Making the Most of a Moment before Monsters Attack.....

It was Halloween yesterday.

I had carved the pumpkin, thanks to an idea from my son Clayton, as the Carolina Panther logo (in honor of my son Parke's favorite team), and had finished work by 4:00.

The team I follow, the Eagles, is not worthy of a Jack O'Lantern this year....  Nor is my daughter's team, the Steelers.

I didn't have to be home until 6:00, so I decided to go kayak fishing for a brief time.  The Boy Scout's motto of "Be Prepared" is a phrase I believe in, so I keep my equipment in the car this time of year for just such spur of the moment jaunts....  Because I knew the tide would be good....

I grabbed my kayak and threw on my waterproof "Frogg Toggs" (a rainsuit I highly recommend!) and hit the water.

FroggToggs are great because they are lightweight, 100% waterproof, and yet still let you breathe.  I prefer to wear them in the colder months, so that I don't have to get wet and fishy while kayak fishing....

It was an incoming tide, and I had about 45 minutes at the most on the water, so I knew I had to focus on the points and swirls where I suspected fish may be hiding.

SIDEBAR:  A week or so ago, I was in a similar situation where I had maybe an hour to fish before I got home.  I made the most of it, and hooked, but didn't catch a small striper, and then landed a beautiful 22" puppy drum that ended up being dinner.  It was a nice fight, and for a moment, I thought it might be a nice striper, but I wasn't disappointed to see this on my lap, either....

The second biggest pup I've caught this year, and the biggest I caught in this stretch of the river, it gave a nice fight, and would provide an even nicer dinner....

Anyway, I hooked a 14" trout that got unbuttoned before I could net it, in the first 5 minutes of fishing, but that wasn't what I was looking for....   I knew where I had hooked that striper so I cast toward the same structure and let my jig fall gently into the current.  A light twitch after it hit the bottom revealed the same fish falling for the same trick....  Fortunately for the striper, he was an inch or two short of being a keeper, so it lived to see another day -- and perhaps learned an important lesson about what is and isn't really food....

This 2 1/2 year old striper hopefully learned a lesson that will allow him to grow up to be a great big striper -- before I catch him again with a different lure...

As the current pushed me deeper into the channel, I cast towards other structures, as well into the deeper parts of the channel, but had no luck.  When I was swept into the inner wider pool where the current slows down, I cast towards the point where I entered.  I let it sink... twitched... reeled, and repeated, and suddenly and violently felt the hit from another small striper.  A nice fight revealed this little guy who also lived to see another year to hopefully grow up a little bigger to dinner-sized.

This guy never stopped fighting and wiggling from the moment he viciously attacked my grub.  He wouldn't hang still for a good photo, either.  Hopefully when he's 20 pounds, he'll still be the same way....

I noticed the time on my clock, when I snapped this photo on my phone (isn't today's technology amazing?), and realized I needed to work my way back to shore.  I paddled back towards the outer point of the channel, where the water swirls even more during a good tide movement, and cast one last time....

Bam!  Fish on!  It was a nice one, I knew that much.  But what was it.  A striper?  No.  It wasn't fighting like one.  It came to the surface and showed a coppery sheen...  A puppy drum?  Maybe, but it wasn't running like one of them, either.

A big smile grew on my face when I saw a beautiful speckled trout jumping and running with my jig.  I hoped it was hooked well enough to not become unbuttoned, but he wasn't ready to stop fighting any time soon.  I tried to net him a couple of times, but he was not ready to give up.  Finally I was able to get him....  I didn't even bother to put him on the stringer.  I took a photo, put him on my lap, and paddled to shore to come home to deal with the trick or treaters....  He went into my cooler to be cleaned at home....

This 20" speck is the perfect size for broiling.  A little salt, a little pepper, a little butter and lemon... and that's all you need to have one of the finest seafood dinners around....

Halloween starts in my town at 6:00 and goes until 8:00.  I got Clayton and was home by 5:50.  We were ready.  But first, I had to clean the fish.  Clayton was quite impressed with the fish, and was also excited about the blood and guts -- especially on a gruesome night like Halloween.....  (Insert evil laugh here.)

The speckled trout is the perfect fish for Halloween, with it's two "vampire" teeth that will cut you and draw blood, if you're not careful.  Which is why I'm holding it through the gills in the previous photo....  

So the fish was cleaned, the kids were given candy, and we had a nice evening.  Now a cold front is coming through and I hope to get out there fishing again tomorrow morning after the wind and rain has stopped.  It will be an outgoing tide later in the morning -- typically something that striper seem to prefer.... If there's anything worth talking about, I'll add an addendum.

