Marsh Fishing -- First Timer Trip

[Justin_Time]

LMAO

i think it is funny that people ask where i am fishing on a public forum .... i if wanted the whole world to know i would say something. i dont mind helping someone but i am just not going to give anything away ... YOU HAVE TO EARN IT.

Here is the way i see it. I fish everyweekend & put my time in on the water. i have to drive 80-100 miles one way .... almost 2 hours one way, then i fish for about 8 hours ... then another 2 hours back home. lets not forget that i have to put $40 in gas & i have my snacks & drinks ... another $10. so now i have $50 bucks in my trip ... now lets say i value my time on the water @ $25hr. so i have over $350 in my trip & 12 hours of my time ..... AND YOU WANT ME TO TELL YOU WHERE IM FISHIING go spend some time looking @ maps & past fishing reports & come up with your own game plan.

So... Where is your honey hole, Dustin?

[EZ-E]

its the FREEPORT MARSH

once i get the Matagoda & Freeport Extreme Redfish Trails out of the way we can hook up .... its been TOO long my brother.

[Toolman]

10-4 on that EZ.....

[chicken...]

LMAO

i think it is funny that people ask where i am fishing on a public forum .... i if wanted the whole world to know i would say something. i dont mind helping someone but i am just not going to give anything away ... YOU HAVE TO EARN IT.

Here is the way i see it. I fish everyweekend & put my time in on the water. i have to drive 80-100 miles one way .... almost 2 hours one way, then i fish for about 8 hours ... then another 2 hours back home. lets not forget that i have to put $40 in gas & i have my snacks & drinks ... another $10. so now i have $50 bucks in my trip ... now lets say i value my time on the water @ $25hr. so i have over $350 in my trip & 12 hours of my time ..... AND YOU WANT ME TO TELL YOU WHERE IM FISHIING go spend some time looking @ maps & past fishing reports & come up with your own game plan.

Well said. . . . .

Happy Fishin'
chicken

[Finn Maccumhail]

I'll say this about posting locations, more often than not I'll post them freely as I figure there is no place I'm fishing that thousands of guys haven't fished before. I may not see them but let's face it unless you are posting GPS coordinates of a reef or rocks or depth change then it's prettly likely everybody already knows about it anyway.

As Slowride and Let's Go have said on here many times, it's more about patterning the fish than where you're fishing. That's how they'll catch fish when nobody else is and they're surrounded by others fishing the same basic area. How else do you explain Slowride putting his clients on fish all over LHL or B&R when nobody else in there is catching?

Personally, I find it more useful to learn sites to launch & park as I too have to drive and spend $$$ (don't we all?) and I'm sometimes reluctant to spend my precious few hours that I could be fishing on hunting for a launch spot & safe (legal) place to park. Ray Crawford's books have been a huge help here but they aren't foolproof either so firsthand knowledge from experienced people is key.

[surfpunk]

is'nt a major part of fishing trial and error. i know i have had a lot of error in my many trials and i am barely scratching the surface. let the man bee about the location. check out google earth i guarantee you i can find the damn freeport marsh on there and some sort of access point or the slp marsh or north shoreline marshes for that matter. we are blessed to have miles of estuaries, marshes and bays to explore here in texas. put in work... and watch your language please "there are kid's on here" - am i right or am i right...

-cool report by the way, nice spot and solid fish w/ TX slam to boot. keep tearin em up...

[M T Stringer]

its the FREEPORT MARSH

once i get the Matagoda & Freeport Extreme Redfish Trails out of the way we can hook up .... its been TOO long my brother.

Since when is it mandatory to disclose information? Especially if said location might be planned for an upcoming tournament...The gentleman you are disrespecting just won a few thousand dollars at a recent tournament near your neck of the woods and I doubt he asked you where you catch your fish...

Jokingly asking to be invited is one thing....Getting pissed off and hostile because someone won't tell you specifically where they caught their fish is uncalled for on this board. Take that garbage somewhere else.



The Best advice you can get for Marsh Fishing has already been given...in case you were not paying attention:
Here is a quick sum of what took me all of last year to learn on my own...

