Fishing Report - 7/11

I had a half day guide trip yesterday and we caught fish like CRAZY! I get to say "we" because I took the liberty to cast a line for a short spell after lunch. My client yesterday is a birder and photographer as well as an excellent angler so, while he set up some shots he wanted to get of a heron nest, I entertained myself with my old Fisher Saltwater Travler 9wt. The Fisher is a grand old rod and was the first "high end" rod I purchased out of college (at the old Hunter Bradlee store in Dallas). These rods were ahead of their time in the late 80's with 4 pc. design and internal ferrules. It's usually is mated with a Billy Pate Salmon reel but that reel is in Mexico with a friend so it had to tolerate an old Cortland. I took the "big stick" with us in case we got a shot at the monster carp cruising the edge of the flat (we did - they refused).

This eight pounder took a Carp Teaser in about 6 inches of water and went nuts when I set the hook - going into the backing and putting a serious bend in the old rod.

The lake is about 7 inches low now and VERY CLEAR. Grass has started to grow on the east flats and the carp are doing their "lawnmower" routine. You can watch pairs and small pods of smaller fish cluster together and root up patches of grass.. The topwater sand bass bite has started and I'm having good luck finding them EARLY on the SW side of the lake and west of Wolf Island. A fun trip is to hit the lake at sunrise, play with the sandies for a few hours, and then chase carp after the topwater action fizzles (about 9:00am).

Give me a call to book a trip (940)391-9480.

Fish Mystery Solved

I pride myself in being an amatuer naturalist - especially when it comes to aquatic species. So, I was dumbfouded last week when I pulled this fish from a tidal creek on Kiawah Island (see post below). I had no idea what it was but it fought like a bluegill on steroids and put a serious bend in an 8wt. rod . . . not bad for a pound and a half fish (for size comparison, that's a #2 Cave's Wobbler in its mouth). All I could guess is that it was some kind of cichlid.

I looked online and in all my field guides and found no satisfactory answers. Thursday I stopped by Tailwaters fly shop in Dallas and mentioned the fish to the guys. They jumped on the quandary like men possessed and I had an answer via email by that afternoon . . . a Mozambique tilapia !

Sweet Carolina!

We just returned from a trip to visit my wife's family in coastal South Carolina; spending a long, slow week on Kiawah Island about 20 miles south of Charleston. After way too much Yuengling and dishes like "cheese grits with a shrimp and oyster succotash and fried catfish filet" or "Crab and blue cheese stuffed fried pork chop" - I'm amazed that I only put on a few pounds! Low country cuisine is amazing and will trump "cajun" food any day of the week. These people would fry the iced tea (sweet, of course) if they could figure out how to do it and every recipe starts with "melt a stick of butter." Lord help the guests at our next dinner party . . . I've got recipes and I'm not afraid to use 'em!

Maybe the lack of huge weight gain was interrupted by the athletic fishing I did. Usually on these trips I'm able to sneak off for a day or two of guided fishing. However, with a six year old and a six MONTH old that's not sleeping very well - that was not going to be the case. Redfishing in SC is AWESOME! You don't see the numbers of fish like you will on the Texas coast but you will see TOADS. I've seen more trophy reds in SC (way over 36") than I have in the much publicized deltas of Louisiana. There is almost no wade fishing and with 5-6 foot tides, you have to know where you are and when it's time to leave - most of the fishing is flooded spartina grass and oyster beds.

Kiawah Island itself is laced with tidal creeks and lagoons, half of which make up the water hazards for the golf courses. I've never fished them before (and have not poached a golf course in 25 years) but decided to try this year after seeing a kid pull a huge crab out of one "pond." They where full of fish - croakers, ladyfish, spots, trout, black drum and MONSTER redfish. I caught the pictured small red on the second morning before being chased of the course by the golf pro - evidently I was the first Schwarzfischer they've seen.

The large reds (two of which had to be over 40") would spook and flush at ANY fly I threw to them. One of them accidentally swam over my leader and snagged himself under the jaw. In the ensuing fight, he broke my rod in two places and snapped the leader. I had to "MacGyver" the rod together with sections of an old spinning rod and epoxy, turning my 4 pc. 8wt. into a 2 pc. 10 wt.! This broomstick was up to the challenge when the pictured black drum took a small, #8 shrimp pattern. Great fight and I even managed to stop play on the nearby 17th green!

So now it's a goofy transition from 86 degree highs and 80% humidity to Texas in July. On a different note - Ray Roberts is transitioning wonderfully into the "deep summer" pattern. Many new flats are approaching great water levels and the sand bass bite is dialing in . . . this July promises to be one of the BEST!

Give me a call! (940)391-9480