been a little stiff since early September when we got more than our annual amount of rainfall in about a 2 week period. This flooded the salt flats tremendously bringing life and nourishment to the little crabs and shrimps and called the fish that werent breeding into the lakes and ponds to munch on these tasty marine critters. Because the higher water levels were a little later in the year, not a ton of fish moved up into the way back lakes but we found’em in the skinny succulents as well as on the main edges.

This week’s Nor’wester is what we all have been waiting for and it has the water levels dropping rapidly and bait is seriously on the move now! Forget the forecast because the redfish party is starting! You dont want to miss the fall run this year, I expect to see quite a few HEFTY fish in the coming weeks and months!!!

Endless Possibilities

Even in the hardest conditions this cold front dished out, we found tailing redfish and some even had their backs out of the water. Just yesterday we wade-fished and had more tailing and backing reds, and every fish ate the fly when presented well.

Fortunately for us, there is a ton of freshwater heading south towards the coast from the mainland of Texas and this should help keep our water levels manageable and prolong the fall run through November at least. I also expect December to produce many great days of sight casting. Let go of your misconceptions that you cant see redfish without the sun, there are many techniques to apply to the day in order to “find” the fish when light is low or when the winds are blowing! And believe me, Capt Kenjo knows, because he goes fishing any day there isn’t a hurricane!

Another windy tailing redfish in hand!

So get your ducks in a row and Book NOW to view available dates for some awesome sight casting on the fly for Texas Redfish, they should be schooling up more and more as each day passes! Port Aransas has plenty of places to stay and their finest restaurants are open as well!

Bending the Bender

There are plenty more fish to be caught and the bigger ones should be moving up to the edges again soon. Just the other day I spotted a huge pig as she came up on the surface to slurp a big ole crab down the hatch! Call direct if you have any questions! – Capt Kenjo 361-500-2552

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!

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.

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”

Emerald Summers and Endless Sunrises

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

Oooooo-OUI!

Emerald green waters from offshore in the Gulf of Mexico are moving against the beaches now pushing new life into the bays and large predator fish follow suit. The bay is absolutely teeming with wildlife, with false albacore making an appearance in the channels and wolf packs of jacks in the wide open bays. The weather has been phenomenal this last month and provided us some opportunities to work the deeper edges of the flat and has been producing some nice fat trout and even a few big bull redfish have been caught. This 38 inch redfish is currently holding the new all-time boat record, with a 32 inch red drum to hand just the day before. Yesterday’s jack may also hold the boat record for its species although we have broken off bigger crevelle in some sickening fights on the 11wt already.

“Stay Tight Charlie!!!”

Rhett & Kathleen love fly fishing the saltwater flats of the Texas Coast

At sunrise, way back in the saltwater lakes of the marsh many pods of tailing redfish are chowing down on crabs and shrimp and are willing eaters for everyone who remains quiet and stealthy.

Shhhhh! Just listen to the sounds of nature surrounding you. Be Here NOW. (TURN UP THE VOLUME)

26 inch Red Drum on the fly

Bright skies and a patiently determined fly fisherman can put some nice fish in the boat!

Sunrise and Sunset trips are also available NOW! Don’t hesitate! Give me a call to book your next saltwater fly fishing adventure in Port Aransas Texas. Capt Kenjo 361-500-2552

See ya tomorrow!

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!

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!

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!!!

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

Open For Business

KenjoFly Charters is proud to announce that the redfish are hungry and returning to the flats in good numbers. Their presence will continue to grow exponentially over the next month or so. Having spent quite a few days on the water since Harvey searching from here to there and both near and far, the consensus was the same immediately following Harvey… redfish were small and scattered.

hurricane harvey, redfish, fly fishing, port aransas, texas, coast, bend, red drum

Best fish caught since Hurricane Harvey passed through the town of Port Aransas.

