Estes Flats - April 13, 2019

Post Reply
User avatar
Neumie
Site Admin
Posts: 4012
Joined: Sat Nov 27, 2004 10:10 pm
Location: SA, Hallettsville, or Rockport

Estes Flats - April 13, 2019

Post by Neumie »

Met up with fellow TKFer Ron Mc for a weekend trip to Aransas Pass/Port Aransas. We started off meeting at Agave Jalisco in Three Rivers at 5:15 am. Pretty solid breakfast though a bit slow with the serving of said breakfast. Anyways, I followed Ron to Palm Harbor RV after breakfast for our launch.

We paddled out to the point of Talley Island before continuing to Little Cut and fishing the incoming Tide. I spent most of the morning throwing topwaters with no takers, not even a haphazard swipe. I decided to pop out into "front bay" to work the outside of the cut with soft plastics. While I was out there Ron caught an undersized trout on, what else, a TS Grasswalker.

I paddled back in to the cut and met up with Ron and he suggested we should paddle up to Big Cut (Yucca Cut) and drift back down to Little Cut. There were two boats anchored up tossing pinfish? or croaker? (something live that was not shrimp) and hooking up with what looked like solid slot reds with some consistent frequency. (they were all fishing them on fish finder rigs if any cares to know). Ron Hooked up with a solid red but it tossed the hook at the yak after a long fight. I finally had a decent trout swipe on the topwater , but that was all the action I got on tops. I switched to a crankbait and finally landed a slot red. Ron then landed a 19.5" red on, surprise surprise, TS Grasswalker. We broke for lunch and ultimately decided to head in with the wind starting to pick up and swing to the west as the front approached.

Sorry for the lack of photos. Hopefully Ron will chime in with some of his.

Image
Image

Time: 7:30 am - 1:00 pm
Air Temp: 72°F - 79°F
Wind: SSE @ 8 kn - WNW @ 14 kn
Barometric Pressure: 1001 mb (Slightly Rising)
Sky: Overcast/Mostly Cloudy
Water Clarity: 3 - 4 feet
Water Temp: 71°F
Structure: Sand & Grass

Predicted Tides @ Port Aransas:
Low @ 3:41 am (-0.66 Ft)
High @ 4:25 pm (0.45 Ft)

Solunar:
Sunrise/set: 7:06am/7:52 pm
Moonrise/set: 1:55 pm/3:50 am on 14th
Moon Phase: Waxing Gibbous (60%)

Lures:
Spectrum Spook Jr.
Chartreuse/Bone She Dog
Silver Mullet Spook Jr.
Blue Back/Chrome Footloose
Plum/Chartreuse Norton Bull Minnow on 1/16oz jighead
Limetreuse Norton Bull Minnow on 1/16oz jighead
Birthday Suit TS Grasswalker
Ron threw other lures

Fish:
Reds: 1 Keeper & a couple undersized
Trout: 1 undersized

Image
Last edited by Neumie on Sun Feb 02, 2020 8:36 pm, edited 2 times in total.
User avatar
kickingback
TKF 5000 Club
TKF 5000 Club
Posts: 5178
Joined: Thu Feb 18, 2016 3:24 pm
Location: Houston, Texas

Re: Estes Flats - April 13, 2019

Post by kickingback »

:clap: Another excellent report! The kind of information that helps everyone know the conditions to catch fish! Well done! :clap:
User avatar
Ron Mc
TKF 5000 Club
TKF 5000 Club
Posts: 5675
Joined: Fri Jan 20, 2006 6:12 pm
Location: downtown Bulverde, Texas
Contact:

Re: Estes Flats - April 13, 2019

Post by Ron Mc »

Of course I have photos to add - nothing to add to Josh's complete stats. This day was my call.
Launching at dark thirty
Image
While Josh was paddling Aransas Bay, I was catching tourist trout right where I predicted, in the remains of the channel at the inside of Little Cut - fishing Cocahoe Cock of the Walk on a Stazo jighead and long double hook.
(Monday here with Mark, he would catch 20 tourist trout, missed a Great trout, and I would hook up a massive flounder, but it spit on me after 5 minutes on its way to Aransas Bay).
ImageWas hoping for a better tide current, so I paddled out to Josh and we headed back through the cut and south.

