Fortunately I have been able to fish midday the last two Tuesdays. Started out in LHL and paddled until I found clearer water, bait, and strong tidal movements. Unfortunately this is where the floating grass was too.
Topwaters were difficult due to surface vegetation, but the fish were nailing them. A lot of pins and piggies around, this may help with the topwater bite.
Spoons were the ticket. Yesterday in-particular, gold spoons had everything chasing it. Trout, Redfish, Ladyfish, and Pinfish were attacking it.
Do not be afraid to go midday if there is cloud coverage, tidal movements, or a slight drop in the temperature (yesterday). Both days the fish didn’t really get fired up until 11-2. However, when it’s brutally hot, no clouds, and if one is not used to the heat, I would advise not doing it. Easy to get overheated out there.
Adopt-a-Beach was fun. Picked up LHL and parts of Brown and Root. Not a lot of people, but enough to get plenty of trash.
I witnessed a kayaker flip it in the middle of the Aransas Channel… thankfully he had help close by, he could not get back in his kayak. He had to hang on to another kayaker and be dragged to shallow water. Fitness and strength are important aspects for everyone, might as well get started if you are not. My personal experience kayak fishing would not be near as enjoyable without it.
Midday Madness
Midday Madness
Last edited by Kitsune on Thu Oct 12, 2023 8:49 am, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Midday Madness
Excellent report; this is just getting me anxious for my trip next week. Thank you for helping out with Adopt-a-Beach.
Re: Midday Madness
Awesome nice stringer! The moon phase being almost full sure helps the midday bite...
Re: Midday Madness
Not to derail your post but I think this is worth a comment. The past 3 times I've been out in the kayak fishing I've been shocked at some of the things I've seen.Kitsune wrote: ↑Wed Sep 27, 2023 9:46 am I witnessed a kayaker flip it in the middle of the Aransas Channel… thankfully he had help close by, he could not get back in his kayak. He had to hang on to another kayaker and be dragged to shallow water. Fitness and strength are important aspects for everyone, might as well get started if you are not. My personal experience kayak fishing would not be near as enjoyable without it.
I saw a guy flip amongst a bunch of scattered oyster because he broke the golden rule and leaned his shoulder over the side of the kayak. It's easy to do (I guess) but something that can be brutal if you forget. This guy lucked out big time because it was only about knee deep and he dodged the oyster and climbed back in his kayak.
Watched a fisherman try to paddle out a 10' kayak in steady 15 mph winds with heavy chop (solid 2' rollers). I was coming in from fishing and passed him just after he launched. I told him the winds were bad and he didn't say anything partly because he was paddling I'm guessing. Was not wearing a PDF but I think he did have one behind his seat among other things (cooler, dip net, etc). I took my time loading up and watched him for about 20 minutes. He finally anchored behind a point that was blocking some of the wind. In my opinion it was a horrible decision to head out even for most seasoned paddlers.
Finally I was fishing bridge columns early in the afternoon in a channel that was about 5' deep. Winds had kicked up and swells were 1-2'. Glanced to my right and there was a guy in a Hobie Pro Angler 14 (very heavy set man) not wearing a PFD peddling into the waves headed back to the launch with his front hatch unlatched and something (maybe an umbrella?) sticking out of the hatch. I know from experience the front hatches on Pro Anglers can take on a lot of water fast and that's with the lid closed. Had he flipped his kayak it may have literally sank because it would have filled up with water. Either way he would have been stranded and left swimming had something happened.
I know there's lots of new inexperienced fisherman on the water these days but the way safety is being taken so loosely is shocking to me.
Glad that kayaker that flipped had someone with him to help.
Re: Midday Madness
Yeah the kayaker who flipped was paddling extremely slow and awkward (setup incorrectly.. paddle length, seat height, heavyset man). It just looked like an incident waiting to happen… and it did.
Another time I saw another kayaker cross the Aransas Channel before Sunrise with no lights and a little boy with him. Boaters were flying down that channel on a hot Saturday morning and it could have been bad. One power-boater stopped and recorded the kayaker, he was probably just as surprised as me. I caught up with them and just said “the channel sure does get busy early in the morning” and I moved on. I didn’t want to say what I should have said because of the the little one. I think he got the hint… his reply was “yeah.”
Glad we don’t hear more stories in the news, although there have been a fair share throughout the years.
Another time I saw another kayaker cross the Aransas Channel before Sunrise with no lights and a little boy with him. Boaters were flying down that channel on a hot Saturday morning and it could have been bad. One power-boater stopped and recorded the kayaker, he was probably just as surprised as me. I caught up with them and just said “the channel sure does get busy early in the morning” and I moved on. I didn’t want to say what I should have said because of the the little one. I think he got the hint… his reply was “yeah.”
Glad we don’t hear more stories in the news, although there have been a fair share throughout the years.