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.
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:
Ladies and Gents! To any and all with whom I haven’t spoken in a while, I want to wish you all a Happy New Years, Merry Christmas and HappyThanksgiving! I pray that all has been well with you and yours! It has been quite some time having posted anything so it is certainly time to give everyone a Captains Annual Fishing Update!
Fishing the Fall Run of ’23
Last minute trips can prove to be productive too
The fishing during the fall run of 2023 was pretty great. There were plenty of days to struggle finding fish, but there were quite a few days when we were astonished at having seen so many in one place. The key was finding the niche places that the numbers tend to hold this time of year. Not as many places held decent populations of fish but we pressed on each time, locating fish, getting shots and making catches. That’s just the name of the game in sight fishing with a fly in the salt..
Personal Update from Capt Kenjo
Some of you are aware that I have been planning to take some time off from guiding in order to have some surgeries. Unfortunately these plans have now changed no thanks to some failed handshakes in the healthcare industry. So, back to square 1 in regards to starting this process all over again. If any of you readers have a great spine surgeon referral in Texas please don’t hesitate to share!
As this news goes, the most excellent news is that I get to keep guiding this year! Or at least until I can find another surgeon. Spring is approaching fast. But don’t forget! The captains annual fishing update says, “We are not done with our winter fishing yet!” Next week forecast looks rained out but the last few days of January forecast can been great! And February still has promise too! What is certain right now is that the fish are hungry after this cold front and if we can get out there to hunt them, we will have a good chance trying to feed them if we can adapt!
Last Minute Trips
We all now how it goes, we wake up one morning with no plans to go fishing, look outside, see the blue skies with no wind and say, “Dang it! I should have gone fishing today!” Well, stop right there and give me a call at 7am if you want to hop on the boat for last minute trips typically starting at 9am this time of year! Half day trips are $600 this year. Please note: Payment in full is required for last minute trips and for late night calls! -Capt Kenjo 361-500-2552
The Summer of ’23 is certainly one to remember, with loads of sunshine and fair winds. With prevailing optimism we managed to find redfish many days as well as some individual slot fish cruising around, backing and mudding, floating and crab crushing on the mangrove roots. One lucky angler witnessed a possible world-record speckled trout swim away from us rather calmly. You can ask me on the boat soon about that story!
Some guests got to see some well above average fish too. We even had some blacktip and bull shark action in the flats where many like to wade.
Flounder are best to taste!
One 5ft Bull Shark in particular demonstrated prevailing optimism. While in only 2ft of water it gave us time to change rods (from redfish to jack rod) and as we polled alongside, the Angler hit it on the head 10x with the fly at least. Finally! It ate the fly as it landed across its head right next to its mouth. That shark rolled on it’s side and engulfed the 6/0 jack popper. HA! Perfect hook placement too, even though 50-lb flouro does not stand a chance. The angler was so surprised though that he never set the hook. That is good enough of a game for me! Our optimism is prevailing again!
Optimism
First Timer Joe Sight casting Texas Redfish on Light Tackle
September and October are perfect times to sight fish because we tend to see larger than average redfish on the flats because the spawning age fish begin to move to the inlets to reproduce. We are already seeing a handful of over slot redfish each day when we are working the right areas. Tailing schools of smaller redfish are showing up again too as our tides come up a little. Soon the fall tides will have the fish crawling the edges like crazy! I expect to see a good run of bigger than normal fish this Fall Season! d
Hopefulness
Therefore, have hopefulness! Come get your next fly fishing experience with Kenjo Fly on the saltwater flats of Port Aransas, fly fishing & sight casting Mustang and St Joe islands! Maybe we will even run into schooling bulls, blitzing jacks, blood thirsty sharks, or prehistoric tarpon in the Wild Blue Yonder!
Redfish on foot defeats the wind and wins the prize
That morning everyone at the dock an hour before sunrise was jovial. As we cast off our dock lines in the Port Aransas Harbor for another optimistic day we joked about how the flats are over-run by summer boating crowds.
