Tidelines – March 28, 2013
Like most anyone you talk to you about fishing, I too have had enough of all the wind. It also seems appropriate to complain about the ongoing cold temperatures, but the cold I can handle. The wind, though, needs to stop.
A slow and windy start to the season made an invitation to meet up in the Florida Keys with an old buddy from Ocean City, Maryland, even more attractive. Quick phone calls led to a plane ticket, a car rental, and reservations for three nights at Bud N’ Mary’s in Islamorada. So I left North Carolina behind and traveled the 800+ miles, and guess what was waiting for me when I got there? Yes, wind and colder than normal temperatures.
The wind may have complicated the offshore action, and the cold may have temporarily shut down the tarpon bite, but vacations for me (like most small business owners) are few so I was ready to enjoy any fishing action that could be produced in the unfavorable conditions.
On the first day, the offshore trip boasted 25-30 mph winds, but we still managed to anchor up on the offshore edge of the reef about four miles off the beach. Captain Raymond Baiz, on the charter boat “Gold Digger” out of Bud N Mary’s, kept a couple of kite baits in the water while we “mud balled” a limit of yellowtail snapper. The live ballyhoo on the first kite bait out produced a sail, so 10 yellowtails each and a billfish release had us back at the dock by lunch.
The next morning was spent running the backcountry in search of snook, but the sudden drop in water temperature the day before we arrived worked against the best efforts of our captain. So when lunch time came around and we had covered a good 30 miles of water with no snook, he begged to switch to speckled trout so that we had something pull on a hook. We caught plenty of speckled trout (up to 23”) the rest of the day, as well as black drum, sheepshead, and mangrove snappers.
The restaurant Lazy Days prepared our yellowtails one night, and Lorelei cooked the rest on the second night. Add a handful of Rum Punches with Myers’s floaters over the two nights, and the vacation was over. I was back on a plane headed for cold and windy North Carolina.
Now back at home, I look at my boat sitting lonely in the water. The bottom has been painted. Luke of Donat Marine Solutions installed a Fusion stereo and a couple of speakers. Stuart of High Speed Welding added a couple of rod holders to the T-top and a collapsible footrest to the leaning post (the footrest should give my boys a little better vantage point when driving the boat this summer). And Rob of Bluewater Canvas Works reupholstered the leaning post and cushioned a removable backrest.
The boat is ready and waiting, but the winter won’t end. All my boat’s doing right now is serving as a bathroom for the herons, egrets, and seagulls that are working the area.
I know the weather and water will improve and improve quickly, but I’m still anxious now. So what I need is a plan, one that will distract me and keep me busy until the fishing improves, and in 10 years of publishing Fisherman’s Post I’ve gotten pretty good at making plans.
Actually, my fishing plan is in honor of the 10 year anniversary of Fisherman’s Post. My goal this year will be to complete a Top 10 list—the Top 10 People I Can’t Believe I Haven’t Fished With in the 10 Year History of Fisherman’s Post. I haven’t finished the list yet, but a few of the obvious inclusions are Capt. Dave Tilley (Continental Shelf head boat), Capt. Stu Caulder (Gold Leader Guide Fishing), Capt. Brant McMullan (Ocean Isle Fishing Center), Capt. Lewis Emery (Tails Up Charters), and Capt. Jimmy Price (no longer a guide but still a full-time character).
The list doesn’t have ten people yet, but I’m already forgetting about the wind and looking forward to spending time on water in North Carolina. Perhaps I’ll have a Rum Punch to celebrate my Top 10 People I Can’t Believe I Haven’t Fished With in the 10 Year History of Fisherman’s Post. Or maybe I’ll have a couple more Rum Punches and then start calling the people on my list late at night to let them know they’re taking me fishing. See, I told you I was good at making plans.
