Quick fix

Sometimes you do what you have to to save an expensive item. Add this to the list of the millions of things you can use 550 cord for. I used a modified Uni-Knot on both ends. The Uni-knot is supposed to have five wraps. I used 3 three.

Thanksgiving Weekend

Thanksgiving 2013 will go down in the books as a good fishing weekend! Thanksgiving Day was rather quiet, but the food was good so I ate myself into a coma and went to sleep fat, dumb, and happy.

On Black Friday, instead of fighting the crowds (which I NEVER do), Danielle gave me a "day pass" to go fishing. Now, I knew it was going to be cold so I had to think of where to go. I decided on West Neck Creek. I'd never been there before, but from what Charlie says it is the place to go in the winter. I launched after 1000 into ICE! It was at this point that I was starting to think I was indeed a bit nuts, but the wind had broken the ice up out in the channel so I headed out there. It was cold, but not too bad. I was layered up pretty well so I didn't really feel it. I did put a beanie on shortly after being out on the water, though, along with my new neoprene gloves. Those things are AWESOME! Anyway, the traffic was REAL light on the water with only a couple of power boats and Charlie in his kayak. I ran into him as he was heading south away from the bridge. He said the fish were biting just north of the bridge on a point. I thanked him for the tip and made my way up there. However, I guess the dinner bell had rung by then, or he caught them all, because I could not even get a tap. Oh well. All totaled all I got was one ever so slight bump that I missed at another spot. I decided to head in a little while later, not out of frustration or being too cold - sort of, but because my feet were FROZEN. That's one thing I am definitely going to have to work on this winter. Keeping my feet warm!

Fast forward to yesterday, 01 December 2013. Charlie mentioned in an e-mail that he was headed out to Oakum Creek so I talked Danielle into going with me. We were to meet Charlie in the parking lot at Munden Point Park at 1000. However, a 3 year old has their own schedule so we were late. When we got there, as I suspected, Charlie had already launched. We unloaded the truck (yes I get to drive it every once in a while) & headed to the canoe/kayak dock. Our launch went very well! You never know what "Mr. Man" has on his mind around water, but Paul was eager to get on the water. Surprises never cease I suppose. So up the creek we go. Danielle had a Zoom craw Texas rigged and a beetle spin tied on. I figured keep it simple for her since she had Paul to start out. I had a jig/craw, a suspending jerk bait, a spinner bait, and a shallow running crank bait. The crank bait would never see the water, though, as the other three would do the lion's share of the work. We focused on the outside-to-middle of the bends. Especially the deeper spots. A few bends in I had something pick up my jig, swim around with it for a few seconds, then spit it out all before I realized it and could set the hook. That was he oddest thing I've ever seen! I put that down and threw the jerk bait. A couple of casts later I connected with this little guy.

This little guy fought hard considering his size.

Small but healthy for sure! He fought way above his weight class! Now it was Danielle's turn. We were coming to the dock in the corner about halfway up the creek. I had a feeling that, if there was a spot that she could connect with something, this was the place. I told her to throw her beetle spin right down the middle. Two casts in I hear her holler! I had Paul by this point so mommy could focus on fishing. Paul and I look over to see mommy's rod bent over pretty far. After a short fight she brings in (as Charlie calls it) the Fish-of-the-Day!

Danielle with her Fish-of-the-Day!

I was so proud of her! She caught it, took it off of the hook, and released it all by herself! 

We kept going further up the creek and finally ran into Charlie. He said his day had been rather slow with only a couple of smaller Pickerel on the fly rod. We bid him good luck after a short chat and pressed on. We made it all the way up the creek to the duck blinds. Now, by this point the tree gods had already taken their sacrificial lure offering in the form of Danielle's beetle spin so all she had (after calming down) was her craw. She tossed it up on a cypress knuckle and got a bump, but it was so light she did not have time to set the hook. Paul and I chased a water fowl for a bit (anything to amuse him, right?) and just soaked up the family time. So Paul went back to mommy's boat and we headed back. When I got to the spot where Danielle had her bump I tried my jig/craw. Sure enough...bump...SET!!! I didn't know what it was until it made it to the surface and I realized it was a Pickerel.

I could not believe how hard this Pickerel hit a jig.

