I didn't have to move around much today. I never left Walton Proper (area of intersection of Walton and Indian River). I spent the first hour in the same spot - not even moving once!! Yes, I caught 40 trout today! Most of them were dinks, not even slot size but it was still fun- except for the last one- it took almost 30 minutes to catch the last trout and even then it was on my last cast!!! I took a total of 19 pics, and of those, a dozen came out.
Fishing Report Walton Rd. 6:15am 7-22-15 Fairly low tide, outgoing. Just before sunrise, water clear and warm, 75, with gentle breeze out of the West. Lots of bait in the area, glass minnows and mullet. Using 1/8 oz Cal jig yellow with white 4" (and shorter) paddletail. [After 5 or 6 fish the head of the plastic paddletail would start tearing so I'd pull it off and then have a 3" paddletail- I did that twice.]
I went to the shallow sandbar area and stopped. There's not really a sandbar there now, it's been washed out- plus there are weeds on it. About the third cast I hooked a trout, it jumped completely out of the water and threw the hook- oh well. Not a good start.
There were small glass minnows flipping around everywhere. Small schools of mullet were passing by and occasionally a trout or snook would come crashing on the top. I cast to the South shallow and wham! a small snook grabbed my jig and skied in the air. I grabbed my camera and got a shot but it was hard to see the fish:
Two casts later I got a hit, miss, then another hit, miss and on the third hit, I lifted a trout up and it splashed on the surface to me. It was small, about 12", in fact all the trout I caught (23) in my first spot were smaller than slot sized (except maybe one)- but they were still fun. I caught another small trout and then, when I hooked my third trout I took a pic:
I caught two more small trout before a nice small snook slammed my lure and leaped in the air:
The snook pulled drag twice even though he was just around 3 lbs. I went back to catching trout-- no matter what direction I was casting I'd get a strike every other cast. The trout were on a feeding frenzy eating glass minnows, but unfortunately they were all small but one. I caught twenty-three trout in my first spot and only one keeper (which I also threw back!!!). I lost at least 10 fish that I didn't count. I also caught two small snook. The sun started rising in the sky and I moved toward my next spot to the South.
The wind had picked up a bit blowing out of the West. I wasn't getting bit deep and continued to throw shallow too. I cast toward the last pier and wham!!! fish on!!! It only took one giant leap to know what it was- a ladyfish and she(?) kept on jumping until I wheeled her around to me and unhooked her:
She ain't no lady (click pic to enlarge) she's a fish!!!
I kept moving South, finally I started casting deep to my spot and nothing- not a bite. Where were they? I saw some glass minnows in shallow- I cast past them- wham- trout on!! This was no dink and I pulled him in and unhooked it- 16", a slot at last. I cast back again and wham!! trout on!! I reeled it almost to me, trout off- then trout on!! Another trout was following it in and grabbed the lure right in front of me!!! I took a pic:
My 25th trout- a small slot (click pic to enlarge)
There was a school of trout feeding on these minnows and they were mostly all slots. I'd get a hit or even two on every cast!!! I caught two more, one only 10 feet away. Finally, I caught my biggest of the day:
My biggest trout, 18"
Soon I was over 30 trout and still in my second spot. I need one of those hand counters!!! I was missing quite a few fish too. The trout were hitting it but not getting hooked. When the bite slowed I started lifting the jig to the top and letting it sink- it worked!! I got another one:
The bait moved and the bite stopped. I tried fishing deeper- nothing!! I went back shallow to the North- trout on!!! I caught three more shallow. Here's another pic of the biggest:
My 37th trout, small slot- thrashing
The bite was slowing, it was after 9:00. I caught two small trout and figured I need one more for 40. So I would catch one more and go home. I cast shallow, I cast deep, I cast North, I cast South, I moved around --nothing!!!! After 20 minutes-not even a bite!!!!
I started to wade North then stopped and thought, "I'll just go in, 39 is still good." I started to go in, I got to the sandbar where I started, it was just 2 1/2 feet deep now, the tide was getting low. I cast one last cast over my shoulder and trolled along with it- fish on!!! It was the 40th trout- what a miracle!!! I reached for my camera as I pulled it near me. I lifted my camera and . . . it flipped off! I am going to count that one- haha.
I was tired, it was nearly 9:40am and getting hot.
My totals: 40 trout, 2 snook and 1 ladyfish (that was no lady!!) A great day on the water!!!
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