Life's a Beach IV Shark! Fishing Report 8-11-15

Da- dun- da- dun -da- dun- da- dun -da! dun! da!! dun!!

                                     My first shark!!!! A five foot spinner!!! (click pic to enlarge)

Went to Tiger Beach Access with Al and caught my first shark on a chunk of ladyfish. It put up a 15 minute battle before Al helped me beach it. Then I caught another spinner 30 minutes later. We didn't fish long.

Thanks Al!!!

My totals: 1 ladyfish and 2 spinner sharks-- a beautiful night on the water!!!

Life's a Beach III Brief Fishing Report 8-8-15

Hey,

Not much to report tonight. Went fishing with Jim and met Al and Ken at Herman's Beach access.

I caught two snook here's a pic of one:


      My 2nd snook--a nice slot (click pic to enlarge)

No big snook tonight but the weather was beautiful and the sunset divine. There was some bait around the shoreline. The tide was low- outgoing. I was lucky enough to catch two snook, the second pulled drag several times. I got two other strikes, one took the tail off my paddletail. No one else had much luck-- Ken hooked a ladyfish. TY, Ken for taking that pic!

So the old saying goes: Life is a beach, and then you die :)

My totals: Two snook, two missed fish. A beautiful evening on the water!!!

Life is a beach II Fishing Report 8-7-15

Hi,

We went down to Herman's Beach Access and I caught another nice snook-- Al took a great pic for me-- it even has a rainbow!!!



My snook- not my rainbow :)
     (click pic to enlarge)

I'm not making a fishing report in detail tonight. I saw the snook swimming in the shallows and I made a cast to her and caught her. It was my second cast of the evening. The battle lasted about 5 minutes, she ran North then South and I eventually got her in shallow.  Jim, my neighbor, helped land her. Al went and got his camera and took the pic. This snook was well over 40".

I had a slot-sized snook on later in the evening but it threw my lure. Al had one strike. There wasn't much bait today.

Still, it was another great day on the water!!!

Life is a Beach -- Fishing Report 8-6-15

Hi,

I've been off the Lagoon for almost a week now-- another infected cut. It seems like I've been accident prone lately. I did get some waders and I need some boots or shoes to go with them and I'll be back on the water.

I did go fishing on the beach tonight with my neighbor, Jim,  and caught three nice snook. Here's a pic of the largest:

 
My biggest snook of the evening (click pic to enlarge)

Fishing Report 8-6-15;  7:00pm, ocean access across from Hermann's; Wind from Southeast, tide low outgoing; waves moderate. Water temp mid 70s, water clear.

I've just been surf fishing a few times and the most snook I've caught were two and today I caught three and a nice jack. I use the same set-up as in the Lagoon but I use a 3/8 oz weight with a 4" paddletail.

I just throw out looking for baitfish and burn the lure back in. It's hard enough for the snook to find the bait in the waves and wind so I just keep it in straight line. I do cast at an angle to try and bring the lure horizontally through more of the strike zone-- an area around the first cut (closest breaking waves). I've caught snook in 8" of wash in front of the first cut and within 30 feet of the first cut. You just don't want to cast out as far as you can- unless there's a bait pod deeper with feeding fish.

Jim and I went to the surf across from Hermann's and there were schools of bait all along the shallows breakers. I saw one fish feeding and cast repeatedly over a school of bait-- wham, hard strike, the fish missed. Two casts later, fish on!!! This wasn't big but it fought-- it was a 3 lb jack. I released it and kept casting to schooling bait.

Jim had fished North and came back to where I was. "Nothing going on there," he reported. He headed South and was moving fast, walking along, looking for bait and stopping to cast. I moved South 100 yards until I found another school of bait. The water was very shallow on the cut - maybe 1-2 feet deep max. There was a deeper troth back about 10 yards and the bait was swimming up and down the shoreline.

I was standing in a foot of water and burning my jig through the bait. I cast at an angle North, wham, fish on!!! The snook jumped completely out of the water and headed South toward me. This was a nice fish, a small slot around 28", I pulled him into the cut and waded out about 15 feet to get him. I took me three tries to lip him and lift him up. My neighbor was way South didn't look over at me. I released him and adjusted my paddletail.

I went back shallow to the shore and cast South across a big school of bait- wham, a snook slammed it-- spraying water across the surface. It went North fast and was bigger than the last fish pulling drag for 30 yards. I went after it as it went shallow and didn't get back past the first cut. It went along the wash with its dorsal fin stick out of the water-- another nice slot maybe 32". It was hooked perfectly through the top lip and I didn't lift this one up- just grabbed him around the middle and popped the lure out. Wow, two snook on two casts!!!