For as little as it was that thing went berserk! It got that jig good too! The hook was through both lips! After show and tell with Paul (who wants to touch every fish we catch) I released it back to do whatever it is Pickerels do. We kept going down the creek, with no more action, until we ran into Charlie again. He said the action had continued to be slow so we bid him good day and left for the dock.

Getting out of the water was just as easy as getting in! While I loaded the kayaks in the truck Paul and mommy went to play on one of the many playgrounds at the park. Just a good day for everyone in Paul's house! Mommy and daddy caught fish (mommy's was the biggest), we had fun on the water, and Paul got to play outside! I'll take more days like that please!

The Return to Oakum Creek

Last Friday, 15 November, was a rare gift. You see my work schedule has been rather “off” as of late. I was in a school for my new position and missed our semi-annual PFA weigh-in. Then, while the command was conducting said PFA, I was on a week-long watch to “help prevent sexual assault on base”. Luckily we did not find anyone doing “grown-up things” in the bushes so we are all safe. The key point here is that when everyone finished their PFA on 08 November they had the rest of the day off, thus resulting basically in a 96-hour special liberty that the watch team I was working with did not receive. The Lieutenant I was working with made it his priority to ensure we all received that time off as compensation. I found out late in the day on Thursday, 14 November, that I had the next day off. Sweet!

So with time off coming that I was not expecting I made plans for a short fishing trip “somewhere”. What better place to go than Oakum Creek? Especially since fellow blogger Charlie has recently been doing really well there. The reports have had the water a little lower due to a persistent north wind. This has concentrated the fish into the deeper holes making them (in theory) easier to find and possibly catch. When I got there after lunch, after sleeping in way longer than I wanted to, I found the water up a little bit. This caused a little concern, but not much since I could still see marks on the cypress knuckles showing that the water was still way down overall. Off I went after an easier-than-normal launch. I started focusing my attention to the bends trying to hit the outside of the bend where it is the deepest. The weather has been rather crazy lately with temperatures dipping below freezing for a couple of days only to have it back to almost shorts weather the next day. That meant that the fish were going to be all sorts of confused.

So focusing my attention on the bends wasn’t working all that well. Part of the issue was that the cypress trees have started dropping ALL of their leaves. This causes a thick layer of “junk” on the surface of the water. Nothing was getting through that junk without being fowled up so that it wouldn’t run right under the water. I kept heading up the creek looking for clean water. I finally found it after the dock by the field in the corner. I continued throwing to the outside of the bends to no avail. I was throwing everything I had tied on. Shallow running crank bait, Zoom craw Texas rigged, Rapala floating jerk bait, a spinner bait with two willow leaf blades, and a new contraption I thought to try – popping cork with a Texas rigged weightless worm. Nothing was working. What’s going on here? Was I headed for the dreaded skunk?!

Determined to catch at least one fish I pressed on. I made it all the way to the head of the creek. I had never been this far up the creek. Therefore, I did not know that there were as many as three duck blinds in a rather picturesque spot with LOTS of cypress knuckles and stumps everywhere! Once I made it all the way up to where the grasses were, and the water was REALLY shallow, I decided to start heading back. Now, somewhere along the way I decided to ditch the larger spinner bait for a smaller one. An 1/8^th ounce spinner bait with a white skirt. I’ve thrown these on a spinning rod before with great success, but only recently have I dared to throw them on a bait casting rod. Luckily I have one with quite a bit of whip in the tip that helps cast such a light lure with no problems. At any rate once I changed to that lure things started going in a positive direction. I was casting it up next to the cypress knuckles just like you would a worm or craw, letting it sink a bit, and then retrieving it with a SLOW roll retrieve. Bump. BUMP! Things were starting to look up. So on my way back I kept this idea up. It finally paid off on a random spot that did not look particularly interesting to be honest. I tossed it up there, let it sink, and started the retrieve and bump BUMP! I missed that one! I immediately tossed it back and repeated the process. This time at the first bump I set the hook and off that fish went! I AVOIDED THE SKUNK!!! A short time later I boated a small, but healthy looking, largemouth bass! I thanked him for his time and released him back to continue his day. Now some time between catching that little guy and what happened next I lost the Colorado blade off of that lure. So I changed to another 1/8^th ounce spinner bait with a blue/black skirt and a willow leaf blade. About 5 or so minutes later I tossed it to the other side of the creek in the similar fashion. Nothing….until right as I was pulling the lure out of the water….BAM! A Chain Pickerel NAILED it! After a short fight - those things can run like crazy - I got it to the boat, got the lure out of it’s face, and released it back to do whatever it is a Chain Pickerel does.

