Wednesday, May 30, 2007

27 May 2007

Well I guess everyone has those days, every now and then, that just don't start off well. Today was my day.

I woke to the home telephone ringing at 0615; about 15 min after I was supposed to meet my clients this morning. I answer the phone with, "I'm so sorry Ben, I'm on my way ". Thankfully, I prep the boat the night before each fishing trip. So off I go with a necessary stop at Grays Tackle for shrimp ahead of me. I arrive at Grays to find them sold out! On to the ramp!! No real issues at the ramp, except a flurry of apologies from me and wise-cracks from my clients Ben, Jim, James and Phil. I fished with Ben and Jim before (a very successful January trip with White Trout, Redfish, and Black Drum) but it was my first time meeting James and Phil.


We were headed to the Pass in search of Redfish. Using the same techniques that have been working so well the past few weeks, it wasn't long before rods began to bend. A hand-full of catfish caught and Ben hooks our first Red of the day; this 28" fish that we released.










Over the course of our drifts we hooked into some huge fish! James hooked one that tore line off the reel, and just as suddenly as it began, the fish spit the bait. James' hook point had gotten back into the bait, rendering the hook useless. Ben, again, managed to boat a legal (26 3/4") Red that went into the live well for dinner.





Late in the morning we were paid a visit by another of our ocean dwelling friends, the Green Sea Turtle. The turtle hung around our fishing area for a few minutes, resting on the surface and getting a few breaths of fresh air, before diving again. These turtles are always a welcome sight, a creature at home in the endless open ocean, returning to the beach to breed and continue it's species.






We retruned to the pier around 1200, cleaned our fish and discussed our favorite recipes for Redfish. We all shook hands and, amid another round of wise-cracks about who'd be late next time, said good-bye; vowing to fish together again as soon as their vacation time (and wives) allowed.

Tuesday, May 22, 2007

19 May 2007 P.M.

After a quick bite to eat and a rinse of the boat I met David, Suzy, Heidi, and Kevin at 1330. As we made our way down the Intracoastal Waterway towards Pensacola Pass we encountered the Dragon Boat Races, taking place at a near-by marina. It was cool to see all the people on this rather small canoe, one drummer on the bow hammering out a cadence for the oarsmen to follow. We all enjoyed seeing them rowing for all they were worth, working in unison for a common goal. We slowly motored past until all was clear, put the fuel to her and made our way to the fish!














As I slowed down in the pass Heidi said that the ride itself was worth the price of admission ...boy was she in for a big surprise!!! It only took me a few minutes and I was back on the fish without a minute to spare. The rising tide was almost finished; I knew that when the tide stopped, the fish would too. Five minutes into the first drift and ...FISH ON!





Following a short fight, in the boat comes a nice size catfish. Then another, then Suzy's rod doubles over and I smile, "That's no catfish." Suzy had her hands full, but it wasn't anything she couldn't handle and, showing great technique she was able to subdue our first Redfish. This fish ws the perfect slot size fish at 26 7/8" and into the box he went.














I repositioned the boat several more times, always with a different outcome. Once it's Redfish, then it's Catfish, or Bluefish ... or bottom. David put's the next Red in the boat, but this one is slightly larger than slot size at 15lbs.











A dozen or so drifts and about as much fun as possible in an afternoon later, the tide finally slowed. It's relentless rampage into the bay was over for the day. The bites dwindle as our time expired; finishing with a total of three Redfish and countless Catfish and Bluefish. Off we were for another breathtaking boat ride through scenic Big Lagoon. We returned to the pier, cleaned our fish and parted ways with big smiles and hearty handshakes, vowing to get together again for another memorable day at sea.

Monday, May 21, 2007

19 May 2007 A.M.

There's nothing I like more than to take kids fishing. Getting a kid on the water, watching their face light up as the boat gets up on plane, man it makes me smile just thinking about it. Today was one of those days...

Met Rocky, Clint, Matt , Randy, and Jake at 0600; for a morning of fishing we will all remember.


We started our day fishing the grass flats in Big Lagoon for the elusive Speckled (Spotted) Sea Trout. We found the Bluefish first, and after putting one in the boat and being cut off two other times, we got our Trout strike and our second; both on live shrimp under a cork. Unfortunately, we weren't able to make the most of those opportunities for Trout. However, the next stretch of water proved successful for Jake, with a Jr. trout for our Jr. fisherman.


The wind began to pick up, so we decided to head to the Pass and try our luck with the Redfish and Flounder. On the way we stopped so I could throw the cast-net for some Pinfish and Bull Minnows to use for bait. We arrive at the Pass at @ 0800, to a bunch of boats fishing the local inshore tournament. Keeping our distance from the tournament guys, we begin dropping shrimp and minnows to the bottom, on Carolina rigs. Within minutes we're hooked up with none other than the feline of the fish world.....the Catfish. Although they're not as good to eat as their freshwater cousins, it was a lot of fun catching them. After Jake weeded through a dozen or so cats we finally catch a target species, a nice Flounder.





