Tournament Reds & Benchmark Trout

Castaway Lodge Seadrift Report
By Capt. Kris Kelley

Big Trout to 26″ along with some heartbreaking hook-pulls on some “solids” and freight training Redfish have made things interesting of late. Having my son Stephen deck handing for me the last couple of weeks has been a dream come true as well and things couldn’t get much better.

Stabilizing Conditions

As poor conditions prevailed over the last several weeks, we changed tactics and managed to “outperform”. A little stronger level of fishermen through that stretch managed to aid our efforts. Nagging low tides are starting to stabilize and we started picking up a little more water yesterday and then again today. Much of our approach is geared toward wind and water levels.

Making Good Choices

With a group from FabCorp on Thursday, we struggled greatly with advanced techniques yielding minimal yet day saving results. A bright spot in the action was a solid 26″ Trout that smoked our offering in mud/grass pockets. I was sure it was a Redfish until it rolled out from under the boat and showed her spots. Toward the end of the day I had little doubt that conditions were on the mend and the guests elected to stay and fish another day. That proved to be a wise choice. Day 2 featured an immediate introduction to Redfish all centered at the upper end of the slot and beyond. There was no “hook setting” on these fish. They burned the baits immediately on the take down and our first fish was a breakoff leaving me little doubt is was a Jack Crevalle. As it turned out, it was a Redfish as all the fish mimicked this initial encounter.
Trout came after the Redfish and a solid box made the first days struggle a memory. We enjoyed the visit and look forward to more days just like it.

Big Trout, August Spawn

Trout are working the heart to near peak of the incoming tide over shell and mud/grass. The bigger fish, fish over 24″ are lurking in the mud pockets aiming to spawn again here in August. This is a pattern I’ve seen some 20 years on the water in this location. There is no doubt that is being repeated amid lower salinity levels this year.

Celebrating our 20th Year

The neat thing about fishing on the Texas Coast is fishing through the undulations in conditions and feeding patterns. On the production end, catching fish with any guest; on any day; in any weather; and, in any conditions is what we pride ourselves on. Execution is everything and that is where we shine with the best “people” on and off the water. That’s our success story. The list of credits, thanks, and lessons learned “from” is endless and starts with you our guests. Come see us when you get a chance!

Check dates and inquire at https://seadriftbayfishing.com/Calendar

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Capt. Kris Kelley
Castaway Lodge
1-888-618-4868
www.seadriftbayfishing.com
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