# “Well, That Sucked” – Inshore 3/24/08



## HaMm3r (Dec 11, 2006)

Over the past few years I’ve shared a lot fishing stories, both good and bad.







However, one thing I’m certain you’ve never heard me say is that a day of fishing sucked. Well, today qualified.









The morning started off nicely enough, until I accidentally knocked my push pole off the dock, and had to spend twenty minutes in the dark, fishing it out.  








Yeah, that kinda sucked.









Next, I go to don my auto-inflation PFD, and discover it discharged inside the front compartment.







 Time for another re-arming kit, I suppose. So, grabbing my son’s I find the safety clip is snapped off.  







I wore it anyway since it was still armed, but now I would need to buy two kits.







 That sucked.  









So, thirty minutes later than I’d planned, I headed out into a chilly, gusty morning.







When I reached the end of the residential canals, I found that the wind had whipped the ICW into a white-capped froth.







Now, Gheenoes are known for many things, but unfortunately, a dry ride isn’t one of them. Yes, I got a little wet, which combined with the howling North winds, definitely sucked.







 









Thankfully, I plan for such hardships and keep a spare jacket in the dry storage.







Once I got to my first fishing spot, I grabbed the extra jacket and found it was quite damp.







 Hmmm….either I didn’t close the lid right, or it leaked. Either way…sucked.









Hanging the jacket up like a sail so it would dry, I got busy catching some fish, which wouldn’t have sucked except that I was freezing.







At any rate, I managed to land two trout within the first fifteen minutes.







 They measured 14” and 17” respectively. Then after about thirty minutes more, I landed an 18”er.







 Unfortunately, the picture of the biggest trout sucked.

































Finally, I couldn’t stand the wind and the shivering any longer, and had to find some cover. I headed for the tree line and worked some marginally sheltered areas for the next two hours without a single bite.







 I seriously considered calling it quits at that point, but instead I pulled on the now-dry extra jacket and curled up on the deck for the next forty-five minutes or so, just hoping that the day would quit sucking if I was patient enough.









By the time I felt able to continue it was nearly high tide, so I headed to one of my spots that often produces at that stage. Despite it being out in the open, which sucked, it was a good decision and I was able to land several reds there, which did not suck.







All of the fish ranged from 17” to 19” and were caught on Gulp jerk shad and shrimp.

















































Eventually, the bite slowed and even though it was still chilly, it hadn’t totally sucked in awhile.







 Not only that, but I could see the sky beginning to clear off to the north.







 With heightened spirits, I tucked back down out of the gale and had lunch while awaiting the glorious warmth the sun’s rays would soon bring.

















When the cloud cover finally gave way to blue, I broke out the fly rod and spent at least an hour trying to get my first saltwater species on it.







 On approximately my third cast, my fly got nailed. I thought I got a good hookset, but when that nice trout leaped clear of the water, it managed to throw the hook and escape.







 I thought that kinda sucked, but the next hour of fruitless casting in the wind, tangles, whipping myself with the fly, and missing my only other strike, really sucked.









I’d had just about enough at this point







, but I was no longer freezing and the sun was out, so I thought I’d take a crack at sighting some reds. I had seen this outstandingly fishy-looking, extremely narrow tributary on my last trip, and went about exploring it today.







 I found tons of little coves and dead end creeks just teaming with bait, and then as I drifted further in I spotted a large red sunning himself along the eastern bank.







 I was drifting right for him, but I was too close to do anything about it without spooking him. So, I just tossed a Gulp shrimp at him and crossed my fingers.







 He saw it and I could tell he wanted to go after it, but he just sat there as I pulled it away.  I was drifting past him at this point, but he hadn’t seen me, so I flipped the Gulp right in front of him. As my drift began dragging the lure away from the fish, he lunged forward and inhaled it!  









So, there I was in a tiny little creek not even six feet across, with a definite upper (if not over) slot red taking drag like freight train! I was having a hard time stopping this fish, and he was making a beeline toward a bend in the creek about a hundred feet away. I’d been fighting him for a good three or four minutes, and I could see his broad flanks flashing in the sun every time I tried to turn him.







 (_I know what you’re thinking…this doesn’t seem like it sucked does it?  







In fact, it sounds great, but trust me, it sucked bigtime!_







) I needed to keep this fish from making it around that corner, so I tightened the drag a couple of clicks, and “Pop!” he was gone.







With a lump in my stomach I listlessly retrieved my line and found that the hook had just pulled.







 After staring back down the creek in disbelief and disgust, I thought to myself, “Well, that sucked!” as I packed up the gear for the ride home.







 









Tally for the day;
5 Redfish – 17” to 19”
3 Trout – 14” to 18”

I know this report is uncharacteristically negative of me, but I do realize it could have been worse…I could have been at work!


----------



## tojo (Dec 12, 2006)

Does not sound to bad to me. Great job on the fish despite the arduous conditions. I looked at the Intracoastal yesterday and decided the gym would be less work :


----------



## ucfsae81 (Dec 5, 2007)

you still caught a lot of fish


----------



## phishphood (Dec 15, 2006)

I should just copy and paste that report minus the fish for all my reports cept you rememberd to put the plug in.
Let me introduce you to suckiness at the next level. lol

Nice fish by the way.


----------



## HaMm3r (Dec 11, 2006)

> I should just copy and paste that report minus the fish for all my reports cept you rememberd to put the plug in.
> Let me introduce you to suckiness at the next level. lol
> 
> Nice fish by the way.


 [smiley=laughing-out-loud1.gif] [smiley=1-lmao.gif] Yeah right... 

Thanks guys!


----------



## wiggles6983 (May 5, 2007)

> I should just copy and paste that report minus the fish for all my reports cept you rememberd to put the plug in.
> Let me introduce you to suckiness at the next level. lol
> 
> Nice fish by the way.


I don't know man, my last few trips i couldn't even feed the fish. i might have you beat on suckiness level. I almost forgot the plug once, remembered as i was backing down the ramp. and almost tried to unload it with the winch strap attached, again remembered backing down the ramp...


----------

