Middle coast reds making up for trout

The weather is cooling down, but the redfish action is heating up along parts of the middle coast.
 
“The red fishing right now has just exploded,” said Seadrift fishing guide Kris Kelley. “It’s pretty good. It’s looking real strong.”
 
According to Kelley, the trout numbers have just been nowhere to be found.
 
“Nobody has been messing with trout,” he said. “We’re kind of in between croakers and not quite to shrimp yet. There are some limits to be had on trout but they’re spotty. The croaker season is just flat.
 
“We’ve forgotten what good trout fishing looks like.”
 
Luckily, the redfish have made up for the lack of trout.
 
“We’re back bay fishermen, always looking for slot reds,” he said. “We’re working mud and grass and real shallow, and we’ve found them over shell.”
 
Kelley said mullet and crab have been the best bait, and even without targeting the bulls, they have pulled in some oversized reds.
 
“One of my guides was having trouble, then he ended up finding them, and they picked up all their slots and their oversized,” he said. “We’ve put the hammer down on them.”
 
Capt. Kris Kelley, (888) 618-4868.