It's a short report this week, with only two work days to talk about. But, the fishing was far better than in the previous week, and I also ran the first trip in the Talon since the fuel tank problem.

Sunday morning, I met John and Jeanne Shallow, down from Hermantown, Minnesota, for their first BarHopp'R trip. They had booked their trip way back in August right after hurricane Charlie came roaring through, and were among the first to participate in the Hurricane Fund (advance deposits). I knew from chatting with John on-line that he and Jeanne were super folks.

John was interested in learning as he was in fishing and catching, but I wanted to make sure we had enough action. So, we began by heading up into the Sound to some of my favorite potholes to chase trout while the tide was low. We got off to a slow start, as is often the case on those cold, overcast mornings. Seems like the fish need a bit of sun to begin to warm things up before they're interested in eating. But, it wasn't so long before we were on great trout action, and over a couple of hours of hopping from hole to hole, we put a limit of trout in the Maverick, and put back plenty more. They were all slot fish.

Once things began to slow there, we headed to another spot across the Sound where we were again in nice trout action as well as flounder, and added a couple of keeper flounder to the creel and turned a few back. The bait well was looking like a well stocked aquarium full of trout, flounder, and hand picked shrimp that I intended to use for redfishing on the next stop. I was just waiting on the tide to get right.

As the tide flooded the flats, we headed north in the Sound to an area that I generally don't fish this time of year. But, when I do fish it I usually am rewarded with snook and redfish in the same place. I knew the snook wouldn't be there in the cold water, but figured there should be some puppy drum, at least.

Once I was set up on the hole and ready to fish, I discovered that one or more of the big trout had conspired to knock the drain pipe out of the bait well, and although the pump had kept enough water on the fish to keep them healthy, all but about seven or eight of our shrimp had been sucked down the drain to freedom. If the reds were there, we would have to improvise and find an artificial they would eat.

I had John and Jeanne fishing the live shrimp impaled through the tail segment on a small Cotee jighead. I opted to toss a Johnson Silver Minnow 1/2 oz. spoon all around the area to see if I could scare up a red. John struck first blood with a redfish just under slot size, then another, and another. I stuck one on the spoon, as well. Jeanne lost several including a couple that certainly appeared to be keepers. I had given her lots of things to remember that day, and she was having trouble keeping the line tight while she was pumping and reeling. She still caught plenty of fish, though, and had a blast. We finished that spot and the day with around 10 redfish on, and I believe they landed 7.

All in all, it was a great day on the water, and John and Jeanne were as nice a folks as you'd ever want to meet. It was great to spend the day with them, and I look forward to their return. They'll be moving down in a few short years.

Thursday dawned with yet another cold front on our doorstep. The forecast was for the front to come through late in the afternoon. The conditions should be good for fishing ahead of the front. I had given the Talon a thorough cleaning and everything was back in it's place and ready to go. The patch on the fuel tank had been sitting for several days with no sign of even the slightest leak.

I was in the water and on the way to the Waterfront Restaurant to pick up Joe Fulton and his son, Joe. I had fished with son Joe and his uncle Bob in March of 2003, and they had caught lots of really nice snook. But, this was February, and the water is cold, and I warned Joe that snook would not be a viable option. Besides, his dad had suffered a stroke a year ago, and had a bit of loss of use on his left side, and had some bad legs, as well. I figured trout fishing would be the best thing.

Of course, it was very overcast and the sun was low in the early morning sky, and the potholes were nearly impossible to see. We fished a series of holes that are always full of big trout without so much as a bump. I knew the fish were there, but they were lockjawed. After working the holes over thoroughly, we moved to another series of potholes about half a mile away, and began again. The sun was trying to break through, and it seemed enough to turn the fish on. We began catching nice trout, although not the hogs I'm used to catching in those holes.

Although Joe Sr. had a tough time adjusting to the tackle at first, he did amazingly well, and before it was over he was casting well, and catching his own fish. He didn't need any help. While we were catching two to three dozen trout, I was keeping an eye on the northwestern sky, and it was becoming obvious that the front was going to arrive early. We headed across the Sound where I had planned to put the boys on more trout along with some flounder action, and then move on to redfish later in the tide.

The water was racing in with the aid of a good west wind, and with it was coming clouds of green slimy stuff that clogged our lines and lures as quickly as they got wet. We did manage to stick a flounder or two as I remember before the weather began to speak to us. It began to drizzle lightly, and I knew it wouldn't be too long before the front and more serious rain arrived. I asked Joe Sr. if he wanted to be both cold and wet, and he assured me it was time to head in. So, it was back to the Waterfront Restaurant for them, and back to Punta Rassa for me. It began to rain in earnest as I arrived, and I was soaking wet by the time I got the Talon trailers and cleaned up.

It was good to see Joe Jr. again, and to meet his dad. Joe and I will be fishing again next week, when he will be bringing along a cousin. He says he's very competitive, and it should be fun. It looks like one more slow week, and then both business and fishing should begin to heat up.

Tight Lines!

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