Aransas Texas.... Why?
 

It’s funny the places life takes you and the reasons why. It is something I had never really thought about until Slow Ride Kayak Fishing guide Dean Thomas asked my wife and I why we came all the way from San Diego to Aransas Texas to fish. To me it was simple, to catch a Red Fish, a fish I have dreamed about catching for years, but really did not know much about. I have watched these fish being caught over and over on early, cold winter mornings while sitting on my couch, in-front of the TV, drinking a warm cup of coffee watching the Redfish cup with my wife. Ever since the 1st time I watched this tournament, on a morning too cold and rainy to be fishing myself, I knew this was a fish I had to catch, and a fish I would continue to think about from time to time anticipating the day I would get to fish for them.

Earlier this year I was fortunate enough to be given a free flight anywhere in the United States. This was the beginning to what would bring my wife and I to fish the Texas flats. When I told my wife Shiloh I wanted to use the flight to go get myself a red she was immediately on board, not only could I get my Red Fish but we also would fish a new body of water. Her and I have talked about how we would like to fish all the major salt waters of the world and this trip would be another check on our list. Not knowing the best place to go fishing for this species, I contacted someone who would. Jim Sammons suggested that we go to Texas to fish with Dean. It all lined up perfectly and in no time my wife and I were on our way to spend a long late October weekend over Halloween fishing the flats of Texas with Dean targeting reds.

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Our camp spot
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The portion of the Texas Flats that we would come to know is just north of Corpus Christi located in the small town of Aransas Pass. Here, beer and gas are cheap, southern hospitality prevails, and local fishermen are eager to trade you fresh caught flounder for a bit of bug spray. This is a town blessed with a healthy and beautiful fishery holding a wide range of species including one of the local favorites the Red Drum, also know as the Red Fish. Here we would camp on a remote beach at the entry of Lighthouse Lakes estuary at the mouth leading to the Gulf Coast. Looking out at these waters from our campsite as the sun started to kiss it while rising behind a lighthouse over 150 years old and a channel abundant with dolphins, both of us knew we were in a very special place. This is a well-maintained healthy fishery conserved and regulated by the Texas Fish and Game and cared for by the local sportsmen. It is a flat maze of land and water that seems as if it was made just for the Kayak fisherman. The places we fished are not easily accessible by boat as most of the water is less than 2 feet deep. It is also a place you can become lost in. The extensive black mangroves splits the water and forms a labyrinth of narrow passages leading to unimaginable areas of wide open fishing that were easily accessible by our Wilderness System kayaks. On kayak you can easily find yourself fishing for Reds on what most would call a small secluded lake, accompanied only by the countless varieties of tropical birds, doing some fishing of their own under the warm Texas sun.

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There are many ways the locals fish this area including using live shrimp, jigs, spoons, and cut bait all to try to lure a bite. However the favored technique of choice by local guide Dean is a top water plug on light spinning or casting tackle, using 8lb test with a short six inch 20lb shock leader. This here is fishing at its best. As you paddle your kayak through the shallow waters you want to make sure your eyes are constantly scanning the surface and when the tides are just right you can see the tips of the red tails of the fish peeking out of the water. This is the technique of spot and cast. When the waters are up a bit more you may not see the fish tails, but the reds are still there so you simply look for water movement and fish those areas.

We fished for three days and learned first hand the joys of catching Red Fish and both of us caught a lot of them! There is something quite joyful being on a kayak surrounded by picturesque scenery, casting out a spook top water plug as far as you can, walking it back in, then seeing and hearing a red fish roll out of the water grabbing your plug, letting the slow ride begin as line pulls off your reel creating the sound of the drag while you fight a powerful fish. It was my second Red that I caught that I really got to see the true beauty of this species. As I pulled her onto the boat the sky hit that red skin and sent a gold shimmer to the eyes. At twenty-five inches long this was the Red Fish I dreamed of and the reason my wife and I would find ourselves enjoying a weekend in Texas we will remember our whole lives.

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If you are ever in Texas look up Dean Thomas at Slowride Guide Service he will help put you on some reds.

For sure one of the best reports I've seen on here.
Thanks

Awsome Report, :you_rock: Lucky man to have caught a wife who loves to fish. Keep those good reports comming!

:) very nice! Congrats:cheers1:

Hell of an adventure
 

and a good read. Now i want my wife to go fishing with me. Wait, no, scratch that. No I don't.

Happy for you though!

:luxhello: what an awesome report and trip Joe!!

Joe:

If for some reason God should call you from this beautiful Earth before your time, please allow me to offer my phone number (999) 555-1234 to pass along to your wife. I promise to honor your memory each time we fish :biggrinjester:.

But seriously, awesome report man....Looks like a very fun trip and thanks for posting your travels!

LMAO!!! Shame on YOU!!

Though I can certainly understand where those sentiments are coming from (what a beautiful smile) She's not a accessory like a favorite paddle or a fishing rod.