But regardless, next weekend we're having our 27th Boys' Weekend.  It will be a little different this year, as we are going kayak fishing in the area, and not down to Hatteras for some surf fishing.

As I told my son Parke, I was barely older than him when Mike, Mark and I started this tradition that we now have as many as 12 guys participating in.  And regardless of how good or bad the fishing is, you can count on plenty of good and funny stories that are bound to happen.  So you can definitely count on another Angling Participles Post....  Consider that a threat, a warning... and a promise.  I can hardly wait.  :)

So until next time,

Fish ON!

P.S.  After I showed Parke my Panthers pumpkin, he and Sheldon both showed me their carving skills.  I must confess, I believe they both beat me.  What do you think?

It is obvious my children's artistic skills exceed my own....  I'm impressed....

To be continued?.....

ADDENDUM:  well I went out with Jerry this morning.  It was beautiful.  The leaves are almost at their peak, there were just enough clouds to keep it from being too bright for the fish, and the outgoing tide was moving perfectly.... It should have been a great time for fishing....  Key word, "should".  Three hours of fishing yielded another small striper, maybe 15-16 inches long, and a very ambitious small spot.

These little guys kept pestering Jerry; but it took me to actually catch one....  Good thing for this spot, that we were not fishing for large flounder or stripers out on the Chesapeake Bay, or he would have been the perfect size for bait.  As it is, he joined his school, to hopefully grow up a little bigger, himself.

Both fish got to swim away again safely....  Tomorrow, I may try again....  To be continued....?

SUNDAY ADDENDUM:  Jerry and I tried one more time today for more than 2 hours....  All I can say is the smell of SKUNK is strong in the air....  Not even the first nibble today.  The wind was strong, but okay where we were -- and the water looked absolutely ideal for striper....  The right color, moving well, good swirls in certain areas, and Jerry had his Lowrance depth/fish finder that was showing fish everywhere....

I hope something changes in the next 5 days, or we're going to be having a heck of a fun Boys Weekend -- but it won't be because of us catching fish, as much as it might be that we are drinking bourbon and harassing each other....  Until next time,

Drink ON!

Buzzards, New Fishing Buddies, Channel Bass and Beer

I've been emailing back and forth with a friend (the father of one of my daughter's best friends) for a long time about "getting together and kayak fishing one evening".  Between our schedules and responsibilities it was easier said than done.  But this past week, we were finally able to coordinate a free evening together, in conjunction with a perfect evening, weather-wise.

He lives on the James River near the James River Bridge, so I was excited as this was a new stretch of water for me to try.

The James River Bridge.  

We met right after work and the first thing I noticed were a dozen turkey buzzards all sunning themselves on the beach in the late afternoon sun.  Is that a good sign or not, I wondered to myself....

"What is this, Buzzard Beach? I asked?"

Not the most beautiful bird on the planet, the Turkey Vulture does have an important clean up job.  Whether on the streets, in the woods or on the beach in this case, they pick a carcass clean quite quickly.  And the reason they have no feathers on their head is so that they can stick their head inside a carcass without worrying about getting extra messy or stuck.  There really is a purpose for everything....

I should have known better.  As we walked down to the shore, I saw the fish carcasses from his previous ventures.  The buzzards were simply cleaning up after him.  He was hoping the resident bald eagles would come clean up, but the buzzards beat them to it.  No sooner than he said that, however, when a majestic mature eagle flew right by, seeing that there was nothing but bones....  It flew on.

We prepared for launch, and the first thing I noticed was that my friend had the Hobie Mirage fishing kayak -- the Rolls Royce of kayaks, in my opinion.  It has the wonderful advantage of allowing the user to pedal instead of paddling -- or sometimes, in addition to paddling, for extra speed....

With a seat that rivals my La-Z-Boy recliner, and enough cargo space to carry equipment for a family, the Hobie is the "Aircraft Carrier" of kayaks -- compared to my little orange "Destroyer"....

It's an impressive yak, and he had it rigged perfectly for holding several rods, as well as having room for his equipment, and a cooler of cold drinks.

We launched and paddled (or pedaled) down river towards his "spot".  Enjoying the evening on the glassy river, we talked and took it all in.  It was an incoming tide, and we could already see the swirls of puppy drum coming in to feed.  My hopes were rising....