Another short move and the catching really began. Drifting over some bottom structure gave us our first Redfish of the day , a fish that measured well over the 27" slot maximum. Here are Randy and his son Jake with the brute.









It wasn't long before we all began hooking into LARGE Redfish. Rocky and Jake double teamed one fish, and Matt finally was able to keep one on the hook long enough to get a pic with it. Shoot, even the Captain got to catch one!!!









The end of our time brought a tally of:
8 Redfish
1 Flounder
1 Speckled Trout
1 Scamp
6 or so Bluefish
More Catfish than I can remember



All in all this was a great time, shared with really good people, who know how to have a good time. I hope to get to share another day with these folks in the future

Monday, May 14, 2007

08 May 2007

Met Dad, Trafton, David, and Dr. Edwin Roberts at Johnsons Beach at 0530 to show Traft some surf-fishing. Today brought us 9 Pompano, 3 Whiting, 3 Blue Fish and a Redfish that got away right on the beach. It grabbed the only rod out with light wire hooks and after 5 min and Dad telling me to be careful with him the hook straightened with the fish feet from being caught. Oh well, not the first one I've lost, probably won't be the last. We fished until around 0900 then headed for breakfast. Again, another great morning of Panhandle fishing.

06 May 2007

After a long flight from Los Angeles, our friends Kristen and Trafton arrived with their two boys, Mason and Landon late yesterday afternoon. They're in town for the week, and Traf' s been dying to do some fishing. So I take him, a mere 12 hours after a 7 hour flight across two time zones, and at 0515 CDT he is ready to go. Obiously a man that can do without much sleep and fight off jet lag, just to go fishing. My kinda guy!!

We meet at my parents house, just a few doors down from where Trafton's staying. My dad, Donnie, son Cam, Trafton, his son Mason and I are in the truck, at the ramp and off within a half hour. Early morning Pompano are our target once again, followed by who-knows-what with this crew.

The boat is in position and the fishing begins, but the catching takes a little while. Soon enough the sun is up high enough that we can see better and we start seeing schools of Spanish Mackeral and Blue Runners swimming deep off the beach. We fire home-made jigs at them and they respond with bite after bite, screaming drag and laughing kids!!!! Mason elects to keep one fish to show his mommy when we get back.

A dark shadow appears in the darker water near the outer bar, Trafton's hoping it's the cobia he's looking for. Dad grabs the 20# outfit and throws a live Threadfin Herring at the marauding fish. Nearly as soon as the bait hits the water the fish erupts on it and Traft's on with a monster. The huge fish makes a spectacular leap, Traft and Dad only see the splash, and I don't have the heart to tell him yet that it's a Shark. He handles a fishing rod very well, but against a fish well over 125lbs, on tackle 1/5 the fishes size, it's going to take some time.


About an hour and fifteen minutes pass and the fish is finally boat-side. In the time we spent debating a photo op with this big Black Tip Shark, the fish managed to make one last ditch effort to get away, and succeeded. One quick lunge under the boat and the 20# finally gave out, and so did my angler.

The fight over we make our way back to pull our anchor and reposition. Along the way we find "Flipper", and usually, if you make enough commotion in the water, he'll come over to the boat to investigate. the boy's really enjoyed this encounter, with Mason asking if he could swim with them!! It took a few tries to talk him out of it and we continued to our destination.





















We scanned the beach for fish, only finding more sharks and stingrays we decide to wrap up around 1100. Dad had a hot date with the FISHIN' CHIX at 1400 for a surf-fishing outing on Pensacola Beach, and needed to go prepare. We all had a blast spending time fishing with the kids. The first trip of many for Trafton and his boys the week.


05 May 2007

Met up with my good friend, Byron, two of his daughters and two of their friends for an early morning pompano hunt. Left Shoreline Park 0630 headed for the beach. Sand Fleas in hand, we anchored off of Pensacola Beach and set our lines. The pompano bite was a little slow but we managed three nice fish, with only a few missed strikes.

One BIG hit really livened up the show. The fish made a short hard run, then immediately stopped, and wouldn't budge. Stingray! With nothing but 12lb line between us and the fish, our chances looked slim to actually land this guy. But with a little persuasion ( and a lot of pressure ) into the boat he came. Time for a short anatomy lesson of the ray, and a few quick pics, then back in the water he goes.






















We decide to move to another section of beach in search of better pompano prospects and encounter a huge pod of dolphins playing around at the beach, just like we do! Everyone enjoyed the company as the dolphins swam alongside the boat, splashing as they came up for air. Again we anchor and in no time another big bite.





And again the fish makes a short run and stops. This ray turned out to be three to four times bigger than the first one!! What a challenge on light tackle! Once we had our photo op we released the ray, pulled anchor, and returned to the ramp to tell our tales to the rest of Byrons family and friends.

