BigBendFishing.Net

I went out of Lanark Market ramp at first light. Hit some spots that a friend suggested. The wind was non existent. It was hot. The fish were elusive.
I worked areas inside the reef from bird island to mud cove with no success. Finally around 10:30 I ventured to the outside of Turkey point shoal and started getting into the fish. An electric chicken colored fluke on a jig was the ticket. Trout, Red, lady fish, Jacks, Blues, Black Bass, and even a 14" Gag, with a much over 20" Trout that came unbuttoned at the boat. In addition to that I saw many different marine animals, including Eagle Rays, Porpoise, Sea Turtles, Sharks and others. There were huge schools of LYs and mullet around also.
The sheer number of species and the general health of the fish caught made me start thinking of the recent threads about over 20" trout being caught, kept/released.
When I was a teenager fishing in the Mosquito Lagoon/Indian River area, prior to the gill net ban, the size limit for trout was 12". At that time we would have given our right arm for a 20" fish. Today it is fairly common to catch trout over 20". I think that says a lot for the health and sustainability of our local fishery.

HEY FISH, I USE TO FISH THE BANANA RIVER BACK IN THE EARLY THIRTIES AND WE CAUGHT TROUT DOWN THERE ALL THE TIME THAT WENT OVER 36 INCHES, DIDN'T HAVE A SCALE BUT WOULD GUESS THEY WEIGHED ABOUT 10-12 POUNDS. WE USED A YELLOW PLUG WITH BLACK, BLUE, RED, GREEN, AND WHITE SPOTS ON THEM, THEY WERE CALLED A BANANA PLUG AND A GUY USE TO MAKE THEM DOWN IN THAT AREA. HE CHARGED $.75 EACH FOR THEM, MAN I WISH I COULD FIND A COUPLE OF THOSE OLD PLUGS, THEY REALLY CAUGHT JUST ABOUT ANYTHING THAT SWAM IN SALT WATER.
PA
SEMPER FI

That was a detailed report.....THANKS!

Enjoyed reading it!

Check out this link Mr Futch.

http://www.joeyates.com/pfeffer.htm

My great uncle fished the Anclote River flats from his fish camp house on stilts (about a mile offshore in 6 feet of water) and my brother and I got some of his old lures when he passed. I thought I recalled him having some of those, so I did a web search and I am pretty sure those are the ones we had. Wish I still had them, but I was a dumb young kid and I fished with his old lures and reels until they were they gave out or were lost.

Dang Jim, bird island to mud cove? That is a lot of area to cover in a day. Good report. Where are the pics???