South Texas on borrowed time and a borrowed ride

[Lazyloop]

So I go back to visit the in-laws and attend a wedding. True to form on all of my travels I pack a fly rod, fist full of flies and a stogie (just in case). My brother in-law just acquired his first SOT and wanted to go out fishing at my old spots on the morning of the wedding, which was at 4:30 pm 110 miles away. Sure we have plenty of time. But, what can I fish out of? So we borrowed an old SOT yak from a friend, load it with a 5 lb work out weight for an anchor, brown bag lunch and my gear. We launch at dawn on a beautiful brisk blue bird day and weave our way through duck blinds and "randy duck calls" luckily my ride was not mistaken for the proverbial ugly duck. We slow drifted down wind through a slough with the current going away and hoped the reds would be working toward us. As the day warmed so did the fish pushing a wake up the slough. I flicked a red and white crease fly 3 ft in front of the lead fish. I popped it twice and the red came to life and engulfed the popper. Fish on. I got it to the boat and that red looked at me and said here's your fly back, and the hook pulled at the boat. And a nice 25" red swam off. I couldn't have been happier. My bro-in-law was bummed he was thinking more of fillets, he'll learn some day. We fished till about 11 and decided to work back to the launch. To that point I had a few blow ups and a small trout but nothing as spectacular as the red. Then on the way back to the launch I stopped at an old spot were fall reds love to tail for crabs. I hopped out, no booties, but this spot has no shell, just soft shoal grass along a spartina shoreline. He worked one direction and I worked the other. After a few minutes there she was a 30" monster just waving that blue tipped tail in the wind. I flipped that crease fly and slurped it once, twice, three times and the chase was on. Here she comes. I saw wake, eyes, gill and then tail. The fly was still floating and she bolted. Must have been that bright yellow ugly ass, back breaking, @#$%&* SOT I am dragging that scared the hell out of her.... In the back of my head that little voice said "Well if they want crabs or shrimp give it to them." I tied on a Borski slider and kept on the hunt. After a few attempts at sheepshead which seemed to chuckle at the offering before bolting I found another red waving me in. This fish was on the feed rooting up a storm. There was a good mud around it so I dropped the fly close, a little to close, within a foot. Oops. So I let it sit and when the tail went back to a calm wave I gave it a 3" strip. That was all she wrote. Fish on! That little 8 weight did all it could to bring that fish to hand. I was down in the backing twice. After a good while I had the 27" at hand and released. Awesome, way more than I could have asked for given the circumstances. My bro-in-law had worked his way over and asked where the fish was and I pointed to the Laguna. He was bummed again, no meat , he'll learn eventually. By the way aren't we gonna be late to the wedding if we don't leave soon? I lit my stogie as I packed for the ride home. Dam what a nice day on borrowed time in a borrowed ride and in my old stomping grounds, none the less. OOh did I mention the bro-in-law was throwing Gulp products all day and got skunked, icing on the cake, he's young, one day he'll learn. Fur and feathers win the day. And yes we made it to the wedding, 10 minutes late, but these things never start on time.

[noles]

Great report!

[DaveR]

Very Nice!