Second day with Chris K. so we met early again and this time did no running around and stayed at the inlet. Just had to check the shrimp boats out and see who was behind them, this time.
With plenty of them dragging just off the North Jetty it was easy to go from boat to boat. So I pull up and the first thing I notice is that not many Dolphins are behind them eating breakfast. Which was unusual. But I pulled up and made a cast over their nets and let a cigar minnow sink.
No takers. Strange. Not really, because my rule of thumb is the more Dolphins the more Sharks. Don't ask me why. But that's a dead give away most of the time. So I kept trying. And had a few swiping type bites. Evidence that these were not the 100 pound Blacktip sharks, we were looking for.
So from behind the boats, we would just drift and have two baits out drifting two. It didn't take long before Chris was on a shark, this way. But immediately I could tell this wasn't a big Blacktip.
The "pull" wasn't the same as a 100 pounder, although it still was a good tug on the line.Chris had fun practicing on a the heavier tackle and long rods, that it takes to subdue any of these Sharks. The smaller Sharks which I don't really know what kind they were are still not for the light tackle. They have a mouthful of big teeth, are about 4-5' long, run faster than the larger Blacktips. But lack the true meanness, and occasional cork screwing leaps that we're looking for out of the large Sharks.
No heavy sweating today. It was dark, and rather gloomy looking this morning, and cool. Yes, "COOL" in mid July!!
Probably due to the 75 degree water temp rather than what we should have this time of year. Which should be 80-83 degree surface water temps. I can't count how many summers we've had the same thing happen. Summer in N.E. Florida has to be the most unpredictable, finicky time of year. With the lack of summer hot water, we don't have any Pogie schools (bait fish). Which seem to be a huge part of the overall habitat. 
If Hurricane "Bertha" maybe came closer to the coast, things maybe could have changed. I like it when these storms skirt us this time of year. The Ocean water seems to be rejuvenated afterwards.
Chris and I found the pattern on these Sharks and found that if we just drifted off the back of the shrimpers, with drifting baits. The Sharks were not up hugging the shrimp boats, like the big blacktips some commonly are.
We went for 5 or 6 hooked up with probably 10 bites overall. I even reeled on one, so to warm up the arm muscles early this morning. Chris learned that when dealing with large fish at boat side and with me doing the leadering and unhooking. It's imperative to stay in the fish fighting position, ready on the rod and reel until the hook is either cut or free of the fish completely.
All sharks are fast and pure muscle, and no matter how small or large can do unpredictable things at boat side. 
Afterwards, we went to the inlet and worked a "hunch" I had. Duplicating a situation I had exactly this time last year. We fished the same tide, same place looking for a certain fish species.
Which will remain, "un-named" because I do not care to announce it if my "hunch" was right, till they are in the fish box.
But again, this isn't the same as last year. And as hard as we tried couldn't even get a bite. We couldn't even give a live shrimp away along the jetty rocks, as a matter of fact.
So I know not to go there, that's for sure. Looks like I'll have to continue the pattern of running far up down river to find Float-rigging action. As I have for year and years before. The inlet seems to kick back off in late September in my opinion. But then again, every year is different. But always looking for a late summer day like this one pictured blow is the goal, from now on.
