Freeport Bay 1/13 and Marsh 1/17

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karstopo
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Freeport Bay 1/13 and Marsh 1/17

Post by karstopo »

For whatever reason, I can't sign in on my IPad.

Anyhow, went fishing in the bay last Thursday afternoon. Water was coming in. Winds west moderate, then later south. Middling levels. Found a lot of trout to 14.95", one slot redfish that came off and one 23.75" speckled trout. All but 2 fish came on DSL burner shad in white ice. Most fish in 3 feet of water. The bigger trout came in 2'.

Went out into the marsh this afternoon. Forgot my baitcasting rig so it was fly only. Caught 12 redfish to 30". Water was very low and rising. Most fish 1-2' deep. All but 2 on tan Borski slider. The two biggest on a gartside soft hackle streamer.
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shoffer
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Re: Freeport Bay 1/13 and Marsh 1/17

Post by shoffer »

Thanks for those great reports, Karstopo. That 30-inch red is a tank! And that nearly 24-inch speck is a welcome sight!

I went out on the kayak in the bay on Friday the 14th last week also. I nearly pulled off a Texas Slam. Caught 3 undersized flounder in a hole right by a marsh drain, then managed to land a 23 and a 20-inch speck trolling a Lele by a reef in about 3 feet, caught and released a 15 incher, and then caught a slot red on a Down south 4-inch glow chartreuse bouncing it near shell and mud on a 1/8oz jighead. I also hooked a doormat of a flounder near the reef, but it came unbuttoned at the kayak, thereby hosing me on my Texas Slam.
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karstopo
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Re: Freeport Bay 1/13 and Marsh 1/17

Post by karstopo »

I'd love to run across some doormat flounder, been a while for me. But, sounds like an excellent trip, shoffer.

I don't often stray from my little local mud holes. Both the Thursday and Monday trips were in places I have fished a lot. They both have I have come to realize very defined and narrow payoff zones. Its like one of those gold mining shows, got to find the right seam.

I think the hole where every fish was 14-15 must have been picked over several times. How do all the fish get to be tiny fractions of an inch under 15"?

That spot I discovered by accident maybe 13 years ago. Watched a guy in a boat pull a trout out every cast while two other people in the boat barely caught any. I try to get by the area once or twice every winter. Definitely on people's radars. The 23.75" fish spot, I caught an almost identical sized fish in the exact spot, the same month, several years ago. I don't get by that place too often.

The Monday place, I know of at least one other kayaker that fishes the same exact structure during the same water level, tide and seasonal conditions. We once ran into each other at the spot, he coming in, I launching. Comparing notes, I determined we had figured things out independently and without knowledge of the other. Just found it by reading water. He fished it differently, with popping corks and suspended arties, but with similar results.

Anyway. I figure there are things about these places still that I miss and need to fine tune so I keep on keeping on.
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Re: Freeport Bay 1/13 and Marsh 1/17

Post by YakRunabout »

Nice report with some great fish!!
I have had a few months of good action on that same burner shad -
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Ron Mc
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Re: Freeport Bay 1/13 and Marsh 1/17

Post by Ron Mc »

Sorry I'm late - great post and great fish.

Kudos to Josh and Nina for fixing the BB code.
Good-looking facelift, too.
Text is easier to read.
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karstopo
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Re: Freeport Bay 1/13 and Marsh 1/17

Post by karstopo »

Went back to the January 17 Marsh this afternoon. Very similar conditions as the last outing. Incoming tide, low water levels, green water with about 18” of visiblilty. Similar winds, SE, pretty light.

Similar results. One over slot at 28.5” and a 20”, plus a few slightly under. Saw a few fish come way shallow, but it was hard to get to them in time. The overslot annihilated something up shallow and I happened to be in the right place at the right time. Great to get out and make a little vitamin D.
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Re: Freeport Bay 1/13 and Marsh 1/17

Post by Ron Mc »

Nice fish, and thanks for posting. .
Though that last fish from the other day is one of the tallest reds I've seen.
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Re: Freeport Bay 1/13 and Marsh 1/17

Post by karstopo »

Ron, I wished I’d weighed the 30” on from the 17th. I believe I had my Boga with me. It was massive for the length. The 28.5” was pretty normal sized for its length. I really don’t seem to run into a ton of overslots in the places I fish. The 28.5” was much more of a runner and forced itself onto the reel after initially cantering towards me, but never quite made the backing on that gallop away from my kayak. That fish spent too much time running at me or sideways. The 30” just dug and turned sideways in almost like a Jack Creavelle, but without the line peeling initial run. I had on 20# Seaguar blue FC tippet with all the sharp shell around.

In spite of fishing some of the same water over and over again, I still seem to learn something, like more about the pattern and such, on each trip. I think I’m a slow learner at times. One thing I’m learning over and over again is that fish can get pretty concentrated in a small area and rather easy to bypass if I’m not paying close attention to sign.
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