No report from me last week as I was away working the Miami International Boat Show with my friends at Falcon Boats. High winds and lots of rain made for an interesting event; but that’s another story!
Monday I was joined once again by Topwater Tony and true to form he came rigged and ready with his bone colored Skitterwalk. Though Tony worked hard and covered lots of prime mangrove shoreline the fish had no interest in feeding on top.
Switching to a Z-Man Curly Tailz in my favorite pearl color was all we needed to do. The snook, trout, jacks, ladyfish and a foot long mutton snapper greedily devoured this jig as Tony hopped it along the sandy shorelines. Truth be told, Tony should have slammed this trip as a smallish redfish ate the Curly Tailz about fifteen feet from the boat and expelled it as fast as we saw it disappear. Sometimes the fish win!
The water temperature started in the low seventy degree range at first light and creeped up into the mid seventy degree range by mid-day. I can’t for the life of me understand their unwillingness to eat a surface plug…
Later in the week, Caleb Couture joined me as I scouted the waters north of Round Island. The topwater bite was sluggish for Caleb as I caught plenty of trout and more on the pearl Curly Tailz. We eventually left the shoreline trout bite and worked our way out into open water.
It seemed like every place we found manatees we also skipped pompano. Once we skipped a fish or two we drifted the area while jigging Caleb’s version of the “Goofy jig.” No pompano were caught, though we did catch some incidentals and Caleb twice snapped his line shortly after setting the hook. We’ll never know what took his jigs, but I’m thinking either big pompano or permit.
Great report. Yeah the top water action, or lack there of has been mind boggling to me as well. I see plenty of baitfish, I’m hearing them get slammed, I’m seeing them get slammed, yet I cannot get follower. I’m thinking timing and color is everything as there seems to be plenty of options on bait. The water where I was today was not nearly as clear as it has been, and the only colors producing for me right now are dark.
Thanks, RG! I’m glad to know I’m not the only one living the “topwater blues” LOL!
I’m really wondering if the fish, especially the trout are focusing more on the incredible numbers of FRY available right now. I guess I’ll need to keep a couple of fish and inspect stomach content.
I’ll be out Tuesday with regulars who like to keep a couple of fish for dinner and I’ll report back on what I find!