Happy new Year! I hope everybody had a joyous and family-filled holiday this year. I was fortunate to have all my kids home for Christmas as well as get to run some great trips over the holidays.
As always the 10 days around Christmas and New Years are the busiest of the winter and get booked up for every day. And, as usual, the weather blows winter for about half that time.... I got to run 6 trips since my last report and we had great success on all of 'em.
Merry Christmas everybody. I hope that all my anglers find that perfect gift under the tree in a couple days. Doesn't matter if it's a new flats boat, a gold reel or a new rubber shrimp, we are all easily entertained by new fishin' stuff! Sometimes the time spent dreaming of using a new piece of tackle or lure can be just as much fun as when we finally get to use it.
I just got back from a week of beautiful (but chilly) fishing over at Indian Pass. One of my regulars likes to come in the Fall and chase Redfish up in the skinny water so I poled the flats boat around for several days and we saw LOTS of Redfish to throw at.
As always, it's technical fishing and that lure has to land in just the right spot under their nose for 'em to see it and eat. I do love sight fishing though, nothing more exciting than making that perfect cast without spooking a fish in barely enough water to cover it's back and watching it inhale a lure.
That time of the year again here at the beach. The Thanksgiving crowds have arrived and once again it's hard to drive down 30A without having to slam on your brakes, the weather is uncertain other than the forecast will be wrong and ..the Flounders are HOT!
We have had some great weather here at the beach so far this Fall. I am running a lot more trips than usual for this time of year just because we have had so many more calm, sunny, warm days.
The temperature has started cooling down and the days are getting noticeable shorter. The bite continues to heat up as the fish get their "fill up for winter" feed into gear. The triggers are getting a little more consistent, as are the Kings, the Scamp bite remains hot and the Vermillion snapper are piled up on lots of inshore rocks.
There seems to have been a movement of Jacks up in shore recently, both lesser (Amberines) and greater (AJs). The Flounders have not shown up yet but there have been a few cobia starting the return trip back South.
We have sure had some great weather here at the beach up till today. Nothing lasts forever and it's been blowy and rainy since this AM. Looks to be to rough to fish for another 2 days as well. Oh well, I have lots of broke stuff that needs fixin' from all the pretty days of running hard the past couple weeks.
Every year I am always amazed at how empty the beaches get in September. One of the bonuses to living here I guess. It's not as hot as summer, the water is at its clearest and you can count the number of folks on the beach on fingers and toes most days. Luckily for me the fish are here year 'round!
Stinky's Bait Shack is busy planning for their first annual Stinky's Beach to Bay, Grand Slam Fishing Tournament coming up Oct. 4 through Nov 15, 2014. To kick off the tournament, Stinky's Oyster Festival will be held next door at Stinky's Fish Camp on October 4 from 12:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
While the water temp may still be 87, you can tell that the seasons are starting to change. The weather pattern is moving into Fall and all the finny critters are starting to gang up and do the big feed before the winter migration in a couple months when it cools down.
There has been a lot of bait right off the beach the past 10 days and a big push of clear gulf water in close as well. That combination always means the pelagics will be in close and this time is no exception.
