Tag Archives: fly fishing

Changes in the Seasons

redfish, fly fishing, texas, coast, flats, guide

Come to Poppa!

Old Man Winter threw us a fastball this year and it delivered several North Blows that have lasted 4-6 days long. I normally prefer a more moderate change in seasons but each year is different. This year our weather patterns have shifted to prevailing northerlies a little early and when there is a battle between frontal systems (warm vs. cold) the nice weather only gets to hang around one day maybe two. On each flip between systems, we are getting some very nice blue bird days with light winds allowing us to stalk some red in the shallows.

With the north winds prevailing the schools of redfish that were way up on the flats that I was seeing in the last month have moved into deeper holes near the edges of the flats. Up in the shallows we are still seeing lots of single redfish laid up or cruising for some shrimp, and it has been fun to watch the single fish cruising around and suddenly run into another fish making a pair.

redfish, fly fishing, port aransas, guide, texas, coast

Chris nailed this one right at the boat!

This past weekend was fun with returning angler Chris, who is quickly becoming a sharp saltwater fly fisherman. Chris has done very well taking shot after shot at these reds and has been rewarded with some very nice fish. He is beginning to understand well the challenges of sight casting to redfish in crystal clear water. Learning how to look into the grass underwater and find that redfish that is hiding so well lying motionless hovering only half an inch over the top of the grass. Their colors shimmering in the light, each scale sends out hues of gold, copper, amber, and bronze to make it blend into their surroundings. These fish are definitely very colorful this time of year. When the winds have been low and the skies clear, sight casting opportunities exist in good numbers and following the lines on the flats will help you locate fish to which you can sight cast.

redfishing, catch, release, fly fishing, texas, gulf, coast, guide

Let’em Go Dammit!

Move slow so as to not spook the fish in the distance and move even slower to give yourself more time to methodically scan a short radius around you in search of that glimmering tail passing by. For those times when the wind has kicked up a slight chop on the flat, try putting the sun and wind to your back and look through the backsides of the waves to get a clear view of what is lurking below the surface.

As we move into the winter fishing patterns, not all winter hotspots are holding fish yet. Alot of fish are staging between their summer/fall haunts slowly making their way to deep water flats and troughs where dragging the bottom with big ugly flies produces consistent fishing of quality sized reds. These redfish schools will surely grow larger in the coming weeks and in a month or two the giant black drum will also begin to appear offering multiple sight casting opportunities each day.

redfish, fly fishing, texas, gulf, coast, guideKeep the hooks sharp!
Captain Ken Jones 361-500-2552

Redfish Schooling

This time of year a well rounded fly angler can find themselves in quite the predicament. To fish inside the bay or to hit the beaches or jetties? That is the question.

The question for you now is what “fly fishing goal” do you want to accomplish today? You pretty much cant go wrong with either decision. You have to go to know. Fishing is still fishing and sometimes its hot, sometimes not. But our imaginations of that hot bite happens all the time, even while we are fishing and we usually think it is just over there, only 10ft further than your maximum cast or on that jetty, not this one. And that is another reason why we fly fish. To be in such a happy place that we feel like we are living our dreams. And in a reality of sorts, we are living our dreams every time we go fishing.

redfish, slot limit, fly fishing, port aransas, guide, corpus christi

Nice redfish just over slot

On the super skinny crystal clear grass flats you can stalk upper slot redfish and have quite a few legit shots at over slot redfish. It can be tense and intimidating for anyone.

Rest assured this time of year it is very likely that you will get many more shots at redfish throughout the day and that is what makes it so much fun. Observing the fish behavior in the clear waters of Port Aransas makes fly fishing for redfish here such a visually stimulating activity. It is thriller to be able to see every last detail of the fish’s scales and every blade of grass hanging from your fly just when that big ‘ole redfish snubs his nose at your fly. To see the fish turn on your fly, or casually glide up to your fly seeming to inspect every last hair for imperfections and then if you do everything right, the Redfish EATS!

