Lighthouse Lakes / Aransas Pass

Jen and I headed down to the Lighthouse Lakes to see if we could find some reds to harass. Jen is a trooper and was a paddling machine. All in all,  I believe we paddled approximately 12 miles hunting fish. The schools we found were sitting on the outside of the lakes waiting for the tide to start moving onto the flats. Once the tide began moving, the fish flooded the flats. First we found big schools of big ladyfish flying across the clear water. They were like blue/green streaks of lightning that would appear out of nowhere. We caught a few ladyfish and then the reds began showing up. Jen cleaned house and hammered the reds and I picked off the fish that were swimming next to her hooked fish. It was a fantastic trip. 

Tailing Monster Red.

Jen was on point with the camera when we found this guy tailing away. It was the coolest fish ever. We first saw him tailing as pelicans swam by him. They didn't disturb him. Neither did my first cast that hung in the oysters, or the roll cast that got it off the oyster. Neither did the second cast that was behind him. The third cast got him. I would rather be lucky than good.

You Should Have Been Here Last Week.

A week after the incredible trip that Jen and I had, Dad, two of his friends and myself decided to try it again. The day after Jen and I left New Orleans and returned to Dallas it snowed as a massive cold front swept through. Flights were delayed and canceled and only one of his friends actually made it to New Orleans. When we arrived in New Orleans we were greeted with nasty cold weather but those things don't stop us from trying.

Dad's first Louisiana Redfish

The fishing was tough and we cast at many fish over 20 and 30lbs that just would not cooperate. The second day ended up a half day because of a flying boat long jump / marsh dry docking / broken steering cable. It was amazing to watch and we were lucky no one got hurt. One boat was out of commission and three of us piled onto Moon's boat to try to continue to fish in 20 mph sustained winds. Moon tried to keep us fishing but the wind was too much with all of us on the boat. Dad got too cold and we tapped out early. The good thing about New Orleans is that when the fishing is tough, there is always good food. This time we ate at the best restaurant in New Orleans, La Petite Grocery. Chef Justin Devillier (from Top Chef New Orleans) is Moon's good friend and the owner of La Petite Grocery. I can not stress how good the food is. I ate so much that I could hardly move. From this day forward, every trip to New Orleans will include dinner at La Petite Grocery. The weather was so cold the next day Dad decided to stay in and Justin was able to joined us the next day. His love for cooking is equal to his love of fishing. We caught some fish, missed some fish, laughed and had a great day. A tough trip turned into a wonderful trip as we ate great food, laughed a lot and made new friends. Can't wait to do it again. 

Jen Strikes Again. December NOLA

Jen is good karma. She and I made our winter trip into New Orleans and she continued her rein of terror on the NOLA reds. She has come to the conclusion that the fish are always happy, ready to eat and the weather is always wonderful. "Its just what they do." It was an amazing trip.

Jen all bundled up

Captain Greg Moon (Redfish Whisperer)

This red was happily tailing in less than 2 feet of water. My first cast hung an oyster bar which cooperated with my roll cast and let go. My second cast was behind him. Third cast was perfect and was followed by a monster explosion and incredible take. Some times it is better to be lucky than good.

Texas Coast Paddleboard Fishing

Jen and I finally had a chance to get out and use the BOTE Boards. We loaded up and headed off for the 7-8 hour drive. The boards did great on the drive and we were pleased at how easy the transport was. When we got to the coast, the water was super high. We had the high fall tide plus a week of heavy rain and a strong North wind. The flat was covered with lots of floating grass which made fishing tough. I had never been on a paddleboard but it was easy to use. Jen was a rockstar on her board and put me to shame. After spotting and spooking several fish I learned lots of things about paddleboard fishing.

1. You have to have a setup where you can easily reach your rod when you spot a fish. 

2. When you spot a fish you have to put down your paddle and pick up the rod. 

3. Chances are, if you didn't neatly set up your fly line on the board, it will tangle like crazy when you go to make your cast (solved with a stripping basket). 

4. Most of the time after setting your paddle down and picking up the fly rod and standing back up, the fish you saw has seen you and is headed off the flat. 

5. Poling a paddleboard is a great way to stalk the fish.

6. You don't have to ratchet the boards to the roof of the vehicle when transporting them (left a slight imprint on the sides of the boards). 

7. Paddleboard fishing is badass once you make a few trial runs and get your board setup to fish.

NOLA Sept-2013 Jen caught a FFFIIIIIIIISSSSSSSHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!! The Best Redfishing Ever

Jen and I were able to get away with our friend and super bad ass guide, Captain Greg Moon for 3 days of fishing out of New Orleans. Jen had never been to New Orleans and had never fished for Redfish. The weather called for rain each day and the tides had slacked off so we weren't expecting what we got. I can honestly say that she has now been completely spoiled and was able to experience the best redfishing I have ever seen. Now she thinks it is normal to put 1000+ lbs of redfish in the boat in a matter of days. 

The first day we found them blowing up on bait. The water had so much bait in it. We started off trying to find some creepers and had some success but then we saw cannon balls going off on the water. The reds were blowing up on bait. We followed that school for a while and picked off a number of fish before we lost the tide and the school went down.We then went to hunt for creepers for a bit.

Day two was a completely different day. There wasn't any wind and we spotted a huge school of reds immediately. They were still blowing up bait and were not afraid of the boat. Jen cast into the school and instantly yelled, "I got a FIIISSSSSHHHH!!!!!" and her reel began to scream. "I got a FFFFIIIIIISSSSSSHHHHH quickly became the battle cry. The hook ups happened fast and Jen got the hang of casting and fighting monster redfish. We were all catching fish and it was just the beginning of the day. The school moved on and went deep and we went searching for some more happy fish. Moon and Rocky had their radios and were in contact with each other. There were fish all over but Rocky told us we had to see what he was seeing. As we got closer we spotted the hundreds of tails just cruising on the surface. Happy Fish just milling about. We drifted with the school and caught fish until all of our arms were sore. Funny thing is, the next day was the best ever and our arms hadn't seen anything yet.

Day three we were out on the water by sunrise, a completely different day than the other two and on fish immediately. The schools had consolidated into one happy mellow school. There weren't the huge blowups but the fish were sipping things from the surface. Looked like 30lb trout taking a dry, except instead of a dry fly, the reds were sipping crabs and eels. We were right in the middle of an eel hatch. 3-8" eels were swimming all over the water with crabs in the mix. The gulls were picking whatever they could from the surface. For 7 hours we would drift through the school sight casting to the reds, triples and doubles each time. After they were landed and a pic or two were snapped we would idle back above the school and repeat. For seven hours we did this. Each drift resulted in 50 to 75lbs worth of redfish. It was on FIRE. Literally the best red fishing ever. (Moon shot about 200 pictures on the last day. More pics to follow including Jen's Monster Red). Check out Captain Greg Moon's site and follow him on Facebook to see what is going on out on the water! 

http://louisianaflyfishingcharters.com