Back To The Old Stomping Grounds

[reevesr1]

I flew into Houston yesterday for a 3 day training course. I thought the course started Monday, but it starts Tuesday leaving me with a day to kill and my mom at work, so no guilt at leaving to go fishing the first morning I'm visiting her. My plan was to get out about 4 am to the surf, but when I went to look last night, it looked like crap (the surf here needs to be pretty clear to be good, and it is not right now) so changed plans and hit a reef that is a very old friend.

 

I hit the water at 5:15, which is about an hour befor daylight. I took the 5 wt as there was not much wind. I threw clousers, poppers (little topwater flies), deceivers and a couple of spoonflies. It was pretty slow, with only 3 little sand trout (a different species of trout than what I was after) to show for a couple of hours of wading. But it was very nice to visit the reef again! When the wind picked up, and my arm felt like it was going to fall off, I decided to change tactics.

 

Warning: The following contains references to non-fly fishing techniques, the use of, gasp, live bait, and also non-catch and release methods. Not exactly the right forum for this report, but whatever!

 

My mom asked me to bring some fish home because she hadn't had fresh fish in awhile. Put me in conflict with myself, since I'm a fly fishing catch and release guy now! But, I don't know how most of you were brought up, but where I'm from, when mom says "bring me home some fish" you best do it. Plus, conservation methods here have had the population of these trout stable for years, so I didn't feel that guilty. That combined with the fact that they are very tasty!

 

So when the fly rod wasn't getting it done, I decided to pick up the trust old open faced reel and have at 'er. I also decided that since I hadn't fished the area in awhile, I would tilt the scales a bit more in my favor by getting some live bait. Didn't seem like that good of an idea an hour or so in since I hadn't hooked a fish. Changed spots a third time and I saw some bait and signs of fish feeding between two groups of waders (the groups were about a mile apart). Parked the car, waded out, and was very quickly rewarded with a big hit and screaming drag. WhooHoo! It did not take me long to realize I had not been totally co-opted by the fly rod. This was still fun! After a nice 5 minute battle, I was rewarded with the following 24" trout:

 

Anyway, I ended up catching 1 more trout around 16-17" (kept) and one 18" redfish (released). I also had lots and lots of pick ups and drops. Basically they pick up the bait and run until they feel resistance, and then they drop it. A sign of the end of the feed. When they are agressive, they just eat it. Like anything else, sometimes it ain't as easy as it looks. Anyway, here are a couple of pics of the red and of the two trout I kept (the out of focus on the bottom of the last two pics is from water on the lens)

 

Anyway, I'll be back at it with a boat and my brother this weekend. I'll try the fly rod again!

[grannyknot]

Great report RickR! What species of trout are those?

[Glenbow]

Nice to hear you had a good time & got into a few nice fish. Sometimes, FFing is not the beest fish catching method - but it most often is. Pretty hard sometimes though to out-fish live bait. Using bait & keeping fish is NOT DOING ANYTHING WRONG as long as the rules allow it. Don't feel the need to apologize (although I probly would have too). Have fun down home, brother!

[reevesr1]

Nice to hear you had a good time & got into a few nice fish. Sometimes, FFing is not the beest fish catching method - but it most often is. Pretty hard sometimes though to out-fish live bait. Using bait & keeping fish is NOT DOING ANYTHING WRONG as long as the rules allow it. Don't feel the need to apologize (although I probly would have too). Have fun down home, brother!

Glen,

Thanks. The apology could not have been any more tongue in cheek. I have no trouble using whatever method works. I will however say that I can take catching significantly less fish with the fly rod, but it is so outgunned on the flats when you are blind casting. You just cannot cast far enoug to cover enough water, or at least I can't yet.

 

Grannyknot,

We call them Speckled Trout, really because of their shape and well, spots. Technically, they are not trout. The real name is Spotted Weakfish, a member of the Croaker family (don't know the actual scientific name). Called weakfish becasue of their weak mouths. There are no true trout in warm (subtropical/tropical) saltwater, or at least that I know of.

[SteveM]

Great report, Rick! Good luck on the weekend; looking forward to your report.

[esleech]

Very cool! Those sea trout taste good on the barbi? Any other species seen cruising?

[reevesr1]

Very cool! Those sea trout taste good on the barbi? Any other species seen cruising?

It's funny, but no. They actually do not grill well at all. Meat is too soft. They are great fried, broiled, whatver but are very hard to cook on the grill.

 

Redfish however are very tasty on the barbi! Filet him down the backbone, leave the skin on and grill away. We call it Redfish on the Half Shell.

[rhuseby]

Great report. Is it okay to pm you about saltwater flyrodding? I'm just getting started at it and will be spending most of September on Vancouver island chasing anything in the salt.

[reevesr1]

Great report. Is it okay to pm you about saltwater flyrodding? I'm just getting started at it and will be spending most of September on Vancouver island chasing anything in the salt.

Flyslinger,

Sure. But I don't know jack!!