Get "The Drift", A Full Moon Fandango!

It was a late week spotlight on the best the Texas Gulf Coast has to offer as cooler temperatures and decent tides let us know that a Fall transition is knocking on the door. North wind variations dominated through Saturday. Wind direction can be everything when shifting gears both mentally and tactically. Structure and locations that have been producing consistently on 180 degree wind variations are now potentially useless. With cool fronts pushing into the area more frequently in September, North wind variations will begin to linger for days. As the fronts diminish, you can find yourself back to a South wind pattern quickly. In a period of transition, today's classic Fall north wind playbook may be tossed out the door for yesterday's south wind variation playbook or you may end up using them both in the same day.

 

Fish Move & Adjust Fast, A Fisherman Must Move Faster (Mentally)

Fish move fast and adjust to changing wind directions quickly. They can move from one side of a bay to the other in a heart beat on changing wind directions. I actually ran across fish doing just that on Sunday. On Sunday, Shoalwater Bay was holding green, off color, and fishy along the South shoreline due to a decent North wind Saturday that had stirred it up. The North shoreline was clear stretching into the middle of the bay. I thought I'd pop up and take a look in the clearer water to the North. As I was running through the transition from off color to clear in the dead middle of the bay I caught a glimpse of 4 or 5 nice Redfish hanging near the transition. I swung wide of them doubling back to the off color water and made a hook until I caught a glimpse of the "Cotton tails", a signature of more Redfish and the upper end of the school. I shut down on them and drifted forward a bit before dropping the Power Pole. We immediately missed one and caught another in the low end of the slot. I'm convinced these fish were adjusting from one side of the bay to the other as wind and water transitioned on the new SE wind direction.

The Inter-Relationship of Spot Fishing & Conditions

The important point to consider here is recognizing that dominant wind directions are going to bring different structure and locations into play. That means making daily, even hourly adjustments in terms of the locations considered. This is where knowing the relationship between "spot" fishing and "fishing conditions" is essential. Spot fishing is fishing a very specific location almost down to exact GPS coordinates that is producing. Some give spot fishing a bad connotation but that's a bunch of nonsense. That "spot" is caughing up consistent numbers for a reason. It may be a 50 yard stretch of sand pockets along the North shoreline of Dewberry Bay that is producing Redfish on an incoming tide and a strong South wind. Every time you hit that spot in these conditions, you catch Redfish and plenty of them. That is "spot" fishing in a nutshell but it comes with a "fishing conditions" caveat and set of limiting conditions. Where "spot fishing" loses traction is when you ignore the "fishing conditions" playbook that goes with the location. If you hit that same "spot" with a North wind to find it "gin clear" it will most likely produce nothing. Does that mean it's a bad location or "spot", of course not. Knowing the location and presence of those sand pockets is essential and they are extremely productive. It just means you are in the right place at the wrong time under the wrong conditions.

Same Game, Different Angle

This is where applying the lessons learned from dominant wind directions must be applied to new predominant wind directions found in changing seasons. Productive structure, under a given set of conditions, will turn into new areas that come alive with the prevailing winds associated with Fall & Winter.

Fishing Cents

As angling professionals, we have the luxury of seeing patterns produce time and again. Some of us develop a sixth sense that just leads us in the right direction. We have the luxury of developing a pace or level of attack that will be more aggressive under some conditions and less aggressive under others. Fishing less aggressively means recognizing when to have patience and when to put the hammer down. That's an instinct that can take time to develop and it has been one I've relied on often over the years. What we see through our eyes and experience through our senses guides us often to productive outcomes. When we run into trouble it is usually because we have lost touch with our senses or just aren't recognizing what we are seeing or feeling. As a writer, it is sometimes difficult to impart what we are experiencing visually and condition wise that has led us to a decent day of fishing, but I try.

Lodge News

I'd like to throw a special shout out to the Hookset Marine Gear Team. Chris & Josh, thank you! We love www.hooksetgear.com We welcomed guests from as far away as Cali, Colombia this week. With guests in recently from Denmark, I guess Texas fishing may just be going "International"!

Stay safe out there!

Capt. Kris Kelley
Castaway Lodge, Inc.
1-888-618-4868

On The Move, SAB Trout & Redfish

I know it's blistering hot here in August, but it won't be long before the first cool fronts of Fall will find there way here in September. Ah yes, the changing of the seasons. I've already had reports of Teal ducks in the hundreds being sighted on Matagorda Island. Along with the early migrating ducks, Hummingbirds will be making their pilgrimage to Mexico and Central America but not before making a stop here in Seadrift and other coastal destinations.

