Went when I should have stayed home.

Have you ever had a night when you teetered back and forth weather or not to go out fishing? Well I had that decision to make last night. Earlier in the day I told myself I was going fishing, but as it got closer to the time to leave, I didn’t want to go as much. After dinner I sat down on the couch and started watching a local fishing show and again got the itch to go. This is when my evening went south. First I decided to bring my six year old son along on a school night, not a good idea. Anyways, I asked my wife to help me back my truck up to the boat trailer. You’d think a simple task, No, as my wife is holding her hands out showing me I have about two feet left; I slam my bumper into the tong of my trailer. My wife looks up at me surprised and said “I told you OK”. I could have choked her.

Getting on the water went pretty smoothly, it wasn’t until we started fishing that the evening continued to go bad. To paint the picture for you, the east wind was blowing around 15 to 20 mph and the bay was quite choppy.

Short on time, I already had an idea of the few dock lights I wanted to fish.

When my son and I reached the first light we saw snook blasting bait on top of the water and I knew the bite was on. I decided to anchor up on the light because of the amount of wind we were experiencing. As soon as the anchor line pulled tight, my aluminum boat began to sing the most lovely hull slap song you have ever heard, it was so loud; I think the home owners even got to enjoy it. My first cast caught the wind and my line sailed into a joint of the boat lift, I managed to get my lure back but not with out damaging my line to line knot. I didn’t think it would be a problem, until I took my second cast and watched my lure and leader line fly off my Power Pro. By this time the snook were gone.

When we reached the second light, there was already a boat anchored up fishing live bait. I said to myself “ok, no big deal, he got there first”. I told my son there was already someone fishing there and we were moving on.

Motoring up to the third light, again I noticed another small boat fishing in the distance. Damn I said, not again. (Remember the wind is blowing around 15 to 20 mph, and when I launched the boat, my truck was the only truck at the ramp.) Where are these people coming from, I asked my son in an angry tone. He looks up at me and gives me the look of, “What’s your fricken problem Dad” and then said can we go home now. No I said, we have only fished one light so far, and don’t you want to catch a snook? He answered yessssss daddy in a sad tone and sat back down.

My fourth stop came and went very quickly. I stopped on an average light, by far not one of my better ones. I took a cast and immediately my lure was blasted by a nice size snook. Just as fast as he took it, he cut me off. Finally hooked one, I said as I tied another lure to what was left of my leader line. I told my son, one more stop and we will head back to the ramp. He smiled.

The last light was like the icing on the cake to a bad night. I shut my nav. lights off so not to be seen by the home owner, who is known for shutting his dock light off. When I reach the light it was crazy, the snook were everywhere, again blasting baits on top of the water. I thought to my self “this is it; I will catch my snook and head to the ramp”. My first cast was perfect, the lure swam into the light and the snook fought over it. It got hit by three different snook, but none of them got stuck. I took my second cast and the wind helped me catch the dock. I couldn’t believe it. I just stuck the dock with my last rod. I holler softy to my son to hand me my other rod, the one I lost my leader on earlier. I open the bail to the real of the rod that was stuck to the dock and placed it into the rod holder. As I began to thread the Power Pro line through the eyes of the rod I saw another boat coming down the canal. Knowing this was a bad idea ahead of time and not having enough time to retie any leader line on, I just tied a jig straight to the Power Pro. I started flashing my head lamp on and off to the red LED light in hopes to get the boater’s attention, but he kept coming down the canal. Realizing he wasn’t going to turn around I decided to quickly cast my jig and try to catch one before he got any closer. Took a few cranks of the reel and bang the snook was on. I quickly loosened my drag in hopes to prevent from losing another snook. By this time the boater is two docks away for me and must have just realized I was there. He turns the steering wheel sharply and floors the throttle in anger as if he just caught me with his girl friend. The screaming motor grabs my attention just enough for me to lose the snook into a tie pole. #@$%& I hollered in a low voice, as my son again ask me “Daddy can we go home now”. I answer yes and told him to sit down as I pulled up the trolling motor. Leaving the canal I noticed that Power Pro line was whizzing by my sons face. Shit I yelled, I’m still hooked to the dock. I re drop the trolling motor and begin reeling up the line. When I reached the dock my son said “dad just cut the line”. I said no way, this lure cost me seven dollars. Just then I hear crash, the wind had blown the back of my boat into the boat lift and shattered my stern light. Only if I’d listened to a 6 year old boy.

