From the Dock by Capt. Jody Campbell
March 10,2010
Trout season reopened up on March 1 and the beautiful weekend we had sent many people to the water looking for trout and many came home with smiles on their faces. Nothing on the flats yet, but the creeks, rivers and oysters bars are holding trout.
Grouper season remains closed until April 1 keeping most big boats at the dock though some are venturing out and catching some big sheepshead on the reefs and plenty of big sea bass.
Jimmy at Shell Island Fish Camp said Saturday was slow but quite a few people fished on Sunday. He said Little Doc, who guides out of St. Marks and the Aucilla, limited out on trout fishing the oyster bars at the mouth of the St. Marks River. He has been guiding around here probably longer than anyone and has an excellent reputation for finding fish. Jimmy said some trout were caught between the St. Marks Yacht Club and the St.. Marks River and a good many sheepshead but they were small. Herb Rosinsky and Bill Donaldson from Shell Point fished the Wakulla on Saturday and Bill said they caught four small reds, a bunch of ladyfish and small sheepshead and one trout. They were fishing frozen shrimp on the bottom in a deep hole. Jimmy said they now have live shrimp but because of the cold water temperatures the shrimp were staying buried up in the mud and the shrimpers around Keaton Beach weren’t able to get any. Hopefully with the warm weather this week that will all change.
The FWC call me about once a month for a survey on how many charters I have taken in the past two weeks, how many people I took and the area we fished, whether inshore or offshore. The young man called me last night and as I had told him since Thanksgiving I hadn’t taken anyone but the phone was starting to ring. He said his father, Scott Persellin, is from the Jacksonville area and does a lot of fishing. Over the weekend he fished the jetties out at Mayport and caught a 9.4 pound, eight pound and five pound sheepshead. Vez was saying that one of the Captains out of Apalachicola has been catching quite a few oversize reds in the Bob Sikes Cut.
Kent Taylor at Angies Marine said they had live shrimp and bull minnows and hope to have them from here on out depending on the weather. David Fife who brings them their bull minnows has been catching a lot of big trout fishing out of Spring Creek. He’s been fishing some of the deeper holes. Jason Callahan and his brother have also been doing quite well around Shell Point and Spring Creek. They fish mostly out of a kayak. Kent said Chaires Creek off the Ochlockonee near the mouth and Bear Creek up around the State Park are holding reds. Last week they caught 10. They caught six puppy reds using bait and then started trolling and landed four bigger fish. They took home a 27 and 26 ½ inch red. Kent said he is hearing about a lot of big sheepshead being caught over around the bridges to St. George and Apalachicola.
Capt. Randy Peart fished two days last week and did quite well. He fished out of Spring Warrior and caught some nice trout and reds and fished the Ochlocknee River out of Mashes Sands and caught a few nice trout and reds and some real nice fresh water bass up the river on live shrimp.
I was getting gas for my boat at Crum's and talking with a couple of fellows that had been camping somewhere at St. Teressa and they said they have been catching quite a few reds fishing from shore and some sheepshead. The other night they caught a 42-inch red and one big trout using live shrimp.
On Saturday, Bo Turner had a big event for kids of all ages out at their plantation off Highway 27. There were all kinds of archery, target practice, hunting safety and fishing booths and, with the beautiful weather, it was well attended. All of the kids were given rods and reels and fished in the lake and the only kid to catch a bass was Trey Martin of Spring Creek. He said it weighed about a pound and a half and he caught it on a plastic worm.
Warming weather should turn the fish on. Bass should start thinking about bedding and bream should start biting really well. Don’t forget to leave that float plan with someone and be careful out there. That float plan should pertain to those of you freshwater fishing as well, especially on the rivers.
Good luck and good fishing!
March 26-28
Inshore
Coming in like a lion, hopefully going out like a lamb! What a windy month so far with few days to actually get out and move around. On the few good days, when the weather would allow us to look around, the fishing was quite good. The river rise has been another issue we have been and still are facing at the time, which creates muddy water for the area waters.With this all said, I suggest fishing in greener waters of the eastern side of the bay such as Eastpoint areas of Catpoint and around the piling structures of the bridges. Another great location to try is on the bay side of the islands of St. George Island; Little St. George around Pilots Cove and the grass flats; and Dog Island area fishing the points, peaks and oyster bar structures. We have been catching speckled trout, redfish, sheepshead, black drum and flounder. As the water heats up with the weather, so will the inshore fishing. With the influx of bait, expect some pretty good days to catch redfish, speckled trout, sheepshead, flounder and black drum. Pompano should be showing up in numbers any day now. Several Spanish mackerel were caught yesterday on the outside Gulf waters near the passes. Expect their numbers to increase this week as the water heats up. Usually mackerel stay in deeper waters of channels and edges working in schools. Fish for them casting Clark type spoons, trolling for them using a mackerel tree or catching them by casting any brightly colored jig or bait with light metal leader. Anytime you are targeting Spanish mackerel always use a light multi strand metal leader.
Offshore
Current weather forecasts expect winds 20 to 30 knots and gusty, with wave heights 6 to 8 feet. I suggest for the next several days NOT going offshore fishing until the front passes. After the front goes through, the fishing should be good for most offshore species. The past couple of weeks the red snapper bite has been great. It’s almost a joke. Of course all red snapper have to be thrown. Grouper species are still out of season. What we’re still catching includes lane and grey snapper, black sea bass and triggerfish. We expect the offshore fishing to get better as the waters warm. Bait to use is live pinfish (set your traps) or frozen cigar minnow, squid, goggle eyes or Spanish sardines. Expect to catch grouper, snapper, triggerfish and a variety of reef dwelling fish. King mackerel and cobia should be here in the next week or so, with their natural migration from the east and south.
From the Dock 8 April 10
By Jody Campbell
I hope you and your family had a nice Easter. You couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful weekend and from what I hear from a person who lives on Woodville Highway, everyone who owned a boat in Tallahassee probably put it in the water over the weekend. He said it was non-stop boats heading to the coast on Saturday and Sunday afternoon.
Brian Lowe who manages the Moorings in Carrabelle said they were very busy this past weekend and they now have their gas and diesel pumps operational. There was nothing wrong with their old tanks but DEP or whoever monitors in-ground tanks told them they had to replace their tanks with double wall tanks. With the economy like it is, for a small company like them, or JR at the Aucilla, installing those tanks is an awful expense at this time. You would hope the government cared about small business and waited to do this until times got better. Sure doesn’t seem like they do. So much for my love of our government these days.
