Post by flip on Apr 20, 2010 20:40:49 GMT -5
We each have our own idea of what a great day of fishing is like. I guess we all can say we have had a great day of fishing, at some point in our careers. Most of the stories would either contain catching fish on almost every other cast or catching several "big ones" in a morning of casting. I have done both in my day. I have caught a hundred fish in one nights fishing, and i have caught some very large fish.
The story I am about to tell does not fit the mold of the typical "great fishing trip", but it has to be my best trip ever. What makes this story unique is the fact I did not catch a single fish the whole trip.
It was back in the early 90's, and my Great uncle Tim came to Florida for his vacation. Since we were the only family members living there, he naturally stayed with us.
I had a sweet rig too fish out of. It was a 14 foot johnsen with a 25 hp mercury. It was nice and wide and only floated in about 4 1/2 inches. If I remember right it was July or August. Very hot and muggy in the Daytona Beach area. I took uncle Tim to an area of canals and sawgrass somewhere north of town. We could catch anything here. Redfish, trout, flounder, tarpon, snook or a large mouth bass or an alligator. Yes, I have caught alligators of a fishing rod before, but that is another story.
We launched off of the old primitive boat ramp and I eased the trolling motor down. We began to work our way through the maze of sawgrass to some places I have had great luck i previous trips. This area we went is a moody place as far a any bite is concerned. The bite is either happening or it is not. We had fished for a few hours with no luck.
As our luck went, we had a fairly nasty thunderstorm roll in. I fired up the Merc, and we started scooting through the tunnels of grass back to the ramp. Some canals so narrow that sawgrass slapped the sides of the boat as we hauled ass.
I took us up under the bridge and waited out the storm. After maybe an hour the storm moved out and left us in some of the most beautiful waters there is to see. The temp dropped by about 10 degrees and there was no wind in the early evening hours. The water a sheet of glass, black obsidian mirror.
We eased up to a junction of canals. In a 60 foot area 7 canals emptied out into a common channel. I baited Tims line with a live shrimp and told him to cast into one of the creek mouths. After a few cast, Tim got a line of the range to throw. It was not long before his little Zebco 202 was screaming line out.
The fish pulled and Tim pulled, for all he could with his little outfit. After maybe 5 minutes, Tim had boated his first tarpon. It was by no means a big one. In fact, it was but a baby of about 8-10 pounds.
After I talked him into releasing it, he was a meat fisherman from Ohio, I baited his line again. The exact number of fish Tim had caught, I really can not remember. I think it was around 6 or 7 fish. What does stand out for me is the excitement in his eyes and the big wide smile. Here was my aged great uncle who had probably never caught anything bigger than a 10 pound catfish, thinking of the areal acrobatics of a 10 pound tarpon in some skinny waters. Can you believe it, on a Zebco 202 with 6 pound test. I did put a length of 30# shock leader. It is a wonder the plastic gears did not melt.
Uncle Tim left a day or two later and I never saw him again. He died sometime the following year. I will always remember that trip as one of my greatest even if i did not catch a fish. It was the look of joy.That my friends, is what fishing is all about.
The story I am about to tell does not fit the mold of the typical "great fishing trip", but it has to be my best trip ever. What makes this story unique is the fact I did not catch a single fish the whole trip.
It was back in the early 90's, and my Great uncle Tim came to Florida for his vacation. Since we were the only family members living there, he naturally stayed with us.
I had a sweet rig too fish out of. It was a 14 foot johnsen with a 25 hp mercury. It was nice and wide and only floated in about 4 1/2 inches. If I remember right it was July or August. Very hot and muggy in the Daytona Beach area. I took uncle Tim to an area of canals and sawgrass somewhere north of town. We could catch anything here. Redfish, trout, flounder, tarpon, snook or a large mouth bass or an alligator. Yes, I have caught alligators of a fishing rod before, but that is another story.
We launched off of the old primitive boat ramp and I eased the trolling motor down. We began to work our way through the maze of sawgrass to some places I have had great luck i previous trips. This area we went is a moody place as far a any bite is concerned. The bite is either happening or it is not. We had fished for a few hours with no luck.
As our luck went, we had a fairly nasty thunderstorm roll in. I fired up the Merc, and we started scooting through the tunnels of grass back to the ramp. Some canals so narrow that sawgrass slapped the sides of the boat as we hauled ass.
I took us up under the bridge and waited out the storm. After maybe an hour the storm moved out and left us in some of the most beautiful waters there is to see. The temp dropped by about 10 degrees and there was no wind in the early evening hours. The water a sheet of glass, black obsidian mirror.
We eased up to a junction of canals. In a 60 foot area 7 canals emptied out into a common channel. I baited Tims line with a live shrimp and told him to cast into one of the creek mouths. After a few cast, Tim got a line of the range to throw. It was not long before his little Zebco 202 was screaming line out.
The fish pulled and Tim pulled, for all he could with his little outfit. After maybe 5 minutes, Tim had boated his first tarpon. It was by no means a big one. In fact, it was but a baby of about 8-10 pounds.
After I talked him into releasing it, he was a meat fisherman from Ohio, I baited his line again. The exact number of fish Tim had caught, I really can not remember. I think it was around 6 or 7 fish. What does stand out for me is the excitement in his eyes and the big wide smile. Here was my aged great uncle who had probably never caught anything bigger than a 10 pound catfish, thinking of the areal acrobatics of a 10 pound tarpon in some skinny waters. Can you believe it, on a Zebco 202 with 6 pound test. I did put a length of 30# shock leader. It is a wonder the plastic gears did not melt.
Uncle Tim left a day or two later and I never saw him again. He died sometime the following year. I will always remember that trip as one of my greatest even if i did not catch a fish. It was the look of joy.That my friends, is what fishing is all about.
