Tag Archives: redfish

Hannah Storm Effect

Hurricane Hanna Port Aransas Corpus Rockport Fly Fishing texas coast gulf flood wind speed redfish drum black sea trout madre laguna — Radar Image

Hurricane Hannah (Cat 1) is making its way onshore now. From August 24 2017 to today’s date, July 25 2020, its been 3 years and 1 day between Hurricane Harvey and now this storm, Hurricane Hanna. Looking at it on a map overlay is always impressive. Its breadth is classic for Gulf Storms, broad and widespread. Its good to finally get some rain down this way too!

Post Hurricane Harvey Redfish Shrimp Fly Port Aransas Corpus Rockport Fly Fishing texas coast gulf flood wind speed redfish drum black sea trout madre laguna — Post Harvey Red Drum

In Port Aransas so far, in my observations using the Aransas Tower (weather station), gusts up to 45kts have been measured and water levels are almost at 4ft over sea sevel… Our coastal area ecologically will benefit from a natural event like this. It will in effect, give our bay and coastlines a nice refresh and possibly help restore some seagrass beds in the lower portions of the coast. Nonetheless, for all our area, once the weather stabilizes again for a few days or up to a week or two, the fishing should be outstanding like after Hurricane Harvey was. It did take some time then but it wasn’t all that long and the fish were chewing on everything!

fiddler crabs, flies, slatwater, texas, port, aransas, corpus, christi, rockport, laguna madre, real, fly fishing, — In Living Color – Fiddler crabs display pastel colors

The was some insanely great fly fishing done after Harvey. Once they finally turned on it was non-stop action. The redfish were absolutely gluttonous after the weather finally settled and ate voraciously on every cast for quite a while! These fish showed obvious signs of gorging themselves. Their bellies were so full! Even the scales on their bellies showed obvious sign of stretching! I can hardly wait to get back on the water, but now is the time to prep for the next few weeks/months of heavy fishing!

Ya’ll get on the books now for August and pick some more dates in September October and November too while your at it! Jacks and Tarpon are still on the list, we just need very special conditions to chase them. If we cant hunt them where they live because its too rough, we will default to the bay where we can sight-fish redfish black drum and speckled trout. The next few months should prove to be a whole lot of excellent sight fishing to be done in the coming months! Call Capt Kenjo direct at 361-500-2552 or just hit the Book Now button in the top right corner of the page!

The Perfect Times

sheepshead, goat, fly, rod, fishing, rl, winston, bull, red, drum, fish, guide, trips, charters, texas, gulf, coast, mexico, beavertail, hatch, outdoors, airflo, smith, optics, trout, hunter, tippet, leader, spool, — MEGA Sheepshead on Fly (Tom is 6 foot 4 inches tall)

Oftentimes, I get asked, “What tides are best? What are your favorite water temps? What is your favorite time of year to fish?” And I always tell them, “Right NOW!” (they’re usually already on the boat with me) and that is true for several reasons. Now is your time to fish, Now is the time you have put aside to do some fly fishing, and NOW is where we are, doing what we are doing! The best time to go fishing is when you have given yourself the time… Why not learn something new about how to find and catch fish during whatever time and weather conditions you get for the day? Why not learn how to cast better? Why not learn some trick casts for catching those more “difficult” fish? Why not enjoy the moment and the experience and the serenity that you are really looking for? And conversely, Why do most people want that “film tour” type of day and only book if you promise them the stairway to heaven, mecca?

Hell, I have been fly fishing personally for 26 years exclusively and guiding many fine people for 10 years in saltwater. Even still, I too dream of those “cherry days” when the fish just hook up on every cast or those days when you get multiple shots (or even one shot) at a trophy or “personal best” fish. You know how every single awesome fishing story starts with, “You should have been here yesterday”… but I always have thought to myself and tell everyone, “Yesterday could be your tomorrow and you better be there [tomorrow]!!!” How many times is the weatherman wrong? What do they know about fishing anyways?

sea,mustard, mouth, speckled, trout, speck, gator, fang, fly, rod, fishing, rl, winston, bull, red, drum, fish, guide, trips, charters, texas, gulf, coast, mexico, beavertail, hatch, outdoors, airflo, smith, optics, trout, hunter, tippet, leader, spool, — Fangs for Days Yellow Mouth Speckled Trout

While I guide folks in all sorts of environment variables with all levels of skill and abilities, as your guide I certainly work my butt off starting early and/or finishing late just trying to use what assets you brought to the boat so I can show you the fish you want to hunt and if Lady Luck is on our side and you can keep Murphy from jumping on your back, then we will get to play hooky with some of the coolest fish the Texas Coast has to offer.

