Captain Kyle Tomek - When Fish Become Machines
Not everyone will have the fondest memories of the Spring 2008 fishing season but a few will smile. It was definitely the windiest February through May in my lifetime. For a select few middle coast guides and anglers, a certain breed of baitfish saved many days from the 20-30 mph winds that became a dreaded norm last year.
Summer is the season the surf rolls in, fall is the migration of shrimp, but the annual arrival of the almighty glass minnow is the highlight of springtime. Moving by the thousands, the silver and flashy prey arrive to the shallow flats. The buffet ushers in the birds which will feast for weeks on end. In an all-at-once attack, the speckled trout and redfish will hang near and then suddenly strike. Be patient and wait it out as it will significantly improve your chances of capitalizing on the frenzy.
On the brink of one of the windiest days last spring, Capt. Ken Sabin and I guided a large group of fishermen from Dallas and Austin. Winds had just swapped from the south at 20 mph to the north at around 30. Mother Nature's last minute decision to alter the wind's direction did a fantastic job pulling out the tide and muddying up every inch of wadeable water.
We just started heading out - and myself and the good captain were hearing from other guides that we ought to just cancel the trip! Well, we weren't about to cancel the trip and send all these fishermen back home without having ever been on the water, so we decided to just get out there and see what we could catch.
Pelicans slammed the water with high dive assaults in a wide cove on the south shoreline. The waist deep western bank was full of bait that was situated over thick grass. We lined up within casting distance of the baitfish school and affixed our wading boots in firm mud. I was confident the fish would move in despite a falling tide and decreasing clarity. We matched the glass minnow's darting features with Brown Lures' glow and chartreuse soft plastic lure which are perfect for this situation. Undersized fish were drawn in by Dark Strawberry and White. Then I threw in a miniature chrome topwater and a cruising redfish soon felt the hooks. Up until there was minimal sunlight, the bite remained as slow as I have seen it so many times before. Then the fish filed in in real numbers.
With the bait tightly packed down from what once occupied the space of a swimming pool, the surface became like popcorn with minnows flipping and bouncing while pursued by trout jolting clear out of the water. Piranha-like predators furiously attacked the glass minnows like machines as the surface of the water began to boil.
Typically, to draw the trout above water you would reel fast and keep the lure above the surface but the most solid hookups came when we slowed down the retrieve. As a token of the outing's success, we had full limits of redfish!
If you are still waiting to get out there, find the bait and don't be afraid to stay out late. At nightfall, the bite is often just getting started. - 2368
Summer is the season the surf rolls in, fall is the migration of shrimp, but the annual arrival of the almighty glass minnow is the highlight of springtime. Moving by the thousands, the silver and flashy prey arrive to the shallow flats. The buffet ushers in the birds which will feast for weeks on end. In an all-at-once attack, the speckled trout and redfish will hang near and then suddenly strike. Be patient and wait it out as it will significantly improve your chances of capitalizing on the frenzy.
On the brink of one of the windiest days last spring, Capt. Ken Sabin and I guided a large group of fishermen from Dallas and Austin. Winds had just swapped from the south at 20 mph to the north at around 30. Mother Nature's last minute decision to alter the wind's direction did a fantastic job pulling out the tide and muddying up every inch of wadeable water.
We just started heading out - and myself and the good captain were hearing from other guides that we ought to just cancel the trip! Well, we weren't about to cancel the trip and send all these fishermen back home without having ever been on the water, so we decided to just get out there and see what we could catch.
Pelicans slammed the water with high dive assaults in a wide cove on the south shoreline. The waist deep western bank was full of bait that was situated over thick grass. We lined up within casting distance of the baitfish school and affixed our wading boots in firm mud. I was confident the fish would move in despite a falling tide and decreasing clarity. We matched the glass minnow's darting features with Brown Lures' glow and chartreuse soft plastic lure which are perfect for this situation. Undersized fish were drawn in by Dark Strawberry and White. Then I threw in a miniature chrome topwater and a cruising redfish soon felt the hooks. Up until there was minimal sunlight, the bite remained as slow as I have seen it so many times before. Then the fish filed in in real numbers.
With the bait tightly packed down from what once occupied the space of a swimming pool, the surface became like popcorn with minnows flipping and bouncing while pursued by trout jolting clear out of the water. Piranha-like predators furiously attacked the glass minnows like machines as the surface of the water began to boil.
Typically, to draw the trout above water you would reel fast and keep the lure above the surface but the most solid hookups came when we slowed down the retrieve. As a token of the outing's success, we had full limits of redfish!
If you are still waiting to get out there, find the bait and don't be afraid to stay out late. At nightfall, the bite is often just getting started. - 2368
About the Author:
Captain Kyle Tomek is a professional fishing guide who specializes in wadefishing for big speckled trout and redfish in Texas, and uses Brown Lures' fishing lures. Kyle suggests you try out a fishing lure from Brown Lures for your next fishing trip.
posted by Frank Potter at 4:07 AM
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