Fish Catching Travel
A Great Day To Be Alive.
I had the best intentions to hit the bay today, but just did not make it. The first item of business was a haircut that I was ordered to get. I guess the leader of Team Nancy wasn’t wanting to spend a 5 day off stretch with a redneck. So after getting that done, I made it to the lake about 12:00.
The lake is still coming up. There is lots of floating grass, and when the rise combines with a stiff breeze, it made a couple of places unfishable. Other than that, you can tell in the back of the calm pockets and coves that the water is warming nicely. I decided it must be topwater time and it was.
The first nice one caught on a topwater.
This one came a little later.
So here is the scoop. The fish are getting ready to really bite, and pre-spawn is about to get in high gear if the weather stays like this. I caught at least one or two in the back of every cove I tried. The bigger coves were better, but I caught 6 out of one of those small, deep, timber filled coves on the right before the bridge.
The fish really prefer a topwater minnow bait made of balsa. The advantage to balsa is when you jerk it under, it flashes just right in clear water. So right now I am just twitching it in short jerks. The sound I am trying to make when it flips on top is that one you hear when shad splash. So lightly jerk it under, and let it float up. Polaroids are a mandatory. Of the dozen or so I caught on the topwater only a couple hit it on top. They were grabbing it right under the surface, so you had to be quick. And just about every place I fished I got at least a bite.
This was the best spinnerbait fish of the day.
But it wasn’t just topwater, the spinnerbait bite was good too. I probably caught a dozen on each bait. The wind was blowing pretty good so it just boiled down to throwing the spinnerbait on windy banks and points, and then switching to the topwater where it was calmer. I alternated all afternoon, and it was simply a matter of making a good decision as to which one to throw. And the most consistent bites are still coming on the points and in secondary points in the coves. But when you start catching them in the back which I did today you know it is time.
But the point is, the fish are biting. So in my perfect world we will get a nice warm day with little wind, and a nice drizzle. As soon as I see that condition for the next day I won’t sleep worth a crap. Looking back on last year, those were the big days. So if you see a day like that in future hitch it up and head to the lake.
But now to the title, “A great day to be alive.” One thing I knew would be a slam dunk today was the alligators. When we get a stretch like this, the real giants come out. They love to sit on calm sunny banks and warm themselves. So I decided to bring the real camera and do some shooting. And as you may have read here in the past, I have this weird thing about gators, I love them. And today they cooperated
This my friends is a brute. I was plenty far away and still could not get him in the zoom.
I know this guy, and where he lives, and have seen him often. There is a cove up lake that always has a big one in it, so I fished it next just to see if he was there. I went around a small point and one boiled off. I thought that was it when I went around the corner and there were 2 more. Not sure if it is mating season, but that was three big gators in one place.
This was the one who did not spook. He was another good one.
I saw a bunch of gators today. It was interesting how only one was small.
All day long the only thing I could hear in my head was, “Choot em Mz Lizebeth, Choot em.” And right before dark this guy showed. He was just about as big as the first one, and the picture will not due him justice, but he was a hoss.
Lets put it this way, if I get hung up on the bank right now in Coleto I will be real cautious.
So there was some good fishing and the gator viewing was top notch. It was just a great day to be alive and in the outdoors. There were lots of other thing happening, and I could not resist taking a few more pictures.
I have a feeling he was a juvenile.
They are one beautiful bird.
I, like most of you, fish for fun and not for sustenance. We love our sport, but some folks have to work at it. We do not have to fish to live, but this guy does.
He is a better fisherman than we will ever be. From Canada to the Everglades, we both love the same water.
Awesome!
And away he goes!
And all of this combined to make this a great day to be alive. The wildlife was on the move today. If I could have put the rod down a little more there would have been a few more pics. It was that kind of day. The fishing wasn’t fabulous, and I never did whack the big one, but it was steady and fun. The weather can not be beat. It was just a great day
So thanks for reading my stuff. I appreciate everyone who comes, and I love to share my days on the water with you. Fishing is my passion, but today reminded me that it is not always just about the fish. There is an awesome world out there and I am thankful for the time I get to spend in the great outdoors.
Good Luck and Tight Lines.
