Fishing reports Beaufort on the fly

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January 14, 2010

Mostly cloudy with 1-3 mph E winds, 44 degree water temp after long cold spell. Mid-day start on an old favorite flat two hours before low tide. Drifting with the ebb tide, spotted a school of redfish two-hundred yards down the flat which were also moving with the tide. After ten minutes of poling, caught up with the spot tails the at mouth of the bay. We got off a few casts with tan/rootbeer maribou/estaz 'explorer' before losing the school. Staked out, we were able to cast to a few surface wakes as the school meandered around us, but cloud reflections prevented any actual sightings despite very clear water.

As the tide turned we shifted to a new position to allow for a long drift with the flood tide along some oyster shoals. After drifting the entire length of the flat, we finally came upon a school of about fifty fish grazing at the base of the oyster rakes. When ten casts to the edges of the school with the explorer resulted in no signs of interest, we tied on a brown/white clouser. On the second cast, a small pup became the first fish of the day. After repositioning the boat among the shoals, a stronger tug on the line indicated a little more serious customer. After a brief fight, we released the five pounder and called it a day.

December 4, 2009
Heavy overcast with 2-3 mph NW winds. Mid-afternoon start on a narrow flat an hour before low tide. Slow drift with wind and current saw no activity. Moved to a wide tidal bay at low tide an hour and a half before dusk. Gull activity had indicated the possibility of a school of fish, when a particularly aggressive bird caused a fairly large group of redfish to bolt. As we worked our way into casting range, surface wakes and tailing redfish showed the school to have near to fifty fish! After three casts to outlying fish, a merkin crab elicited a bite from a hefty loner. Two runs and a twist of the body and the fly had been shaken. With the school moving closer, a cast to the front runners brought an immediate strike from one of the youngsters in the group. After a short retrieval and release, a quick cast brought another hook-up with a young bull! At the end of a five minute fight, adrenaline was pumping enough to snap off the fly on the boat’s poling platform while beginning a forward cast. With the fish almost milling about the boat and tails flapping in the air, the fly that leaped into our hands from the tackle box was a brown/white clouser. A quick knot and a fifteen foot cast to a tailer brought no response. Three more casts to tailing fish and no responses had us wondering if the expediency of the fly change had cost us the effectiveness shown by the merkin. As the school turned and began to graze away from the boat, a cast in front of the leaders and a few short strips brought another hook up with a strong fish. A few long runs through the middle of the school scattered fish but did not result in an all-out stampede. By the time the fish had been subdued and landed, the school had moved out of range. We stalked the perimeter of the school until shortly before dusk and ended up with a noteworthy day - - nine hook-ups with seven fish landed!
November 15, 2009
Sunny with calm to slight ENE breeze. Mid-morning start on a narrow flat with water still into the grass about two hours before low tide. No action with chartreuse/white and brown/olive clousers prompted us to move to a huge flat with deep water access an hour before low tide. Small groups of redfish were sighted moving between oyster rake bays in about a foot of water, but we were unable to get off very many casts to these steadily moving fish. As the tide turned, a dead calm helped us spot the wakes of meandering small groups of reds. Positioning ourselves on the edge of two groups, we were delighted as both groups worked their way to either side of our boat. A shooting gallery with merkin flies as our projectiles! One shook the fly after a soft take, then his comrade grabbed it. The light tension and slow swimming as we reeled in made us believe we had a youngster – until the fish saw the boat. Fight on! This fish dragged the boat one direction, then reversed course and took it in the opposite direction! After a five minute tussle, the muscular twenty-four incher was landed. Only fish of the day, but quality easily exceeded quantity.
November 8, 2009
Sunny with 3 mph ENE winds. Dawn start on an expansive flat shortly after low tide rewarded us with the sighting of a large school of reds milling about a fair sized opening in the oyster rakes. Successive casts with a merkin crab resulted in no takers. As the fish began moving towards the grass, we shifted position to a spot along the grass and put on a brown/olive clouser. The school split into smaller groups and we were able to hook four fish and land three as they cruised the grass line
