What am I doing wrong

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ropeman
Posts: 399
Joined: July 23rd, 2007, 1:24 am

What am I doing wrong

Post by ropeman »

I'm in a dry spell! Went to the St Marks river Saturday 2/19 around 1pm starting at the Fort and working up river. I got all the way to the 98 Bridge and still hadn't caught anything. I did get to meet Redbeard in person at the boat ramp, so that was good. Prior to that on Friday afternoon my step dad and I walked out one of the trails from the lighthouse road and fished a few spots. No bites there either! I did speak to a guy on a bicycle that I'm sure was Gary Droze, so that was cool. The previous Saturday (2/12/22) my girlfriend and I put in at the Fort and ran down river fishing creeks to Big West Bayou with the same results. We fished mostly live/frozen shrimp and I threw a gold spoon and suspending lure some. I talked to several people on Saturday that had similar results. Do I just need to take a break and let the water warm up or change my tactics?

I did have a friendly FHP officer stop and talk to me Saturday evening about my drivers side tail light on the boat trailer. After several hours Sunday two evenings this week and close to $90 at West Marine I almost have the whole trailer rewired! :-?
Last edited by ropeman on February 24th, 2022, 5:48 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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onefishtwofish
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Re: What am I doing wrong

Post by onefishtwofish »

Probably nothing. During the cold time of year it is more hunting than fishing. For me, I just move spots especially quick. If I pick up a fish, I tend to try to figure out why and replicate.

We had a day like that a couple years back and it taught me a good lesson. Two boats, one fish in 4 hours. We were heading in with our tails tucked and I marked some fish on my fish finder. Casted and it was on. Called my brother in the other boat and we chased the school of reds up and down the river. Even stopped a pair of guys and told them what to do and they were right there with us for about 45 minutes. All three boats had a blast, all were short but it was steady action for that time.
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GaryDroze
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Re: What am I doing wrong

Post by GaryDroze »

Hey Ropeman,
Yep that was me. The trout/reds are definitely biting in the SMNWR creeks. If you can throw a cast net in the little side creeks or canals near the lighthouse and collect some mudminnows, they are like candy in the tidal creeks. Horns Creek and Stoney Bayou are holding lots of good fish. Best bites for me are one hour either side of dead high/low tides. When the tide is just starting to move either way, the predator fish wake up. Good luck!
DawgDad
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Joined: January 6th, 2022, 1:42 pm

Re: What am I doing wrong

Post by DawgDad »

Sounds like you have a boat and know where Stony Bayou is. If so, go in Stony Bayou the weekend of the 5th. and be in it about 1:00 PM and leave it by 5:00. BE CAREFUL and go slow in your approach or you will damage or lose a lower unit getting to the mouth of the Bayou. Using a trolling motor to keep to the Leeward bank and drift with the the current chunking to the middle of the creek or opposite bank up current with a 3/0 red circle hook and split shot about 6" up the leader with 5" electric chicken, pink shine, etc. jerk shad hooked through the nose. Bounce and work it slowly letting the current help the presentation, don't set the hook, reel when you feel fish, the circle hook will do the work for you. I have not fished Stony Bayou this year but have many times in the past from December to March and limited out every time. I fish creeks east of Stony Bayou near the Aucilla River that are easier/quicker to get in out of............started fishing at 2:00 this past Sunday afternoon and had a 2 man limit by 4:00 using this method. Same results the last time we had a 70 degree day on January 9th. with good tides and wind conditions. Good luck.
rockyg
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Re: What am I doing wrong

Post by rockyg »

So that's where the fish are......Stoney Bayou......thanks bud. Me, all my friends, my family members, and about 642 other fishermen who have access to this forum internet thing will be there this weekend. I'll bet the fishing will be great.

