A Breezy Afternoon in Wilsons Cut, Port Aransas

Originally the winds were forecast to ease to 5-10 mph and so we planned to canoe Wilsons Cut, but the forecast changed to ten to twenty and  it was with some trepidation as we went ahead with oor plans. After a short drive to the cut from Mustang Island State Park and we quickly arrived at the put in point.
Never having canoed there before, we had launched at Fish Pass before and it was just ok, we backed right up to the water. The canoe slid out of the truck and we quickly loaded it with our gear before launching it into the shallow water. It was a falling tide, but it was still pretty high and so we quickly pushed off and headed into the cut.
Our original goal was to canoe the cut and then turn north east. making a short loop through the mangroves and back into the cut. As with most plans it quickly demanded a change as the wind picked up and blew so strong that we didn't dare leave the cut and journey into the open flats! In fact I was worried about getting back to the launch as the wind quickly pushed our boat to the west.
Finger mullet were everywhere and stopping I cast the net to get some bait as it seemed that stopping and fishing would be a better option for the day. Having the small four foot net I cast over a large school of mullet, but I only got two as the water was pretty deep and they sped out from beneath the net as the sinkers slowly settled the net to the bottom.

Another cast and a few more mullet and so we decided we had enough to fish. As we paddled west we saw a pole standing below a power line and it looked like it was hanging from the wire! We realized our mistake as a fisherman on shore rose from his seat and stood to let us know he wouldn't appreciate us boating over his line.
Turning to the other side of the cut we could see lots of lines hanging from the wire, hmmm must be a good place to fish and so we ran the boat into the sea grass, before baiting our hooks and casting into the deeper water of the cut.
Almost immediately Renita had a bite and she landed the largest piggy perch we have ever seen. Bite after bite followed and we even caught three red fish, all though they were undersized and so quickly released. A speckled trout attacked my bait as I wound it in but it was also a little small, 14 inches and it was also released.

The plans for an evening fish fry dimmed but it really didn't matter as we were catching fish from the canoe and having fun on the water! Wilsons Cut is a great place to launch and we will definitely return here again on a calmer day. Clear skies.