Estes high water level
Posted: Mon Oct 07, 2019 4:11 pm
Steve, Lou and I were out for two days, Sat and Sun 10/5-6. Met Tombo in his pedal cat, and TexasJim in his motor skiff on Saturday.
Water levels were a foot over predicted tides, and we made it out on falling tide both mornings - big drops on paper, but didn't make significant current at the cuts.
10-kt NE wind both mornings, which aimed our boats to the very top of Trout Bayou and the 100-year cut.
After our drive from SA Saturday, we arrived to see the remnant of a pretty sunrise.
we launched about 7:30 at Palm Harbor - never seen quite this much water on the bulkhead.
(when I compared it to other October photos of the bulkhead, the water level was 4 inches higher than I've ever seen it)
We tried first at Little Cut, but there was way too much water to find bottom anywhere around the 60-year cut, so we turned up Traylor toward the 100-year cut.
Tom and Jim both met us at Little Cut - Jim pulled a trout out of the grass at Little Cut.
Tombo had a really good morning on Talley Is. shore and sloughs, including some trout and a slot red.
The NE wind was giving us perfect drifts parallel to Talley shore, we found fish close to the shore and also farther out from shore, starting a drift right about the first duck blind inside the cut.
I got a couple of three respectible 18" rats in the morning, also some smaller.
There were a lot of motors around, and redfish were hitting light like tourist trout - I've never seen it before.
My best TSL color with the spooky fish was Coastal Gold
Our SA trio Saturday, Stevo brought in the only meat, with a 22" slot red, and he always brings good beer to share.
We also found a beautiful hard sand beach on Talley - a cove in this high tide - to park for our lunch.
Here's Lou's rigged Emotion Fisherman 14
Stayed the night at Rahi Motel, which is a pretty decent fishing shack with good kayak parking - absolutely nothing provided there - bring all your own kitchen tools and sundries. We've stayed here before, and it's good enough for 2 or 3 worn out fishermen, as long as they bring their kitchen boxes and TP - and good wi-fi, which Lou needed to work in the evening.
Sat evening meal, Mexican seafood at Los Comales, and floated out on fishbowl margaritas.
Sunday, with only 6 blocks to drive, we made it out at dark thirty, and were paddling as soon as there was enough light to see Sandy Point.
The photo taken just past Sandy Point doesn't do this sunrise justice.
We headed straight to the 100-yr cut - Lou and I paddled in, while Steve tucked into nearby Talley sloughs - he saw redfish there, but couldn't turn any.
In the cut, arrived to see a big trout with her back out of the water slashing mullet.
Lou pulled a trout from the grassy side of the cut.
In the cut, had two dozen trout strikes on every lure I threw, but couldn't hook a single fish. Even had a topwater explosion on a YoZuri pencil lure and didn't hook on the two trebles.
A father and his son staked a Dargel in the beautiful skinny grass on the inside of the cut, and were casting into the cut catching trout on live shrimp.
As soon as there was enough wind to drift, Lou and I began drifts from the duck blind, and Steve came out of the sloughs to join us.
I missed a good red, brought him to the boat and he came unhooked.
The three of us set up this drift a couple more times.
Somewhere between the duck blind and next point on Talley shore, I got into both trout and lizardfish thick.
Can't count the dinks, and had 3 tails bitten off Grasswalkers by lizardfish.
My first keeper trout, 16"
I'd also get a 17
and some really respectible undersized trout - even though this fish is on Birthday Suit, this day, Golden Roach was my best Grasswalker color, especially over slightly deeper grass with slightly off-color water.
Right after lunch and beer-thirty on the same hardpack bottom cove, I got a small redfish as soon as I paddled out to the wind seam and set my drift sock.
Steve and Lou both headed upwind to the duck blind to start their drifts.
Just about the time I was nearing Sandy Point, south end of Talley Is., I heard on the radio that Lou was hooked up. Found out later he had switched to cocahoe on 1/8-oz jighead. I paddled up the west side into Estes Cove hoping to set up a drift, but there was too much water everywhere.
Lou's fish would be a 25" red, but the fish hauled Lou most of a mile along Traylor shore, with Steve following and taking video on his phone.
I saw Steve's videos, and you can see the fish pulling the kayak faster than the wind ripples.
Maybe he'll youtube the video for us and I can post a link - it was a hoot.
So I was first back to Palm Harbor, and moved the truck to load.
