Monday, May 28, 2012

Podding Redfish

My two favorite fly fishing endeavors are: 1. watching my oldest son, Truett, stalk redfish with a fly rod, and 2. introducing someone to the art of salt water fishing. Saturday I was able to combine both! Truett and I took my brother-in-law, Solomon, on his first fly fishing excursion.

Just minutes before the sun came up we gently pushed the skiff away from the dock under clouds and a little more wind than I really like to start the day with; but, we were on the water and it just felt like a good morning was about to unfold.

Motoring down the ICW Truett and I clearly had our game faces on. We were both studying the water depth at the shoreline and looking for any sign that laughing gulls might be giving away the location of a pod of redfish. Birding and podding has lasted longer this year than normal and we were really counting on some birding action in order to catch fish that morning. A brief greeting as Scott and his clients motored by, then we were back to the business at hand. And....there it was! Birding! The telltale sign of laughing gulls hovering only inches over the water diving down, frantically chasing airborne shrimp fleeing a hungry pod of redfish! In our efforts to wave and greet our good friend  motoring by we had almost missed it!

I abruptly swang the skiff around 180 degrees and up onto a shall flat, then killed the outboard 150 yards upwind of the pod. I climbed up onto the poling platform as Truett tied on a gold Kingfisher Spoon. One cast was all it took for Truett to hookup and land our first redfish of the day...just as the sun rose above the horizon.

Several pods later and several fish in hand, we were happy, satisfied anglers. I pointed the skiff toward the Arroyo and we all seemed OK with the reality that we were leaving catchable fish in order to get back to civilization and our family. A great day!

Hope you can make it down hear soon! Summer fishing patterns are now in full swing!

Capt. Randy

Monday, May 21, 2012

Summer is Here!

Mike and Jason and I shoved the skiff away from the dock with a great deal of nervous anticipation Saturday morning. This was their first opportunity to fly fish the Lower Laguna Madre and the weather was acting very cooperative! If the previous late evening's fishing was any indication, we were in for a great morning of fishing. The night before we had quietly exited one of my favorite west side back water lagoons, leaving tailing reds behind,  just before sunset. This morning we had the skiff pointed toward a closer backwater lagoon that I only visit on windless mornings, when the water depth is just right. Only a few minutes after our arrival we realized what a good morning it was going to be. After poling a shallow algae line and pushing some very large and somewhat slow moving redfish, we got off the boat and just stood still with fly rod in hand. After a few minutes of getting ourselves situated, these large reds began moving up the algae line slowly, methodically...then "bam", they would slam bait and startle us in the process. Several hookups eventually resulted in this photo. Mike landed this 29.5 inch healthy red and spooked what we both agreed was an even bigger redfish in the process.

After a great morning we quietly exited this lagoon and made our way to the sand. We were, as I suspected, a little early but still found enough redfish to make our trip to the east side worth the boat ride. We had a great time wading the shallow clear water of the sand. The redfish on the sand have been so big in recent weeks!

Satisfied, we called it a day around noon and enjoyed a relaxing boat ride back to the lodge.

Hope you can make it down here soon! Summer's here!

Capt. Randy

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Kingfisher Inn's New Home


Greetings from Kingfisher Inn! It’s been awhile since I have checked in with my own version of a fishing report. A result, I suppose, of the busyness that comes with being a husband, father of five, minister, guide, and proprietor of Kingfisher Inn! I plan to be checking in on a weekly basis from here going forward. So keep coming back.
In case you haven’t heard, Lydia and I have moved Kingfisher Inn down the Arroyo a couple of miles to a much larger lodge setting with property adjacent to the Adolph Thomae County Park. We are still on the water with lighted docks and several boat slips. We are now the last stop before entering the park; the prime location for a fly fishing lodge. Please take some time to look at the great photos Capt. Scott Sparrow has placee on the lodging section of this website.
Both Scott and I are excited about the coming fishing season and believe the new location will give us more ways to serve you, our fly fishing clients. We can accommodate small groups of 2 to 6 fly fishers looking for lodging and dedicated fly fishing guides. And we can accommodate large groups of 12 or more anglers looking for a full service package that includes catered meals, transportation to and from the Harlingen Airport, and long days fly fishing the Lower Laguna Madre. We are even bringing back our Cast and Blast Packages that were so popular in the fall of 2007 and 2008! If you are a bird hunter, our white wing and mourning dove populations will amaze you. And the number of ducks that winter down here will bring a smile to your face!
Our price points for lodging have not changed much at all per angler. But, our options have increased greatly. So, please call or email for the details.
I have been on the water a couple of times in the last 5 days.The first photo you see is evidence of the great day my friend Billy Trimble and I had on the East Side sand. The number of fish on the sand has really increased this year. For a great explanation of this phenomenon pleas read Capt. Scott recent blog!
The second photo represents another great day of catching, this time on the west side of the Laguna. I had a great day on the water with my boys! They make me proud! Much better anglers than I was at their age. Early mornings in some of our favorite west side back water bay locations have been very productive. Summer fishing patterns have really set in. It is going to be a great summer of fishing!

Hope to see you down here soon. Come visit our new location.Come fish with Capt. Scott. The weather is beautiful!


Monday, May 14, 2012