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The week began with four trips on the books. The week played out with two trips run because of weather and folks with changing plans.
The week was to have begun on Sunday morning with my favorite fishing buddy, John Hitt. But, Mother Nature had other ideas. I went straight to the computer and checked the radar at 5:30, and didn't like what I saw. There were storms and cells of rain blowing up just offshore in the Gulf. We were right in the path of the oncoming weather, so I called John, and we agreed to wait and see how the weather played out. Well, it was a good call, as it wound up raining for a good part of the day.
Tuesday, after a day of cold wind, I was back on the water for my first trip with Lou Mitchell, who now lives in Naples, and his good friend Stephen Sneider, of St. Louis. I brought along a flyrod for Steve to try, but it was still pretty windy for flyfishing. We headed up the river to the ladyfish grounds to let Lou and Steve get familiar with the equipment, and catch a bunch of fish. Steve had no experience with spinning gear, but was willing to give it a whirl, and was soon casting well and catching fish. Within 15 minutes or so, they were both catching fish on nearly every cast. They had a big time with the ladies, and caught a nice trout, as well. Eventually, we decided it was time to move out to the Sound and try to catch a limit of trout.
As I began to clean the ladyfish blood and poop off the Talon deck, I got a big surprise. Lou went to make a cast, but forgot to look behind him, and buried a 3/8 oz. Cotee jig in the middle of my chin! It happened so fast that even though it was buried clear to the lure, it hurt very little. Actually, at first I thought I was just tangled up in his line, because the lure was below my line of sight. I couldn't see it, so I knew I wouldn't be able to try to remove it, and Lou and Steve weren't about to, either.
Poor Lou! He was so embarrassed. He beat himself up unmercifully, even though I tried repeatedly to assure him that it was OK, and that I was all right. He just kept saying that he couldn't believe what he had done. He and Steve wanted to take me to the emergency room to have the lure removed, but I wouldn't hear of it. I didn't want to ruin their trip, and assured Lou that I would be fine. We headed up into the Sound, confident that Lou had the biggest catch of the day.
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With the water temperature once again near 60 degrees, the trout bite wasn't a fast one, but we did catch plenty of nice trout, and a limit of keepers for Lou and Steve. All were caught on Bass Assassin jigs matching the color of the water as closely as possible.
By the time we'd caught our limit the lure in my chin was beginning to be bothersome and the tide was about done, so we headed in. I wanted to make sure I had time to clean fish, clean the boat, and get myself clean before going to see my doctor. At the ramp, Lou cleaned the fish while I cleaned the Talon, so that I could get on my way sooner.
Wednesday, I gave my chin a rest and took the Maverick to Boatmaster Trailers to have her fitted for a nice used Boatmaster trailer. John and the boys had done all the changes for the Maverick, and were ready to put her on it and do the finishing touches. The trailer is a major improvement, especially for me. It is a float off, drive on, originally built for a 20 ft. Action Craft, so it's a bit more trailer than the Maverick needs. But, the benefit is that it is longer and keeps my vehicle farther away from the salt water. It will also back easier than a very short wheelbase trailer.
Thursday, I had my first of several trips with Bill Odell, who is in the process of retiring here from New York. I knew from talking to Bill on numerous occasions he was a nice guy, and that we would have fun together. But, once I met Bill at the ramp, I knew it would be better than that. He was so excited about getting out and learning about our waters, he was like a kid with a new toy. I really got a kick out of his excitement.
This was to be primarily a learning trip, and the -1.0 tide was perfect for that. You rarely see the water much lower than it was on this day. We began by going up the river to catch ladyfish. Bill was really glad to see that there was such a tremendous fishery just around the corner from where he currently lives in Cape Coral. Bill, a good angler and a quick study, quickly got the "knack" for catching the ladies. He had a blast with them for a couple of hours. In fact, Bill said that just knowing where he could always catch those fish for his friends and family was worth the cost of the trip.
But, there was much to do and teach, so we headed up into the Sound. There was still no water, so we began by showing him Long Cut. The tide was so low that the fish hadn't even staged there, yet. For the first time since I've been fishing there, we caught no trout. We moved on. I showed him places to catch flounder, grouper, and did some looking for redfish. As the water began to move in the Sound, I introduced Bill to pothole fishing, and showed him the secrets to choosing good potholes. The water was really cold, and the bite very slow, yet we managed to catch some trout, and got a limit for Bill. We had some fun with the "knack" theory, as Bill challenged me to catch fish on the jig he was using and not catching with. I did, to his chagrin. There definitely is a knack to jig fishing, and the knack can change from fish species to water temperature changes, to weather conditions.
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It was fun for me to watch Bill falling in love with Pine Island Sound, and the fishing prospects that abound here for him. He also absolutely fell in love with the Talon, and with good reason. He quickly realized that his Grady White, although a wonderful boat, is not the tool for the job, here. I expect I'll be introducing him to the great folks at Talon once he gets settled here.
Another important item for Bill was the location of the Waterfront Restaurant that he has read about on my site so many times. So, we finished the day with a stop there for a great lunch, and Bill was not disappointed.
Bill and I are fishing together again on February 10. I hope the weather warms considerably between now and then, and makes shiner fishing a viable option. I want to teach Bill about this, our mainstay for most of the year. He also wants to learn how to throw the castnet, which I will teach him.
I popped the cable snuggling the Talon up on the trailer at the ramp that afternoon, so Friday it was back to Boatmaster for some quick repairs. Kevin installed a new, heavier cable on the winch, a new set of chains, and a new bow strap. Folks, if you don't have a Boatmaster under your boat, you're missing out. They're not only the finest trailers made in this part of the country, but the finest folks to deal with.
Well, that's it for the week. It continues to be cold and windy, well for us! But, there is a warming trend due to begin on Sunday, and rain later in the week. Weather is always an issue, and always claims plenty of trips this time of year. We'll have to see how the week unfolds.
If you want to be able to continue to fish Florida waters please follow this link, "Manatee Zones: How You Can Help" and please take the time to become involved, even if you don't live in Florida. Let the politicians know WHY you come to Florida on vacation!
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