a few questions

[fishchase]

I went paddling down on Mustang Island this week. Im pretty new to saltwater kayak fishing. Saw lots of fish activity but found it frustrating because I couldnt tell if they were feeding reds or specs or just mullet. I just never could see them well enough even with glasses. There were fish darting around just under the surface, sometimes there were small splashes on the surface, big schools of fish. But all day there were mullet jumping in these areas. Saw some tails but they didnt look like the tail of a redfish. Can anyone tell me what I was seeing?

Also, where I saw this was shallow and grassy. I was throwing a spook jr. but I couldnt keep the grass off of it. It made it impossible to even attempt to fish when I saw activity. Also tried a spoon but had similar problems with the grass. Any suggestions?

-Thanks

[RedWolf]

On the Spook, change the trebles out for single hooks, greatly reduces snags in grassy areas. On the spoon, get a few that have weed guards on them, some use just a single strand of flexible wire, while others use a nylon type brush material.

As far as the fish, most likely it was mullet being spooked by you moving thru the area, they are EVERYWHERE this year and being bottom of the food chain, are VERY skittish, they jump when they see their own shadow or another mullet brushes against them.

But then again, MOST of my experience is Gulf fishing, not bay/flats/marsh, so maybe one of the more experienced guys or someone more familiar with your area will speak up and elaborate on anything I may have left out.

[Ms addicted]

Redwolf is correct.

You can also try weedless plastics but if its all mullet you still aren't going too have any luck.

Mullet are jittery and spook in all directions. Reds will spook much more decisively in one direction and usually make one large V wake when doing so. Mullet tails are pointy and make quick little movements. Red tails are bigger, more square and tend to stick up and stay there for a bit before sinking down in the same location where they popped up. If you are at all noisy, you won't see redfish tails, they will just vanish.

[RedWolf]

*waves at Ms A*

Aren't you supposed to be working? LOL

[Ms addicted]

Aren't you?

[RedWolf]

Actually, I'm supposed to be sleeping so I can go to work in a few hours.

[BigGabe63]

My general rule of thumb is if you have to guess then they are mullet. A redfish taking off and making a wake is unmistakeable.

[fishchase]

Thanks for the help guys

[let's go]

Don't feel bad, that's probably the number one question I get from customers on guided trips. Mullet move like a bunch of kids with ADD, reds move off like they're irritated that you interupted their day.

As far as tails, could be several things. Mullet, black drum, sheepshead and reds will all tail. With experience you can figure them out fairly easy.

Mullet - sharper pointed tails that wiggle a lot

Black drum - rounded tails that wave really slow and will often show the entire tail for long periods when it's a big single. Smaller drum in schools are harder to distinguish from a school of reds.

Sheepshead - somewhat rounded tail that's nearly clear and tends to wiggle a good bit and not stay up too long

Reds - rounded tail sometimes with a blueish tint that generally comes up and goes down while waving slowly when it's a single or small pod of two ior three. Bigger schools tend to be more active with some scattered splashing.

[M T Stringer]

Black drum - rounded tails that wave really slow and will often show the entire tail for long periods when it's a big single.

That had me fooled for a while down in East Matty...couldn't understand why it wouldn't take an arti... Then I figured it out, and had no shrimp to offer... Only once have I ever caught a black drum on arti...a morning glory paddletail.

[let's go]

They'll eat a fly, but they don't seem too keen on regular artificials. Jason and I chased a herd of huge drum all over a marsh in East Bay one time and never got bit, not even on a Gulp. There were a couple dozen huge fish that were tailing and feeding, but not on what we were offering.

However, I have caught them on various soft plastics, gold spoons and even got one to eat a spinnerbait. Weird fish.

[osochuck]

Welcome to the Mullet Chasers club.

I the other day all i could find were big schools of mullets, casted into the schools with no luck for a long time, then started casting in about 5-10 radius around the school and started getting lots of lower slot reds, limited out.

Been doing that when ever i can find schools of mullet and it often pays off.

I think the game fish fallow along and pop up for a mullet snack when the get hungry, then fall back and follow till they get hungry again.

I like the 1/4 weedless silver spoon, Supper Spook Jr with single hooks & of course 3" gulp shrimp.

Good luck post up and take lots of pics.

[fishchase]

Also, there was a couple times when I could positively id a red and brought a spoon right in front of its face and it didnt even look at it.

[osochuck]

Don't think your crazy about seeing them and not getting them to bite.

Me and 5moreminutes were drifting the back side of mustang and we threw literally every lure we had in the box at those reds. They were big ones too. They were reds and not black drum.

Sometimes they just don't want to eat, and it makes me mad!!!!

I have drifted right next to them just floating along, all bloated like they just left the Golden Coral Supper Buffet and they didn't have a care in the world.

Also the backside of mustang is famous for huge schools of black drum, and those suckers are just flat picky. Sometimes gulps, but more frequently live or dead shrimp will get them to bite.