By Capt. Ric Liles
Fishing Columnist
Why do tugboats “push” their barges? I don’t know but it is the best oxymoron I’ve heard regarding anything nautical since jumbo shrimp.
This past week has been one of frustration if you’re an angler because of the heavy winds and we have experienced. The day that the winds laid down we got the rain. It sure seems that we cannot catch a break in the weather and get a good day for fishing. I did get out a couple of times and was able to get the action going, but it was still chilly for this Florida boy.
I have started to see our trout bites improve a little and still think we are on the cusp of some real good trout fishing. It may be even better than I think it is right now, but I have not been able to get to some of the places safely with the winds blowing as hard as they have been.
I have continued to focus on sharks and they have not been a disappointment. We have had a good, steady shark bite and luckily I have had clients in from out of town where their local waters have none of the predators. Sharks do provide a good battle and they keep the fight going even after being boated. We had a couple of double hook ups and one triple hook up and that really gets exciting when the lines are going in all different directions. A bit chaotic at times.
Black tips and bonnetheads are the species that we have been catching with an occasional bull shark visiting us, but not taking the bait. The bonus of the shark fishing trips is that we are catching these guys in the midst of a herd of manatees. I haven’t caught a manatee yet, but I’m still trying to perfect my bait presentation for them. That was a joke. Don’t call the feds.
If Sharks are not your game, we are catching redfish as well, just not anything with any substantial size. There seems to be an abundance of under slot redfish eager to eat right now, but the slot fish have been avoiding me. After doing the shark thing the other day we, caught some small redfish and my group had a little competition on the boat to see who could catch the one with the most spots. It was the first time I have ever seen a 14-inch fish pay $30. It was not the biggest, but it just had to most spots.
Sometimes it’s not about the size of the fish. It’s about the challenge it presents. Gotta love a sportsman. Until next time, good luck and be safe on the water.
Remember, don’t let your kid be the one that got away. Take them fishing.
