Rounding South Jetty with the rest of the "live baiters" 7:45am
On the beach 15' of water, 48 other boats, two throws of the cast net (8 footer) and filled the bait well with live Pogies, 8:00am
EEEEEERRRRRRRrrrrrrrrrrt, STOP, what do I see?
NO SURF! That's right folks. ZERO SURF!
we drifted into 4 foot of water, and we weren't in danger of pitch-poling, flipping over, and meeting a very ugly demise.
there was NO SURF!
This is totally un-called for. The Atlantic Ocean never ever looks like that place on the other side of the state called the "Gulf of Mexico". It was sooooooo calm I could have beached the boat, got out, walked over to the nearest bikini girl, did a selfie with her, walked back and got in the boat and drove away!
OMG!
All I could think about was how nice it would have been to be casting a top water plug and pursuit of all those BIG Speckled Trout that live in the surf all summer long that no one but the Pier Trout Masters, get to catch, from their high and dry and comfortable perch! With all the Pogies around, there might have been some GATORS lurking.
With dreams of beach Trout danced in my head as I put the net away, we headed back towards the jetties, made what I call a long run up river. Where there wasn't a single breeze. The air was hot, humid and it was like fishing in the jungle. (Another reason I love fishing the jetties.....it's usually cooler than fishing in the river during the summer doldrums.)
The falling tide current was blasting as usual where we stopped. A ole Bull Red spot. And no one was around me. I liked that. 6 OUNCES, would barely hold a single little Pogie on the bottom in 33 feet of water. But I told my crew of Dave and Dane, that when that sinker lays like an old dog on the porch, the tide will be "go-time" for a Bull Redbass bite. aka: Large Jumbo Redfish for you non-Jax folks.
As usual we got knocked around by too many passing tug boats. Waked by "willy-inconsiderate weekender" who came way too close to us. And then it happened........
The tide slowed!
And "DOUBLE HEADERS" ensued!
28-29 pounds they all were. Then, the bite quit as soon as it started, and the current went damn near slack. (stereo-typical)
t was hot, the boat was a mess of "Male Redfish happiness", so we ran back to the jetties.
Ahhhhhhhhh.......the cool breeze, The non stagnant air. What a joy!
We tried a Flounder spot with the live Pogies we had, but there really was no incoming tide yet. So we pulled stakes and headed to the inside end of the North and South Jetty, dropping Pogies on a controlled drift.......NADA!
By then it was 12:30pm and my crew was tired, wore out and needing a nap since they drove down from Georgia very early this morning. So we headed back to the dock.
As I bid farewell till next time, I cleaned up around the boat put everything away and was thinking.....
"will I ever see the Atlantic Ocean surf line fish'able ever again?"
Will I ever be able to catch a summer time surf Trout? I know they are out there all summer long. It's the one way of Trout fishing we Atlantic Coasters don't get to enjoy.......like the Gulf Coasters do.
(If you don't know this, the Gulf of Mexico is like a giant pond. Many days slick calm, and fishing the beach without any 4-6' waves crashing is common place.)
Some day, some day. I too, when I grow up will be a Gulf Coaster.....Trout catcher......some day.
