Wakulla Beach 1/21
Posted: January 21st, 2006, 9:28 pm
How long has it been since I last went saltwater fishin'?
Fiddled around the house until after lunch. Couldn't decide whether to go huntin' and where or fishin' and where. Pretty much a forgone conclusion that I didn't want to go to the Wakulla, again. Ever fish one place successfully so much you get tired of going there?
By the time I got figured out what I wanted to do and where I wanted to go, I figured I might as well have lunch before I left. Also decided since I was getting such a late start, it was a sho'nuff bet I wouldn't be back until after dark and I still needed to stop for ice, so decided to take the car. Got to Wakulla Beach and it was clear as a bell over land and foggy on the water. Glad I brought my compass. Getting ready to launch the canoe and some woman in a car asked if I could help find her husband. He was out in a kayak, lost in the fog. Well that shouldn't be hard, did he have a compass. Of course not.
Well which way did he go? She didn't know. He called her at home and got her to drive down there and blow the car horn so he could find his way back. Problem was he was too far away to hear the horn. <Wait, it gets even better.> At least he had a cell phone. I called him and asked which way he went from the landing. South, 
then he got in the fog, turned around and got back to the marsh, but didn't know if he was east or west of the beach. I blew my whistle, he blew his whistle, neither of us could hear the other. Okay, I'm going that way and go fishing. If I see him I'll sent him in the right direction.
Between 2:30 and 3:00 the fog started to lift. About 3:00 found me up Middle Creek with a 16" trout on a Catch 2000. Released that one. A few minutes later found me with a 24" red on the same lure. That one went in the cooler. Fished my way up the creek, riding a nicely rising tide, picking up one more red, a twin of the first. Got up to where the creek starts to peter out, turned around and headed out. Back where I caught the trout and first red had something boil twice on a 7M MirrOLure. Missed it both times and couldn't get it to come back again. By now it's pushing 5:00 and the sand-gnats and mosquitoes have reinforcements arriving steadily. There's not a breath of air and the whole bay is as slick as the glass on your monitor. Note to self: Put bug repellent back in pack.
The lost kayaker's wife wasn't at the landing when I got back. I figure either he made it in, or she gave up and left him out there.
Fiddled around the house until after lunch. Couldn't decide whether to go huntin' and where or fishin' and where. Pretty much a forgone conclusion that I didn't want to go to the Wakulla, again. Ever fish one place successfully so much you get tired of going there?
By the time I got figured out what I wanted to do and where I wanted to go, I figured I might as well have lunch before I left. Also decided since I was getting such a late start, it was a sho'nuff bet I wouldn't be back until after dark and I still needed to stop for ice, so decided to take the car. Got to Wakulla Beach and it was clear as a bell over land and foggy on the water. Glad I brought my compass. Getting ready to launch the canoe and some woman in a car asked if I could help find her husband. He was out in a kayak, lost in the fog. Well that shouldn't be hard, did he have a compass. Of course not.
Well which way did he go? She didn't know. He called her at home and got her to drive down there and blow the car horn so he could find his way back. Problem was he was too far away to hear the horn. <Wait, it gets even better.> At least he had a cell phone. I called him and asked which way he went from the landing. South, then he got in the fog, turned around and got back to the marsh, but didn't know if he was east or west of the beach. I blew my whistle, he blew his whistle, neither of us could hear the other. Okay, I'm going that way and go fishing. If I see him I'll sent him in the right direction.Between 2:30 and 3:00 the fog started to lift. About 3:00 found me up Middle Creek with a 16" trout on a Catch 2000. Released that one. A few minutes later found me with a 24" red on the same lure. That one went in the cooler. Fished my way up the creek, riding a nicely rising tide, picking up one more red, a twin of the first. Got up to where the creek starts to peter out, turned around and headed out. Back where I caught the trout and first red had something boil twice on a 7M MirrOLure. Missed it both times and couldn't get it to come back again. By now it's pushing 5:00 and the sand-gnats and mosquitoes have reinforcements arriving steadily. There's not a breath of air and the whole bay is as slick as the glass on your monitor. Note to self: Put bug repellent back in pack.
The lost kayaker's wife wasn't at the landing when I got back. I figure either he made it in, or she gave up and left him out there.
Sounds like you made all the right moves 
Good job on the report as well.