*Late Report from Memorial Day weekend.
Early this winter I attended a seminar showcasing some of the best inshore guides Texas has to offer. Among this fish porn and tactic talk one guide mention something that stuck with me, the phrase “fishing when you’re not fishing”. The phrase sounded unfamiliar but I fully understood what he meant once he started to explain.
What is “fishing when you’re not fishing”?
The weather or the constraints of everyday life sometimes inhibit us from getting out on the water, but that doesn’t mean we can’t go fishing. Fishing doesn’t always involve getting your line wet. There’s a whole slew of other fishing-related endeavors that you can do wherever your held captive by other commitments or the conditions. You can tie flies, make leaders, spool reels, clean reels, practice casting, build rods, organize tackle, etc. The possibilities are endless and although these minute tasks are mundane they are also necessary to help you catch more fish and remain sane while on the water.
That’s exactly how I spent my four days down in Corpus Christi over Memorial Day weekend. Well, mostly. I still managed to wet a line.
The conditions blew, literally. 20-30mph winds with gusts over 40mph for four days straight. Not exactly pristine fishing conditions. Wind isn’t a new occurrence during spring but my four day mini fishing vacation was starting to feel less like a vacation and more like work. I decided to do some off the water fishing and relax. A couple of friends and I spent most of our time behind the vise, on the beach, or working on our fly casts than trying to trick some slimy creatures into eating feathers, hair, or plastics.
A few positives over the extended weekend include my improved fly casting abilities, additions to my over-stuffed fly box, and the time I spent playing with my new camera. I can now shoot a 50′ – 75′ of fly line with ease now thanks to hours spent casting into, with, and across the wind. Friend and FFF certified casting instructor, Austin Orr, gave me a few pointers to help me with my cast.
I only got out on the water twice over the four days I spent in the Corpus Christi area and I found fish on both outings. The first outing we fished and area I hadn’t seen since last summer. When Austin Knight and I reached our destination we were greeted with a marsh swamped by sea grass. The grass was matted to the surface and covered nearly the entire lake we planned on fishing. Austin got deterred pretty quickly but I kept pushing on. I wanted to cover the whole area before I gave up. Austin worked his way out and I kept moving looking for fishable water.
I found some along with several pods of tailing reds and some singles cruising around with their backs exposed. I sank a shrimp fly into a few of their lips and then met back up with Austin. He was fortunate enough to get a nap, a tan, and woke up to redfish crashing near where he rested. He caught a decent mid-slot red throwing soft plastics. The only other time we managed to get out was for a night recon. We caught plenty of trout in the lights on small flies and TTF Flats Minnows but the size was lacking.
