After the storm eased a little and the skies cleared on Sunday, we were able to get on the water to do a little scouting. It was a "one man, one-rod" type of day. Our primary objective was to find a few suitable honey holes for the upcoming tourney. Yes, I have many great redfish spots, but sometimes you have to venture deeper. We were catching quality fish sporadically, and then we found a lovely spoil island that held giants; we passed 12 or so vessels going in, but we didn't see a single boat where we were, which was a good thing. Water depth changed from 3.5 feet to less than a foot; every fish was 22 inches or larger. I marked the waypoint and continued. We were throwing topwater, Gulp on a 1/8 jig head, and artificial DOA greenbacks. The wind was fierce, sometimes exceeding 10 miles per hour; even with the mangroves' protection, casting proved complicated. The fishing was still great with the weather conditions, and we located two new "hotspots" that might produce the winning tournament fish come tournament day!
