Home Again Inshore Fishing Report
The Panhandle trip got wrapped up with a day of epic fishing, at which point I called it and drove home. Then I fished two days here, for the Home Again inshore fishing report.
Sunday
When it started getting light I left the B&B and headed east. I thought if I made it to Panama City early on Sunday, there wouldn’t be any traffic. I was right!
Got to Port St. Joe about 9 AM. Folks were going to church. I parked a short distance away and dropped a kayak in the bay. A short time later, while listening to the church bells ringing, I landed my first fish of the morning, a nice red that took a DOA CAL jig.
A nice red took the jig.
By 1 AM I’d gotten another red, a nice trout, a flounder, and a Spanish mackerel.
A rare break in the clouds yielded this red.
I need to get a new model.
I tried sight fishing, but only saw three sharks and two reds. All the fish were taken while casting blindly into deeper water.
This flounder bit during another short break in the clouds.
Checked into the campground, got set up, and then fished the south side of the bay. In three hours I saw only three fish and did not get a bite.
Monday
Drove to St. George Sound and launched the ‘yak. In two minutes I had a decent trout on a jig. Put the spin rod away and started blind casting with a Clouser Minnow.
Spanish on fly while wading, into the backing. Awesome combination!
The fish were not suicidal but they came steadily, nice ones, trout to four pounds, reds to eight. Got a nice Spanish mac and had another cut me off. Could not sight fish due to clouds but it didn’t matter.
Reds on fly over shell bottom- great stuff!
When I tired of casting the fly in the wind I switched back to spin tackle and a weedless jig. If anything it was even more effective. It was by far the best day of the trip. And I did not see another fisherman the entire day.
Trying to be creative with a fish and a camera while by yourself can be challenging.
Fortunately the camera is “waterproof.”
The Riptide weedless jig and Sardine accounted for several fish.
Tuesday
Got up in the rain, broke camp, tossed the soggy tent into the car, and drove home. It rained most of the way.
Wednesday
Had wet, messy mess to clean up, correspondence, etc.
Thursday
Took the Mitzi to River Breeze for scout duty. Water is pretty dirty. Did not see a lot. When I found clean water it was devoid of life. Got two trout the Riptide jig, one nice, the other spectacular. Hoped I would be able to find them the next day.
The other one was much bigger. I didn’t remove it from the water.
Friday
Met Kacky Andrews at 7 AM. While launching the boat I began conversing with a crabber on the other side of the dock. He said the crabbing right now is the best he’s seen in a 56 year career. He said one reason for that is the hurricane that passed. Another is that most of the redfish are gone, and you know how many little crabs they eat. Funny, his observation exactly reinforces my own. Only it’s sad, not funny.
Kacky and I went hunting for fish. She fly fished for four hours or so without a bite. Of course during that time we saw maybe a half-dozen fish. She switched to the spin rod. In the next four hours we saw maybe another half-dozen fish. She managed one very modest seatrout, our only fish. Tough day. She was awesome, though.
Thanks for fishing with me, Kacky!
And that is the Home Again inshore fishing report!
Life is great and I love my work!
Life is short- Go Fishing!
John Kumiski
www.spottedtail.com
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All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2018. All rights are reserved.
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