TexasKayakFisherman.com est. 2000

[karstopo]

Last week I was at 8,500 asl walking in a foot of snow in 20 degree weather looking for wapiti. Those Cervus canadensis proved to be elusive, but I was almost run over by a coyote and saw two skunks battle over a dead yearling elk. Breathed in pure mountain air and just thoroughly enjoyed the solitude.

Back to reality. Nothing wrong with reality. Searched, hunted for fish, those weren’t quite as elusive as the hooved beasts. But, I had solitude out on the water, strangely these days, anyway, redfish were busting shrimp along a grassy shoreline. Tossed over a borski slider and making a better cast than I deserved, got an instant eat. School didn’t really get upset about it so I went around the corner and got one more. 22-23” fish.

Messed around looking for trout and flounder, but only found the dinkest versions of those.

[Ron Mc]

nice contrast there, and two good reports

[karstopo]

Yea, I’m surprised being out on a reasonably good weather day Friday afternoon and not seeing anyone else out fishing here in the Freeport area. Truth be told, I did see a few boat trailers at a ramp or two as I drove by and also drove by a kayaker or two, but no one fishing in my immediate area.

Wind bumped around from ENE to SE, moderate, tolerable. I brought along a baitcasting setup, but didn’t use it a ton. Something was pecking on my paddle tail as I drift fished a shoreline in 1.5-2.5’of water, but when I switched over to the fly, the pecking stopped. I did catch a couple, a few, whatever of dink trout on a DSL tail, color sort of reddish, in a 3’ gut.

Otherwise, I used a tan borski slider. The redfish were pushing little shrimp in the grass so I felt the borski slider was appropriate. It was hard getting to the fish. They’d sort of pop up on the shoreline for a bit, but then disappear in the waves and the light wasn’t great.

Water was mixed. Pretty clear and green in places and more stirred up in others. The slot reds I caught were right along the margin between clear and stirred water. The first red was a miracle cast just because the timing and range was perfect as it emerged from a thick grass patch. The take was instant. It was about 45’-50’ away so not a long cast, but it was a darn good or lucky effort.

I didn’t spook the other fish in the school, but by the time I got my fish in, off the hook, gear settled, I lost track of them. So I went around the corner of this little island and drifted right into them. They had moved off the shoreline a bit. They weren’t all that bunched up and hard to spot in the 15” of water, but I flipped over a 30’ cast and got my eat.

I never could get any more decent shots at reds after that. I’d see some and move towards them, but would lose track of them after the pursuit. Light, waves, water seemed to work against me.

I did pick up a small assortment of fish casting at reef edges. Dink trout, rat reds, one potato chip flounder and the smallest sheepshead I’ve ever caught, maybe 9”. Bigger sheephead were around, but the sighting, sight fishing conditions were not there for success with those.

[junkyard chihuahua]

oh man,

that sounds like a good day...

[karstopo]

It was alright.Best day all year was a surf wade in August. 2020 wasn’t like a hall of fame year on the water or anyplace else. December is sitll there to rescue things.