Saturday - ran 28 miles around the East flats of Corpus Christi Bay, Redfish Bay, Ingleside and the Portland shoreline area - dialing in a few new fishing spots. The weather was perfect of offshore fishing but, it was also perfect for having less boat traffic inshore.....and I used this time to my advantage to chart and fish new waters for me.
Started the day working spoil islands and casting lures - scored 5 redfish and 9 specks. The moon is full and the tides were dropping all day, most of the flats went too shallow to fish for most. I used this opportunity to explore and read water and it panned out very well.
Closed my day on Redfish Bay. Working an outside spoil island, I found a school of black drum at around 80 - 100 fish. I quickly stuffed my box with a quick limit, perfect eating sized fish 17 - 28 inches....then finished my day casting shrimp flies and catch and release with the fly rod. I left them biting and headed home.
Sure wished I didn't have a real job......darn the luck!
Kayak on the flat - looks like South Florida in so many ways here.
Untitled by Rob Zabroky
Rockport by Rob Zabroky
Holding up over sand on a flat to channel edge - Redfish Bay - ice breaker first fish of the day - popped a weedless gold spoon.
Untitled by Rob Zabroky
A few casts later
Untitled by Rob Zabroky
Exploring the scenes around heavy oil industry fabrication
One of my old friends - USCGC Mallet making her way home. I've spent many an hour on her back in my old days in uniform. Setup the first ever wireless data network on this boat back in 1993. During those days, she had a Unix server with 3 workstations - the data network drop was on the bridge and provided underway email and telecommunications to world-wide information systems. Powered by AT&T's old cellular network and dial-up modems - using Motorola bag phones (1st generation cell phone systems). We've come a long way with Information Technology.
The water along this channel is 50ft deep. On the opposite side are spoil islands and the flats of the Eastern Corpus Christi Bay area. I know there are some seriously big trout - not too far from these industrial zones. Reminds me of my old days of fishing around Galveston LOL!
And the spoil islands do deliver - mid day hot as snot and I'm working lures covering water. Managed some decent keeper specks in spite of the slow fishing conditions (low tide and nightly full moon). I've found using my modified Gold spoon, red hook, white buck tail dressing mixed with silver mylar\green dressings covering the hook, scores specks with attacking impulsive hits. They impulsively attack this bait - even when they aren't actively feeding. This was one of those moments. You could cast a live shrimp in this same scene only to find, you are feeding piggy perch. Live croakers do the same thing to specks, they attack to kill but you have to fish slow to fish croakers. I'm not fishing slow today - the goal is covering lots of water and doing my homework fishing spots I've never tried before.
Untitled by Rob Zabroky
Tried a few areas looking for sheepshead and mangrove snapper near Ingleside and Portland. Saved my live shrimp for a few drops around rocks, pilings and structure. Fed the jumbo piggy perch and after a stop or two I gave up this ploy and opted to sail over to Redfish Bay to close my day working spoil islands.
First shoreline stop, working a drift around 1 - 1.5 ft, I spot a massive school of fish. They are swimming over a nice sand bar between grass and I finally close the distance down to see I'm covered up with black drum. So I quickly stuff my box with a limit of these excellent eating fish.....grab the fly rod and finish my day having a blast on the 8 weight fly rod. Shrimp tube fly dropped just in front at 30ft....amazing to watch them roll over to hit the bait. I left them biting and headed home - tired\hungry and grinning ear to ear!
The first fish of a bunch. Sight casting skinny water is highly addictive - I can't get enough of this stuff! Behind me, these fish are swimming in small schools, circling and cruising.
Untitled by Rob Zabroky
I could barely close the fish box LOL!
by Rob Zabroky
Started the day working spoil islands and casting lures - scored 5 redfish and 9 specks. The moon is full and the tides were dropping all day, most of the flats went too shallow to fish for most. I used this opportunity to explore and read water and it panned out very well.
Closed my day on Redfish Bay. Working an outside spoil island, I found a school of black drum at around 80 - 100 fish. I quickly stuffed my box with a quick limit, perfect eating sized fish 17 - 28 inches....then finished my day casting shrimp flies and catch and release with the fly rod. I left them biting and headed home.
Sure wished I didn't have a real job......darn the luck!
Kayak on the flat - looks like South Florida in so many ways here.
Untitled by Rob ZabrokyRockport by Rob ZabrokyHolding up over sand on a flat to channel edge - Redfish Bay - ice breaker first fish of the day - popped a weedless gold spoon.
Untitled by Rob ZabrokyA few casts later
Untitled by Rob ZabrokyExploring the scenes around heavy oil industry fabrication
One of my old friends - USCGC Mallet making her way home. I've spent many an hour on her back in my old days in uniform. Setup the first ever wireless data network on this boat back in 1993. During those days, she had a Unix server with 3 workstations - the data network drop was on the bridge and provided underway email and telecommunications to world-wide information systems. Powered by AT&T's old cellular network and dial-up modems - using Motorola bag phones (1st generation cell phone systems). We've come a long way with Information Technology.
The water along this channel is 50ft deep. On the opposite side are spoil islands and the flats of the Eastern Corpus Christi Bay area. I know there are some seriously big trout - not too far from these industrial zones. Reminds me of my old days of fishing around Galveston LOL!
And the spoil islands do deliver - mid day hot as snot and I'm working lures covering water. Managed some decent keeper specks in spite of the slow fishing conditions (low tide and nightly full moon). I've found using my modified Gold spoon, red hook, white buck tail dressing mixed with silver mylar\green dressings covering the hook, scores specks with attacking impulsive hits. They impulsively attack this bait - even when they aren't actively feeding. This was one of those moments. You could cast a live shrimp in this same scene only to find, you are feeding piggy perch. Live croakers do the same thing to specks, they attack to kill but you have to fish slow to fish croakers. I'm not fishing slow today - the goal is covering lots of water and doing my homework fishing spots I've never tried before.
Untitled by Rob ZabrokyTried a few areas looking for sheepshead and mangrove snapper near Ingleside and Portland. Saved my live shrimp for a few drops around rocks, pilings and structure. Fed the jumbo piggy perch and after a stop or two I gave up this ploy and opted to sail over to Redfish Bay to close my day working spoil islands.
First shoreline stop, working a drift around 1 - 1.5 ft, I spot a massive school of fish. They are swimming over a nice sand bar between grass and I finally close the distance down to see I'm covered up with black drum. So I quickly stuff my box with a limit of these excellent eating fish.....grab the fly rod and finish my day having a blast on the 8 weight fly rod. Shrimp tube fly dropped just in front at 30ft....amazing to watch them roll over to hit the bait. I left them biting and headed home - tired\hungry and grinning ear to ear!
The first fish of a bunch. Sight casting skinny water is highly addictive - I can't get enough of this stuff! Behind me, these fish are swimming in small schools, circling and cruising.
Untitled by Rob ZabrokyI could barely close the fish box LOL!
by Rob Zabroky
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