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Well, this was a typical after the full moon weekend. You couldn't have asked for better weather, but the fish really didn't cooperate at all. Started both days right where we had been catching really good trout, in good numbers on top waters. Sunday, parked the boat right up next to a shallow sand flat with tons of tide flowing across it. We got out of the boat and started throwing Spooks and Spook Jr. There were literally millions of one inch glass minnows washing over the flat, with probably 100 gulls and terns picking at them. had to walk away from the small bait to get a bite. Walking the edge of a chest deep gut, finally started seeing the pods od mullet, and getting some good blow ups. It didn't last long, but we hooked and lost 7 trout in about an hour. They weren't really trying to get the lure in their mouths, and they all managed to shake the hooks duting the fight or when trying to grab them. Would have been a good day to carry a wading net....
Moved down to some shallow shorelines, after two more stops in the general area and more of the same missed blow ups. We only saw a handfull of reds, and couldn't get them to take a fly. Made 3 moves, and finally ended up catching two rats.
Day 2, same general area, this time up on a shallow flat where the ripping tides were slowed sllightly. Got out of the boat in a huge raft of mullet, with several fresh slicks rolling off. First cast yielded a small trout, yeah finally got one on the stringer. We walked around huge pods of mullet, glass minnow, and some small shad. Had quite a few blow ups, only ended up landing 5 trout, with only 3 that kept. These fish aren't the same school that was in the area earlier in the week!!! My customer Mike, did have one very good fish on, that was pulling drag. Unfortunately, it broke one of the hooks on the spook jr.
We made a few moves around to look at other flats, with a few more blow ups, but no more landed. Saw a very healthy shark killing trout and mullet out in the middle of one of my favorite flats. With the slicks easing up and the bait laying down, it was off to accomplish the redfish on fly trick. We hit the first grass flat, that is fairly isolated and didn't have a boat anywhere near it. As we walked up towards the shoreline, we saw her. She was tailing happily. By the time we got within casting range, she had dissapeared. I had a few blow ups, while walking ahead looking for the next fish for Mike to cast at, but quickly decided to move.
We made two more stops on grass, and I took the fly rod and tied on a floating fly. Second cast had a nice slurping blow up, and thought that I had a decent redfish on. I was fighting her leisurely, not really thinking about things much. As I got the fish closer, I realized that she wasn't a redfish. That was right about the time that she came to the surface and shook the fly loose. Probably about a 22 inch trout that was in a foot of water. We did catch one red about 22 inches there.
After several blow ups and a scattering of redfish sightings out about thigh deep, I decided to head for some sand and silt. Like much of the bay, it had bait, but just didn't look like much was going on. We worked way back into the cove and finally started seeing and hearing the random crashes of reds eating shrimp. The water was fairly dirty so we couldn't really see them swimming. As I scouted ahead to find them, one popped a small shrimp about 40 feet up on the bank, she was about 22 inches as well, and nailed the little roach bull minnow.
We couldn't get to the fish very well, as they were so far back in the muddy stuff, so we made another move. Pulled on drift across a cove, and landed one more red at 19 inches.
It was a very tough two days of fishing, but about what I would have guessed for right after the full moon, with bright, clear skies. We ended the day yesterday with 3 trout and 2 reds. We saw, caught, or got blow ups at every single stop, just never really found them anywhere feeding good. Talked to several friends that fished various areas around the bay, and all reports were similar. Had two buddies close on Sunday that were poling farther down the same flat seeing reds, that were layed up and just refused most of the flies.
Two more days and the fish will get back to some daytime habits, and I will be there to enjoy it. Would have been a good weekend for a night wade.....At least the weather was awesome!
Moved down to some shallow shorelines, after two more stops in the general area and more of the same missed blow ups. We only saw a handfull of reds, and couldn't get them to take a fly. Made 3 moves, and finally ended up catching two rats.
Day 2, same general area, this time up on a shallow flat where the ripping tides were slowed sllightly. Got out of the boat in a huge raft of mullet, with several fresh slicks rolling off. First cast yielded a small trout, yeah finally got one on the stringer. We walked around huge pods of mullet, glass minnow, and some small shad. Had quite a few blow ups, only ended up landing 5 trout, with only 3 that kept. These fish aren't the same school that was in the area earlier in the week!!!
My customer Mike, did have one very good fish on, that was pulling drag. Unfortunately, it broke one of the hooks on the spook jr. We made a few moves around to look at other flats, with a few more blow ups, but no more landed. Saw a very healthy shark killing trout and mullet out in the middle of one of my favorite flats. With the slicks easing up and the bait laying down, it was off to accomplish the redfish on fly trick. We hit the first grass flat, that is fairly isolated and didn't have a boat anywhere near it. As we walked up towards the shoreline, we saw her. She was tailing happily. By the time we got within casting range, she had dissapeared. I had a few blow ups, while walking ahead looking for the next fish for Mike to cast at, but quickly decided to move.
We made two more stops on grass, and I took the fly rod and tied on a floating fly. Second cast had a nice slurping blow up, and thought that I had a decent redfish on. I was fighting her leisurely, not really thinking about things much. As I got the fish closer, I realized that she wasn't a redfish. That was right about the time that she came to the surface and shook the fly loose. Probably about a 22 inch trout that was in a foot of water. We did catch one red about 22 inches there.
After several blow ups and a scattering of redfish sightings out about thigh deep, I decided to head for some sand and silt. Like much of the bay, it had bait, but just didn't look like much was going on. We worked way back into the cove and finally started seeing and hearing the random crashes of reds eating shrimp. The water was fairly dirty so we couldn't really see them swimming. As I scouted ahead to find them, one popped a small shrimp about 40 feet up on the bank, she was about 22 inches as well, and nailed the little roach bull minnow.
We couldn't get to the fish very well, as they were so far back in the muddy stuff, so we made another move. Pulled on drift across a cove, and landed one more red at 19 inches.
It was a very tough two days of fishing, but about what I would have guessed for right after the full moon, with bright, clear skies. We ended the day yesterday with 3 trout and 2 reds. We saw, caught, or got blow ups at every single stop, just never really found them anywhere feeding good. Talked to several friends that fished various areas around the bay, and all reports were similar. Had two buddies close on Sunday that were poling farther down the same flat seeing reds, that were layed up and just refused most of the flies.
Two more days and the fish will get back to some daytime habits, and I will be there to enjoy it. Would have been a good weekend for a night wade.....At least the weather was awesome!
LIVIN THE SALT LIFE 
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