Nighthawk Bay

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DHardy
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Nighthawk Bay

Post by DHardy »

On Friday, 4/8/2022, the wind laid down and I paddled out to a familiar spot with some guts and did some wading. Very nice day. The water clarity was great. There’s been a significant bait increase in last two weeks. Half dollar size crabs and mullet were everywhere. The slot reds were sitting in the guts and feeding on the small crabs. Caught and released some nice reds and several keeper flounder within a few hours The wind started to pick up and I headed back. One flounder made its way onto the stringer for dinner.

Z-Man 1/5 oz jig head and plastic with some blue crab scent applied. Fished Ned rig style, slow and bouncy. As the bait was coming up out of a gut, the reds aggressively hit the bait. The flounder were sitting at the bottom of the guts and hit like flounder do. Hopefully the wind will lay down. It would be nice to have a full day on the water. Fishing a new rod that I built. Good luck.
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Ron Mc
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Re: Nighthawk Bay

Post by Ron Mc »

great flounder - thanks for the report and photo
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Dandydon
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Re: Nighthawk Bay

Post by Dandydon »

Good fishing report, Hardy, and nice to hear from a Corpus Christi guy. The increasing bait down there is a sign of better fishing ahead.

Glad you did well, but was surprised to hear about 1/5 oz. Z-Man jig heads. Only a weird outfit like Z-Man would make those when quarter-oz. is fine for most of us. I like Z-Man plastics except for their irritating tendency to melt other plastic lures they contact.

One trip I made that mistake and returned to the ramp with a big wad of melted multi-colored plastic. Now I favor the Down South brand.

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Ron Mc
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Re: Nighthawk Bay

Post by Ron Mc »

DD, I'm a huge fan of the lighter Z-man Texas-eye jighead.
They hang in the zone at easy retrieves, and you feel every blade of grass.
They flex in every direction, and the fish may never feel the steel, making them hang on.

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DHardy
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Re: Nighthawk Bay

Post by DHardy »

Agree 100%. I’ve got try the bottom glass minnow. Hadn’t seen that one. The Zman lures are durable.
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Kitsune
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Re: Nighthawk Bay

Post by Kitsune »

Its been a while since I fished Nighthawk but Up toward the North End close to the undeveloped canals was always special for me. We would wade or drift from one bank to the other in waist deep water with grass and sand.
DHardy
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Re: Nighthawk Bay

Post by DHardy »

Dandy

Fishing Ned, the fish seem to bite as the bait is falling after a bounce. It’s funny but sometimes they hit a 1/5, 1/6 or a 1/10 jig more agresssively. My thinking is the fall rate after the bounce affects the bite. I could be mistaken which happens all the time.
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