A long stretch of unstable weather, coupled with high winds, has been kicking my butt. And even when I was able to get out, the fishing has not been great. The tarpon bite in my go-to spot, for example, has been deader than a door nail. Oh well.
Today the wind dropped and the fishing finally kicked into gear. Thank God. Got out on the water early to work the incoming tide. Clouds made sight-fishing impossible, so I began blind casting. Using a crab pattern, I searched the turtle grass beds on the inside of the bar. It quickly paid off. Caught a bunch of spotted seatrout, all keeper size. These good looking fish are not great fighters, but I was very happy to have them.
Released Spotted Seatrout
As the morning worn on, the breeze shifted more to the west, pushing the clouds away. With the increase in sunlight, I started sight-fishing for reds. Got two casts to a fair sized one, but no hookup. Then I saw a fish patrolling the edge of the bar, just off the turtle grass. Dropped a crab fly ahead of it, and the fish zoomed over and ate it. Great.
Pompano off on a Run
The fish took off on a blistering run, heading over the bar towards deep water. This was no trout. After two more runs, it started circling me, and I got a glimpse of it. Big pompano. Well, big at least for these waters; about 18″ inches. I didn’t weight the fish, but NMFS conversion charts say that in Florida waters a pompano of that size is 5.8 pounds. Seems a bit high. My fish, I believe was a little lighter.
Pompano is said to be great eating. And at the moment the contents of my refrigator is a might meager. So the fish can home with me for dinner. Hope the fishing holds.
