| Fishing Guide / Author |
Fishing Reports for Local Area - Location |
    
Captain Brandon Shuler (Onthefly)
New member
Username: Onthefly
Post Number: 2
Registered: 3-2005
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, March 14, 2005 - 8:46 pm: | |
Port Mansfield Wind & Reds
Capt. Frank Vasquez had the opportunity to fish David (SCA FAME) and his wonderful daughter Cheryl. They found good reds on the sand in about 1 to 2 feet of water during the middle of the day. Lures of choice were gold spoons fished slowly over the sand. These reds were south of town and cruising the grass and sand edges. Capt. Frank said Cheryl put on a clinic in red fishing. Upon David’s return to Houston I will get photos posted of their trip. Lynn did land 1 red in excess of 30 inches before losing a larger one.
With our contained outbreak of Brown Tide he had to run a little further south to find clear water. To clarify, yes we have a slight outbreak of Brown Tide but it is not as bad as what was experienced in the early 90’s. Biologists feel we could see it dissipate before summer. If not we will have to deal with it. Having 6 to 8 guides on the water daily will help us scout out the fish and find clear water.
Our water is close to reaching the magic 70-degree mark so look for the large trout to make their move to the sand and gravel pockets on windy shorelines, in preparation to spawn.
Captain Brandon D. Shuler
Think Globally, Act Locally
Keep Five on the Fly
http://www.getawayadventureslodge.com |
Trey Stearns (Ctbaycharters)
New member
Username: Ctbaycharters
Post Number: 5
Registered: 4-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, September 22, 2004 - 10:24 am: | |
Lower Laguna Madre / Baffin Bay Fishing Report
Sep 15, 2004 Trout are good in the Land Cut and in the Humble Channel on piggy perch, croaker and black Hogie's, Sand Eels, Trout Killers, Crazy Croakers and Bass Assassins. Redfish are good in the Boat Hole on live bait and at Yarborough.
Sep 8, 2004 Trout are fair to good in the Land Cut and in the Humble Channel on piggy perch and croaker. Trout and redfish are fair to good on topwaters and live shrimp on the Yarborough Flats. Trout are fair to good at Rocky Slough and Tide Gauge on topwaters.
Sep 1, 2004 Trout are fair to good on croaker, shrimp and shrimptails on the King Ranch shoreline. Redfish are good on the grass beds off the Intracoastal on DOA Shrimp and live shrimp under a popping cork. Trout and redfish are fair to good at Yarborough on Corkies and topwaters.
Aug 25, 2004 Trout are fair to good at Yarborough on glow Corkies and chartreuse Top Dogs and Super Spooks. Trout and redfish are fair to good in the Land Cut on croaker, live shrimp under a popping cork and chrome She Dogs.
C&T Bay Charters Home Page
Laguna Madre Fishing Guides|Baffin Bay Fishing Guides|Rockport Fishing Guides
Port Aransas Fishing Guides|Laguna Madre Fishing Guides|Corpus Christi Fishing Guides
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ctbaycharters (Unregistered Guest)
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, April 13, 2004 - 7:51 pm: | |
C&T Bay Charters - Fishing Corpus Christi, Baffin Bay and Rockport
Fishing Report For Baffin Bay
Trout are fair at the Tide Gauge on topwaters. Redfish are fair on the edges of the Intracoastal on live shrimp.
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Capt. Scott Sparrow
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, May 07, 2003 - 12:18 pm: | |
Subject: fishing report
4/30/03 It's hard to find time to update the report, but I just had to let you know how great the fishing has been. On Monday and Tuesday, I had the pleasure of guiding for the third time Don Massey from Dallas, and his brother Cal from Utah. The Masseys were not into numbers, and were simply thrilled to be on the water. Although they were easy to please, the first day was a fly fishing guide's nightmare -- wind and clouds from daybreak onward. The men managed to catch a couple of nice trout on topwaters, but the redfish were nowhere to be seen. As a consolation for a difficult weather day, the men caught some more trout under the dock lights after supper.
