Tweet
As I was looking at fishing options last night after work, I initially targeted Love Pt. I texted a buddy late to see if he was available on short notice.
Based on all the recent rain, I was concerned about dirty water flowing down the watershed. Negative reports from Anglers supported that concern. We made a roadside call and opted to splash at an alternative Eastern Bay ramp.
We pushed away at 620 to calm winds, a slightly ebbing tide with 76 degree water. The light was still low so we targeted the sod banks on a nearby island. I was itching for some topwater action.
On my second cast, I had a huge blow up as a fat 24" inhaled my Smackit Jr. The fish pulled strongly in the 3' deep water and it made my drag scream and my heart smile. Scott also connected with a topwater taker so we worked the area for a while and I managed a second schoolie on top before moving off to another favorite hotspot.
DSCN4532.jpgDSCN4534.jpg
Once in the new location, I continued to throw topwater and almost immediately had a huge double blow up with the fish actually leaping completely out of the water on the second strike. Sadly, when i went to set the hook, it came back without a fish on it. I can never be sure, but in my fisherman's brain, I am confident it was bigger than my first one.
I could not connect with any other topwater takers but I managed a 20" and a bunch of schoolies on a shallow bucktail as well as a healthy 22" that shook the hook as I was reaching to bring it over the side.
Once the bite at the second site slowed, I moved off to my favorite ledge that has often produced for me in the past. More schoolies ensued. I was marking tons of bait deep in the 15' water. As I was throwing in the towel and making my way back to the ramp, my rod got smashed and the drag began to scream. As I was fighting the fish and praying it wasn't a ray (head shakes said it wasn't) I saw a bunch of his bothers and sisters on my screen.
Once I released my latest "trophy", I circled back to find the school. I saw scattered marks but not the concentration I was hoping for. It didn't take more than a minute or 2 before the opposite rod went down hard. More strong head shakes and singing drag soon produced another clone of the last 23".
DSCN4536.jpgDSCN4537.jpg
Needless to say, I was pretty stoked. As I moved around looking for more of the same, I was disappointed to come up empty. After another schoolie, we headed for the ramp so that I could make it to work by noon. I managed another 18" on the way in.
My final tally was an even 20 fish that included those already mentioned with the balance mostly in the 12'-16" range.
All in all, I really enjoyed the day. It was great to see the cooler water and I felt like it was fishing the way it is supposed to be. It was the first time in a while since I get that way and I liked it!
Based on all the recent rain, I was concerned about dirty water flowing down the watershed. Negative reports from Anglers supported that concern. We made a roadside call and opted to splash at an alternative Eastern Bay ramp.
We pushed away at 620 to calm winds, a slightly ebbing tide with 76 degree water. The light was still low so we targeted the sod banks on a nearby island. I was itching for some topwater action.
On my second cast, I had a huge blow up as a fat 24" inhaled my Smackit Jr. The fish pulled strongly in the 3' deep water and it made my drag scream and my heart smile. Scott also connected with a topwater taker so we worked the area for a while and I managed a second schoolie on top before moving off to another favorite hotspot.
DSCN4532.jpgDSCN4534.jpg
Once in the new location, I continued to throw topwater and almost immediately had a huge double blow up with the fish actually leaping completely out of the water on the second strike. Sadly, when i went to set the hook, it came back without a fish on it. I can never be sure, but in my fisherman's brain, I am confident it was bigger than my first one.
I could not connect with any other topwater takers but I managed a 20" and a bunch of schoolies on a shallow bucktail as well as a healthy 22" that shook the hook as I was reaching to bring it over the side.
Once the bite at the second site slowed, I moved off to my favorite ledge that has often produced for me in the past. More schoolies ensued. I was marking tons of bait deep in the 15' water. As I was throwing in the towel and making my way back to the ramp, my rod got smashed and the drag began to scream. As I was fighting the fish and praying it wasn't a ray (head shakes said it wasn't) I saw a bunch of his bothers and sisters on my screen.
Once I released my latest "trophy", I circled back to find the school. I saw scattered marks but not the concentration I was hoping for. It didn't take more than a minute or 2 before the opposite rod went down hard. More strong head shakes and singing drag soon produced another clone of the last 23".
DSCN4536.jpgDSCN4537.jpg
Needless to say, I was pretty stoked. As I moved around looking for more of the same, I was disappointed to come up empty. After another schoolie, we headed for the ramp so that I could make it to work by noon. I managed another 18" on the way in.
My final tally was an even 20 fish that included those already mentioned with the balance mostly in the 12'-16" range.
All in all, I really enjoyed the day. It was great to see the cooler water and I felt like it was fishing the way it is supposed to be. It was the first time in a while since I get that way and I liked it!
Glad to see that "Pullage Happy Face" Tight Lines
Comment