Is it that I am an anti-socialist, I guess so. I really like people, hell I'm in the people business! But what's that ole saying one is fine two is okay, and three's a crowd....Now try that with waking boats and people who just don't care about you, times 1000!!!
But, it's a tradition. I have to go fishing on the first day of Trout opening. Most of the time I know what to expect. I've stood in the wind and rain, been freezing, and due to Small Craft Advisories never made March 1st's opening day. But this was one for the records books, being it fell on a Saturday. And was damn near if not 80 degree's on land....a tad cooler on the water. And if they owned a boat, they (Jacksonville) was out fishing.
I gave the opening day a half heart try. I asked a few friends and couldn't even get anyone to go with me. I went to basically one spot where I thought maybe I'd hit a few Specks. But only caught Bluefish. Watched the lure tossers working the same area and they came up empty too. The tide really sucked. Water movement in the river was really slow on the falling tide with only 2.9 feet of water movement, and the incoming tide was a whopping 2.3 feet. Not what I'd consider being an Epic Trout tide, for what I do and where I fish.
So I went to the jetties and found I couldn't get near any of my spots there. So I just pulled out my big deck chair, dropped over the 1/2 cider block anchor chucked out a piece of cut bluefish, and drifted off the beach all the out to the green buoy on the south jetty catching whiting.
Then, finally saw and opening and went for it!
I pulled in dropped anchor an in 5 casts of the float-rig had 5 Yellowmouth Trout, and lost a Sheepshead behind the boat. Packed it up and went to the boat ramp.
That was my whole Saturday.
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3/2 - Had Dave Kossak and family out for a morning half day trip. With his 11 yr. old son, and 7 year old daughter and wife. I saw some good things as I explored around on Saturday afternoon waiting my turn to get a anchoring permit to fish my spot. So I had a good game plan for the kids. BOTTOM FISH!
Real easy, but where to do it was the best decision. We left out about 7:30am on another CRAZY DAY, just like Saturday. We went to one spot, anchored up, and was incessantly waked, but the fish were there. And it was I.G. - (instaneous gratification)
I no sooner pitched out a 6oz. bank sinker with a short leadered hook and an impaled live shrimp and we were onto the first Sheepshead. She worked hard on this fish in 50 feet of water (with help from her dad of course) and here hair kept getting caught in the reel as she turned the reel handle.
I never seen that happen before....but she never gave up, and caught the largest Sheepshead at 6.5 pounds. They caught more Sheepshead and even a Black Drum, and a few healthy deep water Seabass that would have been legal a year ago. Mmmm, even 11-1/2" Seabass have some nice white fillets.
It was tough staying anchored as the inconsiderate's run down the side of my boat and between us and the jetties. But the kids had a ball I think. And that's all that mattered to me.
Dave said when we got back and as I cleaned their fish. He'll have to do this again, as an "adult trip". He caught a nice Black Drum. And would have liked a Big ole Redbass. So I guess there has to be a next time for that. Good thing we caught some "deep water fish". Because I was using my new Biscayne Rods I just had built, by Eddie Carman and crew. And since I never really used them on Saturday for their intended purpose. It was a good trial for them. They worked out splendidly. Now, I these rods need a 20 pound Redbass or a 60 pound Drum!