Sploosh!
Plying the shallow salt waters of Corpus, Redfish and Aransas Bays can be busy. Dreaming big while remembering the rarity of tarpon in our Texas Bays. Laughing a bit more knowing that it was only Thursday.
Do you ever hear that little voice on your shoulder, horns and halos mistaken, telling you its gonna be a great or horrible day, but maybe not? Pay no mind, its just you’re fly guide talking himself out of and into it. Over and over again, he knows that there is a good hunt ahead of us. And he’s got some awesome folks onboard to keep it real and ever so “reary reary” fun!
Neighbors that brushed us off the beaten path to find the road less travelled and behemoths along the way. Thank you!
Aside from the mundane order of events, the first decision of the morning was to abandon all hope and strategy. Throw caution to the wind.
Regardless of our new found fishing buddies we turned our attention to the wide open spaces. What we expected for a summery Thursday sunrise did not come close to what we witnessed. “There, I saw something super big and super fishy.” Off in the distance we could see a fleeting glimpse of dolphin sized activity (excluding the dorsal fins).This was another rarity of tarpon. “Let’s go find out!” we all seemed to say at once. We motored slowly away from the flats hoop-la and setup on what would become one of the best days we had experienced yet.
Splooosh!
“What was that?” someone asked quietly… Then we saw the 12-ft hole in the water just outside of casting range open up. Was it jack crevelle? Was it sharks? Or was it Tarpon? “Naw! Not tarpon in the bay here! That ‘NEVER’ happens!” Our hopes were on the moon. We were sure that we didn’t know exactly what huge fish species was about us. Nonetheless, we suspected all 3.
Quietly shaking, the crew slid their rods out and the guys started prospecting the area. One angler with his 15-lb spin rod hooks a ladyfish on a quick steady retrieve. Then the fly angler gets a nice hit from a good sized skippy. “Hell yeahs” and high-fives were already being exchanged. Quickly the first ladyfish went off the hook. On releasing the second ladyfish a 5ft bull shark swims up from depths and nails the ladyfish! SPLOOOSH!!!
Glamorous Ladyfish Skipjack on the Fly
Now our nerves were on fire and the guys started stuttering their “holly hell” gibberish. As any good guide knows, this is time to keep the boat calm and get back to fishing… Out comes the another tarpon leader. And another ladyfish hits the gunnels. There! A fin! Is that tarpon?” someone whispers stressfully. Yes, and then, we hookup another ladyfish on the fly, and just as we are landing it, the spin angler’s jig gets hammered boat-side just out of sight.
SPLOOOOSH!!!
A giant 12-15ft hole in the water just opened up next to the skiff. “TARPON!” we all yelled! Water sprayed all over the crew as the reel started screaming. I look over and the shimano spin reel was getting smoked! Captain laid a waypoint, cranked the engine to give chase. The beast fought us for 5 minutes peeling line hardly giving any back. Over a half mile we followed, helpless with the tiny flats pole.
Shortly after it turned and ran right for us. When it came tight one last time, it shook out the hook. That folks, is all about the rarity of tarpon. Even if you get a chance, there is a better chance to loose. But, in doing so, we win, because we cannot give up!
Now, this story may seem impossible. Some even consider it to be embellished. But you can be sure it happened. Right here in Port Aransas Texas!
Bent by a Blacktip Shark Port Aransas Texas
It was a fleeting chance to strategically work tarpon in the bay, not just see one, but we got to work them for quite some time. This is just another story of the rarity of tarpon.
There is also far more to the story, much detail was left out to save the author and readership time. It would be better spent on the skiff, hunting whatever sea creature we may encounter next!
Many thanks to the Port Aransas Chamber of Commerce for choosing me as their Partner of the Week last July. It has been a pleasure to have been a member for 10 years and their contribution to our tourism in Port Aransas is no doubt, Great!
Kenjo Fly Fishing Charters made Partner of the Week in July ’23 in Port Aransas Texas
An experience on the water with Capt Kenjo is full of useful information about this flora fauna as well as the history this area has to offer.