I walked back South to the same spot. Jim was very far away South and he hadn't looked my way. I waved to him but he didn't see me. I walked a couple yards South and the bait was still everywhere. I cast out at an angle South- nothing. Then I cast at an angle North - big strike, big splash, fish on!!! This was big, my drag was whining and the line was going out. He was headed North and I was losing line. He pulled out 80 yards of line and I started along the beach after him. I'm using 8 lb test so I need to be careful. I stopped him and he turned back south really motoring even faster than before. I walked along the beach South for over 200 yards after him. Jim was now getting closer but he was still so far away-- he didn't see me. I walked a couple hundred more yards more and the snook was tiring. I turned him and he decided to go out deeper but this time I brought him straight to me.

As luck would have it, a girl was walking down the beach with a cell phone- taking pictures with her camera. I called over to her and she and her friend stopped. I asked," Would you mind taking a photo of this fish for me?" She said, "Sure." I waded deeper and got to the tired snook who I'd battled for 15 minutes. I tried to lip him but he shook his head and my hand popped out of his mouth. he swam about 12 feet away and I pulled him back. I tried again, then I grabbed him with two hands. I lifted him and turned back to the girl. After I walked in a couple steps-- she took a couple pics. I gave her my number so she'd send the pics to me. I quickly released the fish. He seemed slow to move so I moved the water through his gills and off he swam to fight another day.

I walked several hundred yards South to where Jim was fishing- and told him about the fish. It had already grown longer and fatter but after looking at the pics it was just a nice snook over 40" long:

                                                      my snook (click pic to enlarge)

Jim and I fished our way back and he caught a nice ladyfish. We saw some other snook feeding but they didn't get hooked.

My totals: 3 snook, 1 jack. One of the snook was well over 40". A gr8 day on the water!!

Gnu Spot- Fishing Report 7-30-15

Hi,

No, this isn't really about a gnu, a stocky ox-like animal or about fishing in Africa. No, a gnu spot is not a type of fish. When you say gnu, the "g" is silent so it's pronounced, "new." So I tried going to a "new" spot in the Lagoon just South of Walton, so I'll call it Walton South. This "gnu" spot is near where Al lives so we met at Walton and I followed him down Indian River Road about 1 1/2 miles. There, I caught the most snook I have caught in a while- even tho they were small --it was fun!!!

Fishing Report Walton South 7-30-15. 6:30am. Tide medium low, incoming. Water clear, breeze out of Southwest, not much wind. Cloudy and overcast. Fishing 1/16 oz Cal jig with paddletail. Al was fishing a hard plastic imitation shad lure about 5" long.

When we got there, I went out on the pier and watched a huge bottlenose dolphin going under the pier in 3 foot of water only 40 feet from the shore!!! What!! I got off the pier and waded out and started fishing the pier. Al headed North, fan casting across the shallow flat. Another bottlenose dolphin, chasing a small school of mullet, swam under the end of the pier where I was casting. There were over a dozen dolphins in the area and some of them were shallow.

We headed North fishing piers and casting as we went- nothing, not much bait, no feeding fish. Nothing, nothing and more nothing. I went deep most of the way up trying to find trout but the dolphins were just out of casting  range and it seemed that they were already having a trout breakfast.

We went around a moored sailboat and I cast out deep- wham!! hard strike and miss. At least something happened. Then we started seeing bait shallow so I went shallow with Al and cast around a bait pod-- wham fish on!!! I wasn't big but it was fighting. After a few seconds I knew what it was, I grabbed my camera and took a pic.


      My first fish, a jack (click pic to enlarge)

At last, some action. I followed the bait schools under the pier and cast along the shallows while Al fished deeper. The next pier was low to the water and old. I said to Al, "This looks like a good pier." On my third cast wham!! fish on!! The snook soared out of the water and took off away from the pier. After I turned it, the snook came right at me faster than I could reel and ended up behind me! I pulled it up to me and it flipped off. Not bad, around 3 lbs.

Al watched then went around the outside of the short pier. I cast to the shore, glass minnows sprayed the top of the water trying to avoid my lure. Wham!! Snook on! Another under slot sized snook crushed my paddletail and leaped almost hitting the pier. This snook was a little bigger and it pulled drag and headed South away from the pier. I turned it and it came to me then leaped again- throwing my paddletail flying in the air. I have to admit that wasn't really a catch, even tho I had him on for a good 15 seconds or so- I couldn't have netted him. Still it was my second snook and I was pumped. I cast shallow to the South away from the pier- I had a bump but nothing took it. Next cast- as soon as it hit- wham- snook on. This one was the smallest so far, it jumped once and I wheeled around and remembered to take a pic:

                                             My 3rd snook (click pic to enlarge)

I looked for Al who was pretty far away. I went under the pier and called out to him, "Three snook!" He kept heading North. The glass minnows were now on the other side of the pier where I was. The water was about 3 1/2 feet where I was standing and the bottom was mucky. I cast under the pier and some minnows popped out when my lure hit. Half-way in wham! fish on! It came up and shook it's head.