Somehow Steve came in with Lou's stringer and had to show the fish we had talked about on the radio.
We know why this man is smiling
Lou's first ever slot redfish
Water levels were a foot over predicted tides, and we made it out on falling tide both mornings - big drops on paper, but didn't make significant current at the cuts.
10-kt NE wind both mornings, which aimed our boats to the very top of Trout Bayou and the 100-year cut.
After our drive from SA Saturday, we arrived to see the remnant of a pretty sunrise.
we launched about 7:30 at Palm Harbor - never seen quite this much water on the bulkhead.
(when I compared it to other October photos of the bulkhead, the water level was 4 inches higher than I've ever seen it)
We tried first at Little Cut, but there was way too much water to find bottom anywhere around the 60-year cut, so we turned up Traylor toward the 100-year cut.
Tom and Jim both met us at Little Cut - Jim pulled a trout out of the grass at Little Cut.
Tombo had a really good morning on Talley Is. shore and sloughs, including some trout and a slot red.
The NE wind was giving us perfect drifts parallel to Talley shore, we found fish close to the shore and also farther out from shore, starting a drift right about the first duck blind inside the cut.
I got a couple of three respectible 18" rats in the morning, also some smaller.
There were a lot of motors around, and redfish were hitting light like tourist trout - I've never seen it before.
My best TSL color with the spooky fish was Coastal Gold
Our SA trio Saturday, Stevo brought in the only meat, with a 22" slot red, and he always brings good beer to share.
We also found a beautiful hard sand beach on Talley - a cove in this high tide - to park for our lunch.
Here's Lou's rigged Emotion Fisherman 14
Stayed the night at Rahi Motel, which is a pretty decent fishing shack with good kayak parking - absolutely nothing provided there - bring all your own kitchen tools and sundries. We've stayed here before, and it's good enough for 2 or 3 worn out fishermen, as long as they bring their kitchen boxes and TP - and good wi-fi, which Lou needed to work in the evening.
Sat evening meal, Mexican seafood at Los Comales, and floated out on fishbowl margaritas.
Sunday, with only 6 blocks to drive, we made it out at dark thirty, and were paddling as soon as there was enough light to see Sandy Point.
The photo taken just past Sandy Point doesn't do this sunrise justice.
We headed straight to the 100-yr cut - Lou and I paddled in, while Steve tucked into nearby Talley sloughs - he saw redfish there, but couldn't turn any.
In the cut, arrived to see a big trout with her back out of the water slashing mullet.
Lou pulled a trout from the grassy side of the cut.
In the cut, had two dozen trout strikes on every lure I threw, but couldn't hook a single fish. Even had a topwater explosion on a YoZuri pencil lure and didn't hook on the two trebles.
A father and his son staked a Dargel in the beautiful skinny grass on the inside of the cut, and were casting into the cut catching trout on live shrimp.
As soon as there was enough wind to drift, Lou and I began drifts from the duck blind, and Steve came out of the sloughs to join us.
I missed a good red, brought him to the boat and he came unhooked.
The three of us set up this drift a couple more times.
Somewhere between the duck blind and next point on Talley shore, I got into both trout and lizardfish thick.
Can't count the dinks, and had 3 tails bitten off Grasswalkers by lizardfish.
My first keeper trout, 16"
I'd also get a 17
and some really respectible undersized trout - even though this fish is on Birthday Suit, this day, Golden Roach was my best Grasswalker color, especially over slightly deeper grass with slightly off-color water.
Right after lunch and beer-thirty on the same hardpack bottom cove, I got a small redfish as soon as I paddled out to the wind seam and set my drift sock.
Steve and Lou both headed upwind to the duck blind to start their drifts.
Just about the time I was nearing Sandy Point, south end of Talley Is., I heard on the radio that Lou was hooked up. Found out later he had switched to cocahoe on 1/8-oz jighead. I paddled up the west side into Estes Cove hoping to set up a drift, but there was too much water everywhere.
Lou's fish would be a 25" red, but the fish hauled Lou most of a mile along Traylor shore, with Steve following and taking video on his phone.
I saw Steve's videos, and you can see the fish pulling the kayak faster than the wind ripples.
Maybe he'll youtube the video for us and I can post a link - it was a hoot.
So I was first back to Palm Harbor, and moved the truck to load.
Somehow Steve came in with Lou's stringer and had to show the fish we had talked about on the radio.
We know why this man is smiling
Lou's first ever slot redfish