Texas Fog rolls in off the gulf during warm fronts in the Winter. Along the Texas Coast, muddy drum can be found in various areas when deep water meets shallow oyster beds. In winter the southerly warm fronts jockey for position with the cold Northers, the fog sets in. It can stay for a few days. not to worry though, clear water and solid cloud cover still lets us sight-fish from the skiff!
Tough to Beat, Andrews first redfish ever was so big! Congrats Colorado!
There are still dates in Jan Feb open so pick your day quickly and prepare for either blue and grey skies! The fishing in Winter is some of the best of the year!
The Texas Fog
On those foggy days when the water is chilly, redfish and black drum will float on the surface warming themselves. When they do fish are usually easily visible even though there is low light and you will get shots at your fish.
When the fog stays put all day, sight fishing can still work out well. While the water may be cool (44 degrees F in some cases) muddy drum in Texas Fog can be very productive.
Sometimes we got to use the boots to get through a stretch where the fish are lurking and these Simms boots stay in the boat 24/7 for just that reason.
Top Slot belly crawler
on and off 6 times in one day
Upper Slot Port Aransas Bad Weather Redfish
The solution is simple and the trick is to not look out too far from the boat. Anglers need to only scan 10-30ft from the boat. Many Anglers are surprised when they realize they can see that upper-slot redfish or oversized black drum only 10ft away. Calm casts with minimal body movement is necessary. You will want to be able to present the fly to such a close fish without spooking it.
Catching a giant Black drum on the fly can be your best chances in winter on the Texas Coast!
Some days the giant black drum don’t want to eat as seen in the drone videos. But on other days, the eat the fly like a champ! Do you want to hook into and hug a Big Ugly black drum? Winter-time can be the best time to have chances at big redfish and black drum!
Fly Fishing fleet week was at its best recently. All other anglers were also very kind. Uncommonly we fished in the fleet as “easy” catching was too good to pass up. Several of our Guest Anglers capitalized on the action while it lasted! Many thanks to the friendly local bay guides who invited us to fish the same area. Sharing the tight space kindly brought tons of laughs for everyone.
Only Fly
Stroll out of the marina early morning in Port Aransas. In order to peak the anglers curiosity before joining the fleet, fabled stories of yesterday floated across new ears.
Only minutes later, Captain Kenjo eased the fly fishing skiff off plane and jumped onto the platform with manual pole power. He asked the guests of the day if they would like to try to catch the schooling redfish for some “fleet week fly fishing”. They of course respond with a definitive, “Yes”!
Hands on for guests John & Scott and they wore themselves out early!
The skiff slid silently into position as we flanked the fleet of 20 bay boats. Intermediate lines let us help the fly sink deep. Then only a few strips were needed to get the bite and set the hook.
We caught and released close to a dozen mid to upper slot Texas redfish. Our anglers were worn out quick! Next, we move on to another place with less boat wakes to take in the serenity of the Texas marsh before the next isolated storm pushed us off the water. You know it too though, fly fishing the Texas Gulf Coast always has its adventures!
There many ways to fish the saltwater. I was happy to see respect from the other bay guides and recreational anglers in such a situation. We are all from around Port Aransas, Rockport, Corpus, and Aransas Pass areas. Happily, everyone was sharing the space and the redfish too. Courtesy on the water certainly is the best way to go.
Despite fishing among so many boats we had tons of fun fishing the fleets for a few days. Mostly we focus on isolated areas of the San Jose, Mustang Island marshes. This time exceptions had to be made.
