Andy Dear | Monday, 16 August 2021
For the first time in 10 months, Jackson and I paid a visit to our favorite saltwater fly fishing destination, 9 Mile Hole. Not only was this the first time we have fished it in 2021, but it is also the first time we fished it since the big freeze back in February.
The good news is that although the Redfish population did take quite a hit in terms of a fish kill, there is still a VERY healthy, VERY hungry population of Redfish haunting the far reaches of the Laguna Madre. So much so in fact that Jackson took two fine specimens today pushing twelve pounds, and lost two more that were much bigger. We had the privilege of witnessing several large schools of 50 or more fish literally churning the flats for whatever they could get in their mouths. Additionally, the weather was PERFECT, sunny and the wind never blew harder than about 6-8 knots.
The bad news is that the same cannot be said for the Speckled Seatrout population. Not nearly as tolerant to cold weather snaps, it appears that the Seatrout suffered the hard brunt of mother natures wrath, We didn't see or catch one of these silvery green torpedoes today, and, according to Captain Freddy Lynch, that seems to be the norm....at least for the time being.
Overall, the Laguna looks healthy. The baitfish population is as prolific as ever, and we saw a healthy amount of large blue crabs as well...which is a VERY good sign. We already have two more trips planned in October and November to Laguna Salada (more on this later), and our current home base of Powderhorn Lake.
Hope your all having a great week,
Andy