Tag Archives: port aransas

The Den of Bud

One day last week I received an invitation to head South on a short scouting mission for Mr. Tarpon and jumped at the chance to test some flies and equipment and perform some checks in order to prepare myself for some very cool clients coming into town soon to fish with me.

tarpon, texas, coast, guide, jetty, fly fishing,

6+ Foot Tarpon was here

In the process I was fortunate enough to meet and spend some quality time with the great & legendary fly fisherman, Bud Rowland. His home is riddled with artifacts of grand proportion. A plethora of fly rods and reels, all with lines strung, flies tied to their leaders and ready to cast. They are strapped to the ceiling and walls like a high-grade weapons arsenal. Fiberglass replicas of colorfully massive fish jump out at you from every corner, some with long pointy harpoon-like bills, others baring fangs protruding from yellow mouths. Feeling like a kid in a candy shop, every miniscule item seemed to catch my attention.

Of course, with me being deprived of sleep, I didn’t prepare any questions for Bud in advance and thought that Bud might even be relieved if I did not bombard him with the same 20 questions he hears most frequently about his world record speckled trout which he bravely released. I also failed to even take a picture with Bud and myself… Lack of sleep can make things skip the mind. Nonetheless, it was an honor to hear some of his other stories and see many of the saltwater fly fishing relics and artifacts in his home, but the coolest part was just sitting quietly and listening to Bud talk about all the knowledge he has gained over the 40 years of fly fishing along the South Texas Coast.

bud rowland, mud, minnow, fly fishing, texas, coast, port aransas, guide

Bud Rowland’s Mud Minnow getting it done for Chris between storms passing in the distance

Truly amazed, I did manage to ask him a few squid-like questions, like how he got into fly fishing, and how he ended up calling South Texas his home. A bamboo fly rod was his first fishing rod ever, and when it came for him to pull up his Wyoming/Kansas roots, he told me it was either Texas where he had family, or Australia. I was pleased to learn that he chose Texas and that the fishing and outdoor activities here rival those that can be found in the Outback.

He even called the South Texas Gulf Coast a “fly fisherman’s paradise”, bringing another big smile across my face which I tried to hold back to no avail. Upwards and onwards, I think to myself, that is the same reason why I moved to Port Aransas. It is a legendary fishing port, formerly known for its enormous runs of tarpon and many other species and even today quality fishing experiences can be had most any day of the year.

Then, suddenly, in the blink of an eye, I was back on the Texas Highways pavement heading back to Port Aransas with a few of Bud’s flies in my shirt pocket. I consider myself to be truly lucky for having met Bud, and I hope to see him again soon, either on my turf, or his.

bud rowland, saltwater, flies, mud, minnow, fly fishing

Bud’s Mud Minnows… Top and right are actually tied by Bud.

The time is nigh, as tarpon are congregating outside the inlets and passes of the gulf, laying in wait to scarf down the next baker’s dozen of mullet as they run from the bulls. In October I have one set of dates left for prime-time tarpon fishing. This is one experience you should jump on like a PBR Cowboy and it is one that you will never forget as it takes a good amount of fortitude to battle these Silver Kings (and win).

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 Tail Continues

tailing, redfish, fly. fishing, saltwater, guide, port aransas, texas, gulf, coast,

There were too many of these to count!

The redfish has been more than cooperative and even with the extreme dead low tides we are still able to get into the skinny water with my skiff and put a hurtin’ on the large numbers of tailing red fish.

Justin fished with me recently and we absolutely had a blast trying to get him his first redfish on the fly! Not surprisingly the degree of difficulty in taking shots at these fish can be compared the technical difficulty found when bonefishing.

refish on fly, red, fish, fly, fishing, texas, gulf, coast, port aransas, guide

Optical Illusion! A 24inch redfish looks like 19inches up against Justin’s stature!

Undaunted and full of energy, Justin stuck it out and adapted well. His initiative that he took a week in advance to practice his casting accuracy by taking shots at paper plates in the yard at random distances certainly gave him he edge he needed to get the job done when taking shots at tailing redfish in only 8 inches of water! His exercise in patience paid off as well and for the first time he was able to sight-cast, hookup, and land this nice slot redfish. Of course he let it swim away, as it is only right and good karma to set free the first fish!

The weather has been more than cooperative, and the few passing clouds are nice and offer great reprieve from the scorching sunshine! I have some lat minute dates available and early August and late August are also open!

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

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

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.

 

 

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.

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

Schooling Redfish

redfish, on, fly, port aransas, guide, flyfishing, saltwater

First one to hand and ate well even before the sun came out to warm us.

While the winter cold fronts blow through in between these fronts the fishing can be very good in Port Aransas.

Yesterday saw temps in the low 40’s but the sun came out around noon, the winds calmed just enough, and with temps reaching 65F we took the opportunity to go hunt some redfish. We found several large schools of fish and the redfish were eating both flies and soft plastics with reckless abandon. Early tide changes helped keep the action going through most of the day.

redfish, fly fishing, port aransas, corpus christi, saltwater, flats

Pulled this nice redfish from a school of 100+ fish!

Many quality redfish came to the boat today with most of them 20-28 inches.

The next few days are open for charters if anyone wants to take advantage of the hot fishing and moderate winds. Give me a call asap to get on board!

Capt Kenjo (361)500-2552

 

fly fishing, redfish, flies, saltwater

Articulated Bunnies – Redfish Love’em

Harbor Island Planning Zoning Commission

Great Step by Planning Zoning Commission today, and more great steps needed by the Port Aransas City Council at 5pm.

port of cc, port aransas, planning, zoning, commission, harbor island, rezoning

Port Aransas Planning & Zoning Commissioners hearing from Port of Corpus Christi member Al Jones

The Port Aransas Planning & Zoning Commission met this afternoon at Port Aransas City Hall and after hearing open comment from its citizens decided to vote for approved and disapproved land uses. In all, approximately 50 people were in attendance, including local news station Kiii-TV 3 as well as a journalist from the Caller Times.

James King, who helped the Texas Land Conservancy acquire Shamrock Island, commented on behalf of all nature lovers out there and it was good to see another long time citizen of this area continuing their efforts to keep Port Aransas’ natural resources alive & beautiful. I hope to speak with him further to see what we can do about getting more sea grass areas designated as Walk, Push, Pole, or Troll areas. We need more of these too!

Back on track, two commentators in attendance are Port of Corpus Christi members and both expressed that they do not want a fractionator installed on Harbor Island either. They DID suggest that negotiations be made between Port Aransas, Port of CC, and Martin Midstream in order to find an agreeable solution and while this is certainly a compromise for the Port of CC, it seems to be only a small offer laid on the table as I am fairly certain the Martin Midstream isn’t in the business of building recreational and eco-tourism sites. Although, that wouldn’t be a bad way for a petroleum conglomerate to give back to nature in a way what it has taken from it.

So, I’ll leave it at that. A counter offer from a Port Aransas citizen to Martin Midstream. Make Harbor Island The Premier Eco-Tourism Center of Texas. Please.

Keep the hooks sharp,  Captain Ken Jones   361-500-2552