Went fishing with my neighbor Jim. We didn't get started until from his house until 10:30am and then when we got to Walton, a storm cloud with some rain was going to be passing through. We had to wait. He went and got gas for his vehicle and we got back around 11:30 am. It was beautiful out, the cloud had passed and it looked like mostly blue skies. Jim said at one point we could get 30 trout but we revised that to 20 but we didn't get 20.
Fishing Report: Walton Scrub 5-30-15, 11:40am Low tide, outgoing water temp high 70s air temp 87, breeze from the East- SE. Fishing 1/8 jigs with DOA paddletails.
I'd just fished the out going tide so I knew what to expect. We went deep past the sandbar to the 2nd weed-bed. They were active here yesterday and today it was more of the same. The water was clear and the wind only about 6mph but it gusted at times to twice that.
I fished a little North and went fairly deep. On the 4th cast I felt some weight, hook-set, trout on. It came up and shook it's head and then I skated it across the water to me. It jumped before I could unhook it, a small slot, maybe 15". Jim got some taps and missed a fish or two. I connected several casts later as I worked back South- trout number 2 a small 12" fish.
Jim caught a nice slot-sized trout and a small one, that was 4 for us. I caught a bigger trout as we worked slightly South:
My 3rd trout, nearly 20" splashes the surface (Click to enlarge)
I was using my girlfriend Angelica's waterproof camera. I was having some difficulty using it and most the shots had an amazing likeness of my thumb in the upper right corner- which sometimes extended over the fish. I got a couple good shots- haha.
Jim hooked a small Jack and I got a pic:
(Click to enlarge)
I caught another slot trout in the 2nd weed-bed before we headed North, fishing our way to the 3rd weed-bed and the piers. There was nothing going on all the way up - just as the last week. It was "the dead zone" and except for a roving Jack or two seemed to be "troutless."
We passed the 4 white posts and got to the edge of the 3rd weed-bed. I was fishing deep and my second cast I felt a tap and the weight of the trout, hook-set, fish on!! It was a larger slot trout and I hurried it back in so not to lose it. She was well-hooked anyway and I had no problem. Jim caught a small trout and we both headed shallow to fish the white pier. It was already too shallow and approaching low tide. We cast around the pilings- nothing. We worked to the 3rd pier- nothing. It was back deep to the 3rd weed-bed.
The tide was out now and we had to go way out to get to 3 foot of water off the 3rd pier. I caught my 5th trout and Jim his 3rd with the first few casts. Jim was getting bit regularly and he said we should aim to get 30 trout. I said, "I dunno about that, we gotta get 10 first." Jim and I agreed that we would try and catch 20 trout today. It seemed doable since the trout were here and also back at the 2nd weed-bed which we would return to before we got off the water. Jim got another small trout and I got a pic:
Jim caught another trout, his 5th and we were out from the 1st pier now working North. I caught a nice large slot my 6th and Jim caught his 6th before we went back past the 4 white posts into "the dead zone."
We had caught 12 trout and 1 jack and we were going back to a good area to try and catch 6 more trout to make 20 trout total. I hooked an medium sized jack and pulled it in a released it. We saw several big fish chasing baitfish across the surface further North.
I cast out deep and wham- fish on!!! This was fairly big and my drag was loose and I couldn't even reel it in!! I tightened my drag and the fish came in and started winding around me- "Probably a Jack," I said. I wheeled it up and took a pic:
When I got it in, Jim grabbed it's tail and I took a better pic:
We made it back to the 2nd weed-bed and immediately Jim caught a small trout. "That's 13," he said. I cast deep and halfway in I got a terrific strike- trout on!!! This one was bigger, the best of the day and went around 20":
We worked out way North but the tide was now dead-low and nothing happened. It was clear we would not get 20 today.
I caught a nice Jack and tried to get another trout to reach number 15, while Jim headed off the water. I followed him a couple casts later. We were both tired, having fished almost 3 hours.
Our totals: 14 trout (7 each) and 4 jack (I caught three, and he one). If we had brought in half the trout we missed we would have easily reached 20, but today it was: not 20.
A great day on the water!!!
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