Bet you goin' fishin' all the time,
Mama's goin' fishing too.
Bet you life, your sweet wife,
I'll catch more fish than you.
Many fish bite if you got good bait,
Here's a little tip that I'd like to relate,
I'm a-goin' fishin' , you're a-goin' fishin',
My baby's goin' fishin' too. [Fishin' Blues adapted from Henry "Ragtime" Thomas]
Some days you get the blues, and today I definitely did- 2 of them. The first was around 4 pounds and the second between 2 and 3. And that's not all- the big trout were back and one of them was bigger than the blues.
Today was a great 40 minutes of fishing action (out of 3 hours on the water) and it almost didn't happen. A guy was fishing shallow by the last pier. I kept coming closer to him until I got to my spot on the 5th weed-bed. I cast a couple times and was going to fish the last pier- but he immediately went and fished the pier. Next cast I caught a 18" trout. That started a string of bites and of fish. The guy didn't catch a fish off the pier and after watching me catch 4 fish, he headed quickly off the water!!!
Fishing Report: Walton Scrub, 5-26-15, 6:45am Almost high tide, high slack, then outgoing. Water clear. Wind soft from South, no wind then blowing from Southeast, eventually at 10mph. Fishing Cal jig 1/4 oz then Zara Spook, then 1/8 CAL jig with paddletails.
The tide was almost high. There was no wind and patches of dead vegetation and grass dotted the water. I went out and fished quickly to the 3rd weed-bed. There wasn't enough current or wind to have good fishing. I cast shallow and hooked a nice trout. I got a picture of him splashing, and when I got him in, (took another pic but missed - got a pic of my thumb instead!!!) he flipped off:
First trout about 17"- where is it!!!
Then I cast deep and wham!!! hard strike, fish on. It was a ladyfish and she leaped in the air twice then swam right at me. This was a big lady fish (3 lbs):
By the time I took one pic and released her, she was tired and slowly swam away. I was relieved that I caught anything, since the water was so dead. I head to my spot on the third weed-bed, nothing. I tied on a Zara Spook and cast my way to the 5th weed-bed, nothing. I decided to put on a lighter jig since it wasn't windy- I switched to 1/8 oz jig with white-glow DOA paddletail.
I kept going to my spot and saw a guy fishing out past the sandbar off the last pier. He was pulling a bucket and probably using live shrimp, not sure tho. I figured I'd go shallow and fish the pier. He saw me move up and then he went and fished the pier!!!
As soon as he got to the pier, I caught my second trout, a small slot:
2nd trout (if you squint it will seem in focus :)
The guy at the pier heard the splash and turned to watch me release the trout. Then I cast back, tap, wham!! fish on. This was a very nice trout almost 20" and I missed the pic of it- sorry. The tide had finally changed and the water was moving. The guy fishing the pier had stopped and turned to me, I had to unhook it and released it quickly. On the very next cast I hooked another trout, this was the biggest of the day, a whopping 24" (I measure against my fishing rod) but the only pic I got was this:
My largest trout of the day! (hard to see)
I couldn't resist, so I lifted it up to show the guy. He didn't say anything and cast under the pier. My fourth trout hit only two casts later, the only small trout of the day. It flipped off near me. I looked up-- the guy fishing by the pier was leaving the water!!!
There was a little area of ripples just South of me and I was casting in the wind. Suddenly wham!! monster trout I thought!! Then a bluefish leaded completely out of the water!! Woah!! He pulled drag twice and went around the shallow side and I got a pic:
About 4 lb bluefish ( I got the blues but I'm too mean to die!!!)
I was stoked- my first bluefish in months. I cast back again and got a strike- missed the fish, but what a strike. Then I cast East and wham, bluefish?? It jumped, no a trout!
Big trout !! (squint to get in focus :) my fifth
I cast as far South as I could, strike. I missed then another strike, fish on! It was another bluefish, smaller but still pulling drag. I got it in and got soaked. I released it and wished I'd brought my stringer:
2nd bluefish (Got the blues and too mean to cry!!)
That was the end of that paddletail and I put a fresh one on. Cast out, tap, hard strike, hook-set, fish on. another blue?? No it was a big trout. It pulled drag, I wheeled it to me and took a close-up:
22" trout, smile pretty thing! (click pic to enlarge)
I now had 7 trout and it didn't take more than 3 casts to get the eighth:
I noticed a boat behind me - a bit further from the shore. He saw me catch and release the fish and went 100 yards by me, stopped, put out his trolling motor and started fishing. If I went further South I'd cast in his boat. The guy in the back was sitting and using live bait while the guy in front threw lures. I moved further South and immediately caught another trout!!
The guy in the back of the boat pointed as I quickly released the slot-sized trout. Soon I realized they were fishing North coming right at me. Soon I could cast in their boat. The guy hit his trolling motor and they went in shallower but still near me. Even tho they were casting shallow- it was crazy.
I cast toward the boat, another nice trout smacked my paddletail, I wheeled him toward me and took a pic.
My ninth trout
They kept slowly coming closer and I cast out toward them. Several cast later I got my 10th trout. This one they saw and the guy running the trolling motor stopped and watched.
"Catching some trout?" he called out.
"Yep, I've caught some," I replied. They hadn't caught any since I'd been there.
'"We caught 25 down on that pier this morning," he said. "On topwater."
"Where?" I said.
"Down where that pontoon boat is," he said, "on top water. This morning around dawn. There's an old sunken boat there."
"Seems kinda shallow," I said. I'd been fishing there at dawn and they weren't there!!!
" Oh they come up and get it," he said. "They love Rappalas. You oughta go down there, they might still be there."
I knew there were no trout near that pier now. The water was only 20" deep there now and not much deeper at high tide. I knew he was lying. They went around me and pulled up and rode off to the east side. I caught one last trout:
My 11th trout and last- about 16"
Then I headed in- it was getting hot. I stopped and looked at the pontoon boat- it was sitting on 12" water. There was no way all those trout went in that shallow around that pier!!!!
My totals: 11 trout with 2 over 20" and 3 near 20" only one small trout. Plus 2 bluefish and 1 ladyfish. Another fun day on the water!!
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