Green lights and Slot Redfish, a delightful combination.

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OldTownYakBoi
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Green lights and Slot Redfish, a delightful combination.

Post by OldTownYakBoi »

Hello all, it has been some time since I’ve been able to file a decent report for you all. Yesterday I had some time in the afternoon and went out for a quick fish. On my pedal in I got a notification from a TKF thread with an open invite to fish the Lights. Given that Impulse graciously provided us with the epic time lapse video of redfish in his lights, I needed no further convincing to take a trip.

A buddy and myself launched our kayaks around 11 PM. We launched near the pier and started our paddle toward the canals. The moon was bright and the bay extremely calm. We don’t get these type of conditions too often, so I was optimistic. As I paddled into the first canal I made a cast to the dark side of the first light I saw that had a few fish around it. Something quickly bumped it, but no eat, I kept working it and moments later I was hooked up! First cast yielded a healthy 23in Redfish. Image

Around the time I was netting my first fish, Watson and his son showed up. We exchanged intel, and talked about the fish they caught, and off they went. We kept moving and had a homeowner give us the tip that reds were blowing up down some way, so off we went. Sure enough we came up on pods and pods of glass minnows just being destroyed. It was constant slurping and eating, but I was unable to get the attention of any of them. I saw more glass minnows on this trip than ever. So thick it seemed as if they were oozing from every corner of the canalsImage
I figured we should find some fish that were a little less preoccupied, so we headed over to the next canal. On the way to the next canal we spotted shoffer who mentioned he too was catching slots and gave us some intel.

Once we arrived at the next canal we spotted a light with 15 or so Reds circling it, I told my buddy who is a newbie to throw right to the edge of the light.... The first cast sailed very wide, he reeled in and threw again, “Dink” I hear his lure smack the dock. At this point I can’t wait any longer and I throw my Vudu shad right to the edge of the light, gave it some erratic action, and it was picked up on the drop, second slot was in the boat. Luckily the school wasn’t spooked so I told my buddy to get back in there, his next cast went into the middle of the light with a huge plop... the fish scattered. At this point he was getting frustrated bc he can’t do right and it seemed as if I couldn’t do wrong. Frustrations grew some as he lost a fish not long after that right at the boat. By this time I had a limit and he hadn’t caught anything.

The rest of the night I spent coaching him, most of where he was struggling was putting the cast in the right area. We practiced and once we hit the western canals he was ready. We approached the canal and in the first light was a pod of hammers, approximately 15. I coached and told him to make a longer cast and to put it right at the edge of the light... He finally calmed himself down (Earlier he Told me he was shaking bc he was so pumped on seeing all this activity and fish blowing up) and made a perfect cast. A twitch later and his drag was singing. Immediately after hooking up he looked over and said, “It’s a baby”, then proceeded to fight the fish for 3 or 4 minutes. I chuckled and said “Ya, that baby is kicking your ass”. Jokes aside I was happy and relieved, I finally put my buddy on his first “Lure” slot red. He was ecstatic, this was his only fish and the only fish we kept between us.

After I got my buddy a fish I went back to my grind. Every few lights had a pod of fish in them and I took full advantage. I picked off So many slots it felt like I was getting away with something. I ended up sight casting 8 slots, the biggest was a 26 in toad. I also caught a single trout that was around 16in. Image

We were so distracted by the redfish back in the Canal that I naively shrugged off a pressure drop. I felt it around 330 Am, it was slight and the wind picked up some... But we were so deep in the canals and high on Redfish, it was easy to ignore.As we came to the main canal I spotted the first light at the mouth of the canal and had my first look at what we were facing. I honestly didn’t realize at the time just how rough it was but I wouldn’t have to wait long. Right after we exited the canal we were faced with the nastiest conditions I’ve ever experienced in a yak, and in the dark for the most part. I’m talking easy 2-3 foot chop, waves coming from different directions and high winds. We were at the far west end and had a ways to get back to the launch, probably a half mile or more. I kept telling my buddy to keep the yak straight and to avoid going sideways. We white knuckled it back to the launch, both humbled and pumped up.

