Afternoon in the Mud Hole

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karstopo
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Afternoon in the Mud Hole

Post by karstopo »

Not a lot to report. Launched about 13:00. South Wind maybe 5 kts. Water green, 18” visibility at best and way low and still falling. Kind of thought about going somewhere else while sitting at the launch, but decided to see what I could find.

Covered about 2 miles. What did I get, four reds in the boat? Two Louisiana keepers, a rat and a 21” high shouldered slot. Ernie, the commercial crabber, I frequently run in to him at these various mud holes, said everyone he’s talked to said the fishing was off. BTW, if you are stealing crabs from his traps, he’s watching and he wants to hurt you. Don’t take his crabs cause he’s likely tougher and meaner than you are. Ernie did say the crabs aren’t even acting normal. Getting on top of the traps, but not going in them to eat the bait. Ernie said a lot of the bait has moved out somewhere else. I believe him.

Wind got up over 10 kts, water mostly muddied up. There was some bait around. Noticed some small shrimp still when I paddled super shallow. Mullet, mostly small, here and there. The only time I saw nervous bait was when I caught my fish. All caught on a Tuxedo H&H paddle tail. That’s all I used except for a few casts with the fly rod. The keeper red came around a mud boil in 15” of water I noticed, otherwise, I didn’t ever see any visible fish, just the little bit of sign.

Back at the launch about 1600. Red had blue crab parts in his stomach. Overall, got a sense there just weren’t a lot of fish in that locale.
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Dandydon
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Re: Afternoon in the Mud Hole

Post by Dandydon »

Thanks for your detailed but sad report, Karstopo. At least you landed some, along with Capt. Shoffer who yesterday went powerboating in West Bay in similar low-water conditions.

He explored a lot of water but managed but one keeper 17" trout near Green's Cut. Meanwhile I stayed home wishing for better reports, ha ha.

I'm also waiting for that Autumn shrimp migration and those beautiful BIRDS WORKING! Image

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Chubs
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Re: Afternoon in the Mud Hole

Post by Chubs »

Thanks for the report. Is there an actual place called mud hole? Or was the water just low?
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Ron Mc
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Re: Afternoon in the Mud Hole

Post by Ron Mc »

sounds like a place that should stack flounder - thanks for the report and photo
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karstopo
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Re: Afternoon in the Mud Hole

Post by karstopo »

Chubs wrote:Thanks for the report. Is there an actual place called mud hole? Or was the water just low?
No, no place on the map as the mud hole, just real muddy, like a lot of places around Freeport.
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karstopo
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Re: Afternoon in the Mud Hole

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Ron Mc wrote:sounds like a place that should stack flounder - thanks for the report and photo
I never seem to catch keeper flounder in this place. Some 12-13” type of fish there at times. Not sure why I’m not seeing any better flounder there, but I don’t generally go there until December so that might be why, the bigger flounder might have already left the area.
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Re: Afternoon in the Mud Hole

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Fishing is up and down. Keep doing some of the right things and there will be a bust out day, catch them all effort. I’ve been at this long enough not to be discouraged by a slow day or two. Part of the deal. Fish aren’t random or randomly distributed. Kayaks have a limited range, you aren’t going to be able to move from one side of this bay or that in a heartbeat or two. A slow day now makes the big day later all the more sweeter.

Look for sign, read the water, do some homework, get out there and try some stuff. No instant success in fishing. I don’t get discouraged. I’m going to get my fish, sooner or later. They will be at my mercy, that’s the attitude I cultivate.

The more I fish and the more often I fish, the more nailed down the pattern becomes. Why do you think guides get on fish? They had bloody well have a good shot, they fish all the time.

Enjoy the hunt and the hunt for knowledge. Ernie, the crabber, whose been at this a long time said to me. “The longer I do this, the more I realize I don’t know it all” so true. Curves from the fish are good things, keeps things fresh!
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Re: Afternoon in the Mud Hole

Post by Saltshiner »