On Tuesday morning -- after Don managed to catch a red near Three Islands -- I headed for a flat known for its tailing pods in the spring. The wind was dying, and I thought that reds just might be tailing. I came off plane and poled into the area, and spotted a pod tailing near the boat. Cal slipped off the boat and began wading toward the tails. About that time, we began to see other pods tailing nearby, so Don headed off on his own. For the next couple of hours, the Masseys enjoyed classic tailing action. Don managed to catch three more reds in the 22-24 inch range, and Cal caught three reds and the first ladyfish of the year. Except for one red caught on a pink Mother's Day Fly, all of the reds were caught on orange VIP poppers.
Today -- Wednesday -- I guided John Wilson of Taos. John is a guide up that way, and is considering relocating to the Lower Laguna. I took him back to the same flat where the Masseys had done so well, and the action was even better! Pods of 10-30 fish were everywhere you looked -- tailing and feeding in virtually calm conditions. A few birds were working over them, but the wind was so calm that the birds couldn't stay aloft over the pods. There wasn't another boat in sight, either.
John stalked several pods, and landed four reds up to 25+ inches on an orange VIP popper. It was "storybook" fly fishing, and I expect we'll be having a lot more of it, since it's already been that good for over a month.
4/11/03 It's not every day that you wake up to an absolutely calm morning without a cloud in the sky. As we had breakfast with Chris Brandt and his buddies from Austin and San Antonio, I said, "This is a one in 50 day." When Chris asked, "Where do you think we should go?" I answered "Anwhere," but suggested that they go north. My client and I went south.
It's hard to explain what 1000 redfish look like, if you've never seen it. But for several hours, My client Eric Laird from Houston, and I and did not move more than 200 yards. Meanwhile, Eric -- who had never sight cast to a redfish -- had shot after shot at groups of redfish from 10 to 300 in size. It was almost unbelieveable. We were in a foot of clear water, and everywhere you looked, the glassy surface was punctuated by "swarms" of redfish, sweeping this way and that. Tails were everywhere, but most of the reds were just cruising along, feeding on the shrimp that has suddenly appeared in the flats. At one moment, I watched 30 reds rolling over each other, with their heads coming out of the water gulping shrimp noisily. Talk about happy fish! There wasn't a boat within a mile of us, either. Of course, I had my "megaphone" out, and didn't stop yelling advice and cheers from the boat. Whenever I waded alongside Chris, the reds kept approaching me, and I had to keep going back to the boat to keep them from swimming up to me and spooking. We saw some giant trout, too, but did not catch any.
Meanwhile, Chris and his friends had landed in another piece of heaven north of the Arroyo. For hours, they had single tailing reds, and were able to catch around a dozen. The only drawback was that Chris caught most of the fish on one of my Glassy-Eyed Shrimp (see www.lagunamadre.net for instructions), which was suddenly elevated to "Most Valuable Fly" status, so I had to tie flies for the guys after dinner. I tried to tell them that it wasn't the fly, but they wouldn't hear of it.
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Capt. Scott Sparrow
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, March 22, 2002 - 3:36 pm: | |
Subject: Fishing Report
We have had some late season cold fronts, so it's been a little frustrating of late. However...there are several reports of giant trout appearing in our favorite shallow water venues. While Kathy and I were speaking at the Shallow Water Symposium in Houston last weekend, a friend went out and caught 30 trout over 24 inches. He's a spin fisher, but it lets you know just what kind of magic spring can bring.
The bay water temperature is rising into the upper sixties, resulting in redfish moving onto the white sand earlier in the day.Indeed, the most exciting sight casting opportunities that you will find just about anywhere has begun, due to the rising water temperatures. Under these conditions, a wading or poled fly fisher can spot reds and crusing trout 75-100 yards away, and position himself for a far-and fine presentation as the fish approaches. Tides are beginning their spring rise, which will move the fish into areas that have been too shallow for them. From now until autumn, we'll be encountering pretty consistent southeast winds.Wind, however, is usually not the main adverse factor on the LLM: it is "sunlessness." A day with full sun, regardless of the wind, usually provides ample sight casting opportunities.
This time of the year, the cold fronts stop reaching us, and instead we "enjoy" consistently strong southeast winds that get pulled into the low pressure systems to the north. It's a great time to learn to fly fish in windy conditions, which is not that hard once you decide to embrace the challenge. Indeed, the wind is often an ally in the shallowest venues, for it masks
your approach.
