Fish Catching Travel
Yesterday was a great way to start off what will be 4 days of fishing this week. After my last trip to POC it was back to Big Bayou to get some filets. Normally I do not keep lots of fish, but I wanted to cook the boss of Team Nancy a fish fry, so I headed back to see if the pattern would repeat itself.
The tide was low and the wind was around 15 mph out of the SSW. That was exactly opposite of the last week when the wind was out of the north. If you read last week you know I was fishing drains from both Bill Day’s and Barroom Bay that empty in to Big Bayou. With the deep water in the Bayou a certain amount of trout winter there, so when the water is flushing between the islands, and falling into the deeper water, you can often find them positioned at the base of a drain waiting on bait.
So I headed to the first one and the fish were there. There are days when you fish poorly, and days when you fish like a pro, today I fished like a pro. With the water running, and the wind blowing, it was tough to keep the boat in the perfect position to make a perfect cast.
A nice trout. Note the paddle tail in chicken on a chain.
The fish were waiting in about 2 – 3 foot of water and you had to make the perfect cast and then slowly ease it along, letting it fall off the little drop, and they were there. I probably felt about 10% of them, the rest were just there when I lifted up. I was using the paddle tail on a 1/8th ounce Strike King Jig head, which allowed it to fall fairly slow, which I think was critical.
Another guest at the fish fry.
Of course not all drains from flats, bays, or back lakes are full of fish. But when the water is falling out you just need to drain hop, fish them fairly quickly, and then move on if you do not get a bite. When they are there, they are there.
A limit headed to the cleaning table.
It did not take to long to get a nice limit, the biggest being 19″. So with that done it was time to see if I could catch a couple of reds before calling it a day early. Last time I was there one of my favorite banks had lots of rat reds on it. This time of year I really like to fish the edge of large oyster bars where the water has fallen completely off it. And if that is also a flat there with the sun on it, you are in business.
Not quite a keeper, but I have to catch at least one every time out on the Redfish Magic.
Both last time and this, the water is clear enough you can see the fish, or more realistic, the mud where they are rooting. When it is this low you have to let the wind help push you along, keep the trolling motor noise to a minimum, and keep scanning. So as I started down the bank with all the rats on it the dolphins appeared and just absolutely tore it up. They had the bait, or the reds, pinned against the edge of the flat and there was a killin’ going on.
I sat and watched, then they were off the bank and gone. I went ahead and fished the bank anyway, and as I got near the end of it there was a big mud. I tossed the chicken on a chain paddle tail in it and caught a rat, and then another, and then another. Now what made that interesting was the third one had a bite mark on his side, and it was fresh. He was one lucky redfish, and it reminded me that in the salt it is eat or be eaten, and the struggle for survival goes on every minute of every day. Why I did not take a picture of him I do not know, dumb.
It ended up being a short day, but a productive one. Limited on the trout, caught about 6 or 8 reds, and one lone flounder. The only thing I did not do was throw a topwater, and I should have, when you have that warming sun on shallow flats in the afternoon it is worth the effort, and will be done tomorrow. All in all not bad, and with Shoedog coming tonight, those fish better look out.
Speaking of Shoedog, he is getting this retirement thing down. He sent me this picture – looks like he is thrashing that lake in his subdivision.
A nice spinnerbait fish.
I like getting pictures from folks. Please send me some, I will be happy to post them on the site. Just send me a comment or an email and I will respond. The address to send them to is redfishlaw@ yahoo.com. And if you send a little story all the better. This site is for guys like us, people who love to fish, to read about fishing, to talk about fishing, and all other things in the sport we love.
It will be up early and off to the Gulf tomorrow, than a little bass fishing before the weather deteriorates again. So keep stopping in and I will let you know how it goes. Thanks for reading my stuff.
Good Luck and Tight Lines
