Fly Fishing the Pier

After I left Charlie's house, I figured I should try fishing the pier since the weather was so nice. I rigged up the Epic 686 - and brought out the full sink and floating lines to do some more comparison out here in the islands (way different fishing techniques than in Florida). I could see the fish in the water - papio or hahalalu, and some big aha (Houndfish). I decided to try for the aha first. I tied on the "bloody guts" fly to I used to catch the Atlantic Needlefish when we were living at Mayport. Strip in the fly as fast as you can and you get some eager takers! But for some reason the yarn doesn't get tangled in the teeth like it did back in Florida. I had several takes, some decent pulls - but each ended with the fish off the fly. I checked the fly and saw that I had cut off the hook at the bend - not that I would have hooked the fish anyways - they have pretty hard, bony jaws. Teasers proved just as fun (and I didn't have to handle the fish). I didn't have any looks from the other fish - even when I broke out the spinning gear and threw the small kastmaster. I have some more homework to do to get to the point where I can consistently hook up.

Fishing Report 10/10/2014

I took the Hooked SUP out to the salt marsh just outside of Mayport Naval Station. I brought the St Croix Tidemaster and an old friend that I haven't had out in a while - the Epic 686 built out by Chris Barclay. I ended up catching a 15" Speckled Trout (Spotted Sea Trout) on a gulp mullet. Decent fight, but the Tidemaster was just a hair too much for this fish (my lightweight St Croix Triumph would have been sweet!). But when you are fishing for meat, getting the rod power right is just gravy - I'll take the meat! After a little bit more time with the spin gear, I switched out to the Epic 686 with a full sink line - basically the same setup I used when fishing for shad in the Potomac Shad Run. On the first cast I got this needlefish on a shrimp fly - it jumped a few times just to make me smile a little bit more than I already was! Casting a lighter fly makes using this combo oh so nice - I was able to throw very pretty loops - I really LOVE this setup!!! I think I am going to tie up more shrimp flies (smaller and slightly heavier) and cast the rod with both a DT6 and WF6 to see what I can get out of it - it really has been a while since I used this rod. I saw a few other fish, but didn't bring anymore to hand. Awesome fishing day!!!

Fishing Report 9/28/2014

We went to the beach to fish today. I started out with the surf rod, but after not getting any bites for a while (nobody was, and there were more than a few people out fishing), I switched to the flyrod. I tied on a blue "surf candy" type epoxy head fly that was made using blue yard - I had those needlefish targeted... I had one take the fly and get it's teeth caught up in the yarn - I got it to the beach and just as I was going to pick it up and get the fly out of it's mouth, it let go and swam off (leaving me high and dry without a picture of fish in hand). I know what type of fly to use now, so I'll rectify the issue and get a photo of one taken on the fly. I also know that these are 'needlefish' and that most people think of them as a waste of time. I like to think of them as opportunities when other fish that chase flies are not around. While I was on the rocks, I saw a ton of finger mullet swimming in the surfline. I wasn't going to stop flyfishing for those, but I did stop for the school of large ones I saw bunkered down near the rocks. I went back to where I left my gear, grabbed the cast net (good thing I fixed that net yesterday...) and asked the kids if they wanted to check out what I was about to do. I netted seven good sized mullet in the first (and only) throw to that big mullet school. I gave the net to Marlon and he was able to get two nets full!!! Good day at the beach!!!

Fishing Report 9/16/2014

Walked the beach this morning casting for some whiting, but they weren't there. I thought I had arrived with the incoming High tide, but alas I was wrong and I suffered in lack of fish participants in tug-o-war. I shifted gears and started chucking a jig and caught this Needlefish. This guy was so pissed it wanted blood - even it's own (it's biting it's tail). Checkout these chompers. I had several others hit the jig, but they usually don't get hooked because their jaws are so narrow and bony. Oh well - at least I didn't get skunked!!! The surf is supposed to pick up tomorrow....

Fishing Report 8/17/2014 Part 2

Nice Florida sunset. For the past several nights, as I've done errands in the evenings, I would shine a headlamp beam over the water and the mullet would explode - much in the same way the Asian Carp go nuts on the TV shows. I figured fish that eat mullet would be swimming around in the mix also, but no matter what I pitched - surface poppers that look like mullet, popping corks with DOA shrimp, flies, rocks and cuss words - I got nothing. Well - I broke out Marlon's cast net and I caught what was swimming around. Mullet - several, and some twice as big as this guy, and a Needlefish. I felt like I had cheated in a way - but that feeling didn't last long.

BAM!!! Check this fish out!!!

Taking a cue from Saturday morning, I opted to wait until later in the day to go fishing. I also wanted to use the Hooked SUP board so I went to Accotink Creek. The wind was coming in from the WNW-NW, but not too strong. I paddled out and as I made my way to the weed beds, I saw several largemouth bass swimming away - the board let me sneak up on them well as I was less than five feet away when they bolted. At that point I knew this was going to be a good session. There were minnows swimming freely among the dense weeds - without a care in the world. I set up the ultralight rig with a 1" shad softbait and within the first few casts and I got this big bluegill. The very next cast and I hooked into this Needlefish. While I was reeling it in, it was jumping like a tarpon - pretty much the whole way in. I had a dry spell for a few minutes, then I landed the first large mouth - measured out at just over 11 inches. That fish jumped and tried to throw the hook but the jighead was in the bottom of it's mouth - solid set. I cast again and I got an even bigger one - 14 inches and way rounder. This fish was peeling off drag and had a good bend in the rod - adrenaline pumper!!! When I got it up onto the board, I saw I had just barely lip hooked it - I couldn't have asked for a better fight! I wanted to catch another needlefish, but ended up with a couple more bluegill and I called it a day. The ultralight setup I have has made the last several weeks of fishing an absolute blast! It's not surfing, but I gotta tell you - catching is pretty fun!

Report Card

Okay - I haven't been posting lately.

I broke my camera the day I took the pictures from my last post - a little wave gentle lapped the camera and "poof".

But, I have been working, and I have been making time in the evenings to go fishing as well.

SO - here's the report card for the past week:

The day after the last set of pictures (on the last post), I caught several sergeant majors and a few flagtails all on the tenkara yamame rod (at rock pier). I also caught a triggerfish earlier in the day (at Cables) - there is an interesting story behind that - something about being happy to not be skunked, kissing the fish and getting bit on the lower lip... good thing I have a high pain tolerance.

This picture is actually from Tuesday. I caught two trigger fish and a decent sized bonefish at Short Pier. Sonny caught six more larger sized fish (do I hear lumpia being made???) after wards (beginner's luck).

Thursday evening, I fish out behind the barracks and caught a tiny sized dart with the tenkara ito. I had a bonefish on the line, but it broke off the tippet. While I was there, one of the contractor personnel caught a massive Black Trevally - most likely a 50 pounder! What makes it even more incredible was he caught it on a hand line. There is certainly something to be said for simplicity. Moved to a different location later in the evening - caught a bunch of big eyed scads (about 6) and a couple of glassy sweepers (a type of cardinal fish) on a sabiki rig - the hooks weren't much smaller than the fish...

And now we get to today.

One big eyed scad (on a tiny spoon) and two soldierfish (or a type of snapper) taken on the fly (a gotcha). I was trying my hardest to get a scad on the fly, but no takers.

Tomorrow I am going to buy a replacement camera so I can start taking pictures again.

Work hard - Play harder!!!