Fishing: My Relaxation
Fishing is an excellent way to pass time. I enjoy inshore saltwater Gulfcoastal fishing the best. Long ago I gave up on the notion that it was fun to catch something as big or bigger than myself. It is also back-breaking labor! I can labor at things more constructive so I pass on going after the mammoth fish of the deep.
Inshore fishing on the Gulf of Mexico is always a fun endeavor for me. I enjoy every aspect of it. I particularly enjoy early mornings when it is quiet, just the sound of the surf, a few shore birds, digging in the tidal break line for the sand-fleas for bait along with enjoying the beginning of the day. These sand-fleas are actually small crustaceans. Once on my hook they begin their job of enticing a nice fat whiting, a small redfish or a flounder to take them & thus my hook. I use a 6 1/2 foot med. action rod with a Shimano Baitrunner 3500 spinning reel, 8# test line & a 12" mono-leader. I also carry some artificial baits, a Yo-Zuri red/white darter, a Zarra Spook & a couple of Neon Grubs. In the later part of the day I will use live shrimp, frozen shrimp, cut bait or squid. Rarely, I will take the small castnet & get some greenback minnows, silverside minnows or small mullet to use as bait.
I like to take my kayak in the bay to get up under the magroves along the slough banks, around the oyster bars & other less accessible places. I prefer to use top-water bass plugs for redfish. The redfish get mad at these plugs & seem to like to attack them. Works for me! At night prowling the docks, piers & wharves I hunt the elusive snook! A hard hitter with tons of fight! I use small pinfish, Zorra Spooks or silver side minnows for these guys! Ultra-light tackle is excellent in a small kayak.
Fishing the grass flats for sea trout, also called weakfish or speckled trout a.k.a. specks, is an excellent way to have some fun. Using live shrimp, no sinker & allowing the bait to drift across the grass flats can produce some nice results. Usually you will get a speck but sometime you get a snook or a flounder as well. In winter the warm water outflows of the electric power plants produce a lot of fish.
Wading in the bays & the Gulf is fun in warmer weather. Using shrimp or cut bait works well when you wade. Often times on the Gulf side od the state we catch Spanish mackeral, whiting & redfish this way.
Pompano in schools often swarm along the Gulfcoast breakwaters. Live shrimp work best for these delicious fighters. If you get into a school of these it is not unusual to catch a number of them in just a very few minutes.
Small blacktip sharks are fun as well. They will strike anything that is dragged along the bottom. They will fight & on small ultra-light tackle they are hoot!
More later......just writing this has me wanting to go now...!
Copyright © 2006 - 2012 Donald R Houston, PhD. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without the author's consent.
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