Fall is in the air in Port Aransas Texas with the light northerly winds cooling off our waters and the October Redfish are responding well. The tides are shaping up nicely now while the redfish begin to move into the shallows in much more favorable numbers. There are still some dates available to fly fish for October Redfish! Call NOW to get on the Books with Capt Kenjo (361) 500-2552
First Redfish on the Fly
This time of year brings about so many beautiful colors in the marsh. The blue in a redfish tail comes from the blue-green algae in their diet. There are also some larger fish in the pods too and as we encounter more schooling pumpkin redfish you will want to look closely for the larger fish. The last few we spied that were top slot reds were on on the edges of the school of under slot redfish. A well placed cast for tailing red drum is still important when the fish are in pods or tailing. Using a clean and soft gentle cast will be sure to keep from spooking the tailing redfish. Rockport and Corpus Christi guests can also be accommodated easily!
Pumpkin Time!
If you are novice to fly fishing the saltwater, you can easily book a fly casting lesson. Prior to your trip book the casting lesson in order to get your cast in shape before your trip! Book your Fly Casting Lesson HERE!
Do not hesitate to book your next fly fishing trip with Kenjo Fly for October Redfish! To book your fly fishing trip simply give Capt Kenjo a call NOW. 361 500-2552. Or pick a trip through the online calendar at your convenience and book online. BUT DONT MISS OUT! This fall fly fishing season is already excellent shape and underway, making way!
Fly Fishing the Texas Coast in the Fall is an amazing time. Recent offshore rains have really gotten the fish in the bays feeding aggressively. We are experiencing some of the most awesome eats from redfish in the shallows now, thanks to the cooling effect of the rain!
12yo Ella getting to play tug o’ war with some Texas redfish
Olive green crabs in size 2 and 4 are working well and small 2inch shrimp patterns in black/chartreuse or copper/tan color combos also working well. During low light conditions, we put on our Smith Optics Igniter Lenses to really turn the lights on.
In the low light conditions
We will adapt our strategies in the low light conditions by shortening the leader to 6ft. And use a larger 1/0 unweighted fly like crab or mullet imitations. These flies will usually have brighter colors like chartreuse green or red/white. This is so that the angler can see the fly better and the fish can also see the flies from a greater distance. Keeping our casts short and precise can make all the difference in the game. Topwater bites are also on the rise. During early morning hours and continue into the day if cloud cover and wind persist.
Creepin the skiff through dead mangrove sloughs in low light conditions. You can bet we used Smith’s low light Igniter lenses!
On random days in the fall the wind may persist. And so we need to stay prepared to adapt our strategies even more and hop out of the boat for a quick wade in the “Longest Mile”.
September dates are available NOW! Use the Book Now button to view availability. More and more red drum, speckled trout, and black drum are going to be pushing up into the shallows. You should be there to get in the action!
Wade fishing Texas middle coast can make this drum your 4th fish in your Grand Slam (redfish, trout, flounder to round it out)
We got to slow down and smell the fish recently. This day did not disappoint. We had a lot of shots at fish like this surprisingly and we caught one each…
This big black drum was one that got the hook. It is quite a cumbersome ordeal to wrangle these big lethargic drum to hand. Oftentimes though, I too have to remind myself to slow down and smell the fish. Unfortunately these fish don’t smell like roses but the principal goes further than just enjoying the moment as the saying implies.
Wade fish the Texas Marsh to Slow down
It has its merits, and during the right time of year you could even land a grand slam of redfish, black drum, flounder, and trout on the fly or spinning tackle. Slow down and smell the fish is not all that bad of an idea if you’re a keen outdoorsman.
Texas Coast wade fishing provides the low and slow angles needed to put flounder in hand
Certain bait species produce slicks and or oily residue on the surface of the water which can unique scents. When mullet are concentrated and being fed heavily upon, the wind will waft the odors of the mullet downwind and if you have a sharp nose, you can pickup on some of these locations. The menhaden and speckled trout are also two of the sweeter smelling odors. Some even say the trout slicks will smell like watermelon! Have you ever experienced the watermelon smells on the water?
Dates available for September, October and November!
You can book a trip now by calling Capt Kenjo direct at 361-500-2552, or shoot him a text message with your name and preferred fishing date and/or send an email ASAP…
Fly fishing for redfish near Rockport Texas
OR… simply use the blue button below for express and convenient booking! Then don’t forget to slow down and smell the fish!
