Three days of fishing salt and fresh

It’s been a long while since my Brother Jim and I have shared a boat. I took Friday and Monday off and he spent Thursday driving down from Atlanta to spend the days fishing with me. Got the Jon boat wired and ready for the trips just in time for his arrival. Last year I had a good time with the Shad in the St. John’s and being as he’d never caught any we thought it the right time to get a few. Long story short, he still hasn’t caught any. Reports haven’t been stellar for them this year and Friday went along with those reports.

So after and hour and a half we pulled the boat back out and went to a place on Jesup that I’d heard tell was holding a few nice fish. We threw a jig and float and UL tackle I usually use and we both caught fish. We didn’t do as good as Jeff or as we hoped to do but we did bring some nice crappie home for export to Georgia. Caught some in the pads on a jig and short set float, something Jim hadn’t done. Willing to bet he’ll do it again.

Saturday we left out early and headed west and met with Hntnslabs for a morning on Crystal River, our hopes very high. Travel went smooth, met up with Mike and the shrimp man was met at the bait shop, everything looking good. Put in and got to the area we were fishing to find the current moving pretty fast through there. Not having spot lock, I set an anchor and got ready to fish. First set wasn’t quite right and I went to pull the anchor and the knot I had used came undone. That left me with my small secondary 8lb mushroom anchor, less than desirable but run what ya brung. Finally got set in a good place, the anchor found a rock and the fish started coming. Always a chance at whatever swims by when using shrimp, we started getting hits from some Mangrove Snapper. Having bought a hundred shrimp we were weeding through the smaller ones to get our keepers. I got something real good on that even my light drag couldn’t help with. Never got to see it but it was in control, until it chewed through my leader and said goodbye. Retie and repeat. Mike finished his shrimp and waved goodbye and we repositioned again and got our last few snapper before the tide quit and we headed home. Part way home I stopped to get a drink out of the cooler to find the strap on the back of the boat had broken, good thing I had pulled off at a truck stop. Replaced and headed back east. Finished the day with five nice snapper and worn out.

After cleaning the boat from the day in the salt, we got prepped for a trip to my “Office”. A little area that I go to decompress and enjoy the cover from traffic and wind. About the third cast, Jim connected with a nice 9” Gill to start the day. Thank you God. It’s always an anxious time when I’m trying to deliver fish and a plan works. Not a breath of wind to bother us, we eased along letting current and a bump on the TM now and then bring us to the next place to cast to. Jim put the jig at the base of a cypress and didn’t turn the reel much and he got a good thump. No easy feat dealing with the fish he had on. Then a nice set of shoulders broke the surface and the net came out. Without giving up easy it was finally in the net. A pound and a quarter, carrying a nice pair of fillets. He did a lot better than the 3 pound mudfish I landed a little while later. Somewhere along the way I added a nice crappie over 3/4 lb to his and that would be it for our Sunday keepers. Several nice gills came and went as the bite began to slow, then the wind started to raise its ugly head. About 10 we had enough and went to the house to relax a little before dinner at my daughters house. Just the two crappie today to go along with the rest of the weekends catch to carry back home fore him and the kids. It’s been a flurry of a weekend but I’ve enjoyed it immensely. Everything worked as planned and I still have a day to go, wonder where I’ll fish tomorrow? Maybe I’ll see you there, throw up a hand and wave hello. Til then........ Skeet