Jim

Having fished that area for my first redfish and having met Dean years back I am incredibly jealous! Great post and pix! Congrats on the killer trip.

Great report!!

You know I've fished right there where you were fishing in that tidal slew that winds back behind the lighthouse. We used to fish it wading before Kayaks, we'd take a skiff in there then walk around stalking the fish. You had to watch for rays, I had a buddy that got spined in there good.

Go back far enough and there's a cut that takes you due North to a huge wide open shallow flat. Sometimes that area is just loaded with Specs and Rat Reds. But I'm talking about back in the seventies though so it's been a while. :D

That lighthouse has been there forever. I think it was built in the early 1800's, I heard the confederates attacked it several times in the Civil war. It's amazing it's still the same after all these years. I almost didn't recognize the place with all the vegetation. That used to be just sand water and grass in there. Not as pretty, but very fishy.

Here's an old photo of it:
http://www.uscg.mil/history/weblight...ransaspass.JPG

Your post definitely makes me homesick, I never thought about fishing that area with a yak, it must just be a blast.



Thanks for the report.

Jim

Thanks for the excellent read and pics!

Steve I plan to stay on this beautiful Earth for a long f'n time :the_finger::the_finger::the_finger:

Jim love the old pic of the lighthouse, very cool. I take it you grew up in that area? Dean was telling us the lighthouse was built around 1850

Incredible Post Joe:cheers1::cheers1::cheers1:

awesome!
 

Dean is a class act! Glad you got down to the Gulf Coast to experience some of our fine texas fishin!! Those redfish are some mean little puppies, and boy are they fun to sight fish in shallow water!

I grew up about 350 miles North of there in Ft Worth.

Port Aransas is the closest really good Saltwater fishing to Ft Worth though I fished off jetties, wade fished, and fished in the surf all the way from Galveston to South Padre. As a kid I spent a lot of time in that area before I got into the four wheel drive, North Padre to Mansfield, surf, Jack, King, Bull Red and sharkfishing scene, or essentially moved on to larger fish.

If I moved back to Texas I'd consider Corpus hard as a place to live, and then I'd fish down the beach off Padre.

I'm not knocking the fishing you did by any means as I know it's a blast. That said: you were just down the road and a trip down the sand from some of the best surf and kayak fishing on the planet.

If you want to see some big fish try south of there off the beach.

Here's some recent Padre picks from extremecoast.com a website devoted to fishing that area. Not my pics just giving you an idea of what's down there.

http://extremecoast.com/reports/0520/05200906sm.jpg

Jack Carvelle at the mansfield jetties
http://extremecoast.com/reports/0520/05200926sm.jpg
Bull Red same location

http://extremecoast.com/reports/0520/05200933sm.jpg
Blacktip Mansfield Jetties

http://extremecoast.com/reports/0606/stuart06060902.jpg
Tiger Shark North of the jetties North Padre Island

http://extremecoast.com/reports/0718/07180807m.jpg
Cobia North Padre basically the same area

http://extremecoast.com/reports/0718/07180821m.jpg
King Mackerel (similar to a Wahoo)

http://extremecoast.com/reports/0407/sm04070825.jpg
Kings, Jack, Spanish mackerel.

http://extremecoast.com/reports/0317/03170917sm.jpg
Tiger shark North Padre

http://extremecoast.com/reports/0806/08060907sm.jpg
King Mackerel on the popper

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Jacks and Kings working bait

http://extremecoast.com/reports/0806/08060915sm.jpg
Jacks kings and sharks on bait

http://extremecoast.com/reports/0806/08060911sm.jpg
Jack Cervelle on bait

You should check out the report that goes with those last few pics here: http://extremecoast.com/reports/report080609.php

One last tiger...
http://extremecoast.com/reports/0914/09140916sm.jpg


Not for the faint of heart.... but I'm just saying if I was in that area that's where I would go fish... :D

Once again great report! I think between your post and those pics I just found I just convinced myself I need to make a rod trip down there!

Jim

Good write up, great report...sounds like you two had a blast:you_rock:

One Q though...did ya keep them, and if so, no mention of how they cooked up and were they tasty?

OK, now I wanna go...:sifone:

Get one of those bad boys, and (hopefully) paddle his arse into the sand...

[QUOTE=Jim Day;46645]I grew up about 350 miles North of there in Ft Worth.

Incredible pics Jim.

I'm from Gladewater myself....grew up flyfishing Toledo Bend....trot lineing the Mississipi for big yellow cats and drop netting in the swamps of the Atchafalaya River for blue crab all night long with my dad talking to the owls.

Redfish are as tasty as they come. The only tough part is they have scales like armor. Evolving alongside bull sharks will do that, I guess.

Sweet pix all around. Question, what the hell do you do with a huge Tiger Shark like that? Looks like they are keeping them, no?