Avoiding trout and catching big black drum in Redfish Bay

Fishing our Teas coastal bays since the devastating Valentine’s Day freeze has been very interesting. Millions of fish died — especially speckled trout. Different areas were affected more severely than others. I fish primarily Redfish and Corpus Bay. The speckled trout in our area took a very hard hit. Also, the Lower Laguna Madre, south of the JFK Causeway at Corpus Christi, was really devastated. My nephew, Jon Darnell, owner of Laguna Lure Fishing Charters, still has clients wanting to fish but he has to run all the way to Baffin Bay to find fish.

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD), soon after the freeze, reduced the trout limit to three fish and raised the minimum length limit to 17 inches. These new regulations affect all fishing south of the JFK Causeway.

Jon is fishing all live bait — live shrimp under a popping cork. He is working long and hard to find fish for his customers. Most of them want to keep any legal trout that they catch. I suppose if you have put out $600 for a fishing trip, you would like to have a fish dinner. I wish all guides would tell customers that any legal trout caught will be released.

We are not targeting trout where I fish. If we catch one by accident, we release it.

Last week my wife, Beth, and I fished a channel near the Port Aransas Causeway. We caught several small trout and one keeper. We released all of them But seeing those smaller trout was encouraging.

With the trout population decimated, I have been targeting redfish and black drum. I like to catch trout but really consider myself a redfish fisherman. I love the powerful fight that they put on and I like to eat them better than trout.

Red fishing totally with lures has not been really easy. But we are catching several every trip.

Last week Beth and I saw a guide and two clients catching black drum. The guide was sight fishing the school of drum and pitching a fresh dead shrimp to them. When he hooked a fish, he would hand the rod to the customer. That’s not my idea of fishing but it works.

We pulled in on the other side of a point and watched them. I knew they would soon have their limit of drum. About the time they finished their 10 drum limit (five each), the school moved toward us. I hooked into a big 23-inch bruiser using a Gulp Shrimp with a piece of fresh dead shrimp.

Black drum are great fighters — very powerful. They can’t make a long, hot run like a big redfish but they will test your arms with their strong endurance. We soon had several big drum in the icebox.

Many guides are now making a living on black drum. Years ago they were not highly prized but now are one of the primary fish on the restaurant menus.

Beth and I took some big fillets to Crab-Inn seafood restaurant that night. It was a real coastal feast.

As long as I can find redfish and drum I will be happy. Hopefully, the trout will also make a big comeback.