In fact the other boat disappeared on us it was so nice and they ran offshore leaving us inshore with reds which were not cooperating. I did catch a small jack crevalle which was cool. So we headed to find trout
We did find some trout in stained water but instead of grinding out a 2 man limit we decided to head in to the low country boil
While trailering the boat I thought my foot had decided to grenade itself but no, it was simply house siding
After getting untangled and trailering with no further issues the second boat arrives and they had a good day offshore including not realizing that red grouper season was in and throwing back 2 keeper red grouper.
So our small mess of trout was not impressive comparatively
But no one cared with 60qt of low country boil to eat and we feasted, and on day 2 we swapped crews around a little bit and I decided I was heading off shore myself.
Day 2 we were having a fish fry for supper so I decided to go get some grunts and sea bass. After stopping at the bird rack to catch bait and I realized quickly that the prediction for day 2 to be calmer than day 1 was a lie. Instead of turning around we ran out anyway, and after 2 hours the Shane gillis skit where he talks about what are we doing played in my head. So after beating ourselves up and in fact messing up one of the lock nuts on my terrova we headed inshore to the dog head. Beautiful clean clear water with zero fish whatsoever, so we headed to big grassy and found reds that were not interested in anything we had in the boat, not chatterbaits, not spoons, not spinner baits, not live shrimp, not pin fish, not pigfish, nothing was edible to them.
So after that disappointment I decided to make the long run back north and hit my trout spot from day 1, however we got back north and I decided to gamble on a point I have never fished and pulled up to find 2 boats on that very point. It turned out to be water dark as coffee and I decided to fish another spot that looked good on navonics. I mean we already had fish in the box
So what could it hurt? Turns out it was the smartest thing I could have done. I had a very good friend of mine from my ABAC days fishing with me, we traditionally have good trips and this day just turned on for us. The reds we had been chasing were smaller slot reds and on his first cast he gets smashed and reels in a perfect slot red.
I chunk a live pinfish behind the boat and make one cast with an artificial before it gets smashed. In 2024 my red fishing has been heartbreaking, I've caught some pup reds but the slots and bigger have not been nice. I had an excellent over slot red on the last trip and lost him beside the boat. I have another overslot red on and fight him to the boat and this one also decides he doesn't like the way those ga boys look and throws the hook. Heartbreaking, well I go back to the front to fish and throw out another pin, our last one in fact. I make 2 casts with a spinnerbait and something takes it and it must have been a Spanish because it left me with just the eyes. At this point my fishing partner decides he wants to fish top water and I just passed him a rod I had a skitter walk tied on to. As he starts fishing it something starts playing with it that he thinks is a puffer and he has a black drum on a shrimp behind the boat so he passes that rod back to me. Well the puffer must have made a redfish mad and he proceeded to smash that plug as I walked it back to the boat so we now have a limit of upper slot reds. So we are happy and didn't even care about trying to find a limit of trout and we headed in for the fish fry.
Turns out boat 2 didn't care for the rough seas either and they were back on the trailer at 11 and at Roy's by 12, so they already had fish cleaned and ready for the fryer.
Great trip for sure with plenty of smack talk. Now I'm ready for snapper season.
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Nice report, sounds like fun was had.
