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Slow @ Piney Point, 6/20
I hit Piney Point a couple weeks ago, but high winds and waves called for a change of plans. I found out that my usual perch and spot haunts were completely overrun by small redfish:
I wanted to see if I could find some big croaker this time and try another topwater spot. When I got to work, I realized I had forgotten my battery, my paddle, my fish finder display, and my contacts.
I swung by home on my way to the ramp and grabbed everything but my fish finder display, which I didn't realize until I got to the ramp. So, I ended up flying blind for this trip.
After all that, I hit the water at a bit before 6pm, which was just before peak ebb. I hit the bridge briefly, had a couple strikes but couldn't connect, then headed to my first croaker spot. I soaked some cooked shrimp on 1/0 circle hooks and some Fishbites on size 4 circle hooks. I had occasional nibbles but could never connect. This continued at my second croaker spot and as I worked my way into shallower water. Another group of kayakers I occasionally see at Piney Point were at my spot spot, so I continued to my big croaker spot. They didn't have much luck where they were and soon joined me. Again, I had nibbles on both bottom rigs but couldn't connect. One of the other kayakers landed a mid-size croaker on bloodworms, but it seems slow for everyone.
Things started picking up close to sunset. By that time, one of the other guys picked up a few more croaker, and some fish started breaking around us. The fish seemed mostly small, but there was an occasional bigger splash. I had forgotten my smaller popper and my popper/bucktail combo. I threw an X-Rap, small Rattletrap, small floating minnow, a big Stillwater Smack-it, and a lightly weighted fluke before finally connecting with some small stripers on a 4" chartreuse paddle tail Bass Assassin. I also managed to pick up a couple 10" croakers on the Fishbites and small hooks.
I was stoked at the prospect of possible topwater action with bigger fish at sundown, but then a jet skier blasted right through all of us and right over the spot I want to fish. Twice. There's the entire river to race down, and this guy blew threw a bunch of kayakers fishing in shallow water twice. Unbelievable.
I headed back to the launch and picked up a couple more small redfish but didn't have any luck with shallow water stripers. I ended up calling it quits a bit after 9. I've been used to catching bigger croaker on shrimp the past few years, but the ones I've been catching lately have been too small to get hooked. The lack of spot and stripers in my usual haunts is going to make me do some exploring, I guess. I've only been to PLO once this year, so maybe the action will pick up there for me. Anyway, there was a cool sunset at least:
I wanted to see if I could find some big croaker this time and try another topwater spot. When I got to work, I realized I had forgotten my battery, my paddle, my fish finder display, and my contacts.
I swung by home on my way to the ramp and grabbed everything but my fish finder display, which I didn't realize until I got to the ramp. So, I ended up flying blind for this trip.After all that, I hit the water at a bit before 6pm, which was just before peak ebb. I hit the bridge briefly, had a couple strikes but couldn't connect, then headed to my first croaker spot. I soaked some cooked shrimp on 1/0 circle hooks and some Fishbites on size 4 circle hooks. I had occasional nibbles but could never connect. This continued at my second croaker spot and as I worked my way into shallower water. Another group of kayakers I occasionally see at Piney Point were at my spot spot, so I continued to my big croaker spot. They didn't have much luck where they were and soon joined me. Again, I had nibbles on both bottom rigs but couldn't connect. One of the other kayakers landed a mid-size croaker on bloodworms, but it seems slow for everyone.
Things started picking up close to sunset. By that time, one of the other guys picked up a few more croaker, and some fish started breaking around us. The fish seemed mostly small, but there was an occasional bigger splash. I had forgotten my smaller popper and my popper/bucktail combo.
I threw an X-Rap, small Rattletrap, small floating minnow, a big Stillwater Smack-it, and a lightly weighted fluke before finally connecting with some small stripers on a 4" chartreuse paddle tail Bass Assassin. I also managed to pick up a couple 10" croakers on the Fishbites and small hooks.I was stoked at the prospect of possible topwater action with bigger fish at sundown, but then a jet skier blasted right through all of us and right over the spot I want to fish. Twice.
There's the entire river to race down, and this guy blew threw a bunch of kayakers fishing in shallow water twice. Unbelievable. I headed back to the launch and picked up a couple more small redfish but didn't have any luck with shallow water stripers. I ended up calling it quits a bit after 9. I've been used to catching bigger croaker on shrimp the past few years, but the ones I've been catching lately have been too small to get hooked. The lack of spot and stripers in my usual haunts is going to make me do some exploring, I guess. I've only been to PLO once this year, so maybe the action will pick up there for me. Anyway, there was a cool sunset at least:
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