When we finally arrived at his spot, it indeed looked ideal.  A "cut through" where the water flowed through the grassy shoreline to a break in the river.  A place where predator fish would just lie in wait for bait to come by with the current.  We cast a few times, and sure enough, all of the sudden he had a fish.  A couple minutes later he brought in a fat healthy 20" red.  A couple minutes after that, I felt the tap of a hit and pulled one in, myself.  Then he caught another.  Then I caught another.  We'd already caught 4 fish (which was about what his spot was good for, he said) and hadn't even tried too hard yet.

Pausing for a drink, I asked if he'd had success further down river.  We can try, he said.  So another 5 minute paddle and I came to a spot where the grassy shore stuck out a bit.  I could see a red waiting there, I thought.  I cast.  And BAM, sure enough, I pulled in another, to the laughter and joy of my friend.  He then admitted he'd never had luck there, so was encouraged to see they were there as well.  Just then we saw another red jump about 100 yards further down, right by the shore.  I paddled over to the area and looked back.  It was a beautiful evening sky, I realized, so I paused, cast my rod and got out my camera phone for a photo.

I paused to take this shot of the evening sky and river.  That's the Aircraft Carrier, USS Hobie, on the right.

 No sooner do I take the shot, however, when I see my rod bending.  The pup had seen my jig, and taken it.  I now had my 4th pup of the evening.  My friend continued his laughing with joy, as again, as he was impressed I had caught the one we saw jump.  I released it, to go jump some more.

The colors of the 3 reds I kept, were stunning in the setting sun....

But not before my buddy pedaled over for a shot.

My 4th pup of the evening was identical to the other 3:  a healthy 3 year old 20" fish.  But this guy will get the chance to see 4 years old -- and hopefully be caught again, when he's 24" long next year....

As the sun was getting low, we paddled back to the "spot", which he said should be good for "one more fish now".  Along the way I cast again, and hooked a 12" flounder.  More laughter from us both, as I released the small flattie to grow up.  My friend said in addition to the reds and small flounder, this is a great spot for trout and striper, too, when the season is right.  I believed it.

What a beautiful, stunning sky, to highlight a perfect evening, I thought....

 We arrived at the spot, and I cast into the hole one last time, only to feel the tap of another hit.  Number 5 was on the line, to more laughter from us both.

My 5th pup will also get the chance to see his 4th birthday, as he also got released to grow some more....

 The sun had set, so we paddled back to shore in the dusk, enjoying the swirls of fish and baitfish all around us.  I could see the full advantage of his Hobie, as he was enjoying a beer while he pedaled, and I was stuck paddling....  A definite plus to the Mirage.

When we got back to his beach, we put away our equipment, I threw my kayak in the back of my truck and then we went up to his kitchen to clean the fish.  The stomach of each pup was full of fiddler crabs.  These fish had been feasting on the plentiful crabs that dotted the shoreline everywhere.

The male fiddler crab has a large, very intimidating claw that he waves on the shore line, to attract a mate and discourage other males.  The sad truth for the crab, however, is that it is all show, and not a weapon at all....  I guess for a female crab, however, bigger is better after all....

After putting the fillets in a ziploc bag, I put the carcasses in a bucket, took them down to the beach where I tossed them so that the buzzards and eagles would have breakfast the next day, as well.  Then we sat on his deck and enjoyed a nice cigar and a good beer.  I had brought him one of my homemade beers, and it really seemed appropriate for him to enjoy on this hot, productive evening of kayak fishing for puppy drum.

My son and I had made this beer early in the summer

The label really seemed appropriate after a wonderful evening of fishing for pups on a warm, sunny evening....

When it was finally time to call it a night and go home, we both vowed to do it again.  It was truly a wonderful evening, and I told him I was spoiled.  I would expect every trip to be just as beautiful and productive as tonight had been....  He laughed again.

And now that it's Striper Season, we just need some cooler weather to bring in some schools of my favorite pinstriped pals.  Until then, however, I'll happily keep catching the one-spot wonders on the James....

Until next time,

Fish ON!

P.S.  I ate some of the pups last night with some friends.  Tried a new recipe which including baking them with melted butter, lemon juice and diced onion.  Some salt, pepper, paprika and a little cajun spice added a kick.  But having had some flounder recently with Parmesan cheese baked on top, I decided to sprinkle some Asiago on top of the redfish fillets in the pan.  Wow!  I can't wait to try this recipe again -- but with rockfish next time.  :)

A Brief Summary of the Last Year. And My Latest Brief Fishing Excursions.

I'm back.

Did you miss me?

Wow, I've been bad... or busy.  It's been about a year since my last post on this blog.  I have kept meaning to put down a post or two, I guess I just haven't had the time.  But with Labor Day weekend almost over, I realized this is the anniversary of when I started this blog three years ago.  So here's a new post in honor of it.

