Saltwater Life

Living in Texas is diverse when it comes to fishing. The opportunity to fish freshwater and saltwater are abundant, it just takes a bit of driving. I have been taking two of my best friends on river trips with me and they wanted to pay me back with a trip for Redfish on the Coast. We arrived in Copano Bay on Friday with less than perfect conditions due to the scalding hot temperatures and high winds, we were forced to pull out a map and find a protected area to fish from the kayaks.

We found a location and got to fish for a few hours before dark. The wind was brutal but I was able to haul in one Redfish out of a grass flat.
The next mourning found us in the same location. Again the wind would not cooperate today so I headed deep into the flat trying to avoid it. The water was very muddy so we paddled out through the waves and staked the kayaks in order to fish a reef. Was able to salvage the morning with a few trout and we added one flounder.

After reading so much about Lighthouse Lakes we changed our plans and headed that way to scout in the afternoon hoping to find cleaner water for Sunday. Not knowing where to go I sent a message out on a forum and it was answered by Capt. Dean Thomas from Slow Ride Guide Services. It's not often that a guide will be willing to share information, but he did and I thank him.
Arriving at LHL we were greeted with the same winds but clearer water. After unloading we paddled across the channel and entered the lakes. Think I found my second home as I was amazed at the water as well as the different options to fish in this area. We scouted and explored the Mango groves and decided that this is where we would fish the next day.



Me, Chuck, and Ron

After eating at the Boiling Pot we made it back to the house and hit the sack being tired from paddling and fighting the wind all day. Sunday called for rain and calmer winds.
If this is what they mean by calm i'll take it any day.

Smooth as glass

Paddling, I looked for any sign of feeding Redfish. It didn't take long to hook up with my first of the day.

Hearing the water erupt, all you could see were tails as a large school of Redfish were working their way towards me. When in casting distance, a spoon was cast past them and then brought back where it was met with a solid take. Setting the hook cause the school to explode and go in different directions and I was awarded with my largest of the day.

Spent most of the morning chasing schools of Redfish as well as picking off a few while working the flats. As the storms approached and the rain started to fall we fished until noon then headed back to load up for the return trip. Can't wait to get back out there.

Ron with a nice red

Stood up and paddled the rest of the way in, need to bring a push pole next time.



Muddy water Redfish

As I drove the 600 miles to Mississippi, all I could think about was catching my first Redfish on a fly. My wife and youngest daughter make this trip with me every year so the Big Tuna was the kayak of choice since it can be fished tandem or solo. We were staying at my cousins house on the edge of Bay St Louis, with it's many fingers coming off the river it looked like there would be plenty of opportunity to hook up with some fish. Waking up in the morning I paddled out of the canal into the river working my way across to one of the many fingers to explore.

The water is very muddy with hardly any visibility which made it hard to see any of the Redfish as I worked my way through the grass flats. A few fish broke the surface by me and exploded on the shrimp imitator that was presented to them, taking to the air I had hooked up with my first of many Skip Jack that were in the area. The poor man's Tarpon doesn't dissapoint with it's strength and multiple jumps as it tried to get free.

The area was so fishy looking and I was able to catch a limit of Reds but they all came on a baitcaster.

Some of the area that was fished. This is from inside of one of the fingers that I explored.

 Paddled around 5-6 miles every day and caught a limit each day of Redfish. Upon returning to the house on the second afternoon the water erupted by me. I tossed a spinnerbait into the flurry and immediately hooked up with something large that pulled me around in the kayak for over twenty minutes. I had to tighten the drag all the way down and thumb the spool so I didn't get spooled. Finally it came to the kayak and when I went to net it the Jack Cravelle had one more burst left in it and broke my 40lb braid. What a fight that was, guess it didn't want it's picture taken.
Sunday came and my Cousin and I drove to Louisiana to meet up with our friend that we fish with in Myrtle Grove which is one of the areas that is part of the Swamp Men Alligator hunting show.
I took the Mini Mag as well as baitcaster and was determined to catch a Red on the fly. Again I was met with muddy water and strong winds but I still threw it and struck out. Needing fish for the fish fry I picked up the baitcaster and was able to put a couple of Reds in the boat. It is hard throwing a fly rod with three people in the boat, I laughed everytime they ducked.

While I fished everyday my wife and daughter caught crabs for the big feast. Here are some pictures of the buffet.

The best part of the trip was spending the time with my family and completely ignoring work. The highlight of the trip was rigging the kayak tandem and paddling my daughter around as she fished.

Slideshow of the many pictures taken during the week.
Again, thank you for reading and following me on my adventures.

Headed to the Big Easy

Heading out on Wednesday for some R&R which will consist of chasing around redfish in the marshes of Louisiana. Since starting fly fishing, this will be my second try at catching some on a fly rod. Needing something to turn over bigger flies as well as the short distances I was able to aquire a TFO Mini Mag blank to build on.
Choosing an all black weebed reel seat and stainless black snake guides I put the finishing touches on it last night and took it off the dryer this morning. I wrapped the guides in dark black and all of the trim work was done in teal color. For a hook keeper I uses a snake guide for a different look.
Now to catch that redfish.........................

Ahead of the Storm

Having been run off my local river lately by lunatics floating in tubes without fishing poles, it was time to head out to the Colorado river for the weekend with a couple of friends.
Rain was in the forecast for both days but not being on the water for what seemed like an eternity there was no way it was going to postpone this trip. Made the drive to the river and carefully backed down the side of the bridge to the launch spot and was greeted with the voices of friends who I haven't seen in awhile. After a short shuttle we pushed off from the bank into the moving water and the weekend had now begun.

The water was up and muddy from the recent rains. There was a lot of debris and the banks were choked with grass as well as the grass being pushed along by the current, making it extremely difficult to work the fly rod with any consistancy. With the current pushing us along, we pounded every inch of the water with a few takers here and there.

The heat was halted by the occasional dip into the river to cool off and relax. I took the new Big Tuna out for it's maiden voyage. This is the second time i've fished and camped from one and it is an impressive fishing platform. I was able to stand and fish with ease as well as move around in it.

As we fished, the clouds started building up with a menacing look so we made our way down to the island at a little faster pace. Along the way I was able to pull in this 6lb largemouth which was the largest that I would catch this trip.

Upon reaching the island and setting up camp, it was then that I realized that the rain fly for my tent was still hanging in the shed from the last trip. Good thing I brought an emergency tarp. While it only covered 3/4 of the tent it would come in handy during the night.

After gathering wood and starting the fire, it was time to hop in the river to relax and cool down after a long day on the water.

The night got a little eerie after dinner. The clouds in the sky were electrical with the most amazing light storm that i've ever been in. It looked as though we were in the eye of a storm the whole time. I was awoken around 3am by rain hitting my feet, it was short lived and the tarp had done it's job.
We hit the water around 8:30 in the morning to a rising muddy river. The fishing was not that great so we took out earlier than normal. We got off the river in time, it rose 11 feet on Monday due to a nice storm the night before. Can't wait to get back out there.

Matrix (Not the Movie)

This was the first of two blanks that I purchased a few months ago and finally had the time to build.
Finished this one the other night and i'm happy with the outcome as well as the action.
The cork grip is custom built by gluing different colored pieces of cork together then shaping to form on the lathe with sandpaper. The guides are wrapped in Denim colored thread with some Copper trim bands. Now it needs to find a home.

More info on the rod here Matthews Custom Rods