Brian said he and Benson Green, Don Ehler and two of his friends went out of the Moorings and fished in 70 feet of water with LY’s. They came in with their limit of gags and caught and released plenty of snapper. The snapper are so aggressive that they had to move to a spot where they weren’t to get their baits to the bottom. Brian said he went out by himself on Sunday and trolled for a couple of hours in shallow water with no success and went out to a hole in 45 feet of water, dropped a two-ounce feather jig down and caught two nice gags and got broke off once. The Moorings also rents rooms at their motel and if you plan on fishing out of Carrabelle at the Big Bend Classic or Red Trout Shootout you may want to go ahead and book your rooms now.
Glenn Peel, Alisha Tatum, Jerry Alexander, Jerry’s Friend Charlie and Dan Tillman went out grouper fishing on Saturday and all came back with their limit of gags. They fished in about 60 feet of water east of Shell Point. Glenn said on Sunday he and Alisha fished the docks at Shell Point with no success and went over to Oyster Bay where they caught and released two big reds and two nice trout using live shrimp. Alisha said not to tell anyone that she caught everything.
Jimmy over at Shell Island Fish Camp said they were awfully busy over the weekend with boats heading inshore as well as offshore for grouper. Trout are being caught both east and west out of the St. Marks but better catches are coming from the East. Plenty of trout are still being caught in the River and lots of reds and sheepshead are being caught.
Kent Taylor over at AMS said they went out last week to the Ochlockonee Shoals and did nothing but came back in around the Clam Bar off the Ochlockonee River and caught their limit of trout. They were using the D.O.A. Kent said there were a lot of boats out at the Rotary Reef catching sheepshead.
The North Florida Gulf Fishing Club held a club tournament out of Keaton Beach and had over 3 boats fishing. The team of Chuck Collins, Jeff Trent and Austin Trent came in with five trout that weighed 13.47 pounds to take first place. The biggest trout of the tournament was caught by Ashley Mock and it weighed 6.25 pounds.
Mike Pearson and Tom Riddle from Tifton, Ga., went out on the flats on Friday afternoon on the last of the rise and caught eight nice trout using the Gulp and Gotcha chartreuse curly tail grub. I fished with Bill Donalson and Justin Wagner on Wednesday and we caught quite a few nice trout and about 30 reds.
Capt. Terry Caruthers was busy last week fishing out of Lanark and caught a lot of fish. He fished with the Tessgal party from Panama City on Wednesday on the flats and they limited on trout and reds using shrimp. On Thursday they went offshore and caught amberjack at K tower using live pinfish and caught two nice gags in about 65 feet of water. He said they also caught the biggest sea bass he has ever seen.
On Friday he fished the Willis family from Indiana and they caught four trout over 20 inches and kept nine nice fish. All were caught on live shrimp. On Sunday he fished the Thompson family from Carrolton and due to the fog he stayed close to shore and they limited out on trout in about two hours. He said they also caught a permit, which is very odd. He had never caught one and after showing it to three other people they decided it was a permit. Terry said the docks are coverd up with reds and are looking for live shrimp.
If you like to fish tournaments there are plenty coming our way. On April 24, Kevin’s will be sponsoring the second annual Red Trout Shootout with weigh in at C Quarters in Carrabelle. On May 22 and 23 the second annual Rock the Dock fishing tournament will be held out of Rock Landing in Panacea. There will be a Masters Division, Youth Division and Kayak Division. On June 18 through 20 will be the big daddy of them all for our area, The Big Bend Saltwater Classic.
Remember to leave that float plan with someone and be careful out there. Good luck and good fishing!
April 16
Man, I was excited about March fishing, keeping in mind today is March 17. I am writing my April forecast and what I have to say is “man, I am excited about April fishing. Not to recap, too much, but March to this point has started very slowly. The recap is relevant, because we are setting up for a slow start to our fishing season, which puts the start right now! April is the month, the flats in front of the lighthouse will start to come alive. Remember the west flats always wake up first. Also, the water on the flats is clearing, for those attempting the rock garden area. We are just starting to see the top water bite happen. This will open the way for those, Cajun Thunder/Greedy Gut, rattling type corks, rigged with a ¼ ounce jig head and your favorite plastic bait imitation. Popping the corks in water from two feet to six feet should produce a great trout bite. Pop those same corks around inshore structure to hook up on reds. Though I am not a big fan of rattling corks for reds, they do work, the cadence should be a little slower, but they work. My favorite rig for spring fishing is a six inch jerk bait, rigged weedless on a # 4 hook, white always works for me. This bait will catch trout, reds and flounder, all with the same effectiveness. The fact you are using the right bait takes away one variable, now all you have to do is find the fish. That is the fun part, the adventure, the day on the water, the confidence in your fishing skills to find the fish. Think like a fish. Be the fish.
If all else fails, take heart that you have the entire season to refine your skills. Every season opens new doors and new ways to catch fish. I will be pushing the envelope, trying to find new challenges, and new tricks to catch more, bigger, and different species. Lighter tackle, bigger fish, kayaks, free diving, whatever it takes, their are few limits, use your imagination. Some of the best days on the water are changing to plan B. When the trout bite is slow, but the mullet are thick, grab your cast net. If you are not proficient in cast net, well you just found your fix for the season. Good luck, and if you need help, I am easy to find.
I have to leave this month with one more word. Yesterday I spoke to Lt. Edward Cates, while pumping diesel, and he reminded me that we had 66 boating fatalities last year. Though he did not give me the exact number, he was certain most where the cause of drowning, not some horrific boat accident. For you kayakers 9 of those 66 where non motorized boats.
LIFE JACKETS SAVE LIVES…. BE SAFE, CATCH FISH, GOD BLESS
Captain Mike McNamara
From the Dock 22 April 10
By Capt. Jody Campbell
"Fishing just doesn’t get any better than this," said Allen Hobbs at Shell Island Fish Camp in St. Marks.
The weather can’t get much better either.
We had quite a bit of wind the first of the week but later in the day it would die off and Friday and Saturday were just picture perfect. The flats were covered with boats on the East and West Flats. All the bait and tackle stores were busy and lots of fish were caught.
