ALMANAC C.qxd
5/1/08
11:58 AM
Page C17
Clear Water Brings Good Fishing
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HANK GOODNESS, THE HIGH WINDS associated with April and May are gone. Baffin Bay’s water clarity is improving as lighter winds prevail and the brown tide is seemingly dissipated. The water exchange coming from Packery Channel is starting to have a very good impact on the Bay. We have seen more redfish and flounder already this year than we did all of last year. The water temperature is warmed up and the Baffin beauties’ metabolisms have skyrocketed. Trout are feeding several times a day. I can say, “Someone turned the switch on—Mother Lagoon is hot.” Most of the game fish have been holding on the murky-to-clearer transition lines over grassy bottoms around sandy potholes, waiting to ambush baitfishes. Key in on this type of bottom. Watch for trout slicks, bait activity, and birds working. Consider Wind conditions; you can pretty much bet if there is wind, it will be south-southeast. For those who prefer live bait, free-line shrimp or croaker. Rig them up with 18-20 inches of fluorocarbon shock leader, in conjunction with Texas Rattlin’ Rigs chatter weights and a Mustad Ultra Point wide gap croaker hook in size 6/0. Numerous trout and redfish have fallen to Brown’s Devil Eyes in Rootbeer, rigged under a Saltwater Assassin Kwik Cork with a 24-inch leader. Saltwater Assassins in Plum rigged with a 1/16-ounce screw lock
jighead have been working well, too. Topwater action has been really hot the first two hours of daylight; He Dog for windy days and Top Pup for calmer days. Pink, Bone, Pearl, and black with chartreuse head have been my go-to colors. When fishing, you must have a good allaround rod. Most fishermen have two rods, one for throwing plastics, and one for throwing topwaters. Well, do I have the rod for you: the new Shimano Cumara. I personally have been using the 6-foot, 8-inch medium-fast-action rod. It is built on an IM-10 blank with Fuji Concept Sic Guides and a custom split reel-seat. It is so sensitive you can throw plastics, but also has enough backbone to throw topwaters. One rod that can do it all—what a bargain. Of course, it
A L M A N A C / T E X A S
F i s h
THE BANK BITE LOCATION: Packery Channel Jetty SPECIES: redfish, trout BEST BAITS: free-lined shrimp or finger mullet BEST TIMES: during any tidal movement is paired up with the new Core reel. Starting from Corpus, if your looking for redfish with a mixed bag of speckled trout, fish the east side of the spoil banks around Night Hawk. This area can be waded or drift-fished. For more trout action, fish the Pure Oil Channel, Boat Hole, and King Ranch
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