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Snook fishing on the outside was pretty much out of the question all week because of onshore winds that have our weather in a reversed pattern. That usually means storms building along the shore and moving inland in the early hours, and the wind kicks the gulf along the beaches so that it's very uncomfortable to try to fish in the surf from a boat. So, my three trips this week were run in the Sound. Our tides were nice and high, but very slow moving because they began from a high point in the first place. Not good for fishing!
The first trip on Wednesday was with John Wojdak, of Estero, Florida, and his friends Queet Harris and Gerrard Ripo. This was a teaching trip for the boys, and the emphasis was not on catching. They were eager to learn.
We began with bait at Picnic Island, which included lots of varied sizes of pinfish, lots of small shiners, and a few big ones for good luck. I began the teaching with snook as the subject. I took them to a classic snook spot, and explained to them what exactly makes a good snook hole using verbal and visual aides. We didn't fish the spot because the water was not moving, and I knew it would be a basic waste of time.
We moved on to another spot that was perfect for illustrating a classic hole in which to find both snook and redfish. Here we wet our first lines, as I showed the boys how I chum and present baits to redfish. Fortunately, there were a few fish that were interested in eating, and they boys caught 4 or 5 there, and put their limit in the well. They seemed somewhat amazed at my methods, and noted that they would have been sitting where I was presenting the baits, left to their own devices.
With a few fish in the well, we headed off to other places, teaching about each one, and showing them the fish were actually there. On several spots I eased up to the target area on the trolling motor so that the boys could see that there were not only fish there, but plenty of fish there. They saw lots of snook and redfish.
Eventually, we stopped at another spot that we actually fished, and caught a few more redfish. John, Queet, and Gerrard were not only great students, but a lot of fun to be in the boat with. We all had a great time looking, learning, and catching. In fact, one of the guys said as we were on the way home they thought they were coming to Fishing 202, thinking they already knew a lot about fishing. But, they had realized early on they were in Fishing 101, and had a lot to learn! I had thrown a lot at them, including a very important casting clinic, and they all agreed they had learned a lot, and the trip had been just what they had wanted.
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Thursday, I was out with two old friends Russ Hubbard and Jeff Stevens. Russ has been a faithful customer and good friend for many years, and introduced me to Jeff years ago. This was to be a fun, relaxing, no pressure day for all of us.
Again, we caught bait at Picnic, and were soon at our first stop. I had seen plenty of fish they day before with the boys, and knew where they were, for sure. Redfish are creatures of habit. So, naturally I wanted to fish some of the spots that I hadn't actually fished the day before. We caught four at the first stop, but the bite stopped. We moved on to the next spot where I expected to catch lots of fish, but they just weren't interested. We caught four more. At the next stop we missed a couple of fish, and saw lots of them, but it was getting later in the morning, and they just weren't interested. At the last spot we caught a couple more reds, as I recall, and then called it a day.
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We'd had a good time, caught a few fish, and now our breeze had died down and we were getting seriously hot, and ready for some refreshment. We headed to the Waterfront Restaurant where the food is always wonderful and plentiful. The perfect way to end any day on the water.
Friday's trip was one I looked forward to with great anticipation. My customers were Larry and Betsy Haas, of Hayes, Virginia. I had referred them to my old buddy Mark Bess about five years ago, and they'd had a great time. I ran into them on the water one day when John Hitt and I were out in the Maverick a few years ago, and was shocked that they recognized me on a different boat than my own. We had a chance to talk for a while on the water.
Now, the first thing Betsy tells me is that Larry, a marine scientist, lives for my fishing reports and was very excited about finally fishing with me. Wow. That made me feel very good, but I was suddenly concerned that I might not live up to his expectations. Larry and Betsy were at the ramp early, so we were on our way to catch bait well before six o'clock. We got the usual mix of pinfish, shiners, and threadfins, but had to move once closer to the deeper water to get into the pinfish.
At the first stop it was easy to see that the water was not yet moving. Of course, even once it did it would be nearly imperceptible. Larry and Betsy told me that in the years they've been coming here, they had very little luck with redfish, and they were very interested in learning. So, this became a teaching trip of sorts, which I always enjoy.
At the first stop we did the chumming and fishing with cut bait thing. I still catch way more redfish that way than I do with live baits of any kind. Of course, I usually have a live bait swimming around out there, too, just in case. Larry managed four reds and Betsy one. She also let a couple of fish get away. Once things slowed, we moved on, and hit a couple more spots without any action. At the last stop we again got into some fish. In fact, when were first sneaked into the area on the trolling motor, we saw lots of nice reds scooting by the boat. It seemed odd that they were running by us instead of away from us.
Storms were developing to our east and west, and the breeze became variable, which complicates things. Every time the breeze shifts, if blows you off your spot, and you have to start over. We finally got into some more fish, and Betsy caught several, with Larry catching a couple as well. By now, the storm to our west was making lots of noise and throwing some pretty intimidating lightning, and it was time to scoot. Larry ended the day with a good hit, but the fish got away when he struck before he had caught up to the fish.
We beat feet to the Waterfront Restaurant, and I watched the lightning drawing closer as we sped along. I could hear thunder over the hum of the Yamaha 150 Saltwater. Once we arrived at the Waterfront, I could hear the thunder getting closer and closer. I went around to the west side of the restaurant and looked out the door and it was monsooning less than a mile away. But, we never got a drop there.
Back at the table with the Haas, we enjoyed a great meal and conversation. Larry told me that he had realized there are many intricacies to our fishing, and that if one detail was overlooked, it could mean failure instead of success. He's right. I was also relieved to learn that the trip had lived up to his expectations, and that we'll be seeing each other on future visits. He said they'd probably come in May, though, when the weather is great and is not suppressing the fishing.
It had been great to spend the day with Larry and Betsy. They were wonderful folks, and it was a very enjoyable day for me as well. It was the perfect way to end the week.
Next week we have mostly slowly outgoing tides during the morning (fishing) hours. Not tides I like to fish, but they are what they are. Hopefully, our weather will return to it's normal summer pattern, which will open up more fishing possibilities.
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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