You guys are cracking me up! Location doesn't matter so much, the important thing is get access to a marsh if you're targeting Redfish -- Sabine to Boca Chica, it's all good!.

More importantly it's the way you fish the marsh.
When the water is low:
Target marsh drains and channels that are deeper. IMO, a depth finder is important in locating these areas.

When the water is high:
Target the flats, grass lines, and deeper areas of convergence leading in or out of a large lake / body of water.

Generally the fish will be more active during any type of tidal movement, moon / wind driven.

Lures of Choice: Keep it simple; any Gulp or soft-plastic paddle tail with 1/8 - 1/4 oz jig head.

[Crazy Yak]

This is just a fishing report, you guys be nice!

Here are 3 tools to help you find locations:

• Hook N' Line Maps
  Ray Crawford's Book (http://www.texascoastalfishingbooks.com ... tbook.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;)
  Google Earth

Another tip: Scout for fishing locations in the dead Winter (January) when the water is low, mark areas of interest with your GPS.

Here's a GPS Coord so you can't say I never posted one -- this is my favorite "local" Summer fishing location, not a big secret but it's a nice spot, no crowds -- Happy paddling and be careful out there!
29.11.51.15N
94.51.21.94W

Quit typing and go fishing!!!

[EZ-E]

mic d ... i wasnt trying to piss you off or anyone else .... i was just making a statement about certain people on this board. if you do a search on the history of my post ... most are giving people advice not padding b.s. post like most people on here that might fish 4 times a year. if anyone ever wants more detailed information a p.m. is the best route ... not a public forum that has viewers of all variety's

[Scotty]

29.11.51.15N
94.51.21.94W

[vincent]

Take a look at some of the more experienced and versatile posters on this site(Tombo, Kinz, FOC are some that come to mind) and you can bet your bottom dollar(oh yeah that's right you don't have one to spare) that they are usually available to tutor, give advice and even give specific help to where a person might launch and paddle out to try their luck.

This is the part I LOVE...fishing on the side of the only highway that leads to Port Aransas does not constitue giving up any massive secret...there isn't a place in Port A, Corpus, Rockport, or Fulton that I couldn't drive by and see your truck. Last week during the IFA fishing in Port A...I had no less that 6 people walk up to me and tell me where I was fishing...they either saw me or saw my truck....fishing out in the open bay next to the highway is not hiding any secret...no disrespect to my brothers in Port A..also having about 100 kayak accessible launches without boat ramps in Port a doesn't hurt either...don't try and compare fishing in a community with a few thousand people to fishing in a community with a few MILLION people...there isn't any comparrison...and you don't know CRAP about how many people PM me or others in the galv area for information or the information we provide PRIVATELY...what part of the internet do you not understand...what part of a public forum do you not understand....go to GOOGLE...type in any word associated with a specifc fishing location....pick Confederate reef for example..2cool and TKF will DOMINATE the first couple pages....KUDOS to TOM and TKF..that's awesome...it also lets million of people in on your secret....so it's not just you....not just the community....not just TKF...but the entire world...hence the WORLD in world wide web...hope this educates you and potlicker...learn some social skills and maybe someone would be willing to help you catch some fish....

[Brizzonator]

You know Prozac helps, guys, it really does.

[potlicker]

You guys are cracking me up! Location doesn't matter so much, the important thing is get access to a marsh if you're targeting Redfish -- Sabine to Boca Chica, it's all good!.

More importantly it's the way you fish the marsh.
When the water is low:
Target marsh drains and channels that are deeper. IMO, a depth finder is important in locating these areas.

When the water is high:
Target the flats, grass lines, and deeper areas of convergence leading in or out of a large lake / body of water.

Generally the fish will be more active during any type of tidal movement, moon / wind driven.

Lures of Choice: Keep it simple; any Gulp or soft-plastic paddle tail with 1/8 - 1/4 oz jig head.

if it doesnt matter so much, why not share it??

Because people will Potlick you!

then dont be telling people location is not important, come on... i have no problem you wanna keep your honey hole a secret, but dont contradict yourself by telling people location is not important or doesnt matter.

