Aucilla River 11/17/04

[Fisherman989]

Arrived at Aucilla River landing about 0730 Wednesday morning. Tide about half way out. Carefully made our way down the river. One boat was fishing right at the island. Looked like more out of habit than productive. The river is still badly stained...but clearing somewhat. We went on down to the river entrance pole and started fishing topwater. Wasn't long before I got a strike...but missed. Fished on and got 3-4 more hits and got one keeper trout. Finally fizzeled out and we headed over toward Econfina direction. Two boats were fishing close in...about 1 mile. We joined them and proceeded to catch 2 more keeper trout on jigs and curly tails. Tide was really dropping out by then so we went out about another mile to where my nephew did real well last Friday and Saturday. Stayed there...with Dixie Reb and his wife....for 2-3 hours while tide was low. Only shorts were there now.
We tried c/t with jigs all day...and they produced "zero". Not one strike. Nephew only got 2 on C/T both days. Streight jigs were his best.
About 2 PM we went west of Aucilla....and close in....after tide began to build. This was the ticket. Not 5 minutes after getting situated...we had a keeper....on mirrorlures...then one on jig..more on mirrourlure. We went on to limit out on these two lures....and headed in. Last fish of the day was the largest....between 19-20 in. A good day...but took all day. The flats let us down. : A bizaar incident happened at the enterance to Aucilla when we first got there. A pelican came into the river and landed 10 feet from our boat. We were fixing to move...and did....50 yards away. The pelican stayed where he landed. We forgot him....and drifted about 1000 yards down river.. My spinner line tangled around my pole tip...as I was casting....and my topwater mirrolure broke the line. I saw where it landed...and proceeded to pick it up. My hand was on the throttle and I was looking to the left of the boat...when something grabbed my right hand. I screamed....and looked. The pelican had come up to my boat and had my right wrist in his beak.....in my boat. I tore loose and he tried to come back into my boat...had his mouth wide open. My partner turned around...and spoke up....and the critter lunged at him. Oh where is my 12 gauge when I really need it.? By then....motor was still running....we began to seperate....and did. My wrist has the "tooth" marks right now from this encounter..
Has anyone else ever been attacked by one of these birds? I've never even heard about such a thing. Are they dangerous? Do they carry rabies?

[Chalk]

Nice report....F989....

[mjsigns]

WTG Fishman- Sometimes you just have to "wait" til the fish wake up..... Timing is the key

[dstockwell]

wtg..

[CSMarine]

[Fisherman989]

To me...rising tide has been best for me...while on the flats. It's tough when tide does'nt start rising till 1 or 2 o'clock. Wanted to go back Friday but with low tide at 1415....it'll be dark before the real rise starts. To me...last 2 hours of the rise is best. Might just wait.
Sea temp was 62.4 most everywhere..or thereabouts...yesterday.

[Sea Gurl]

Thanks for the report. Did you use DOA shrimp at all?

Sea Gurl

[Fisherman989]

No live shrimp tried. No frozen shrimp tried. Tried a look-a-like shrimp jig under C/T. Nothing.

[Tidedancer]

Great report. But I'm a little worried about this atack pelican. What if you were taking a leak. OUCH!!!

[sea-grits]

I was waiting for someone to advance a theory to explain the, "attack pelican," but guess I'll give mine, first.
Could it be that a pelican had been fed a number of times by people who offered it their left-over bait towards the end of their fishing trip. I've seen it done before, especially at the dock or boat ramp. At some docks, pelicans, gulls and even egrets mob each boat as it comes in). People usually try to get pelicans to come up close to throw them left over-bait fish (often to entertain small children -- pelicans are very good at catching whitebait thrown at them), and it seems to me, a pelican could get the connection that a hand and wrist could mean a snack, and attack.
Anybody else, got a theory?

[Fish Masterson]

Sounds like a good theory to me Sea Grits. I think I had an encounter with the same bird a few days before. I was idling out of the Aucilla, and noticed a pelican following me. Every time we would get about 50yds away he would fly back up and land right beside the boat. I even yelled at him several times but he just kept on coming. Finally we were able to get rid of him without an attack though .

[dolphinatic]

A few years ago, I had a pelican do almost the same thing at Aucilla. He jumped in the boat to grab some shrimp sitting on top of a cooler. I tried to "move" him on, and he lunged right at me knocking my hat off my head and into the water! I proceded to reach into my tackle box to retrieve a .22 and show him that "Homey don't play that!" My dad stopped me and just suggested that we move. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that just 5 minutes before this happened, some a-hole in a mullet boat came flying by yelling at us to get out of his way.....like he owned the friggin river or something.....as he flew by within 20 feet of the boat, my line got hung on his boat and he spooled me all the way up the river!! Lucky for the a-hole and the pelican, I forgot the ammo

[Fisherman989]

Must be the same one ....at Aucilla. He's still there. That place grows rocks and goofy pelicans.

[rocket]

If I encounter the one fishmasterson talked about again, he's getting introduced to Mr. Paddle. Maybe he'll enjoy a nice splinter snadwich!!!
Got to admit, it was funny when that thing landed 10 inches from the boat, and scared the hell out of fishmasterson