Allen Hobbs said they had the Stewart Distributing Company out of Valdosta, Ga., down fishing this past weekend. They have been coming down and fishing for years and this is the best fishing trip they have ever had. They caught limts of trout, lots of Spanish and went in the creeks and caught reds. Most boats fished on the West Flats over near Live Oak Island Reef. Shrimp and the Gulp both produced fish and Donald Jensen caught a 30-pound cobia fishing for trout. Allan also said the folks that went out grouper fishing also did extremely well this past weekend.
Jerry’s Bait and Tackle had their Team Seatrout Tournament this past weekend and since the tournament in March was canceled due to weather, they allowed two limits to be weighed-in. That’s all Carl Stubbs and Otto Hough needed to hear. They came to the scales with 10 trout weighing 26 pounds and 6 ounces and had a monster 5 pound 11 ounce trout for big trout of the tournament. Steve Tucker and Jody Kilgore came in second with 22 pounds 15 ounces and six ounces behind were Gary Droze and Chris Summer, weighing in with 22 pounds 9 ounces. The next tournament will be on May 23.
This coming weekend will be the Red Trout Shootout sponsored by Kevin’s and held out of C-Quarters in Carrabelle. Still not too late to register. On May 22 and 23 will be Rock the Dock Tournament held out of Rock Landing in Panacea. There will be a Masters, Youth and Kayak Division in this tournament. On Fathers Day weekend will be the big daddy of them all, The Big Bend Salt Water Classic. This will be June 18 through June 20.
Jeff May with the U.S. Marshal’s Office in Carrollton, Ga., and a group of the guys he works with came down last week to fish. You would be hard-pressed to find a closer knit group of people,or friendlier. Jeff said any one of the guys that were down would lay down their life for the other guy and a strong faith kept them safe. Tim Boggs brought his boat down and they caught lots of trout on the flats and a few reds. They used mostly shrimp and a few Gulps. Jeff May went offshore on Friday and Saturday. On Friday it was a boat ride but on Saturday they went to 50 feet of water and came to the hill with four red grouper up to 14 pounds and some real nice gags. They used LYs and squid for bait. He said he saw a lot of bait offshore and visibility was getting very good.
I was talking with Larry Hess from Shell Point and he said he has been catching some nice trout fishing on the West Flats. I asked him if he was still fishing with his favorite baits and he just smiled. Larry uses a grub that he has been buying at the Flea Market on the truck route near Woodville Highway for years and done very well with them.
Mike Pearson from Tifton went to St. Joe Bay the week after Easter and said they caught lots of nice trout and all the reds they wanted. They fished the flats around Blacks Island with the Gulp and he said there were big schools of reds all over the flats. I had talked with a friend of mine who has been guiding over there and he said there are plenty of trout still in the bay but not as many five pound-plus fish as there used to be. The fishing pressure on the bay has really increased over the years as limits on offshore fish have decreased to almost nothing.
On Wednesday I fished with Scott Gaby from Wakulla Bank, his daughter Millie and her 4-year-old son Gabe. Four is usually too young, but he was a great kid and never complained. We spent most of the day fishing for reds and I was able to get the limit but I had to go to a lot of spots. Gabe had a tough time reeling them in but he managed quite well with a little help. On Friday and Saturday I fished with Doug and Brenda Bridges from Atlanta and we caught quite a few trout. Brenda caught a 30-inch red on Friday which made her day and Doug and I had a limit of trout on Saturday by about 11:30 a.m., and all of them were over 18 inches.
I had a power pole put on my boat about a month ago and on Saturday we drifted through a spot and got two fish real quick and I put the pole down. We ended up catching about 30 fish there and finishing up our limit. Before I had the power pole I never would have grabbed an anchor and stopped but with this it is just too easy. Make a few casts and if nothing, push the button and continue drifting.
Remember to know your limits and be careful out there. Whether you’re going offshore or inshore, remember to leave that float plan with someone. Good luck and good fishing!
From the Dock 20 May 10
By Capt. Jody Campbell
From the Dock by Capt. Jody Campbell
Well, we finally got a weekend where the wind didn’t make it miserable fishing inshore, though it was still a little breezy for offshore fishing.
I have been fishing the flats between Shell Point and Panacea for about 30 years and there were more boats on the flats than I have ever seen. There are always a lot of boats out of St. Marks on any given weekend – but I was shocked. I know they had the Wakulla Kids Tournament and the Kevin’s Red Trout Shootout and add to that a beautiful Saturday and everyone was out fishing.
To make things better, most people caught fish.
Jimmy at Shell Island said they were extremely busy this past weekend and they saw a lot of fish caught. Several nice cobia were brought in and plenty of Spanish and a lot of them were big. The Phil Bell and Jim Alexander parties from Macon were down and the Ben Harrel company from Albany. Capt. Jeff Humpries and Capt. Kenny Daniels both had very good days and caught most of their fish in eight to nine feet of water using the Gulp and live shrimp. One of the boats out of Shell Island hooked a tarpon and got to fight it for about five minutes.
I talked with Capt. Terry Caruthers who fishes out of Lanark took three kids fishing in the Wakulla Kids Fishing Tournament this weekend and two of the three had never caught a fish before. He said on the first cast one of the kids caught a 23-inch trout. He said they caught plenty of fish and the kids had a great time. As far as charters go, he said he had three cancel on him last week because of the threat of the oil spill. His wife also handles a lot of rentals along the coast and she has had quite a few of them cancel on her. There is still the possibility that the oil will come to our area, but I hope and pray it doesn’t.
Scott Nelson with the Wakulla County Emergency Management is meeting daily if not hourly with other state and federal agencies and staying abreast of this in case it should come our way. Plans are in place if that should happen. In order to volunteer in the cleanup you must go through a four-hour BP Module 3 Hazmat training which will be held at the Wakulla County Extension office located at 84 Cedar Avenue in Crawfordville. Training has been held this week and continues May 24 through May 28 from 8 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, call (850) 926-0800. To register, email horizonresponse@pecpremier.com indicate which four-hour session you want.
The Kevins Red Trout Shootout was Saturday and plenty of big trout and big reds were caught. The team of Casey Cook and Pat Irwin took first place with a 7.1 pound red and 5.6 pound trout. Team High Flats Drifters finished second with a 6.7-pound red and 5-pound trout and third place went to the team of Southern Seafood with a 6.3-pound red and 5.1 pound trout.
