On the 26th I had Richard, Ryan & 10 year old Jude, aboard. We started in the river float rig fishing and caught some Jacks, and one keeper Trout.
Then on to the jetties we headed. The tide started to flood and the green water was getting just right. Ryan got his butt handed to him by a big Jack that caused all kinds of problems in which I do not have time enough to describe, but let me just say, "it was like Chinese yellow mustard.....not hot, it's just exciting".
Then Jude got seasick. It wasn't like it was sporty at the jetties, by no means. The tide was getting really right for some Redfish. We moved on into the river, but that didn't do it. So we went back and called it a day.
Then on the 27th I had Chris and Zach S. aboard. Just one look at this father and son team and I knew we would have a exciting day. Zach reminded me of myself at 14 years old. Pitching and flipping with the low pro bait casting reel like he was Bill Dance or Roland Martin. Yeah, me too...When I was a kid I used only bait casting equipment because that's what the "pros" used.
So I knew we were gonna catch some good fish today. Half of the hitch in light tackle inshore fishing is using the equipment and knowing how to handle your fish, big or small. When I go Golfing, I know what I'm in for. I just don't Golf enough. So it's O.J.T. - "on the job training". And I like Golf!!
We started in the river this morning catching about 10 Trout, boxing only 3-4, and a small Redbass. Most of the Trout were 14" males. But Chris and Zach also wanted to learn some techniques. And catching on to Float-rigging was easy for them.
The tide was a real screamer. And about everywhere I wanted to go the water was ripping eastward way to fast. So we headed eastward to the jetties.
Yesterday, after I dropped off Richard and his crew I went back out and caught a 26" Redbass, and a 16" Mangrove Snapper, and 4 Jacks, right where we were, when Jude got seasick.
I looked out into the ocean and the Pogies were everywhere, and the Tarpon were everywhere too.
I just couldn't stand it. I had to go for it. So I pulled anchor and went to the Pogie pods and cast a Pogie on a leader with a 2 oz. sinker into the pod. And no sooner the Pogie hit the bottom, and I was hooked up to a Tarpon. All I saw was the rear-end of the Tarpon flying through the air twice away from me as I held on. My leader was only a 25# piece of mono that was already rigged up on a light rod. And the Tarpon broke off after the second jump.
So this is what I wanted to try with Chris and Zach. But here in bazaaro world, where no single day is ever the same. Today the Pogies didn't come down the jetty rocks, and the Tarpon were no where around the same area of the jetty. Today we had a stiff breeze from the west. And that's all it may take to have everything 180 degrees from yesterday.
So today on the incoming tide, I had to go hunt up some Pogies, way down the beach, near the end of Hanna park. Severely scattered and most likely tossed on all day long. They were a pain to catch. I had to make at least 5 tosses of the cast net before we had enough to chum-fish with.
We headed back to the jetties and anchored up. I tossed out a chum bag, plus we cut dead Pogies and dropped them out the stern while fishing to big rods with dead Pogies on the bottom.
I saw one Tarpon the whole time. And yesterday I saw 100 Tarpon!!
We ended up catching two sharks. And one got tangled up in something on the bottom and I had to jiggle and jerk on the line for Chris because the fish wouldn't budge off the bottom. Never had this happen before, and probably may never have such a weird thing happen ever again. But the shark got loose, and we got it to the boat. (I was leadering the fish so I got no photos)
With no signs of Tarpon in our future I kept looking over at the jetty rocks and was seeing nice green water. So we packed up the chum fishing and went back to float-rigging.
No sooner did we get on the spot, and Chris hooks a good sized Redbass, that lays the wood to him and got him down in the jetties and broke him off. Then on his next drift he catches a small 18.5 inch Red. Then, came all the Mangrove Snappers.
And good sized ones up to 16". Now that's a Mangrove worth boxing!! 10 Mangroves later, from 12 to 16", a 25" Redbass, and a few more 17 inchers. We were about out of 10 dozen shrimp. The action on the high clean water was gang-busters. And the fish box was filling up.
So it was time to head in and clean the fish.
And feed my Egret buddy who comes and stands on my boat every day. Never have I seen a Egret as tame. And today we even had a rare Wood Stork come and get in on the free fish trimmings.