Check out Capt. Scott's centerfold article in the current Fish and Fly Magazine on fly fishing for giant speckled trout, and his article in the Jan/Feb issue of Salt Water Fly Fishing, titled "The Texas Cure for Winter." Or back cast to his article, "Trophy Trout Texas Style" in the June/July 2001issue. |
Capt. Scott Sparrow
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, January 06, 2002 - 10:36 pm: | |
When you fish as much as we do, you have to be careful using superlatives. There are so many great days on the water that to say a day is the "best" one is to insult so many fine memories. With that in mind, let me say that December 27-29 were three of the best fishing days in memory, with the 29th taking the cake for the most magical and beautiful fishing day of 2001. We may have caught more fish on other days, but there was something about a day so beautiful in mid-winter that aroused feelings of gratitude and awe in both Kathy and me. But
first let's review the days leading up to the 29th.
Lewis Robinson of Rockport came down the day after Christmas to fly fish on my new Curlew. Lewis wanted to see how the Curlew performed, and catch some reds, too. While his wife Linda stayed back at Kingfisher, he and I ventured out early on the 27th. We headed to the launch with our regular Kingfisher guests, Henry Bone and Jeff Foster of Austin, arriving just in time to claim one of the ramps while Henry took the other with his Maverick HPX. We took off from the dock in pretty thick fog -- a familiar experience during December and January.
Lewis and I headed for the east flats where the water was glassy as far as you could see. We gave the fish time to settle down, and then I began poling toward the sun, which was already starting to burn off the low-hanging fog. It was eerie and bright for an early December morning.
Soon we spotted tails, so I began to pole Lewis toward them. For the next three hours or so, we remained in the same general area, where Lewis managed to hook and land three reds over 24 inches on a red Mother's Day fly. The reds continued to tail the rest of the day, even though the wind came up a bit in the afternoon. We were fortunate that they continuted to show themselves, for a thick bank of clouds came up and made it difficult to spot cruising fish with our polarized glasses.
Even though Lewis did well, the reds were difficult to catch: They seemed to be almost totally uninterested in eating. Of course, there had been a full moon the night before, and redfish are typically very finicky the day after a full moon on a cloudless night. However, Lewis is a veteran fly fisher, and knows that just because a red acts offended or uninterested in your fly does not mean that the fish won’t eat on the 10th or even 15th presentation. Indeed, two of the three reds ate the fly as Lewis was making a "Hail Mary" cast over the head of the departing fish. Most fly fishers would have given up hope, but Lewis knew that a well-placed fly -- one that suddenly appears about two inches from the red's nose -- can provoke a strike when nothing else will. He was
amply rewarded for his persistence.
The next day dawned with a cloudless sky, but it was a bit windy at sunrise. We boated over 15 miles to Stover's Point without seeing many fish, and they were nowhere to be seen along the Atascosa Refuge shoreline. So, we headed back to the spot on the east flats where we’d fished the day before. As we approached, we suddenly blew through a school of black drum and some
redfish, so I stopped the boat, and began poling. The wind had stopped, the sky was cloudless, and fish were everywhere. Lewis began to get shot after shot at the same finicky reds that we’d encountered the day before, eventually landing two in the 24-25" range. At one point, Lewis voiced my own feelings about the day by saying, "Where in the U.S., except the Florida Keys,
can you do this on December 28th?" As the day progressed, the wind came up out of the east, blowing us into the setting sun -- making the late-afternoon sight casting nearly impossible. So we called it a day and went in.
The next day, Kathy and I decided to go out together, since the weatherman had predicted perfect
conditions: full sun, no wind, and 75 degrees. Henry and Jeff took off early, while Kathy and I lounged about the house until about 9:30. Just as we were going out the door, the phone rang and it was our buddy Capt. Skipper Ray. He told us he'd just run over several acres of big trout, and he thought we’d like to know. No one -- but no one -- but a great friend parts with that kind of intelligence. I thanked him profusely, and Kathy I took off for the launch with only one thing
in mind: to make a beeline for the trout.
