I had such a horrible morning on the bay yesterday, lost a new rod (my son did that) and got skunked. There didn't seem to be a fish in the bay. So I wanted to take another whack at it. I got to Hemmingways at about 7:30 this morning. The sky was overcast and the wind started to pick up just as I unloaded the Kayak. Obviously a storm was blowing in. I put on a rain jacked and went for it anyway.
The wind was blowing pretty good and there were 2 -3 foot swells with some waves breaking over my kayak. Catching spot took a little longer than usual. They just didn't seem as numerous and the wind was blowing me all over the place.
After getting about a dozen spot, I headed out to the east bound side and zig zagged through the pilings just watching the fish finder for signs of life. I saw plenty of bait fish but didn't see any other fish, or at least, my ff wasn't picking any up. I got out to the seconday channel and I felt like I was in a hurricane, wind blowing like crazy, raining hard and some violent seas.
I hunkered down in an edie behind pilings and casted to the front of the pilings and let the spot drift through. I didn't get as much as a nibble, although I was getting soaked to the bone!
After about an hour with no luck, I decided to head back. I put a 3/4oz egg sinker above my swivel and trolled back. I use a Penn bait runner spinning reel. I simple put the rod in my rear holder and striped line until the sinker went under water a foot or so. I was between the bridges staying close to the east bound side and all of a sudden ZING...... Set the hook and landed a 19" rock. I thought...... ok, maybe I'll do that again. To make a long story short. I proceeded to get hook up after hook up for the next 4 hours. I would have a fish on or strong take within five minutes at the most, of putting the spot in the water! Several times, I had just put the spot in the water to the right depth and ZING!. I had to keep making bait runs to the end of the bridge and then back out to catch more rock. I'd catch for or 5 spot then I could wait any more and I'd head back out to catch more rock. I had to catch at least 20 fish, most were over 20" and the biggest was 26". Got broke off a couple times when I couldn't stop the fish from wrapping around the piling, and had several huge takes but the fish didn't have the hook in it's mouth and I pulled the spot out. One of those actually hit the spot hard a second time after I pulled the spot out on my initial hook set.
Here's a couple of 24"s that I brought home.
So the day started out rough...very rough, but turned into one of the best fishing days I've ever had.
The wind was blowing pretty good and there were 2 -3 foot swells with some waves breaking over my kayak. Catching spot took a little longer than usual. They just didn't seem as numerous and the wind was blowing me all over the place.
After getting about a dozen spot, I headed out to the east bound side and zig zagged through the pilings just watching the fish finder for signs of life. I saw plenty of bait fish but didn't see any other fish, or at least, my ff wasn't picking any up. I got out to the seconday channel and I felt like I was in a hurricane, wind blowing like crazy, raining hard and some violent seas.
I hunkered down in an edie behind pilings and casted to the front of the pilings and let the spot drift through. I didn't get as much as a nibble, although I was getting soaked to the bone!
After about an hour with no luck, I decided to head back. I put a 3/4oz egg sinker above my swivel and trolled back. I use a Penn bait runner spinning reel. I simple put the rod in my rear holder and striped line until the sinker went under water a foot or so. I was between the bridges staying close to the east bound side and all of a sudden ZING...... Set the hook and landed a 19" rock. I thought...... ok, maybe I'll do that again. To make a long story short. I proceeded to get hook up after hook up for the next 4 hours. I would have a fish on or strong take within five minutes at the most, of putting the spot in the water! Several times, I had just put the spot in the water to the right depth and ZING!. I had to keep making bait runs to the end of the bridge and then back out to catch more rock. I'd catch for or 5 spot then I could wait any more and I'd head back out to catch more rock. I had to catch at least 20 fish, most were over 20" and the biggest was 26". Got broke off a couple times when I couldn't stop the fish from wrapping around the piling, and had several huge takes but the fish didn't have the hook in it's mouth and I pulled the spot out. One of those actually hit the spot hard a second time after I pulled the spot out on my initial hook set.
Here's a couple of 24"s that I brought home.
So the day started out rough...very rough, but turned into one of the best fishing days I've ever had.
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