[M T Stringer]

then dont be telling people location is not important, come on... i have no problem you wanna keep your honey hole a secret, but dont contradict yourself by telling people location is not important or doesnt matter.

Yes you do...The point being made above is that if you were able to learn HOW TO CATCH A FISH, you can go to any marsh and do so...I am sorry that you are still struggling with the fact that how is more important than where. The mere definition of your handle clearly indicates your interest with this site...I have never met you, but in the year I have been on this site I can say that 90 percent of your posts are in regards to wanting to know where somebody caught a fish...You are a taker. You do not contribute advice or information to this site, yet bash others for withholding theirs...The sad thing is...you have heard all this before (and obviously still don't care). That mentality is why there is reluctance to share...

It's dead, dude....let it be.

[Brizzonator]

The main thing I care about learning is just where the heck I can launch my kayak on any given body of water without getting shot at, my car jacked, or towed, etc. I don't care where someone caught a fish, fish move, launch points don't.
I'd rather have an easy entry than a fish report, any day. Obviously I'm near the GBC.
My honey hole is a grassy bank with easy parking.
If you can tell me how to get to Ernie's, in other words, I don't care about knowing the dirt goat trail that you found that no one knows about that slides you right into Cold Pass, that's between you and the goats.

[surfpunk]

[vincent]

The main thing I care about learning is just where the heck I can launch my kayak on any given body of water without getting shot at, my car jacked, or towed, etc. I don't care where someone caught a fish, fish move, launch points don't.
I'd rather have an easy entry than a fish report, any day. Obviously I'm near the GBC.
My honey hole is a grassy bank with easy parking.
If you can tell me how to get to Ernie's, in other words, I don't care about knowing the dirt goat trail that you found that no one knows about that slides you right into Cold Pass, that's between you and the goats.

ray crawfords book and the hook and line maps will list every public kayak launch in texas...Ray's book is helpful it has pictures of launch sites and areas to concentrate...where he was fishing and launched is on one of those maps and in Ray's book..

[Parrothead]

I'm gonna add to what Vincent said. Not only is it about knowing how to fish, rather than where (as the where part is much easier to research), but it's about putting in your time. The thing about kayak fishing is that there are so many nuances that you have to learn. Let me put it in this way: I could take you to Christmas Bay, a place I know like the back of my hand. And I'll fish circles around you because I know what to look for at certain times, stages of the tide, locations, etc. And unless you happen to stumble on to a school of trout or reds committing suicide (because that happens all the time) I will outfish you 10 to 1 because I have put in the time on that body of water. So knowing where to fish doesn't matter as much as how to fish a given body of water at a certain time.

Also, I'm not going to say that a first timer isn't going to be successful, obviously the author of this post was in the right place at the right time. Luck does often play an important part too. But day in and out, knowledge gets the job done. You gotta do the time!

[Brizzonator]

The main thing I care about learning is just where the heck I can launch my kayak on any given body of water without getting shot at, my car jacked, or towed, etc. I don't care where someone caught a fish, fish move, launch points don't.
I'd rather have an easy entry than a fish report, any day. Obviously I'm near the GBC.
My honey hole is a grassy bank with easy parking.
If you can tell me how to get to Ernie's, in other words, I don't care about knowing the dirt goat trail that you found that no one knows about that slides you right into Cold Pass, that's between you and the goats.

ray crawfords book and the hook and line maps will list every public kayak launch in texas...Ray's book is helpful it has pictures of launch sites and areas to concentrate...where he was fishing and launched is on one of those maps and in Ray's book..

Thanks Vincent, I have the Hook and Line, but the points they list are few and far between. I do need to get a copy of Ray's GBC book(I have the midcoast copy). I had given up on it for awhile because it was out of print and people guardede their copy of it like pirate's treasure. Now that it's back in print, I've stopped by FTU a couple of times, but they are always out when I'm there. I probably need to get one from his website.

