Tag Archives: port aransas

Fleet Week Fly Fishing

Fly Fishing fleet week was at its best recently. All other anglers were also very kind. Uncommonly we fished in the fleet as “easy” catching was too good to pass up. Several of our Guest Anglers capitalized on the action while it lasted! Many thanks to the friendly local bay guides who invited us to fish the same area. Sharing the tight space kindly brought tons of laughs for everyone.

fleet of fishing boats
Only Fly

Stroll out of the marina early morning in Port Aransas. In order to peak the anglers curiosity before joining the fleet, fabled stories of yesterday floated across new ears.

Only minutes later, Captain Kenjo eased the fly fishing skiff off plane and jumped onto the platform with manual pole power. He asked the guests of the day if they would like to try to catch the schooling redfish for some “fleet week fly fishing”. They of course respond with a definitive, “Yes”!

RL Winston Alpha+ 9wt fly rod fully bent for fly fishing fleet week
Hands on for guests John & Scott and they wore themselves out early!

The skiff slid silently into position as we flanked the fleet of 20 bay boats. Intermediate lines let us help the fly sink deep. Then only a few strips were needed to get the bite and set the hook.

We caught and released close to a dozen mid to upper slot Texas redfish. Our anglers were worn out quick! Next, we move on to another place with less boat wakes to take in the serenity of the Texas marsh before the next isolated storm pushed us off the water. You know it too though, fly fishing the Texas Gulf Coast always has its adventures!

There many ways to fish the saltwater. I was happy to see respect from the other bay guides and recreational anglers in such a situation. We are all from around Port Aransas, Rockport, Corpus, and Aransas Pass areas. Happily, everyone was sharing the space and the redfish too. Courtesy on the water certainly is the best way to go.

Despite fishing among so many boats we had tons of fun fishing the fleets for a few days. Mostly we focus on isolated areas of the San Jose, Mustang Island marshes. This time exceptions had to be made.

BOOK NOW

Fly Fishing Guide KenjoFly with Guests on board
Another bay guide shared this photo with us

Texas Redfish Adventures

Really cool fly fishing trips have been happening on our Texas Redfish Adventures recently and George and Laura got in on several moments!

Fly Guide Capt Kenjo holds rescued redfish. Take your Texas Redfish Fly Fishing Adventures with KenjoFly!
Capt Kenjo dove into the water to untangle this Port Aransas redfish from behind the boat.

It was near end of day after catching more than a handful of wonderfully colored Texas redfish and black drum. The excitement grew again exponentially when we found the motherload! It was a school of maybe 300 redfish in 4 feet of water. All of them were in the 25 to 32 inch age class and swimming in tight formation. We maneuvered the skiff into position and began poling onto the fish with George casting strong and hooking up immediately.

The 26 inch redfish managed to get the best of George boat side when it got the line tangled in the back. The redfish had wrapped all around the trim tabs and (manual) power pole! Without hesitation, I jumped off the platform into the chest deep water. Alongside my Beavertail Strike skiff, I quickly untangled the line from the back of the skiff. Everyone was cheering for our shared success while Mrs. Laura snapped some photos.

doubled up redfish rockport texas fly fishing adventures
Even the guide gets to whack a fish every once in a while
2 upper slot redfish in the net
A really good day means two 27inch redfish in the net together

Quickly back on the poling platform I scanned surrounding water for the large school of middle to upper slots. Sure enough, there they were again. It only took a couple minutes to pole into position and George was ready. George & Laura’s Texas Redfish Adventures continued as we hooked up again on the next cast!

I wanted Laura to get to pull one of these fish in so I decided to grab a rod to hook a fish for her. But she didn’t want to fight any fish as she was having too much fun heckling George and cheering for us! So I hooked a nice fish and George and I landed them both simultaneously.

redfish in the rain
Texas red drum don’t care if it is raining and this one took a topwater gurgler with reckless abandon

NOW is the time of year to get in on some great redfish schooling action and there are several appearances each day of bull redfish as well. Book your next few Texas Redfish Adventures with Kenjo Fly and you’ll be hooked and planning your return trip before you even finish the day on the skiff!

October is a very exciting time to fly fish the middle Texas Coast. Don’t miss out on your next Texas Fly Fishing Trip! Call NOW or use the button below to see Capt Kenjo calendar of availability!