Casey Cook ‘s 5.6-pound trout took honors for big trout and Mike Terravona had a 7.2-pound red that was the big redfish for the tournament. I just spoke with Brian Hurley who put this tournament on and he said their next trout and red tournament will be in October and they will also have and offshore tournament coming up in August or September. They had 87 teams in this tournament and approximately 224 anglers. Next Sunday will be Jerry’s Team Seatrout tournament and the Rock The Dock tournament will be Saturday, May 22 and Sunday, May 23. You can go on line to panacearockthedock.com and register for this tournament.
The Big Bend Saltwater Classic will be held Fathers Day weekend.
I had charters four days last week and was fortunate enough to limit out each day with trout. On Tuesday and Wednesday we caught quite a few nice reds but after that I couldn’t get one to even look at our bait.
On Saturday, I fished with Sharon and Ron Heierman from Havana and their daughter Ashley from Gulf Breeze. Ron caught the biggest trout, which was about 23 inches, but it was only fitting since it was his birthday. On Sunday, I fished with Joe Fowler, Jack Boyt Jr. and Doug Bennett, old high school buddies from the Atlanta area. We released everything but a 35-inch cobia. We threw back about 65 trout and 17 of those were legal. We caught 98 percent of our fish with live shrimp and the rest on the Gulp. One thing I didn’t mention was the number of catfish we caught. In the four days I know we caught at least 50 of those darn things. I just tell people they have to eat too.
On Saturday, I fished with Sharon and Ron Heierman from Havana and their daughter Ashley from Gulf Breeze. Ron caught the biggest trout, which was about 23 inches, but it was only fitting since it was his birthday. On Sunday, I fished with Joe Fowler, Jack Boyt Jr. and Doug Bennett, old high school buddies from the Atlanta area. We released everything but a 35-inch cobia. We threw back about 65 trout and 17 of those were legal. We caught 98 percent of our fish with live shrimp and the rest on the Gulp. One thing I didn’t mention was the number of catfish we caught. In the four days I know we caught at least 50 of those darn things. I just tell people they have to eat too.
On Saturday, I fished with Sharon and Ron Heierman from Havana and their daughter Ashley from Gulf Breeze. Ron caught the biggest trout, which was about 23 inches, but it was only fitting since it was his birthday. On Sunday, I fished with Joe Fowler, Jack Boyt Jr. and Doug Bennett, old high school buddies from the Atlanta area. We released everything but a 35-inch cobia. We threw back about 65 trout and 17 of those were legal. We caught 98 percent of our fish with live shrimp and the rest on the Gulp. One thing I didn’t mention was the number of catfish we caught. In the four days I know we caught at least 50 of those darn things. I just tell people they have to eat too.
On Saturday, I fished with Sharon and Ron Heierman from Havana and their daughter Ashley from Gulf Breeze. Ron caught the biggest trout, which was about 23 inches, but it was only fitting since it was his birthday. On Sunday, I fished with Joe Fowler, Jack Boyt Jr. and Doug Bennett, old high school buddies from the Atlanta area. We released everything but a 35-inch cobia. We threw back about 65 trout and 17 of those were legal. We caught 98 percent of our fish with live shrimp and the rest on the Gulp. One thing I didn’t mention was the number of catfish we caught. In the four days I know we caught at least 50 of those darn things. I just tell people they have to eat too.
On Saturday, I fished with Sharon and Ron Heierman from Havana and their daughter Ashley from Gulf Breeze. Ron caught the biggest trout, which was about 23 inches, but it was only fitting since it was his birthday. On Sunday, I fished with Joe Fowler, Jack Boyt Jr. and Doug Bennett, old high school buddies from the Atlanta area. We released everything but a 35-inch cobia. We threw back about 65 trout and 17 of those were legal. We caught 98 percent of our fish with live shrimp and the rest on the Gulp. One thing I didn’t mention was the number of catfish we caught. In the four days I know we caught at least 50 of those darn things. I just tell people they have to eat too.
On Saturday, I fished with Sharon and Ron Heierman from Havana and their daughter Ashley from Gulf Breeze. Ron caught the biggest trout, which was about 23 inches, but it was only fitting since it was his birthday. On Sunday, I fished with Joe Fowler, Jack Boyt Jr. and Doug Bennett, old high school buddies from the Atlanta area. We released everything but a 35-inch cobia. We threw back about 65 trout and 17 of those were legal. We caught 98 percent of our fish with live shrimp and the rest on the Gulp. One thing I didn’t mention was the number of catfish we caught. In the four days I know we caught at least 50 of those darn things. I just tell people they have to eat too.
On Saturday, I fished with Sharon and Ron Heierman from Havana and their daughter Ashley from Gulf Breeze. Ron caught the biggest trout, which was about 23 inches, but it was only fitting since it was his birthday. On Sunday, I fished with Joe Fowler, Jack Boyt Jr. and Doug Bennett, old high school buddies from the Atlanta area. We released everything but a 35-inch cobia. We threw back about 65 trout and 17 of those were legal. We caught 98 percent of our fish with live shrimp and the rest on the Gulp. One thing I didn’t mention was the number of catfish we caught. In the four days I know we caught at least 50 of those darn things. I just tell people they have to eat too.
On Saturday, I fished with Sharon and Ron Heierman from Havana and their daughter Ashley from Gulf Breeze. Ron caught the biggest trout, which was about 23 inches, but it was only fitting since it was his birthday. On Sunday, I fished with Joe Fowler, Jack Boyt Jr. and Doug Bennett, old high school buddies from the Atlanta area. We released everything but a 35-inch cobia. We threw back about 65 trout and 17 of those were legal. We caught 98 percent of our fish with live shrimp and the rest on the Gulp. One thing I didn’t mention was the number of catfish we caught. In the four days I know we caught at least 50 of those darn things. I just tell people they have to eat too.
On Saturday, I fished with Sharon and Ron Heierman from Havana and their daughter Ashley from Gulf Breeze. Ron caught the biggest trout, which was about 23 inches, but it was only fitting since it was his birthday. On Sunday, I fished with Joe Fowler, Jack Boyt Jr. and Doug Bennett, old high school buddies from the Atlanta area. We released everything but a 35-inch cobia. We threw back about 65 trout and 17 of those were legal. We caught 98 percent of our fish with live shrimp and the rest on the Gulp. One thing I didn’t mention was the number of catfish we caught. In the four days I know we caught at least 50 of those darn things. I just tell people they have to eat too.
Jerry Alexander fished with three of his buddies this past weekend and came in with 16 nice trout, which they caught on live shrimp. Mike Pearson fromTifton said they went out grouper fishing on Thursday but did nothing. They ended up going to K Tower and catching some amberjack.
