Wade Fishing

Renita and I attended Happy Hour and one of the people we met is an obsessed fisherman form Colorado, George. George fishes about every day and invited me to go wade fishing with him. Of course I agreed and better yet Renita said it was okay, as long as she had the truck.
So the next morning, after bouncing around the house like a kid, we saw George walking his cat. We talked and agreed to take off at 9:30 am for a spot that was nearby. Loading our gear into his car we first had to go and get some bait shrimp.
Now bait shrimp are live, and sell for 10 dollars a quart. Its really surprising how large they are as they dwarf the shrimp buckets we ate back home,(I think they use smaller shrimp for those)! Anyway we put the shrimp in our buckets and put an aerator in each bucket. The shrimp are really delicate so you need an aerator for even a short drive.
Driving along Fulton Beach Road we passed a wood piling where George pointed out a place to fish and then continued down the road until we came to the bridge over Copano Bay. There we pulled off to the side and donned our waders and gear. Everything felt bulky and out of place as we walked along an oyster reef and it wasn't until we waded out that the gear seemed comfortable.
A cold wind blew from the southeast, really a warm wind but the cold front had cooled the water down and it wasn't long before the chill started to set in. I hadn't worn enough clothes! Added to the chill was the lack of fish and it was awhile before George finally caught three small trout, all 14 inches,(The speckled trout here, really closer to walleyes, have to be 15 inch minimum. Sheephead have a length limit of 14 inches and redfish must be 20). Finally, after watching George, I started to add some slow retrieving motion and caught two under size fish. Things weren't quite as cold!
After taking a short break, the afternoon sun warmed things up and we got into a frenzy. George caught three trout and urged me to wade over and share his spot. Soon we were both catching fish, including a sheepshead. Enjoying the sun and fish the time went quickly. We even caught a couple of 15 plus inch fish so some fish went into the fish basket. The flurry continued for a while as we would cast, pause and then retrieve, with most bites coming on the pause. The trout would hit with a tic which was followed by a run. Of course I had forgot my net so landing them was a challenge.
Looking at my watch I saw it was 4 pm and time to get home. Thanking George, we returned to the rv park tired but in time to brag about our fish. Renita was already there, sitting in the ladies area, as I pulled my chair up and joined her. A great day of learning, and thanks again George! Clear skies.