Took my lunch out by the river today. As I walked to my fishing spot, I saw a lot of activity in the water, included a school of needlefish and three schools of mullet. One of the schools of mullet had three or four sheepshead swimming with it, something I've never seen before.
Curious.
I fished my usual spots to no success, so decided to try a more remote spot by the bridge that I hadn't tried in awhile. As I walked over to the bridge, I scanned the water for signs of life and saw a BIG snook hanging behind a little bend in the mangroves.
I walked further downriver of it, quietly got within casting distance, and tossed out my Yo-zuri.
I held my breath as I retrieved the lure.
No bite.
Tossed it out again.
No bite.
Repeat.
I don't know if I spooked the snook on the cast, or if it was the Yo-zuri I was using today. It was the 1/4oz size, in a white/orange/yellow combo. The color was garish, and I was a little skeptical when I tied it on, thinking it might spur a reactionary or defensive strike from a fish, but it didn't appear to be matching any specific real world bait fish.
Now I'm left wondering how it might have gone if I had strapped on my big 3/8oz Yo-zuri that I caught that snook on the other day. Or, it could be that the lure was okay and the snook either wasn't there anymore or wasn't feeding.
I'll have to test out the new Yo-zuri at the secret spot. If it doesn't work there, it won't work anywhere.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Blue Light Special
After my success with the snook yesterday, I decided to try the Hills, fully knowing that I wasn't going to catch jack shit. And while I'd like to use that first line as a way of throwing the reader off a blog that will ultimately be about some giant fish I pulled out of the river, I can't. I really didn't catch jack shit today.
I did have two passersby stop to chat me up, one a fellow staff member named David, and the other a student named Danielle. David talked about how he always saw fish in the river on the other side of this bridge:
Danielle, who actually knew a thing or two about saltwater fishing, said that she didn't see any fish in the river today. Advantage: Danielle.
After work, I ran by the Secret Spot to toss a few casts. The water was teeming with glass minnows, so I was hopeful that I could turn this one star day on the solunar table into a fish fest, but it wasn't to be. I did catch this little ladyfish on my 3/8oz Yo-zuri (the same one that caught the snook yesterday).
I saw a lot of ladyfish and trout following the lure up to the dock, but none of them were biting. My reasoning on this one is that the big Yo-zuri I was using didn't match the small size of the glass minnows in the area.
I made a quick switch out at the end of my twenty minutes and fished a Gulp mullet, which promptly had its tail bitten off, rendering it useless. I switched over to a rootbeer DOA shrimp, which I cast right into the middle of the glass minnows. A ladyfish picked it up and ran, but when it jumped it tossed the DOA out. Still, it felt good to hook a fish on a non-scented plastic lure.
About that time my phone rang. It was my friend Kelly, who was at the local Kmart. He said that the store was closing and that the fishing isle was all 50% off.
I jumped in my car and drove over, and bought six Yo-zuri's (two 3/8oz and four 1/4oz) and some wire leaders (for Spanish mackerel fishing) for a grand total of $28.14 after tax.
Six Yo-zuri's alone would have cost me sixty bucks, so this was a hell of a deal for me. I spread the news to a couple of other fishermen I knew and drove home with a overflowing tackle box.
I did have two passersby stop to chat me up, one a fellow staff member named David, and the other a student named Danielle. David talked about how he always saw fish in the river on the other side of this bridge:
Danielle, who actually knew a thing or two about saltwater fishing, said that she didn't see any fish in the river today. Advantage: Danielle.
After work, I ran by the Secret Spot to toss a few casts. The water was teeming with glass minnows, so I was hopeful that I could turn this one star day on the solunar table into a fish fest, but it wasn't to be. I did catch this little ladyfish on my 3/8oz Yo-zuri (the same one that caught the snook yesterday).
I saw a lot of ladyfish and trout following the lure up to the dock, but none of them were biting. My reasoning on this one is that the big Yo-zuri I was using didn't match the small size of the glass minnows in the area.
I made a quick switch out at the end of my twenty minutes and fished a Gulp mullet, which promptly had its tail bitten off, rendering it useless. I switched over to a rootbeer DOA shrimp, which I cast right into the middle of the glass minnows. A ladyfish picked it up and ran, but when it jumped it tossed the DOA out. Still, it felt good to hook a fish on a non-scented plastic lure.
About that time my phone rang. It was my friend Kelly, who was at the local Kmart. He said that the store was closing and that the fishing isle was all 50% off.