One thing about being outside all the time and especially on the water, we are prime candidates for skin cancer. About a year ago I had a cancer taken off of may face and on Friday I had to go have one taken off my nose and then go to the plastic surgeon to have it sewn up. For years I fished without a T-Top and now fortunately I have one and stay under it. When I was growing up you put suntan lotion on to get brown and it had nothing to do with blocking the sun. We had no idea how getting sunburned and tanned at an early age would come back to haunt us as we got older. Today you better use a good sunblock and go to a dermatologist regularly. I go once a year to Dermatology Associates in Tallahassee and it’s a good thing I do. Both of these cancers were just spots that I had no idea were skin cancer. If you are out in the sun a lot and don’t go to the dermatologist I urge you to make an appointment and go. Dermatology Associates can be reached at 877-4134.
Remember to leave that float plan, know your limits and use that sunblock. Good luck and good fishing!
May 27 , 2010
By Capt. Jody Campbell
From the Dock by Capt. Jody Campbell
Another beautiful weekend and plenty of fish were caught and again plenty of boats out on the water. The Rock The Dock Tournament out of Panacea was held this weekend and there were plenty of boats around.
Mike Pearson from Shell Point by way of Tifton took Brian Carrol out Thursday afternoon and they came in with 5 nice trout, which they caught on Gulps. On Friday they went offshore and caught their 4 gag grouper and some rock bass and grunts. On Saturday he took the family and they fished east of Live Oak Island and caught lot of trout and a 7-foot bull shark. Phillip Sharp caught some trout on Saturday and hooked a tripletail, which hit a D.O.A shrimp.
Capt. Terry Caruthers said he had out George and Harriett Osborne from Yankeetown Florida and they fished half a day on Tuesday and Wednesday. On Tuesday they came in with 7 trout and a 24 and 27 inch red. On Wednesday they had 9 trout and two more reds. Terry said he was anchoring off the edge of a sand bar and pitching up to about 4 or 5 feet with a live pigfish and live mud minnows to catch all his trout. He biggest trout for the two days were 24 and 26 inches. Down around Titusville and the Indian and Banana Rivers all they fish for is pigfish for the big trout.
Jimmy at Shell Island said fish was good this weekend but it was real good. He said there was a group down from Columbus that comes every year and calls it the Tree Top Trout Trip. There were 27 fishermen and they caught a total of 410 pounds of trout. Most were caught on live shrimp thought some were caught on the Gulp. Jimmy said most of the fish were caught in shallow water near shore. They had several grouper boats go out but very few grouper were brought back. Lots of shorts were caught but the big fish were few and far between. Lots of Spanish are being caught and 3 nice cobia were brought to the docks.
On Thursday I fished with Lee, Kim and Jake Miller from Valdosta. It was Lee and Kim’s 21st anniversary and what a way to celebrate, fishing with me. Their son Jake is 16 years old and has been fighting leukemia for most of his life. He has a great attitude for what he’s been though and loves to fish. He also probably caught more fish than anyone did. When I think things are bad I just need to think of this kid who has been though what nobody should have to go through and things for me aren’t really that bad after all. He’s got a great mother and dad that and a twin who is a real baseball star in Valdsota. We ended the day with about 15 trout and also caught a small cobia. Our last stop was on a buoy and we were trying to catch a legal cobia. Lee threw a live shrimp under a Cajun Thunder about 2 feet from the buoy and almost immediately got a hookup. It wasn’t a cobia but a 10-pound tripletail. I was more excited than Lee cause he didn’t know what it was. I came out of the water and when I saw what it was I told him please don’t loose that fish. I have been fishing here since 1976 and this would be the first one that had ever been in one of my boats. That day we caught tripletail, flounder, cobia, trout, redfish, ladyfish, small grouper, Spanish, blue runners and quite a few stinking catfish. They said they enjoyed their anniversary so I was happy.
On Friday, Saturday and Sunday I fished with Dennis, David and Hank Longmire from Florida, Pennsylvania and Athens Georgia. We caught our limit of trout everyday but they just kept the ones from the first day. We also had 9 flounder and probably 50 Spanish. We caught most on live shrimp though we caught quite a few each afternoon on the Gulp under the Cajun Thunder.
It’s getting awfully hot out there and you need to wear plenty of sun block and drink plenty of water. Heat exhaustion is bad but heat stroke is worse and life threatening. Remember to leave that float plan with someone and know your limits. Good luck and good fishing!
BIG BEND SALTWATER CLASSIC FATHERS DAY WEEKEND, JUNE 18-20TH
BANNER DAY OF KINGFISH
By fishy tales, 06/13/10
With an early opening season for scallops this year and talking to my cousin late Friday night, we decide to make a day of it and check out the scallop grounds and then do some inshore fishing, on the Dingy ( there is a story behind the Dingy and the Yacht). At the scallop grounds, we did several drifts and check things out for the up-coming season. Only thing I will say about the grounds is, that the grass is recovering fairly well from the cold winter and one or two scallops have been spotted...
June 18-20
undefined undefined undefined undefined
undefined
undefined undefined undefined undefined undefined
IT’S SCALLOP SEASON ON THE BIG BEND…AND IT’S EARLY—NOT OILY!
undefined undefined undefined undefined
undefined
undefined undefined undefined undefined undefined
But I wish I could say it was for a good reason, other than fear. Yes, I’m happy the Governor, up there in Tally, decided to open Florida’s recreational scallop season twelve days early, on June 19, but I really think we’re overdoing some of this pre-oil-arrival-fear thing.
undefined undefined undefined undefined
undefined
undefined undefined undefined undefined undefined
I was down in the Naples, Marco and Everglades area last week and worked my way north through Punta Gorda and Charlotte Harbor to Longboat Key and Anna Maria. What I didn’t hear was fear from anyone that the beaches or shores at any of those places were (oiled) or that wildlife was in any immediate danger. Believe me, and those of you who know me know, I’m no genius or rocket scientist, but I think the oil is going to stay away from the Big Bend coastline for a while due to our prevailing offshore currents, our shallow Continental Shelf and the action of the summer Loop Current.
undefined undefined undefined undefined
undefined
undefined undefined undefined undefined undefined
What I did hear was that uneducated travelers, some from as close as our own east coast, were cancelling reservations for this summer, thinking that the sky was falling. Squawk, Squawk—Chicken Little and his buddies are missing a terrific opportunity to see our beaches and fish our shores.