Our water temps are just now getting into the PRIME RANGE, and while the onset of the next cold front might chill the water a bit the fish still have to eat. The bluebird skies forecast after this next front are looking fabulous and consecutive. Massive amounts of redfish, trout, drum and sheepshead are going to blitz the shallows all thru next week. Give me a call direct or book anything online using the button below! I look forward to exercising your fly fishing skills and stretching you to be the best you can be for the day with me. Certainly, I will do everything humanly possibly to get you the “fish of your life”! Every cast counts, every opportunity can be seized even in tough conditions unless you stay on the couch watching the weather all pissed off because it was foggy or windy or cloudy.

BOOK NOW

fly, rod, fishing, rl, winston, bull, red, drum, fish, guide, trips, charters, texas, gulf, coast, mexico, beavertail, hatch, outdoors, airflo, smith, optics, trout, hunter, tippet, leader, spool, — We catch them well in low-light conditions too!

Early Season Redfish on the Texas Coast

red, drum, fly, fishing, texas, coast, gulf, mexico, dark, stormy, guide, trips, charters, beavertail, skiff, rl winston, rods, airflo, simms, hatch, outdoors, conservation, protect, port, aransas, pa, boron, plus, smith, optics, — Tailing Redfish in February

Winter hardly slows down these redfish and now that duck season is over and February is upon us the water temps are rising steadily again. There is great potential this time of year to see loads of redfish, drum and even some BIG trout in the shallows. They could be daisy-chaining along main shorelines or in lard wide schools whoppin’ and poppin’! Usually a day or two after a cold front the water and fish are back in action and even on cloudy days many redfish can be caught on the fly using sight casting and stalking techniques on foot as well as from the skiff.

simms, zipit, flats, booties, fly, fishing, beavertail, skiff, texas, gulf, coast, mexico, port, aransas, hatch, outdoors, airflo, lines, rl, winston, rod — Ready to Wet Wade the Texas Coast

red, drum, fly, fishing, saltwater, flats, texas, gulf, coast, mexico, guide, charters, skiff, boat, hatch, outdoors, airflo, tropical punch, winston, rod, company, lines, alpha, plus, r.l., beavertail, yamaha, f70, winston, fly, fishing, trips — 7 spot redfish

The forthcoming weeks of February (including March) are going to see some of the best fly fishing action the coast can offer. Tailing and cruising redfish can be expected and there are good chances to see redfish schools that rival the summer groups. We wet wade often times this time of year in 65-75F water temps to deal with a little bit of wind and or grey skies. This lets us get so very close to the fish that you cant miss them feeding right at your feet! Call Capt Kenjo direct @ 361-500-2552 or simply Book Online at your leisure! It is sure we will have a good time, you will learn many new things and become a better fly angler overall, and if you are nice to the fish, many of them will come out to play! We are still seeing lots of Whooping Cranes and Sandhill Cranes for those who love all types of wildlife.

Book Now

whooping, cranes, fly, fishing, port, aransas, st, josephs, beavertail, texas, gulf, coast, mexico, island, skiff, hatch, outdoors, airflo, lines, smith, optics, rl, winston, — A pair of Whooping Cranes feed along the shores of the barrier islands along the great Texas Coast.

Drain Games – The Texas Fall Redfish Run

Book Now

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

Book Now

Summer Summaries

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

redfish, fly, fishing, guide, charter, beavertail, simms, hatch, outdoors, airflo, skiffs, flats, saltwater, winston, rods, fly, line, company, sage, flies, red, drum, black drum, trout, speckled, sea, port, aransas, texas, corpus, christi, marsh, spartina, grass, protected, whooping cranes, sandhill, birds, tour, eco, laguna, madre, poc, conner, airflo, tropical, punch, sage, rod, abel, reel, drum, guide, charters, trout, sea, speck, speckled, red, black, trip, things to do, adventure, multi-day, tail, tailing, tailers, pods, school, sage, fly, rod, beavertail, skiff, flats, saltwater, fishing, tailwaters — Matt enjoying some tailing redfish pods

The Summer fly fishing program on the Texas Coast has been reliable to say the least. Early summer saw many pods of tailing redfish early morning with many shots at pods of jack crevalle averaging 30lbs.

Once the water in the bay got too warm the bait flushed and the jacks moved with them to the deeper cooler channels.

Quite a few fish came to hand this season and once we were in full swing we were finding them every day. Pods of redfish were targeted and single cruising fish were also welcomed targets.

Some cool fish also moved into the neighborhood, and some had the pleasure to observe a 4ft Bullshark in the bay as well as some 3-5 foot Alligator gar. Even saw another 4 foot alligator gar yesterday.