sea grass, redfish, fly, fishing, port aransas, corpus christi

Thick grass beds are the perfect hunting grounds for fall redfish

Light tippets are most important this time of the year, and a tapered leader is very useful to avoid the floating widgeon grass. Weedless is a misnomer too, the word simply means “less” grass on the fly, it certainly doesn’t mean “grass proof”! This is why getting locked and loaded and staying on point scanning the water while ready to cast to a fish once spotted is the way to go. Keep 10′ of fly line out past the rod tip and hold the fly by the tail in your free hand. Keep the rod low but pointing away from the direction you are fishing so not to spook a fish before you get a chance to see it when a 10 second burst of sunlight illuminates the flat for you briefly. And when the sunlight bursts through the clouds that is when you need to search frantically for your fish. Take that opportunity to locate a fish nearby if you are not chasing one down already.

While scanning for laid up or cruising fish try and you think you see what might be a redfish wait to cast until you can get a positive identification so not to make a cast to a horse mullet and risk the chance of spooking a redfish nearby. Stay vigilant in keeping an eye on the distance as well, Schools of tailing redfish can often be seen a ways away.

redfish, fly fishing, port aransas, texas, coast, guide

Tails UP!

Lately the redfish schools have been pushing the 30″ mark with the bigger fish tailing and smaller fish working the edges of the school. Be careful of your cast though because on the outside edges of the tailing school there are other redfish that are not tailing. Make your first cast to a school of redfish 5-10 feet from the edge. Its almost a guarantee that one will peel off from the pack to nail your fly. And if one doesn’t, you haven’t spooked the school with your line and you can make another cast to get a little closer.

So get out on the water. Don’t be discouraged by rain. Our weather patterns change faster than the forecasts can be updated and sometimes it doesn’t hurt to have a little cloud cover or wind chop on the water. Those things can help conceal your presence on the flat and can also give the fish some added security.

redfish, fall, season, fly fishing, port aransas, corpus christi

Fall Colors

There are secret ways of spotting a redfish on the flat that is also full of big mullet. Learn to distinguish between the disturbances on the surface that a mullet make and the disturbances that redfish make.

Move along the flat slower than cold molasses and it will help you learn these things and ultimately help you locate more redfish. Remember to read the water  and move into position to take the shot and you will be rewarded with a nice fish.

Keeping the hooks sharp,
Captain Ken Jones
361-500-2552
Port Aransas, TX
USCG Licensed
Certified Tourism Ambassador
Certified Wildlife Guide

South Jetty Fishing is Red Hot

FISH ON! FISH OFF!!!

Despite the howling winds and punishing 3-4′ seas crashing into the jetties, the chance to do battle with a chrome magnum torpedo wielding a head full of the sharpest serrated razor-like teeth imaginable is a real possibility right now.

 

The king mackerel is a fearless flesh shredder and will slice most any lines. Stories of sea turtles getting cut in half in one swipe can be heard on a distant rock out there. Normally I fish a 30-lb leader with a 1ft section of 50-lb bite tippet but with so many king mackerel around I’ve switched to 100-lb mono for the time being. It works pretty well as bite tippet but the kings can be so fierce that they will even slice 100-lb leader more easily than you can imagine. Just recently I went 0 for 6 on big kings, 2 of them pulled the hook and the other 4? well… they got the best of me for not using wire. There was one 41-incher though the day before that didn’t get away. My retrieve method at the moment it hit may have played a role in hooking the fish in the corner of the mouth. Certainly the best spot to help keep your line free of those gnarly teeth.

kingfish, mackerel, fly ishing, eye

Eye of King Mackerel

To be a successful jetty fly guy or gal, one must be sure to put in their T.O.W. (time on the water). You might even get to see a sneaky tarpon roll behind a wave eyeballing you like it is devising some sinister plan to torture you for chasing them. I’ve come to believe that the tarpon roll above the surface of the water to tease the angler, setting forth the churning and burning of every ounce of ambition. For some it instantly becomes priority. And while you continue to fling hundreds of fly patterns over time at these torturous fish over thousands of casts, you body will instantly cringe at the sight of a tarpon. Every time.

