Fishing is an interesting past time. It can be very challenging, highly complex and extremely technical. But, it can also be relaxed, simple and fun. On Saturday, I fished with Alex Graudin and we opted for the latter. Alex is 6 years old and was hoping to catch his first ever Redfish. Our plan was simple. Stake out the skiff in shallow water and then soak mud minnows on lead head jigs. No run and gun. No fly rod. No lures.
Upon our arrival in the shallows, I spotted a small school of Redfish. Unfortunately, they spotted us as well (and promptly left the area). Knowing there were Redfish in the area, we staked the skiff, cast out our mud minnows then sat down and waited for a Redfish to bite. This routine is a far cry from how I typically fish but it was very relaxing. While we were waiting, Alex filled me in on his school and sports activities. As he was talking, I thought I should really do this more often. After about 15 minutes, Alex’s rod bounced and then bowed deeply as a big Redfish tried to escape. He fought the fish well but the hook pulled. Alex was disappointed but undeterred. We put a new mud minnow on his jig and cast it out again. We did not have to wait very long. When the minnow hit the water, it was inhaled by another Redfish. This one did not get away. Alex caught his first Redfish. I am not sure who was happier, Alex or me.
water temperature is approaching the 60-degree range. While unusual, it does have the Redfish on the flats feeding aggressively. Over the weekend, they could not resist a well presented chartreuse Clouser Minnow. Heck, they could not resist a poorly presented fly! The forecast is for near record high temperatures all week. So I expect the shallow water feeding frenzy to continue. Call in sick and go fishing!
have been experimenting with the drop shot technique. It has become one of my favorite post cold front presentations. Especially when it is windy. When the wind is blowing and the tide is running, it can be challenging to cast and stay in contact with a lightweight finesse lure. This is when a drop shot shines. Using a heavier drop shot weight (that weighs more than a finesse-type jig), I can present small lures like the Z-Man GrubZ or TRD in the worst wind and tide conditions. So far, it has been a highly productive technique.
today were breezy with a cloudless and clear blue sky. Conditions that typically make for tough fishing. That was certainly the case today. However, persistence does pay. After a couple of hours without a fish, I switched to 3/16th ounce Trout Eye Finesse Jig with a Z-Man StreakZ 3.75 and began working a depth transition from 5 to 10 feet. Managed to release several keeper-size Trout and a couple of small Redfish. Decent results on a very tough day.
Fishing after a cold front passes can be pretty challenging. Today, was one of those days. When I launched the skiff, the sky was bright blue. A strong breeze was blowing out of the northeast. Given the conditions, I planned to target Trout with small finesse lures in deeper water. My lure combination of choice was a Z-Man TRD TubeZ (Real Deal) on a 1/8th ounce Trout Eye Finesse Jig prototype. Using the depth sounder, I located a school of fish in 15 feet of water. After positioning the skiff down current of the school, I cast the TubeZ back up current and let it sink to the bottom. After a few iterations of a short hop and stop retrieve, I felt the subtle tick that is indicative of a post cold front bite. The Trout were on the smaller side but I was happy to catch anything in the post cold front conditions. The next time you fish after a cold front, try using small lures in deeper water.