Corpusfishing.com

[Prof. Salt]

Friday after work I headed for familiar paddling grounds to look for tailing redfish. The tides lately are crazy high and this is about the only shot I have at sight-casting fish. As I hustled across the bay towards the target flat, the Stealth Fusion was able to stay on the waves generated by the constant wind, and I made 6mph most of the way across. I arrived a bit sweaty, but happy about the speed maintained on the trip. As I entered the flat, water was pouring in at a high rate, meaning the tide was only going to get higher. Oh well, at least moving water would mean active fish. As I made my way to the first likely little area I spotted what I came for. There were a dozen tails working beside a small island (or what was left of it). I had the wind to my side, so I grabbed the 6wt and pushed the fly out towards the tails. It took several casts to get the fly in position where it could sink enough to get noticed, but when it finally got there I gave the fly a couple of short strips. The familiar "thump" was followed by a deep bend in the buggy whip and we were hooked up. At first the fish just ran to the side and I began to take up the remaining line back onto the reel. I don't like fighting fish on fly when there is a pile of loose fly line laying in the cockpit - it's a recipe for trouble. Once I got the loose line back onto the reel, the fish immediately tore off for the far shoreline, stripping off several yards of line and adding grass to the deep bend in the line. The run also reminded me of the "knuckle busting" tendency of a runaway fly reel, and I smiled as my fingers quickly came away from the reel. I fought the fish and could see another set of tails almost in range, and they had no idea my fish was in trouble. I got it into the net and knew right off that it was oversized. I parked it in the footwell and grabbed a spinning rod loaded with a new lure I wanted to try.

The Z-Man Pro Craw is a full sized crawfish imitation, much larger than the little TRD craw I usually toss to the fish. I hoped this one would draw savage reactions from the feeding groups of fish. Redfish tend to hit larger shellfish with a harder strike to shove it all the way back to the crush plate for a quick death which means no injury to the predator. Sure enough, when the bait landed and sank into the melee of tails, one fish thumped it hard and sent the school scattering in all directions. I leaned hard on this fish and got it in after only a couple of runs. It measured 29" on the nose, and was quickly sent back swimming. The first fish measured 30" and I took a few minutes to revive it before the fish tore itself loose from my grip and ran off into the murky water. Two fish down and nothing in the box yet. It was time to be a bit more observant and find some smaller tails. I paddled to a nearby shoreline that offered some protection from the wind, and as I drifted along I scanned the open water looking for any sign of tails. I found them near the end of the piece of shoreline, and angled the boat to put them downwind. Once I got within range I put a foot down to grip the mud and hold the kayak steady. The fly rod was set up and ready, so I fed out some line as the fly ran ahead and behind, getting farther and farther out. As the fly landed beside the group of tails, I stripped to give it some movement and imitate a fleeing shrimp. Nothing. I casted ahead of the group and got ignored again. The fly didn't push much water and with this much feeding, I was going to have to get lucky to have the fly seen. The next cast brought the needed luck, and again the rod bowed over. The fish ran away from the school without disturbing it much. As the tails continued away from me, I worked the fish, gaining line and then losing it again. One of the runs took me down nearly to the backing, but then I quickly got the line back onto the reel as the fish tired. When it came to the net I was hopeful. A quick measurement confirmed that it was just under 28" so into the box it went. I laid the line back in clean loops on the hatch cover and headed back toward the still visible tails. This time I was downwind, and casting a fly into a stiff breeze is not easy while sitting down. I wasn't able to make a clean double-haul to reach the fish, but by quietly moving up, I parked again. This time the tails were only 12 feet ahead and even my weak casting could reach them, lol. I put the fly just ahead of the moving fish near some of the smaller tails and it was noticed right away. There wasn't much surface disturbance, but the other fish quickly disappeared from view. Oh well, I had a fish on and it might just be a keeper. After a few runs it came to the net and measured just under 27". Yeah! A second fish in the box felt like success.

I paddled around looking for another pod of fish, and finally I saw a bird dip low for a few seconds over the surface before flying off to do something else. It was enough to focus my attention, and I finally saw the tails pop back up. I brought the boat upwind and to the side so that the fish could continue on without running into the kayak. My hope was to hook one and then let the school continue to work so I might be able to get a second one from the group. First though I needed to get A fish, so I worked the rod to get line out. When I had enough out, the fly landed amid the tails. Not where I wanted it, but given the stiff breeze it was worth giving it a few strips. There was a hard thump and we were on again, but the other fish broke up and laid down all over the area. As the fish ran, the kayak began to drift in the wind. I bumped one redfish with my boot along the bottom. That fish spooked and bumped a few others and within seconds the entire area around the kayak become a cloud of mud boils. Oh well, that school was done but I turned my attention to the fish at hand. It ran through a patch of grass and developed a big clump on the fly line. I had to wait until the fish was relatively close to lift the line and shake side to side to clear the heavy grass. It did clear, and the fish came to the net. This one too was beyond the slot, so I got a quick photo and sent it back on its way. I paddled around the flat a couple of times looking for more tails but things were quiet. I pulled over and called my son, and he was at home and wanting to go work out at the gym so I headed back across the bay with a couple of great reds on ice, ready to try it again the next day. By the time I got to the launch again I had only paddled 4.5 miles, and I still felt good enough to hit the gym.

Saturday morning we went to the city auction and bought my son a car. We got it for a good price and he was elated to have a decent vehicle. After lunch I headed back to the flats anticipating a busy afternoon. I wasn't planning to hurry, but would stay as long as there were fish. Tides were high still, but the flat that had been so good the previous day was now devoid of tails. I checked another lake and found the same result. I worked bays, lakes and passage ways with no signs of fish. The wind was constant, but that would have been fine if there were some signs of fish. Yes, there were areas where I could have stopped to cast, but I prefer to sight-cast so I kept moving. As I worked through a canal towards another lake I noticed a redfish laying against the flooded grass. It was only three feet away when I saw it, and before I could reach for the rod it had bolted. I continued on and around the corner I saw a little disturbance where a fish had come to the surface against the shoreline. I tossed the Trick Shot bait just ahead of the spot and let it sink before crawling it back. There was a sharp thump but when I tried to set the hook my lure flew back toward me. It was missing the tail and I knew this was an undersized fish. I kept looking through lakes and passages. Finally way back in the maze I spotted a fish coming toward me on the shoreline. As it passed I could see the redfish. It was "maybe" big enough to keep, and I tossed the lure a foot ahead of the fish. It disappeared as it followed the bait down, and I felt it hit. Again, when I set the hook it came back without a fish. I continued on and never saw another fish sign. By the truck I had paddled another 9.5 miles but had nothing to show for it. I got some good exercise and felt pretty good, so the drive home was pleasant. There are a few weeks of October left, and I will find the fish again soon.