I’ve been around the water my whole life and know what a pressure drop means, we should’ve left sooner, but the lack of immediate danger sedated me. I don’t want to sound dramatic, bc yes we made it back really with no qualms... But shit can’t get hairy out there, and quick. This was a good reminder that safety comes first and preparedness is never wasted.

It was an awesome trip, definitely one I’ll remember for quite some time. The problem is, now I’m spoiled and want to catch triple limits of reds on every outing Image. Haha, get out there and get you some fellas.


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Last edited by OldTownYakBoi on Wed Mar 24, 2021 3:06 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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kickingback
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Re: Green lights and Slot Redfish, a delightful combination.

Post by kickingback »

Wow another great long report! Well done! Man Impulse gave everyone the night time bite bug with his first hand pics and videos! I for one appreciate him passing on the info. And what's good is that you don't have to go to his lights but any lights were good I heard. Impulse dials in the bite and we go find it easily! Thanks :clap:
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OldTownYakBoi
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Green lights and Slot Redfish, a delightful combination.

Post by OldTownYakBoi »

kickingback wrote:Wow another great long report! Well done! Man Impulse gave everyone the night time bite bug with his first hand pics and videos! I for one appreciate him passing on the info. And what's good is that you don't have to go to his lights but any lights were good I heard. Impulse dials in the bite and we go find it easily! Thanks :clap:
All the credit goes to Impulse, and to DD of course, who planted the seed and extended the invitation. Yes, most of the lights were good, a few dead, but Impulses certainly wasn’t the only one with schooled up fish. Talk about easy fishing, man it was a treat. Wish we could’ve gotten there and launched with everyone, would’ve been nice to chat some.


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Ron Mc
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Re: Green lights and Slot Redfish, a delightful combination.

Post by Ron Mc »

great report - the fish photo is great, but the thick bait under the lights is really great to see.
Thanks for posting that photo.
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OldTownYakBoi
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Re: Green lights and Slot Redfish, a delightful combination.

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Ron Mc wrote:great report - the fish photo is great, but the thick bait under the lights is really great to see.
Thanks for posting that photo.
Thanks Ron, like I said, never have I seen anything like that, we were both so pumped up seeing all the life.I wish the site accepted videos easier bc I got a pretty cool one of the bait.


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Re: Green lights and Slot Redfish, a delightful combination.

Post by Dandydon »

Welcome to the wacky world of nighttime canal fishing where the gamefish can sometimes be indifferent and not biting, versus last night when the Redfish were in a feeding frenzy.

Not many specks were caught, but the action on Reds was great in the underwater lights up and down the West Bay shoreline.

I found out two things last night that helped me catch about 8 slot Reds:
(1) they were gorging on glass minnows which made the glow VUDU SHAD effective (I got no bites on curly-tailed GULP lures or rat-tailed soft plastics like Bass Assassins); and
(2) try casting beyond or to the dark sides of the lights to avoid spooking your target fish. Then you can retrieve the lure through the light-cone to induce fish strikes.

What a memorable night for the Hobie Navy and our new fishing friend Yak Boi! Image Image

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Re: Green lights and Slot Redfish, a delightful combination.

Post by impulse »

Yesterday, the tide was high. Today, it's a good foot higher. And it's been blowing all day. Still, the water is looking good.

We'll see if the fish are in tonight's time lapse.

Chiming in on some other remarks, the lights are fun to watch and they do attract the fish, but the fish are scattered all over the canals, wherever the bait takes them. Listen for the slurping sounds and don't give up on an area after just fishing the lights (which are only a small fraction of the canals).
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OldTownYakBoi
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Green lights and Slot Redfish, a delightful combination.

Post by OldTownYakBoi »

Don, I picked up on the fish being keen on the Vudu Shad as well. I threw a glow dsl periodically without a lick of interest. I second the comment on casting past the light and binging the lure through it.

