However, I was warmed by what I found upon my arrival. Despite the bit- ter cold, the pocket of this cove seemed full of life. Aflock of terns were spread out over hundreds of yards, picking small glass minnows off white caps. In the distance, I watched as brown peli- cans crashed into schools of mullet. Glancing west down the shoreline we planned to fish, a solitary group of seagulls frantically screeched and milled about.
“Anchor your boat and jump in with me,” Guy Stansel barked, as I tossed gear haphazardly onto his deck. It was obvious that birds working this close to shore were following a school of redfish; the water beneath them was frothing like a washing machine. Once we trolled boat into position, Stansel engaged his Power Pole while simulta- neously launching a Paul Brown Lure into the rear of the school — hooking up just as the bait touched the water. Braided line screeched through his
rod as the fish shook and thrashed vio- lently. With half of her crimson back exposed, she danced and head-shook herself across the surface, surfing between waves. Chunking a MirrOlure MirrOdine,
I felt a distinct thump as well, and soon brought a redfish of about 6 pounds boat side. After a brief fight, we admired Stansel’s bigger fish which approached 10 pounds. Carefully holding each fish by the tail, we released them both — let- ting them go back to their business. Indeed, the chaos was warming, but it soon gave way to cold as the school of big fish eventually disbanded. We maneuvered the boat several
hundred yards up wind, anchored it securely, and jumped in the water. This particular stretch of sandy flat with intermittent pockets of clam, oyster and mud proved to hold tremendous amounts of bait. Small slicks began to occasionally pop on the surface as reds and trout gorged, proving we were in the right spot. We spent the next sever- al hours quietly wading in clear, knee- deep water and releasing mostly red- fish from 5 to 10 pounds.
THE SKINNY
Cool fronts begin their fall ritual in late September and push through con- sistently by November, flushing the marshes and filling the estuary with shrimp. However, by January and into February these frontal passages
TIDE
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