One fish Two fish Redfish...But no Bluefish.

Having ventured out onto the waters surrounding the Tidewater area of Virginia for the fifth time of 2014 and not even seeing a fish I wasnt expecting much as I pulled up to the boat ramp at Owl Creek. The weather has not been favorable for kayak fishing and with sunny skies and light wind I couldnt resist going after a few fish.
Immediately after I launched I encountered around 10 boats and 4 kayakers spread out across the inlet all of them appeared to be catching fish. I paddled my way down looking for warmer pockets of water. The water at the ramp was around 54 degrees and as I paddled back into the shallower water it was reaching into the 60s. I began casting 4 inch grubs in white/chartreuse with no luck. At one point where I was sheltered from the wind and up against the bank a small school of about 5 redfish swam right along the kayak. I dipped my lure infront of them and gave a few twitches and they just swam by. I paddled further down and encountered a few more reds slowly swimming down the bank in the shallower water. Again they wouldnt take any lure presented to them. I tried multiple different color jig head, lure, and style combinations. From paddle-tails to mirror lures nothing was getting a bite. I seen another kayaker catch a small speckled trout and I decided to move further out of the inlet and try my luck elsewhere.
As I paddled by the boat ramp I noticed a fellow kayaker and POL/TKAA member Rob Lee fishing along some boaters and paddled up to see how he was fairing. After gaining some valuable intel and chatting with him for a bit he offered to let me anchor up along side and try my luck. Rob and several of the boaters had managed to catch some fish and everyone around me had bent rods. Again no matter where I casted nothing seemed to want what I was offering. I was becoming discouraged and was chalking it up to my everlasting skunk that has plagued me and people I fish with so far this year. One of the boats was getting fish on nearly every cast using shrimp under a popping cork and another boat was using chartreuse gulp grubs. I had no bait on the kayak only artificial and continued to cast  one lure on each rod hoping to find a combination that worked. The bite slowed down in the area we were fishing and Rob paddled back to the ramp. Several of the boaters moved on and I was left relatively alone to just continue cast and enjoy the weather.

This lady had the magic touch she was catching a redfish on every cast!

 Seeing the luck others were having on shrimp I decided to tie on an artificial shrimp, I started out with gulp hoping the scent and reputation as a redfish catching lure would give me a bite. I was almost ready to call it a day and paddle back to the ramp but after a few casts I felt a surge in the rod as I hopped it along the bottom but in my excitement I pulled the lure out of the fishes mouth and wasnt able to connect. I switched again to another shrimp lure, this one a Egret VuDu Shrimp which looks more lifelike and detailed. I casted this out and on the first class I was hooked up on a fish. After a quick fight I landed my first redfish of 2014, and since 2012!

First 2014 redfish at 20"

Couldnt resist the VuDu Shrimp

This fiesty little guy was all spotted up.

This one had deep scars on its side like somthing tried to eat him.

3 spot

I managed to catch two more and then a few more boaters noticing the action came up and again everyone was catching fish. Another boat pulled up and a guy and his son and daughter started catching fish right away, it was awesome to see the excitement they had every time they would hook up.

Although I have been reading rumors of blues moving in and speckled trout still biting I didnt manage any other fish but I sure was glad to be catching somthing. I hope the curse is over and this is just the start to many more successful trips.
Redfish are a slot limit fish here in Virginia 18-26 inches and I let several slot sized fish go but 3 did accompany me back to the house and made some excellent fish tacos paired with Speedys #45 and a cold beer.