TONIGHT: NORTHEAST WINDS 20 TO 25 KNOTS...WITH BRIEF GUSTS TO GALE FORCE POSSIBLE. SEAS 5 TO 7 FEET. INLAND WATERS CHOPPY.SCATTERED SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS.
MONDAY: NORTHEAST WINDS 15 TO 20 KNOTS BECOMING EAST IN THE AFTERNOON. SEAS 4 TO 6 FEET. INLAND WATERS CHOPPY. SCATTERED SHOWERS.
MONDAY NIGHT: SOUTHEAST WINDS 10 TO 15 KNOTS. SEAS 4 TO 6 FEET. INLAND WATERS A MODERATE CHOP.
March, is blowing away. And I've rescheduled both today (Sunday) and Monday's charters.
Will I be able to get Tuesday & Wednesday's clients out? I hope so.
Between yesterday and today (Sunday), it's almost hard to believe that this is the same planet, huh? Saturday, no wind, sunny, clear skies, and 80 degrees. By Sunday morning; cold, gale force winds, overcast and dreary.
I found it really funny while out fishing both Friday and Saturday, that all my buddies I ran into out on the river asked, "so.....you been catchin' them?" And my response was, "well considering this is the first day I've been out, that it hasn't been blowing a gale. I guess not!"
The average weekend fisherman, probably doesn't keep up with every detail of the weather that I do, surely out of "survival instinct". I also reminded these same guys that just last week (Easter week, Spring break week....etc) It was blowing just about every single day, besides last Saturday. And of course, I had no reservations for Saturday.
If you are new here, or just found these daily single sided conversations. You may not realize I'm what some friends have called a micro-manager. I think that's a bit overboard. I just call it, easily obsessed.
Like Float-rig fishing, my new obsession has lots of detail and technique, a lot of fine-tune-ability, and parts and pieces. And besides being completely new to me. Which has a lot to do with the excitement.......I am just dieing to get out and do it.
I'm talking about vertical jigging!! Call it butterfly jigging or free style jigging, or whatever. It's my newest quest. I just can't wait till the next flat calm day, so I can get offshore over a reef and jig my arms off, again. I experimented last Wednesday. While attempting to multi-task my butt off; helping friend Nick who was also a sea sick offshore rookie, work on learning my GPS, finding a reef or two to actually catch some fish, and of course run the boat, and then try out my new sea anchor for drift fishing.
As you may recall, I never had a bite that I knew about while jigging to my best ability. But then again, I'm not sure if I want someone on the other side of the boat bombing cut pieces of Boston Mackerel to the bottom while I'm working for that one aggresive fish on the reef that might hit my metal jig.
Since today was pretty crappy outside, I've spent the whole day doing research. But not yet found anyone say Yeah or Neah, on sharing the boat with stinky bait going over the side.
On the Shimano videos they say, "Leave the bait at home", and that leads me to believe three things. #1 - You'll never catch a fish on a jig if you have bait on the boat. Kinda like a Fly Fisherman taking his spinning rod and some live bait with him on a so-called Fly fishing trip. Or #2 - that bait on the bottom or drifting around will not help that aggressive fish eat a jig, instead. Or #3 - taking just your jig rods and tackle bag full or expensive jigs, hooks and leaders, at least makes you feel like, "this was all worth it" somehow.
Either way, I'm hooked and will succeed.
I always do!
I'm really looking forward to a Kingfish, Cuda, Spanish Mackerel or Bonita, more than a Snapper or Grouper. Because I think Pelagic species are naturally the first fish in which to "cut my jigging teeth" on.
It's been a long time since I've been excited about going offshore for anything. And if it wasn't for getting interested in the whole jig concept, I'd probably never have the want to go offshore ever. I've happily worked and played in the river and at the inlet now exclusively for many, many years. And never gave one minutes thought to going out there again. It's not that I'm bored....it's all about mastering a technique that probably doesn't catch a ton of fish, especially here on our Party Grounds (local reefs within 8-25 miles). This isn't Key West by no means. I'm reminded of that almost daily, 12 months a year. So the challenge is....what the challenge is......No changing that.
And as far as offshore chartering this summer? The jury's still out on that. We'll see. And if so, it'll be via this Captains discretion.
If you've got an offshore jiggin' story, or have found a trick or two while doing the butterfly jigging offshore of the First Coast and don't mind sharing, (as I do each day). Send me an e-mail.
I always enjoy hearing from Blog readers. I have found out over the years, there's alot of you out there. So we might as well, network a little.
And hopefully the next time ya'll see jig photos, it'll be one of my new jigs hanging out of a fishes mouth.
