Shrimping in the Halifax River 7-16-11

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For the last couple of weeks a limit of shrimp has been pretty easy to come by here in the Halifax river. The limit is 5 gallons with the heads on.

My Dad is a shrimp-oholic and I don't think there is any hope for his recovery. He likes to shrimp like I like to hunt. With stories of a gallon of shrimp in a single throw of the net, dad lured me into a shrimping expedition on Saturday morning. The plan was to launch just before daylight and try to catch a handful of shrimp to fish a couple docks before the shrimp started running and hopefully pick up a trout or red or so.

We could only manage one shrimp and a few croakers so  we eased over to a dock and I immediately had our one and only shrimp stolen right off the hook. I soaked a croaker for a few minutes without any action and it was getting decent light so we headed for the channel to strike on some shrimp.

It didn't take us long and we were on them but we had to work for them at 8-15 a throw with an occasional 25.

Boats were coming from all directions and it was not long before there were 150-200 boats all throwing nets. The shrimp never really bunched up and were scattered between bridges so the boats were strung out as well. That made it a little easier and gave everybody a little breathing room. There are times when the shrimp bunch up and move down the channel and the boats will be so close you could almost jump from one to another....boats bumping each other, nets hitting other boats. It can get a little stressful.

Anyway, we eventually got our 5 gallons along with a few of the other usual creatures that follow the shrimp along.....like the odd looking ribbon fish, sail cats, croakers, blue crabs, trout, menhaden, flounder, jellyfish, etc. The small jellyfish weren't bad but we did net a couple of the big dinner plate size ones that were packin heat.

The shrimp stay a little scattered and we had to keep moving. I think we had a few throws with a hundred or more.

After we had a limit we pulled back over to one of dad's favored docks and I pitched a fresh shrimp in under the walkway. It was stolen immediately. I rigged another and pitched it back in. Within a minute I felt a light thump and the line started leaving. I let it pull the rod down and set the hook. It was a dandy 17" flounder!

That was pretty much the trip. Of course they still had to be headed and packed up for the freezer. All in all, a pile of work but the freezer is packed and they will really eat good!

Now that's a pile of shrimp!

Larry S.

Fishing Report 6/12/11 - Mosquito Lagoon

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Mosquito Lagoon Sun.  June 12, 2011
Moon - 3 days past first quarter
M.F.=  7:40 am
Temp.: Low 69 at daylight,  86 at 2:30
wind: NNW @ <5  mph early, laid flat at 10:00am then switched to E at 8-10 mph
pressure: 29.98 (Steady to slightly rising)

humidity: 88% at 6:00am, 51% at noon   

rain: 0

Mostly Sunny

This morning I decided to go back to one of my favorite spots on the east side of Mosquito Lagoon. I haven't been there in about 3 weeks and the conditions have really changed. I was the first Person through the gate this morning and was launched just after 6:00am.  I had noticed a lot of bait near the launch last time I was there so I did a little plugging with the 17mr and picked off a real nice 17" flounder the first crack out of the box. I flipped him in the boat and he shook off the hook and landed in my lap....Man that was close!

I paddled on looking for tailing redfish but all the flats I had seen fish on last time were so shallow the grass was exposed. To make things worse, the grass was shedding and the dead grass had floated up in to a thick mat way out and fish, particularly trout, couldn't get to the sand holes I intended to fish if they wanted to. I found some lady fish here and there but if was slim pickin's.

I decided to go on the hunt and paddle south looking for signs of life.

After about a mile and a half I came into a little deeper water with a mixed bottom but more grass than sand. Shortly after, a swirl up ahead caught my attention and I grabbed my plug rod and made a cast. As fish closed on the quartering plug , all of a sudden they exploded, I felt a solid thump and the reel started singing. After a short tour of the flat I finally got the big red boat side and got my hand on him......29 1/4"! A heck of a nice fish.

By the time all this was over and the picture taking was done I realized I was in the middle of a big school of fish. At first I thought they were small reds pushing but I believe it was just catfish with big mullet. I did hook another large redfish in a flats jig tipped with a tiny bit of ladyfish but he straightened the hook and tore off. I hate it when a fish gets off like that.

I pushed on south and ended up about 2 1/2 miles below the launch before I turned around and started heading back.

As I was paddling back I caught a glimpse of something dark, above the water and about 4ft. long. "I sure hope that was a manatee" I thought ! I decided to check it out. Being that I was in a 12' plastic boat I approached the spot cautiously. There was a big muddy spot and I was paying close attention. Unfortunately, I did not see the one on my right and paddled up a little to close. About the time I noticed it...it noticed me! Lucky for me he did not try to go under the boat and went around but I still got rocked pretty good....man that was close.

Well, about a quarter mile from the launch I noticed a manatee nose poke up out of the water. You guessed it.....I paddled over for a closer look! I readied my camera for a picture. I came alongside, parallel and dropped my paddle to the bottom to keep the wind from pushing me on top of them. About then the pair noticed I was there and did not like it. They both beat their tail violently in the shallow and headed for deeper water. The amount of water they displaced was incredible and I was able to get a little bit of a picture. I don't think I have ever seen such spooky manatees. They wouldn't try to hurt you but you could get flipped pretty easy.

I guess the total catch for the day was (35) ladyfish, (1) 29 1/4" redfish ((1) big one lost), (1) 17" flounder and (3) ambitious pin fish, zero trout.

I 'm still not excited about the fish I have found for the up coming tournament but this red would have been a contender!

A rod for every occasion!

Larry

My Photo's, Misc. Catch Pictures #1

.I had a few minutes to my self here this afternoon and It's about to rain so I'm not headed to the Flats this afternoon so I thought I'd post some old success photo's.

Here are a few of them!

Fishing Report, Flounder, 5/7/11

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May 7, 11 – New Smyrna Beach, Fl.,


M.F.= 2:15 pm (major feed)

Temp.: 57-82 deg. (upper 60's while fishing) fished 9:00pm to1:30am

wind: E @ 5  to 10mph, gust to  - mph  (dropped to less than 5mph after 9:00)

pressure: 30.01

humidity: avg 58%    (28-87%)

rain: 0

(No clouds, quarter moon low to the west)

This trip did not actually include my kayak but I could have easily been used to island hop, beach the yak and wade from there. As it were, I poled dad's flat bottom and he waded with a lantern to cover more ground and keep me in deeper water to keep me from scrapping up the bottom of his new boat.

This was a gig trip and not a hook and line adventure.
We fished about 5 small to medium islands and bars. The flounder were in tight to the bank in shallow water and most were found around small oyster bars usually around a point with some flowing water washing bait to him.

The water is not real clear right now but visibility was decent.

We both ended up with a limit of 10 although we had a few little one that we probably should have let go.
I'm headed to the lagoon this afternoon and I'll post what kind of action I get into from that.

Here's a few pictures.

Larry