solitude, by Alexi

    The night before I went out fishing, I was at the Paradise talking to Matt and Tim about my plans.  I was confident, again, about what I was in for.  I said "I'm going to go out and catch enough bluefish to smoke, then I'm going to target fluke in the channel and see what I can drum up."  I was inviting Tim, but he was three sheets to the wind and after negotiating what time we were going to go I realized I was going to go it alone.
     For the most part, fishing is a solitary venture anyway.  We go out late at night, early in the morning, in the rain, in the cold, generally under circumstances the part time fisher-person would avoid.  Yesterday, however, was a beautiful day, and not only was I out solo, but there was really no one at all to be seen at the sedges.  Not one other kayak, and just a few boats.  One spear fisherman.  Many birds, many fish.

My Snake Ditch Competition

     The wind and current  were working against each other in just the perfect balance. My drift was slow, and paddling was easy. Last week I left the sedges and the fish were biting just the boat launch.  So I started where I had left off.  Same spot.  second cast with a new lure I had never used before, (a 14" tandem rigged chartreuse Hogy) a bluefish slams and decimates it.  That's a good start to fishing day.  First cast would be a curse and I wouldn't have another tap.  A fish on the second cast is just right.   A few more casts in the same spot, then I troll around a little in about 5 feet of water and pick up another blue on a floating minnow.  It destroys the back hook as it was already rusted, and that's a small freshwater lure.    Bluefish are notorious for destroying lures, and they are one for one at this point.  I see a little surface action and throw a popper to it, and fish on.  My popper is in good shape and indestructible. Three fish in the first 45 minutes is really good, so I decide to head to my fluking spot.   I was really excited to hit the Sedges  on this day because I had a new Humminbird GPS sounder I was using.  I headed out to some deeper water where it would be useful, and where the fluke would be.  Out by buoy 30.  Pretty quickly I jigged up a fluke with a BT-gulp (Buck tail) combo, but it came off at the side of the boat.  I was glad just to know they were there.  I fished that spot for another hour or so, and as I was leaving through a channel I had a short bass on BT. Now that's pretty much it.  All three species of fish in three or four hours.

     I stayed another couple of hours and caught some more bass and blues at snake ditch.