And before I had to take off, I even got one to hand - and back you go...
So I have found a spot that delivers faithfully (like Lake Newport and it's bountiful Bluegill and Largemouth Bass) - I can rest assured that I can play tug-o-war anytime... now to get a few more spots wired so I won't have to drive around so much.
Sergeant Major - this was a significant event for us as we have spotted these fish but not been able to catch one for the entire duration that we have been fishing at the jetties. BAM!!!
Juvenile Grouper - really small guy. He's got big shoes to fill as the King of the Reef. I wasn't expecting this at all (I thought it was another black sea bass).
We also caught a bunch of the blennies and Marlon caught something that looked like a juvenile Pompano - but it came off the hook as he almost got it to hand.
Lastly - the mullet are starting to stack up for their annual run. The river is getting thick with them and I even saw a bunch of splashing going on as a predator fish (likely a Jack Crevalle) was taking shots at various schools. La took a walk on the beach and reported the birds were diving in pretty close to shore - I'm going to have some fun very shortly (on the fly and on topwater poppers) - oh boy!!!!
We caught two new species again - a true blenny, bottom turned mouth and eyes high atop the head are the telltales, more so than the other fish we've been catching that we've called a blenny (mostly because of the appendages a top their heads - and a Spot Tail Pinfish.
Today I also taught the kids how to turn over rocks and find some bait. The fish really turned on when we started using crab sections on the hooks. It really doesn't get much better than this!
Had another fishing contest yesterday afternoon. We each caught 8 (best to leave the official count at a tie), but the interesting thing was the diversity of the species we caught. Noe caught a yearling Black Drum. Marlon caught a young snapper. And we each caught a bunch of the resident rock blennies.
Noe asked to fish where I was and took it one step further. She would drop her rig in to this small area and proceeded to pull up fish after fish - including the baby drum. This small fish trip we are on right now is paying off with the different species we are finding.
Ultralight-weight spinning gear, small hooks and tiny squares of bait - we each caught one (well - after they left, I caught a second). Noe caught a wrasse. Marlon caught a rock blenny and I caught a (two) pigfish. Shortly after, I saw a guy on my left set the hook on something big. He thought it was a stingray, it turned out to be a big red. Dang!!! He was using live finger mullet on a sliding weight rig... big bait for big fish.
We went crabbing in the early morning using two methods - first was the standard crab trap. Put the chicken at the bottom of the net and chuck it out there for the crabs to munch on. After a few minutes, pull the trap up and pick out the correct sized crabs. The second method was using our spinning rods with a weighted jighead hook and place the piece of chicken on the hook. Cast out and wait for a tug, then slowly reel the crab in and bring it up with a landing net. The kids had a great time because most of the crabs in the morning were really small and feisty - giving them a chance to perfect their crab handling technique.
We only had to take out a few birds nest accidents - a good sign she is getting better at casting and retrieving. I caught 15+. She caught 10 and actually removed the hook from a majority of those. I announced at the end of the outing that Noe was the winner (although we both won with the awesome together time)!
Noe said she wanted to use spinning gear and Marlon said he was in for his new tenkara rod.
Noe used Gulp Crickets and was slamming the door on the bluegs and greenies. She certainly takes after her Mom (very vocal when she lands a fish). Noe did get some big ones.
Marlon chose the harder route and cast the fly. He picked off several sunnies - mostly greens - surgical strikes of fishing prowess!!! We saw a bunch of large mouth bass swimming around, but we weren't able to hook up with one.
With the kiddoroosters fishing, I ended up tending to their needs more than fishing. They are both getting better - only three bird's nests between the two of them for the entire three hours we were out there.
Man these waders make my butt look ginormous!!! Or how's this one "I used photoshop to make my butt look huge". I did break out the Steffen 8'0" 4/5wt. Paired it with a Creek 2 lined with a RIO Perception WF5. If you've never cast a Steffen, they are the epitome of practical casting. If I had to catch fish for sustenance, I wouldn't fool around with anything else. With this rod I can feel when I make a perfect cast and when I make a mistake. I am not a great caster, but I aspire to become one - and being able to know what a great cast is by feel is an important step towards getting better. The camera battery died before I brought out the Steffen, so no pictures of that rod (yet - when the smallmouth start coming out, this rod will be out in force).
Sushi??? Not from this body of water... Fishing - yes. Catch and release - of course. Dinner - no way...