But now with the frequent Northers we are getting the extremely high tides are beginning to drain and the slot redfish are moving back onto the shallow flats and each day we are seeing an increase in numbers and size of the redfish. We even got to take shots at some absolute slobs this past Wednesday. I have tons more photos to upload. I’ll get around to that towards the end of this month if my availability doesn’t fill up (email me to learn available dates in late October early November).

I have joked in recent weeks that the town of Port Aransas looks no worse than after a busy July 4th weekend. It is my way of adding a little sense of humor to the wreckage that Hurricane Harvey left for us all to clean up. A huge amount of debris has already been removed from the curbs and I now have a nice mountain range [of garbage] to gaze upon. The trash in town seems to come out of thin air and accumulate in large piles overnight, and expect it to be that way for a little while longer since pretty much everything got trashed. The flats of course are not trashed as nature has a way or recovering from natural disasters MUCH faster than civilization.

redfish, port aransas, hurricane, harvey, texas, coast, bend, fly fishing, rockport, corpus christi

Best fish on Brad’s first day sight casting redfish on the fly. A 25 inch pumpkin tailer!

Some Guests have already braved the unfamiliar torn apart town. They ventured with me out onto the water dodging some new hazards in search of redfish and the weather conditions in the last week have been more than favorable to target these fish by sight from the skiff. A lot of new territories has opened up and reshaped much of the topography of the haunts that the South Texas redfish prefer. The redfish aren’t confused at all and the best indicator I am seeing is that the bellies of these fish are completely FULL.

The excitement is building each day and every time we go out in search we are seeing more and more fish. About half the fish are tailing and the rest are cruising crushing bait once pushed into ambush. There is no shortage of redfish at which to cast and Anglers are staying on point and busy most of the day taking shots at the hungry red drum. The average size is also increasing and in the near future schools of redfish should begin to appear as the North winds shift and begin to prevail.

October is fairly booked but a few dates are still available here and there. November last year proved to be a fantastic time leading up to Thanksgiving and I expect the timeliness to be similar if not early. Therefore late October is also prime (DONt MISS OUT!) and has a good number of dates available for anyone who hasn’t already booked with me. Simply give me a call and we will get things coordinated. Just call me direct! 361-500-2552

Succulent Crawler

Lodging is coming back around in Port Aransas as well as places to eat. Below are links to places local to Port Aransas and lists what is open to accommodate our Guests in this regard. Other lodging and food options are available in Corpus Christi area as well.

https://portaransas.org/wp-content/uploads/accommodations-reopened.pdf

https://business.portaransas.org/list/category/restaurants-re-opened-205

Fly Fishing Summer Redfish

redfish, drum, fly fishing, port aransas, texas, coast, guide, saltwater, charter, airflo, sims, hatch, beavertail, marsh, spartina, grass, sunrise, mullet, crab, shrimp, fly only, catch and release, trout, speckled, speck, snaggletooth, sock, deep, water, skinny, culture, wade, fishing

29inch redfish in sock deep water

“There she is! 12 O’clock! 30ft and closing fast!” your guide says as you see him quickly drop to his knees in 8 inches of water pointing with the spare rod straight at the fish he just spotted. He secretly hopes you heard him and saw him go on point like a full-bred Setter. Your ears are in tune to his voice though, thanks to spending quite a few days together combing the flats on foot and fortunately, you hear him over the howling wind. A lone but large 30-inch redfish is barreling straight towards you out of the sparsely grown grass line and you barely have just enough time to make the cast. The fly lands right in front of the fish only 15 ft away from the rod-tip and she eats the little purple fly heartily.

Dates in June are still available. I have Friday/Saturday June 9 & 10 available immediately. Call ASAP to reserve your fun-filled day with target-rich environments, sight-casting to South Texas Coastal Redfish, Trout, Black Drum and Sheepshead.

Noah’s First Redfish

The weather has been excellent for tailing redfish as well. With below average winds right now we can fish from the skiff or on foot.

If you have the time in your day, extended day trips (12+ hours) are also available where we will make long runs to very isolated areas where almost every fish will try to eat your fly. Call Capt Ken direct for more details. 361-500-2552

Texas Coast Saltwater Fly Fishing School

Peek-A-Boo!

