Saturdays partial Fish-In update: About 6:30 am & driving I-75 north, where it seems every spring breaker & snowbird is leaving Florida, which would let FLskibum, Thunderthumbs & Dan get to restautant for the meet & greet long before me. HA ! FLskibums alarm clock didn't go off as they all slept in, called to say they were going to Indian Mounds park after meeting Capt Tony about 8 am for directions; who had clients for the day. Reload Bill & I had breakfast & exchanged more than a few fishing secrets from the old days while getting acquainted. We left to fish Blind Pass Park & Lemon Bay; but to no avail, even though the water temps were close to 70 & the sunshine was warming the flats up quickly as it rose in the east.
There were more than enough mullet & finger mullet breaking all over the flats, signifying feeding fish. No redfish tailers & no hits under the schools of mullet, even though they were scattering from predators & making a good amount of whitewater, but not like a feeding frenzy !
Thunderthumbs & Dan had kayaked over from the east side of the bay for an on the water meet & greet. Reload Bill, who has again taken up flyfishing years later without his mentor by his side coaching; had just about cast his arm off while trying to hook his first saltwater fish & decided to tend to family before the eveniongs backyard barbeque ! Dan had the hot rod, catching another keeper trout while TT also had one along with more ladyfish catches from the east side oyster bars. Seemed a good time to take a break as the yakkers were going to fish the west side before heading back to the boat ramp; where I would eventually drive to for more fishing after a lunchbreak & go canoeing with FL skibum.
Cell phones seem so much of an annoyance at times, but where else could one call for a water taxi but on the flats of Florida ! As FLskibum & I headed out into a quartering chop, since the gulf breeze had made it's proverbial entrance as if on it's tea time cue; changing the light chop & very light winds into some whitecaps on the waves, I tried to secure the 10 lb. canoe anchor inside on the floor because it was rigged on a quick release off the bow; swinging freely port to starboard & back making every paddle stroke an adventure in not tipping the craft or making it a submarine ! For a couple of old salts we didn't do too badly & stayed dry.
Anchor stowed & progress was remarkably better as we headed for an oyster bar island with some mangrove trees harboring a couple of mating great blue herons & other shore birds north of the boat ramp. There were a couple of deep troughs which had plenty of mullet & some big gar, but no strikes. Even stayed when the 20 mph + gusts out of the north tested our casting prowess.
It was a chamber of commerce blue bird day for fishing, but they don't call it catching as the 3 fishing tournaments down in Charlotte Harbor yeilded some redfish & seatrout, but very few snook catches for the professional fishing circuit & we didn't fare much better !
The barbeque was scheduled for this evening around 6, so the yaks got secured to the truck with the canoe on top of them after the sea trout were cleaned by & for the campers. Said some farewells & just waiting on the phone call as to where we're fishing tomorrow ! TT with his new found sunburned red "V" under the chin can fill you in on this evenings events !