Then, in excitement, the grunting, moaning, and pleading usually follow along with the flailing away in a desperate attempt to place the fly where it needs to be. We fumble with the line trying impart the perfect action to the fly during the one handed and two handed retrieves and hoping that the bejeweled tarpon cannot resist. But many times, something catastrophic happens to reduce your odds and increase the shakes. The fish strikes while trying to get a grip on the line or the hit is so hard and fast that we simply cannot close our hands around the line fast enough to bury the hook. Or, just as you shoot line at the end of your cast, a beautifully complex knot forms in the running line and your cast falls short of a school of bait getting rampaged by an assortment of gamefish.

Don’t worry though! Just recover your line and make another cast! These are the laws of fly fishing; some casts dont make the cut, nonetheless, fish it anyway and try & try again. Never give up the endless pursuit of a fly fishing goal. These failing moments are bound to happen to everyone and usually right alongside the moments of success when you hook up and the fish clears your line without your help. It is always good to have a fishing partner to help you land the fish too and cheer for you when you hook up.

king mackerel, fly fishing, texas, coast, jetty, port aransas, corpus christi

This one measured 41 inches, 2nd to hand this year.

AND, if you want to learn how to cast a fly rod well, spend every possible waking moment casting a flyrod. Technique and form will always need improvement but by spending 30 minutes a day just practice casting, it will quickly build the muscle stamina and muscle memory necessary to cast well from the jetty or anywhere else for that matter. On the water, in the field, at the city pond and on your lunch break at work in the grass, take 15 minutes to string up your rod and reel and let a few casts fly. You can tie a piece of yarn on the end of your leader to act as the fly and is important to have on your line for it to cast properly. Last but not least, never cast a fly line over pavement, gravel or bare dirt. Do it once and you will clearly see the damage these surfaces can do to your fly line. And then, you might as well have lost it in the rocks to a big jack crevalle or some other creature!

Keeping the hooks sharp,
Captain Ken Jones
361-500-2552
Port Aransas, TX
USCG Licensed
Certified Tourism Ambassador
Certified Wildlife Guide

Good Times Fly Fishing

Tomjo at 2 months!

Tomjo at 2 months!

Things have been shakin and bakin ’round the Jones’ house lately and especially with the addition of our newborn son, Thomas. He is already growing so fast this little man will be double-haulin a fly soon enough. Sarah and I could not be more excited to have him in our lives! With all that has been going on around the domicile, I haven’t gotten out on the water much at all except for a short hour here and there and in between diaper changes and all the jazz that comes with that! Just like now, putting this blog together at 11:52pm… Thankfully the boy went to sleep!

fly fishing, trout, texas, coast, guide, port aransas

‘Ole Clouser getting it done on a 22inch sea trout

Two day ago when I arrived at a favorite Port Aransas spot that usually produces a nice table fish (such as grouper, trout or flounder), the water looked great but when I checked off in the distance I couldn’t help but notice a large tanker ship bearing down on the inlet getting ready to head into Corpus Christi Bay to do its dirty deeds. I thought to myself, well, there goes the fishing, and sure enough, as the ship passed the water muddied up nicely against the rocks. But I persisted, and methodically worked the fly from up current letting it swing to and fro… Finally I got the bite I had hoped for, and without even knowing what kind of fish had hit the fly, a large smile crossed my face as if I hadn’t caught any fish in a long time. Then something large appeared under my fish as it came to the surface, instantly thinking to myself, SHARK! But then, a 30-lb jack crevalle came busting out of the water hot on the tail of my trout, and I had to take evasive maneuvers to keep the fish from eating my catch! Definitely a fun experience to observe, but I told Mr. Jack “Not this time!” and quickly plucked my catch from its reach.

There are some dates open in September for sight-casting to redfish on the flats and I expect to see some big bull reds there too. I also have a few days available in October for Prime-time tarpon fishing. Give me a call directly asap to get on the books and make sure to leave a message if I don’t answer! The phone stays on vibrate most of the day to keep from waking the family!