Due to the weather forecast, and my desire to get everything as muddy as possible, I launched at the TPWD site across from the condos in Freeport. Headed to Churchill Bayou with water temp at 57 degrees, and floating with the current at 1.4mph. The weather was perfect and It was the kind of day where being out there was its own reward. Speaking with other kayakers along Churchill, no one was finding anything, even one guy with live shrimp. Plenty of water movement toward Cold Pass, but not much happening.
I finally got into a few fish in a cut off Cold Pass. Managed to keep a 16 inch flounder and 18 inch trout. Released an 18 inch and 15 inch redfish, and a 14 inch flounder. Was pleased to find that the flatties are still out there. Everything caught on the Vudu shrimp in tiger or the Vudu shad in root beer.
Tried to get into Titlum Tatlum from the Bastrop Bay side, but there just wasn't enough water. After dragging the outback 100 yards and not finding deeper water, I gave up. I think I overstayed my welcome because heading back to the launch the winds had built into a stiff headwind. With waters too low for the mirage drive, I envied those of you with the sleek paddlers. Having waded that area, I knew it was mostly firm bottom, so I found it easier to walk the kayak back much of the way.
Here are some low water photos which may justify remaining on the sofa until the water returns:
20201209_104754.jpg
20201209_094151.jpg
20201209_094154.jpg
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Chubs
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Re: Afternoon in the Mud Hole

Post by Chubs »

Saltshiner wrote:...
Wow, are those photos of Churchill Bayou?!!!

Also, not telling you what to do and no problem in my book, but I'd suggest if your trip was separate from Karst (or anyone) I'd make a new topic so as it doesn't get buried ;)
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Re: Afternoon in the Mud Hole

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That wasn't Churchill, but rather a cut that goes between Cold Pass and Christmas Bay. Everything was down 3 to 4 feet so Churchill had plenty of mud flats where there's usually water. But it also had deeper areas of 6-8 feet and was navigable once you got there. If I go out this weekend, I think I'll stay on the SLP side of Mud Island where there are some deeper channels. Hopefully some water will return soon!
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Re: Afternoon in the Mud Hole

Post by Dandydon »

Don't hold your breath, Saltshiner, because today's norther will bring blustery north winds. The coming days of strong north wind will blow water out of the bays and make our pitiful fishing worse. Mudflats fishing sucks.

Hate to be pessimistic, but I'm hoping for good fishing conditions around Christmas, ha ha. This cold blast should motivate the last wave of white shrimp and flounder migration, something to look forward to. I'm overdue for a decent fishing trip.

Here's to the next good TKF fishing report! Merry Christmas to all. Image

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karstopo
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Re: Afternoon in the Mud Hole

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Saltshiner wrote:That wasn't Churchill, but rather a cut that goes between Cold Pass and Christmas Bay. Everything was down 3 to 4 feet so Churchill had plenty of mud flats where there's usually water. But it also had deeper areas of 6-8 feet and was navigable once you got there. If I go out this weekend, I think I'll stay on the SLP side of Mud Island where there are some deeper channels. Hopefully some water will return soon!
I refer to those cuts above Churchill Bayou as “little Churchill bayou”. There’s a number of them. One or two goes into the main Churchill bayou, the others directly into Cold Pass. Lot’s of people may not realize Churchill Bayou was staightened and dug out long ago. On Google Earth Pro, the very first photo in the archives from the early photos shows how it looked prior to it’s more recent look. Cold pass actually went into the gulf instead of San Luis Pass, at least for a time. Remnants of that remain in the little marshy area running just south of The Treasure Island Development. There was also likely a cut at Acadia or Arcadia reef, depending on how it’s listed, that emptied into the Gulf. Maybe opened up with one hurricane or another in the past.

I like poking around in those bayous. Cannot say it has been the most productive place ever that I have fished, but it isn’t the worst place either. One interesting thing happened in one of the bayous long time ago. I came along this little stretch of shoreline in one and see all this commotion going on. Upon paddling closer, I see it is flounder, a lot of them, all going airborne along maybe 50-75 yards or so of the scattered, mostly broken shell there. Multiple flounder breaching at one time got my attention, but try as hard as I could, I couldn’t get a single bite. That experience and others put me on the path to fly fishing. I just couldn’t stand not having something weightless and small enough in my box to mimic the fish fry the flounder were evidently gorging on.
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Re: Afternoon in the Mud Hole

Post by Saltshiner »

Karstopo, thanks for the suggestion of looking at the 12/31/43 photo of the area on earth pro. It's fascinating to see how that area looked 77 years ago before the blue water highway cut off those channels to the gulf. Looks like there was another cut down by Key Largo where the cell phone tower sits. And you can see pretty clearly how the old ICW used to go from Rattlesnake point past Christmas Point thru Mud Cut into West Bay. A lot of fascinating history in that whole area.

I agree that it may not be the most productive area to fish, but I find myself drawn back to that little bay system time and time again. I started out wade fishing that area from Key Largo to Arcadia Reef, and since getting my kayak, I have fished all around Christmas Bay. For me, there's as much joy in the journey as there is in the fishing, and that little bay is about as tranquil an area as you will find within an easy drive from Houston.
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