                       My first trout

I was surprised to see a small slot-sized trout on the end of my line. I caught it next the pier in shallow water. Must have been the glass minnows!!! I cast back to the same place and wham, another trout came up and jumped:


                 Slot sized trout leaping

This was a nice trout about 17". After jumping again he opened its mouth as I pulled him across the water to me. I caught a small trout then wham another nice trout inhaled my jig and took to the sky:

                                             My fourth trout- all in the same gnu spot!!!

I caught another trout- then I saw something feeding North and cast over- wham snook on!!! My fourth snook came out of the water and pulled drag as it headed for the pier. It was small so I turned it and grabbed my camera:


            My 4th snook, a 2 1/2 lb pre-slot

When I left the pier I had caught 4 snook and 5 trout --most of the trout were slots. They were all in some skinny water around the pier near the shore- go figure!! I guess fishing around bait is king!!

I headed after Al who was a speck in the distance. He was wading North and was near a long pier. I finally caught up to him. I had a couple hits by something small, probably snapper, around the pier, but I couldn't hook them (no catch 'ems!!!). I fished that pier and headed back. Al, who hadn't had a strike was still throwing his shad lure. I was now near where Walton proper starts, and a long way to go to get back.

I fished back to the other spot and hooked a small snook by some bait, very shallow. The snook took off, jumped and turned and went to me. I pulled it up and it jumped and flipped off. It was small like the third one. That's 5 snook. Past the pier in very shallow water I hooked another nice snook. This one was well hooked and I had to release it.

I headed back casting some as I went. There were several manatees in the shallows and I waded within several feet of one of them in 3 foot of water. The sun was starting to come out from behind the clouds and it was getting hot.

My totals: 6 snook (one got off pretty far away) 5 trout and 1 jack. A gr8 day on the water!!!

Here, There & Everywhere; Fishing Report 7-29-15

Hi,

One of the first songs I learned to play on the guitar with my first teacher was Here, There and Everywhere by the Beatles. The trout today were here, then there, and at least one time- they were everywhere. I couldn't even reel in without catching a fish- if one missed you'd get another strike until one grabbed it. One broke my line because I hooked a trout and another trout bit my line in half- it struck the line moving through the water!!!

Fishing Report 7-29-15 Walton proper 6:15am, right before sunrise. In coming tide, moderately high. Water temp in the low 70s, air temp in the upper 70s to mid-80s, overcast. Cal jigs, paddletails.

I met Ken Turner at Walton/Indian River intersection (Walton proper) and my new fishing buddy Al was parked a couple hundred yards South. We went down the hill but I fell because of my bad shoes (that have fallen apart from wading) and slid down the bank a ways before righting myself. I got a slightly skinned knee and that was it. We went out to the sandbar and stopped. There was some bait and a few fish feeding plus a giant manatee was right in our spot! She didn't want to move but eventually did. I didn't know if she scared the fish- but nothing bit- at first.

HERE. I got a strike after 5 minutes and pulled a nice slot trout up. She splashed on the surface and threw my lure, 0 for 1. Ken was throwing a white fork-tail and he started moving- I told him to wait a little while more. I hooked another trout- it came up and threw my lure, 0-2. As I was pulling it up a trout struck right by me- it flipped off, 0-3. I cast to my left, hooked a small trout and brought it to me , it flipped off right by me, 1-4.

Ken got a strike and pulled up the biggest trout of the day, a slot around 18". Nice fish , Ken!! I grabbed my camera, just as I got ready to take a pic, I had a strike, trout on!!! Ken put his fish back in the water. I pulled the small trout around behind me. It came up and flipped off right by me, 2-5. The bite was on.

I lost two more trout after they came up, 2-7 and Ken landed another trout, small this time. I caught two and lost another one, 4-10. I hooked a small slot my biggest so far and stopped to take a pic:


My 5th trout a small slot, Ken is fishing in background (it looks like Ken caught this trout!!! haha!!!) (click pic to enlarge)

I was now 5-11 and lost and other small trout, 5-12, then missed one on the hookset. I pulled another one to me, it flipped off, this one was close (I maybe could have netted it) so I'm 6-13 and they slowed down, I finally got a last strike and it flipped off, 6-14. Ken had switched to a paddletail and we headed South to catch up to Al who was throwing a big plastic shad for snook off the last pier.