The east flats were glassy as far as you could see, and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. I knew that
we could sight cast effectively in the thigh-deep water where big trout often cruise in mid-winter. Indeed, as we passed over acres of empty water, we suddently blew through a dozen trout from 24-30 inches long. Needless to say, we stopped and got ready for a wade that we'll never forget.
Our dog Sam was with us, so we gave him some goodies and some water and said goodbye -- for three hours, as it turned out. Imagine water as clear as an aquarium, with sheepshead scurrying about, and schools of baby pig fish and pin fish rippling the surface of the calm water. Shoal grass was intermixed with the
thick-bladed turtle grass, and the bottom was as firm as a sidewalk. We walked with the sun to our back. It took a while for the visibility to improve enough for us to effectively see the fish.
But after about 30 minutes of slow-motion wading, I presented poorly to a nice red that suddenlyappeared about 30 feet away. Again, I presented poorly. The dead calm surface required a highly delicate presentation, which I flubbed. By the time the big fish saw my fly, it was definitely aware of my presence, and turned away in apparent disgust. I felt a little ou of practice, but the beauty of the water was so intoxicating that missing those fish didn't bother me a bit. Well, maybe a teeny bit.
A few minutes later, Kathy saw her first big trout. She presented her red and white deceiver well,
and succeeded in hooking it briefly. But it ran right toward her, as trout are inclined to do, and she lost it after a very brief fight. A while later, she saw another big trout, and missed the strike.
About that time, I spotted another big trout fly out front and short of the fish, and it wheeled and followed. Suddenly its gills flared as it inhaled the Deceiver. But as I went to set the hook, the fly popped free. The fish looked for it; but it saw me and fled before it could relocate the fly.
Then Kathy yelled, "There's big trout all around me! And redfish, too. Everywhere!" I watchedher crouch low and cast to the school. Although I was too far away to see the fish, the area around Kathy was rippling with life. She missed a strike, and then hooked up on a 26 1/2 inch red. While she fought it, the huge school of fish continued milling all around her. She kept
shouting, "Come on over. They're still here." But I was 50 yards away, and by the time I got there, the fish had moved away.
Kathy landed her fish and put it on the stringer so we could take pictures before releasing it.
About then, a sizeable red swam into view, and I made an acceptable cast to it. "A double hook-up!" I yelled. We released both of our fish minutes later, and continued our dream-like walk across the glassy flat.
Then I saw them. Golden flashes, and dozens of dark shadows beneath the surface. The school had returned! But the fish -- mostly redfish it seemed -- were almost 75 feet away, and heading away from me. I probably should have edged closer, but I was a bit impatient, so I double hauled and dropped the fly on the edge of the school. Five or six big fish dogged the fly for 15 feet before one of them slammed it, and missed. Again I cast, and missed another. Then they were gone.
But the action wasn’t over yet. As the wind began to shift to the east, a shadow came out of the glare, heading right for me. A big trout! I cast the unweighted deceiver about 10 feet in front of it, and let it sink. When the fish was about three feet from the fly, I began to strip. The fish sped forward and took it. Minutes later, I landed a 24-25 inch trout -- not huge, but a very beautiful fish. We took some photos of Kathy's red and my trout, and released them as the wind announced that our unforgettable and near-perfect morning was ending.
Well, I hope I haven't bored you. I don't normally go to such lengths in my fishing report, but I just wanted you know how incredible December and January fishing can be. Even today...well, I won't bore you with more fish stories, but it was a great day. It’s really not that unusual. In fact we've had this kind of fishing for the last three winters, in between the cold fronts. If you have a flexible schedule, consider coming down. |
Capt. Scott Sparrow
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, October 22, 2001 - 9:43 pm: | |
The high tides of September and October are finally giving way to average waterlevels, making the task of finding and sight casting to visible fish a bit easier. We have had four cold fronts, which is above average for this time of the year. These fronts typically blow out the fishing for the first day, make it challenging on the second day, and give way to "story-book,"unforgettable fly fishing on the third day, as the winds typically die and give way to the rapid warming of the air and water.
When the waters warm, the game fish spread out onto the shallowest flats. The challenge is stalking individual fish in a foot of gin-clear water, under full-sun conditions. It is both an ideal and a curse to have such great "visuals," for the fish benefit from the conditions,too. The fish seem to be feeding on: lug worms that burrow into the sand, shrimp; and small crabs. In areas where the finger mullet are thick, you will also hear the unimistakable explosions of reds attacking these three-inch morsels in the early morning stillness.
