With some friends

I'd like to introduce Alex and Jackie. We work together and have become friends over the time I've been there. We all enjoy fishing but they don't put it as far forward as I do. I talk of different ways I fish and what I catch and Alex shows lots of interest, so I thought what better a time than now to give them a first hand experience. Last week the wind didn't give us much time before it blew our trip to the river to pieces, but I knew we could have a good introduction to the close quarters fishing I do so much of. We started last Saturday, the 3rd, at the area that I've been doing so well with the bluegill. They've mostly trolled and fished a minnow under a cork, but today I put a 2lb rig in their hands and they began learning to shoot the bait under trees and around logs and so on. I have to say that they were both quick studies, and before long were getting the jig where they wanted it to go. A few good fish came to the boat, the timing and accuracy improved, and the squirrel fishing was at a minimum all day. All plus'. Once the wind got up, mother nature called a potty stop and we called it a day. Those little rigs were just getting blown everywhere we didn't need them to go.

Sunday, the 11th, I got them back out to put their lessons to work and refine them a little more with a few more fish. Knowing there were bigger fish elsewhere, I thought that Jesup would be a good choice for the numbers it has a habit of giving. Put in at Sanford ave ramp for the first time, and while it's a good ramp and parking area, it's pretty shallow for a while heading out of the ramp area. I'll have to keep that in mind as the water gets lower. bounced over to the left of the bridge and fish some cane or reeds there and turned one 4" warmouth and a keeper crappie from a floating mat nearby. We needed more than that so we went touring. Tried some pads that showed some activity but they weren't there either. So I took some time to think of places I had been told of and headed over there to see if they held any fish.

A dock caught my eye and we began. Nothing there and as we worked the bank, we noticed several other boats nearby, and I thought to myself that we may be onto something here. About that time I got a hit and could do nothing with the fish. He went where he pleased for a while and finally came to see us, a bluegill that was 9 1/2" on the golden rule. I couldn't help but think that we were in the right place. Further down the bank we noticed activity up against the reeds and pitching in there, we started getting busy. Alex got a few and Jackie, who had a lighter colored body on her jig, wasn't doing much. Changed that out her float started going under pretty regular. One of us hung up and in getting that loose, we got to close to the fish and they kinda slowed down some. Instead of beating them into submission, we moved on and found the spot that I think, we all had the most fun on. What they were feeding on were schools of minnows around an inch long. So aggressive that they were half out of the water as they chased them back and forth. we were all in better spirits and boating fish and having a good time. At one point, we noticed about a 3' gator on the bank that couldn't have cared less about us being there. Til we backed off and he decided he needed to taste Alex's float and got enough for a photo op. A tap with a rod tip and he went back to his weeds, where he had lunch delivered a few minutes later in the form of a bird working the shoreline. Not long after that, a small water moccasin swam by, and with a little coaxing, kept going. All the while we were pitching into this one area and getting our rods bent. I was having a ball, and I don't think I was alone. Time moved on and we got blown into the spot where the fish were, shutting them down. We moved back to the spot we had done well down the bank and picked up a few, and came back to the second once more, also getting a few more, and with time running long, called it a day.

I had a ball introducing them to a new technique, one of the many we use, and I think that they had a good couple of days to relax and get a few. 10 fish of the thirty or so we caught got to take the ride home and Jackie was looking forward to some of Alex's Amazing fish taco's. Looking forward to seeing them on the water again soon, maybe fishing like we did these past few days. Good times among friends. Thanks for taking the ride with we 3 today, and I hope you get out soon and get a few......Skeet.