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This year has been an unusual year for fishing the Texas Gulf Coast. The redfish have all grown up and we are catching lots of fish that are 27 ? inches which is great in my boat. We love the ones that are keepable without the tag. The trout are biting again and seem to be averaging around 24-28 inches and that's some nice trout for a day's catch. With the water temperature above 83 degrees the schooling trout are all at the well heads in Aransas Bay. They are fun to catch and great to eat if they are of the legal limit of 15 inches. Sand trout are good eating if you keep them on ice and are cleaned as soon as you come in. The important things to remember when you are going fishing, whether it be for redfish or trout is: be prepared for almost anything. Having the right equipment is one thing. Whether it be with a boat, bank, or wade fishing, the rod and reel must have new line on it each year. The line gets brittle and you might just loose that beauty keeper, or wall-hanger. So spend the extra dollar it takes to replace the line on your reels. I have to replace the line about once a month due to heavy use. It also gets snags and nicks on the line, which will break off easily. Remember to have the drag set properly and not too tight. Oiling the reels will keep them operating nice and smooth. The boat is your choice, but remember a good anchor, push or stop-down pole, life jackets, and all safety equipment required. Ok, now you have your equipment in order, let's talk about bait. The redfish is one with a smorgasbord appetite. I usually have several types of live and dead bait available. The live bait of my choice is live finger mullet, which I catch in my cast net. I use this bait all year long and nearly always start off using them on a trip first. You can also buy them at most bait stands. I usually carry mud minnows and with the hotter summertime weather the menhaden shad have been showing up. These three species of fish can also be caught with a cast net. I just curl the shad up on the hook, thus killing them. They are hard to keep alive and depending on the size, I sometimes cut them in half. Another live bait is shrimp, some days they really like them live and jumping and some days they like fresh dead. For fresh dead, I take the live shrimp and pull the head back and curl the shrimp up on the hook. I know you are thinking, what's the difference and why pay the difference in the price of live and dead bait. The only answer I have for that is the smell. I have no scientific reason for it, but some days that works and dead bait doesn't. Don't get me wrong though, I do buy dead bait occasionally and it will work on either days. You just never know what they want to eat on any given day. Remember the sun seems to be hotter and meaner on the saltwater than on freshwater. Always use plenty of sunscreen. My sunscreen of choice is Smart Shield. This sunscreen can be put on without affecting the fish when baiting your hook with your hands. What's on your hands makes a lot of difference on whether you catch fish or not. Go to my web site www.redfishcharters.com and click on the Smart shield emblem it will take you directly to their web site and ordering information. They have lots of products and types of sunscreen to choose from. Remember "Good catching to you, a bad day on the water is better than a good day at work. Capt. Charlie Newton www.redfishcharters.com texas fishing port aransas fishing
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