Fly Patterns: We've still been using tiny topwaters as an attractor in areas where the reds and trout are thick, but not showing us anything. Sight casting accounts for 90% of what we do, but in calm, early morning conditions where the fish are not showing, we can often draw strikes from 8-10 feet away with a small, but noisy topwater that lands quietly, but speaks loudly. I use a VIP popper that I've evolved over the years into a fly that I'd choose above all else for both major species down here. Instructions for tying this fly is at the Kingfisher website, www.lagunamadre.net, and e-mail me if you have any questions.
Later in the day, lightweight shrimp and glass minnow-type patterns are preferable out on the east flats for catching trout and reds. Ladyfish -- a magnificent fighter that likes a fast-moving flashy fly -- are still cruising with the game fish, but will soon be leaving the Bay as the water temperatures drop into the 70s. As usual, I use a Mother's Day shrimp pattern for most subsurface applications on the lower Laguna -- a pattern that, once again, has evolved over many years of fishing my home waters. Instructions are at our website for this fly, too. My friend Fred Arbona, who fishes on the "white sand" on the east side of the lower Laguna most of the time, favors a mylar minnow with a flourescent red head. This allows him to see the fly in relation to a pursuing fish, and to know what to do to draw a strike. and rewarding in the fight.
14-Day Forecast: The Carribean-like "white sand" is heating up with cruising reds and numerous big trout under optimum sight casting condition. Water levels are near-perfect for the resumption of tailing action on the west side, and in the grassy areas of the east side. and rewarding in the fight.
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Capt. Scott Sparrow
Unregistered guest
Rating: 
Votes: 1 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, September 16, 2001 - 7:22 pm: | |
With the high tides generated in the western Gulf by Tropical Depression Gabrielle, we have seen an influx of fresh ocean water along with long-awaited rains. As a result, the bay waters have cooled, improving the fishing and triggering early schooling by pre-spawning redfish. Huge herds of redfish are being spotted on the east side of the lower Laguna, along with schools of black drum and ubiquitous sheepshead. The redfish are beginning to tail in pods and schools, creating spectacular sight casting opportunities for wading fly
fishers.
Schooling trout can still be found along the edges of the Intercoastal Waterway underneath schools of mullet in the morning for about an hour or more before the rishing sun pushes them lower in the water column. While scouting two mornings ago, my wife Kathy and I caught 20 trout on small VIP poppers at dawn, most of them small -- but a couple of larger fish struck our topwaters, too. Larger trout can still be found tailing around the spoil islands. I caught and released a 28" fish last week, and several of my recent clients have had shots at visible trou tover eight pounds. They are easy to spot, but very difficult to catch.
Fly Patterns: We've been using tiny topwaters for the tailing redfish action. Tailing redfish often spook when presented with a subsurface fly, because if it's close enough for them to see it,it often startles them, too. So, a tiny topwater that lands quietly, but speaks loudly, can draw them fron 3 or 4 feet away. I use a VIP popper that I've evolved over the years into a fly that I'd choose above all else for both major species down here. Instructions for tying this fly is at the
Kingfisher website, www.lagunamadre.net, and e-mail me if you have any questions.
Later in the day, we've been using lightweight shrimp and glass minnow-type patterns out on the east flats to catch trout and reds, and abundant ladyfish. I use a Mother's Day shrimp pattern that, once again, has evolved over many years of fishing the lower Laguna. Instructions are at our website for this fly, too.
My friend Fred Arbona, who fishes on the "white sand" on the east side of hte LLM most of the time, favors a mylar minnow with a flourescent head. This allows him to see the fly in relation to a pursuing fish, and to know what to do to draw a strike.
14-Day Forecast: Tides have been somewhat higher in the mornings for the last two weeks, permitting the reds to move out onto the east flats, as they were doing in May and June. Already,the "white sand" is heating up with cruising reds and a few big trout under optimum sight casting condition. While the high tides support fish migration onto the firm, east flats, the high tides also make it hard to see through the water's surface on cloudy, windy days. So we tend to shift toward the west side, hoping to find reds tailing along shallow, grassy banks.
