I just got back from spending Thanksgiving at the beach -- we rented a condo in Port Aransas for the long weekend.
I recently moved to TX from Los Angeles, so I was in saltwater withdrawal. But, I've also switched to fly fishing 90% of the time, so I had to try to combine those things in this trip.
The first day I fished the south jetty of Aransas pass.
The wind was running pretty high all trip -- at least 15 knots or more the whole time. I saw a few folks landing big reds, mainly fishing cut bait on the bottom, but I didn't really have the patience or the gear for that on this trip. The first day I landed one trout on a swim bait in 30m or so of fishing.
I fished flies after that, now having a little confidence that fish were around, but with the wind it was tough going.
Day 2 I took the ferry over to the north jetty, which is such a cool place.
Again, I saw several big reds landed by other folks fishing bait, and the sheephead were hitting very well on live shrimp. I stuck to lighter gear and reaction baits, though. Wind was up again, but coming from the north. So towards the end of my couple hours on the north side I moved inside off the jetty itself to get away from the worst of the wind and try my luck with the fly gear at a spot suggested by another fisherman.
After looking at some of the mullet other people were using for bait I tied on a olive/white clouser to match it, and a few casts into the channel later I landed my second trout of the trip and my first saltwater fish on the fly.
I caught another two within the next 15 minutes or so, including a better ~18" model before the tide changed again, and they stopped biting.
They came home for dinner, which was also excellent.
Day three I decided to try my hand at flats fishing for the first time. I had a few suggestions of places to try, even though I didn't have a boat or anything, which I'm sure were good. But the wind was still up, and it was overcast so visibility was poor. While wandering around the marsh I spooked a few unidentified fish, which could have been reds but could have also been mullet for all I know. I never had a clear shot at fish, and blind casting to deeper areas proved unproductive for me. So the morning flats session ended in nothing after I got frustrated and headed home. I think I needed either a boat, a guide, or better conditions, but I don't think I was even really in the game this time.
At the end of day two we headed down to the Fish Pass jetties for a last visit to the sand, which Christina and I both miss from LA. While she was posting things to social media I managed to beat the skunk for the day by catching a few elusive and highly sought after saltwater catfish.
So, from a fishing perspective, medium successful. I'd like to get into the flats game, but I'm gonna need some more time on the water and some help. From a vacation perspective, it was an awesome trip. Port A is a great place to visit. There's so much to do and see, and so much wildlife. Both Christina and I are looking forward to our next visit (though I'm not sure she realizes how much a guide is going to cost....). The drive from DFW
sucks, though.