8/30 - Refresher course...in back country Florida
Since this "end of August" is about the same as the end of August last year kinda,D-E-A-D. (ya'll are saving it up for September and October!!)
I decided to treat myself with a road-trip...or is that a boat trip?
I went on about a 30 mile or more one way trip, yesterday. To an area of N.E. Florida I hope to frequent some more as fall approaches.
I headed way NORTH.
I'll give ya'll a clue. I went to where there's no other fisherman, no Helicopters, no wakes from tug boats, no Navy noise pollution. No harassment from the Coasties, no FWC either. A pristine area of our Florida, that 99.999% of those boats "running around like chickens with no heads" on the weekends, don't know exists.
Can ya' believe there is such a place? Yes, there is. And thank goodness they don't know about it.
(sorry no pictures....I was busy looking around
and fishing) Don't mind my attitude towards noise and too many people. If you were me you'd be sick of it too.
Remember, I fish and live near a military base. Anyone ever know of a Navy Base being quiet?
Plus having to deal with being a suspected terrorist to every 21 year old with a gun and a badge, be it Navy or Coast Guard or FWC....and actually they aren't to bad anymore. I guess the kindler, gentler thing actually worked. Which I heard they were striving for. Since they are protecting "MY" fishery.
But the only problem with my trek was. Is that there was no fish caught, while I was there. No "real" fish that is. I caught plenty of Ladies and Jacks, Of course. But I went as an observer, and to clear my head of the Mayport area. It was really nice seeing what real BACKCOUNTRY MARSH LANDS are really like.
The marsh grass was greener, and had a different look to it, even. Probably because of the influence of much more Fresh Water.
The biggest problem is I went there on a Full Moon incoming tide, and man was the tide high too. Kinda the opposite of when I should have been there. All I could scrape up was some Ladyfish and Jacks......about the same thing I'm catching at home. I did catch some big shrimp in a creek with my castnet, and saw a Dolphin way up in a creek whollering around in 2 feet of water. And as I spooked it, the massive animal came rushing within inches of my boat at warp speed. I guess it doesn't see/hear boats very often, way up in there.
The salinity wasn't as high as the St. Johns River, the lowest I recorded on a very high tide was a 23 parts per thousand. Which is pretty damn low considering.
I was pretty upset I didn't find no "real" fish. Although I did see Tarpon rolling in a creek far, far, from where you'd think they'd be. The water was super muddy. A lot darker and stirred up than the St. Johns. The water just plain looked silty. They say that this area gets more rain that does the beaches of Jacksonville.
I did learn that, I will be back. But like everything else, this probably isn't the time of year for up there either. 86 degree water, and a hard E.S.E. 15 knot wind made it feel like just another hot summer day.
I treated myself to some nice scenery. Since I can now see really good after having Lasik surgery, by Dr. Schnipper. It's amazing. The whole process, and what they can do these days, for people that are so sight handicapped, like I "was".
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BTW, http://www.captdaves.com/news.htm - It's where I post tid-bits of info. And of course have all the info about my new boat, too. I have a special offer up on there now, too. Just in case I get some die hards that want to take full advantage of the Fall Season. In which I can't wait for.
I also have a link to a story written by a client on his web site, up there too. Which was nice of him to send to me. Check for News that may not show up here, on that page.
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It's the Labor day holiday this weekend, not a huge event in my fishing schedule although last year we had ERNESTO come by or thru. From the 30th of August to the 2nd of September. And I still had five charters that week, and we caught some BIG Redbass at the inlets jetties. If I can get some Pogies I'll be looking to do that again this weekend, maybe....... briefly. I say briefly, because once I hook a 'STINGER', I'm out there!
Some kind of RAIN or STORM action wouldn't hurt the fishing right now, that's for sure. For some reason the local waters, really seem to need a rejuvenation right about now, and if we don't get it. It just means more of the same, till when the "cooling off" starts on it's own. And that's too long of a wait for me.
FIND MORE REPORTS AT: WWW.CAPTDAVES.BLOGSPOT.COM
OR CALL 904-642-9546 TO RESERVE YOUR VERY OWN BACK COUNTRY TRIP, AND NOT SEE MUCH OF ANYONE ALL DAY LONG.