Other Information: A myth has prevailed for some time that redfish are easy to catch. It is true that if you present just about anything to them well, they will usually strike the fly. But the presentation has to be right on the money while they are still 50 feet or more away. They are quick to hear you inside of 50 feet, and casually veer off before you could ever reach them.Soundless wading is a must.
Fred Arbona, founder of Climax and fly fishing legend, says that redfish are much tougher than bones to catch, and after fishing all around the world, spends over four months down here fishing every day.
Lani Waller of steelheading fame recently fished with us while we were hosting the new video "Coastal Fly Fishing with Ken Hanley and Friends." After presenting to several reds in 10 inches of crystal clear water, Lani said that fishing the LLM was one of the most technically demandingfly fishing experiences he's ever had.
So, if you fancy a challenge, this is a great place to sight cast to 4-10 lb juvenile redfish that have probably never seen a fly. And if you get a shot at a 5-8 lb trout, you'll discover why so many of the local fly fishers speak so reverently of this wary, elusive predator.
For more information, see our website, and read my article, "Trophy Trout Texas Style," in the June/July issue of Saltwater Fly Fishing.
Tight lines -- Capt. Scott
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Capt. Scott Sparrow
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, September 01, 2001 - 8:45 pm: | |
Subject: update
The fishing pattern has been shifting in the last two weeks. The tides are rising, resulting in a migration of fish toward the Carribean-like east flats, all the way to the shoreline of Padre Island. And yet, the redfish have begun to tail in greater ernest in portions of the grass-bottomed west side of the lower Laguna. Indeed, some podding action on the west side has begun, and will increase into the autumn.These fish are relatively easy to catch. For those anglers who want to stalk fish in the most technically demanding circumstance, the "white sand" of the vast east flats will be the place to search for cruising reds and big trout. Under full-sun conditions, these fish are visible for 75-100 yards, but they are especially sensitive in this grass-free setting, since the fly fisher becomes exposed as well. Casts of 60 feet or more are a must for this ego-shattering, instantly addictive scenario.
Trout can still be found along the edges of the Intercoastal Waterway underneath schools of mullet in the morning. As the tide goes out, in particiular, mullet mill around the edge of the Intercoastal, and the trout feed beneath them. Most of these trout are small, from 15-20 inches, but one out of ten strikes will be from a larger fish. Redfish, as always, are feeding on whatever is available, and right now lugworms, shrimp and small mullet are just abaout anywhere you go.
Fly Patterns: We've been using tiny topwaters for the tailing redfish action.Tailing redfish often spook when presented with a subsurface fly, because if it's close enough for them to see it, it startles the fish, too. So, a tiny topwater that lands quietly, but speaks loudly, can draw them from 3 or 4 feet away. I use a VIP popper that I've evolved over the years into a fly that I'd choose above all else for both major species down here. Instructions for tying this fly is at the
Kingfisher website, www.lagunamadre.net, and e-mail me if you have any questions.
Later in the day, we've been using lightweight shrimp and glass minnow-type patterns out on the east flats to catch trout and reds, and abundant ladyfish. I use a Mother's Day shrimp pattern that, once again, has evolved over many years of fishing the lower Laguna. Instructions are at our website for this fly, too.
Forecast: Tides have been somewhat higher in the mornings for the last two weeks, permitting the reds to move out onto the east flats, as they were doing in May and June. This will continue into September, when the "white sand" will heat up with cruising reds and trout in optimum sight casting conditions: a grass-free bottom. While the high tides support fish migration onto the firm, east flats, the high tides also make it hard to find fish on cloudy, windy days. So the fall is not always the best time to fish. Most guides have strategies for finding visible fish on overcast, windy days -- such as along shallow shorelines -- but it's the one negative about the higher tides of spring and fall.
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Capt. Sscott Sparrow
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, June 25, 2001 - 11:22 pm: | |
Subject: updated report 6/25/01
Redfish have begun to tail almost every morning until the
wind rises above 10 miles per hour. Morning after morning, there have
been tails as far as you can see in dead calm, 12-inch water all over the
east side of the lower Laguna -- the best and worst of conditions. And
these conditions continue at the present time, even though early morning
low tides have suppressed some of the vigorous tailing that we've seen.
