Redfish fantasies, southern hospitality and cheap beer converge here.

Why travel all the way to Texas to fish? To me it was simple. To catch a redfish, a fish I have dreamed about catching for years.

I have watched these fish being caught over and over on early, cold winter mornings while sitting on my couch, in front of the TV, drinking a warm cup of coffee and watching the Redfish Cup with my wife.

Ever since I first watched this tournament, on a morning too cold and rainy to be fishing myself, I knew this was a fish I had to catch, and a fish I would continue think about from time to time anticipating the day I would get to fish for them.

Earlier this year I was fortunate enough to be given a free flight anywhere in the United States. When I told my wife Shiloh I wanted to use the flight to go get myself a red she was immediately on board.

The place to go for redfish - and cheap beer
Jim Sammons of La Jolla Kayak Fishing suggested that we go to Aransas Pass, Texas, to fish with Dean Thomas and his Slowride Guide Service. In no time my wife and I were on our way to spend a long Halloween weekend redfish fishing the Texas flats.

The small town of Aransas Pass is just north of Corpus Christi. Here, beer and gas are cheap, southern hospitality prevails, and local fishermen are eager to trade you fresh caught flounder for a bit of bug spray.

This is a town blessed with a healthy and beautiful fishery holding a wide range of species including one of the local favorites, the red drum, aka redfish.

We camped on a remote beach at the Gulf Coast mouth of Lighthouse Lakes estuary. Looking out at the sun rising behind a 150-year-old lighthouse and a channel abundant with dolphins, we knew we were in a very special place.

Fishing at its best
This is a well-maintained healthy fishery conserved and regulated by the Texas Fish and Game and cared for by the local sportsmen. It is a flat maze of land and water that seems as if it was made just for kayak fishing. The places we fished are not easily accessible by boat as most of the water is less than two feet deep.

It is also a place you can become lost in. Extensive black mangroves form a labyrinth of narrow passages leading to unimaginable areas of wide-open fishing that are accessible only by kayak.

There are many ways the locals fish this area including using live shrimp, jigs, spoons, and cut bait. Dean’s favorite, however, is a topwater plug on light spinning or casting tackle, using 8-pound-test with a 6-inch, 20-pound shock leader.

This is fishing at its best. As you paddle your kayak through the shallow waters you constantly scan the surface. When the tides are just right you can see the tails of redfish peeking out of the water.

This is the technique of “spot and cast.” When the waters are up a bit more you may not see the fish tails, but the reds are still there so you simply look for water movement.

Let the slow ride begin
There is something joyful being on a kayak surrounded by picturesque scenery, casting out a spook topwater plug as far as you can, walking it back in, then seeing and hearing a redfish roll out of the water to grab your plug. The line pulls off your reel and the “slow ride” begins.

My second red showed me the true beauty of this species. As I pulled her onto the boat the sun hit that red skin and sent a gold shimmer to the eyes. At 25 inches this was the redfish I’d dreamed of and the reason my wife and I will remember this weekend in Texas for our whole lives.