A very good friend of mine came in from Dallas and wanted to get out on the water. He's never been saltwater fishing and I thought it would be cool if I could put him on his first ever red. This guy is NOT a fisherman. Picture the worst fisherman you've ever seen and it's this guy.
Actually, he's not that bad, he loves the outdoors and he'll fish all day, he just doesn't have a whole lot of experience.
So, I rigged up a spinning combo with a G-Loomis drop shot rod (I've found the drop shot actions are a great all-around action for saltwater) and a Shimano Sustain, tied on a 1/4 oz. weedless spoon and we headed to some marshes off the Intracoastal Waterway in West Galveston Bay.
We started making a drift in about 18" of water just fan-casting the spoons over scattered grass and potholes. It wasn't long before I picked off a few small reds. Got this one on the lure I'm going to be reviewing. Can't let the cat out of the bag yet though.
After catching 3 or 4 smaller fish by buddy decided it was his turn. I hear "FINALLY!" and look back to see his rod bowed over.
This was his first red. Right about 19" and really colorful. It was a deep bronze with a bright blue tail. When the reds are in clear water over grass they tend to get a really deep coloration to them. I was really glad to be able to put him on his first red. It's one thing to catch fish yourself, but helping somebody else do it gives you a cool sense of accomplishment.
This photo pretty much sums up his personality.
We caught a few more small fish before I finally pegged this 24.5" fish.
The wind died, the sun came out, and it got brutally hot. So, with our mission accomplished - we headed back to the truck.
The next day I was accompanied by my bro-in-law and a very good friend of mine. The wind came out of nowhere and was kickin' about 10-15 at daylight. We headed back to the same area as I had fished the day before and started chunkin' the spoons.
Nothing going on over there, so we made a move to a shallow marsh I had only fished out of the kayak. I thought I MIGHT be able to get the Beavertail in there. My buddy prodded me on claiming "God doesn't love a coward." so in we go.
I got the boat all the way back and right at the entrance to the lake we bogged down in about 4" of water sitting over a thick, nasty mud bottom. Under normal circumstances I could have poled us on back but the mud was so thick the push pole would just sink every time I tried to push us off.
And then the pushing commenced.
After that we made a move to another area. The wind was hitting it hard and it was too bad to pole or use the trolling motor so we decided to just drift it. The plan worked and on my first cast I pulled in a 20" red.
Not long after that, my buddy followed up with a solid keeper that checked in at just under 25" on a Texas Tackle Factory weedless killer flats minnow in mumpy glo color (glow/pearl colored bait with a red flake). I was using the same plastic combined with a 1/4 oz. Tru-Tungsten redfish stealth jighead. I really like that jighead for fishing shallow grass.
We released that one and brought a few more rats to the boat. Most were between 16-20". Definitely not tournament winners but lots of fun and big enough to test your tackle.
For a big guy, my buddy was pretty agile up there on the poling platform.
All in all it was a great weekend to get out on the water. With all the tournaments, it seems my laid back fishing days are becoming fewer and further between so I really enjoy it when I'm able to just go out there and fish.
August is known as one of the hardest months to catch redfish in Texas. The bay turns into a bathtub with water temps getting in the nineties on some days. With the exception of late January and February, we also experience our lowest tides in August. When you combine the low tides with the scorching sun, it can make for some tough outings. Being on the water before daylight is the key. Often times you get a small flurry of action right at daylight and then it can be a grind for the rest of the day.