High Water in the Marsh Friday

[karstopo]

Went out to my local marsh Friday Afternoon. Water level was about a foot above predicted. Water was way up in the cord grass. I've fished this marsh for about 7 years and it is steadly losing Cord Grass. Google earth images confirm this trend.

I found a few reds in the submerged shell. Had a good one commit to a green moon assassin but then later shred some 25# fluorocarbon on the shell. I walked a chrome Skitterwalk over the shell and had a few short dances, but none came home with me.

Tried a few homemade flies including an experimental walk the dog style Topwater fly. It turned out to be a shallow suspending Corky style fly. Back to the vise.

Water was good, greenish with about a foot of visability. Tide was stalled in a barely falling/ not falling mode. The wind tunnel was set to high and medium high. Grass was chock full of little shad.

[redneckyakclub01]

That high water makes it tough and that sure is a lot of bait! That is interesting and disheartening to hear about your cordgrass disappearing. I don't know what could cause that other than chronically high or turbid water.

On a side note I had some success last fall with reds in the cordgrass. I walked right along the edge and 'intentionally' spooked them out. Some stopped where I could see them without spooking and I sightcasted to them. The others swam away and I casted just past where I could see and they were there and willing to bite. I was using a thumpin mullet weightless on a worm hook.

[karstopo]

That high water makes it tough and that sure is a lot of bait! That is interesting and disheartening to hear about your cordgrass disappearing. I don't know what could cause that other than chronically high or turbid water.

On a side note I had some success last fall with reds in the cordgrass. I walked right along the edge and 'intentionally' spooked them out. Some stopped where I could see them without spooking and I sightcasted to them. The others swam away and I casted just past where I could see and they were there and willing to bite. I was using a thumpin mullet weightless on a worm hook.

I like to look at historical imagery on Google Earth. Some areas seem very stable and unchanging in the imagery that goes back to the 40's or 70's depending on where. But this marsh has visibly changed in the 7 1/2 years since I first went there. Little cord grass islands have shrunk and even disappeared.

I had fun fishing the high water. I believe all that little bait I saw bodes well for the predators. All this rain and water has fueled a bait explosion. It was a fun to get out and gain some experience with the long rod