Time to “Run With The Bulls” … Wind or No Wind
Being a Creedence Clearwater Revival freak from way back yonder, one of my favorite songs has always been “Who’ll Stop the Rain?”
As of my most recent attempt to get in some quality fishing, photography and video work done on the water, I believe at this point the biggest question at hand is “Who’ll Stop the Wind?”
If you can do that, be sure and let me know ASAP. I daresay there is a multimillion-dollar contract awaiting you at The Weather Channel.
Last year it was indeed the rain. This year, with an almost hostile tenacity, it has been double-digit winds that have thoroughly invaded the reputed “Dog Days of Summer.”
We had a great time at the El Pescador Boat Owners Tournament in Port O’Connor this past weekend. Sponsored by The Sanctuary at Costa Grande, a fantastic new development that … believe it or not … has actually created new shallow-water habitat, the family-oriented event was great fun for all.
Flats-wise, the 15-mph and higher winds did not dampen the ability of the winning teams. The “Biggest Stringer” competition yielded an amazing 42.11-pound combined redfish and trout total weight to the Elliott fishing team, husband Ron and wife Shirley, who works for Gulf Coast Connections/Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine. The pair fished live croakers to amass the hefty catch.
Dave Kveton, owner of Victoria, Texas-based El Pescador Boats and El Pescador Lodge in POC, had planned well in advance of the event to shepherd my good friend and fellow photographer Mark Hall of CoastalPhotos.net out to Pass Cavallo, where we intended to use XL “Magnum”-size live Black Salty baitfish to land a tarpon or two.
The wind, unfortunately, had other plans.
Pass Cavallo was no less rough the day we left than it was the day we arrived. We still had 10 pounds of the largest-sized Saltys swimming about in an aerated 148-quart ice chest, however, so Hall and I elected to bring them back home for another endeavor … one that, even if the wind is problematic, is still more than doable.
I’m talking about “Running With the Bulls” … catching and releasing big surf-run redfish from the beachfront.
My birthday is Saturday, and we always try to celebrate it by taking our first heavyweight surf red in advance of the date. So, with great optimism and hope, and a livewell still full of hard-kicking live baits, we are motoring to the beach above Rollover Pass tomorrow afternoon.
We will be met by my longtime friend Mark Mantell of Friendswood, one of the state’s leading sporting artists and a guy who practices what he paints. Upon arrival we will use a kayak to paddle the big live baits out to the third sand bar and beyond. With the baits overboard, we set the drag on the long-rod reel, and with the shock leader surf spider firmly implanted in the sand, nestle the 11-foot Shakespeare spinning rigs inside PVC pipes and wait.
I’ve always caught more than my share of grief about being a “potlicker” … the not-so-complimentary moniker for those of us who fish natural baits, usually inflicted by a so-called “purist” lure fisherman.
I have always loved to throw artificials, and always will. For that matter, when the aforementioned wind finally decides to cooperate, I don’t miss the chance to break out the 8-weight Temple Fork fly rod and cast a Clouser Minnow or Deceiver at the nearest visible redfish. That said, I grew up fishing live bait on the jetties with my father, and to this day get a real kick out of catching humongous fish from both the boat and the beach.
The latter is especially significant to folks who do not own boats … or, given today’s fuel prices, are looking for a more affordable way to accommodate family and friends on an enjoyable and productive fishing trip.
An 11-foot 2-piece surf rod, fitted with either a large spinning reel, or in the case of baitcasting, an Ambassadeur 7000, Penn Squidder or similar design, is all the gun you need to hunt and handle beachfront fish that often exceed 40 inches in length and 25 or more pounds.
My longtime mentor and friend, the late A.C. Becker, Jr. of Galveston, used to call beachfront bull redfish “The Poor Man’s Big-Game Fish.” Considering the modest investment required to pull it off, Becker’s description was appropriate. I should point out, however, that I have taken a good many people down to the surf to enjoy the traditional late-August-through-September beachfront run, and even those who had more money than they knew what to do with had the time of their lives.
There is just something about battling it out with a massive fish that is ripping line from a heavy-set drag while you stand on the sand. Call it ”elemental,” but by any name it is at the core of our sport. You cannot help but feel an awesome sense of wonder when you hook one of these fish, knowing that it and countless others are running parallel to the waterline less than 150 yards from shore.
We take great care not to injure these old-timers. “Bull” redfish (despite the manly name, the biggest specimens are actually females) carry priceless cargos in their bellies, millions of eggs that upon being fertilized by smaller males inside the mouths of passes and adjacent surf waters will ride the tides far inside shallow-water estuaries and then develop into fingerlings.
Circle hooks are the key to keeping the fish injury-free. Typically, we rig our shock leaders with 5/0 red-plated Daiichi Circle Chunk Light circle hooks. These hooks have sufficient gap space to accommodate even the biggest of our XL Saltys, baitfish in the 7-1/2-inch range. They literally set themselves as the redfish picks up the bait and runs. Better yet, they almost invariably hook the fish in the corner of the jaw, allowing the angler to release the fish unharmed.
I’ve been working for the past few years to produce a concise instructional video on beachfront bull redfish angling as part of the upcoming CAST (Coastal Angling Strategies & Techniques) video series. Part of the presentation will entail explanations of various ways to assemble a shock leader. If you want to try this kind of fishing and need a head-start on terminal rigging, go to www.blacksalty.com, click on “The Black Salty” and scroll down to the explanatory illustration and text.
Meanwhile, we’ll be down on the beach having a blast … and hopefully, not getting blasted by the wind.
Howdy. I am 
