Febuary 2005
We had such a good time "Playin' Hooky" last Tuesday, we had to try again a few days later. Same spot, nearly the same tide and great weather after the front cleared out.
But this time, it was a completely different game. Where there had been abundant reds and snook, now there were none.
I had poled for over a mile in the back creeks and mud lakes without seeing a fish. I poked the nose of Black Fly into a small creek mouth and Angie and I both spotted the red at the same time as it emerged from under a wind ripple into a slick spot about 70 feet out front.
Angie's first cast landed perfectly four feet in front of the fish. He swam by it as if it wasn't there. He moved down our port side against the mangroves. Angie made four more casts as I slowly spun the boat. The red never acknowledged the fly; just slowly cruised by heading for open water.
Her sixth cast turned him about fifty feet out. He followed about fifteen feet then struck with a vengeance but missed. A few feet later, he struck again but the fly released without a hook set.
Angie straightened up to lift the fly out of the water then realized that the big red was still tracking. One more strip and . . . fish on!
After refusing five presentations, the red fish had tracked the fly over thirty feet. I'm not sure if he was hungry or just mad that Angie kept pestering him!
A blue tailed single spotter. He was just under the upper slot limit. Angie releases a healthy, alert red back into cold Pine Island Sound.
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