Wade fishing with bone top water lures while catching and releasing brute redfish, Chet C. from San Antonio enjoyed fishing with Capt. Nathan Beabout of Bay Flats Lodge September 7.
Due to a minor cool front in the extended weather forecast, today’s early morning venture took me and my party to a locale that I had not visited for quite some time. We chose this particular shoreline due to the fact that we were to be receiving northerly winds overnight, and because we had noted the presence of nervous mullet here as we pre-scouted potential fishing areas late yesterday afternoon. The bay bottom along this shoreline tapers gradually away from its grass-lined banks and offers anglers a lot of different combinations of underwater structure to choose from – grass, sand, mud, troughs and sandbars, and even shell in some spots. It’s a perfect place to look for bait during a north wind, especially during a rising or a falling tide change. This morning we would be experiencing a substantial high tide period shortly after sunrise, so we made it a point to be in place and ready for action about a half-hour beforehand.
We anchored in water that covered our bodies nearly to our stomachs. Upon exiting the boat, two of us went left, and two of us went right. We all were walking parallel to the shoreline as we made our way in and out of major and minor troughs that took us from thigh-deep to almost chest-deep water at times. In this deeper water we were presenting plastic tails, as the water clarity was fairly good along this particular stretch of the shoreline. The lures we had chosen were mullet imitation baits that were a mixture of deep blue and purple on the back, and which had chartreuse on the bottom and on the very tip of the tail. Within the first ninety minutes of daylight we had managed to land a few small trout that were keepers, but we also caught a number of undersized trout and rat reds as well. The sky was absent of clouds this morning, and we could already feel the temperature rising at the water’s surface. I looked over my shoulder to see how far we had ventured from the boat when I noticed that the other two members of our party had made their way back to the boat and were now heading toward the shallow waters located directly along the grassy bank.
My partner and I turned to slowly begin fishing our way back to the boat, and as we walked we could definitely tell that the air and the water temperatures were rising. By the time we were approaching the boat, the water was getting downright warm. My intuition told me to yell to the two guys in the shallows telling them that it was time for them to return to the boat, but just as I was about to holler I happened to glance at one of the guys and noticed that his rod was bent in half with what appeared to be a really nice fish on the other end. We sat and watched the next several minutes as line occasionally peeled from his reel as he fought to keep the fish under control. Moments later we saw him net what looked to be a truly beautiful red fish. I wasn’t wanting to believe my eyes, but my mind was telling me to pay close attention to what was going on here – this man just made a very impressive catch in some rather warm (almost hot) water. The logic of this happening in hot water went against everything I normally practice, but the reality of the situation didn’t take long to set-in. The two of us in the boat abruptly got back into the water and began heading for the shallows along the bank.
During the warmest months of the year, it is a fairly standard practice for us to fish in very shallow water really early in the day when the air and the water are still at their coolest. Then, later in the morning when things begin to warm-up, we generally will follow the bait fish out to deeper water as they begin to transition to cooler depths. Today’s successful regiment, however, called for an exact opposite set of rules – fishing with top water baits in shin-deep water in the middle of the day when things got really warm. It’s not something I would have normally suggested doing if I had not seen it with my own eyes, but the four of us spent close to two hours today catching these red fish in warm water that was within 15-30 yards of the bank. The bite wasn’t real aggressive, and periods of twenty minutes, or more, would pass with no blow-up whatsoever, but the fish were there as long as we were willing to look for them. The day turned out being a positively unexpected, yet welcomed, change in plans and strategy.
In closing, our team of guides at Bay Flats Lodge wishes to remind everyone of the rapid approach of the upcoming waterfowl season, with this year’s opening day being November 1st. Duck season is a wonderful time of the year to experience a “Blast & Cast” trip where you can experience a full morning of waterfowl hunting, take a short break, and then exchange the shotgun for top water lures and a fun afternoon of fishing. Remember to practice CPR, “Catch, Photo, and Release”, whenever possible on trophy Trout and Reds…Guide Chris Martin, Port O’Connor/Seadrift region. www.BayFlatsLodge.com…1-888-677-4868