Some even got to take shots at some very large redfish but for some people, the pressure is insurmountable in those moments and things dont always go as imagined or planned and some lucky others also caught some fine specimens. This is how experience is gained and this is how it is earned as an angler.

It is how, eventually, you become able to “in the heat of the moment” to be still, move slowly and calmly make a deliberately well-presented cast to the fish of your dreams.

For others, until you have dropped your pants on accident enough times, Murphy seems to be there, even when your guide can remain calm. Jimi Hendrix didnt write “Are you educated”, he wrote, “Are you Experienced”.

Many thanks to all who fished with me this summer! You all make experiencing my dreams a reality. Stay ready though, the fall run is right around the corner and should be even better than last year!

Book Now

Summer Jacks Explode

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.

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!

BOOK NOW

Spring has sprung

redfish, fly, fishing, port, aransas, texas, corpus, christi, marsh, spartina, grass, protected, whooping cranes, sandhill, birds, tour, eco, laguna, madre, poc, conner, abaco lodge, airflo, tropical, punch, sage, rod, everglades, reel — Wade fishing Toads

Forget the forecast! Don’t jinx yourselves by looking at it 10 thousand times! We will make adjustments as necessary and ON THE FLY!

The redfish are doing what they do best! Eating, tailing at the right times and bustin up schools of bait even. We snuck into an isolated pond on foot to see what was going on there and we were able to stalk this fine top-slot red drum in sock deep water. The trout are also showing up in more places and we even lost a giant trout last week boatside. We were crushed (I am still aching from it and currently sourcing a proper net for future chances) but hey, we got a big fish story of the “one” that got away! The angler fought her well and I was able to leader the fish 3 times at the gunnels but she had made a surge under and behind the boat and it seems like she got a nick on the leader and that massive trout broke off! We went on to land some smaller trout but oulala, that one I wont even try to give a size estimate, no-one would believe it anyways. Those that do know me, know that I don’t mis-estimate fish sizes… I am usually always within an inch, plus or minus.

SO…. Get your game on! Give me a call ASAP and book your Spring Sunrise Fly Fishing trip. today! Solo anglers allows for wet wade fishing opportunities to stalk tailing redfish on foot.

Book Now

Capt Ken Jones , Port Aransas Texas , 361-500-2552

Formative Submarines

As we gaze downwind on a low tide deep edge of the flat the light is just right enough to see a daisy chain of potholes that goes for a mile. Each sandy hole varies in size and shape and connects with a tiny artery of sand, breaking the grass patches into large chunks… We park at the head of this “run” (a river term) staring far and deep into the water beyond where good definition can be seen… And then, as if it was a clock striking a bell, the huge fleet of dark submarine redfish approach in formation. Evenly spaced 2 ft apart, shoulder to shoulder and head to tail, their encroachment on our position forced time to stand still… We wait patiently and time our casts well, allowing them to get within comfortable casting range and we lob out our heavily weighted crab flies, touch bottom and come tight on the first long strip… Over and over, for several hours, these waves of classy redfish continue to push past us at regular intervals and we nail them on each wave.

fly fishing, texas, port aransas, redfish, drum, corpus christi, beavertail skiffs, simms fishing, hatch outdoors, tfo fly rods, winter, power pole, guide, charters, — Big Crab Eatin Redfish

This is the time of year when we find long continuous daisy chains of redfish and drum from a fixed position. In key locations at specific times, these strings of fish can stroll past us for hours on end. It is some of my favorite fishing of all the year!

Around the same time, we got to shoot a redfish while a whooping crane feeds in the background ahead of us. Don spotted a redfish at practically point blank range and lays out a perfect cast, retrieve and hookup. Watch the video below. Please excuse the lack of editing and the video’s rotation…

Winter Weather Windows

Happy 2019 Ladies and Gentlemen! This season is expected to be better than ever in so many ways! A great looking weather window is opening up this week too and February is PRIME! So clear your schedules… and the easiest way to do that is just take your arm, outstretched, and place it on the side of your desk… Then, swipe left or right to knock everything on the floor! Get up and get on the phone with me and haul ass on down here to Port Aransas for some fun in the sun to do some technical sight casting for Texas red drum and trout!

fly fishing, sight, casting, blue crab, fly, port aransas, texas, sage, salt hd, beavertail, redfish, drum, bay, airflo, saltwater, guide, rockport, corpus christi — Bluebird Texas Winter Fly Fishing

This coming Thursday-Sunday (January 24-27) are looking golden in the forecast with a warming trend leading up to these days and I am expecting to see some excellent movement of fish up onto the flats. Call NOW or BOOK ONLINE to get on board for some prime winter sight-casting redfish on the fly!

fly fishing, sight, casting, blue crab, fly, port aransas, texas, sage, salt hd, beavertail, redfish, drum, bay, airflo, saltwater, guide, rockport, speckled, trout, corpus christi — Last Cast Bonus Trout after whacking redfish all day

The outlook for 2019 has never been more optimistic to become another banner year fly fishing the middle Texas Coast for redfish, speckled trout and drum. The bait is abundant, the water quality is excellent and the weather is looking fantastic!