BOOK NOW

guest angler first tailing black drum on the fly
Thumbs Up for this happy Guest Angler (Looks like I have finally worn out my Duck Camp Bamboo Lightweight Hoodie too!

October Redfish

Fall is in the air in Port Aransas Texas with the light northerly winds cooling off our waters and the October Redfish are responding well. The tides are shaping up nicely now while the redfish begin to move into the shallows in much more favorable numbers. There are still some dates available to fly fish for October Redfish! Call NOW to get on the Books with Capt Kenjo (361) 500-2552

first time redfish caught near Rockport Tx
First Redfish on the Fly

This time of year brings about so many beautiful colors in the marsh. The blue in a redfish tail comes from the blue-green algae in their diet. There are also some larger fish in the pods too and as we encounter more schooling pumpkin redfish you will want to look closely for the larger fish. The last few we spied that were top slot reds were on on the edges of the school of under slot redfish. A well placed cast for tailing red drum is still important when the fish are in pods or tailing. Using a clean and soft gentle cast will be sure to keep from spooking the tailing redfish. Rockport and Corpus Christi guests can also be accommodated easily!

Happy Fly Fishing Angler Cameron holds a Texas pumpkin redfish
Pumpkin Time!

If you are novice to fly fishing the saltwater, you can easily book a fly casting lesson. Prior to your trip book the casting lesson in order to get your cast in shape before your trip! Book your Fly Casting Lesson HERE!

Do not hesitate to book your next fly fishing trip with Kenjo Fly for October Redfish! To book your fly fishing trip simply give Capt Kenjo a call NOW. 361 500-2552. Or pick a trip through the online calendar at your convenience and book online. BUT DONT MISS OUT! This fall fly fishing season is already excellent shape and underway, making way!

BOOK NOW

September Fly Fishing Rockport Redfish
Another pumpkin from a school of tailing red drum

Jacks in Town

Jack is back in town and these busters will test your angling skills. May dates are available NOW! With jacks in town, the excitement grows!

BOOK NOW

We got a nice day out front and went on a scouting mission. Within just a few hours we had raised 3 from the deep and one managed to swipe the half-and-half fly aggressively from below the surface. Within 10 minutes later the jack crevelle succumbed to our game of tug and war.

Take note of the “down and dirty” fighting technique with the 11wt fly rod.

The extremely low rod angles fight the fish with the butt section of the rod which applies maximum pressure to these brutal jack fish. You’ve got to put the hurting on the jacks in town, or they will certainly put one on you!

Jack Trip Exceptions: when the weather is too rough to search open water comfortably, we may default to the flats and do some wade fishing for redfish and black drum. These are great backup plans for a day. Often times though even a standard redfish trip gets interrupted by these jackfish! So either way, book a trip anytime this summer and Capt Kenjo will be certain to put you on some fish. And with emphasis on the fish of your dreams! There are also chances to locate and target big bull redfish but please note that these big redfish are not males (as the name Bull implies). The large redfish are actually most likely females as the male red drum do not grow as big.

Adults redfish mature by 3 – 5 years of age; approximate length at maturity: males – 28 inches, females – 33 inches. Red Drum can also grow to incredible sizes. At least historically they have. The largest redfish ever recorded was caught in the waters around Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. That redfish weighed an amazing 94 pounds and 2 ounces.

jacks, crevelle, crevalle, texas, port, aransas, fly, fishing, guide, adventures, things to do, fishing, beavertail, skiff, strike, offshore, in, town
Deep Sea Smiles

Gentle Casts

How to fly cast gently.

One fly casting technique that proves itself very valuable in the saltwater world is learning how to lay down the fly and line gently. Producing gentle casts can mean great catching and less spooking of the fish you are stalking.

The real challenge though is performing these gentle casts while your eyeballs are popping out of your own head in your excitement! Staying calm and not rushing the cast produces more hookups than trying to rush and hitting the fish too hard.

Here in this clip you can see David does a great job maintaining his composure. This pod of redfish are tailing along the spartina grass edges. You can hear us whispering to each other as he makes 3 casts in order to get the crab fly in the right spot.

On such a calm day you can be sure those fish would have spooked had the fly been too heavy or if he had cast “down” at the fish. Communication on the skiff in the moment is also key to our success.

