Tag Archives: drum

Redfish visit Troutville

redfish, texas, cosat, port aransas, corpus christi, rockport, laguna madre, fly fishing, yeti, simms, hatch outdoors, airflo, fly line, trouthunter, roys bait and tackle, swan point landing, tailwaters, bayou city angler, caddis fly shop, greune

27 inch redfish

During this past few weeks of charters we have experienced some awesome fishing and some of the best personal trout fishing to date. Those who know me know that I don’t intentionally target trout, but as the schools of large redfish moved in and out of the honey hole from one day to the next and the clouds covered our sunshine every other day, it seemed as though the healthy and good sized speckled trout replaced the reds on the cloudy days.

redfish, texas, cosat, port aransas, corpus christi, rockport, speckled trout, black drum, laguna madre, fly fishing, yeti, simms, hatch outdoors, airflo, fly line, trouthunter, roys bait and tackle, swan point landing, tailwaters, bayou city angler, caddis fly shop, greune

“OMG! This is the warmest fish I have ever held in my hands!” Pac Norwesterner Justin exclaimed!

We got many of them on top water flies, which is most fun, but we also caught them on suspending and sinking flies when the bite wasn’t on top…

Texas seatrout on sinking flies

The seasons are a changing and this has the fish transitioning from some areas into others. Went back to some of my early stomping grounds where I cut my teeth poling a skiff and there are some upper slot fish in that neighborhood!

Lettin her rest after a fun fight!

There are plenty of dates available in March.

Give me a call ASAP to book your trip and get on some exciting Spring Time redfish and trout action on the fly! Capt Kenjo 361-500-2552

Change of Seasons

red drum, fly fishing, port aransas, corpus christi, beavertail, skiff, flats, guide, saltwater, corpus christi, rockport, laguna madre, airflo, flyline, wind, coast, hatch outdoors, redfish, drum, low tide, trouthunter, leader, tippet, charter, texas

Low Tide Pig

It can be hard to explain and even harder to forecast because the weather dictates fish behavior and creates or breaks patterns. So many variables come into play, it can be difficult to determine exactly which variables are the most influential at any given time. It is certain though that the changes in seasons overlap each other, as one weather pattern rescinds another one take over… slowly but surely.

The last few weeks had a few hard short-lived Northers with light winds remaining from the north signaling the redfish to move onto the edges of the flats and feed very heavily with the strong falling tides. Their bellies were full to the brim, and got those fish fat and looking like their bellies would explode if they took another bite.

31 inch Texas Bull Redfish

Then, that 2 week long “light early winter pattern” ended and the SE winds and partly cloudy skies took over again and have dominated the forecast for what will end of being about a 2-week period. This changed the fish pattern once again and we zigged when we needed too. Coupled with the full moon pulling out most of the tide before sunrise we jumped back to some of our late summertime patterns and continued to work over the fish despite some moderate winds.

Fast forward a few days from now and we should find ourselves back in an “early winter” pattern and we will zag then to stay on the best fishing we can find. This flip-flop of weather patterns will continue through December with each passing cold front lasting a little longer than the last.

This flood tide redfish was loving crabs in the succulents

Eventually the summer patterns will fizzle out and we will soon be into a deep winter pattern by January/February with the exception of those bluebird days when the sunshine warms up key flats and allows us to sight cast again. On those duck weather days though we will strategically fish deep water flats and structures to pull good numbers of fish even though the aren’t up shallow.

There is a “first” for everything!

Michael and Marjorie decided to come down and give me the opportunity to put them on their first sight-casted redfish (on the fly)… Their determination was proven and learned quite quickly that the sight fishing game changes everything and since last Saturday have already booked another date in December!

Schools of fish are appearing now with larger sized fish and schools appearing along the outer edges of the flats coming up out of the deep and small to medium sized school fish are popping shrimp up and down the shorelines regardless of wind direction. And now, tonight in the wee hours while the rooster sleeps, another Norther is expected to descend on the Coastal Bend and with that will signal the fish to “put on the feed bag” again!

In the skinny on the fly

With all that said, the next week or two should see traditionally amazing “winter pattern” redfishing and I look forward to showing all of you as much of the action as I can!

Contact me ASAP by phone or email for available dates! 361-500-2552 If I don’t answer I am probably wrestling some REDFISH!!! Not to worry Ill call you back soon as the sun sets!

Below are a few pics from guests that I had the pleasure of guiding during the summer months and it was a unique experience where they made spectacular catches! These are my favorite pics and the experiences leading up to them are always great!

