Saltwater Wadefishing

[floridalargemouth123]

Hey put any stories here about wading for snook, tarpon, reds, trout, and anything else!

[Chris at Tech]

I’ve posted multiple messages in this forum about my wading in Panama City Beach and Hilton Head that should come up easily in a search

[TnRiver46]

I much prefer a canoe or kayak To wading in saltwater. Too many biting/stinging/puncturing type things in the ocean 

[bigbassin']

Most of my inshore catches that were worthwhile came while wading. 
 

I can’t really think of any good stories, but I do think about a snook I lost pretty frequently.

 

For reference, I always wade with a medium fast spinning rod, 20 lb braid to a 15-25 lb leader. This has never been a problem with trout/reds but probably isn’t enough for a snook of any size.

 

Wading a flat, I’d probably seen 30+ snook (18-25” range) in a little over an hour but a small jack was all I had to show for it.

Right up against the end of the flat where it drops off, I see a roughly 30’ log under the water and toss my fluke past it. As the fluke passes the log, a massive mid-40” snook rises up and follows for just a foot or two.

 

This was easily the biggest snook I’ve ever seen in person, and it was dark too. It must of been fresh out of the river with how dark brown it was, it blended into the log perfectly but was very distinguished when it kicked that foot or two over the sand.

 

I take the same cast again, as my lure comes in front of the snook it began to move further off the log and slowly swims along the flat,

 

I figure the fish just isn’t interested in my artificial at this point but a third cast couldn’t hurt. I lead the fish by about 20’ and just start working the fluke as frantically as possible.
 

The snook charged the fluke and absolutely blew up the water surface when he struck. The strike was more disruptive than any tarpon I’ve ever seen.
 

Keep in mind this all played out about 30’ from me.

 

I set the hook and come tight with the fish. I don’t think it realized it was hooked as I was able to get 5-6 reel cranks in with minimal effort and the fish slowly moved my way. 
 

Almost like a flip was switched, the snook hit a 180 to turn away from me and took 2-3 swipes of it’s tail pulling drag at will before it’s head started to come out of the water.

 

My 15 pound test leader snapped the instant it came out of the work.

 

Fight lasted all of 5-10 seconds.

[bulldog1935]

One summer trip stands out. 

Had a buddy who was making the transition from construction slab supervisor on contract to salt fishing guide and USCG-licensed Captain. 

I was working contract myself then, and when neither of us were working, I'd zip the 140 mi on the back roads, and we'd be on the water.  

At breakfast that morning, told Tim I was going to catch a 32" redfish today.  Of course that instantly put me in the barrel for this trip, and the ribbing wouldn't end for two days.  

We made the run from Goose Is. SP across big Aransas Bay to the San Jose Is. barrier lakes, in particular, Fence Lake.  He could run his Majek way to the back (more importantly, could get out).  We all took off wading with fly rods.  

 

Caught a few small reds as I was working farther back and looking for the largest feeding slashes across the lake.  Got hit by a couple of those fabled TX thunderstorms that barely cover a city block and can drop 2" of rain.  

Saw my fish downwind, his wake and back just out of the water.  He was coming up too fast, so I held my cast - ankle deep water, and he swam by me leaning on his side to keep his back down - took up grazing again as soon as he passed me.  

The thing is, if you keep your cool and your motions stealthy, they see you, but don't know you from a heron in a funny hat.  

I made 5 upwind casts, maybe without breathing, definitely skipping heartbeats, and managed not to line him.  He took the last one - 32" red.  

On the mylar spoon.  

Tim laughed at my crab, and next morning at breakfast, told him I'd get a 25" black drum this day on that fly.  Same drill to Fence Lake, same ribbing, and we all began wading toward the extreme end.  On the way, we got into shoaling reds beating mullet into our feet, and the three of us hooked up a triple.  It was the first day to throw this roach pattern, and we named it Fence Lake Roach in honor of the excitement.  

My partners began working their way back toward the boat, but I had already seen the largest feeding slash across the lake, and kept going to the far back.  Tim was trolling a red size 6 popper on his way, not even trying to fish at the moment, and picked up a slot red.  

When I got to the mud stripe along the mangroves at the far back of the lake, my 25" black drum was there, with half his back out of the water.  My epoxy crab was perfect for sliding on the mud bottom, the drum would follow it, then turn away - did that for a half-dozen casts.  

On the last cast, I thought the drum was gone for sure, but the fish shuddered, spun around, shot back hard and grabbed the crab.  Maybe the most fun I've had on a fly rod (including mackerel), the drum wanted deep water.  Took everything I had to stop the run, then a series of charges and turns - one of us was going to be unconscious before this was over.  Did manage to revive and release all the fish on this post.  

 

[bulldog1935]

tough audience - that was a good essay

[bigbassin']

On 2/1/2021 at 12:18 PM, bulldog1935 said:

tough audience - that was a good essay

I enjoyed the read, this just isn’t a frequently visited sub forum as far as I can tell.