If you want to help someone with site specific info you can do yourself (and some of us) a big favor and send them a Private Message thru the Forum.
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ropeman
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Re: What am I doing wrong

Post by ropeman »

rockyg wrote: February 24th, 2022, 11:50 amMe, all my friends, my family members, and about 642 other fishermen who have access to this forum internet thing will be there this weekend. I'll bet the fishing will be great.
Between 1 and 5? :D
Sorry I mentioned a specific spot. Next time I will leave out any specific location. I'm not sure if you have noticed this, but the Navionics app has a public marker in that area that says "Cast here for redfish" :o
DawgDad wrote: February 24th, 2022, 10:33 amBE CAREFUL and go slow in your approach or you will damage or lose a lower unit getting to the mouth of the Bayou.
I'm still a little scared of taking my boat in there. I don't have a trolling motor yet, but it's next on the list.
Last edited by ropeman on February 24th, 2022, 4:17 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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onefishtwofish
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Re: What am I doing wrong

Post by onefishtwofish »

4 answers and 270 views! So if it is just 2 guys in each boat, that will only be 540 people. Unless some bring a third, then Rocky's estimate is pretty close. :( :smt010 :-?
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ropeman
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Re: What am I doing wrong

Post by ropeman »

onefishtwofish wrote: February 24th, 2022, 1:53 pmthat will only be 540 people.
Better get there early!
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onefishtwofish
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Re: What am I doing wrong

Post by onefishtwofish »

ropeman wrote: February 24th, 2022, 2:41 pm
onefishtwofish wrote: February 24th, 2022, 1:53 pmthat will only be 540 people.
Better get there early!
Sorry, 411 views now! Maybe even earlier! :lol:
Ducks, turkeys, flats fishing. Who has time for golf?
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SHOWBOAT
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Re: What am I doing wrong

Post by SHOWBOAT »

What a comical thread. Someone can tell another how, when and where they catch fish. Doesn’t mean another person can or will. Go to any NFGFC Tournament and at least half a dozen boats will tell you how they caught fish. At least one of those boats will be in SB and each of the next three creeks East. Nice of people to share, but hearing how they do it won’t necessarily create the same results.

Good luck to all who try to replicate. Look forward to hearing how each person’s results vary. The most consistent piece of info on this thread is that a trolling motor is a very important tool in our section of coast!
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Red Beard
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Re: What am I doing wrong

Post by Red Beard »

Was cool to meet you the other day. I’ve bumped into a few members this winter at the ramp. Always nice to see a face to the forums names.


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GaryDroze
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Re: What am I doing wrong

Post by GaryDroze »

Brian, as usual, you are the voice of reason. When somebody asks somebody else where they caught fish, there is a balance between...

1) In the mouth.
2) 400 meters inside Big Cove entrance near the east bank, where there is a gradual dropoff from the first oyster bar, 30 minutes before the end of low tide on a 1.5ft ebb tide prediction with slight north wind, using a slow sinking mullet simulation Mirrolure, cast into the dropoff and twitched during slow retrieve with outgoing current.

I try to strike that balance. 90 percent of forum members seem okay with it; 10 percent want my head on a stick.

BTW, for that 10 percent, I have never fished near the mouth of Big Cove. Made up that scenario using satellite images and my mediocre imagination (although slow sinking Mirrolures in mullet patterns are gonzo under the right conditions, as everyone knows).
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kenfly
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Re: What am I doing wrong

Post by kenfly »

I fished last day the 19th from about 1230-430, fished the river from the lighthouse all the back to the power plant , mouths , creeks, channel, oyster bars, nothing. Was windy as hell and didn’t want to venture pass the lighthouse. I charted it up as a wrong place at the wrong time kinda day , hoping for better results this weekend out of eky


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slow motion
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Joined: December 15th, 2019, 10:49 am

Re: What am I doing wrong

Post by slow motion »

Tried to post similar results on your thread a couple days ago and my phone froze up. Nothing but small reds for me fishing the Ochlockonee. Finally caught a trout yesterday. Only one just shy of 19". Based on that had decided to put in at the lighthouse and try some of the creeks east including the one that makes a lot of people mad when it gets mentioned. Looked on here this morning and dang. Got quite heated a year or so ago about this same place. It's not somewhere I fish often but a lot of people do. I can see both sides of the argument. Hope you folks stay friends over it. Good luck folks. Spring is coming soon.
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fishinfool
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Re: What am I doing wrong

Post by fishinfool »

Between 1 and 5? :D
Sorry I mentioned a specific spot. Next time I will leave out any specific location. I'm not sure if you have noticed this, but the Navionics app has a public marker in that area that says "Cast here for redfish" :o

For about three years, that was a go to spot. It has not produced much lately though...
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