Landing the fly softly is achieved by aiming your casting loop about eye level above the fish. When presenting the fly, be a little more gentle on the final forward stroke.

fly, fishing, port, aransas, beavertail, skiffs, tfo, bvk, fly, rods, hatch, outdoors, finatic, airflo, redfish, red, drum, rockport, corpus, christi, guide, laguna, madre, texas, vacation, flyfishing, adventures, things to do, beach, gulf, coast, gulf of mexico, smith, optics, r.l. winston, winston, yeti, sight, fishing, sight-fishing, on the fly, how to, gentle, casts
David learned to keep his feet quite and got to work with several schools of healthy reds

To do this, stop the rod tip early in your forward cast. Leave it up a bit longer than usual as you let the weight of the fly line gently pull the rod down. It would go from the 1 or 2 o’clock position down in front to the horizontal position.

With a little routine practice, you can use your line hand to feather it all down slowly. This will help the fly line lay out straight and gentle. That way the fly lands right and softly. For those redfish, you want to be able to move the fly on the first strip. Then you will be able to set the hook properly. And that hungry redfish will then gulp down your crab fly. Fish on!

Book your fly casting lesson (off water) and then lets take it to the fish and put what you learned to the test!

Book NOW with Capt Kenjo! Great weather is in the forecast!

BOOK NOW

Whether the Weather

The weather forecast looks amazing! Come on down and get in on the prime winter days before they elapse! Call Capt Kenjo NOW to get on board.

redfish, photography, texas, coast, guide, on the fly, saltwater, fly fishing, drum, backlit, weather, whether
Guest Photo: A Texas red drum glistens in the backlit winter sunshine

Whether the weather, or not, winter-time is some of the best sight-fishing of the year.

Once the skies go bluebird after a cold front passes through, high pressures kill the wind and warm the shallow waters. Now is the time to strike! The fish wont be everywhere but usually this time of year you will find greater quantities of fish in an area and often times, greater quality of redfish as well.

BOOK NOW

Focus on niche areas in these seasons as extreme weather ebbs and floods and learn why fish are where they are when they are there.

fly fishing, wind, redfish, gale force, beavertail, skiffs, strike, wade, fishing, wading, wet, red drum, corpus christi, port, aransas, texas, rockport
Best fishing trip of the year? Yes, we got it done in 40 mph gusting winds and caught a lot of quality redfish, on foot.

All the different bottom types such as sand, grass beds, bars, mud, shell, back waters, and main shorelines all have potential to have fish at different times. The tide levels and weather patterns all dictate how and where we find the fish. It can be a slow feed on the fish’s part because when they are cold. Just don’t make them chase the fly down too far or too fast otherwise they will turn off.

Nonetheless, a slow feed does not mean the fish are not hungry because they certainly are. Miniscule strips timed perfectly with well placed and gently laid out casts will most likely get those cold but hungry redfish to eat the fly for you. Just think, this time of year, they cannot afford to pass up a meal either. Sight fishing is exceptional on the Texas Coast during the Winter months. Go outside and look up at the sky if you are nearby. Then call me ASAP to get on flats and catch some winter time redfish! Capt Kenjo can be reached directly at 361-500-2552.

Pulling on Hard Fish

We got lucky a few times recently and got to search offshore for tarpon and sharks on the beaches recently. Pulling on hard fish is one thing but not pulling too hard is another. On one occasion we got to take a few shots at some 4-5ft Texas Tarpon and Blacktip Sharks! We managed to hook into one and break it off right away and the sharks gave us a damn good run as well. Just look at the size of the hole in the water.

BOOK NOW

tailing, school, redfish, red, drum, r.l., winston, fly, rods, airflo, lines, beach, leader, blacktip, shark, fly, fishing, beavertail, skiffs, texas, port, aransas, hatch, outdoors, redfish, sight, casting, saltwater, black, drum, aransas, bay, corpus, christi, laguna, madre, guide, speckled, trout, sea
The Winston Alpha Plus Super Bend! The camera played a bit of a trick while filming the fight with a 5ft blacktip shark. This is the moment in which I am in the process of “letting go” of everything!

The @winstonrods Alpha 9wt is in this shot, and as you can see, it was taking a beating! I’m not intentionally holding onto the rod but this shot was a screen grab of film and the fish surged so fast and hard while I was leadering the 5footer, the beast pulled the rod through my hands “as” I was letting go of the leader. Note: the rod did not break under this strain!