Keeping the hooks sharp,
Captain Ken Jones
361-500-2552
Port Aransas, TX
USCG Licensed
Certified Tourism Ambassador
Certified Wildlife Guide

 

 

 

Redfish going strong in Port Aransas

red, fish, port aransas, guide, saltwater

Bowed-up redfish

Got out yesterday for a quick 1 hour reconnaissance trip, and with the ulterior motive of setting a couple crab traps to soak… So after the dirty deeds of baiting the traps was complete I picked up my 8wt paired with my new Hatch 5+ Finatic for a chance to break it in for the first time. Turning the tiller to the nearest flat where i could get a good 30 minute drift along a narrow portion within minutes I was setup to drift across the flat and sure enough, there the redfish were. Cruising against the wind in only 7inches of water the redfish were going across or heading straight at me and I took a few shots at them and got one to eat almost right away. The casts where i didn’t get a bite were the ones where the fly landed too far away from the fish. One very large spotted trout even cruised into casting range but my fly landed right on its shoulders and what did it do? Exactly what most anyone would do if you dropped a bug on their shoulders… SPOOK!  And that’s just why I keep coming back for more! Getting multiple chances to place the fly in the “perfect zone” and the continuous opportunities to make it happen all over again is why!

Feel free to give me a call to book your next chance at some skinny water redfish!

Keeping the hooks sharp,
Captain Ken Jones
361-500-2552
Port Aransas, TX
USCG Licensed
Certified Tourism Ambassador
Certified Wildlife Guide

Ken Jones

Hot Tailing Reds on the Fly

fly fishing, redfish, texas, gulf, coast

Waiting for the fish to come to us… Staying on point with fly in hand.

Well it seems like we have been waiting all year for it to happen and I am happy to say that the last few weeks has been HOT for redfish on the fly on the flats near Port Aransas. While the fishing was good earlier in the year, the colder than normal winter kept the fish from moving up super skinny for quiet a bit longer than we all hoped for. And while there were decent numbers of redfish on the flats in May and June, they just were not in the mood to put their tails up. Now it’s just head down and ass up for them all and I am finding excellent numbers of redfish in every direction and there are several times a day when we encounter schools of 5-10 tailers in 6-8inches of water. This allows for plenty of shots at fish and as long as you can place the fly gently within 1 foot of the fish’s business end (the mouth) they are willing to eat and will blow a hole in the water when hooked taking you to the backing in short order. Additionally there are still some big broom-tailed redfish that I am seeing each time I got out, Its only a matter of time before one of those tails pops up within a decent distance and someone will get to take their shot at a 30+ inch bull red.

On short notice Dylan came down from Austin for a quickie this past weekend and even though the boat ramp was busy we only shared the huge flat with one other skiff. Dylan was able to take tons of shots at cruising and tailing fish and the times that he got the fly right where it needed to be, it got eaten.

redfish, port aransas, guide, fly fishing

Patience and Persistence brought this fine redfish to hand

If you are planning to come down to fly fish for these redfish in this super skinny water I strongly suggest spending some time in the yard doing some target practice at distances between 30-50feet. Tie a piece of yarn on the end of the tippet and take 4 or 5 paper plates out onto the lawn and spread them out at various angles and distances. Then stand back and take shots at each plate without rocking your body and making a few false casts as possible. Placing the plates at random distances and staggering them off to one side and the other will hone your targeting skills as you hit each plate and instantly move onto the next target. Keeping your false casts to a minimum is important because a single false cast in the air over the top of a redfish will most certainly spook the fish from the noise the line makes as it travels through the air. Spend 15-30 minutes a day casting at these paper plates and with a little time on the lawn you will find your targeting skills will become more accurate and each cast will have a better chance at getting an eat from the fish.

I have only a few days available left in July for guided trips. Give me a call ASAP to get in on this action with a fly rod!

