Corpusfishing.com

[Prof. Salt]

I knew that to find fish on the 4th of July I would need to paddle away from others and find quiet waters - so that's what I did. On Friday I only paddled 8 miles, but I fished a few areas nobody else bothered to explore. The only problem that morning (aside form the incessant wind and limited visibility that results) was that fish were mostly too big to keep. My first fish was kind of cheating. At first light I began to ease along some reeds, and as the nose of my kayak went over a red it spooked off to the side. I pitched the bait ahead of the wake, and the fish ate it. This fish measured 27.5" and would be the only slot fish of the day. After that I slowed down and watched more carefully for signs of fish. I spooked one fish when the lure landed right on top of it (the wind does not make things easy). After that first shoreline I paddled back into a small creek to explore a couple of lakes since it was high tide. The lakes were choppy but offered quite a bit of protected shoreline. In the first lake I only found one good fish. It was creeping along the shoreline with the tip of its tail breaking the surface here and there. That faint sign was enough, and I timed the cast to hit the water at a small point just ahead of the approaching fish. It lurched ahead and I tightened the line using the visual rather than waiting for the pull on the line. The lure came flying back toward the kayak as the fish disappeared into slightly deeper water and it stayed out of sight. Oh well, I continued on my search.

The second lake was a different ball game. As I entered the shallows, a large fish spooked from under the nose of the boat. I slowed down and began intently watching the nearby shoreline for faint signs. As I approached a corner, I heard a blowup, and as I crept around the corner I could see the tail and back of a large fish pacing back and forth across the small opening that lead to a larger lake. I sat and waited for the right opportunity for what seemed like forever. The fish circled out of range but then came back. As it got near the spot where I had heard the blowup, I put the bait right beside the shoreline and ahead of the fish. The eat was aggressive and loud, and the fish tore out into open water while the reel cried in that clean muted metallic hum of the tiny Vanford drag. Vanford is a great reel, but in the 1000 size, there isn't a lot of line or drag surface to stop oversized fish. The shallow water helped a lot, limiting the force that the fish could apply against me. After several good runs I managed to get the fish into the opening where the kayak was sitting. At 31" this fatty was obviously too large to keep, but the smile on my face stayed around for a while. This was good stuff! The fish was released and before even clearing that spot I spotted another fish farther down the shore. It was also hunting with its back out of the water, so I took my time and snuck within range. The winds were ripping but the water was calm below the blocking wall of reeds, but my casts were above the calm air, so it took me a few casts to get close enough to get the right kind of attention. I was being careful to cast where any wind deviation would keep me from spooking the fish, and it worked (eventually). When the fish saw the bait, it crushed the lure and we danced in the water and mud. This fish measured 29 and change, so it was also released. I worked the rest of the shoreline and then as I prepared to leave the lake, I realized that there was another cove off to the side through a very narrow opening. I had missed it on the way in because I was distracted by the first fish. This cove had several fish working the edges, and as I approached the first visible fish, another popped up closer and well inside of casting range. A gently flip of the rod sent the bait out in front of the fish, and it rushed in to grab the bait. Again, I rushed the process and pulled the bait away from the fish. As it turned I could see my excuse - this was a lower slot fish and didn't have the suction to pull the bait inside the mouth the way the larger fish can. A second cast landed in a good spot, but the fish was aware that something was off, and it darted away right towards the other fish, spooking it too. I returned to the truck by 10:00am after only eight miles, but the crowds out in the open water were out and moving. I was ready to clear out and try again in the morning.

Saturday I got there early and nobody else was at the launch yet. I unloaded and began the long paddle across the bay to my hidden gems. The plan was to try those same lakes again, and then to move into another lake system before finishing the day in a larger lake that others would be in early. I hoped that by the time I got there at the last spot that the public would have come and gone, leaving it quiet and with some fish activity. The first two lakes gave up no fish despite my slow and methodical search. It appeared that the fish just weren't feeding this morning. I worked carefully, aware that things can change in an instant for the better, but the change never materialized. I ventured over to the alligator lake, working around a load of fishermen at the entrance. That lake had a few fish in the open water, but I wasn't wanting to chase wakes - I wanted a few fish hunting prey where I could turn the tables on them. This lake didn't pay off, and I knew all my eggs were now in one basket. That last lake system needed to have fish, so I paddled across to that shoreline. As I got close I planned to work the outside shoreline because it would offer a bit of protection from the wind. Unfortunately as I worked open water towards the shore a powerboat motored over and set up where I was hoping to begin. As I got closer I could see a small creek entrance a few hundred feet from the now anchored boat. I crept past keeping a respectful distance and disappeared into the creek. This was a new area to me, but I had faith it would eventually lead to one of the lakes with which I was more familiar. Some of the passage ways were only wide enough for the kayak, so I "paddled" on the grass to get through. In one tight spot where I was not expecting to find fish, I saw a violent boil ahead on the shoreline and a big fish circled away and then back around to see if any other victims where now swimming for cover. My cast was quick and on target for once, and the fish ate without hesitation. The drag made a quick cry as the fish darted away, and then it turned and ran right towards me. Thankfully there was a bit of space beside the kayak, and the fish ran right past/beneath me as it continued quickly in the wrong direction. I could not turn around, and I began to paddle on the grass to back up. The fish was not slowing down, and it rounded the corner into a larger area with my braid tangling dangerously in the grass. I finally got turned around to chase, and as I got to the corner and freed the braid, my fish was about 40 yards away thrashing in the shallow water. I brought the fish close half a dozen times before getting it into the net. At 33" it was the largest shallow red I had landed in quite a while, and I was impressed with the little spinning reel's ability. I worked the fish for a minute or two before it gathered strength to swim off strong. I checked the map on my phone and figured out how to get the kayak into familiar territory, and after a few minutes I was back where I recognized the twists and turns of the lakes.

As I made my way along, I kept watching all the shorelines but knew that my best bet was going to be the distant end of the largest lake, where the advancing tides would certainly have nice reds hunting. It was another mile getting to that area, but I began to find fish again. One was a clean tail and dorsal fin, but the fish was obviously small. I like a challenge, so I waited for the right moment to deliver the bait. When the fish turned toward the shore, I put the bait up shallow and began to drag deeper. The little fish slapped the lure and I gave it a half second to make sure the hook could find some purchase. The little fish fought all the way around the kayak and then came in for a quick photo. This was the smallest red in a long time, but as with all the others it was fun and worth the effort. I pushed on and finally approached the end of the big lake - and I found a big fish crawling on a point, out of the winds. After a few attempts the wind slacked off for a second and I got the bait where it needed to land. The prowling fish hit the brakes to listen. A slow steady creep confirmed for the fish that a snack was there, and it advanced and smashed the lure. This one felt more like a slot fish but when it came aboard, the ruler confirmed it was an inch beyond the slot. It was released and the search continued farther into the cul-de-sac. I saw a pair of fish working at the back, and after a long and slow approach of pushing the kayak through the sticky mud I got as close as I dared. I sat for a minute watching them work back and forth, coming closer and then farther away. Finally one of them came within my confident range and the first cast was good enough. The fish turned to investigate, and then thumped the bait hard. This one measured 30" and was again too much redfish to keep. I continued to investigate every protected section of shoreline as I circled the large lake. I could see that a powerboat had come into the top of the lake, and I worked across to stay farther from them as I passed by. Eventually I got past and returned to the open bay. It was choppy and windy, but having deep water to paddle was so much easier than shoving the boat through mud, and the long paddle into the wind and across the bay felt nice. I made it back to the truck by noon, and after filleting fish I was ready to head home and grab a nap.