Don't get me wrong, we had a great trip, and I figure we paid up all our late dues and advanced enough for our next two trips.
On paper, this was the best-looking tide of the month, big swing, perfect timing to spend the morning in one of the cuts, and even a NE wind to create the eddy that stacks bait in the cuts.
What Went Wrong
We launched from Palm Harbor at 6:10 am - right off, Lou was fighting his rudder cables coming loose from their fittings, each one at a time. Wind was due N at 13 kt, would pick up to 15 through the morning. The wind was predicted to ease to our favorite NE for Trout Bayou later in the morning. The thick overcast would last into the afternoon.
We rounded Talley and paddled to Trout Bayou cut to Aransas Bay.
We began in chocolate water, could almost make out the turtle grass along Talley shore, and returned to chocolate water before we reached the cut. This would have really been a day to fish bait rather than lures.
In spite of the great harmonic, there was so much rain runoff in Aransas Bay, there was never a tide current this day. No bait concentration in the cut, the bait was spread thin along the shores of Talley and Traylor islands.
We fished about an hour in Little Cut without fish sign, then paddled out to drift the flat.
The problem with the North wind, we couldn't parallel any shore, instead, every drift was across the flat from Talley to Traylor shore, so we didn't get much time where there was bait sign.
The best you could do was try to zig-zag down Talley shore. We each registered two strikes for the effort.
We were in Little Cut at 11 am - still, zero tide current. I did manage a couple of tourist trout on my UL (below).
When the wind began to lay about noon, we paddled out again, and finally found the NE we wanted to drift the slack tide along Talley shore.
I had the right lure selection for overcast and water color, and one of the two was getting attention.
About a quarter-mile from the end of Talley, at 1 pm, I nailed a monster red. He pulled me downwind with three long winds of his own peeling 5-lb drag set.
HERE IS WHERE I SHOULD HAVE LIFTED THE DRIFT SOCK. When he turned and charged, it was too late.
When he passed the boat with his shoulders broached, he was 32 inches if he was a penny, and turned right into my drift sock. I jumped out of the boat in soft bottom, tried to get the rod under the drift sock, but the braid wrapped worse on the drift sock lines and snapped.
I know I looked and felt like all the Keystone Cops at once. Lou watched it from his drift, and thought hornets were after me.
At 2pm, we regrouped at Sandy point, and paddled in to pack home.
The sun was finally breaking, and the overcast that rolled through all day ended in a solid seam to blue sky.
What Went Right
I picked the right lure for the chocolate water and heavy overcast. While TSL Plum Treuse would have probably worked as well, I didn't have one rigged, and couldn't turn a fish on Golden Roach.
My 1/8 oz baitcaster was rigged with Z-man Purple Demon. As soon as I began casting it, little trout were attacking it, and it took the big red that I muffed.
Had a baitcast reel I was done with, and rather than sell it, gave it to Lou, especially since he already had the right rod.
When he got to the wide spaces in Little Cut, he was casting it well.
My 1/16 oz baitcaster worked like a dream, there were a few little trout, and plenty of glass minnows in the cuts.
I could cast a 3-g plug across the width of Little Cut, from the hard pack into the grass.
I set up these freshwater trout plugs to imitate glass minnows by swapping the bronze trebles for Owner salt singles.
Tried all 3, but in the chocolate overcast, only the lure on bottom had the right combination of rattle and color, with dark on top.
We traveled well.
Lou and I went down the afternoon before, had a fishing shack arranged at Rahi cottages, and grabbed a late lunch at Van's BBQ - halfway stop from San Antonio.
After settling in, we had some soda pop ritas at MoonDog's.
And their fabled soft-shell crab sandwich was the perfect meal.
I brought a DVD player, and we rounded out the evening with "The Man Who Never Was"
The rest after traveling in made it easy to get up the next morning, fish hard most of the day - we paddled about 8 mi in 15-kt wind - then pack out and drive home.
Before leaving Estes, we made the smart call to grab a Steer Burger - it wasn't this size, but their Ranch Hand burger is the single best hamburger I have ever eaten.
