Redfish are by far my favorite fish to chase in saltwater. They get super shallow, can be very aggressive, and give themselves away by tailing on occasion. On top of that they can grow to be over 50” long. But it is not just the fish itself that keeps me coming back for more. I absolutely love to sight fish for these amazing creatures. Freeport redfish fishing is one of my favorite road trips.
Because of their nature to feed shallow in the marsh it can be a very exciting and visual experience. You receive instant feedback to your presentations and get to watch them eat! It is this battle of being super stealthy, quiet, and having the right bait with the right line. It can be a roller-coaster ride of emotions. I say all of this to justify why when Dustin Nichols and Michael Fiorenza asked me to get up at 1:30am and make the long drive from San Marcos to Freeport to beat a cold front, I did just that.
Cold Front is Coming!
Richard Penny, his son Jake, and I had just wrapped up fishing with the fine folks at TG Canoes and Kayaks and the plan was to head to Freeport the next day to chase reds on the flats. What didn’t look promising was the weather. As I mentioned, a cold front was pushing in. This was not going to stop us from getting on the water, however.
Dustin and Michael were planning to pre-fish for an upcoming tournament, and we were hopeful that if we left early enough, we would have the morning to fish as the front drew nearer. As we rolled into Freeport the son was just starting to break and you could see that we were surrounded by water. It would honestly have been a bit overwhelming to try and pick a place to target, but lucky for us Michael is a guide and knows where the fish have been.
Freeport Redfish Fishing: An early start!
As the bugs surrounded us, we prepped our kayaks. We had a decent run down a channel before making our way through a small creek to access the flat. This was where the kayaks really shined. The creek was very narrow and even had some trees that had fell and been swept by the tide blocking the way. In addition to that, the creek had a significant amount of current flowing out and against our forward progress. This would have made it a challenge if we had not had the motors to help us push through.
Once we came to the mouth of the creek, the flat opened up. Michael pointed out some seagulls in the distance and told us he had been having luck following them to find the schools of redfish. The redfish push the bait around and to the surface, and the birds take advantage of the situation and in turn give the redfish away! Everyone powered up and made a b-line for the birds and as soon as the first person to reach the school was in casting range, I heard “FISH ON”.
Fish ON! For some of us…
Michael and Dustin both managed to hook up and Richard and I targeted another school just a bit further into the flat. We both reached it at the same time and made cast, but I missed my bites as I was throwing a topwater lure. I don’t know if it was the lack of sleep, the pressure to catch fish, or just me struggling, but this set the tone for the day as far as I was concerned. I fully expected Michael and Dustin to out fish me considering they are both local Texas angler. Especially Michael who is a guide in this area, but I do consider myself a decent angler, especially when it comes to redfish.
For whatever reason, however, I could not make it happen. I would cast at fish I could see. Watch them eat it and then set the hook, but there would be no fish on the other end. I had several short strikes blind casting. I just could not connect, and I continued to hear “FISH ON”. Don’t get me wrong, I really was super happy for the others, but I wanted to participate. The day continued this way and Richard was also able to get in on the action. Before all was said and done, I was the only one that had not been able to make it happen. Well, me and Jake, who was running the camera most of the day and had not been fishing.
Heading Back and some Night Fishing
With the tide continuing to drop off the flat, we had to call it a day and head back to the launch. The front was for sure starting to show itself as the wind began to pick up. I will admit, it was hard to take the big ZERO, and leave the water without feeling a fish on the other end of my line, but I still enjoyed my time with friends and seeing a new area, even if I was a bit “Salty”.
That night as we hung out at the house and prepped kayaks for the following day, if we could even get on the water, an idea began to form between Jake and I. The house was on a channel that connected to more channels giving the neighborhood boat access. In these channels were several dock lights. Dock lights attract baitfish and baitfish attract bigger fish. I think you see where this is going!
Lights, Camera, Fish!
We decided to give it a try, so after rigging up some GoPro and Lights on the kayaks, Jake and I made our way into the canal. The very first light we came to, Jake made a cast and immediately hooked up! It was a nice red. The next light produced a speckled trout for me, and I believe Jake pulled another redfish. This continued and we both were able to land a few fish. Even though this was a bit of work, it was worth is to get the skunk off my boat.
I had spent the whole day chasing redfish and by trying one more thing that night I had found success. I am not sure if it was persistence or stubbornness that drove me to stay up and keep fishing even after starting the day off at 1:30am, but I was able to sleep much better that night knowing I had a little more fish slime on my kayak.
The next couple of days produced high winds and tough conditions, but Michael and Dustin were both able to find some fish for the tournament and placed in the money. We decided to take a break and show up to support them at the weigh in. As always it is a great time getting to hang out with some friends in a cool place and maybe, just maybe, catch a few fish.
On this trip I found little success as I mentioned above, however the few that I was able to catch came on the following.
Gear I Used Freeport Redfish Fishing
I used a Rainshadow Judge 7’2” MH blank rigged with a Shimano Chronarch G. It was spooled with 30lb Seaguar Smackdown and tipped with a 20lb Seaguar Gold Label leader. The bait I used was a ZMan 5” Herculez in Pearl. I kept still in the wind with Power-Pole's Micro Anchor.
