Hi,
I'm back. Not permanently but at least occasionally. I've been stuccoing my house. Anyone that thinks it's easy well. . . think again. To stucco or not to stucco-- that is the question. Whether 'tis nobler to suffer the slings and arrows of endless 80 lb. bags of concrete. . .
My friend is helping me (I'm really helping him :)--we're not done yet but for now let's talk snook, lots of snook, jumping, cavorting, splashing vertically, horizontally and every which way!!! Snook, snook snook!!!
Fishing Report 9-26-15 4:50 pm Walton Scrub, low tide to incoming tide, warm water. Windy out of North east, water choppy and fairly clear. Using 1/8 oz. jig with plastic DOA baits.
It's been almost 7 weeks since I've been in the lagoon (I did go out for about an hour 2 days ago before it got dark- that's when I found the water was so deep I couldn't make it to the sandbar!!). So why seven weeks? I got another infection, then got cut up working on the house and decided not to wade with cuts. I fished the ocean, caught snook then ladyfish, then jack and bluefish, and even went shark fishing with Al but finally made it back to the lagoon to fish for awhile. Was it different- woah!! Nothing was the same. The water was two feet higher-- I was barely able to make it out to the sandbar- at low tide!!! What!! Everything had completely changed.
I went out and saw some bait (not a lot), mainly small silver mullet, I cast to the bait once but they were swimming north and I didn't follow. I should have. Instead I went out to the sandbar. I was fishing deep for trout, but nothing. A nice snook swirled at my jig- it missed. I headed South and noticed the weedbeds were slimy and deep. I guess all the rain had raised the water level and the grass had suffered. I fished out from the first pier and caught a small jack that hit near me (no camera today- sorry).
I fished the pier and nothing. A guy came down with two poles, bobbers and live shrimp and fished off the pier- so I left. I went back deep- nothing. Then I went to the third pier and caught a small snook. It flipped off when I reached to release it. Perfect.
I went back deep, nothing. I noticed two guys fishing in the shallow water so I headed shallow to fish the 5th pier. When I say shallow it's not shallow anymore. It's 4 1/2 feet deep on the inside if the sandbar!!! And it's 2-3 feet deep near the shore!!! And... this is almost low tide!!
The two guys came closer. They were fishing live mullet -- casting them with a single hook. Then I saw a school of small mullet running close to the shore. This was a big school and about 40 yards long. The guy with the beard hooked a nice snook about 3 lbs by casting to the school. As I fished the pier the school was headed my way. Snook were busting through the mullet- leaping into the air. Sometimes two or three snook would be levitating at once-- crazy.
I made my first cast when the school of mullet came near the pier-- fish on!!! I pulled it up expecting a snook-- it was a big lizard fish-- only the third one I'd ever caught. I quickly released the 14" fish and started casting into the school. Wham!! a nice snook grabbed my jig and leaped into the air. I pulled it around to me and it headed for the pier- it wasn't big enough to make it-- I slowed it down. It turned and came to me. After I released the 3 lb snook I started chasing after the school of mullet which was headed North at about 5 mph. Snook were just leaping into the air left and right- bait was flying. The two guys were chasing them with me. The short guy hooked a nice snook and the bearded guy caught another one-- snookorama!!!
I went around the 4th short pier and it was dug out on one side-- over 6 feet deep!!! I was walking under water for three steps!!! Even though my waders filled up, the snook were on the prowl and I cast into a school and hooked another nice one. It was about 3 lbs too and I pulled it up and released it. So far none of the snook were slots (28"-34") but there were a few bigger ones bursting through.
I was ahead of the two guys casting mullet now and they fished a second smaller school. They had caught 4 snook now while I was with them. When I got to the third pier, snook were jumping everywhere and mullet were flying from the water trying to escape. I caught my fourth snook near the 3rd pier, another 3 lb fighter. I quickly released it and went under the pier, headed North. I lost a fish near the first pier when it jumped and went under that pier. The bait had spread out and was perpendicular to the shore. I hooked another nice snook and released it. My DOA paddle tail was torn up. I had pulled off the head and was already fishing with the tail. There was only 2" of tail left. Some bait was swimming around the sandbar and I cast to them and wham!! my biggest snook- about 4 lbs grabbed the bait and came to me. It jumped and I wheeled it around and it jumped again. Nice fish!! I reached down and lipped it. Almost a slot!!!
I was back to Walton Scrub and it was getting darkish- my waders were full of water so I went in and climbed up the bank. The mullet just kept heading north -- with snook after them.
My totals: 6 snook (all nice but no slots), 1 small jack, 1 lizard fish. Where are the trout?? Dunno, but it was great day on the water.