I jumped in my car and drove over, and bought six Yo-zuri's (two 3/8oz and four 1/4oz) and some wire leaders (for Spanish mackerel fishing) for a grand total of $28.14 after tax.
Six Yo-zuri's alone would have cost me sixty bucks, so this was a hell of a deal for me. I spread the news to a couple of other fishermen I knew and drove home with a overflowing tackle box.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Luck of the Bri-rish
Today I decided to toss out the ol' fishin' plug on my lunch break.
As I walked down to the seawall, I could see seagulls feeding off bait fish about 200 yards away. Since the tide was flowing toward me, I figured it would only be a matter of time before the bait school (and the fish feeding on it) would reach me.
In the meantime, I casted out into my usual ladyfish spots without a bite. At some point I was so bored waiting for the bait fish that I just stopped fishing and watched the seagulls dive bombing the school.
After about 30 minutes, I realized that the bait fish were not coming toward me. In fact, they seemed to be going the other way. That reminded me of something my father-in-law once told me: bait fish always swim into the wind.
The wind was blowing into my face, which meant the bait fish were going the opposite way.
Bah.
I was about to pack up in disgust when I heard a fish hit the water behind me. I decided to investigate.
I walked along the seawall, looking into the water with my super-spy polarized glasses. I saw a few mullet, and then what I took to be a larger mullet, but which was in fact a snook. Right there. I jolted to a stop and the snook saw me and swam off.
I walked further down the seawall and waited about 3 minutes to see if the snook would come back. I couldn't see any wake in the water or any other obvious signs that he had returned, but decided to cast in anyway.
First cast, nothing.
Second cast, FISH ON!
With the first leap from the water, I saw that I had caught the snook. Three more leaps later, I had it up against the dock and hoisted it toward me. Right as I got it over the dock, the snook thrashed and broke off the line, fell to the planks at my feet, and then froze. I reached down, pinned the snook to the deck, and pulled out the Yo-zuri.
I'm afraid that I don't have any photos to show you, but the snook had an amber tinge to it, perhaps from inhabiting the Hillsborough river. I did have my tape measure along, and the snook came in at exactly 19 inches total length. Yes, I've caught bigger ladyfish, but it felt so great to land my first snook of the year. This catch was especially meaningful to me after losing two big fish in a row. I knew there was a reason I wore my green tie to work today.
I tossed it back, and shook my head. The Hills never ceases to perplex me. I guess this means I'll have to keep fishing it.
For the record, the Yo-zuri I caught the snook on today was the "Blue Tiger" which has a top of blue tiger stripes and silver sides. I was using the 3/8 oz size, which is one size larger than the one I normally use.
One more thing: for comparison's sake, the snook I caught today barely pulled any drag off my reel. That just gives you an idea of how big the fish was that I lost last Saturday, the one that peeled half the line off my reel before I could turn it around.
Yes, it still burns.
As I walked down to the seawall, I could see seagulls feeding off bait fish about 200 yards away. Since the tide was flowing toward me, I figured it would only be a matter of time before the bait school (and the fish feeding on it) would reach me.
In the meantime, I casted out into my usual ladyfish spots without a bite. At some point I was so bored waiting for the bait fish that I just stopped fishing and watched the seagulls dive bombing the school.
After about 30 minutes, I realized that the bait fish were not coming toward me. In fact, they seemed to be going the other way. That reminded me of something my father-in-law once told me: bait fish always swim into the wind.
The wind was blowing into my face, which meant the bait fish were going the opposite way.
Bah.
I was about to pack up in disgust when I heard a fish hit the water behind me. I decided to investigate.
I walked along the seawall, looking into the water with my super-spy polarized glasses. I saw a few mullet, and then what I took to be a larger mullet, but which was in fact a snook. Right there. I jolted to a stop and the snook saw me and swam off.
I walked further down the seawall and waited about 3 minutes to see if the snook would come back. I couldn't see any wake in the water or any other obvious signs that he had returned, but decided to cast in anyway.
First cast, nothing.
Second cast, FISH ON!
With the first leap from the water, I saw that I had caught the snook. Three more leaps later, I had it up against the dock and hoisted it toward me. Right as I got it over the dock, the snook thrashed and broke off the line, fell to the planks at my feet, and then froze. I reached down, pinned the snook to the deck, and pulled out the Yo-zuri.