Sunset Bull Redfish

Never Give UP!!!

Windy Day Redfish on Spin and Voodoo Shrimp!

This redfish was hard work in the end but completed Johnny’s first South Texas Grand Slam (sheepshead, trout, ladyfish and red drum)!

Jose caught this Houndfish in Aransas Bay

Wind Driven Cow Patties! Or the redfish been messing around! We caught redfish over the tops of these the week before when the tide flooded normally bone dry habitat! We EVEN caught redfish in the cattle trails too!

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

Boot Deep Backing Redfish

A fine afternoon in the lee it turned out to be… Caught 2 from the boat then found’em good in the lee every 30ft.

Power pole down, jumped out of the boat to go on wading in boot deep water with backing redfish crushin baits over hard sand against the spartina grass edges. Four more redfish to hand, and at least 4 others missed. Weekdays are where it’s at this time of year! Cancel all other plans except fishing plans! Wednesday Thursday are STILL looking golden in the forecast and I am open! Call Capt Ken ASAP 361-500-2552

red drum, redfish, fly fishing, port aransas, texas, corpus christi

Four Spots Loves Brown Crab

Redfish on a chain

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

Quality or Quantity

fly fishing, redfish, speckled trout, trophy, beavertail, strike, first cast, port aransas, saltwater, guide, charter, aransas, pass, rockport, corpus christi

First cast of an epic day

I am beginning to love the effects El Nino is having on our fishing! The abundance of fresh water from the heavens last year has made for a super abundance of food for the fishes! The fishing has been way above average lately not counting against what madness went down in February.

Considering the quality and quantity of fish that I am finding… take your pick! Do you want shots at good numbers of fish or a few good shots at quality fish of several species? And even despite inclement weather, some fabulous fishing is occurring for dedicated anglers.

gator, trout, fly fishing, port, aransas, redfish, speckled, flats, guide, saltwater, black drum, redfish, mullet, flies

Gator trout pre-release

Fortunately, the new Beavertail Skiff is the driest ride I have ever had on a flats skiff and even in rough conditions this boat performs very well.

By any measure this new boat goes everywhere the old boat could get. That’s the most thrilling part! Or, well, maybe seeing more than a dozen trophy trout in one day is a little more thrilling but nailing a 28-inch below average trout really got the blood pumping. Our imaginations have soared for the week following and still continues to grow and call us back to the water.

I have been running into a real mecca of giant trout and even on the days we couldn’t sight cast we got them dialed in on topwater flies. Some glorious fish have been revealing themselves putting on the feed-bag, and even sometimes when the angler least expects it. Lessons are learned by all in situations like that… “Never take your eye off the fly!”

fly fishing, redfish, speckled trout, trophy, beavertail, strike, first cast, port aransas, saltwater, guide, charter, aransas, pass, rockport, shrimp fly, corpus christi

chartreuse and black fly

The redfish are also hungry and some 20+ fish schools of oversized redfish are begging to be caught. Chartreuse shrimp and mullet flies are my go to color and choice flies of all time regardless of light conditions. Then I go to blue crab flies (bigger is better if you ask me) and don’t forget to have some plain white topwater flies ready to zing! The majority of the black drum have been a little scarce from my normal operating areas the last week but those that I did find were close to 10lbs and have even found at least 1 drum per trip between 25-40lbs. Ya Ya!

Here also is a little video of my good buddy Bob playing tug-o-war with a very respectable trout on a fine day last week while breaking-in the new skiff. Give me a call directly to book your next Texas Fly Fishing Adventure! Capt Kenjo 361-500-2552

Running of the bulls

Bull, redfish, fly fishing, texas, gulf, coast

Bull redfish caught in 8inches of water.

Port Aransas has a good bull redfish run but most notably in the deep channels, inlets and passes. Nonetheless, they do come up onto the flats at certain times (like NOW)! Sight casting opportunities have really kicked up lately thanks to a lack of clouds and the winds are more favorable in the morning making it possible to hunt for these bigger redfish.

redfish, fly fishing, port aransas, rockport, flats, saltwater, guide

Redfish HOG

If you want to get on board and take your shots a these big redfish give me a call! I’ve got a feeling August is going to be great!

black drum, gasper goo, texas, fly fishing, guide, port aransas

Peek-a-boo Black Drum

September has some dates open also and October is mostly booked but I do still have a few dates open at that time too. Remember if you come down, plan your lodging far in advance as vacancy in town can be difficult.

