Fly angler Mike Schilawski and I managed to get out on the water today and target some winter redfish with the fly. The weather man lied today, as many of you with outdoor plans probably noticed… Well that didn’t stop Mike and it didn’t kill my spirits knowing how many redfish schools we have been seeing this winter.
So we waited out the rain telling stories about fishing, Alaska and Mike’s son’s soccer team at Wake Forest winning the NCAA title! Way to go guys. The coffee was warm, the stories where fresh and it was good to be on the water for the first time this year with Mike.
As the rain started to cease we eased the boat onto plane and headed for a lagoon that has been holding some great redfishing lately. Now we were both wet, through our rain gear, and the wind had started to pick up and the air temperature dropped. The rain did clear but the clouds did not. Here’s to hard work and perseverance in all that we do. In about a half an hour of searching I found the school, a small patch of fish about one hundred or so, calmly milling and winking in less than six inches of water. Mike and I coordinated our attack and positioned ourselves upwind. Through the gray light and glare I could occasionally make out a fish winking as it rolled and fed on some small baitfish. By communicating the distance, direction and position to Mike on the bow he was able to precisely and delicately place the fly in the strike zone of the approaching fish. Once or twice we lined them in the low light and in the last stalk Mike put a pretty cast out to about fifty feet and fed a beautiful and willing five pound redfish a custom tied Mighty Minnow.
Talk about talent! So here’s to starting the new year off with talented casters, anglers with great attitudes and enjoying the finer moments of success when the weather hands you “lemons”.
Keep an eye on the warm trends sweeping through Wilmington as the fish are here and fired up to eat. I haven’t seen sight fishing this good in a while. Come join the fun and put a bend in your rod on the Cape Fear Coast this winter.
Tight Loops & Lines,
Captain Seth Vernon~
