Tag Archives: hatch

First Texas Redfish on the Fly

Not everyone catches their first Texas redfish on the fly, but we did catch a poor man’s tarpon (a.k.a. ladyfish) while working on casting skills! Nonetheless, we got shots at backing redfish in the thick matted grass beds. We also found some floating redfish. And with these fish you have to get the fly in front of them ASAP before the sink back down out of sight! It was an amazing day where these Gents were able to learn a lot of new skills and adapt quickly.

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first, time, saltwater, beavertail, texas, fly, fishing, rockport, aransas, pass, port, bay, fly fishing, sight, casting, lessons, airflo, hatch, temple fork outfitters, tfo, lines, redfish, black drum, corpus, christi, ladyfish, on fly,
Poor Mans Tarpon on Fly

There was this pod of about 20 tailing redfish, which we only thought to be less than 5 fish, but when they flushed from the cast we could easily see about two dozen reds.

Congrats to Jonny and Andrew for enduring the heat and learning their cast so fast. Their willingness to return this fall to give it another go is awesome! See ya soon, fellas! Kudos to you for taking that first saltwater leap of faith! The sky is the new limit! Soon enough though we will get Jonny and Andrew their First Texas Redfish on the fly!

Recommended startup gear for entry level anglers is as follows:

Fly Rod: TFO Mangrove Coast 7wt | Reel (put your investment here for longevity): Hatch Iconic 5wt or 7wt | Fly Lines (for finesse and distance): Airflo Fly Lines: Flats Technical Taper (formerly known as the Bonefish Taper, in 7wt size). This recommended gear is intended for year round use in most all situations. It is preferred for its close and long range accuracy, as well as for its stealth. The Gulf Coast fly Line is very good for applications where the fish are eating larger flies or when you can hit the fish on the head and they still still eat instead of spooking.

Practicing your casts with this equipment can certainly help you get better shots at your first Texas redfish on the fly.

Get it ASAP, and lets go fly fishing!

Jacks in Town

Jack is back in town and these busters will test your angling skills. May dates are available NOW! With jacks in town, the excitement grows!

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We got a nice day out front and went on a scouting mission. Within just a few hours we had raised 3 from the deep and one managed to swipe the half-and-half fly aggressively from below the surface. Within 10 minutes later the jack crevelle succumbed to our game of tug and war.

Take note of the “down and dirty” fighting technique with the 11wt fly rod.

The extremely low rod angles fight the fish with the butt section of the rod which applies maximum pressure to these brutal jack fish. You’ve got to put the hurting on the jacks in town, or they will certainly put one on you!

Jack Trip Exceptions: when the weather is too rough to search open water comfortably, we may default to the flats and do some wade fishing for redfish and black drum. These are great backup plans for a day. Often times though even a standard redfish trip gets interrupted by these jackfish! So either way, book a trip anytime this summer and Capt Kenjo will be certain to put you on some fish. And with emphasis on the fish of your dreams! There are also chances to locate and target big bull redfish but please note that these big redfish are not males (as the name Bull implies). The large redfish are actually most likely females as the male red drum do not grow as big.

Adults redfish mature by 3 – 5 years of age; approximate length at maturity: males – 28 inches, females – 33 inches. Red Drum can also grow to incredible sizes. At least historically they have. The largest redfish ever recorded was caught in the waters around Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. That redfish weighed an amazing 94 pounds and 2 ounces.

jacks, crevelle, crevalle, texas, port, aransas, fly, fishing, guide, adventures, things to do, fishing, beavertail, skiff, strike, offshore, in, town
Deep Sea Smiles

Drain Games – The Texas Fall Redfish Run

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STAR DATE: October 31, 2019 PLANET: Earth COORDINATES: 27.8339° N, 97.0611° W

FIELD NOTES: The redfish are displaying the following characteristics and behaviors; Crawling, mudding, tailing, schooling, popping, whopping, backing, crushing, pouncing, hounding. Its GO Time in Port Aransas! Lock and Load! Load and Go! (pics below)

Some of the most heart pounding sight-casting to red drum on the fly will be happening over the course of the next few weeks/month! The apex of the fall season is hitting us Now in full swing and underway making way! Sure as frozen fire, the tidal drain-game begins again as Texas redfish, trout, flounder and black drum turn face first into the winds and outpouring of bay water moving “en masse” to feed shallower and shallower. As the migration of shrimp, crabs and baitfish flush out of the estuaries the fish are there and feeding heavily in preparation for the onset of winter. As the fourth significant cold front of the year hits the Coastal Bend right now, strong windy conditions will prevail for the next 24 hours as the dry cool air sweeps across the countryside colliding with the warm moist air of the coastal areas along the Gulf of Mexico the the the winds become more tame and best for fishing!

The redfish have already shown up in very strong numbers up to 30 inches after the previous cold front and it is likely that the next few weeks will see some of the best Texas sight casting to have been done all year. Game on! These next 2-3 weeks may just become noted as “Peak Weeks” for the Fall Run. Time will tell. Needless to say the fly fishing is excellent NOW. Get in touch with your local preferred guide to coordinate ASAP!