I'm afraid that I don't have any photos to show you, but the snook had an amber tinge to it, perhaps from inhabiting the Hillsborough river. I did have my tape measure along, and the snook came in at exactly 19 inches total length. Yes, I've caught bigger ladyfish, but it felt so great to land my first snook of the year. This catch was especially meaningful to me after losing two big fish in a row. I knew there was a reason I wore my green tie to work today.
I tossed it back, and shook my head. The Hills never ceases to perplex me. I guess this means I'll have to keep fishing it.
For the record, the Yo-zuri I caught the snook on today was the "Blue Tiger" which has a top of blue tiger stripes and silver sides. I was using the 3/8 oz size, which is one size larger than the one I normally use.
One more thing: for comparison's sake, the snook I caught today barely pulled any drag off my reel. That just gives you an idea of how big the fish was that I lost last Saturday, the one that peeled half the line off my reel before I could turn it around.
Yes, it still burns.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
The macks are running!
I decided to go over to Demen's landing again this morning for two reasons:
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.
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!
Saturday, March 14, 2009
They should have called it Demon's Landing
Got out before first light this morning to try out a spot where I had sighted a few snook swimming around. It wasn't quite light out yet, but there was a bright moon and some dock lights to cast around.
I started casting out my She Dog topwater lure, but as enticing as it looked to me, the fish weren't biting. Oh, and the fish were there. I saw three snook in the 20" range cruse by the dock, and three big jacks working around the dock too. I knew in my heart it was only a matter of time until I hooked up with something.
I walked back to the car and switched out the She Dog for a 1/4oz Yo-zuri (green top/gold sides). I was a little hesitant to put it on since it was the hero of this day. Also, since the lure technically belonged to my dad, I was afraid of losing it. But, seeing the most productive lure in my arsenal just sitting there, I tied it on anyway.
I tossed out a couple of casts, but nothing took it. On the third cast, I dropped the lure right in a little school of glass minnows, and just as the lure hit the water, I got a big hit that immediately went slack. I reeled in the line and there was nothing attached.
While I walked back to my car for a new lure, I snapped this photo.
I started casting out my She Dog topwater lure, but as enticing as it looked to me, the fish weren't biting. Oh, and the fish were there. I saw three snook in the 20" range cruse by the dock, and three big jacks working around the dock too. I knew in my heart it was only a matter of time until I hooked up with something.
I walked back to the car and switched out the She Dog for a 1/4oz Yo-zuri (green top/gold sides). I was a little hesitant to put it on since it was the hero of this day. Also, since the lure technically belonged to my dad, I was afraid of losing it. But, seeing the most productive lure in my arsenal just sitting there, I tied it on anyway.
I tossed out a couple of casts, but nothing took it. On the third cast, I dropped the lure right in a little school of glass minnows, and just as the lure hit the water, I got a big hit that immediately went slack. I reeled in the line and there was nothing attached.
While I walked back to my car for a new lure, I snapped this photo.
My lure options were difficult again. I had a larger Yo-zuri that had yet to catch me anything, and one of my most productive lures, a black top/silver sides Yo-zuri from this day. Though the prospect of losing another heroic Yo-zuri was not high on my to-do list, I knew the lure could catch fish, so I tied it on.
I was on my fifth or sixth cast when I tossed the Yo-zuri into a shallower spot by the dock light. I had a quick hit, and I pulled up to set the hook. What happened next shot adrenaline through my body as the fish pulled my lure in a 50 yard bee-line in the opposite direction.
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzZZZZZZZZZZZzzzz.
I finally stopped his run by tightening down the drag and then started the process of pulling what felt like a log back through the water. Pull, reel. Pull, reel. Pull, reel.
As the fish got closer, I looked for a spot lower to the water where I could land the fish. I knew the fish was far too heavy to hoist out of the water using just my rod. As I turned back, I couldn't find my line in the water. By the time I located it, I realized the fish had started swimming toward me and toward a dock off to my left. I reeled back in as fast as I could and started pulling against the fish, but it saw its salvation and took it.
As my line wrapped around the dock piling, I knew it was over. If I was thinking straight, I would have released the bail and waited for the fish to swim out. Instead, I tried to horse him off the piling, and ping! the line snapped.
I cussed my heart out.
When I turned around, there was a uniformed security guard there. "Sorry, bud, but you can't fish here."
