Down right chilly today. I was maxed out with the fleece outer wear.
Immediately had my Trout limit of 5 from 15" to 19", but they were all skinny fish. Basically went back to the same place I took Travis the other day, and tried it again. The trout were seriously scattered along a 100 yard piece of the creek, way back in the salt marsh.
Then as the tide got really low and I had my 5 Trout in the box, I worked my way around and float-rigged some deeper holes. Catching an absolute ton of 12-14" Trout, at the slack low tide.
Then, as the water barely started to move again, I re-anchored and floated just outside an exposed oyster bank. I got a great hook up on a big fish and had it one for a nano-second. So, I pitched up there again.....float bobs a little and I come back with a bit in half shrimp. I pitch up there again, and the float takes a dive. And I'm hooked up to that fish with a few lives, but those lives just ended. And that 7 pound Sheepshead puts up one hell of a battle.
The bite was fast and furious as the tide poured in over the oysters beds. I also had no less than 8 small Redfish, 15 more small Trout, and two small Flounder.
As the tide got high I switched over to my home made (and a lot better) Cajun thunder, clicker float with a 3 foot leader. But I call mine, the "Capt Dave's custom thunder" rig. I don't get to use it very often. Because I'm not in very shallow water very often. But, I ended up on a huge mud flat with high mounds of oyster's and islands out off the grass line. I pulled up on that flat when it was just barely 2 feet deep, and as the water rose, the fish followed, and I found them all in one spot, with my "CDCT".
I had a blast today, and had to have caught at least 30 fish, on 48 live shrimp. But still only ended up with my 5 Trout, and the Sheepshead in the box.
It's really something that 26 foot Plate Alloy, boat of mine. It floats in hardly any water.
It's no Gheenoe, or Kayak but for a 26 footer with a 225 HP Honda on the back, you'd be very surprised where I can go. And do it with lots of fishing room. That's the difference between 26 feet of 1/4" Aluminum, and a fiberglass boat. Plus, I have no fear of oyster beds, either.
One more day till the Speckled Trout closure for the next 28 days. I just had to go and get me some for the plate. And that Sheepshead will taste better knowing I got it on a float-rig off a shell bar, in a creek. And by the way.....there's a whole lot more up in those creeks I didn't catch.
I had other Salt marsh "7-striped Jetty Snappers" chewing on my live shrimp too. I just couldn't connect as good as I did with the big boy.
Go wade the hard bottomed areas of flooded marsh grass off the ICW sometime in Sept. & Oct. if you want to see for yourself how many Sheepshead "DO NOT" hang out on pilings, rocks & docks.
I just may have to go tomorrow too. We'll see.
-hope to have you aboard,
Capt. Dave - "the float freak"