Keeping the hooks sharp,
Captain Ken Jones
361-500-2552
Port Aransas, TX
USCG Licensed
Certified Tourism Ambassador
Certified Wildlife Guide

Redfish Numbers on the Rise

“Look there! 12 O’clock, 200 yds!” What’s that? Oh man! Its a coyote!” We watched in amazement as a coyote seemed to be swimming towards a short oyster reef, which was on the edge of the middle of nowhere… He must has swum quite a long distance to reach that reef. The squawking shorebirds of several varieties protested the coyote while coming ashore but it seemed unfazed by their annoying calls and cries intent on reaching drier land.  How cool it is to be on the flats and observe wildlife roaming free, unhindered, and most of the time… uninterrupted? Pretty damned cool if you ask me.

The last few days was great for fishing the flats and with persistence and a sharp eye there were plenty of fun shots at slot-sized redfish. A 36 inch redfish graced us with its presence on Tuesday and young angler Cole from Ft. Worth took quite a few heroic shots at that bull red but it showed no interest in the fly we had been using to sight fish the pocket water. On top of that we tracked along with that fish only 15 feet off the port side  for a few minutes and Cole didn’t flinch and stayed cool the whole time!

redfish, fly fishing, charters, port aransas, texas, gulf, guide, flats

nice under slot size redfish specimen safely released

As the week progressed the skies and winds improved and for the last couple days the small and scattered clouds eased over us, sending shadows over the flat but the clouds would pass by after only 30 seconds and the sunshine would illuminate the flat again well enough to see good numbers of fish over the course of the day. Matter of fact, my guest today landed his first keeper redfish of the day within 15 minutes of working the flat with me on the platform… On a popper too no less. Then the second fish came on a shrimp/crab hybrid fly and it too was also a nice slot fish. The third fish was big enough to be in the upper end of the slot but popped off when some tippets go tight and possibly brush against an oyster shell.

Here is a shot of a wild sea creature we encountered today. Who can guess the species?

DSCN3131 copyright-sea-cucumberThe fish are filing onto the flats when the tides allow, and each day it seems like more and more redfish are slipping up out of the deeper waters and even holding on the flat longer as the tides fall. The sea grasses are looking nice, plush and green now too. Quite possibly it is this weekend’s full moon that is turning on the fish. It has certainly caused an interesting tide cycle this past week. Nonetheless, as I sit here and type this tall tail I ask if you would imagine a pair of tailing upper slot redfish in 8inches of water. And while at least the thought wont escape me, I am debating within myself whether or not I should hunt for tarpon tomorrow morning 4am to sunrise… Sounds crazy I know… But that is just how I like it.

I’ve got a few dates left in June for flats charters and a few dates towards the end of July. Weekdays are highly recommended. Call for details. 361-500-2552

Also here is a short clip I took a while back with notable Outdoor Writer, Phil Shook, of some cool dolphin laying down tricks in the wake of a tanker ship at Charlies Pasture.

-Keeping the hooks sharp, Capt Ken Jones

Max Jacks And King Macks

“Boy am I going to miss that fly!” I thought to myself seconds after that big boy jack crevalle finally found the rock that would part the 20-lb leader. This came after a 10 minute dog fight where the brute nailed the red/white fly on the swing and instantly headed for the bottom of the channel. Into the backing, but only barely. I cant imagine who doesn’t love the stopping power of a Hatch Reel.

Fish pumping hard against the Beulah Bluewater 11wt rod, I cleared fly line and then suddenly watched the splice between fly line and backing smoothly exit the rod guides but the fish stopped short by the infamous 9+ Pulse Reel. Its no wonder though, all 9 of it’s bad-ass discs were working perfectly in unison and applied maximum force against the beast.

Back and forth, from one side of the jetty to another, down deep. I wasn’t worried about the fish finding that one rock that sticks out further than all the others until I saw my leader and some flashy white coffee table sized fish below it. Hues of green, blue and silver radiated up from 6 feet below the water’s glistening surface, and then, just as I felt the line begin to scrape against that invisible rock, the drag was backed off and very little pressure was applied to the rod in an attempt to let Max Jack swim out but the fish was straight down, tail still thumping. Trying different angles, and reaching out over the water failed to free the line from it’s snare, suddenly I felt a little pop just as the line went slack. Raising my rod tip I found a keenly abraded tag end to the leader, roughed up but severed in two.

