Team Slam

Every Texas angler's dream is to catch the Slam - at least one redfish, one trout, and one flounder on the same stringer.

Tracy and I ended up at McNab on Friday afternoon after taking care of some morning business and lunch. This was our first kayak trip in a while and our plan was to hit the "Corners" in the channel on the way in to the lake. With any luck we would find the fish hanging around near the reefs.

The weather was definitely changing and though it was still warm, the humidity was lower and there were signs of fall everywhere. These spoonbills are losing their vivid color as the mating season has passed and they will be moving south soon.

The water level was up which was a good sign and we started fishing the first fork with flounder pounders and crank baits.


I connected early with a 19" red. These guys really put up a fight!


Redfish number two was also one inch shy of legal. This release picture shows the shallow running crankbait that fooled him.


I put a 17" trout on the stringer and repositioned to take advantage of the water moving across the reef. As a big barge moved up the intracoastal, the water began rolling across the reef and I pulled my crankbait along the edge of the oyster shells and was rewarded with a strike. I paused my retrieve and watched my line continue to move towards the deep part of the channel before setting the hook. It took a few minutes to bring the 19 3/4" - 3.4lb flounder to the surface. I quickly got him in the net and on the stringer.

My next hookup felt like another flattie but turned out to be this big blue instead.

I caught one more small two-spot red but couldn't seem to connect with the keeper to complete the slam. Meanwhile, my fishing partner was getting pretty frustrated as I was getting all the action and she couldn't seem to connect. I tied on a crankbait but for some reason all she was able to hook up was a big sheepshead that was released at the side of her boat before I was able to get a picture. We were nearly through when she finally hooked up a nice 20+" red which completed the slam. I added one more trout to the stringer on the way in.

This was a great way to spend the day and we were blessed with enough fish for ourselves and were able to give some non-fishing friends some fresh fish as well.

Saltwater fishing on the Texas coast seems to have gotten into our blood. I'm thankful for the Slam and the fact that it was a team effort makes it even more special.