1) Yesterday I only fished a small portion--albeit the best portion--of the landing. I thought it couldn't hurt to try the other 200 yards or so of fishable seawall.
2) The security guard approached me yesterday while I was wrapped up in trying to catch the biggest fish of my life. I wanted to scope out the area a bit more to see if he was doing regular rounds or how in general he patrolled the area, because there is no way in hell I'm not fishing that dock again!
There is a nice channel that runs from the bay to the docks that is deep and has a nice current. I saw a bunch of sheepshead working the area, so I figured there was probably other life around. I tied on a green top/gold sides Yo-zuri and got to work. I think it was about three casts in that I hooked up with a good fight. At first I thought it was a ladyfish, but absent any jumping, I started to think it might be a small jack. Imagine my surprise when I pulled up a Spanish mackeral:
I knew the Spanish macks would be moving in soon, due to the glass minnows I've been seeing in the area, but I had no idea it would be this soon. The only drawback to catching the mackeral is that I need to now reconsider my leader situation. I've been fishing without a leader all winter, but if there are going to be mackeral in the same areas where I'm fishing for trout and ladyfish, I have to put on a leader or I'm going to go through lures far too fast. Those macks have some nasty teeth.
After fishing Demen's landing a bit longer, I packed up and drove over to Coffee Pot. I wanted to toss the Yo-zuri a bit and see if I couldn't find a snook somewhere in the bayou.
After about fifteen minutes and not a bite, I packed up again and drove over to the Secret Spot. I fished the Gotcha first, and was getting several very tentative bites. I don't know if the fish were undersized, or if somehow there were some larger pinfish around, but the lure was getting hammered (though no hook-ups).
At some point I cast out and my Gotcha just kept sailing, and I knew that the line had snapped. I hate it when that happens. Gotta check the line regularly when fishing with that heavy Gotcha!
I switched back over to a gold sides/green top Yo-zuri and on my first cast hooked up with a big trout! It was a keeper for sure, and was fighting me like a champ. I kept the slack out of the line and the drag light and worked it slowly to the dock, taking every possible precaution to no lose the fish.
It didn't matter. He thrashed and spit the lure. My quest to land a keeper trout continues.
I couldn't coax any bites out of any other fish after that, so I decided to go try the shallower water, and hooked up with a big lady right away, so big in fact, that I couldn't get the whole fish in my viewfinder while kneeling down to unhook it. Here is a close up:
Shortly after I hooked up with another lady:
And another:
A manatee cruised right by me:
I landed a small lady after that, then the school must have moved, because the bite turned off.
Not a bad day on the water!
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