As we approached the ramp my son said to me “Look dad, there’s just two trucks at the ramp, yours and some other van”. Just then, an FWC truck appeared from nowhere. He pulled up to the waters edge with his lights off and quickly jumped out. He rushed to my boat as if to prevent me from having enough time to hide something. As he approached, I asked him, should I start pulling everything out, or do you just want to look in the cooler. He replied just your cooler. I’m here checking for illegal fish he said. As I opened the empty cooler, he made the wise crack “Oh, so you didn’t do so well tonight?”. I replied, no it was a good night, we just had a few break off. As I was opening all the other compartments upon his request, he continued hackling me on not bringing anything home. I was thinking to my self, why am I opening everything for you if you think I am a shitty angler and can’t catch fish. When he was satisfied that there were no fish onboard he returned to his truck and then back to his hiding spot in the dark.

I am very much in support of the FWC catching poachers, and believe it is important for the FWC to make a presents, but wonder if sitting in the dark at an empty ramp to check two boats is the best way to spend tax payer dollars. Maybe Flats Broke could shed some light on this.

Anyways, as they say “That’s Snook Fishing” and as I say “I love it, and I can’t wait to do it all over again tonight”

The below photo is my son and I about a year ago.

Those who brave the wind get rewarded!

With winds at a steady 20kts and gust of well over 25kts, Bill and I were rewarded with a few nice fighting snook. There were plenty of snook to be had last night, but not without our fair share of frustrations.

Almost every light we fished had snook following our jigs, but the wind pushing the boat around, and sometimes into the light made spooking them very easy. We caught a few docks before Bill stuck a nice 30 incher, and on the very next light I stuck a 32.5 one.

Almost every time I brave the elements, whether its high winds or extreme colds, I tend to be rewarded with an interesting evening, and a pretty good bite.

Light rain and wind made for a wonderful night of fishing.

Light rain and light wind made for a wonderful night of fishing. This was one of those nights that you wish you had someone with you to take your picture.

As I left the ramp the night just felt right, my first stop and my first cast I caught a 36 inch snook, and on the same light I also caught a 25 inch red. Moved on to some other lights where I caught three under size snook another red and a trout.

As rain started to pick up and the wind got a little stronger I moved to a canal where I was a little more protected. I casted into a light that showed no activity and let my jig fall to the ground. I started reeling and got stuck, I felt nothing but dead weight; I thought I had caught the ground or a crab trap. Nope, it was another large snook. When she realized she was hooked, she came to the top of the water and gave a big head shake and a couple of short runs, then gave up the ghost and coasted into the edge of my boat. She measured at 37 inches.

Earlier in the day a friend of mine suggested I try one of his favorite lights. I was surprised to see how many snook where there since the light had been off for the last few weeks. I casted on it and a snook followed my lure all the way to the boat, as he turned around I casted again. The snook again followed the lure to the boat. This time I casted a few feet in front of him and ran the lure right at him. Just before it reach him, another snook came out from under the dock and blasted it, as if he didn’t want the first snook to get it. He jumped and I flipped him into the boat in one smooth motion, he measured at 32 inches. As I put my rod away, I left him flipping on the deck; when I turned to grab my boga grips I saw him flip over my gunnel and back into the water. That part of my gunnel is over 12inchs high.

Moved on to my last canal and caught what I thought was a snook. I laid it down to measure it and realized it was a trout. A 29.5 inch trout, this is the largest trout I have ever caught.