Tailing Carp and Giant Redfish

You may have heard that south Texas was inundated with a foot of rain last week. You may also realize that a large portion of that water dumps right into the Lower Laguna Madre. Some have asked me how the introduction of that much fresh water affects fly fishing on the bay. My answer is-it has a different effect each time it happens! I am always amazed at the complexities of the ever changing fishing patterns and how fresh water impacts "catching" in different ways each time.

Capt. Truett Cawlfield and I launched our new Willet on Friday, less than 24 hours after the rain stopped. Our dock was under water, we could barely get the trailer to the ramp, and Truett had to wade through a foot of water to get into the skiff after he parked the truck. 

The current in the Arroyo was fierce. I was a bit intimidated at first as we motored down this swift current so early in the morning with barely enough light to make out the floating trees and other large debris floating down the river into the bay.

We headed straight to a westside venue with many "drains" or "creeks" where all the fresh water was dumping into the backwater bay. The entire lagoon was too deep for sight fishing except on the extreme edges-so that is where we pointed the skiff. It was a wild and wooly morning in which we saw some sights that are unusual and unfamiliar. We saw tailing carp and we saw 40 inch gar chasing finger mullet; all signs of the extreme low salinity at that location at that moment in time. And the good news, there were also some very large redfish vying for a piece of the action. The included photos are proof. 

Capt. Truett Cawlfield was back out on the water the next two days, guiding on Saturday and Sunday. You will be interested to know that the water is dropping back down to normal levels. The salinity is climbing. And the normal summertime fishing patterns are returning.

Give us a call and let's go fishing. The next 8 weeks are the most favorable time of the year for sight fishing down here!