Fishing Report 10/18/2014

I took the Hooked SUP out to the Mayport Salt Marshes again - launched from the northern side of the bridges that crosses a feeder creek along A1A. That was a mistake - mid calf deep salt marsh mud from the high water mark down to a few feet into the creek. This side seemed more attractive because it had a less powdery dirt road to get to it, but now I know why (doesn't get as much traffic). I paddled down a different feeder creek than last time - took the left at the fork instead of the right and paddled toward the Wonderwood Bridge. There was a lot of flats-shallows-drainages-oyster beds along the way and I was able to use the terrain to pick a couple of good 'fishy' spots. I caught my first flounder on the fly!!!! This guy took the supreme hair shrimp fly I cast on the first shot out!!! That is one heck of a fly (I want to learn to tie them, but they look like a lot of work...). Not legal size so back in the water - with attitude - splashed a bunch of water back at me, almost as if to say "next time I'll kick your ass!" A bit later I found another spot that was downstream of a draining feeder creek. I threw a swimming Gulp mullet on a jighead and caught this nice spotted sea trout. Nice paddle, a 'first' on the fly and beautiful weather! I'm not complaining! The tackle I have been bringing out on these salt marsh trips impress me more and more each time I use them. The Epic 686 casting a full sink line and the St Croix Tidemaster are going to be hard to top.

Fishing Report 10/8/2014

I tried to catch the flood tide at the salt marshes by Cedar Point. Glassy smooth water and LOTS of bugs. When I get into conditions like that, I always drop into my "SUCK IT UP BUTTERCUP" mode - mind over matter. I had the St Croix Tidemaster and the Orvis Helios 8wt out with me. I had specifically gone out trying to find redfish tailing in the flooded grass. I found flooded grass and tons of finger mullet - and tons of bugs (did I mention that already?). I didn't get any hits on the fly (although I oddly enough saw mud minnows attacking the Waldner Spoon Fly I was casting - they weren't much larger than the fly), but I used the time to practice casting. I am at the point where I can 'feel' mistakes in casting while they are happening, and I can correct them on subsequent casts - the neat thing is this has never become tedious - I'm pretty sure I've found the next thing for my next 40 years (what surfing/windsurfing/kitesurfing was for my first 40). On the way in I was blind casting a Gulp Shrimp on a 1/4 oz black jig head and I got to see color on a big speckled trout - unfortunately it was just holding onto the bait and when it saw me, it left the game. I stuck around the same spot trying to reengage but it didn't happen. What I did get was a hookup with the first Southern Flounder I've caught in a very long time (if you've been keeping up with this blog, you'll recall I caught a small Peacock Flounder out in the Indian Ocean - but that was then and this was a Southern). I got this guy by the "skin of it's teeth" - literally. This guy was 13" (legal keeper is 12") - dinner!!!