On the fishing scene, cooling water temperatures will find shrimp and other bait fish leaving nursery areas and back marsh lakes and bayous and beginning their migration into the open bays and eventually to Gulf waters. Trout and Redfish will begin to school up in numbers working these bait migrations and intercepting them on mid-bay shell reefs and shorelines will be a certainty. Approaches will begin to broaden during this time period and it's angler's choice on how to catch them.

Unusual Tips & Tactics, Usual For Some

You won't see these in too many "magazines". I recall a trip working shell reefs right outside Seadrift a few years back. We started out the day throwing PCS aka "popping cork shrimp". We made a few drifts around the reefs and finally hit a Trout mother lode adjacent to a commercial fisherman's Black Drum trotline. I slid the anchor over the side and we all switched to soft plastic and limited out catching solid fish with better frequency. Drum lines are set by commercial fisherman that pretty much know what they are doing and their livelihood depends on accuracy and placement. When they are fishing, Drum liners more or less lay a surface road map to subsurface structure. Working angles in proximity to these lines has produced a lot of heavy stringers over the years. It's somewhat "counterintuitive" fishing around trotlines, but that's fishing for you. I try to be respectful of the commercial guys gear and keep my distance on a dead end drift.

Here is another tip and tactic that might leave you scratching your head. As water temperatures continue to decline in the Fall, everyone knows Oyster Season hits full stride. Cooler water settles out quickly and many times it can get downright too clear to fish. Bait concentrations are fully exposed in clear water and they seem to prefer murky waters. Unfortunately for the bait fish and shrimp, Trout and Redfish are often hot on their heels. One place you can always find murky water over shell reefs and flats is down wind or down current from an Oyster boat. If I had an Oyster for every time a Trout hit the dip net on my boat to the sound of La Bamba with an oyster chisel hammering; diesel engine groaning, and a shell dredge slamming the bottom, I'd open a restaurant. These boats spin in pretty consistent and tight circles. Get the lay of the land while giving the Oystermen some working room. Set up a drift and don't be worried about Trout having ears. The dredging kicks up a lot of forage for hungry Trout and I tend to believe that they like Latin music.

Dove, Teal & Gators

Along with the Teal sightings I've been noticing the dove are really showing up in numbers. Mourning dove, Whitewing, and plenty of "exotics" are buzzing around like dragon flies chasing mosquitos. We seem to be staying fairly dry despite the occassional shower or two and that should have us on "final approach" to a great opener in all venues.
Stay safe out there!

Capt. Kris Kelley
Castaway Lodge, Inc.
1-888-618-4868
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Come A Long Way Baby!

As I mentioned a little while back, August is a "big Trout" month for us historically. Big winds produce them here in August as they come around for the next round of spawning. Predation during this time period can be extremely visual with big explosions on unsuspecting surface baits as the big girls hunt for comfort food. There are a lot of "slicks" popping and that along with other keys like diving Pelicans can make for a great day. With big winds punctuating late week here, Saturday turned out to produce two fish in the 26" class for our guests. Young David L. posted a lofty personal best early in his fishing career with a 26", 6.25 pounder that will forever be a moment shared between father and son. Capt. Doug Russell shot me a text that a client had just landed a 26" fish also that weighed in at 5 Lbs and 13 oz which was also a personal best. Despite best efforts and best intentions, niether made it back in the water.

Come A Long Way Baby!

We've seen more than our fare share of fish over 25" this season. In a year dominated by a lot of small Trout and cookie cutter keepers in a narrow range of size among schoolies, the big girls are a marvel to behold. Regardless of "limit" regulations allowing for one fish over 25" to be retained, we always recommend releasing these fish given that they are in decent condition while doing our best at educating our guests and clients. There is certainly better table fare to be had. While CPR is something we certainly strive for in this class of fish, it's not always practical with poorly hooked or landed fish or other issues may arise that prevent release. It is certainly on our minds, however and I think that is a "statement to how far we've evolved as a fishery in a short period of time".