Impulse, that is good info, I have no doubt they are everywhere in the canals.... But when they stack up and make it easy on you there’s nothing better than going light to light.


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Re: Green lights and Slot Redfish, a delightful combination.

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I have to second all of the comments made by my fishing companions from last night. I was off the water about 145, and cleaning the two reds I kept, a 21 and 23. The 23 had the largest collection of glass minnows in the stomach I have ever seen. This redfish’s this stomach was easily at least the size of a grapefruit and a lacrosse ball combined and when I cut it open, Watson and Ellis were shocked as I was to see what was easily 500 or more glass minnows spill out onto the cleaning table. I caught a total of seven reds last night, only one of which was undersized at 19 1/2, I also caught three specs, two were legal but given the freeze and my self-imposed reprieve on keeping trout, I threw them all back. I caught my red fish on a variety of lures. Most of them were caught on a glow down south on a quarter ounce jig head. I caught another, along with two trout, on a Yozuri small lipped crank bait. I caught the remainder on a red and white Knockin tails 5 inch paddle tail.

It was great to meet YakBoi and Impulse. It’s funny how our board has led me to meet so many like-minded people who I have enjoyed fishing with for going on almost 10 years now. It’s always nice to add additional friends to the staple of like-minded fisherman.


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Re: Green lights and Slot Redfish, a delightful combination.

Post by Ron Mc »

OldTownYakBoi wrote:Thanks Ron, like I said, never have I seen anything like that, we were both so pumped up seeing all the life.I wish the site accepted videos easier bc I got a pretty cool one of the bait.
Every November trip we've made to Arroyo has been that way except the last one - there was a dearth of baitfish, and we were only catching nursery trout.
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OldTownYakBoi
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Re: Green lights and Slot Redfish, a delightful combination.

Post by OldTownYakBoi »

shoffer wrote:I have to second all of the comments made by my fishing companions from last night. I was off the water about 145, and cleaning the two reds I kept, a 21 and 23. The 23 had the largest collection of glass minnows in the stomach I have ever seen. This redfish’s this stomach was easily at least the size of a grapefruit and a lacrosse ball combined and when I cut it open, Watson and Ellis were shocked as I was to see what was easily 500 or more glass minnows spill out onto the cleaning table. I caught a total of seven reds last night, only one of which was undersized at 19 1/2, I also caught three specs, two were legal but given the freeze and my self-imposed reprieve on keeping trout, I threw them all back. I caught my red fish on a variety of lures. Most of them were caught on a glow down south on a quarter ounce jig head. I caught another, along with two trout, on a Yozuri small lipped crank bait. I caught the remainder on a red and white Knockin tails 5 inch paddle tail.

It was great to meet YakBoi and Impulse. It’s funny how our board has led me to meet so many like-minded people who I have enjoyed fishing with for going on almost 10 years now. It’s always nice to add additional friends to the staple of like-minded fisherman.


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The one Red my friend caught had an empty stomach hahaha, he must’ve just been showing up to the party. It was great meeting you as well, btw everyone, don’t be alarmed, Shoffer has lights so tall on his kayak you think it is a big center console coming at you.


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Re: Green lights and Slot Redfish, a delightful combination.

Post by Dandydon »

Just a reminder that I was forced to yak my way back solo to the Sea Isle launch ramp in that sudden nighttime windstorm. Shoffer's marine radio woke me from my Man-Nap about 2:30am. I had to quickly leave the far western canal and hump my way back against those white-capped waves. It was about a 25-minute trip.

No problem for this Kung Fu lawyer, especially with three nice slot Reds aboard. Our nighttime trips are full of surprises. Hope to see you out there...
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Re: Green lights and Slot Redfish, a delightful combination.

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Dandydon wrote:Just a reminder that I was forced to yak my way back solo to the Sea Isle launch ramp in that sudden nighttime windstorm. Shoffer's marine radio woke me from my Man-Nap about 2:30am. I had to quickly leave the far western canal and hump my way back against those white-capped waves. It was about a 25-minute trip.

