Fishing the Gulf of America

[Fodderwing]

With the cooler temperatures in the morning, my willingness to hit the salt has increased exponentially.

Yesterday my truck thermometer said 63 at the dock near Gulf Hammock.

A friend and enjoyed a nice day on the water and caught a few fish to boot. We had to work through 25 or 30 short trout to get 6 keepers

My buddy caught a couple of blue fish and I caught a couple sail cats and a couple of hardheads, all were returned to annoy someone else.

 

[Ninering62]

With the cooler temperatures in the morning, my willingness to hit the salt has increased exponentially.

Yesterday my truck thermometer said 63 at the dock near Gulf Hammock.

A friend and enjoyed a nice day on the water and caught a few fish to boot. We had to work through 25 or 30 short trout to get 6 keepers

My buddy caught a couple of blue fish and I caught a couple sail cats and a couple of hardheads, all were returned to annoy someone else.View attachment 438

Sounds like a good day of fishing.
My friend & I make it to the Gulf a cpl times a month.
( and whether it’s called the Gulf of Mexico or America matters not in the least to me )
Whether we have a good day catching or just a good day of fishing ( which our last trip, last sat was only fishing, no catching at all. A very rare - double skunk happened.
With deer & turkey season about to start, I’ll get down there less, but hopefully still once a month.

 

[Lhee_Vogue]

Glad you got to spend some quality time on the water with your buddy. Mornings like that are what make living the salt life so good.I'd love to hear more about your adventures, so keep those updates coming.

 

[Fodderwing]

Glad you got to spend some quality time on the water with your buddy. Mornings like that are what make living the salt life so good.I'd love to hear more about your adventures, so keep those updates coming.

Going back for more tomorrow morning.

 

[Fodderwing]

Friday started fast, but fizzled after 1030. Big brother and I caught 4 keepers.

 

[Lee7588]

Very nice, what did you use for bait?

 

[Fodderwing]

Very nice, what did you use for bait?

This under a popping cork.

 

[Lee7588]

This under a popping cork.

View attachment 451

Nice we use Berkeley gulp new penny on a weighted jig head. Baits don't last long before we have to replace

 

[Fodderwing]

Late posting.

Big brother, brother in law & I ventured into the Waccasassa this past Monday. We caught 4 keepers fairly early. But only 1 after 930 or so.

But big brother did catch a 20 inch trout, first over slot fish of the fall for my crew.

I am out until cool weather comes back.

 

[Fodderwing]

First trip of 26. Seven nice seatrout.

 

[Fodderwing]

Speckled trout are back in warm weather patterns. Last two trips were quite productive. My brother and caught 9 keepers last Thursday. A deer camp buddy and I caught a limit of 10 yesterday.

 

[A-300 Dave]

Nice!! I fish the Bay out of Destin, FL. Where are you located?

 

[Fodderwing]

Nice!! I fish the Bay out of Destin, FL. Where are you located?

Launch from the Levy County boat ramp on the Waccasassa River.

Fish Waccasassa Bay below Cedar Key.

 

[A-300 Dave]

Launch from the Levy County boat ramp on the Waccasassa River.

Fish Waccasassa Bay below Cedar Key.

Know exactly where you fish. Use to fish out of Cedar Key many years ago - used a local guide called "Yellow Legs". Run a few of those trout up this way...

 

[TheDogDidIt]

Ugh, I always say I'm going to go fishing, but I feel like I never take a vacation just for me especially to the beach. After we get the kids taken care of, I don't get enough time to fish just myself, might have to remedy that soon.

How do you normally eat the keepers?

 

[Fodderwing]

How do you normally eat the keepers?

The way The Good Lord intended, fried!

Season with Tony's, dredge in Louisiana fish fry and fry @ ~350 until golden brown.

 

[Fodderwing]

Know exactly where you fish. Use to fish out of Cedar Key many years ago - used a local guide called "Yellow Legs". Run a few of those trout up this way...

10 years ago we left the dock expecting a limit trout every trip.

Waccasassa Bay was thoroughly thrashed by multiple hurricanes and the grass beds were devastated. River channel markers wiped out, too. If you did not have a track saved on your GPS, good luck avoiding mud flats and oyster bars on all but high tides. Expectations shifted to hoping to catch 3 or 4 to have enough to have a small meal, let alone a family fish fry.

Fortunately the grass is coming back and so are the trout.

 

[A-300 Dave]

10 years ago we left the dock expecting a limit trout every trip.

Waccasassa Bay was thoroughly thrashed by multiple hurricanes and the grass beds were devastated. River channel markers wiped out, too. If you did not have a track saved on your GPS, good luck avoiding mud flats and oyster bars on all but high tides. Expectations shifted to hoping to catch 3 or 4 to have enough to have a small meal, let alone a family fish fry.

Fortunately the grass is coming back and so are the trout.

About the same happened up here - the Bay is slowly rebounding with a few spotty grass beds. I have resorted to the open Gulf fishing and harass the King Mackerel, Grouper, Red Snapper, etc. I cook fish almost the same way as you, throw in a few hush puppies. Good fishing luck..

 

[Maxman2]

Late posting.

Big brother, brother in law & I ventured into the Waccasassa this past Monday. We caught 4 keepers fairly early. But only 1 after 930 or so.

But big brother did catch a 20 inch trout, first over slot fish of the fall for my crew.

I am out until cool weather comes back.View attachment 486

Overslot. Educate me please.

 

[Maxman2]

Is the fishing better since the renaming?

 

[A-300 Dave]

Is the fishing better since the renaming?

No, but the fish taste better - not so much like Tacos LOL!!

 

[Fodderwing]

Overslot. Educate me please.

Current Florida seatrout regulations have a minimum of 15 inches to maximum of 19 inches, 5 per fisherman.

In the Big Bend zone, you can keep one trout over 19 inches per boat. So a fish over 19 inches is over the slot range.

 

[Fodderwing]

Is the fishing better since the renaming?

Fishing is the best this spring in several years. The grass beds that hold bait fish, shrimp, etc. have recovered from being hammered by hurricanes multiple years in a row.