But first a brief summary of the last year.
Found melanoma spot on me late last summer.  Got it removed with surgery in the fall.

Before Surgery

All clear.  Covered up, and 50 SPF ever since.

Trip to Austria with the kids and parents in October.  Awesome and absolutely memorable for numerous reasons.  Could have posted 600 photos, but I'll settle for one.

 The Gothic St. Stephen's Cathedral, with its 400+ foot tall spire.  We climbed to the top.

A couple of striper and speckled trout caught in the fall.  Not as many as the previous year, but after my surgery, I was limited in my activity.  So I was happy to get what I got.

A speckled trout and a gray trout on this trip

largest striper of the fall:  Just shy of 28"

I totaled my 4Runner going to work.  And then had to get another one.  Fortunately nobody was hurt.

Oops.  Day after Election Day.  

Took a couple months to find one that had everything I wanted, but here's the newer one.

Another milder winter, so we were hopeful the new crop of puppy drum were able to survive another year.  And hopeful this summer/fall would be productive again, with keepers.  We were hopeful.  It had been a while.

A delayed Boys' Weekend in February that involved drinking bourbon and shooting -- but not at the same time.

No, we didn't kill all the bottles....  But we did try a little of each.

Ted showing his prowess on the skeet.

Spring Fishing was productive for lots of spotted bass in our usual Spring spot.

Parke joined me a couple of times for some bass

Caught more spotties than any previous year....

Brewed a batch of a real nice, clean crisp Pale (Pail?) Ale with Parke.  It turned out AWESOME!

I named mine Redfish Summer Pail Ale -- in anticipation of some good redfishing this summer.

Sampling the beer on Father's Day.  It was quite a treat!  

Went Jet ski fishing for the first time -- and had success with the first legal sized pup of the summer.

Batting 1.000 when it comes to jet ski fishing....

Spent several weekends at Mark's on the mouth of the York River, with great success for fishing each time.
In the john boat...

Nice flounder and horse croaker, with Mark's "cottage" in the back.  We call it the Red Roof Inn.

Another keeper pup

From the shore...
At night....

Mike with a keeper caught during the evening tide....

From the kayak... where I even hooked (and lost...) a small 35" cobia....

First 3 pup limit of the season, and a big horse croaker, too.

And from his brothers' dock in the early evening....

several beautiful sunsets and sunrises were seen from here....

So, I would have to say that the Douglas cottage was the place to be from Memorial Day through August....  But since then, we've also discovered another section of the waters around here....  Bennett's Creek.  And it has been quite productive already.

Jerry gets the credit, as he is looking to purchase some land on the river there.  So he went out and had some success.  I went out one evening, and I lost a couple, but did land this guy.

Blackened Redfish has been eaten plenty this summer.

Then Friday of Labor Day Weekend, Jerry called.  He was taking the day off, did I want to join him kayak fishing around Bennett's Creek.  I had a couple appointments at work, including a lunch one, but told him I'd join him later in the afternoon.  I loaded my kayak and went to work.  Jerry texted me that he caught a couple in the morning paddling up and down the river.  So after my last appointment, I went to join him.

One problem... I had forgotten to bring my kayak fishing clothes.  They were still on my bed where I had left them.  I wasn't about to let that stop me, however.  I slathered on the 50 SPF and stripped down to my boxers.  I have a sit-in kayak.  Who would be the wiser?  I'm glad I have no pride, because it was a successful two hour trip.
I caught up with Jerry, and within minutes hooked the first fish.  A 19" keeper pup.  Shortly after that, further down the river, I hooked into a 20"er.  Then right before long, I had the best fight yet.  When I landed the third one (limiting out again) I had caught a 24" pup.  What excited me about that, aside from the fact it was the largest pup any of us have caught in these waters in the last few years, was that it was a 4 year old fish.  The water in Bennett's Creek is deep enough for the fish to survive the colder winters.  It was a good day.

Who knows what I have on?  But I limited out for the second time in a week.

What made the trip even better was that Jerry didn't get the first hook up while I was with him.  I'm glad he had his i-phone, however, to take photos of me, at least.

So today is Labor Day, and Jerry called this morning.  He had finally mounted his Lowrance depth finder on his kayak, and wanted to test it out on the Creek again.  Did I want to join him for a couple hours.  Sure.

