Got the Jack
06-13-2011, 06:08 PM
Got out to the Melbourne Beach part of the IRL last week. The evening was oddly slow, even though there was so much bait it should have been prime.
I stuck to it though, and bounced DOA CALS most of the evening (6 pm - 8:30 pm). I managed a handful of trout, ladies and a sweet flounder.
Not to be deterred, I went out the next early morning and had immediate success on the top - Spook, and subsurface - Sub-walk on at least 15 trout all in 15" + range.
As the light started coming up, I was able to sight fish, and turned my attention to the trough about 5" to a foot from the shore. I saw one very nice red that was intent on digging around by the mangroves, amazingly it never saw me, 'cause my fat a$$ isn't too stealth. So, I waited until it arrived at a clearing (between mangroves) and threw a size 14 gold spoon literally onto the beach about three feet ahead of the red, and then painfully slowly jigged it into the water. It was the coolest thing, the fish practically ended up on dry land - missed the spoon the first time and nailed it on the faster retrieve.
The second red of the day came from sight fishing as well. But, only because I saw the wake its head was making in the trough area. I had a root beer CAL on 1/8 oz red jig head. Threw it to the left of the fish by about 2 feet and bounced it - another amazing strike. 2 for 2.
I tied both lures with a loop knot, which I think gave even the spoon a nice erratic motion. I didn't bother taking pictures of the trout, their size wasn't anything out of the ordinary. And, didn't catch the magic snook for an official slam, but it was a heck of a day and half.
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I stuck to it though, and bounced DOA CALS most of the evening (6 pm - 8:30 pm). I managed a handful of trout, ladies and a sweet flounder.
Not to be deterred, I went out the next early morning and had immediate success on the top - Spook, and subsurface - Sub-walk on at least 15 trout all in 15" + range.
As the light started coming up, I was able to sight fish, and turned my attention to the trough about 5" to a foot from the shore. I saw one very nice red that was intent on digging around by the mangroves, amazingly it never saw me, 'cause my fat a$$ isn't too stealth. So, I waited until it arrived at a clearing (between mangroves) and threw a size 14 gold spoon literally onto the beach about three feet ahead of the red, and then painfully slowly jigged it into the water. It was the coolest thing, the fish practically ended up on dry land - missed the spoon the first time and nailed it on the faster retrieve.
The second red of the day came from sight fishing as well. But, only because I saw the wake its head was making in the trough area. I had a root beer CAL on 1/8 oz red jig head. Threw it to the left of the fish by about 2 feet and bounced it - another amazing strike. 2 for 2.
I tied both lures with a loop knot, which I think gave even the spoon a nice erratic motion. I didn't bother taking pictures of the trout, their size wasn't anything out of the ordinary. And, didn't catch the magic snook for an official slam, but it was a heck of a day and half.
657
659
658