[floridalargemouth123]

On 1/29/2021 at 7:28 AM, bigbassin' said:

Most of my inshore catches that were worthwhile came while wading. 
 

I can’t really think of any good stories, but I do think about a snook I lost pretty frequently.

 

For reference, I always wade with a medium fast spinning rod, 20 lb braid to a 15-25 lb leader. This has never been a problem with trout/reds but probably isn’t enough for a snook of any size.

 

Wading a flat, I’d probably seen 30+ snook (18-25” range) in a little over an hour but a small jack was all I had to show for it.

Right up against the end of the flat where it drops off, I see a roughly 30’ log under the water and toss my fluke past it. As the fluke passes the log, a massive mid-40” snook rises up and follows for just a foot or two.

 

This was easily the biggest snook I’ve ever seen in person, and it was dark too. It must of been fresh out of the river with how dark brown it was, it blended into the log perfectly but was very distinguished when it kicked that foot or two over the sand.

 

I take the same cast again, as my lure comes in front of the snook it began to move further off the log and slowly swims along the flat,

 

I figure the fish just isn’t interested in my artificial at this point but a third cast couldn’t hurt. I lead the fish by about 20’ and just start working the fluke as frantically as possible.
 

The snook charged the fluke and absolutely blew up the water surface when he struck. The strike was more disruptive than any tarpon I’ve ever seen.
 

Keep in mind this all played out about 30’ from me.

 

I set the hook and come tight with the fish. I don’t think it realized it was hooked as I was able to get 5-6 reel cranks in with minimal effort and the fish slowly moved my way. 
 

Almost like a flip was switched, the snook hit a 180 to turn away from me and took 2-3 swipes of it’s tail pulling drag at will before it’s head started to come out of the water.

 

My 15 pound test leader snapped the instant it came out of the work.

 

Fight lasted all of 5-10 seconds.

Thats awesome Ive had that happen to me when i went i waded out to a channel ( you can see on the map where it is bc it is just one black stripe thru everything) and first cast broke off on a good 40 inch snook suprised the crap out of me and i had no idea what to do i had never seen a snook that big jump good grief it couldve been mistaken for a baby tarpon ?

 

but yea i use 25lbs ANDE mono it works great

[mrmacwvu1]

Too many sharks for me to wade. Had a buddy have a bull shark take his stringer of trout from him. I can get my boat in 6 inches of water so no need to wade. 

Quote

 

 

[bulldog1935]

On 2/4/2021 at 7:56 AM, bulldog1935 said:

Surf fishing at night is the most manly sport I know.  

It's extremely disorienting - the wind, waves, current, the sand under your feet, even the stars and moon are moving - your only fixed reference is a coleman lantern on a board on the beach.  

A buddy tells a story about the sharks after his stringer in the surf at night.  

After starting over with a new stringer, he began throwing it over his back.  Twenty minutes after loading up a few more specs, a fish on his back made its dying kick, and the hair on the back of his neck stood up.  

We've fished storm tides and seen tailing sharks after crabs on the flats, that traveled 3 miles into the flats from the Gulf passes.  The same day, we caught jacks on the flats.  

But the sharks are nothing compared to a rattlesnake coming off the bay.  No idea what possesses a rattlesnake to swim 5 miles across the bay, but they want out of the water, and you'll do just fine (same with your boat).  It's about the same as mama bear coming down the beach after your salmon in Alaska - nothing to do but jump in the boat and go somewhere else.  

[N Florida Mike]

Ive surf fished all my life and always gone barefoot. I stepped on a crab once and he got me good. I caught him with a piece of shrimp and he was boiled later...

You would think as many years as Ive gone something else would have bit me but nothing has. I did get a catfish fin all the way into my right ring finger once, but I just pulled it out and kept on fishing.

My cousin got a stingray barb in his big toe once and had to go to the hospital to get it out. He Lost all the feelings in that toe permanently.

I have caught a lot of fish surf fishing but the biggest was a 40 inch tarpon I caught on a finger mullet. He jumped multiple times but didnt fight anywhere near as good as a redfish that size.

I hooked a huge stingray ( the size of a car hood ) a few years ago and fought it ( with my heaviest combo ) for 20-30 minutes . Had a big crowd on the beach watching, but I could never get it any closer than about 100 feet from shore before it broke the line.

I dont wade inshore much- NE Florida just isnt great for wading, because of the mud and oysters everywhere. There are some decent bank spots but Im stationary for the most part at those...

[floridalargemouth123]

On 2/10/2021 at 9:50 AM, mrmacwvu1 said:

Had a buddy have a bull shark take his stringer of trout from him.

Yikes!

 

[bulldog1935]

We had some pretty good wade fishing on our recent Estes trip.  

Sharks weren't going to be the issue, but with the extreme low water levels from the week-long NW blow just before us, we found redfish stacked in pockets just inside passes, feeding on the incoming tide. 

We released forty-five 18-inch reds, and took 5 slot fish.  

Fall tides are so high, you can't even find this shoal to wade.  

This bleak-looking winter bottom also grasses up quickly in the spring.  

Again, most of this is under water most of the year.