We hit the water, and I told Jerry, the only thing I was keeping today, would be a nice speckled trout -- should we be lucky enough to get any.  Funny that I said that, as we haven't caught any decent specks all summer long.  Today would be C&R Day.  Catch and release.

Before long I was hooked up.  I pulled in a 19" pup.  It swam off.

Then Jerry got one.  Then I got another.  Then Jerry got another.

Jerry with one of his 2 pups today.

The largest pup of the day was 20-21" and fat.  

But then I felt a hit, and it was different.  Sure enough, when I brought the fish up to my net, I had caught a striper.  Maybe only 15", but fat and healthy none the less.  And in another five weeks, we can start keeping any of his big brothers over 18" long.  Before the morning bite was over, I had caught three stripers, with the biggest being about 16".  Their big brothers are still out in cooler waters.....  Waiting to come in....

This fat and healthy 16" striper hit the bait hard.  Give him another year and he'll be big enough to enjoy on the table.

But with all these fish around, and me not keeping any, I decided to try a trout lure.  Sure enough, after just a few casts into the deeper parts of the water, I was rewarded with a hit.  As I brought the fish to my net, I saw what I wanted to see.  Spots.  Lots of them.  It was a nice fat, 17" speckled trout.  HE was going on the stringer, to be broiled tomorrow night.

Not the best photo, but the delicious fillets of this 17" trout are waiting in my refrigerator, to be broiled with a little lemon tomorrow night.  All in all, a very good day all along the creek.

So I got the Bennett's Creek Grand Slam today.  I guess I still have yet to hook a flounder in there, but there are no shortage of croaker.  I would imagine there are some blue cats in there, too.  I'm looking forward to exploring these waters even more....

So, with that, I'm back.  It's been a long and busy year, but we're now in the thick of the best fishing time of the year.  From now until year end is my favorite time of year.  I expect to have several more posts before it's all said and done.  Until next time,

Fish ON!

Dan.


ADDENDUM:

So the day after Labor Day I'm at work, and I got a text message from Staff Sgt. Michael Donnelly (ret.) who I had turned on to kayak fishing several years ago.  He was out in Bennett's Creek, and wanted to know some of the secrets of fishing that water.  I told him, find deeper water and oyster beds.  Leave your drag looser, and make sure the tide is moving....  Then hang on.

He sent this photo, and said it was the best fight he had in years.  He thanked me for my advice and tips.  I always have supported our troops, and he is a good kid, with quite a story (as I've recounted in a previous post.)  So I'm happy to help him out -- especially if he's a C&R guy, too.

The second largest pup pulled from these waters... a 22" pup that weighted 6 #, per Michael.  He released this beauty to grow even bigger for another fun catch another day.... 

Then the rains came....  I asked Jerry if he wanted to go after work, when the rain cleared out.  He passed.  I decided to go for an hour or so, anyway.

So after work I launched -- only to get rained on some more.  But that doesn't stop me from fishing, as I've stated in the past.  Only heavy winds and lightning keep me off the water.  There was neither of that.  The rain stopped, but I wasn't getting the first bite.  The storms signaled a cold front moving through, and I wondered how much that affected the evening bite.  Just when I was ready to give up, I felt a hit.  A small croaker.  Oh well, at least something was biting.  Then one more bite.  A little stronger.  Could it be another speckled trout?  Well.... not exactly....  It was this 13" beauty.  Who can identify it?  My first thought was, it's a grey trout, (aka weakfish).  But the color was so yellow....

This 13" fish is NOT a grey trout, but a Sand Trout.

Spotted Sea Trout -- a common and popular fish in the region

The Grey Trout, aka Weakfish (because of its mouth):  incidentally the state fish of Delaware.... Who knew.

I had to get this image of a Sand Trout from a Florida or Texas website.... Not Virginia.  But there is no doubt, this is what I caught.  He matches the description perfectly, and it's not that unusual for fish to migrate north during warmer climes.  Heck, we've even had a manatee or two wander through the waters of Hampton Roads....

When I got home, I googled my photo, and compared it with what I suspected it may be -- a sand trout.  But sand trout are more native to Gulf Coast states -- not Virginia.  In fact, Virginia doesn't even have a regulation for what size sand trout you can keep.  (For greys, they must be 12", while specks have to be 14").  Therefore, I guess I could have kept this guy.  But after smiling for my camera, he swam away happily, back into the brown water below (which I read is where they are more commonly found -- as opposed to the cleaner, clearer waters that specks and greys inhabit).  So I learned something else, while catching a new species I hadn't caught before (at least knowingly).  One more reason to like Bennetts' Creek.  Can hardly wait to get out there again....