Super stealth is key and having a boat that can take you way way back in the back is a must! It takes a bit of work polling into places like this but it is worth every ounce of the energy and time it takes to get in and out. Beulah’s new Opal Fly Rod (newest saltwater line up) delivers the fly well to these fish even in tight quarters. And if you need to take a long shot at a trailer or put some extra pressure on a bruiser, this rod has the backbone and finesse to get the job done. With a bit of care one can even manage to take multiple shots at fish and with proper presentation these fish are eating! Along with those hefty redfish in the super skinny water are also good numbers of schooled up black drum. They aren’t puppies and put up a good fight too.

Give me a call and lets go fishing! Capt Kenjo 361-500-2552

slough, creek, redfish, texas, port aransas

Big fish like to run these gauntlets right after the hookup

Spring Rains & The Big 3 That Got Away

Bright and sunny this fish was right where we thought she would be!

Hooked up to a redfish on fly and West Coast Mike hangin on!

Summer Availability: Last summer the winds died out July 1st and the bay went flat as glass and you could see tails to the horizon. And so it begins, we switch to super small patterns with short stealthy casts to target tailing redfish. Multiple fish days exist in July and August and the tailing redfish action is red hot just like the sunshine! Give me a call now to reserve your spot on the bow of the boat! Capt Ken 361-500-2552

Spring Report: This year has been incredible including last winter. Many fish on the flats and then up super shallow early. There were some very nice sized ones to boot. All the rains we have been getting this year (seems they really started way back in January) are producing some great fly fishing action. In between the cloudy and windy days are bursts of sunshine, usually with a T-head looming somewhere on the horizon. The fishing under overcast skies and stiff breezes is also decent and 2 recent clients, both named Mike, hooked fish that got the best of them. West Coast Mike stuck out 3 days of grueling winds and while we had trouble finding good numbers of fish the first day he just wouldn’t quit. On the first day we got well adjusted and felt a tight team had been formed between angler and guide. Calling the shots from the platform is no easy task, especially for the angler when truckloads of mullets to 3 lbs are rampaging the flats scarfing up the freshly grown green algae and grasses. Day two with W Coaster Mike was a bit more mellow and the twitches began to subside, partially from casting fatigue, and also from getting a good grade on Day 1. One shot is all we got on each school of reds that we found. If they spooked the school would split and then scatter. Then we found a huge tailer along a reef with its broad fat tail flopping size to side as the fish was cruising up onto the top of the reef with the extremely high tides.

Sweet Serenity in rough conditions!

Mike made the perfect cast and when the fish ate I felt the boat jump as West Coast Mike drove the permeable Tiemco hook deep into the fish’s tough maw. But that fish was smart, and got down in dirty and cut-off Mike on the oysters. A quick retie of the trusted chartreuse mullet fly and wouldn’t you know on the other side of the reef was another big fish with its tail up and getting busy! Mike hooked up to this fish too but with the powerful hookset the fish shook its massive head violently and parted the 15-lb tippet. Back to back, and all in two casts.

Bonus Species, mark that one off the bucket list!

“Sight casting” can be done in cloudy weather too! Its just a little harder!

Not long after Mike nails a respectable southern flounder out of a pothole then later took a shot at a bull-rushing redfish and intercepted the fish with a well placed 70′ cast at which point it nailed the fly and ran upwind!

This one we landed and the sense of accomplishment and pride was almost overwhelming us both!

And so on for several more days we find a few fish that eat, but any mistakes are taken advantage of by the fish. East Coast Mike will attest to that, his only goal was to catch 1 fish but that make for a tough order sometimes!

All in all it was a thrill fishing with both of these fellas and while the sunshine is unpredictable and is good for sight fishing, fly fishing under less than gorgeous conditions can also be fun and rewarding!

Quality Redfishing Continues

While the South winds are very welcome this time of year and are a promising sign of warmer weather, they were a tab-bit strong today and required some interesting adaptation to techniques in order to find the fish that would eat willingly. But, in the right place and at the right time, the redfish ate eagerly.

saltwater, fly fishing, texas, coast, guide

Dead Drifting Crab Flies Deadly on Redfish

Working an area thoroughly and methodically, since the choppy water had visibility low, the incoming tide was creating a nice flow of current and the small size 4 crab fly produced all the strikes today when cast quartering up current. Allowing the crab fly to bounce along the bottom in the current was the ticket, proving that even on the toughest of days when conditions seemed to be unfavorable, the right presentation, approach and working with the wind can still produce great results.

Kenjo Fly Fishing Charters

Texas Saltwater Flats Fishing Charters