February is by far one of my favorite months to sight cast large redfish in strong number. The winds usually lay down before the gale’s of March roll in.

Stay tuned as I will be posting a list of prime dates for the year and it is beneficial to choose from these dates as quickly as possible.

Fly Fishing Texas Winters

redfish, marsh, fly fishing, red, drum, crab, texas, coast, guide, charters, fly, fishing, port aransas, catch & release, hatch, outdoors, beavertail, corpus, christi, skiff, life, aransas, pass, rockport, airflo, lines,

Personal Best Redfish for Mrs. Amy!

As fall leads us into winter, the redfish along the Texas Middle Coast have responded rather well. Dates in early December are still open and there are plenty more blue bird days to come! Book NOW! Call Capt Kenjo @ 361-500-2552 or email: ken@kenjofly.com

Now also accepting bookings for early 2019 (January/February/March) so if you have some bearings on your plans get on the horn and give me a shout! There are loads of fish in the mud through the winter and they tend to run on the larger than average size scale.

Bruce is 6’5″ tall… Makes this 29.25 inch redfish look small… No Justice!

If you live within reasonable striking distance, this is your time of year to just watch for weather windows and be ready to Strike! The days with bluebird skies tend to string together and usually by the second day of clear skies the fish are going nuts eating everything in sight! Those days will book up quick so I added a 10-day forecast link at the bottom of this page and one the homepage.

wadefishing, redfish, marsh, fly fishing, red, drum, crab, texas, coast, guide, charters, fly, fishing, port aransas, catch & release, hatch, outdoors, beavertail, corpus, christi, aransas, pass, rockport, airflo, lines,

Had to take a walk into that back-pond to retrieve this redfish for Ms. Willa

There have been many days of excellent numbers of redfish to work with and a few days where we had to look harder.

Blind Casted 25inch Red Drum

But we pretty much always find the fish even in overcast conditions! One day in particular we were covered up with big trout and we could see them good, if you know what you were looking for…

27.25 inches and still growing!

We had to work through shit-tons of kinks, then, just let it fly and John got a decent speck to hand before the bite was all over.

Other days we caught them over flooded cow paddies and ambushed them in the cattle trails. The falling tides from early fall drained rather quickly and during that time the fish were everywhere.

Happy Fish

Then we found them working in the back mud lakes around loads of shell. You have to time the tides right and know your water pockets very thoroughly or you didnt see any fish.

Bounty of Colors

Other days we caught alot of pumpkins, some floating and others cruising. On those early fall calm days the fish might have seemed spooky but really they just wanted super light-weight shrimp flies and dry fly casts and presentations. If you loose your zen while casting it was sure the fish was gone. Surprisingly a lot of fish settled down only a few feet away and let you get another chance at fooling them

Bruce is 6’5″ tall… Makes this 29.25 inch redfish look small… No Justice!

There are always moments when fishing from a skiff that fish pop-up in close ranges and sometimes even underneath your feet or opn the right side of the boat but with proper technique going from a locked and loaded position, many folks have been able

Best SLOW-MO eat from a redfish ever!

to catch those redfish only 5 ft away with a 9ft rod and 9ft leader! And I gotta say, I truly love the quick draw redfish bites! Those moments are excellent trainers for keeping your shit together!

On the days with the coldest water temps the fish were biting flies but you had to feed them seriously slow.

Holding Red

This guy ALWAYS gets his Redfish!

And these guys are sure to have had a good time, they can fish in the thick and thin, dark and stormy skies or calm bluebirds. If the winds are howling they just howl louder and then punch out a 60ft cast to put it in front of a voracious redfish!

Sunrise School

CALL NOW< BOOK ONLINE< GOOD WEATHER IS IN THE FORECAST!!!

Capt Kenjo 361-500-2552

Kenjo Fly Fishing Charters

Texas Saltwater Flats Fishing Charters

Tag Archives: redfish

Hannah Storm Effect

The Perfect Times

Early Season Redfish on the Texas Coast

Drain Games – The Texas Fall Redfish Run

Summer Summaries

Summer Jacks Explode

Spring has sprung

Formative Submarines

Winter Weather Windows

Fly Fishing Texas Winters