AL trout bum
Senior Member
This was the 9th annual trip to this spot that myself and around 15 other fishy dudes make every year. Some years it's feast, and some it's famine. Actually, there's always a feast because we eat well, but with regard to fishing it can be boom or bust. Almost everyone fishes from a kayak, and fly fishing from a kayak can be about the most frustrating thing in the world. Add 20+mph winds and it just becomes comical.
Always a good sight when the marsh is in view....
Gas station crawfish pie is a good way to start the trip....
Arriving at the house, most everyone has already unloaded boats and began the drinking.
Day 1 had 20+mph winds, overcast skies, and generally crappy fishing weather. I decided to hang back and get some supplies I forgot, eat lunch out, and hang around the camp house.
However, some folks had cool boats that allowed them to get to some of the skinny water marsh places a little quicker than with just a paddle.
Day 2 was a little rough. Launched for a long paddle to the marsh and most of the fish were spooky, which is a sharp contrast to the usually aggressive nature of these fish.
These suckers followed me the whole way through the channel, sometimes getting a little too close and causing the pucker factor to go up a bit...
Nothing to show for day 2 as I blew just about every shot I had. Got back to the house in time to enjoy the sunset, some cold beer, and an excellent gumbo.
After hearing some success stories, I knew that I had to make something happen on day 3. I went back to the same place, and more favorable wind and better sunlight made me feel a little more confident.
Snaking my way through the marsh....
I paddled into a flat where I had saw some sheepshead the previous day cruising around an oyster bar. As I paddled in I saw one working the same bar and cast my fly over. As I was stripping it back in he gave chase and I set the hook and brought in my first ever sheepshead on the fly! I've had shots as these before, and something always seems to go wrong. Either the hookset isn't good, they break me off on oysters, etc. It felt good to win this time.
Lots of jellyfish in the marsh that day...
After that fish, I kept having bad luck with the redfish, so I decided to paddle to a new marsh I had never fished before and see what I could do. The creeks seemed a little deeper and closer to big water, so I was hopeful.
Always a good sight when the marsh is in view....
Gas station crawfish pie is a good way to start the trip....
Arriving at the house, most everyone has already unloaded boats and began the drinking.
Day 1 had 20+mph winds, overcast skies, and generally crappy fishing weather. I decided to hang back and get some supplies I forgot, eat lunch out, and hang around the camp house.
However, some folks had cool boats that allowed them to get to some of the skinny water marsh places a little quicker than with just a paddle.
Day 2 was a little rough. Launched for a long paddle to the marsh and most of the fish were spooky, which is a sharp contrast to the usually aggressive nature of these fish.
These suckers followed me the whole way through the channel, sometimes getting a little too close and causing the pucker factor to go up a bit...
Nothing to show for day 2 as I blew just about every shot I had. Got back to the house in time to enjoy the sunset, some cold beer, and an excellent gumbo.
After hearing some success stories, I knew that I had to make something happen on day 3. I went back to the same place, and more favorable wind and better sunlight made me feel a little more confident.
Snaking my way through the marsh....
I paddled into a flat where I had saw some sheepshead the previous day cruising around an oyster bar. As I paddled in I saw one working the same bar and cast my fly over. As I was stripping it back in he gave chase and I set the hook and brought in my first ever sheepshead on the fly! I've had shots as these before, and something always seems to go wrong. Either the hookset isn't good, they break me off on oysters, etc. It felt good to win this time.
Lots of jellyfish in the marsh that day...
After that fish, I kept having bad luck with the redfish, so I decided to paddle to a new marsh I had never fished before and see what I could do. The creeks seemed a little deeper and closer to big water, so I was hopeful.
