At more than 2,000 miles, the trip from Portland, Ore. to Rockport isn’t one people decide to make at the drop of a hat.
But for Lone Star Outdoor News National Sales Manager Mike Nelson, the redfish requested his presence, especially since he had never caught one before.
“I usually fish salmon or sturgeon, so this was a little bit different kind of fishing,” Nelson said of his Texas adventure. “I had a sweet trip, and it was a phenomenal time.”
Out in the bay, Nelson helped find a feeding school of reds.
“The guide said, ‘If we can see birds on the shore, that’s a great sign,’” Nelson said. “All of a sudden I saw some birds and said, “What about those over there?’”
The crew headed to the school and from there and it was on.
“For the next two hours we couldn’t keep them off our lines,” he said. “It was chaos, and we caught one 32-inch plus. It was too bad we had to go in for lunch; that was enough to get me hooked.”
Nelson said the first redfish he caught, which was about 27 inches, fought in a way similar to a 10-pound largemouth.
“I ran all over the boat,” he said. “It was on my bucket list to catch a redfish.
“I’m coming back next year.”