No problem for this Kung Fu lawyer, especially with three nice slot Reds aboard. Our nighttime trips are full of surprises. Hope to see you out there...
Good that you left when you did, and us when we did. That was about as sporty as I like to get haha. Enjoy those Reds!


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OldTownYakBoi
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Green lights and Slot Redfish, a delightful combination.

Post by OldTownYakBoi »

I went out again last night and the big girls were out. I Caught 1 trout @17 and 10 slots with 5 of them being 24 or better, had a 26 and this 29in bruteImage

I also got the chance to meet impulse (Nice guy). The 29 was awesome, but I had something that just smoked me last night, not sure what it was but I never turned it before it broke my line. All fish were CPR’d and released. Fun times


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Re: RE: Green lights and Slot Redfish, a delightful combination.

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OldTownYakBoi wrote:I went out again last night and the big girls were out. I Caught 1 trout @17 and 10 slots with 5 of them being 24 or better, had a 26 and this 29in bruteImage

I also got the chance to meet impulse (Nice guy). The 29 was awesome, but I had something that just smoked me last night, not sure what it was but I never turned it before it broke my line. All fish were CPR’d and released. Fun times


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Good work, Yak Boi! Nice photo of your brute Bull Redfish Image.

Now get out there and find us some legal Speckled Trout!

P. S. Go Houston Cougars basketball!

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Re: Green lights and Slot Redfish, a delightful combination.

Post by Ron Mc »

We know why this man is smiling.

And for me, bull red will always = caught in the surf.
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Re: Green lights and Slot Redfish, a delightful combination.

Post by OldTownYakBoi »

Dandydon wrote:
OldTownYakBoi wrote:I went out again last night and the big girls were out. I Caught 1 trout @17 and 10 slots with 5 of them being 24 or better, had a 26 and this 29in bruteImage

I also got the chance to meet impulse (Nice guy). The 29 was awesome, but I had something that just smoked me last night, not sure what it was but I never turned it before it broke my line. All fish were CPR’d and released. Fun times


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Good work, Yak Boi! Nice photo of your brute Bull Redfish Image.

Now get out there and find us some legal Speckled Trout!

P. S. Go Houston Cougars basketball!

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Haha thanks DD. Here soon I’ll be back on my home turf, aka the surf. I have a feeling it’s going to be hot this summer. Until then though we will just have to settle for slot and the occasional bull redfish Image


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Re: Green lights and Slot Redfish, a delightful combination.

Post by OldTownYakBoi »

Ron Mc wrote:We know why this man is smiling.

And for me, bull red will always = caught in the surf.
Haha Ron it was awesome. Still can’t stop thinking about what smoked me after this one though. Hit like a freight train and ran like grease lightning.

I’ve never caught reds in the surf, and I’ve fished it hard for 3 summers. Wonder if they just aren’t in the areas I’m hunting or just deep in the water column.... (I’m usually fishing higher in the column in the surf)


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Re: Green lights and Slot Redfish, a delightful combination.

Post by impulse »

Hmmm. Could have been the neighborhood monster... This guy looks to be about 7' long. We had 2 dead ones over 6' floating in the canal last summer/fall, but there's still some big 'uns out there.

We also get quite a few big black drum who usually break off because we're just not set up to deal with a 30# plus fish when we're fishing for trout and reds. The nets aren't big enough, and hoisting one onto a dock is impossible on 20# line.

And, as you know, some of the reds in the lights have been huge this year.
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Gage5602
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Re: Green lights and Slot Redfish, a delightful combination.

Post by Gage5602 »

ya those lights are good i saw a light in another sets of canals that i couldn't believe but it had around 70 or 80 slot reds i caught a straight limit out of one light
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Re: Green lights and Slot Redfish, a delightful combination.

Post by AggieArcher17 »

Anyone hitting Sea Isle tonight? I want to get down there but my buddy can't and I know it's not a great idea to night fish alone.
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