We had a guide go with us in our boat Tuesday. We left the marina at daylight. Before leaving, the first question the guide asked was "How much gas do you have on board". He took us on the grand tour, and showed us several places to try. I managed to catch 2 nice reds in one of the canals. All Chalk managed was a flounder. We went back to the marina to drop the guide off at about 3 o'clock. Did I mention the wind? It blew 20 all day. Idi I mention the guide asking how much gas I had on board? According to my GPS, when we got back to the marina we had run 86 miles.
After dropping off the guide, and a quick snack, with some input from our guide, and Pal, on a closer place to try, we headed back out about 4 to fish some grass beds that had been suggested. I managed one more good red, and Chalk ended the day with only his flounder to show for it. He had the nerve to say he knew how I must feel most of the time. 
We finished the day with another good meal at a different local resturant.We were on the water Wednesday morning before daylight. Both of us agreed that one of the canals the guide had taken us was the place to go. And, there was only a light breeze. So off we went on an 18 mile boat ride. (A side note here: If you plan on fishing this area, buy a chartplotter and Bluechart. It'll pay for itself the first trip out of this area.) We got to the canal and the bait was there. We started working into the canal and we could see the reds moving in the canal. They looked like torpedos goint through the water. We were easing along the canal with the trolling motor when we saw two huge wakes 35' in front of the boat. I threw on top of one of the wakes and was instantly rewarded with a nice red. We worked on to a small open area on the side of the canal, and fish were moving everywhere............just out of casting range. Within 10 minutes Chalk landed a nice red. The guide took us to the back of this canal on Tuesday. However, when we attempted to go further into the creek we discovered the water had dropped about 6", and we weren't going any further. So we headed back toward the mouth of the creek. Then, in less than 10 minutes, it went from a light breeze to a 30 mph wind. We soon discovered if you couldn't see the fish moving you didn't stand a chance of catching one. We tried several different methosd, including shrimp on the bottom, with no success. About noon, I made the call to head back to the marina. When we ran out of the creek, into the lake, we were greeted by 2 to 3's..............in 2 feet of water.
If we had run back the wey we came, we would have been beated to death, and everything we owned would have been soaked. So, I made the decision to run a different route (remember the side note about a chartplotter?). 26 miles later we were at the marina, kinda beat up, but reasonably dry. After a snack, we decided to go back to the creek we fished Monday afternoon. After running 11 miles down the intercoastal, in a 30 mph wind, I turned into the canal we fished Monday. The prop was immediately in the bottom, with the boat on plane. I stayed in the throddle, turned us around, and got us out of there. I now have less paint on my lower unit, and the prop has been "polished".We sat down in the intercoastal, and after some discussion, went back by the marina, picked up a 12 pack, and spent the afternoon sitting on the apartment balcony, telling lies, and wishing the wind would die. We ate a balogna sandwich, and hoped for better conditions Thursday morning.
The wind had slowed to a tolerable level Thursday morning. We ran about 15 miles to a rock jetty with discharge gaps, that the guide had shown us Tuesday. We ancored and fished shrimp on the bottom. Chalk caught a black drum, and a nish Sheephead. I managed a small red. After hitting a couple of spots on the way in, we put The Tin Can on the trailer, and headed back to Florida.
As chalk mentioned in an earlier post. We were there 4 or 5 weeks too early. Aparently, mid May and early June is the time to go.
They've had as much, or more rain that we've had. Clean water is hard to find. The canal the fish were in was reasonably clean.
There is lots of water over there. They don't have the rocks and oyster bars like we have, but you can get in trouble in shallow water real quick.
Now, I don't remember just when, but somewhere in these 4 days, Chalk caught a crab. If you read this whole report, and counted fish, He and I caught the same number of "fish". He's wanting to claim he caught more than me, by counting the crab. I say the crab don't count.
It was a pleasurable trip. I'll do it again. Even my partner was good company, for a change.