I attempted to repeat this pattern several more times as I headed back down the creek to no avail. The junk from the cypress trees had gotten worse since I passed to nothing seemed to work as it was intended. So I called it a day and headed in. All in all it was a good, but short, day on the creek. Hopefully the surface will clear up sooner rather than later and I can revisit this creek. I must figure this place out!

Little side trips

Monday I started a school for my new job in my command's safety department. It was to last only three days, but the break from the grind was much appreciated. Since it was a "typical 'old school' Navy school" we mustered late and secured early every day. This was a good thing! Not only would it allow me the opportunity to do school work it afforded me some time to do some bank fishing.

I didn't take the kayak out because Danielle had the truck at work (I know...). That was okay because sometimes you just have to go back to where it all began. Standing on a bank and tossing a line in. Tuesday I went to NAS Oceana's lake for about an hour or so. I didn't catch anything, but the beautiful part was that I had the entire lake to myself! So I took the opportunity to try some new lures out and make sure I knew what to expect the next time I used them for real. Again, nothing caught but the time was well spent and greatly appreciated.

Wednesday I went to "The Pipe" on Mill Landing Rd. It is a little honey hole I found while fishing on Nanny Creek. A culvert pipe runs under the road from one side to the other. Depending on how the wind is blowing a current flows through the pipe. If you are on the Nanny Creek side, and there is current flowing into the creek, then the bite is usually on and big fish start chasing little fish. On the other side of the road it isn't as obviously visible if the bite is on. But I know there are some good fish over there.

If you choose to fish from the bank you can "dance the road", hopping from one side to the other. That is what I did for a couple of hours. I could see the commotion of feeding going on, but it wasn't consistent like it has been in the past. The total fish count for the day was three missed strikes, two Yellow Perch, two largemouth bass, and one huge extremely mad Chain Pickerel. I lost one spinner bait and one crank bait that the Chain Pickerel stole when it cut my line with his teeth. It was okay with me, though, due to the fact that the bill on the crank bait broke off some way, somehow in the fight. Nothing was a keeper. Well, the Pickerel was, but who keeps those? Just a good time tossin and crankin!

Finally some time on the water!

Friday, 18 October, was a glorious day! After way too long off of the water I was able to get out and get a line wet. I decided to head to Lake Rudee and launched at Owl Creek boat ramp. I checked the tide table, as well as Scout Look, to see when the optimal time was. High tide was just after 0800 and Scout Look's solunar table was saying that just after 1000 was the best time so I zeroed in on about 0900 to be casting the first shot.

After a relaxing morning with Paul I dropped him off at day care a little after 0900. That meant that I missed my target time. Still okay, but I needed to hurry. I went to Farm Fresh grocery store to pick up some shrimp to try that out on a popping cork. More about that in a bit. I headed back to the house to load up and get on the road. Luckily the ramp isn't too far from our house so I made it there in no time, got everything ready, and launched rather uneventfully.

For the first time I went behind the Virginia Beach Aquarium to try out the deeper water. There was a slight breeze blowing me into Owl Creek so I just rode that for a while fan casting. Nothing bit so I decided to try my new popping cork. That got immediate attention, but from smaller fish. So, I pulled out my ultra-light rod that I brought along for the purpose of attempting to catch bait. I guess the bait was too small because I never could get a hook set. Oh well….better luck next time I suppose.

I pulled anchor there & started paddling east down the lake headed towards the inlet. My goal was to go through Rudee Inlet, possibly out into the Atlantic a little bit, and then into Lake Wesley. Well, once I got through the inlet I quickly realized that there was no way I was going out into the big water. Swells were WAY too big. I made the right turn into Lake Wesley. What a waste of time! In Rudee I would at least see a fish jump every once in a while, but in Wesley there was nothing going on. There were a lot of boats, but no visible action. The wind was even lighter than on Rudee, too. After a few minutes I decided to head back to where I at least saw something going on. Back through the inlet and into Rudee.

