We had incoming tides this week in the backwater. Getting out early, it was very pleasant fishing weather and the slight breezes helped to keep the heat off! Live shrimp tossed to the edges of oyster beds produced small juvenile Redfish and Flounder up in the shallower water, but would often be picked up by Seatrout, Jack Crevalle and Ladyfish out deeper. The Bonnethead Shark were ever present, all week long!
Once the tide got up and the oysters were flooded, things really picked up for the bigger fish. We drifted those live shrimp under a Cajun Thunder float along the marsh grass. Tuesday, we had that higher tide early and we “wore out” the Seatrout with 5 keepers part of the total. Minutes later we had a nice slot-sized Redfish caught.
I’ve motored by a point of grass surrounded by oysters a few hundred times and finally fished it a month or so ago, on a high and incoming tide. The first time I fished it we caught one slot Red, the second time we didn’t catch a thing. I ignored that spot for the rest of the month. But in the back of my mind I thought, “maybe a high and outgoing tide?” Well, this week we had that. After catching those Trout the tide started out and I stopped by this (fairly) new spot. My guests drifted their floats along that bank, over the submerged oysters and, BAM! They began to catch slot Redfish. Then they caught oversized Redfish! Boy, what a trip!
I stopped back at the same spot the next day, on the first of an outgoing tide. BAM! Oversized Redfish. BAM! Oversized Redfish! I fished north on Thursday where we caught a good variety of smaller fish, then I was back south yesterday to wrap my week up. We had in the box a keeper-sized Flounder, a keeper-sized Seatrout, and a keeper Mangrove Snapper. Towards the end of the trip, the tide had just started out, where did I go? Yes, the new spot.
My guests started getting some nibbles right off but no takers. I was beginning to think that maybe the Reds had moved on but then one angler’s drag began to rip and Big Fish On! After a good battle, he landed the biggest Red I’ve had on my boat this year, a 32” oversized Redfish! And a few minutes later, he hooked up with another one! When this one was netted it measured in the slot at 26 7/8” – a Tournament sized Redfish for sure!