%$#*&#
Folornly, I packed up my gear and drove over to the Vinoy basin. I caught a ladyfish on a Gulp mullet, which at least got the skunk off, but my heart just wasn't in it. As you can see in the photo, I didn't even bother taking the photo in focus.
Losing that fish is tough to stomach. Losing the fishing spot is even worse.
Friday, March 13, 2009
The hits keep on coming at the S.I.S.S.
Made a quick 20 minute stop at the Snell Isle Secret spot (on the dock side) on my way home today.
I tied on the 5/8oz Gotcha that was killing them yesterday and got right back to work. The hook issue that I mentioned yesterday was even more apparent today, as I jumped six ladyfish before I could hook one securely enough to land it on the dock.
I ended up bringing in three ladyfish in the 15" range and and a 12" trout before calling it quits. The trout stripped about half of the bucktail off the Gotcha, so I'll be curious if it continues to catch fish tomorrow. I should also note that the trout was the first fish that actually took the J hook at the rear of the lure, so at least I know it is possible.
The only other notable point was that one of the ladies I jumped was in the 20" plus range, and it felt good to have a nice tug on the line after catching all these small fish the last couple of days.
I tied on the 5/8oz Gotcha that was killing them yesterday and got right back to work. The hook issue that I mentioned yesterday was even more apparent today, as I jumped six ladyfish before I could hook one securely enough to land it on the dock.
I ended up bringing in three ladyfish in the 15" range and and a 12" trout before calling it quits. The trout stripped about half of the bucktail off the Gotcha, so I'll be curious if it continues to catch fish tomorrow. I should also note that the trout was the first fish that actually took the J hook at the rear of the lure, so at least I know it is possible.
The only other notable point was that one of the ladies I jumped was in the 20" plus range, and it felt good to have a nice tug on the line after catching all these small fish the last couple of days.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Quick Hit at the S.I.S.S.
I tried the Hills at lunch today, and though the tide was incoming and strong, the bite was absent. I'm going to skip the drawn out explanation of how and why I didn't catch any fish and just say that the highlight of the hour I spent fishing was when I found a slip-bobber floating in the river. I scooped it up and headed back to work.
Yesterday I stopped by my local tackle shop, "Minnows & Monsters" and picked up a couple of rods I had left to be either repaired, respooled with 10lb braid, or both. While I was there, I picked up a couple of 5/8oz Gotcha lures. These were slightly different than the others I've bought in two distinct ways.
1) Instead of two treble hooks, the rear was replaced with a J-hook, and
2) There was a white bucktail tied on to cover the above-referenced J-hook.
See below:
Yesterday I stopped by my local tackle shop, "Minnows & Monsters" and picked up a couple of rods I had left to be either repaired, respooled with 10lb braid, or both. While I was there, I picked up a couple of 5/8oz Gotcha lures. These were slightly different than the others I've bought in two distinct ways.
1) Instead of two treble hooks, the rear was replaced with a J-hook, and
2) There was a white bucktail tied on to cover the above-referenced J-hook.
See below:
I was chomping at the bit to toss this little sucker out, but my skunking on the Hills got me thinking that perhaps this modified Gotcha was still on the shelf at the tackle shop for a reason.
To further test out the lure, I ran by the Snell Isle Secret Spot for a quick thirty minutes of casting.
On my first cast, I hooked up with a big trout, and from what I could tell, it was going to be my elusive first keeper of the season. In my excitement, I horsed it a bit more than I should have, and the hook slipped when the fish was still 10 yards out from the dock. Damn.
My disappointment didn't last long, though, as my next cast netted a 15 inch ladyfish. There were a couple of guys fishing from the seawall, and the lady caught their attention. When I reeled in another ladyfish on my next cast, they packed up their stuff and left. (Sorry guys, didn't mean to rub it in your face.)
In the next twenty or so minutes, I would land three more ladyfish and another trout, bringing my total landed to six fish.
I worked the Gotcha in a variety of different retrieves, from a fast pop-pop-reel to a slow pop-pause-reel. Both caught fish, and neither seemed to have a particular advantage over the other.
The most interesting thing to come up today with the new Gotcha was that I caught all six fish on the front treble hook. Not one took the J-hook at the back of the lure. I did have several hits without hook-ups, so I wonder if the fish weren't having a hard time latching on to the rear hook. Or, it could be that all the fish were going for the kill shot and hitting the lure in the head, therefore getting the front treble. It's a headscratcher.
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