June 23-28, Boatless @ Eastpoint

[Russ@R&R]

Hey guys,

I will be staying in Eastpoint next week on family vacation. My son & I would like to get in some wadefishing. (Still new to wading) The house we are staying at is just east of the last oyster dock/house going toward Carrabelle. Looking at the address on Google satellite image, it is directly across Hwy. 98 from the east end of the rock jetty. Is that protected area behind the jetty a good prospect for wading? Are there any good wadefishing spots close by? Any help/advice/tips are appreciated.

Russ

[Hammer]

Great wading from there all the way east to Yents bayou. Look for grass spots and the drop-offs. Trout, redfish, flounder, sharks, catfish and ladyfish.

[mjsigns]

You can also fish from the old St. George bridge. It's down around the corner from where you are staying. If you are lucky, you might can hitch a ride with one of the regulars here. Enjoy your vacation time !

[Russ@R&R]

Thanks & keep 'em coming guys. Another question; what is the best thing to use for redfish. We waded (our first wading excursion) and caught several trout & 1 grown Jack last year when we stayed at Carrabelle, but no reds.

Thanks again!

[red_yakker]

I've never fished inshore in that area, but some general redfish advice for this time of year is start working the grassline (shore) as soon as you have enough light to see in the morning. I like throwing a weedless spoon, but almost any kind of lure will work. The bite has usually turned off by 9:00 or so, and then picks up again in the evenings. They tend to travel in schools this time of year, so if you catch one, stay in the area and you are likely to catch another. Also, if you see a school of mullet jumping or swirling, cast right in the middle of it. The reds like to follow schools of mullet because they stir up the crabs and bait fish that reds like to feed on.

[bigblister]

Fishing tends to be fast and furious at first light then turns off. Get a cast net and catch some mud minnows/ LY. Use a bottom rig with the live bait. During the hot summer that seemed to be the best recipe or fish deep at the cut.

[Russ@R&R]

Thanks guys, we will definitely use your tips. We will definitely be on/in the water after very first light, no matter where we decide to go. I've got an invite from a regular SGI east cut wader to go with him Wednesday morning. If things work out, we will probably take him up on the offer. (I rarely turn down an invite to go fishing and learn some new tactics & areas).

I'll try to post some pics while we're there. If I can't get my phone to cooperate, I'll post them and a report when we get home.

Russ

[Russ@R&R]

Well guys, no pics. (My son & I both decided against trying to take pics in waist-deep water & forgot about taking any before I filleted the few we kept) We waded an area east of Eastpoint on Wed., Thurs. & Sat. from dawn - 9:00. The trout were VERY active. Each morning from about 7:15 - 8:00 +/-, we were getting bit on every cast. Lots of non-keepers, but also lots of keepers up to about 27 inches. The trout were joined by ladyfish, jacks, blacktips & pretty hefty sailcats. A large, 5-6 ft. spotted eagle ray (That's what I was told they're called. It was brown w/white spots) & I came close to nose to knee one morning. It saw me about the time I looked down & saw it. It just raised a wing and glided off.(Exciting moment #1) My son hooked up with a tarpon that looked to be around 100 lbs. (it jumped about 6 ft. out of the water at CLOSE range) and luckily it shook free without spooling my son.(exciting moment #2) We had a ball hooking up with ladyfish as they schooled up all around us for about 30 minutes on Sat. morning. But after they moved on, we had a few small blacktips (2-3 footers, but they were WAY too close, especially when they're swimming free in the same thigh-deep water we were standing in) that were feeding on the leftovers from the ladyfish, decide they needed to follow the trout we had on all the way up to the tips of our rods.(exciting moment #3) We moved on down a ridge we were following and they didn't follow. We did check out a couple of spots on SGI on Fri. morning, but didn't find anything interesting. We kept 8 trout total, the last 3 are on the menu for tonight's supper. Fresh trout fillets, bay scallops, shrimp (all grilled over pecan wood and basted in lemon butter), baked potatoes, salad, homemade fresh-squeezed lemon pie and sweet tea. Can't wait to get back to the area. (Also can't wait for supper time)!!

Russ

[Charlie P]

Great report Russ, glad you found the Trout!