I am back from fishing in the Lower Laguna Madre in Texas!  This was a short trip, we were only able to fit in 2 days of fishing, but it is always worth it!  Lower Laguna Madre is on the southern tip of Texas, just west of South Padre Island.  Laguna Madre is home to one of the best redfish fisheries in the United States.  The average depth in the bay is only 2-3 feet, which means the sight fishing is incredible!

The redfish this trip were everywhere.  Each day the three of us saw 25-40 fish at least.  With good shots at 10-15 fish a day.  I have never been down to this fishery in the winter, but I can say I was pleasantly surprised with the number of fish we saw.  We saw fish tailing, cruising and laid up.  All of which would eat if the fly was in their field of vision.  Flies for the trip were the same as usual, micro lead eye clouser minnows, sand crabs and spoons flies were the best producers.

Redfish are hands down my favorite fish to catch.  They pull hard, eat willingly and TAIL!  The black spot sticking out of the water and gracious waving in the air is a clear indication that that fish is eating.  All you have to go is get the fly there and the fish will pounce on it.  Redfish are not the only thing you will encounter in the bay, sheepshead, sea trout and black drum are also common customers.  My second favorite fish to catch on the flats are the sheepshead, but they are one wary and picky fish.  This trip we must have presented to over 20 tailing sheepshead (yes, they tail too!), and I only managed to land and get one to eat. If you ever have an interest in going down to Laguna Madre, let me know. It is one of the most predictable and easy to get to saltwater trip you can do. I would love to put a trip together next year if we can get enough interest.  If you live in Colorado and are looking to plan a redfish trip, swing by our Denver area fly shop.

-James