My 9 year old son and I went down to St. Marks and fished today and yesterday. Some recent posts here and elsewhere indiacted that the trout fishing has tapered off from what we saw in April and May, but we went anyway. On Tuesday we started in the East River around the oyster bars with top water at sunup but had no success. Then moved around just east of the Lighthouse in about 2' of water. My son had one big blow up but the fish missed his Top Dog. Must have been the same fish about 5 minutes later because he missed again with a subtle strike and foul hooked himself around his dorsal fin. he went about 17". I couldn't buy a strike. We decided to go with plan B and catch some pin fish to try a little outside fishing if the wind allowed later. We had to work at this. It seems when you are trout fishing these bother you constantly. Anyway, we managed 15 or so over a couple of hours and about three miles.. Tried throwing some spinner baits for reds around the bars over near the west flats without success. The wind was laying a little so we decided to go out a little..Now I am still a little new at this saltwater stuff and I like to keep land in sight so bear with me. We figured out how to put the St. Marks Reef coordinates in the GPS(I don't like to read instructions) and were actually able to get out there. I was a little nervous but we made it. Lots of bait pods. We trolled some Cark spoons around these without a strike. Added a huge(for a bream fisherman) Rapala to our spread and trolled out to the Wakulla reef. We actually were able to locate what appeared to rocks on the bottom put out the anchor and low and behold on about the second attempt ended right over them. My son was working the engine while I guessed at how much rope to have out with the anchor. About the time we made a little adjustment, the rod by my son bends over like the first time Jaws struck in the movie. Of course, the fish was quickly aroun a rock. I figured I should cut my losses and cut the line and rerigged. About the time I was tying on another grouper rig, my freelining pinfish on an old 250(smallest one I think) Calcutta reel with an old worm rod takes off. The rod is bent completely 180, but doesn't break. I can feel the fish rapping the 20 lb. test line around the rocks, but it holds. He's stuck, then is moving again. With Herculean strenght and a lot of luck, the fish starts coming up. What is it? It's a damn, I mean darn Grouper son. We might just catch one. Sure enough we net him and he is 19 inches. This is a lot like trout fishing, the fish are just short of legal. We proceded to catch 4 more gags and a red. All a little shorter than the first. Also got a 5 foot shark to the boat before my knot gave way. Then had something I never could turn with the Shimano Tekota reel and 30 lb. test. Finally something gave, I can't remember which. After a lull in the action and consternation as to what and how big that was that got away, we called it a day. Forgot to mention earlier when a fish hung me up in the rocks I tried to pull him up anyway and broke my Berkley Big Game fish rod.
Today we started with the pin fish and had 20 by 10:30 and headed out again. First stop Wakulla. Within 10 minutes of the first anchor set I notice one of the pinfish rigs is moving into the current. Picked up the rod reeled down and set the hook. That fish was mad. Hung me up immediately. Learning from my mistakes Tues. I decided to see if he would swim loose. Sure enough he did a minute later and the battle was on again. Now in trout fishing it is fun to play the fish.. This was not trout fishing. There was no sport here. I winched that fish up as best as I could. Up comes a 23" gag. Our first legal outside fish. Over the next twenty minutes we had 3 vicious hits and 3 breakoffs before we could do anything. Had a 20" Spanish break a one month old Cabelas Tourney Rod. This fishing is rough on the tackle. but got him and another in the boat. After an hour of inaction we decided to try the GPS again and headed for deeper water. Next reef out we set up, put two pinfish on the bottom. I decide to try a big jig like lure my son got me to buy on the way down. It has a fishlike rubber body. First cast, I let it sink to the bottom and start a little Texas worm retreive. Wham! It takes off. I set the hook. It heads for the bottom and rocks. It is wrestling time again, but soon I am able to get it headed to the surface. A 26" Gag! Into the cooler. Nothing but one more short the rest of the day.
I am not giving up on trout just yet, but give me a few pinfish and some gentle water and there will be one less light blue and white Pathfinder on the flats! Yes we are still fired up!
Tomorrow's menu is Fresh sweet corn from the garden and grilled Grouper.
I know this post belongs on the offshore board, but being an inshore fisherman I put it here.
Now if I can figure out how to post pictures I'll put some up here .
Truely,
Nuts