undefined undefined undefined undefined
undefined
undefined undefined undefined undefined undefined
So, scallop season is opening early—just in case. And of course, folks who’ve already cancelled their reservations have probably lost the chance to re-make them. And there are some folks who can’t change their vacation plans. But, if you’re quick (and flexible, and lucky) you might be able to get a room in
Steinhatchee,
Homosassa or Crystal River for the advance season. I wish you luck. And, if you’d just planned to get a few days of fishing in before scallop madness begins, be sure to take along your snorkeling gear!
undefined undefined undefined undefined
undefined
undefined undefined undefined undefined undefined
I normally save my instructional and very informative scalloping version of my Big Bend Fishing4Cast for the first week of July. This year, you get it early. The same advice—just early!
undefined undefined undefined undefined
undefined
undefined undefined undefined undefined undefined
First, finding scallops isn’t difficult. If you’re there on day one, look in water that’s 3 to 4 feet deep. If you’re there on day two, follow the leader and look for the fleet. Homosassa
Capt. William Toney recommends the area southwest of Chassahowitzka Point, south of the Homosassa River or the Gomez Rocks area off Crystal River. Two areas near Steinhatchee have scallops—the deep flats off Rocky Creek to the south and the area off Big Grass Island to the north.
undefined undefined undefined undefined
undefined
undefined undefined undefined undefined undefined
Second, stop the boat and get your required dive flag flying. And for Pete’s sake, turn off the freaking motor before anyone even considers getting in the water. People die when they get ground up by boat props. Simple masks, snorkels and fins are adequate for most scallopers, and mesh bags (available at most dive shops or marinas) make it easy to get your catch back to the boat. Be sure that everyone who needs a valid Florida recreational fishing license has one. If not, go to the Florida Fish and Wildlife’s Web site and get it online (and read the fine details about how many scallops you can keep). Your friendly FWC Officers will certainly be on the water, not only checking for licenses and bag limits, but for proper safety gear like life vests, whistles, flares and dive flags. They probably should check for practical things like sunscreen, but that bit of common sense is up to you.
undefined undefined undefined undefined
undefined
undefined undefined undefined undefined undefined
Third, get your scallops back to the boat and into ice, which makes them open up for easy cleaning. But don’t clean them and dump the offal (guts and shells) into the water while the kids are swimming. Summertime means sharks, and I’ve already seen some bulls out there. Do try to eat a scallop muscle raw…they’re excellent.
undefined undefined undefined undefined
undefined
undefined undefined undefined undefined undefined
Finally, if you can, eat the day’s catch that night. There’s no substitute for fresh scallops and no matter what a restaurant or fish market tries to sell you, it’s never the same. Our bay scallops are off-limits to commercial harvest and sales and the only way you’ll get to eat them is to catch them yourself—or get your neighbor to invite you over for dinner.
undefined undefined undefined undefined
undefined
undefined undefined undefined undefined undefined
Rod and reel fishing has been good, and of course OIL-FREE, all along the Big Bend. Trout seem to be holding in deeper water, sometimes as deep as 10 feet. Reds are schooling up on the lower tides and scattering into the shorelines on the high tides. Ladyfish are everywhere—and big fun for the kids. Gold spoons work well when fishing a rocky or rugged shore like those on the Big Bend for reds. Trout and the ladies will readily eat a GULP! bait or a live shrimp, fished on a light jighead. Offshore captains are bringing in limits of red snapper and gag grouper daily, and the slick, calm mornings make getting offshore easy. And the afternoon sea breezes we’ve had recently make the homeward run almost fun.
undefined undefined undefined undefined
undefined
undefined undefined undefined undefined undefined
So, even if you don’t want to scallop, get out of the house and get to the Gulf and go fishing.
7-2-10
By Capt. Jody Campbell
We’re coming up on what will surely be a very busy weekend on the water and it looks like typical Fourth of July weather. They are calling for scattered thunderstorms but the temperatures aren’t going to be so brutal. If you’re gonna be on the water this weekend, be careful and watch out for other people. Not everyone out there should be behind the wheel of a boat. Drink plenty of water and put on lots of sunscreen. Other than that have a great weekend and God Bless America!
Shell Island Fish Camp in St. Marks said fishing on Friday was very good but slowed down somewhat on Saturday and Sunday. Almost everyone fishing on Friday got their limit. Fish are still being caught in eight to 10 feet of water south of Gray Mare Rock and plenty of trout are also being caught in close. Reds are plentiful in the creeks and around the oyster bars.
Mark Prance had an old Air Force buddy down from Atlanta and they had two good days of fishing. They caught three trout and a couple of flounder early on Friday and then went back later in the day and limited out on trout using mud minnows and pinfish.
Mike Pearson fished the south end of the Ochlockonee Shoals and caught lots of trout but said most were small. They used Gulps on the bottom.
We fished out there on Saturday and caught fish on the north end of the Shoals. We tried for kings around buoy 24 but did nothing. I had talked to Alan Lamarche and he said he caught kings earlier in the week about two miles south of 24 and they were trolling. Jerry Alexander went out last Saturday with a friend and when he got where he was going his bottom machine went out. Even with that he was able to catch two nice grouper and throw back a bunch of small ones. They were fishing in about 24 feet of water.
Capt. Randy Peart who fishes out of the Aucilla and at St. George Island said they have been catching lots of big trout to 22 inches on the grass flats behind St. George. They are catching some reds and Spanish.
On Friday they landed a 140-pound tarpon which they caught on a silver and blue broken back Rapala. They hooked two other fish but one broke off and the other spit the hook. Randy said Franklin County has booms out everywhere in case the oil comes in but you can get in and out of the passes right now.
To my knowledge all the booms being placed right now are around beaches and the Apalachicola oyster beds, but this is Monday morning.
As you know, the Big Bend Saltwater Fishing Classic was held over the Father’s Day weekend and the weather couldn’t have been any better. The team of Koldtogo.com won the Masters Division. They had two first place fish, one-second place fish and three fish that placed third. This team was out of Port St. Joe Marina.
Bass Construction won the recreational team challenge from Tallahassee.
In the recreational division two tournament records were set: Julie Hilton had a 28.70-pound red snapper and George Kilgore weighed in a whopping 7.60-pound speckled trout. The biggest fish weighed in from the recreational division was a 52.05-pound wahoo caught by Pat Partin. Nick Kadel took first in the Junior Division on black seabass with a 1.65 pound fish. Big flounder was caught by Grayson Barns, which weighed 2.20 pounds. Reynolds Jonas III caught a 15 pound grouper and Blythe Gunter had a 26.95 pound king for first place honors. Kirstyn Griffin took first in Mangrove/Red Snapper with a 9.10 pound fish and Grayson Burns weighed in a 4.30 pound Spanish to take first in that division.
