Fish Caught: Redfish, Sheepshead, Lady Fish, Catfish, Mangrove Snapper

High Tide: 12:30 AM 1.9 FT Low Tide: 8:30 AM -0.9 FT Wind: 5-10 NE Air Temp: 42/71 Water Temp: Clarity:

It was kind of cool in the morning so we didn't leave the dock until nearly noon. My brother Fred and wife Ruth are down from Connecticut for a few days, so this was to be their day on the water. As it turns out they liked the first day a lot so it ran into two days and screwed up all the plans they had for the last days of their vacation. I can't blame them, after the cold weather we've had (nothing compared to theirs) it was perfect boat weather. Sunny, 75 degrees, with only a light breeze. In the two days we used up 9 dozen live shrimp. As you can see from the photos it was only Fred and I feeding shrimp to the fish. Ruth was practicing to be a sun worshipper, following it around the boat with a book or a nap. Fred and Ruth are dog rescuers and Ruth was on the phone a lot trying to rescue dogs while on vacation. I did notice she'd take the time in every conversation to ask the weather the caller was experiencing and reporting her location, temperature and sunny comfort. "How is the weather there?… Oh, man, well it's 75 here, I'm on a boat, in a canal, in south west Florida…" Something us Floridians do regularly when talking to northern friends. Fred did a lot of fishing in two days. We caught a lot of fish with our 9 dozen shrimp but mostly, as Ruth would be glad to tell you, we fed shrimp to many small sheepshead, mangrove snapper, catfish and redfish. There was rarely a dull moment, we were forever trying to set the hook on the little tap tap tap of the small, bait stealing sheepshead or snapper. But mostly we were helping them gain back their strength after the horrible weeks of cold weather. There are still fish dying in the canal, mostly sand perch. We also got to see a manatee which swam within 10 feet of us. It seemed like it was cold, surfacing very frequently and swimming very near the surface trying to get as much warmth from the sun as it could. And we did manage to get a redfish over the 18 inch limit and a keeper sheepshead and we had a sudden run on mangrove snapper that were around 11 to 13 inches, so we did have some fish to clean when we got home. But we could have done better at the fish market with the money spent on bait. But we would have had to find something else to do for two days and the cost of vacation would have been that much higher. So we're all sunburned and happy. At least Karen and I are, I checked the weather in Connecticut, where Fred and Ruth are home by now, it was only 5 degrees. I'll bet that sunburn looks a little out of place now, doesn't it Fred? But it was a really nice visit, a great couple days on the water and we hope ya'll will come back soon.

Labels: Catfish, Lady Fish, Mangrove Snapper, Redfish, Sheepshead

Fish Caught: Redfish, Sheepshead, Trout, Catfish, Mangrove Snapper, Black Drum

High Tide: 10:00 AM 0.8 FT Low Tide: 1:30 PM 0.6 FT Wind: 10-20 E Air Temp: 59/77 Water Temp: Clarity:

I'm still here! It's been way too long since I last wrote, a lot has happened. I have had a few trips that I was unable to write about. I had a real bad attack of my old friend "Tennis Elbow." One of the things that aggravate this condition is my work on the computer. Just too many hours with a mouse in my hand. So I had to limit my computer time to necessary work only and much of that I did with only my left hand. We also had a terrible cold snap. It lasted about 2 weeks and the worst day we hit a low of 25 degrees, yes that's Fahrenheit. They claim that beat the last record which was in 1976. The canal water was down around 50 degrees. Many fish were killed including many large snook. Our canal still has a dead odor and I see dead fish drifting back and forth with the tide. Mostly what they call sand perch but I did notice that the oysters that line the canal are mostly dead and that is where a lot of the odor is coming from. But since my last post in november we've been out several times and I'll summarize those trips by saying there are a huge amount of redfish in the canal. I got one from my dock that went 27 inches but mostly they have been around 12 to 16 inches with an occasional keeper mixed in. But there are lots of them now around 15 inches and many trips we had spans where we would catch one with almost every cast. A lot of fun but of course it didn't put food on the table. So, Saturday the weather was great so we left the dock by around 10:00 AM with a couple dozen shrimp. Within the first hour I hooked a nice redfish that went a little over the 18 inch minimum. But it was the only one all day, unlike the past trips. But the action was consistent with small sheepshead and mangrove snappers. A little later in the day Bimini and Julie tied up and joined our party and thats when the fishing got started. There was a school of small spotted trout that were aggressively taking shrimp or plastic lures under a popper cork. I don't know how many I caught before I got tired of catching and releasing. There was a few sugar trout mixed in and one was big enough to throw in the cooler. Bimini and Julie were bottom fishing shrimp and catching small sheepshead, snapper and catfish when Bimini finally hooked into something much larger. We had the two boats lashed together and at that moment Bimini was alone on their boat with a very large fish, yelling for a net. The "Net Girl," Julie, grabbed my net and started to make the long step from my boat to hers. Bimini was so obviously in immediate need of the net that Julie set all caution aside and in her haste to get the net to where it was needed forgot completely about the icy cold water below. No, she didn't go in, but we all still wonder why. I think Karen grabbed the other boat which was drifting farther away than Julie could stretch. But some how the "Net Girl," managed to gain secure footing and get the net under a nice, 20 inch, black drum. Once the congratulations were done and the fish was safely in the cooler we inspected the scuffed knees and purpling thighs of the "Net Girl," who will never live down this story and her new, self proclaimed, title. I think we need to make a full body leotard with "Net Girl," and maybe a cape. Although a cape may have been the last straw that put Julie in the water. Bimini caught a second drum, a little smaller at 17 inches and we got a keeper sheepshead before we used up all the shrimp. So about 4:00 PM we head for the dock. Another very exciting, productive and wonderful day on the water.

Labels: Black Drum, Catfish, Mangrove Snapper, Redfish, Sheepshead, Trout