You never know what you will catch in the salt...

[McFlyLures 0]

Fly fishing anywhere has its risks, but fishing in the gulf has its own unique sets of safety challenges. Down in corpus there are alligators, sharks, flesh eating bacteria, heat exhaustion, and stingray's. Stingrays are everywhere, especially this time of year. You risk stepping on them which I almost did on this trip a few times, and their spike will go through any boot or waders. I didnt think about it when I tried to catch this stingray, but how do I take it off the hook without getting whipped by its tail?

This trip really had a few other challenges. I got double booked on the hotel I reserved and being a holiday weekend, there just was nothing available anywhere near the coast. I also struggled most of the day with heat exhaustion as it was 100 degrees through most of the afternoon. I didnt catch a lot of fish, and none on the first day were any of my target species, redfish and speckled trout. But I did catch what I think was a baby jack crevalle, and a few skip jack. I also hooked into a speckled trout but lost it. Unfortunately I wasn't filming and it got off before the camera could turn on.
 

However, the 2nd and final day of my trip to corpus, my luck changed. Johnny and I did finally get into our top target species, redfish. We found some beautiful water in the flats that held some tailing reds. I cannot wait to go back and fish that spot again soon. So check back next week for the conclusion of this trip, where Johnny and I get into some of those amazingly strong redfish.

https://youtu.be/xn1zYoiyA00

[McFlyLures 0]

Ok this time it worked.  Not sure why it keeps not giving the full video option on my first posts.   

 

 

[DFoster 0]

As a New Englander I know little about stingrays but I'm told a sting in "unbelievably painful".    I think that would have been a situation where I would have cut the leader...

[McFlyLures 0]

5 minutes ago, DFoster said:

As a New Englander I know little about stingrays but I'm told a sting in "unbelievably painful".    I think that would have been a situation where I would have cut the leader...

I did end up cutting the leader actually.  Lol!   He took my fly with him.  Hope he can get it off before it kills it. 

[Capt Bob LeMay 0]

That “sting” on a sting ray is actually a solid bone spear with serrations on each side like the barbs on fishhooks… It’s not located on the end of the tail - instead it’s located on the base of the tail, right on top, concealed within a thin covering of flesh… It looks harmless, like a small finger at the base of the tail…

That ray is a “one trick pony”… If stepped on or molested in any way - their only response is to elevate that spear and try to skewer that attacker - then flee at high speed.. 

 

That barb will absolutely ruin your day and your only relief will come from pouring water as hot as you can stand on the wound until you can get to an ER…

While I’m talking about sting ray wounds anyone that wades in warm salt or brackish waters should learn all they can about “vibrio” infections…. They can be absolutely life threatening.  Put simply,  any wound or abrasion that you got while swimming or wading should be taken to the nearest ER or your own doctor, period… Tell them to check for vibrio - they’ll know about it.  Delay a day or two and they may not be able to save that arm or leg… or your life.

”Vibrio” is what the news media call “flesh eating bacteria”…

[McFlyLures 0]

1 hour ago, Capt Bob LeMay said:

That “sting” on a sting ray is actually a solid bone spear with serrations on each side like the barbs on fishhooks… It’s not located on the end of the tail - instead it’s located on the base of the tail, right on top, concealed within a thin covering of flesh… It looks harmless, like a small finger at the base of the tail…

That ray is a “one trick pony”… If stepped on or molested in any way - their only response is to elevate that spear and try to skewer that attacker - then flee at high speed.. 

 

That barb will absolutely ruin your day and your only relief will come from pouring water as hot as you can stand on the wound until you can get to an ER…

While I’m talking about sting ray wounds anyone that wades in warm salt or brackish waters should learn all they can about “vibrio” infections…. They can be absolutely life threatening.  Put simply,  any wound or abrasion that you got while swimming or wading should be taken to the nearest ER or your own doctor, period… Tell them to check for vibrio - they’ll know about it.  Delay a day or two and they may not be able to save that arm or leg… or your life.

”Vibrio” is what the news media call “flesh eating bacteria”…

Yeah, I have heard stories of those stingray’s, seems very painful.   The barb doesn’t want to come out due to the way it’s shaped.  Little barbs angling rearward like a fish hook barb.  A buddy of mine hooked a hard head catfish once and it went right through the center of his hand.  Had to yank it out.  
 

I used to work as a deck hand on boats in the gulf and just about everyone there ended up with the flesh eating bacteria.  We would all be on antibiotics regularly because of wounds starting to get infected.  Very dangerous.  Yeah I mentioned in the video I was wearing waders because of that.  Even small mosquito bites can turn into something bad.   For sure be careful!   

[Mike West 0]

I was fishing the gulf coast a few years back down by Brazoria  Texas…I went around asking locals,bait shops tackle shops where I could go wade fish with a fly ride for redfish.  I was told about this one location by multiple people so I went there. Can you wait a flat until you get to a trench drops off to 40 feet of water you fish that trench and right off that trench. When I get  there there was probably  eight to a dozen kayakers and I can see them catching fish.

I’m wading to the top of my waders and I can’t quite reach that area casting a full fly line.

after a little while a couple kayakers come and paddle over to me to talk they tell me I got bigger Cajones than they do. I’m like why?

they tell me nobody wade fishes out here mostly because of bull sharks but stingrays too.

they asked me if I had stingray gators on and when I told him no they told me I was nuts.

This is  Texas gulf coast mud water you can’t see 6 inches into it…needless to say I was walking water like Jesus getting out of there.

The Ocean can be a dangerous place if you’re not paying attention or aware of the dangers in your surroundings.

 

 

[skeet3t 0]

Hmmm. Ever consider fishing for bluegill? Even they can stick you.

If the hook is stainless steel, it might create a problem. Regular hooks will rust out is a short time, even in freshwater.

[McFlyLures 0]

On 9/13/2021 at 1:57 PM, Mike West said:

I was fishing the gulf coast a few years back down by Brazoria  Texas…I went around asking locals,bait shops tackle shops where I could go wade fish with a fly ride for redfish.  I was told about this one location by multiple people so I went there. Can you wait a flat until you get to a trench drops off to 40 feet of water you fish that trench and right off that trench. When I get  there there was probably  eight to a dozen kayakers and I can see them catching fish.

I’m wading to the top of my waders and I can’t quite reach that area casting a full fly line.

after a little while a couple kayakers come and paddle over to me to talk they tell me I got bigger Cajones than they do. I’m like why?

they tell me nobody wade fishes out here mostly because of bull sharks but stingrays too.

they asked me if I had stingray gators on and when I told him no they told me I was nuts.

This is  Texas gulf coast mud water you can’t see 6 inches into it…needless to say I was walking water like Jesus getting out of there.

The Ocean can be a dangerous place if you’re not paying attention or aware of the dangers in your surroundings.

 

 

Yes it can.  However lots of people wade here.  Just gotta do the stingray shuffle.  Still not fool proof though, and yes there is a small likelihood of getting hit by a stingray.  However, the sharks are a different story, they are there.  Same with alligators.  So just gotta keep your eye out, and hope/pray for the best.  

[McFlyLures 0]

On 9/13/2021 at 5:46 PM, skeet3t said:

Hmmm. Ever consider fishing for bluegill? Even they can stick you.

If the hook is stainless steel, it might create a problem. Regular hooks will rust out is a short time, even in freshwater.

Ive fished for bluegill tons.  Well sunfish in general.   Check out some of my other videos.  Lots of small creek and lake fishing in south texas.  For bass, bluegill, etc...