Corpusfishing.com

[Prof. Salt]

Lately I've been switching out the usual Z-man paddle tail for a quieter option, trying not to spook those shallow winter redfish. Lately it's the TRD craw and it really seems to work well. Rigged on a worm hook it moves like a tasty shellfish, and when at rest it rears up and raises its claws. Seems perfect for the way I'm fishing.
Friday after the college closed I grabbed the kayak and headed for the flats. It was low tide so getting to the target area was a chore as I pushed through miles of mud and really shallow water, but it was good exercise and I wasn't complaining. When I got to the lake I thought would have some feeding fish, I was a little worried at first because the expanse of water that was usually about a foot deep was now only 3-4" deep. Was it enough, or would all the fish have staged in a deeper channel until the water returned? With winds hovering under 10mph I slowly pushed across the open area looking for wakes or signs on the rippled surface. Half way across the lake I spotted a back crawling towards me. I put the paddle across my lap and slowly drifted toward the fish with rod in hand. The first cast put the bait several feet in front of the approaching fish. As the fish got close it suddenly stopped a foot away from the bait. I gently nudged the bait to create a tiny bit of motion, and the water exploded. The fish's back arched up as he drove down on the bait. It was a thing of beauty with all those bronze scales suddenly visible. The fight was short because all the fish could do was flop around in the lack of water. As I stored the fish inside the hatch, I spotted a second fish heading my way. It took a few minutes to drift over and close the distance, but as luck would have it the fish turned and came right towards me. The craw landed several feet to the fish's right, and it immediately turned that way. I pulled the bait slowly along the mud and had a very similar result. Wow, within two minutes I was one fish short of having a limit! The rest of the lake seemed to be empty, but as I made my way back to the drain I spotted another exposed back of a fish waiting at the ambush point. He knew the game and was waiting for shrimp of minnows to be swept in with the incoming tide. I put the bait beyond him and dragged it slowly back. The fish ran forward as I felt a thump and the fight was on - this time a more proper fight in the channel. This one came aboard and I was ready to get back before darkness closed in. On the way back every channel and drain possible were explored, hoping a few more fish would be feeding, and at one point a channel got so shallow I thought backing out was going to be the only way around. Just before I started to turn around, I spotted a tail ahead, and then a dorsal. The redfish was slowly crawling over the shallow spot, and my cast was closer than I intended. It landed about a foot from the fish and was immediately attacked. This fish was released and I headed for the truck, happy that I had finally figured out how to catch those spooky winter crawlers.
I went back the next afternoon expecting an encore, but the tides were 6" higher and winds were 20-30... even covering 15 miles of water didn't reveal any feeding fish. Sometimes you get lucky and sometimes you just get exercise. I'll take it either way, and those Friday fish really made my weekend.
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[CaptinAcademy]

Awesome as usual!
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Steve-O
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My biggest worry is that my wife (when I'm dead) will sell my fishing gear for what I said I paid for it. ~Koos Brandt

[ziacatcher]

Interesting lure. And nice catch as always.

[TexGator]

Really cool. Looks like a freshwater bass plastic. Nice job.

[Prof. Salt]