Sight Casting Reds

Despite softening wade fishing results approaching late week, Capt. Doug and the Seth R. group powered through "not much sleep, lots of pressure, and a whole lot of heat" with a solid box of fish for the effort. Working Trout over mud/grass in big winds will more often than not put you in proximity to foraging schools of solid Redfish. Sunday, Capt. Doug encountered a number of schools pushing 50 fish over the weekend that led to some explosive sight casting. Doug was working some tannin clear water riding the console using his Power Pole to allow for a "Swift, Silent, and Secure" delivery to unsuspecting Redfish in the middle slot.
There is a lot of great fishing ahead as we approach the last half of the month, stay safe out there!

Capt. Kris Kelley
Castaway Lodge, Inc.
1-888-618-4868
FACEBOOK
NEWSLETTER

Sticky Notes from San Antonio Bay

A light week at the lodge was highlighted by a visit from longtime guest Don V. and family along with the Kevin P. group in from the San Antonio Chapter of CCA for a donated trip. We managed half limits of Trout working with a wide range of conditions from sweltering slick-offs to emerging bites in water raked by overnight winds pushing 20 knots. The most consistent bite has been on our Choice meats including Black Angus Rib-eyes cooked the way you like it coming hot off the grill here at the lodge

"Footprints"

The Kevin P. group has historically fished the Mansfield to Baffin area and were "coming up North" for the first time. New faces are always welcome and it was a pleasure visiting and fishing with some really fine representatives of CCA and the San Antonio Chapter Membership. Having a mid-sized lodge that will accommodate 14 guests, we look forward to visiting and breaking bread with all of our guests here at The Lodge. The most commonly heard statement from our guests is "What an awesome set-up you have here". We appreciate that and constantly strive to improve while putting forth a warm and inviting experience highlighting the best of Southern Coastal hospitality.

Guest comments:

The Kevin P. group left us a note saying Kris & Wendi, "Thanks for the great trip, we had a wonderful time"! They also thanked us personally for our donation and support of CCA.

James T. fishing with the David B. group posted a testimonial on our web page saying "Kris and Wendi, I want to tell you that you are excellent hosts and that the lodge is execellent. I really enjoyed the fishing excursion on June 29, and for the guidance that Kris provided. Catching the 25.5 inch Trout was definitely a treasurable moment in my life. I have never had that experince on light tackle. I highly recommend Castaway Lodge and Captain Kris, and thank Wendi for the excellent meals. Hats off to you all"!

Sticky Notes

Capt. Chris Cady slid into the water the other night with a buddy to do a little Flounder gigging. First rattle out of the box a 5 pounder went nuts on him breaking the glass on his lantern and trashing a mantel. Despite the handicap, Chris and a buddy managed to stick 9 for the effort. He was gracious enough to share and that was much appreciated.

The weatherman says we're 5 weeks from cooler weather, that's a handy piece of information to have right there! Stay safe out there.

Capt. Kris Kelley
Castaway Lodge, Inc.
1-888-618-4868
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Blessed By The Sun, We Fish

West wind has moved a lot of water out of the bays over the last few days and it seems stronger overnight while slacking mid-morning. With much of the mid-bay structure gutted and fresh, timing has played a critical part in producing some solid catches here lately. Working shallow over mud/grass has kept things interesting as open water heals and cleans up. As water transitions from turbid and off color to turbid and green, things are heating up on the reefs with Trout to 26" and Redfish exceeding the slot foraging on repositioning finfish concentrations. Pelicans present or diving are pointing the way to the bait concentrations and active fish.

With tides way out, focusing on deeper outside edges of structure are paying off as they have traditionally. August has historically been a month of "big winds" for us on the middle coast along with a second wave of Trout spawning over mud/grass and sand/grass shorelines. It is a "big month" for us in terms of size and I'm getting the feeling that this August will be no different. Capt. Doug Russell showed off a solid Trout on the last day of July that is on par with the history of our "seasonality" here in August. I've been thumping on a few of the bruisers as well and Capt. Jake has been amassing some heavy numbers along with size wade fishing shorelines in the Port O'Connor area. Recognize that there are some pics that are missing some of the guests.

Teal/Dove

It's about a 40 day countdown to Teal and a little more than that for Dove here in the Southzone. We've got openings for combination hunt/fish packages for both dove and teal/fish. Bruised shoulders and a twinge in the rotator cuff will never feel better!

Alligator Season

September 10th - 30th, we currently have 9/13, 14; 16; 19; 20; and 27th through 30th available.

May you be blessed by the sun, stay safe out there!

Capt. Kris Kelley
Castaway Lodge, Inc.
1-888-618-4868