# My days off



## capthoop (Oct 28, 2007)

I can only spend so much time locked up in the house. After that hour, had to have coffee and check the internet, I am not able to keep still. Yesterday afternoon my wife told me to "go fishing or do something". 

I got on the water around noon and just went out to play. It was dead low. On the way out one of the guys said the bite had stopped and it was dangerously low. I played it cautiously not wanting to get stuck anywhere. My first hit was right near the surface by a redfish about 25-28 inches. It missed the bait and came right back for it missing it again. The water was clear and this was one exciting strike although it never got the bait or came back a third time. I found a few rat reds here and there.










It was just after 3:00 and I had a stop fishing time of 4:00 in order to get in before dark. Not much of a fishing trip today. On one point that I usually find a good red or two I hook up to a nice drag burning redfish. Half way through the fight the hook rips out. That whole shore is now stirred up and muddy as heck. I make my next cast out in the open water away from the island. The cork goes down and I have a very nice speck in the boat. Almost time to go home and I at least have food for my cats. As luck would have it I stumbled on a school of trout and picked away at them throwing back a bunch of shorts. I got into the one last cast mode but the sun was getting low and I had a bit of a run ahead of me. I had 6 trout in the box and finally said win loose or draw this is it!!!!! I landed a nice 14 inch trout and gave it back. Have to keep up the Karma.










Was cleaning the fish after dark. Got photo bombed by a feral cat in the hood. It is hanging around the fish cleaning table at my house a bit too much. May not be feral too much longer.










Wife had to go to town today and when I went out to put something in her truck I saw this was not a day to stay in the house or work on something in the garage.










With temps in the high 60's and the winds doing this I am going fishing. At 9:30 I put the boat in the water and before I can park the truck and trailer I get a call from Anna looking for somebody to take her dad and uncle fishing. I tell her to have her dad come to the marina now. They show up with live shrimp and their own poles. We go back to the place I left them biting yesterday. The place is kind of tight and unfortunately another boat was in it. I worked the edge and it was not long before I had a very good trout on artificial. Our second fish was a sheepshead. That sheepshead came on a live shrimp.










The other guys started hooking up and the party was on. I think the guy using live shrimp stopped after 2 or 3 times and just went for the Vu-Du shrimp I had. Color did not matter much but I think the purple and chartreuse was the hot one today. In the middle of this fishing fun something suddenly got a bit different. I knew right off what was happening but the guy with the pole was in for a surprise.










A 36 inch 21 pounder was the biggest he had ever caught. Around noon the guys were feeling the burn of constant action and starting to take breaks. Around 1:00 they were done and asked to head in. We ended up with 50 keeper trout and a sheepshead in the box as well as a bull red fight and release.










Should do some work tomorrow but the forecast looks too good again. OFW We will see.

Life is Good!
Fishing is not a matter of life or death. It's more important than that.

CAPT HOOP -- OUR FREEDOM


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## Mike Moore (Feb 10, 2010)

Nice stringer there Captain!


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## themance (Oct 29, 2014)

Very nice!


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