Have you been thinking about fly fishing the Texas Coast? Do you have a desire to learn at an accelerated pace all the aspects of saltwater fly fishing? What are you waiting for? Are you wanting to go to some fly fishing school to learn more about saltwater fly fishing? NO NEED! You can do it right here with Capt Kenjo.

redfish, drum, fly fishing, port aransas, texas, coast, guide, saltwater, charter, airflo, sims, hatch, beavertail, marsh, spartina, cord, grass

This one almost got away!

Come fly fishing with Kenjo Fly Charters now to sharpen your sight-casting skills. Working with the typically strong winds which are common in saltwater environments Capt Ken will work with you one-on-one to up your game.

With experience comes knowledge. That is, if you pay attention and apply the tips that your guide gives you play by play. to be clear, I am not running a formal school with “programs, curriculum, and classes”. Time on the water provides real-time experience and with Capt Kenjo as your personal teacher, he can help you speed through your learning curve with patience and sound advice. Consistently keeping you in front of fish having many opportunities throughout the day makes for good practice, and well… Practice makes perfect.

31 inch Bull Redfish, On The Fly, In Da Skinny, Flat Got Burned Moments Later Arghhh!

There are a few dates left in May (CALL ME ASAP FOR THOSE) and June is looking golden with good availability. Simply call me direct at 361-500-2552 to pick your date and place a deposit.

DON’T MISS THE BOAT! Get on board for a fun-filled saltwater fly fishing experience that will not only make you a better angler but also one that is quickly adaptable to the conditions and fish behavior as they change throughout the day.

Multi-day trips are available as well and are highly recommended for the serious angler who really wants to learn the fundamentals of saltwater fly casting and fishing. Time well spent on the water with an experienced guide and plenty of fish is what will make you a strong fisherman, and teach you the subtle tweaks and tricks that will put more species in your hands. Quite a few of my Guests come fish with me here on Texas Coast prior to their planned trips to more tropical latitudes to sharpen their skills. The conditions that the Texas Coast dish out will certainly challenge you and are very similar to anything you might face in more remote regions.

I look forward to being your preferred fly guide along the Texas Coast and who knows what awesome situation will present itself next! -Capt Kenjo

The ditch less travelled

Fly fishing Port Aransas Rockport redfish guide

Hard earned but… Oh! How sweet it is!

When the (super high) tides throw you a curve ball simply bob n’ weave and with a little luck your fly line floats like a butterfly and your hook stings like a bee…. just not in your bare foot or in the cover, but in the mouth of a worthily scaled foe. Enter Mr. Redfish, stage right, or maybe left, but most usually, behind you. There! 2 o’clock! 25ft and closing!

Brent and Mike did just that, stalking sly red drum way back in the back of the furtherest back lake where the ditch less travelled is half the width of the boat. It took some hard earned team work but Brent and Mike earned their Level 1 salt badge.

Brent’s first redfish with heart shaped spot

The clouds made a real challenge for their eyes and eventually they were rewarded with their first redfish. Patience, endurance, good humor and attitude paired with an ability to climb a steep learning curve is what made their trip a great experience and ultimately successful.

I have a couple dates open this week. Give me a call to get on board. There are plenty more redfish out there and we are still seeing a handful of 30+ inch bull reds up in the skinny!

-Capt Ken 361-500-2552

Fall Run is ON!

Bull red in the Texas Marsh. Port Aransas Texas Fall Run

We just started tracking down some massive sized schools of bull redfish (top slot and overs) on the flats and the tides are perfect for working the marshes during the day. The weather is excellent right now and we have had some 10 fish days lately.

Bull redfish on the flats pulled out of a school of 200 fish strong!

There are also plenty of black drum around too. I have dates open this Thursday the 15th and again Sunday and Monday. Give me a call ASAP to get in on some of the best redfishing of the year!

Capt Kenjo

361-500-2552

Kenjo Fly Fishing Charters

Texas Saltwater Flats Fishing Charters