Wanted to go early before it got too hot, woke up late around 7:30 had coffee and pie with my girlfriend and left to go fishing around 8:15. When I got to Walton/Indian River, I noticed someone was already out there. I went to Walton Scrub and brought my stringer- thought I might keep a few trout for dinner.
Fishing Report, 5-21-15; 8:40am, Walton Scrub; started out no wind, then a NE breeze then wind over 15mp- it was really blowing with 2 foot waves when I got off. Low tide getting ready to come in. Water clear to hazy.
I got on the water and it was dead low tide. The North Shallows (see last post for description) were dead - not enough water to fish. I went past the sandbar and fished deep with a plastic paddletail on 1/8 jighead (see photo below). The water was like glass- no current, no wind. UGGHH!!
I cast for a bit then went deep as possible- nothing --no bites, taps, strikes. I headed South fishing slowly and had no luck at all. About 35 minutes after starting I had a strike- and a good one- this fish (probably a Jack) smacked the lure but missed. Looks like one of those days!!!
The wind was starting to pick up there were a few ripples and it was blowing from the North. Then I cast deep and wham-- fish on-- this was no dink- my rod bent double and after pulling it in some-- it pulled drag!! "Not another 15 lb Jack," I thought. But it certainly wasn't that big and eventually it came in. "What was it?" I thought, staring into the water. The fish circled around and then I pulled her up- a 5 lb Jack. Woah!! What a fighter!!
I released the Jack and I crossed past the 4 white poles over on the sandbar. I was now getting close to the 3rd weedbed. The trout had been here the last 3 times- would they be here today? I hadn't even had a trout bite in 45 minutes. The tide was coming in now and the wind was picking up- "Perfect," I thought, "nothing worse than no wind."
I was out pretty far, maybe 80 yards from the 1st pier. I could almost reach the middle of 3rd weed bed and could fish the edge of it. I cast deep, got a tap but not enough to set the hook. The wind was at my back and I cast way out over the weed bed- tap- hook set- trout on! This was a nice trout, no dink and I thought about keeping it but decided not to. I didn't want to have just one fish to cook so I decided I'd wait and see if the fish were there.
Next cast- tap, hook set- miss, another tap, fish on. The trout came up and shook-- another nice one but smaller, about 15"- I let it go. Next cast, tap, and miss. Pulled in- got the tail of my bait. Re-baited, cast a little deeper, tap- pull, trout on. It shook it's head as I pulled it skating across the surface. "Smaller about 12" but they are here!!!"
I cast 60 yards with the wind, twitched rod tip fell pressure, trout on. This one was about 17" and I decided I'd keep a few and we'd have fresh trout tonight. I pulled the metal stringer out of my pocket and attached one end to my belt loop. With some difficulty I strung up the first fish but it managed to splash around and my reel slipped a little and went under the water. I pulled my reel up, unhooked the fish and dropped the stringer down- one trout on the stringer and a few more to go!! We could eat about 5 or 6 fish (since 4 of us live here).
They were still active and it seemed like almost every cast was a strike, a fish or a lost fish. I quickly put two more trout on the stringer, one I caught 10 feet away. It just went airborne a few times and splashed me good. Then I got a big one around 20 inches, it was heavy and after thinking a second -decided to let her go- I'd rather keep the medium small ones around 15". I caught two that were under 12" that I released, I think the legal limit is 15" to 20" with one over 20".
The action was getting slower but every 5-8 casts I'd still get a fish or a bite. I didn't move from that spot in over an hour!!! I caught 14 trout today and the 2 biggest were released as well as the two smallest. I caught three before I started to keep them. I didn't count them but I had caught 200 trout this year before I kept these- and I guess I could have kept 60 -70 by now. I just kept enough to eat for one meal.
When I left to go in they were still biting. I went back quickly- the wind was blowing at least 15mph, now from the SE and the waves were breaking. I got one more bite, it missed, and I got off the water.
My totals: 14 trout (lost about 3 that I had on) and 1 big 5lb jack. A great day on the water!!!
5-21-25, 6:20pm Report 2- Walton, very wind 20mph from SE. Water muddy, almost low tide.
My neighbor got me to go with him and we left around 6:00pm and were on the water around 6:30pm. The wind was blowing hard. We put in at Walton Scrub. There was a guy fishing there so we went around him to the South. We fished on the other side of the sandbar- the tide was very low and still going out.
I got a couple strikes and missed the fish, one was a trout that struck when I pulled the paddletail out. My neighbor followed me and caught a small snook, shallow. I was out about 10 yards deeper. We went past the 4 white poles to the edge of the 3rd weedbed. I was 0-5, missed all five strikes so far. I got a trout bite and missed it (0-6) then hooked a decent Jack, he splashed me good and I released him. A big school of jack were chasing bait near me- I cast in and hooked one (I guess a Jack) but it came off. I caught another nice Jack and released it.
My neighbor caught a trout. I had been catching trout there all week. This was the first trout he'd caught in the last month- it was a nice one too (troutless no more). I caught a good trout and lost a trout on the surface. I cast into some feeding jacks (probably 50 fish in a feeding frenzy!!) and caught another Jack.
It was getting dark- still very windy, we cast on the way back. I caught a big ladyfish, that leaped 4 or 5 times. I lost a fish deep that I had on--not sure what it was. We go off the water with the setting sun.
Totals: 1 snook, 3 jack, 2 trout and 1 ladyfish, in 80 minutes
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