Goodbye Mr. Crevalle. I shall call you Max Jack from now on.

As the excitement subsided, I realized that fly worked like magic, but I had just lost my only one in that pattern. So, I headed to the truck and drove home to fashion two more while the tying recipe was still fresh in my mind.

Within an hour, a turkey sandwich fell victim along with a few handfuls of Fritos corn chips, I was back on the rocks with two new freshly tied red/white flies in my shirt pocket.

As I walked along the stony path, the sea conditions were not as favorable as I had hoped for but as I continued, I decided that the exercise was worth the walk even if I didn’t make a cast. Then sure enough, I noticed cleaner water on one side of the jetty than the other. Taking plenty of time to study the wave patterns, the easterly swell proved that while the waves sets looked small, the sea retained its powerful rhythms.  So, I found a familiar perch, and stripped out a lot of line onto the rock, then fed it back into my stripping basket to prepare for the first cast.

One cast… a little short based on my idea of the where is the strike zone.

Strip off a bit more line… recast for #2… Agh, but the wind caught the line as it descended on the water and put a big bend in the belly.

Recast again, looks good, and fly is in the zone… letting the line and fly sink a bit I worked the fly within a depth where the fly remained barely visible… Waves continue crushing the line of rocks as I setup for cast #3…

Good distance made here, the line zipped out of the casting basket during a brief lull in the wind and laid out nicely in front of me. Counting to 5 (one 1 thousand, two 1 thousand, three 1 thousand ect…) I began the retrieve…

king mackerel, texas, coast, port aransas, corpus christi, guide

Extreme Angles with a King on a Leash

Then it struck like lightning! 50 feet of line in the water, and 30 feet of line in the stripping basket, I pulled tight to set the hook with Airflo’s low stretch Tropical Intermediate line and on the second strip-set the fish’s adrenaline demanded even more line clearing all slack in the basket in half a heartbeat. I cheered for my fluorocarbon leader, as if encouraging the 30-lb tippet to hold fast, I checked the drag and found it nice and tight yet smooth as butter on Texas Toast.

She headed for the end, where I knew my odds of even seeing the fish were minus five to one, I jumped from my perch to the next, gaining as much line as possible and recovering the 30 feet of backing as well as some fly line that it had taken before the fly reel forced the fish to turn on its initial run. It turned sharply, and ran to the right, parallel to the rocks but still 40 feet out of sight. Jumping between perches, constantly changing angles and pulling low and hard to the sides, the fish finally succumbed to the relentless pressure that this fly gear was meant to serve to its opponents.

fly fishing, port aransas, jetties, guide, charters, king mackerel

Surf’s Up for King Mack!

And then, as if time was standing still, the waves sets calmed and aligned with my attempts to land the fish in a safety zone. One the second wave, I coerced the fish up onto a kind rock relatively safe from escape. This fish weighed in on certified scales at 21.8lbs and measured 50″ total length. 30-lb leader was used with 50-lb bite tippet.

fly fishing, guide, port aransas, jetty, charters, king, mackerel, texas, coast

GUITAR SOLO!!!!

Reflect on a few things here with me if you will…

Your equipment must be in perfect working condition. Inspecting your setup frequently helps identify flaws in the system. Your rod should match the quarry you seek. Your reel must have super smooth drags and your leaders tied with properly formed knots.

Your level of preparedness dictates your success. And… the best way to gain confidence in a fly pattern is to fish the hell out of it.

IT IS ON FOLKS!  Sharpen your skills as well as your hooks. Practice makes perfect. That’s why I fish in even the terrible conditions. Even if I don’t catch something I will have at least practiced the art of fly fishing. And that my friends, is what makes it all worthwhile. Train yourself in tough conditions, and you’ll be more than ready in excellent conditions. Every athlete knows this routine all too well.

Custom jetty trips can be arranged and dates in June on the flats for redfish are filling fast.

-Kenjo (361) 500-2552

fly fishing, extreme, king, mackerel, texas, coast, port aransas

Maximum tension and a quick hook-set kept this mouthful of razors from slicing the 50-lb bite tippet.

 

 

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