THERE. I caught one nice slot near my second spot, now 7-15, but nothing else was biting. We got to where Al was--he wasn't doing much with his big lure. I went and fished around the last pier-- nothing was going on. When I came out from the pier, Ken caught a trout and then another one in the shallow flat out from the last pier. So I went over to where he was.

EVERYWHERE- The trout were everywhere. I caught one on the first cast, then another one on the next cast, which doubled with Ken who also had one. On my third cast, I pulled it up, hit- miss, hit- miss, hit-miss, hit miss, pulled it in faster, hit- trout on!!! I pulled it around and took a pic.

                                                               My 10th trout

On every cast you couldn't pull the lure 10 feet without getting bit. Al didn't bring a jig so he was watching us catch fish. I gave him a jig and he tied it on. I caught number 11, and 12. Then a strange thing happened. Maybe because it was number 13 or maybe because the stars were out of alignment- I cast,  hooked a nice trout and while I was pulling it in another trout bit my line and cut it!!! Woah. That was a first. There were so many trout there, they were biting my white line!!! There were everywhere.

Unfortunately I had to retie and put a new leader on. I didn't have another small jig so I tied on a 3/8 oz jig and caught another trout but as quickly as they started hitting they stopped! You couldn't catch one there, if you tried- and we tried!!!

To recap the fish we had just released in that spot: Ken caught at least 6 and Al caught a couple and I caught about 6 in just 10 minutes of frenetic activity. Here, there and gone.

I went South and caught one more:


Then it got too deep and when I tried to go to the shore- it got deeper!!! I had to go back to the sandbar. I headed back North to the pier where Ken and Al were. We fished back North and nothing was biting. I got a small jig from Ken and put that on.

THERE. We were about back to where we started at Walton proper. Finally I caught another trout in shallow and there was some bait still around. The tide was getting high and it was about time to stop. Ken caught a nice trout with his forktail bait and I caught two more trout after him. Ken's line broke for no reason and he retied. I caught another trout and lost one. Ken fished a bit and got off the water.

Al and I went to the 5th pier. I put on a gold DOA shrimp and cast the posts. Suddenly, hard strike!! Fish on!!! I got a nice fish on and it started heading South. Then-- it came off before I knew what it was. It might have been a redfish, because it didn't jump. We were done there and I put a paddletail on as we fished back. I caught a small ladyfish on my last cast or so.

My totals: 16 trout (lost a bunch too) and 1 ladyfish. Ken caught around a dozen trout (one nice slot) and Al caught a couple trout. A great day on the water!

Two For the Show- Fishing Report 7-27-15

Hi,

Not much to report today. The only amusing incident was trying to get a pic of the manatees swimming around:

                                              Manatees playing (click pic to enlarge)

While I was trying to get a picture they were literally swirling against me. The only pics I got they look so far away:

         Manantee playing

I caught all the fish today withing the first couple minutes and spent some time showing my new fishing buddy Al some spots further North. One for the money- two for the show. . .

Fishing Report Walton proper 7-27-15 6:45am tide almost full then slack high , then outgoing. Windy from the South, Southwest. Water clear, cooler. Throwing Cal jig with paddletail.

It was a rough morning: I couldn't find my shoes, my nose was running, my right eye hurt and was watering. I went down the bank after sunrise and slid about 5 feet. Instead of falling I grabbed a small tree and slowed myself down enough to make it to the bottom without wiping-out.

There was bait all around the sandbar and I caught a small trout on my first cast and took a pic:

                                       My first and only trout about 12" (click pic to enlarge)

When I wheeled it around to me the trout flipped off and I quickly cast back again over a pod of bait. Nothing. Next cast, fish on!!! It jumped and went across the sandbar, it jumped again and I pulled it up and took a pic:

                                                  Small bluefish (click pic to enlarge)

I was surprised to see it was a small bluefish. I pulled it to me and unhooked it. I looked South and saw a wader. I wondered if it was someone I knew. Then I started casting-- the bait was there but nothing was biting. I saw the wader catch a trout and he headed my way so I went over to him-- it was Al. He said he would be fishing with someone this morning but his friend cancelled. We talked for a minute then started fishing the shallow flat. It was almost dead high tide.

There was nothing biting- plenty of bait, tho. We fishing there for 15 minutes then headed South. I fished a couple piers and met Al again out deep. We fished our way back. I was getting bit by small snappers that kept grabbing the tail off my paddletail. They were too small (no catch 'ems) to get hooked.

The tide was outgoing and when we got back the wind was blowing hard in our faces. I got a couple wind knots and stopped to watch the manatees.

A slow day that had a quick start.

My totals: 1 trout and 1 bluefish. (Al caught a couple trout).