Once there I headed straight for the grass island. When I got there I started throwing everything I had tied on. Swim baits, Mirr-O lures, popping cork…you name it. I saw some action on the popping cork, but I could not get a hook set. I drifted some, “beached” some along the island, but all the while I was casting. Nothing, nothing, nothing. I headed to the buoy and anchored up there. Then the fun began! I threw the popping cork and immediately got hit….HARD! I set the hook, but there was nothing there. So, re-bait the hook and start over. I threw out just a little farther and BOOM!!! This time it was a good fish! After a brief fight I got a look at this nice Speckled Trout.

Now, this is where I must insert a hard-earned lesson that I forget every time I go out fishing on my kayak. Have ALL of the gear you need READILY ACCESSIBLE!!! Once I had this fish on the end of my line, and next to the boat, I realized that I did not have the following gear set and ready:

1.    Net out and ready

2.    Fish Grip out and ready

3.    Pliers out and ready

4.    Ruler out and ready

Are you seeing a trend here?! After I got all of that stuff sorted out, with the fish still on the line thankfully, I landed this beautiful fish! It measured out at 16 ½ inches and sure was good on the table for dinner!

This is still the most beautiful fish I have ever caught!

After this one the bite was steady, sparse, but steady none the less. There was no more action on the popping cork. The only other action came on a new swim bait rig I set up a few weeks back with this being the first time I have been able to use it. It is just a simple piece of fluorocarbon line with a ¼ ounce jig-head tied to both ends. Then I tied a loop in between so that they are staggered. When you retrieve it through the water it looks like a miniature school of bait fish. Every time I was hit when I threw this rig the back swim bait was the one that was nailed. Stands to reason I suppose as the predator fish will go after the isolated/weaker fish. So the one at the back may look, to them, like that fish. Or maybe it had a dinner bell inside of it and I didn’t know it. Whichever was the case I don’t really care because I landed me two other smaller Speckled Trout. They fought way outside of their weight-class and that is all that matters.

All in all it was a good, much needed, day on the water. Here’s to hoping the time between trips isn’t as long as the last one!

Hopeful

Supposedly I have Friday off. Supposedly the weather is to hold out and be nice for a change. If that all comes to pass, and that's a big if, I'm headed out to (most likely) Lake Rudee for some light saltwater fishing! Now all I wish for is, again....if I get to go, some cooperative fish. 

Back-up plan? Bass Pro Shops I think. Either that or I'll end up cutting the grass. 

Here's to hoping Plan A works out!

It's been a while....

So here I sit at work....dreaming of fishing. I haven't been in a very long time! As a matter of fact the last time I wet a hook, other than little walking trips with Paul for about 30 minutes, was August 30th. Like I said, I've stopped a couple of times and used the "emergency rod" from the trunk. (I really need to get a better "emergency rod". That thing is a piece of junk!) But not a "real" fishing trip where I take the kayak out. Work and school have gotten in the way. Mostly school as this half of the semester will be over this weekend. THANK GOODNESS!!!

It was with great expectation that I announced this past weekend, standing in the kitchen, that "I'm going fishing next weekend!" To which Danielle just looked at me, shook her head, smiled a little smile and said, "Okay......IF we have time." Dreams crushed I tell ya! CRUSHED! But that didn't nearly crush me to the core of who I am as bad as this WEATHER!!! A tropical wave/depression/storm/hurricane thing (it, nor the weather folks, could decide what it was) made landfall on the Gulf Coast last weekend. I expected it to roll up the Atlantic coast and hit us my mid-week. And that it did. However, it looks like it wants to stay around until the beginning of NEXT WEEK!!! Doesn't it realize that I have FISHING TO DO?!?! The percentage chances are supposed to be rather low this weekend so I may TRY to squeeze a short trip in if the winds aren't too bad. I REALLY want to head out to Rudee and see if I can hit the Puppy Drum, Gray or Speckled Trout. I'd even take a confused Flounder if they are still around! You MIGHT even convince me that a Blue Fish would be okay, too! (Convincing me of that might take an "adult beverage" or three, though)

So, here's to hoping the "weather gods" fully understand how I'm feeling about all of this and cooperate with me!