Yesterday at the office I peeked at the tide info, weather and feeding times and could tell it would be a good time for fish movement but also a challenge in 20+mph winds. High tide had been just after noon and the last three hours of daylight gave the greatest tidal movement for fish to ambush bait being pushed off the flats. Not being one to shy away from a challenge
, I ran home after work and loaded my gear. In three hours of fishing I put a sneak on 21 stud crawlers, but evidently ripping winds don't dull their hearing at all. I couldn't hear a thing except wind noise but if the paddle crunched a piece of grass or swished the water within 15 yards they would immediately bolt. If I retrieved the bait a little too quickly after the wind carried my cast off course, the fish would bolt. Mullet were out in force as usual, and in full "mosh pit" mode spooked the majority of fish I was approaching as they bounced off my kayak, my body, and even the target redfish a few times ...but I also got my share of good chances at fish. Two fish struck the bait and missed, then immediately ran off. One broke the leader during a fight, one pulled the hook before I could get him in the net, and one read the play book and made it into the hatch. Nine miles in that kind of wind is a nice workout, and seeing fish everywhere I expected to find them was reassuring. If the mullet would just calm down a little it would be so much easier, but since mullet are as much a part of skinny water as redfish, we just have to work around them. Oh, and for some reason I didn't see another soul on the bay last night. Odd.
