A lot of fishing is planning. And if plans work, that's great, and if a plan doesn't come through, that's fine too. But to start a day with no plan at all, that's just not right.
I only knew that I had some free time and hadn't been out for over a week. I didn't know where or when or what the tides would be doing where or when the wind would blow or any of the one million things I usually think of when planning a trip. I only knew I wanted to go.
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| gazebo launch |
I didn't start fishing until 4 p.m. Sometimes in my quest for fishing areas with little boat traffic I think I sacrifice going to areas with a higher likelihood of holding fish. (I can only second guess myself now, there is no other way to analyze a failed fishing trip.)
I launched way back at Shell Bay Blvd in N. Wildwood (again). It was high tide, and my plan was to drift out through the creeks to the bridges. But as I quickly found out, it was a neap tide, and the water just wasn't moving. A few casts for schoolie stripers along the sod-banks, (the bait is schooling up nicely back there and I was really surprised I didn't have any shoolie action) and then I was yearning for deeper water for fluke.
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| between the bridges |
In the larger channels, still very little current, and what little there was was countered by the wind. So I sat still most of the time, unable to conjure up any drift at all for fluking.
One short fluke off at the side. No bass. A sunset.
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| sunset, still some wind |
And then, of course the wind that was blowing against me all evening, which I was hoping would blow me back to the launch died down completely at sunset.
As I paddled back in the dark, in mere inches of water, I spooked a ray that jumped straight up, clear out of water and practically into my boat. It scared the shit out of me. So, since I was no longer fishing, I left my headlamp on and enjoyed the scenery for the end of my trip.
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| Sun down, wind gone |
