3/9 Alligator Point

[Littoral]

It took a whole day of paddling, and determination:
3 Reds, 2-12's and a 22".
7 Trout, 15, 18, 2-19's, 21, 22 & 23". All released.
Lost one very big trout that will stay in my imagination for a long time. It was my fault too. Gone after one second of slack to drop the anchor because I didn't want to spook the "others" when the fish pulled me into where I hooked up.
Bird in the hand...
I can't say I really figured out any pattern about where the fish were and what the best lure was. Where they weren't was deep. I did better on the lee side of bars when the tide was really moving, in or out. When I found fish they were generally in ~3-4 feet over hard-live bottom. All day I kept trying to put the puzzle together and see the picture. I'll remember this trip just for being able to connect a couple of pieces.
I should add that I recently read every page of the trout stories I posted recently and I really recommend them. They've raised the bar for me & it really affected my focus yesterday.
I don't mean to wax too philosophical about it but I really do like to catch fish.

[dbplug]

Nice outing Lit. I will analyze your recent posts tonight.

[2true]

You always seem to catch..

Are you using crack for bait?

umm yeah.....

[Littoral]

Here's an observation, I saw six boats come and go in the areas I fished. None of them fished any one area for more than 15 minutes. I never saw anybody catch a fish. Maybe they found them somewhere, I don't know. The trout stories I posted all emphasize getting out of the boat & wading. Why? The articles are about Texas flats but the point is the same, being in the water makes it more likely that you'll notice the things that add up to catching fish. I've posted before that I think being in a kayak has forced me to fish better because I can only fish the water I can get to.
It might be a load of crap but I know I believe it.
The message I got from the articles was that I wasn't really paying attention to what it took to catch fish.
How many times have you really believed you'd catch fish & then you did?
EDIT:
2True, You said I always seem to catch..
Funny thing, I just went back to look at the one article I posted and the title of that article was "Getting Consistent Results". I re-read it and it really makes the point that I was trying to here.
http://www.bigbendfishing.net/phpbb/vie ... php?t=6219

[rgharris83]

Hey Lit,
I read more than I post here trying to learn before I offer up useless information. I just got my yak and my first trip was to Wakulla Beach this past Sunday. I've got a place down near Angelo's in Panacea on a canal. Are you going in the Harbor or out from the beach over at Alligator Point?

[Littoral]

rg, good to hear you are into the kayak thing. Perhaps you'll want to join the Tarpon chase this summer. I expect the best opportunities will be near you at Mud Cove or near the Marine Lab.
As to your question. I put in twice yesterday, once at the landing at the head of the bay and once right off 98.

[Sir reel]

Littoral observation:

saw six boats come and go in the areas I fished. None of them fished any one area for more than 15 minutes. I never saw anybody catch a fish.

Those were the folks who attended the last NFGFC meeting...

Capt Pat McGriff used the line that "if you fish a spot longer than 15-20 min....you've been spending too much time in Church ...because you obviously have too much faith". He went on to explain that if you hadn't received any bites in that lenght of time, just staying with it and trusting that the fish would come was not his approach.

[Littoral]

Good point. I'll spin on that a while.
First, I agree that waiting for fish is usually silly and rarely successful. Patience and fishing are incompatible for me. Although if you're really targeting a fish species or a bite and you believe you know where you have to be, then there's a whole new thing to commiting to being there when it happens. I want a 30" trout. I might have to dedicate a lot of time & patience to the few spots that I think that could happen. The kayak Tarpon idiocy that I'm planning is the same thing.
But usually I paddle all over the place trying to figure out where and what to do. 10-15 minutes here and then I move 20 yards.
McGriff is a guide. He can move wherever because first, he knew exactly where to stop in the first place and second, he knows exactly where to go next. The rest of us don't know the water like he does. We all have a few spots but when we can finally go fishing we can't be tuned in like a guide should be. When he sets up on a site he's already worked out a lot of details, like which direction the water will be moving so he can drift in to where he can work the right lure where it needs to be, one that mimics the bait that was around yesterday. If he doesn't find fish he can be pretty confident they're not there, or if they are they're not biting. I can't be that confident. The best I can do is believe they're at least nearby and I have to find them and what they will bite. When I'm in a boat I have to resist the urge to run all over the place looking. That's especially hard when you're trying to accomodate the various theories of our fishing partners.