Well. I wanted to fish the supposed SOUTH wind today. So I went. All by me lonesome. I try not to ever fish on a weekend, but it was kinda blowie out there, so I figured there wouldn't be any crowds.
So I make it out the jetties......and not dry by any means on the last of the falling tide. It was sporty, with nice fat rollers being bucked by the stiff breeze.
I get to right where I want to fish. The breeze certainly wasn't DUE SOUTH. But 100% SOUTH EAST! Yep, there's a huge difference, in my book.
I anchor up, after waiting a minute for a little boat to leave right where I wanted to be.
I'm dead-on. And surprised myself again with my anchoring perfection. (remember those words)
I played around a few minutes and tossed a MirrOlure Catch2K at the rocks. It's about the time when I'll pitch a MirrOlure, and if I catch a good Trout I know it's "go time".
Got whacked once. But could have been just a Bluefish. So I put away the play toys, grabbed my Float-rig rod, pinned on a fat live shrimp. Lobbed the rig into place, and it drifted about two feet and went DOWN. I reeled up all the wind slack in my line and came tight with a locomotive!
The 'whatever' speed eastward. Then, toward the bow of the boat. My 8' Biscayne rod was bent in the shape of a horse shoe, and my Curado 300 DSV was peeling line.
AWESOME!!!!
First cast, and this maybe just the reason I came out here.
Problem was, as the fish ran toward the bow of the boat. Unfortunely that's where my extra long scope of anchor line was laying. It was no less that 2-4 foot seas, and to make it really stick I did an extra long anchor lay.
I pulled as hard as my 15# mono leader, and tiny hook would allow. Then, I felt the anchor line and then, POP! Fish gone.
I believe it was a BIG Jack Crevalle.....like way bigger than we have been catching. Maybe in the 15-20 pound Yellow Submarine catagory, because it was having it's way, no matter what I was doing.
I continued on. And had my BACK SIDE handed to me two more times as I sat in the slop, dancing around the back deck of the boat just to keep my balance. Both times my float disappeared, I reeled and all I got in return was "SMOKE", from a burning run, down the jetty rocks.
I did hook a Trout, and it got off on the side of the boat.
Doesn't look as if it's gonna my day, does it??
But that's why I came out today. I was hoping to pick a fight with something that had shoulders. Be it with a "forked" tail or not, I didn't care.
The tide started to change a bit so I wanted to reposition the boat. I usually pull up on my anchor line with the motor, so I don't have to pull the weight of the boat. And like so many times before when I'm sitting in the soup, I pulled up just a little bit, left the helm and went for the anchor line. Still had an acre of line out. So I went back and pulled up a bit more.....and it turned out to be a bit too much. The boat went up fast on a monster swell, the anchor line came tighter than a gnats BACK SIDE, the boat lurched.
And right there, I knew what happened!!!!
DAMN!!!!!!!
That's the end of my day. You can see the white water in this photo, yeah it was rough.
This has happened to me so many times it's rediculas. And the stocks on these cheap anchors are so weak, but I don't think any fluke anchor could withstand the force of being overhead and to the side, when the boat wrenches. But I am still looking for one that's tougher. (I'll let ya'll know when I find one.)
That has to be anchor number 252, that I've either destroyed or just plain lost, in 25 years. Same thing really.....and they don't work in this shape. And all the straightening in the world, doesn't help. They just bend again even easier in the same spot, all over again. So this one was made into a "reef".
I look at it as a dumb mistake, that always happens when it's rough as a cob, and usually when I'm alone, and of course focused on catchin' fish.
Remember, the fish are not always where YOU are the most comfortable. At least that's the way it works for me most of the time.
So I went and used my cinder-block anchor I had with me on two spots. One at the jetties, all I could catch at this crappy spot was bluefish. So I took a ride to an ole creek I used to fish all the time in my first love, a 1974 14' Aluma-Craft, many, many, moons ago.
I like this creek, because it reminds me of "old Florida"...or what it may look like in Lousiana with broken down docks, outboard engines sticking out of the water, over hanging trees with Spanish moss and ancient boats sitting on lifts.
The only problem is wasn't much like "fishing" in Louisiana......because I never lost a single live shrimp as the tide flooded in. (I bet that doesn't happen much in Louisiana!)
I caught lots here before. On Noreasters, it makes for a great hide-away. Usually the Trout are in there pretty good.
Sometimes you eat the Lion and sometimes the Lion eats YOU. Before I was completely devoured, I figured I'd go home. There's always a weekday.
But first I gotta get a new 18# Fluke anchor.....Number 253, and counting.
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