I believe Josh is hooked up here to his slot red
Image
Both days on Estes, you could walk on the mullet against Traylor Is.
I had a slot red spit the hook on me, after a good ride and a trip to the boat so I got a good look at him,
and got this 19" beauty to the boat - both hooked on TSL Birthday Suit
Image
My camera caught this hot pink mylar reflection from his tail
Image
and you can just make out the blue as he swims off
Image
One more shot I had of Josh, I believe this is when we're about to give up for the WSW wind at Talley Is.
Image
Here's the view from our digs - a decent fishing shack I'd recommend for 2 people - Rahi Motel - it seems a little like Harveyville, but none of our stuff was harassed - but bring Everything, including toilet paper.
The front porch had afternoon shade.
One evening, there was couple from our neighborhood cast-netting bait in the slough
Image
Josh is great company, a great fisherman, and I recommend trying to get on his short list.
Last edited by Ron Mc on Tue Apr 16, 2019 6:24 pm, edited 3 times in total.
User avatar
Ron Mc
TKF 5000 Club
TKF 5000 Club
Posts: 5675
Joined: Fri Jan 20, 2006 6:12 pm
Location: downtown Bulverde, Texas
Contact:

Re: Estes Flats - April 15, 2019

Post by Ron Mc »

I'm adding April 15 to this thread, since I was back at Estes with my friend Mark.
Followed the same basic route as above, except swinging wide for the exceptionally low tide - lowest tide I've ever seem.
We padded from 7a to 1p, SSE 12-14, switching to a strong ESE wind just in time to sail us home.

I thought the 7a low tide would get us on Little Cut for a good current coming in from Aransas Bay, aided by the wind shift,
instead, the day of beating NW wind had pushed most of the water from the flat, and it was slow coming back.
We would walk our boats to Little Cut, which had become a slough with no tide current.
Though the wind still made a stiff current coming off Aransas Bay, and it still paid off.

Sunrise at Palm Harbor
Image
When I saw the exposed hard pack at Sandy Point (southern tip of Talley Is, I knew we'd have to get out of our boats and walk to Little Cut - my friend Mark
Image
- luckily, the middle shoal at Little Cut was all hard pack when we got there.
Image
The deep side of the channel stopped dead where it should turn up Traylor Is, but with an eddy from the wind current, and there was a trickle coming through the skinny north pass.
I put Mark on the slope of the old channel, and he had landed 5 small trout before I could turn around. I set him up with Tsunami SS3 black back, started with my cocahoe, but would switch to his lure, too.
Image
typical tourist trout
Image
Mark caught 20 fish here, had a really big trout spit on him, and landed this 16", our only keeper trout of the day.
Image
Just above Mark here, in the wind eddy, I hooked up a massive flounder - at least 24" if not more. He began creeping toward Aransas Bay, taking drag the whole time. At least 3 times I held the spool with my thumb and set hard, but after 5 minutes of small steps toward Aransas, it all came back to me.

We would have probably done better staying here and waiting out the tide, but by 11am, I decided to paddle wide around the shoals, and head up toward Big Cut, to take advantage of the SSE wind and drift for reds.
The same water Josh and I drifted 2 days before was covered with shoals, but the different wind set us up a perfect drift to miss the shoals and end up right at Sandy Point.
Didn't find a redfish, but got into small trout again as we neared Sandy Point.
It had been a day for my 78-y-o friend, who put up a great paddle, was pretty well fished out.
When we stretched at Sandy Point, like throwing a switch, the wind shifted to ESE and sailed us straight in to Palm Harbor.