Fly fishers: If you can cast 75 feet, no problem, but most
novice to intermediate casters can't throw a line that far. So, getting
close enough to cast has been the main problem. And the redfish have not
been pushovers. They typically stop tailing when you get within 70-80
feet of them, but you can spend hours stalking and casting to visible
fish without catching one.
Fortunately, with a little coaching, many of my clients have
hooked up under such conditions. You have to get down low, hold off on
your cast until you're sure you can reach the tailing red, and then cast
with a minimum of false casting. No problem, right?
Flies that have been working: We've been using tiny
topwaters for the tailing redfish action.Tailing redfish often spook
when presented with a subsurface fly, because if it's close enough for
them to see it, it startles them, too. So, a tiny topwater that lands
quietly, but speaks loudly, can drawa them fron 3 or 4 feet away.
Spin fishers: Use Culprit red worms or some other
unobtrusive lure to entice the reds to hit without spooking. Small
topwaters will work to draw them from some distance away, but soft
plastics will run less risk of spooking the fish in dead calm
conditions..
After the tailing action subsides, we've been fishing way
out east for cruising redfish and big
trout. We have many days when we've had 10 or more shots at trout over
24 inches, but in very shallow water. We often catch one or two in this
range, but we've seen much bigger ones that have thus far eluded us.
The east flats have been a great fly fishing venue. Fred
Arbona, Larry Haines (co-owner of The Fly Shop in Port Isabel) and I
went out and caught 29 fish one Friday in early June.
The action: The redfish have been tailing in the grassy
areas of the LLM, chasing shrimp and crabs out of hiding and chasing
small pigfish.Spawning size trout -- that is, over 20 inches long -- can
be found in the same waters, and can be seen chasing single shrimp above
the surface. Boats have to be able to get up in less than a foot of
water to exploit this action.
Later in the day, we've been using lightweight shrimp and
glass minnow-type patterns out on the east flats to catch trout and
reds, and an occasional ladyfish.
Summary:: We are in the prime time for big trout action, and
for tailing redfish. Big trout
have been seen tailing along the Intercoastal in places that local fly
fishermen would not tell you
under the threat of torture, but which are reasonably easy to find on
your own once you understand the patterns.
Redfish should continue to tail in the early morning and
during strong tidal movement throughout the summer, and into the fall.
Try east and southeast of the Saucer if you have a deep-draft boat. Just
go as far as you can early in the morning and then wade into the
shallower areas. You should see some tails.
Both reds and trout have been following sting rays with
amazing regularity. Since rays are easy to spot from far out, we have
more time to prepare for our presentations. We expect this action to
continue through the summer.
Capt. Scott and Kathy Sparrow
Kingfisher Inn and Guide Service
(956) 748-4350 |
Capt. Scott Sparrow
Unregistered guest
Rating: 
Votes: 2 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, May 19, 2001 - 9:50 pm: | |
Subject: Updated report from Kingfisher Inn
Windy conditions have made fly fishing a bit challenging during the past week. However, we expect a cold front on Monday, and possibly a shift toward the calmer conditions that normally characterize May through September, where early morning glassy conditions favor sight casting to tailing and cruising redfish and speckled trout. The tides have fallen to normal levels, thus creating good sight casting conditions in the clear, 8-12" water.
The redfish have been found spread out over the crystal clear east flats where the rock-hard, sandy bottom makes wading a real pleasure. There the redfish typically roam head down -- alone or in small pods -- searching primarily for tiny crabs that burrow into the sand.This action is the most challenging that you will find on the lower Laguna. Under a full sun, a fly fisher can see a large red approaching as far away as 100 yards, but the fish are acutely sensitive in these conditions, and often spook to stationery fly fishers while still 80-100 feet away. It takes stealth and a long accurate cast for most of these fish, but a few manage to wander within 40-50 feet, thankfully. We, and our clients, have been using the new casting "basket, called the "Strip'n Aid" for months now, and find that we have almost doubled our hookups by minimizing the amount of false casting that we have to do.
