FISH CATCHING TRAVEL
After looking at the tides and the weather for the week no day looked any better than any other so time to hit the bay. The lake is not going anywhere and it will be good to catch a few fish and make sure all the tackle and wading stuff is up to snuff for the Chandeleur trip. First up will be my favorite redfish bank, they may not be the smartest fish on the planet but they are right up there with their fighting prowess. Might actually keep one, they make a great smoked fish dip. So with no other plan than that I will be on the water at daylight. (As a side note sure do love this time of year when it does not get daylight until 7:00.)
Weather
63/91. Plenty of sunshine with a 1% chance of rain. Wind NE 5 – 8 mph.
Tides
High 2:57 am 0.85 ft.
Low 10:07 am 0.49 ft.
High 3:23 pm 1.04 ft.
Activity Times
Minor 7:26 am to 8:26 am. Major 1:33 pm to 3:33 pm.
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The Wade Right Fishing Belt and the new Madre Sling.
For all your wading needs.
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Dead calm. A early morning run does not get any better than this!
Kind of a Different Day
Words can not adequately describe how cool looking it was right before the sun came up. First up was my favorite redfish bank, and that is when it got unusual. Normally one, or more, nice ones will blow up on the topwater on that bank. But after I had fished half of it with one half hearted hit, I went right through a school of fish, which looked like nice reds. Dropped the power pole and picked up the Mansfield Magic Knockin Tail and tossed it out there, catching a smaller trout on my first cast. And that would define the day. It is a really unusual day at POC when I do not catch a keeper red but it was a good trout morning. As a side note did have a really nice trout blow up on the topwater mid morning which I probably should have caught.
First cast trout. Ended up keeping 3 for a fry and tossed the rest back.
As I whipped on them pretty good it finally dawned on me, the mullet run, along with other stuff, is on and that was the pattern. I have had that happen in the late fall when you just stay there as the bait comes by, and so do the fish. And as the bait came by tossing the Knockin Tail across them will get you bit. Basically the way it went on the first place.
After them finally tearing up the Mansfield Magic time to go to what has become my staple, the Purple Demon Limetreuse. I can count the number of days in the past when I fished anything resembling this color, but it has produced regularly, which is all I care about. They were not exactly slamming it today, most there when you lifted it up after hopping it as opposed to having a thump type bite. The 3/16 jig head was the preferred weight today.
After the initial run of a dozen or so it was more a couple here and a couple there.
The water color was crap in Big Bayou and even crappier in the Oil Cut. In the bigger drains as the tide slowly fell out this morning it was a wash out of dirty water, and those areas produced zip. Unfortunately when the tide ran out it was a slow unimpressive drop. It did not stimulate a good bite. They came off soft bottom, oyster bars, and deeper channels, so it was no real pattern other than rafts of bait. I was happy with trout numbers today and I lost a couple of nicer ones boat flipping. But once 3 for the fry were in the box it was no big deal and a lot easier on them. And there was a couple of other happenings that kept the morning interesting.
A nice flounder, it is time. Best of the day was this little grouper.
The flounder was on the Mansfield Magic, which has produced some of my best flounder, which was no big surprise as they will start showing up now that it is time. Plus the Mansfield Magic put the serious hurt on them last winter on the river and the bay, I can not wait for that to start. But the grouper was the catch of the day. It seems like every year or two I catch a little one, kind of surprising as this area is not a big nursery like you have in the Everglades. But it is always cool to add a new fish to the Knockin Tail total.
I give the morning an A. It has been a while since I fished POC, and will be there a whole lot more now. I was a little surprised at the amount of traffic but all outdoors is busier so welcome to a new day.
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Living with the Boss is a never ending travel adventure. She just confirmed the Alaska trip of a lifetime in June, which I am really looking forward to. As a part of that one, besides fishing for salmon, rainbows, and halibut, we are spending 3 days at a bear camp with biologists and photographers, which should be crazy.
Leave her alone for a minute and then there is more. We had an airline credit for a cancelation due to the covid that we had to use by the end of January so guess what? It is off to Panama. So much of what we have heard Panama is a cool place. As far as I am concerned the fact they drive on the “right” side and use US dollars is right down my travel alley. So the adventure continues.
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Tomorrow I have to act like a big boy and do some responsible stuff. But Friday it will be back to the lake at daylight to see if I can improve on that pattern. That spoon and Knockin Tail fishing is fun, and a little different. A pattern I remembered from fishing an oxbow off the Arkansas river. What made that a cool trip was jumping the levy to get back to the tied off jon boat on that remote lake. But that is another story. The fishing is definitely on the upstroke so time to get after it. And after talking to Tim of Wade Right today about the Chandeleur trip I am feeling it. So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.
Good Luck and Tight Lines