My immediate forthcoming availability is THIS WEEKEND starting Sunday as well as Monday Tuesday and Thursday (Nov 3-5 & 7th)…

Call Captain Ken today (while I am prepping for the next 2 weeks of hardcore redfishing) or plan your next trip online at your convenience! Call 361-500-2552

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Summer Jacks Explode

fly, fishing, jack, crevelle, hatch, outdoors, nature, eco, tour, airflo, beavertail, skiffs, flyfishing, guide, charters, redfish, bay, texas, coast, gulf
Double Trouble with Mr. Jack Crevelle

Port Aransas Texas – The fly fishing cauldron of Texas Coast Summer is boiling hot now and the Jack Crevelle are dishing out whoop-ass left and right! We are fishing the witching hours (non daylight) with good success on trout and ladyfish then at sunrise we are stalking tailing redfish pods on the flat and ending the morning chasing jack crevelle in the bay as are our primary targets.

fly, fishing, jack, crevelle, hatch, outdoors, nature, eco, tour, airflo, beavertail, skiffs, flyfishing, guide, charters, redfish, bay, texas, coast, gulf
Jack #3 of 4 for the Day

By around 0900 when the rest of the crowds arrive to sweat it out on the flats, we are already finished working the tailing redfish pods and are pulling off into deep water to cool off and target wolf packs of marauding Jack Crevelle. Come test your skills and see if you have what it takes to battle these mighty fighters on the fly!

Call Capt Kenjo ASAP to book your July trips! Multiple days are highly recommended for all the fun you will be having! Don’t miss out!

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fly, fishing, jack, crevelle, hatch, outdoors, nature, eco, tour, airflo, beavertail, skiffs, flyfishing, guide, charters, redfish, bay, texas, coast, gulf
Double Jacks on the fly on the Texas Coast

Fly Fishing Christmas Gift Idea

red drum, fly fishing, port, aransas, texas, coast, rockport, corpus christi, redfish, spottail, tail, sight, casting, mangroves, spartina, cord, grass, february, fishing, gift, idea
Doubled-up First Timers

Are you trying to figure out what to get for your fly fishing crazed significant other for Christmas??? Look no further! Book them a Texas Guided Saltwater Fly Fishing Trip for February 2019 (or for any other month)!

A guided saltwater fly fishing charter is the perfect gift for those that already have all the latest gear because a guided trip is the perfect place for them to use all that equipment! And if they don’t have appropriate fly rods or reels or flies for the Texas saltwater fly fishing, don’t worry, Kenjo Fly can accommodate ya’ll with top notch equipment!


Call NOW at 361-500-2552 if you have questions or Book Online to view available dates for any month in 2019.

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


Spring Rush

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

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

Wet wading wide open spaces

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

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

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

Keep’em wet

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

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

Lawrence personal best trout!

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

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

Flounder Pounder

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

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

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

Bull Redfish Release

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

Capt Kenjo 361-500-2552

Looking at Bait

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

Texas redfish on Fly

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

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

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

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

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

Capt Kenjo

 

Wading – Time To Get Wet

black drum, texas, coast, fly fishing, guide

Monster Black Drum a.k.a. big uglies

NOW MUST BE ABSOLUTELY MY FAVORITE TIME OF YEAR! Wet-wading the hard sand flats, crispy air temps, cool wet feet and warming water while being surrounded by countless numbers of redfish with chances at BIG Bonus Trout…. need I say more??? Dinosaur Black Drum? Hummm?

It is happening now. The water temps are perfect for wadefishing and for redfish crushing large baits and wading is the absolute best technique for windy situations. Last couple days have been sick sight fishing and we are getting crushed. Rumor on the street is that the fish are hard to find and I couldn’t agree more. There is a recipe of environment variables that are crucial this time of year. Being in the right spot and AT THE RIGHT TIME will surely make a story to tell!

reddrum, fly fishing, port aransas, texas, coast, wade, wading,

28 inches of fun

“The fleet of large black submarine redfish rise from the depths in formation, combing the shallows as they reach a comfortable hunting level, their food tightens formation as well and then absolute and utter mayhem ensue..”

I have a few dates left in February and March has more dates available.

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

Low-Light Stalking

We will be working this pattern as hard as we can, but its time to get your feet wet and get the numbers UP ASAP! I cant say how long this pattern will last!

Call me IMMEDIATELY for available dates and to get on board! Capt Kenjo 361-500-2552

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

 

 

 

Fly Fishing Show

Fly Fishing ShowThe Fly Fishing Show is coming to Somerset NJ and it couldn’t have come at a better time!!! Luckily, it really hasn’t been all that cold. Nonetheless, the winter-time blues are here for sure because it has been at least three weeks since I last wet a hook…

One thing that makes this event so great is because of the venue. All under a single roof one could expect to run into many prominent names in the industry. My personal favorites are the kind folks at TroutHunter, Hatch Outdoors, Yellow Dog & Turneffe Flats

The grizzly guys at Bear’s Den have such an abundance of fly tying materials, it is completely overwhelming. If you find something you like, buy it immediately because if you set it down it is certain that the person behind you is going to snatch it right up the second you let go!

Another fantastic aspect of this event is that there are so many great journalists there such as Phil Shook, and conservation authors such as Carl Safina, you are certain to hear about some great fishing adventures! There is nothing like hanging out with fellow fly-fisherman telling each other outrageous and exagerated fish stories! It is truly entertaining and amazing at how many truths are stretched during an event like this! But of course, that is part of the thrill and excitement of fly fishing!

But most of all, I look forward to seeing the people that I have had the pleasure to meet, and those that I have had the good fortune to fish with. If you haven’t visited this event before, don’t let anything stand in your way, this year is a special one because of how many great deals these vendors are offering to customers! See you there!

Keeping the hooks sharp,
Captain Ken Jones
Kenjo Fly Fishing