Monday, May 7, 2007

29 April 2007

After a wonderful prime rib breakfast, my host, Tim Scribner, and I went for the COOLEST of sunday drives. The garage door opened to a 1929 Ford Model A, and with wide smiles Tim and I got inside, headed to "Uncle Oscars".
It's difficult to describe the feeling you get riding down winding country roads, wind on your face, and feet on warm steel floor boards. Seeing people tending garden stop to lean on their hoe or pitchfork and watch the nostalgic scene of the '29 driving by early on a sunday afternoon.












We arrived at uncle Oscars to find we forgot our wading shoes back at the house. Tom Sawyer , as Scrib puts it, we go. Shoeless in a creek isn't exactly the first place that comes to mind when I think about fishing, but that's where I found myself today. Tackle-O-The Day consisted of an ultra-light rod and reel spooled with 6# test tied directly to an inline spinner-bait. Slipping on rocks was a common occurance for me as Tim razed me for being a "Tenderfooted Floridian". I must point out that I NEVER fell into the creek, I came close multiple times but was always able to keep my tender feet under me. Smallmouth Bass were our target species for the day, although I was early for them again this year as I was last year.

















We managed to land 4 or 5 nice Red-Eyes and another handful of Creek Shad, but never a smallmouth did we see.

















The fishing really didn't matter to me, I would of been happy just laying under a tree next to the kind of cars around when my grand father was a young man. I wish I could express to you how that sunday drive affected me, how it made me reflect on everything I have, and how things have changed in the last 80 years. How my grandparents must have felt riding around in a car, just like this one, on a day as peaceful and serene as this, on some sunday afternoon.


28 April 2007

Took the weekend off and headed to Tennessee to see some friends. I got a call from my good friend, Eric "Catfish" Chappel about catching big cats on Wilson Lake 40 miles south of where we were in Columbia, TN. Eric and I met up around 1030 to begin the long ride to Wilson Lake, part of the chain of dammed lakes in the Tennessee River system.


After crossing the Alabama state line we stopped for drink, ice, and a 7
day freshwater fishing license for me. A few more miles and we cross Wheeler Dam,the up current side of Wilson Lake, pull up to the ramp and we're off, 1230. We made our way to the base of the dam, just out of the current of the Hydro-electric generators, and start catching 8"-12" Skipjack Shad... to use for BAIT!!!



This was a blast! Using a variety of spoons and jigs we manage to get enough bait (about 15 shad)in about 10 minutes. We immediately grabbed the bigger conventional rods, spooled with 30# line, a dropper rig, baited with a half shad and began to "bump bottom". Eric sets these in rod holders and hands me another conventional this time spooled with 20# and a smaller dropper rig for "eatin' size fish", as Eric puts it. Within minutes he's hooked up to a nice 4lb fish that he promptly puts in the cooler. A few more minutes pass and again Eric hooks up, but this is no eatin' size fish. He strains to pull the fish away from the huge boulders at the bottom of the dam ....and,unfortunately, loses the battle. I'm amazed when he tells me "That was an average fish at around 15-20 lbs.





But Eric catches them much bigger,like this one, up to and over 65-75lbs. 1645, After a couple of hours and 3 more nice eatin' size fish, we go for a tour of the lake. From one end of the lake to the other Eric took me pointing out favorite fishing spots of his for a variety of species like bass, bluegill and, of course, catfish. This is a beautiful lake with amazing homes, perched atop 30'-40' limestone cliffs, half hidden among the wooded shores. We saw Wilson Dam, the down current end of Wilson Lake, above Pickwick Lake, then back to the grind for us. 1830, Eric next took me to his most productive spot for BIG cats, best right at dark for a couple of hours. We spend some time looking for the perfect position to anchor over some rubble in 30 ft of water.



1900, Lines are set and the sun has almost finished it's daily race to the west, there's bait all around us, and we're both excited about the prospects that dusk will bring. Not long after the sun was hidden by the tree line the action started. The rod bends and the reel screams and I dash for it, trying to get the reel into gear before the fish find us out. I wind as fast as I can to get the circle hook to find solid jaw, and the line goes slack. I look to Eric for some guidance and he tells me I might have been a little late to the rod. Mere minutes pass and again the same rod bends and starts belching line this time Eric trys to show me how to do it and proceeds to.....and the line goes slack. I give him a big grin and asked what happened. "Something's wrong", he tells me, a big cat doesn't just drop a bait once he's committed to eating it. The answer, big Strippers. This continued for an hour or so until a rod bend...and stayed that way. "That's a catfish right there, no playing, just eating." I grabbed the rod and held on as the fish pulled drag like I didn't think a catfish could. A little more than 5 min later and Eric slides the net under my personal best catfish at 17.5lbs. The upper end of "eatin' size".





I was ecstatic, what a fish, and to think that at anytime it could be a fish that might break the Alabama state record of 111lbs, caught just upstream in Wheeler Reservoir. Eric and I spent another hour and a half trying to find the 40lb fish he wanted for me, it didn't happen that night. Maybe I'm glad it didn't, I can't think of a better reason to go again than that. We finally got everything loaded back up and were headed for home by 2245. It was an awesome experience I hope to get to do again someday soon.