October 21, 2009
Sunny with 8-12 mph ENE winds. Started on the same tidal bay as the day before with dramatically different outcome – skunked! Muddy water with riffled surface pretty much precluded spotting fish. Blindcasting a shrimp pattern and a clouser produced no interested parties. Shifted to a sheltered flat at a river’s mouth where fish movement could be spotted on the surface – no fish movements. One more shift to another sheltered flat rewarded us with what at first appeared to be a tailing fish that soon revealed itself as a small shark. Strike three!
October 20, 2009
Sunny with 6-9 mph ESE winds. Fished a wide tidal bay on either side of low tide. One flyrodder started with a merkin fly, while another tried an olive/brown clouser. Two redfish successively inhaled the merkin, prophesying its continued success the rest of the afternoon. The next spot tail outdid its name – nine spots in a beautiful array over its body! Near low tide we followed a large school of reds up the river bank only to be out-maneuvered by two dolphins – we headed back to the bay. As the tide came in the wind picked up, causing muddy water and poor conditions for sighting fish. Nevertheless, moving back and forth across the bay casting to surface disturbances in about a foot of water resulted in two more reds in the 22-24 inch range, a slightly chewed up merkin, and one very pleased flyfisherman.
April 23, 2009
Sunny with 10 mph S winds. Drifted long narrow flat on rising tide. Cast chartreuse/white clouser to three different muds. Some surface motion detected, but no fish sighted or hooked. Shifted to an expansive flat as winds picked up to 15 mph. No activity or muds sighted – blown out.
April 19, 2009
Dawn start with slight overcast and 5 mph S winds which increased to 12 mph SSW during the trip. Fished grass edge of small flat encircled with oyster rakes on fallin gtide with water depths dropping from 2 feet to a half foot as the tide fell. Two schools of 15 to 20 fish moving up and down the grass edge yielded a first ever redfish from a boat on a pink/chartreuse lectric chicken for a novice saltwater fly fisherman. Moved to an expansive flat as the tide changed; wind conditions obscured evidence of fish movements. Succesive stake-outs and blind casting with merkin crab, brown/white clouser, and Dupree spoon produced no results. With winds at 12 mph, drifted downwind towards large mud. While staked out, caught 25”red on a chartreuse/white clouser to end the morning.
April 10, 2009
Sunny with 5 mph S winds increasing to 10 mph S. Fished large flat on either side of a negative low tide. Surface waves made motion sightings difficult, but was able to zero in on muds in 12-18” water as the tide was falling -- landed two redfish on a rootbeer sparkle/tan bonefish explorer. On the rising tide, was able to spot two small schools in 8-12”of water and get off a few casts to each. A couple of turned heads and follows were only additional action.
April 5, 2009
Sun giving way to heavy overcast, 5 mph S winds increasingto 10 mph SSE. Fished extensive flat either side of low tide. Started withbrown/white clouser in clear water with sun, switching to brown/green clouser as day became overcast. Chased down school of redfish and staked out as they turned in my direction. Wind gust diminished casting range as they passed upwind. One follower but no takers among the three fish we were able to reach with casts. After continuing drift, lone fish milled about near the boat, but showed no interest in four casts.
Moved to small flat at mouth of river. Exposure to winds and waves had turned first20 feet from shore into mud soup. Drifted outside the ‘mud line’with no signs. Staked out at creek mouthand blind fished a chartreuse streamer with hour-glass eyes to an oyster barand across the creek mouth - no takers. Deteriorating weather ended the day.
April 2, 2009
Heavy overcast, intermittent showers with 5-10 mph NE winds. After days of bad weather, decided to try a window between storms on a nearby flat at low tide. in consideration of the dark day, tied on a black lectric chicken. With a higher low tide, saw no signs of fish on the surface. Blind-fished oyster rakes with short drifts between stake outs. One redfish pup landed before approaching storm closed our window of opportunity.
March 24, 2009
Sunny with 5-10 mph E winds increasing to 10-20 mph E. Fished one of our old favorite flats either side of low tide; cloudy water that got murkier as wind picked up. Drifted with minor poling till flashes indicated a school of redfish. After positioning boat, got off three casts with a brown/green clouser before the school went kamikaze -- swam directly at the boat and then scattered. As wind picked up and drift speed increased, over-ran two small schools of reds and sent them on their way. Blown out shortly after the tide changed.