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kadiyaker · Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2008 9:59 am Post subject: the weekend of a lifetime...

This was one of those once in a lifetime, will never forget, gonna be telling that story till I die weekends.

Went over to Freeport this past weekend. Same spot I've posted about in the past; same spot Stacy caught her cover red at. She is almost eight months pregnant and studying for her national board exam and the other two buddies I called all had 'prior engagements' so I headed out on a solo mission to catch fish Friday afternoon with intentions of camping out till Sunday. Got to the MOB around 9PM and set out to a GPS coordinate about 1.5 miles away, into the dark on the Kadiyak - not too big of a deal as I was familiar with the territory. Based on aerial post-IKE photos I knew this back lake had opened back up into the surf and right away I could tell the water was significantly lower than normal - I was cruising across open water scraping oyster beds when they used to be at least 8-12 inches under the yak. So when I came to what used to be the shallow part was now only two inches.
In the yak was everything I would need for a weekend beach trip from the 60qt ice chest, to the one shark rod I had to bring - I was loaded down. Now I was dragging the yak through and around oyster, in the dark, to find the cut and after about a 200 yards of walking it I finally made it. (No pics - too dark)
The mission was to target reds and flounder and after setting up camp I went on a gigging mission, but came up empty.
I turned in before midnight to get an early start and was rewarded by perfect conditions.

Zero wind and schooling reds in front of camp. I fooled the first red with a shrimp imitation fly.

Duck hunters were on the lake so I stayed in the channel, trying not to spook their birds. No big deal, because the reds were thick and by 8:30 I had a limit.

(Sorry about the pics being off - I got a new mount for the yak cam and it was the first time putting it to use.)

I was headed back when I saw two guys pull up across the channel from my camp on a four wheeler - duck hunters. Not knowing who owned the island I was camping on, I thought these guys were coming to raise hell about me camping there, but when they pulled out a couple rods I figured it was all good. As I paddled by, on my way to throw the fish on ice, they asked if I did any good and I said yeah and pointed the way to where they were biting earlier. I dumped the fish on ice and as I was coming back by the two guys said they had already caught four - it had been about thirty minutes. I told them I was going to cruise on down and get out of their way, but they insisted I come and fish with them. So I figured what the hell, they seem like nice guys. I started fishing with these two guys around 10AM we were casting into a channel about 15 yards wide and literally on every cast we caught a redfish. I was netting finger mullet and mud minnows for bait and they wouldn't last two minutes without getting blasted. One of the guys caught 5 reds on the same piece of cut mullet. I stopped counting after around 40 and this went on till around 3PM. Most all were caught on live bait, but they also hit artificials.
(Caught and released all but our limits)

The tide was moving out of that channel when I put up camp Friday night and it never turned until about 8AM Sunday. During that time over a foot of water moved out and it was impossible for me go back through the lake the way I originally came. This left one other option - hump it out through the surf. The surf was not too bad, but in a loaded down yak it wasn't the easiest.

The loaded Kadiyak in the Brazos.

The surf when I got back at the MOB.

_________________
Posted by

KadiyaKer

'Tis better to be silent and be thought a fool, than to speak and remove all doubt.

robul · Full Grown Flour Bluffian Joined: 26 Jun 2007 Posts: 2677

awesome report and pics.. Congrats to you for one heck of a weekend. You are very dedicated I wouldnt of done it by myself.

jp3 · Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2008 11:19 am Post subject:

That is awesome! I wouldn't stop telling that story either. What a great time and an epic adventure.

frayed · Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2008 11:29 am Post subject:

What a great report. The kind of weekend money can't buy!
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Jeff

Get Busy

ironmanstan · Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2008 11:51 am Post subject:

Great report, what a great looking spot for camping. Nice pics too. thanks.IMS
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I LIKE MINE FRIED.

THE_BLUFF_RAT · Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2008 11:54 am Post subject:

looks great! thanks for the report and pics. Very Happy

_________________
"When times are tough,
and the flocks are small,
take your time,
and kill them all"

snakecan2 · Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2008 12:02 pm Post subject:

great report and thanks for sharing.. you going to have some stories for a while.
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Fish and Hunt Baby.... so tight lines and clear scopes.

BALZTOWAL · Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2008 1:18 pm Post subject:

HARDCORE FISHING- BUT YOU DIDN;T MENTION ANYTHING ABOUT THE SKEETERS.

Blast-n-Cast · Full Grown Flour Bluffian Joined: 03 Dec 2007 Posts: 1142

Looks like a good time

landlocked beachbum · Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2008 4:18 pm Post subject:

Cool stuff man, how were the skeeters at night? Shocked

_________________
Dave

"The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has it's limits". Albert Einstein

kadiyaker · Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2008 6:38 pm Post subject:

The skeeters! I HATE putting on Off and will avoid putting it on at all cost. However, I do carry some 100% DEET for emergency situations... and I broke it out the first morning. Powerfull stuff, I got it on my lips and they went numb for an hour, but no skeeters. They were only bad at dusk and dawn - didn't even notice them during the day.
I can say that they were nothing, not even close to what I encountered at Mansfeild channel a couple months back. That was absolutely crazy!
_________________
Posted by

KadiyaKer

'Tis better to be silent and be thought a fool, than to speak and remove all doubt.

ccbobber · Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2008 8:17 pm Post subject: fish

a great report and a memorable time doing your thing. enjoy as much as you can, life changes with a baby. best of luck.
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ccbobber

landlocked beachbum · Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2008 8:35 pm Post subject:

Except for the rice fields of Arkansas Shocked

the worst mosquitoes that I ever encountered were on the lee side of PI, camping out at the land cut after the first day of the Rough Rider Race. Those salt marsh skeeters are TOUGH!!! Crying or Very sad

I don't use DEET, period. Anything that will QUICKLY dissolve the finish on your gun/furniture and your dashboard ain't going on me! Have y'all tried the Thermacell? Works great for a few hours and then you have to put in a new wafer. It's the only way that you can bowhunt the early season up here!!! Rolling Eyes

http://www.mosquitorepellent.com/
_________________
Dave

"The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has it's limits". Albert Einstein

Bluffer · Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2008 9:20 pm Post subject:

great report & loved the pics...Thanks.
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-STAY THIRSTY MY FRIENDS!-

sacourt97 · Posted: Wed Nov 12, 2008 8:03 am Post subject:

Landlocked...Love the Thermacell also! That Off that's kind of powdery isn't bad either. Definitely not sticky and smells decent.