BOOK NOW

duck, camp, winston, fly, rods, airflo, lines, beach, leader, blacktip, shark, fly, fishing, beavertail, skiffs, texas, port, aransas, hatch, outdoors, redfish, sight, casting, saltwater, black, drum, aransas, bay, corpus, christi, laguna, madre, guide, speckled, trout, sea
Working with sharks can be exciting!

SIDE NOTES: If you want to book an offshore trip for September, October or November let’s go catch’em up! Do it, get on the books. The weather window is hard to predict but there is pretty good hope this time of year for very calm seas. It is my preference that you fish as a single angler because the boat can get quite crowded when we are working out front with more than one angler. Having a strong double haul in your cast also helps incredibly well. We hope to find bonita out there soon too along with tarpon, sharks ladyfish redfish and sometimes trout. If the seas are tooo rough we will stay in the bay and fish the flats for redfish drum and trout.

duck, camp, winston, fly, rods, airflo, lines, beach, leader, blacktip, shark, fly, fishing, beavertail, skiffs, texas, port, aransas, hatch, outdoors, redfish, sight, casting, saltwater, black, drum, aransas, bay, corpus, christi, laguna, madre, guide, speckled, trout, sea, offshore, supercell, t-storm, thunder
Texas Coastal Fresh Water Rinse Down

BOOK NOW

fly, fishing, port, aransas, beavertail, skiffs, tfo, bvk, fly, rods, hatch, outdoors, finatic, airflo, redfish, red, drum, rockport, corpus, christi, guide, laguna, madre, texas, vacation, flyfishing, adventures, things to do, beach, gulf, coast, gulf of mexico, smith, optics, sage, yeti, sight, fishing, sight-fishing, on the fly,
Determined anglers catch fish!

BOOK NOW

Coastal Texas Spring Rains

Fresh [rain] water is the Elixir of Life to a marine ecosystem.

redfish, fly, fishing, red, drum, texas, fly, fishing, texas, coast, beavertail, hatch, outdoors, r.l. winston, airflo, line, reels, rods, fly, port aransas, corpus, christi, rockport, aransas, pass, redfish, drum, red, black, jacks, wade, fishing, jack, crevalle, crevelle,
Wade fishing Texas Reds during Spring Rains

Texas fly fishing for reds & drum is solid right now. As the Coastal Texas Spring Rains return, quite a few fish have returned to the marsh as well. And as expected, the marine life has shaped up nicely although it took a little time to balance. The fish are showing themselves up in the shallows now where there is an abundance of crabs and shrimp and a plethora of tiny fish. There are a few remaining dates open in June and July! Hit the button below to choose your next saltwater fly fishing trip!

BOOK NOW

Tailing Black Drum and Backing Redfish are both prevalent in select wading areas surrounding Port Aransas TX.

black, drum, red, texas, fly, fishing, guide, trip, port aransas, charter, things to do, corpus, christi, bay, redfish, wade, fishing, wet, beavertail, r.l. winston, rods, hatch, outdoors, reel, airflo, lines
Congrats Bill on your first black drum on fly!

And in rainy conditions like this, the best way to deal with these variables in my opinion is to wade fish. This allows the fish to reveal themselves to us without detecting us as easily and we can take more shots at more fish without dislocating the majority of fish in the area.

jack, crevalle, crevelle, texas, fly, fishing, texas, coast, beavertail, hatch, outdoors, r.l. winston, airflo, line, reels, rods, fly, port aransas, corpus, christi, rockport, aransas, pass, redfish, drum, red, black, jacks, wade, fishing
This storm passed quick and we found the redfish backing in the grass and black drum tailing in the mud right after

In regards to rain systems like this one shown on Weather Underground Radar and Maps, Coastal Texas Spring Rains usually move in fast sweeping systems and in only a couple hours this one had passed and the winds laid down. Soon enough we found ourselves on the flat in calm conditions casting practically non-stop at backing redfish and tailing black drum with our fly fishing gear. So there are times when we might have a rain delay and occasionally a reschedule, but more importantly, you may miss out on some great fishing! My favorite part about the great outdoors is that it is not climate controlled.

We will adapt to our conditions and get on the fish despite the average weather. The fresh water that the rain introduces to our system is critical for healthy marine habitat and abundance of food for the fishes with target! Good news everyone!

