Memorial Day Blues

I had plans to hit Rudee Inlet Friday morning of Memorial Day weekend for some reds and flounder. I was rigged up and met up with a buddy, William Ragulsky. He looked over my gear and said you wanna borrow a rod, I got an extra. I laughed him off and he handed me some leaders and said to retie, but I already had my plan. I was gonna chase flat fish while him and his buddies Tommy, Alex and Lee chased big blues. Well after a little over an hour passed I had nothing to show and I paddle up to the guys and they yelled “Where have you been?”.  They had all hooked and landed Blues over thirty inches. Well I am no dummy so I asked for the leaders back and retied. I caught a smallish 20” and the bite died. We looked but they seemed to have moved on along with the warm air. A cold front blows in bringing freezing rain and I can see my breath. The other guys start calling it a day until its just Tommy, William and myself. I finally get a run but instead of pulling me forward he hit the lure right at the boat headed to the rear. I immediately start losing line as the drag screams off. Tommy and William chuckle at my amazement of the power of this thing. I finally get him in the boat and we know its big but we only have a hawg trough so we guess its around 33”.

I told William I wanted to take my wife out for round two and there was a TKAA Club get together that Sunday. I saw lots of folks and it was great putting some names to faces. Allie thought it was cool some people recognized her from some of her fishing pictures too. We head off looking for the blues hoping they hadn’t been scared off by the holiday boat and yak traffic. On Allies first cast she hooks up to a nice blue but it shakes her off and I throw in next to her and hook up and hand her the rod. She fights and lands on her own a mid 20” Blue, but she didn’t like it. She looked at me and said "no, I am gonna do this by myself next time.". So the next fishy looking spot she fires and hooks into a big blue. Allie looked at me and screamed its taking my line as the fish pulls her and her 14 foot kayak with ease! She finally gets it close and pulls it in and it’s a beautiful 32”er. She asked how big they are supposed to be, these are my first ones, hahaha. We take some pics and the bite dies. William comes out and catches several and I am left with the skunk until I land one at the bottom of the ninth narrowly avoiding the skunk.  I couldn’t have asked for a better day out with friends and loved ones.

 

Check out William Ragulskys report at http://coastalkayakfishing.blogspot.com/

  

On a side note I just got some stickers printed with the site logo and the quality was great. I went through “Sticker Steve”, you can find him on Face Book at https://www.facebook.com/StickerStevePuckett

This one is in the Tarpon 140.

Waiting on the wind

I got done with work Thursday at 1300 and knew I wouldn't be able to relax while I still had new water to learn, and I have a lot of it here in Jacksonville NC. On the other hand I also knew the winds were pegged at 15knts and the water was a shade darker than chocolate milk. F it, I am going fishing. I head out and fish some holes taught to me by NCPierMan. I slip onto some flats and pound the banks with a gulp ripple mullet and pick up a 17" red. That was it. I decided to let the tide cycle carry out the murky water before I try again.

 

I got out again today Tuesday 5/7 and hit a pond on Camp Lejeune. Those that know me know how hard up I have to be to fish freshwater. I fish for two hours with one small bass to show. I spooked a big bass off some shallow flats so I know they are in there and can be shallow. I get to a creek that looks nice. I hook a baby and he jumps off. I cast again to the center of the creek with a bush sticking out. Number two in the boat. Not bad and I am building confidence in my senko worm. Then I see it, a tail waving in the shallows. It moves ever so slightly, taunting me and I am not gonna waste any time. I jet to the opposite side for a good angle and I see some bait scurry away from the tailing bass. I get to the other side and cast but it doesn't hit the mark. I recant and cast close enough that I know he sees it, although far from the perfect toss. I work it ever so slightly when it begins to move causing a wake and I know I am about to hook the one. The wake grows larger then it breaks the surface and its a 6-7 foot gator tying to get into the center of the creek where I am, in the deeper water. He veered to my left and I sat there for a second before I got the hell out of there.  I caught another bass on the way to the ramp but kept my legs in the boat! That was my first experience with a  gator, hope its my last. Sorry no pics of the gator.