The big redfish went to Evan Bearden with a 5.40 pound fish and Siarra Vertuno placed first with a 3.95 pound speckled trout. Cobey Johnson hauled in a whopping 4.60 pound triggerfish to take first in that division and round out the Junior Categories.
Back in the olden days when I was in grammar school in Chamblee, Ga., my dad and I loved to listen to a radio fishing program that I believe was called Inside/Outdoors with John Martin. During the prime fishing months they would always call down to different lakes and fish camps and ask how the fishing was. I can remember Mr. Martin calling Alex Hobbs for a fishing report out of St. Marks at Shell Island Fish Camp. Back then there was no limit or size on trout and he would have reports of different parties catching over 200 trout in a day.
When we moved here in 1976 one of the first places I bass fished was the Wakulla River and Mr. Hobbs was running the fish camp and his son Allen and Allen’s cousin Ken were working there.
Those days are long since gone and, on Sunday night, Alex Hobbs passed away.
Mr. Hobbs purchased Shell Island Fish Camp in October 1962 and ran it up until 1988 when his son Allen and his wife starting running the fish camp. On Aug. 1 this year, Jimmy Bevis, who is Allen’s nephew, will start running Shell Island Fish Camp.
The fish camp was almost destroyed and put out of business with Hurricane Dennis but the Hobbs family persevered and now has one of the few real fish camps left in the state. Mr. Hobbs will be truly missed by the entire fishing community.
Keaton Beach and St. Joe have the scallops and still none here from all reports.
Remember to know your limits and leave that float plan with someone. Good luck and good fishing!
9-3-2010
Well I hope you had a safe and enjoyable Labor Day weekend. There were plenty of boats out on the water both fishing, tubing and just riding around and enjoying the beautiful weather.
This will probably be the last really busy weekend we will have with football getting started, school in and hunting season upon us.
That’s not a bad thing for those of us who will continue to fish through the fall.
There’s some good news for the offshore fishermen: The FWC announced that in state waters from Oct. 1 until Nov. 21, recreational fishermen will be allowed to keep their two fish (Red Snapper) bag limit with size limits staying the same, on Friday, Saturday and Sundays during that time period.
As I write this article, I couldn’t find anywhere that the federal government had followed suit, but on the FWC website, it said they would probably do the same. The FWC is also discussing whether or not to change the bag limit for red fish for recreational fishermen.
Tom Riddle, Greg Anderson and Mike Pearson went out on Friday and had a pretty exciting day for guys who typically fish for grouper.
They caught quite a few grouper but said as they got out past V-tower the water turned cobalt blue and they decided to do some trolling.
They caught a small sailfish, quite a few kings, a 20-pound dolphin and hooked a wahoo that Tom said probably weighed about 40 or 50 pounds.
It got Mike all fired up and he was heading to West Marine to get outriggers for his boat.
I saw Jason Callaghan at the beach on Sunday and he had just come in from fishing the area around Oyster Bay in his kayak.
He said that just as the tide starting falling, the bite really turned on and for 45 minutes he caught trout, reds and jacks on every cast using a chartreuse spoon.
On Saturday he fished around Lanark and found lots of big trout and reds looking for a top water plug.
I fished half a day on Saturday with Kevin McWilliams, his two sons and 10- year- old nephew. We fished out near the Shell Point reef and caught 52 trout but only four were legal. They did catch one real nice fish over 20 inches long. We caught quite a few 14.5-inch-trout and the boys lost a lot of good fish.
We were fishing live shrimp under the Cajun Thunder on a pretty strong falling tide.
The hardest thing in the world to do when fishing with young kids and sometimes adults, is to get them to be patient when fishing a cork and live bait.
They want to set the hook as soon as the cork starts going under. I tell them to be patient. If a trout or a red strikes and takes the cork under, it’s typically not going to come back up so you have plenty of time to set the hook.
Also getting them to get the slack out of their line before setting the hook was a tough thing for them to do.
They caught some nice Spanish and plenty of ladyfish so even if they did probably miss a lot of good trout they had a good time and that’s what it’s all about.
I didn’t fish at all on Saturday so I went out on Sunday on my own and caught and released about 25 trout that hit the D.O.A. and gulp under a Cajun Thunder.
There are plenty of trout on the flats and with the water temperature starting to drop, I’m hearing real good reports on trout and reds east of the Lighthouse.
Use topwater plugs and spoons around the oyster bars early. Trout are also starting to move in close and fish 3 to 4 feet of water with live shrimp or the Gulp.
Remember to leave that float plan with someone and be careful out there.
Good luck and good fishing!
Oct 1 2010
By Capt. Jody Campbell
Large areas of the Gulf of Mexico were closed to fishing due to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and the quota on the red snapper catch for the Gulf was not met.
Earlier in the month, the state Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission announced that state waters (those nine miles from shore) would be opened for snapper fishing on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays starting Oct. 1 and continuing through Nov. 21.
That was great, except for the fact that very few snapper are caught in state waters, at least not in our state waters.
On Sept. 21, federal regulators announced that they would follow suit.
So, starting this Friday you can bring in your limit of red snapper, which is two per person. This will be a big boost to the charter boat business in our area and all along the coast.
There’s a small disturbance down in the Caribbean, which we need to pay attention to and hope it doesn’t develop into anything. Temperatures are finally cooling off and it’s supposed to be in the upper 50s by the weekend.
Sounds like fall is finally gonna get here.
Lots of cobia have been caught the past couple of weeks and there are still plenty around. Plenty of trout on the flats, reds all around the oyster bars and plenty of big Spanish are still here.
Fishing is getting ready to bust wide open and I think we’re gonna have an exceptional fall.
The water temperature being as high as it is will keep a lot of bait around for a long time and along with the bait will be fish like blues, Spanish and cobia.
Alisha Tatum and Glen Peel caught two nice cobia last week and Glen took a day off and went out by himself two days later.
He fished a marker and found a big school of cobia on it and ended up catching one that was 46-inches long. They used live pinfish and Glen said when he cleaned the cobia it was full of eels.
