FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

Sliding over the side this morning with topwater and plastics in hand there was no way I would have guessed it would be 6 hours before I would be back in the boat.  Sometimes we stop on the right place and make good choices, and this morning it was all good.

Weather

92/72  20% chance of showers.  Wind  5 – 10 SSE.  (Wind did not blow until 10:00)

Tide

High   7:26 AM     1.1   7:10 AM     (It was up and running in and stabilized at noon.)
Low   9:16 PM     0.4

Solunar Times

Best Times    7:33A – 9:33A    7:59P – 9:59  Good Time  1:20A – 3:20A  (Hard to tell as they bit all morning.  The good time was later, probably around noon, when the water might have just started to move.)

I got to Froggie’s about 6:45 as it was just cracking daylight.  The water was up but looked good, and there was barely a breath of wind.  After my last trip it was time to take the bull by the horns and really fish serious, so the plan was the flats around Army Hole.  The run was great, sun peaking out, dead calm, love those mornings.  It just had that feel about it, they were going to bite, and boy did they.

A perfect morning!

Slowly idling to the bank it was hard to believe the mullet.  I mean thousands, 10’s of thousands, rafting down the bank as far as I could see.  There were fish busting them here and there.  So out I went in a foot of water and started tossing the topwater.  First up was a nice red.  It turned out to be 1 of 4, and it should have been more.

        One on the Knocker B, one on the paddle tail on a 1/32 jig head.

Wading where I could reach the bank, the water was way up in the grass, I alternated between the topwater and plastic, fishing the shallow stuff.  One problem today was there was so much activity, including lady fish, that they were just eating the paddle off the plastic.  I caught some on plastics, but the topwater was still working.  After having 5 or 6 plastics destroyed I made the decision to stay with the topwater, my first good choice.  I was catching small trout on both baits, some barely keepers, but I stuck with it.

You know it will be a good day when a free $7.00 Spook One Knocker floats right up to you.  It was new!

After working the bank I headed out to waist deep and fished the outside edge of the millions of mullet school streaming by, y second good choice.  They were hitting the Knocker B, but I was not getting the size I mwanted.  Then I made my third good choice after going off the bank, give the Chug Bug a go, and off it went.

          They were flat busting that white with a red head Chug Bug!

Initially I was walking the dog and then I tried one fast, and from then on it was game on.  The best retrieve was almost reeling it real fast throwing lots of water, then walking the dog, then stopping, chugging it, and they would suck it under.  I had a wad of them hit within 6 feet of me, and I could see some of them rolling on it.  Love those Cocoons!  I think the big noise got them coming, then slowing it down they could not stand it.

When I got home there were 42 pictures on the camera, it was that good.   The one on the right was the best one on plastic.

Since I had not been back to the boat I had no clue what time it was, but if I had to guess the good bite was around noon.  I was in waist deep and more on the outside of the mullet throwing to deep water.  It had the perfect amount of chop to help topwater fishing.  There is no way to guess how many trout I caught  today today, but it was a bunch and I missed way more than hooked up.  Finally I got around this big pot hole and there were some real ones there.

This was a big girl and she smoked it!  No way she was fitting in the picture.

I had 4 bites in that one pot hole on about 10 casts.  I caught 2 really good ones, one I  dropped while trying to get ready for a picture, the other above.  One pulled off and one exploded and missed.  They were right in front of me, and I would use that Chug Bug super fast and erratice and then slow it down, or stop it, and I could see them come for it.  There were some big fish in that pot hole.   It has been awhile since I hit a run like that, and it was exciting.

So I kept fishing for a while, caught a few more trout, and then the gremlin reared his head.  And of course that little thing had to intrude.  I talk and talk about doing the little things, and in this case how about re-tying?  Not me, why would I practice what I preach?  So I am working it along and I mean the toilet flushed.  It was definitely a big ass over red, and after catching all those trout I did not have a chance, and there goes my red/white Chug Bug.  So since I was close to the boat I headed back to see what time it was, and see if I had another Chug Bug.  I was astounded when it was 1:30.  I actually stayed in the water and had bites for over 6 hours, from the minute I jumped in until I quit.  Lots of little trout, some nice ones, and a couple of big ones.  Add 4 reds landed and a couple lost, it was a great morning.  So on that note I called it a day.

I do want to take a minute to plug the Wade Right wading harness by Coastal Fishing Gear.  I have used them for 3 years and it is so great to be able to easily carry 2 different rods and have that nice tackle box up and out of the water.  It made an important difference, I never had to go back to the boat.  So look them over, great stuff.

Your Wade Fishing Headquarters

So yes, I can fish the bay and catch a couple of trout.  Looking back on the last couple of years this is when it starts, and it goes all the way to the dead of winter.  It has been a slow summer for me, but it has been worth the wait.  Now it is time to start getting after them.  I think that Chug Bug has an action and noise they just don’t see or hear all that often.  It worked great in Florida, and that is what made me give it a go today.  Of course now I have to head to Academy and see what they have.

I will definitely be heading back again this week, it is to good not to.  And looking at the tides next week it could get ugly.  It might be one of those times when I stay down at POC a couple of nights so I can get 3 solid days of it, and I sure will not miss the drive.  It is nice to get up and be on the water in nothing flat.  So I feel a lot better about things.  I guess I am getting spoiled in my old age.  Being able to fish whenever you want is a good thing, and it can be a curse.  Makes it easier to say heck with it I will go tomorrow, but the good fishing is coming, and I intend to take real advantage of it.  Thanks for staying with me.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines