Freeport Marsh 21-Sep-2024

[deptrai]

The Tundra was in the shop over the past two weekends, so I was eager to get back on the water yesterday. I got up extra early and was headed up the Intercostal Waterway at 5:45am.

Moderate mosquito action until the sun came up. I’ve counted three bites so far this morning.
If it weren’t for the barges, this would be a peaceful journey. I had to pass by three of them, but they were all parked along the north bank. Two of them were fine, but the third tug was perpendicular to his barge pressing it up against the shore. These are the dangerous ones as they leave the engines in gear, and it creates turbulent flow behind it. It can suck the water out behind it, making it shallow and difficult to pedal past. If your hand isn’t on the rudder control, the flow can spin you around in a circle. This guy was still in the exact same spot, doing the exact same thing at 12:19 when I was headed back in.

The barges communicate on VHF channel 16 if you ever need to speak to them.
I promised myself that I would make at least 50 casts with a topwater today. I can’t remember the last time I caught a fish on topwater, but it must have been at least 15 years ago. I had a bite on cast 15, but it didn’t stick. After cast 23, a boat flew by me at full speed, so I moved on and gave up on the topwater.

It was a pretty slow day overall. It wasn’t until 8:17 that I landed the first fish. A 21” Red. I had heard a splash around a corner, pedaled up near it and made some blind casts.

15 minutes later, I caught this shorty.

[deptrai]

I was in a rush to get home and watch my beloved Trojans lose to Michigan, so I didn’t go any deeper into the marsh. I turned around and fished my way back to the launch point. I hooked a 2-foot Alligator Gar that, thankfully, came off before getting to the yak. 9:19 and another short Red.

As I entered a large lake I’d passed through earlier, I noticed a lone Egret on the far bank. He was sort of hopscotching along the shoreline from my right to left…that’s what I like to see. It took 10 minutes to flutter-pedal near it and then I stuck myself out and started casting towards the shoreline. With the wind mostly at my back, I could keep a good distance and still cast to the shore. I watched the bird pick off a small baitfish then it flew away. I stayed and kept casting, then a school of Red Drum appeared before me, just 25’ off the bow. Maybe 10 or so fish and tightly packed with their backs & tails out of the water. One cast just ahead of and beyond them and the fight was on. A few minutes later and a 24 incher went into the net (and kill bag!)

With the school nowhere in sight, I stayed there for another 15 minutes without having another bite. Which way did they go? I saw the direction they came from, and it was the same direction the Egret was hopping so I followed. 20 minutes later, the school appeared again. This time they were a little further from the shore and to my left. Like the previous attempt, I cast beyond them (into the wind) and was bit as soon as my paddletail was retrieved in front of them. This time a 26 incher completed my limit at 11:17.

One of the fish had a goober on its left side.

[deptrai]

9.5 miles logged. I had my alarm set for 3:40 this morning so I could go out again to a spot where I’ve had more success with flounder. My body said “no” so it’s yardwork today.

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Dave

[shoffer]

Thanks for the great report, Deptrai. You must get tired of eating redfish at some point, no?

[deptrai]

You must get tired of eating redfish at some point, no?

Yes. I give some to friends.
Now it looks like I have a hernia, so no fishing for me for a while

[Pablo]

Great report . . . . Thanks!