Ed McIntyre of Shell Point was out last week at the Rotary reef and also got into the cobia. He didn’t land one but said he had seven or eight on. He said he would be reeling one in and another one would come up and strike his Cajun Thunder.
Bob Palmer of Shell Point went to the Rotary after Ed told him about all the cobia out there and he came in with one about 46 inches.
The week before Bob Palmer and Bob Morgan were out trolling for grouper around that area and caught and released two bull reds.
Mark and Louise Prance of Shell Point had Mike Smith and his grandson Stephan down and they had three pretty good days of fishing. On Friday, they came in with seven nice trout that they caught on a little bit of everything. On Sunday, they went out and fished in the rain and came in with seven nice flounder.
Chase Riddle from Tifton was down on Friday and said he caught a lot of trout on the Live Oak Island Reef.
He said on the last of the high tide he caught fish for about an hour straight on about every cast. He was fishing the white Gulp under a Cajun Thunder.
Capt. Terry Caruthers said trout fishing is good around Lanark Village and there are plenty of reds around.
On Saturday, he fished with a group from Thomaston, Ga., and they caught a lot of small reds and had nine nice trout, with two more than 20-inches long. He said the trout were in three to five feet of water and wanted the Gulp and live shrimp under a Cajun Thunder.
Capt. Randy Peart took Harold Fulford and Larry Burns fishing for two days out of the Aucilla.
On the first day, they fished in 10 feet of water using a white Gulp on the bottom and caught a bunch of nice trout, seabass and flounder. On the second day, they caught the same variety but also caught some nice trout using top water baits around the oyster bars.
Jimmy Bevis at Shell Island said red fish are everywhere but the trout fishing just hasn’t gotten as good as it’s gonna get.
Little Doc who guides out of St. Marks had a charter out on Sunday and they started off fishing East River for reds.
The reds were there but also some big bull sharks. They lost five to sharks so he moved over to little pass hoping to get away from them and they lost four more nice reds over there to bull sharks.
Brian Hurley, with the help of many others, has put together the fall Kevin’s Red Trout Shootout. The tournament will take place on Oct. 23 and you can launch anywhere, but weigh in is at C-Quarters Marina in Carrabelle.
Entry fee is $125 per boat and prizes will be paid for the heaviest weight of one red and one trout per boat.
With a guaranteed pay out of $10,000, first place pays $3,000.
For more information you can go to the website at www.redtroutshootout.com.
If you’re new to saltwater fishing or new to the area and want to get with a group of enthusiastic saltwater anglers, you might want to consider joining the North Florida Gulf Fishing Club. Organized in 2001 by some avid saltwater anglers, they meet the first Thursday of each month at Beef O’ Brady’s on Thomasville Road and I believe they have a tournament that following weekend.
They have averaged 35 boats per tournament for the past year and there is a 100 percent pay out at each tournament.
Member fee is $20 per boat and non-members is $25.
The next meeting is Oct. 7 and their tournament is Oct. 9 at the Econfina River.
Remember to leave that float plan with someone and know your limits. Good luck and good fishing!
Plenty of fish to go around
Thursday, November 4, 2010 at 11:32 am
A little breezy at times last week, but all in all, it was absolutely beautiful. There were lots of people on the water this past weekend and lots of fish have been caught. We’re going to see the coldest weather of the year next weekend which will group a lot of the fish up and I believe we are probably seeing the last of the cobia and Spanish.
Shell Island Fish Camp was awfully busy this weekend and they even had to call Allen out of retirement to take a few folks fishing. Plenty of trout are being caught in close and also in East River and the oyster bars in the mouth of the river. Look for some big reds in Little Pass and Goose Creek.
Capt. Terry Caruthers said fishing out of Lanark has been pretty good. He took John Hughes and Bill Burke from Inverness and they fished offshore for two days. On Thursday, they came in with their limit of grouper which were caught in 44 feet of water. On Friday they went to 60 feet and limited on grouper and snapper and had a 12-pound snapper. On Saturday, he fished with the Osteens from Yankeetown. He said they caught a lot of trout, but what made the trip really enjoyable was a dolphin that came up beside the boat and ate pinfish out of their hands. Terry said they ran to another area and fished and came back in about two hours later and that same dolphin came right back up to the boat looking for a handout. They said even if they hadn’t have caught any fish the dolphin would have made it all worth it.
Glen Peele and Alisha Tatum were offshore last week trolling for grouper and caught a 44-pound king. Glen said they were trolling two Stretch 25’s and one wasn’t running right and it kept coming to the surface. It came to the surface one too many and that big old king jumped out of the water and landed on top of what it thought was a big old minnow. Alisha said that was the first time she had ever gaffed a fish and Glen said she got it perfect the first time he got the fish up to the boat.
Capt. Randy Peart said fishing down around the Aucilla was unbelievable this past week. He fished four days and did extremely well. On Wednesday and Thursday he fished with the Yavonivich party from Mosquito Lagoon. On Thursday they caught 10 trout, two bull reds, cobia and five Spanish. He tried to cancel the trip for Friday because of the wind, but they wanted to go anyway. Randy said he had the best day he’s ever had fishing top water baits. Fishing in two feet of water and less they caught and released eight reds and lots of trout. Eight of the trout were more than 20 inches and four were from 20 to 23 inches. He was using a chartreuse Skitter Walk. Saturday he fished with a group from Thomasville and they caught trout, reds, sea bass, mackerel and grunts. He fished a group from Tallahassee on Sunday that wanted to fly fish. Once they put down the fly rods they caught five trout and one redfish using a top water bait.
I fished with Bill Selander, his son Shawn and Shawn’s friend Jack, all from Tallahassee. Shawn is a senior in high school and fished and could cast better than most adults I fish with. We started off catching quite a few white trout but couldn’t catch any big one, so we left them looking for speckled trout. We ended the day with 18 speckled trout, two nice reds, three Spanish, several small trout and a bunch of small white trout. We caught everything on live shrimp under a Cajun Thunder or on the bottom. One of the highlights of the trip was three dolphins feeding on a school of mullet for about 5 minutes. There were mullet jumping out of the water everywhere for a few minutes and when they got through feeding on those mullet they came by the oyster bar we were fishing and it looked like three torpedoes going through the water. Within minutes they had another bunch of mullet rounded up. The large flocks of white pelicans that are here right now also make for a pretty spectacular day.
Remember to know those limits and leave that float plan with someone. Keep your eyes open when you’re out there because there’s plenty more to be seen that just another fishing hole. Good luck and good fishing!