In the past week, the redfish have been moving into he grassy west side of the Bay, where the shrimp are concentrated. We've already seen some tailing pods of reds, which offer novice fly fishers the best chance to catch numerous reds and trout under feeding gulls. It's a incredible sight to see 10-30 tails protruding above the surface, and a dozen gulls a foot off the waterintercepting the fleeing shrimp. Meanwhile, sizable trout typically surround the redfish.
Large trout, from 22" to 30", are being caught near the spoil islands that line the Intercoastal Waterway. For instance, I caught two 26" trout two days ago on a white foam-head and deer-hair popper, and missed several more that were cruising and tailing visibly at sunrise. My client, Richard Bader from Fort Collins, sight casted to a trout in the 8-10 pound range before having to fly home -- an exquisite form of torture to see such a fish on one's last day of fishing. This area is one of the only places where big trout can regularly be found tailing in a foot of water. My friend Bud Rowland caught a new 6-lb tippet IGFA world record on Mother's Day a few miles to the south of here. The fish weighed 10 lbs. 2 ozs. He released another trout over ten pounds on the same day on his "numero uno" fly. (My article on big trout in the latest issue of SaltwaterFly Fishing has a photo of this pattern, as well as my own Mother's Day shrimp pattern, coincidentally named for another memorable catch last June).
Fly Patterns: My friend Fred Arbona from Prescott, Arizona has been fishing the "white sand" every day with his 83-yr-old dad, and they've been losing all the flies that I've been giving them -- impressionistic and light-weight Mother's Day shrimp patterns on size 4 hooks. I've tried to get Fred to use a tippet stronger than eight pounds, at least when he's using my flies, but he's too much of a sport, and he won't hear of it. Anyway, he knows I'll give him more. So there's a lot of big reds and trout wearing my flies out there, thanks to Fred.
The same patterns are working well on the grassy west side, too, as the spring shrimp "hatch" gathers momentum. Weedguards are a must for the west side, especially as the grass fills in. The redfish down here tend to be opportunistic rather than selective, and will normally attack most anything presented well. Therefore, the fly's castability and behavior in the water are more important than pattern. Good colors are deep red (my favorite), root beer, olive and pink.
Small topwater flies are working well for both trout and reds before mid-morning.
We are entering the prime time for big trout action, and for podding/tailing redfish. Gulls will tell us where to concentrate our efforts for redfish, and if it's an average May-June we'll see numerous pods of reds in the morning and evening showing up in 12-15" of water on the west side of the lower Laguna.
Some fool once said that redfish were easily to catch. To the contrary. Fred Arbona, founder of Climax and fly fishing legend, says that redfish are much tougher than bones to catch. With his usual candor, he says that compared to redfish, bonefish are boring and predictable. Lani Waller of steelheading fame recently fished with us, and said that fishing the LLM was one of the most technically demanding fly fishing he'd ever experienced. Indeed, it can be daunting to see so many fish and to catch so few. But then again, spring and summer gives rise to opportunities that make for spectacular fishing and memorable catches. If you fancy achallenge, this is a great place to find it. And if you get a shot at a 5-8 lb trout, you'll discover why so many of the local fly fishers speak so reverently of this wary, elusive predator.
-- Capt. Scott Sparrow, Kingfisher Inn and Guide Service |
Capt.Scott Sparrow
Unregistered guest
Rating: 
Votes: 1 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, April 10, 2001 - 1:33 am: | |
Subject: Fishing report
Windy conditions have kept all but the diehards in port. However, redfish action has been remarkable on the "white sand" next to Padre Island in 8-12" of clear water. While the rest of the Bay has been churned up by the spring winds, the sand has been clear, and a great venue for sight casting flies and light lures. Also, birds have been working over pods of redfish on the west side of the Laguna, but the action starts late in the day, and culminates just before dark. Large trout are being taken on the "sand," too, and huge spawning trout have been sighted on the spoils lining the Interncoastal.While fishing with a friend last week, we caught five trout over 20" on our fly rods, and four reds. Yeserday, a local fly fisher caught 18 reds in 30 mph winds. The reds would take anything big that was red or chartreuse. Good luck! -- Capt. Scott/Kingfisher Inn in Arroyo Cit.y |
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