Annual Easter Wknd Trip Econ Report
Posted: April 1st, 2013, 8:17 pm
Got down Friday at our usual noonish time with my two favorite fishing partners...my dad and wife!!! Weather called for 5-10 and 75 degrees. It wasn't!! Started out around 10 mph and finished blowing about 30 by the time we quit and it was cold with water temps at 59 and 60 degrees. Fortunately we found the trout THICK on our first spot and had 4 nice pigs in the first 45 minutes. Then we finished a 3 man limit in the next 30 minutes. It was the best trout bite I have ever had. We had two triples to cap off the limit and didn't have a throw back. all 16 to 18 inches with one 21 inch fish. They wouldn't hit anything except short billed natural colored jerk baits. Went to the redfish holes and the water was way up by the time we started and managed 3 fish in the 3 foot swells and all 3 were over slot at 28, 28 and 29 which is rare for us. We hardly ever catch over slot reds at Econfina.
Saturday was a very nice day. Wind wasn't so bad but still up pretty good and got worse as the day went on. The bite was substantially slower but managed our limit by 2:30 after getting a late start around 11:30. You had to twitch, twitch, stop for about 10 seconds and they would hit it on the stop. Very soft bite. The water was very high throughout the afternoon and the redfish bite was pretty scarce. We ended up with 4 keepers and 2 over slot and once the water was crazy high, the bite was over. No trout, reds or anything for about 2 hours. Water had warmed to 65. As soon as the tide started out around 6, we picked up two more reds and tired of fighting the wind, called it a day.
Sunday was just bad. Definitely the worst day I have ever experienced at Econfina. We ended up with two keeper reds and one over slot 28 incher for the day. It was a bath tub full of chocolate bubble bath when we got out of the river into the gulf and 4 foot rollers on the points. We tried about every bait you can imagine and they just wouldn't eat. Major Kudos to my dad and wife fishing all afternoon in the toughest conditions you can fish. BUT.....a bad day fishing is better than a good day doing anything else and we still had a great time and a great Easter with family and friends. It was actually nice getting back in early and hanging out on the dock and enjoying the river and some Happy Easter beverages.
A great weekend and a cooler full of fish to put in the freezer. No pics this trip as I couldn't get off the trolling motor for any time at all due to the winds.
Saturday was a very nice day. Wind wasn't so bad but still up pretty good and got worse as the day went on. The bite was substantially slower but managed our limit by 2:30 after getting a late start around 11:30. You had to twitch, twitch, stop for about 10 seconds and they would hit it on the stop. Very soft bite. The water was very high throughout the afternoon and the redfish bite was pretty scarce. We ended up with 4 keepers and 2 over slot and once the water was crazy high, the bite was over. No trout, reds or anything for about 2 hours. Water had warmed to 65. As soon as the tide started out around 6, we picked up two more reds and tired of fighting the wind, called it a day.
Sunday was just bad. Definitely the worst day I have ever experienced at Econfina. We ended up with two keeper reds and one over slot 28 incher for the day. It was a bath tub full of chocolate bubble bath when we got out of the river into the gulf and 4 foot rollers on the points. We tried about every bait you can imagine and they just wouldn't eat. Major Kudos to my dad and wife fishing all afternoon in the toughest conditions you can fish. BUT.....a bad day fishing is better than a good day doing anything else and we still had a great time and a great Easter with family and friends. It was actually nice getting back in early and hanging out on the dock and enjoying the river and some Happy Easter beverages.
A great weekend and a cooler full of fish to put in the freezer. No pics this trip as I couldn't get off the trolling motor for any time at all due to the winds.