[Finn Maccumhail]

Also, I'm not going to say that a first timer isn't going to be successful, obviously the author of this post was in the right place at the right time. Luck does often play an important part too. But day in and out, knowledge gets the job done. You gotta do the time!

Even then it doesn't always work out.

I was fishing Xmas Bay last fall, probably late-Sept./early-Oct. and was one of probably 10+ kayakers who launched from Ernie's that AM, not to mention pb'ers. Everybody took off for who knows where but I decided to work the south shoreline between Ernie's & Churchill as I'd been seeing bait there. Well, I found the reds and I mean a bunch of them hanging out in shallow water, no more than 2ft deep. Lots of them were tailing too. I threw every damn thing in the box at them, including flies too. On several casts I dropped flies right in front of the reds only to see them completely ignore my offerings.

Talk about a frustrating day. I ended up with one flounder from Churchill that day.

[potlicker]

The main thing I care about learning is just where the heck I can launch my kayak on any given body of water without getting shot at, my car jacked, or towed, etc. I don't care where someone caught a fish, fish move, launch points don't.
I'd rather have an easy entry than a fish report, any day. Obviously I'm near the GBC.
My honey hole is a grassy bank with easy parking.
If you can tell me how to get to Ernie's, in other words, I don't care about knowing the dirt goat trail that you found that no one knows about that slides you right into Cold Pass, that's between you and the goats.

x2!
but sometime you still get the name calling and bashing when you're only asking them where they launched the yak at?
talk bout some helpful folks uh...

[h_10]

you just don't get it. you and others have said that they can not find a marsh in freeport. but this gentleman knows where one is. he's prob one of only a very small few that know. he prob did much research and scouting to find that marsh. and now you just want him to freely tell a lazy person like as yourself where it is on a public forum on the internet. if he did that, the next time he goes, there will be yakkers all over that marsh. and just like that, his spot is now overfished.

what part of that scenario do you fail to understand? he did his homework and is rewarded. it's in his right to keep it a secret. whining to him like a lazy bratty 12 yr old kid is certainly not going to win him over or do anything to change the reputation that you have. you are what you name is. a potlicker, plain and simple.

he gave you the best advice anyone could give. he told you how to catch fish. where to be relative to the tides and what to look for. but you are too dumb or immature to appreciate that advice and insist on knowing where his location is.

[Finn Maccumhail]

I don't believe that people can't find the marsh in Freeport. There's literally miles upon miles of marsh surrounding Freeport. Now, which specific part of the marsh and where he launched is what he was keeping quiet. Nothing wrong with that.

He's probably taken the time to pattern the fish and know that under x-conditions there's likely to be fish at y-location.

Take a look at the attached photo. It may not specifically me called the "Freeport Marsh" but I take the original poster to mean he was fishing the marsh around Freeport and it ain't hard to locate.

[Redyaker]

You guys are cracking me up! Location doesn't matter so much, the important thing is get access to a marsh if you're targeting Redfish -- Sabine to Boca Chica, it's all good!.

More importantly it's the way you fish the marsh.
When the water is low:
Target marsh drains and channels that are deeper. IMO, a depth finder is important in locating these areas.

When the water is high:
Target the flats, grass lines, and deeper areas of convergence leading in or out of a large lake / body of water.

Generally the fish will be more active during any type of tidal movement, moon / wind driven.

Lures of Choice: Keep it simple; any Gulp or soft-plastic paddle tail with 1/8 - 1/4 oz jig head.

how do you present your lure, bounce off the bottom or reel it in fast?

[h_10]

let the fish decide. if it's stained water, i test two baits first, a dark colored paddle tail and a dark colored jerk bait. the paddle tail, i do a steady retrieve and switch between slow and fast to see what gets bit. then i will also try the jerkbait and bounce off the bottom. the fish will tell you what they want. if they don't touch either, i may tie on a top water, a spoon and then a lighter color soft plastic.

if they fish are there, they will let you know what lure, color and retrieve that they want. if you are in an ideal spot for that tide condition and don't get bit using numerous lures, then the fish aren't there or are too picky. then you move somewhere else and repeat.

you learn just as much when you don't catch fish as when you do.