Two perfect fish taco fillets came from the small trout, and at the cleaning stand, handed my camera to a guest who had just finished up a similar trout - Mark and I are out of focus, but the water looks good.
Image
Back at the digs, enjoying a brew, before Mark headed back to his wife at NPI.
Image
I actually know Mark from the internet - ablecane - we go way back in antique fly tackle, but like Josh, I had never met him before.
A great 3 days with new friends.
User avatar
JW FunGuy
Posts: 325
Joined: Sun Jul 01, 2018 4:27 pm

Re: Estes Flats - April 13, 2019

Post by JW FunGuy »

Nice reports, as usual. Thanks y’all! I’ve gotta go check that place out.
User avatar
Ron Mc
TKF 5000 Club
TKF 5000 Club
Posts: 5675
Joined: Fri Jan 20, 2006 6:12 pm
Location: downtown Bulverde, Texas
Contact:

Re: Estes Flats - April 13, 2019

Post by Ron Mc »

Estes is usually better in a weekday because of powerboat traffic on weekends.
forgot to add, we had a Cajun chorus frog on our deck, and he sang at night.
Image
User avatar
Dandydon
TKF 1000 Club
TKF 1000 Club
Posts: 1543
Joined: Thu Nov 12, 2009 6:26 pm
Location: The Heights, on my bayou

Re: Estes Flats - April 13, 2019

Post by Dandydon »

Ron, enjoyed your detailed report & photos which reminded me of Estes Flats trips I did about 20 years ago. Always good to hear from people who "been there; done that" and know how to communicate their experiences.
I learn something new in almost every competent fishing report. Keep 'em coming.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
User avatar
Dandydon
TKF 1000 Club
TKF 1000 Club
Posts: 1543
Joined: Thu Nov 12, 2009 6:26 pm
Location: The Heights, on my bayou

Re: Estes Flats - April 13, 2019

Post by Dandydon »

You too, Neumie! I forgot it was your dang thread...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
User avatar
Neumie
Site Admin
Posts: 4012
Joined: Sat Nov 27, 2004 10:10 pm
Location: SA, Hallettsville, or Rockport

Re: Estes Flats - April 13, 2019

Post by Neumie »

Great report from Monday, Ron. Glad y'all were able to catch a few.
Dandydon wrote:You too, Neumie! I forgot it was your dang thread...
LOL, thanks.
User avatar
Ron Mc
TKF 5000 Club
TKF 5000 Club
Posts: 5675
Joined: Fri Jan 20, 2006 6:12 pm
Location: downtown Bulverde, Texas
Contact:

Re: Estes Flats - April 13, 2019

Post by Ron Mc »

we were partners this trip. :mrgreen:
User avatar
Ron Mc
TKF 5000 Club
TKF 5000 Club
Posts: 5675
Joined: Fri Jan 20, 2006 6:12 pm
Location: downtown Bulverde, Texas
Contact:

Re: Estes Flats - April 13, 2019

Post by Ron Mc »

TexasJim wrote:Ron: I read your prognostication for Saturday, but went Friday, also supposed to good. I try not to fish on weekends. Bought some live shrimp, went to Turtle Bayou early. Lots of tailing Reds in the Lagoon, but they weren't looking for shrimp. Boated three, 18 & under. Headed for Little Cut. Water was so high that Sandy Point wasn't! Anchored on the middle ground, current was humming thru the Cut. Fed a lot of bait-stealers. Their mouths were prolly smaller than my hooks! Motored down to Big Cut. Big current! I was rigging out for a drift to the ICW, and got a barely slot Speck, but it spit the hook at my skiff. Drifted with three rods, caught a short Red and two hardheads. On the otherhand, it was a very nice day, got some more time learning my boat as a Low-Tech Polack Skiff. I got a 9.8 Merc for it, and can't wait to make yak holders, so I can Mothership my Pescador 12 to some distant waters! Stay in touch! TexasJim
Jim, moving this discussion off Josh's Rattlesnake thread, because it fits here. The drift I'm talking about is this one that Josh began the morning in his OP, parallel to Outside Beach crossing Little Cut mouth on Aransas Bay.
Image
Josh made this drift on a rising tide, while I was on fish at the same inside bar I took you to in February.
Any of the cuts along Outside Beach to Corpus Bayou and on to Quarantine Shore, even LHL to Lydia Ann and Aransas channels, fishing the deep water side on a strong falling tide is always productive.
My dad, Steve and I have pounded big summer trout on those conditions.
We're planning a kid paddle/fish around it this month, either Jun 16 or 30 - if we get that firmed up, will let you know - will definitely be a day trip, a short paddle to fish, and a crowd of boats.
Post Reply