So I am late getting in but I finally in the game. I have made it out before this month but I forgot to get my identifier. I Got out this morning around 1030 because I felt that the low tide combined with the cold weather was going to make for a slow start. When I got to the water the temp was still around freezing and the marsh had ice all over the place. As i got out to the mud flats there was nothing to be found. I poled around for almost two hours looking for any signs of life. I found fish but they were frozen from the night before. Luckly they were all mullet and they went to the freezer for later bait.
I decided to go looking for trout and the first real splash of the day caught my attention. It was almost creepy today. There was no wind, boats, birds, or fish making any noise what so ever the first part of the day. I have never heard it that peaceful. I paddled to where the splash was and see three reds swimming off along an oyster bank. Finally something!
A few minutes later while fixing a lure a drifted up on the bank and when i looked up and realized i had floated in a school of about 75 fish. I slowly and quickly grabbed a lure and tossed line into the school. I twitched it twice…FISH ON!!! The school scattered and to my shock the mid twenty inch red flew out of the water like a largemouth. I ended up losing that fish but for next several hours I chased schools of up to 300 fish. Had the wind not have been blowing like it was a probaly would have caught more fish instead of running up on them and causing them to scatter.
I ended the day with 7 reds and lost atleast that many. Two things really shocked me today; First off all the reds that i hooked today jumped. I have never had this behavior happen over and over before. The other was something I have never seen a red do before during this time of the year. They fish would get up in the grass with hard bottoms while schooled up tight and they were tailing while feeding on something unseen. My guess is that they were rui