Wade Fishing the Texas Marsh

redfish, fly, fishing, red, drum, texas, fly, fishing, texas, coast, beavertail, hatch, outdoors, r.l. winston, airflo, line, reels, rods, fly, port aransas, corpus, christi, rockport, aransas, pass, redfish, drum, red, black, jacks, wade, fishing, jack, crevalle, crevelle,
Chasing them around the block

Granted, wading the Texas Marsh is not for everyone. It is highly recommended you be in decent physical shape. With sharp eyes and a good clean quiet cast you can also raise your odds of hooking up! Because it will most likely forever become known as the Longest Mile you’ve ever walked. Frankly, it can require someone with a strong spirit and will power, to not stop or give up. Fine tuning yourself into a fish stalking son of a gun isn’t the worst goal you could have! Rudy never gave up and in very tough conditions got to work on a handful of foraging redfish. Because of this, our catches are very rewarding in mind and spirit.

redfish, fly, fishing, red, drum, texas, fly, fishing, texas, coast, beavertail, hatch, outdoors, r.l. winston, airflo, line, reels, rods, fly, port aransas, corpus, christi, rockport, aransas, pass, redfish, drum, red, black, jacks, wade, fishing, jack, crevalle, crevelle,
Wet wading Tailing Texas Redfish
redfish, fly, fishing, red, drum, texas, fly, fishing, texas, coast, beavertail, hatch, outdoors, r.l. winston, airflo, line, reels, rods, fly, port aransas, corpus, christi, rockport, aransas, pass, redfish, drum, red, black, jacks, wade, fishing, jack, crevalle, crevelle,
Texas Redfish on the Fly
sheepshead, redfish, fly, fishing, red, drum, texas, fly, fishing, texas, coast, beavertail, hatch, outdoors, r.l. winston, airflo, line, reels, rods, fly, port aransas, corpus, christi, rockport, aransas, pass, redfish, drum, red, black, jacks, wade, fishing, jack, crevalle, crevelle,
Bonus Sheepshead on the Fly

Texas Jacks on the Fly

Mighty Texas Jack Crevelle

jack, crevalle, crevelle, texas, fly, fishing, texas, coast, beavertail, hatch, outdoors, r.l. winston, airflo, line, reels, rods, fly, port aransas, corpus, christi, rockport, aransas, pass, redfish, drum, red, black, jacks, wade, fishing
Another Texas Beast

There are times where the weather shifts the voracious activities of the mighty Texas jack crevelle. It can go from Off to Wide Open in an instant. That is when we need to be ready to strike. Then it can go from On back to Off again just like that! As the weather changes dramatically and frequently during the late spring season, it can move the fish around but they still have to eat.

jack, crevalle, port, aransas, fly, guide, corpus, christi, fly, fish, rockport, bay, trip, beavertail, skiffs, on the fly, popper
Mighty Texas Jacks

One thing is certain, if they disappear from one area, they will reappear in another at any time. In full force, when it is time, they will put on the feed-bag! Variables continue to evolve and all of these get the fish staged and worked up to put on a grand ole show! So get on the books now for your chance at catching one of these Texas Jack Crevelle! The last few dates open are June 14-17 and this particular week could prove to be very exciting!

BOOK NOW

jack, crevalle, crevelle, texas, fly, fishing, texas, coast, beavertail, hatch, outdoors, r.l. winston, airflo, line, reels, rods, fly, port aransas, corpus, christi, rockport, aransas, pass, redfish, drum, red, black, jacks, wade, fishing
Texas Jack Crevalle will improve your fish fighting skills

Rob and I hunted high and low for the jacks but didn’t track them down immediately. So we detoured to the flat, picked off his first redfish on fly then heading back out into another area to scout for the jack crevelle and sure enough, we found them, off the beaten path and Rob crushed 3 of these fish on his first saltwater fly trip ever! Knowing how to double haul absolutely helped Rob throw the 11-wt the first time and get that big popper fly where it needed to be!

Here is a short video of a big Texas jack that I had hooked up with while scouting before a client trip. Sorry for the rough work but I was working the skiff solo! I was using the R.L. Winston 11wt B3 Plus paired with Hatch Finatic 9 Plus with the drag rather tight. The Winston Alpha Series is latest and greatest and I’ll be adding the 12wt Alpha to the skiff soon!