The little things.

The weather in Texas can be very unpredictable this time of year. March and April are usually our windy months. Calm days on the water are few and far between. Most of the time when the wind dies down and the water looks like glass I’m at work. However, I recently had the chance to take advantage of a very calm day. I launched my kayak before sunrise and began to paddle to an area I’ve never fished before. I paddled about a mile and made my way into a maze of marshes and small islands. As the sun began to rise I drifted along the grass in hopes of spotting a tail or the occasional fleeing bait. I continued to paddle even deeper into the maze of grass. I noticed a wake in the distance, about a 100 yards ahead. I quietly paddle closer to get a better look.

As I neared the area where I saw the wake the water was calm again, nothing in sight. Once again up ahead about a 100 yards away I noticed it again. I began to stealthily paddle toward it in hopes of catching up with it. I stopped paddling and just drifted the last 49 yards so that I wouldn’t spook whatever it was. All of a sudden out of nowhere glass minnows began to scatter across the surface within a few feet of my kayak. They were followed by a small school of beautiful Redfish. I never casted at them out of fear that I might cause them to disperse or disappear out of sight. So for the next hour or so I stealthily followed them admiring the way they cruised the shoreline like they were indestructible. Eventually they disappeared and I continued to paddle to my intended destination. I managed to land several fish that day, but the highlight of the day was what I experienced. Sometimes you have to sit back, relax, and enjoy the little things in life.

– Patrick Wheat