I know, I know, it's been over 2 weeks since I sat down and wrote a fishin' report. To be honest I really didn't get out on the water much before Christmas. The weather wasn't really that great and I didn't have many trips booked.
As usual, I got booked solid from right before Christmas till New Year and the weather is making it tough to get many of those trips in. I launched the boat this morning with a forecast of "calm this AM , getting rough and rainy in the afternoon".
Boy, some great weather for December but not many folks in the fishing mood. While I have spent most of the past couple weeks getting ready for the holidays, and part time getting new boat parts (more on that later), I have run a few trips.
Week before last I went over to Indian Pass for a few days and ran a couple of afternoon Trout trips. Plenty of fish around, both Specks and White (sweet) Trout. The first afternoon, I had a couple of locals and we started by getting our limit of oysters.
Thanksgiving week brought lots of folks and some beautiful weather to the beach here in South Walton. Plenty of vacationers and owners out to enjoy cool mornings, 75 degree afternoons, crystal clear water and calm seas.
There were still quite a few folks swimming in the mid afternoons when I was cleaning fish, and not all of 'em were kids! Lucky for me, a bunch of these people wanted to go fishing during their stay here at the beach.
Just got back from eight days over at Indian Pass, chasing Trouts and Reds. I had six days of charters, five of 'em with a son & father team that try to come for a week every fall to sight fish Reds in the AM and Trout in the PM.
The weather may be cool (downright cold a couple of mornings), but the fishing is still hot. The only real issue with the cooler weather is the wind from the fronts makes it to rough to fish a few days each week. Oh well, I've got lots of broke tackle to fix.
Wow, it turned winter fast! The first real cold front of the year and the wind has blown (hard) for the past 3 days and the temp was down to 40 degrees this AM. Still better than being in New York and learning what a minimal hurricane is like though!
While the stiff NW wind pretty much put an end to Gulf fishing at the end of this years Gag Grouper season (I just cancelled today's trip and tomorrow isn't looking good either) there are still plenty of fishing options.
Another cool front coming through this morning and it's too windy and choppy to fish. You can't really call 'em cold fronts yet when the high temps are 80. The weather pattern is changing though and it won't be too long before I'll be having to wear long pants at daylight when I launch. The fish need the temperature changes to tell them to migrate and feed, and as anglers, we just need to be aware of how the finny critter's patterns change with the seasons.
This fall weather pattern we have been in makes for some perfect fishing conditions. A little breezy out of the North first thing and then it has just been laying down to flat smooth by mid day. Cool early (a light jacket is nice) and by noon it's warm without being sweaty. October sure is wonderful here at the beach!
The Grouper bite continued on after my last report and maybe even heated up some more (like that was possible?) before falling off the past few days. As usual though, when one species backs off there is another predator ready to jump in quickly.
The Grouper bite had been nothing short of fantastic the past 10 days. Lots of fish, some days Reds, the next Gags and lots of days, both chewin' hard. The only downside to this bite has been all the hooks I have had to tie on due to fish lost in the bottom!
We've had several days of beautiful weather (finally) the past week - just in time for the big vacation crowds to have gone home. The folks that have been here have been treated to uncrowded beaches, clearer water, and great fishing.
