# A Sight for Sore Lips – Inshore 10/25/09



## HaMm3r (Dec 11, 2006)

“Splooossssshhhh….” That is a sound which will turn the head of any seasoned angler in an instant. It is a sudden, surprising and violent outburst that ends with a prolonged “hiss” as spray showers back down into the churning water from whence it came. It is the sound of scaled death in the shallows and announces the presence of a hungry redfish somewhere in the resulting cloud of mud and foam, which only moments before had been a thriving school of baitfish or crustaceans. Then all is quiet again, except for the whisper of braid exiting quickly through ceramic guides, followed by a wet “plop” and the subtle “click” of a bail closed by hand. Clearly, there is more than one predator on the prowl in these waters…

Today’s fishing was a complete turn-around from the last few months of sweltering heat and lifeless tidal creeks. It seemed as though the cooler temperatures of Fall had brought the redfish swarming into the shallows en mass, as if they’d been holed up somewhere just waiting for this very weekend to arrive. Only one time prior can I recall actually sighting as many reds in the creeks as were seen today (excluding the massive schools witnessed in Mosquito Lagoon, of course). It was simply amazing.

The morning began by heaving a Mirrolure Top Dog along grassy shorelines and exposed oyster beds with the last of the outgoing, but after an hour of fruitless “click, clack, click, clack, click, clacking”, it was time to change tactics and give soft plastics a try. No sooner had the new lure been rigged than the first of many “splooshes” was heard just a little farther down the creek, and the troller made quick work of closing the distance. Then beneath the lingering traces of foam, a flicker of movement caught the eye. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to warrant a cast and the immediate, explosive take proved that the aim and suspicions had been true!









Soon after, another slightly larger drum was spotted hugging the bank, with tail and dorsal appearing briefly as it rooted amidst the overhanging brush. The cast landed six inches in front of its nose, and in the ensuing eruption it was difficult to tell whether it had eaten or spooked. It ate!









These scenarios repeated themselves again and again as the day wore on, with easily more than twenty individual redfish sighted and cast to. These were all single fish, not pairs or schools, making the hunt for them all the more challenging and exciting. On several occasions good casts were refused, while a few bad casts either struck the fish directly, laid the line right across its back or hung the lure up in the mangroves, thereby spooking the target. Even so, the action was steady and eventually culminated in the sighting of a mid-slot red, back and dorsal completely exposed, working the shallow, grassy mouth of a false creek for minutes on end. It truly was sight-fishing perfection and although it was tempting to forgo the rod in favor of the camera, I just couldn’t pass up the opportunity.








By early afternoon, the tide had risen and the clouds had blown in, to the point that sighting fish was no longer an option. Still, nine redfish had been landed and released, with only three falling below the slot. The largest went just shy of twenty-three inches, while the most impressive fish had to have been the ten-spotter that measured twenty-two. Without question, it had been one of the most productive and thrilling days in the tidal creeks for quite some time. Let’s hope it continues all winter…

10 spots…



























A runt…


















Getting pretty skinny in places…









Picked up a hitchhiker, just in case “real” bait was needed…









Lit up tail…









Oh, one last thing. A few of you who’ve fished this area with me will surely remember running an extremely shallow, wooded stretch of creek that I like to call the gauntlet. Well, I am displeased to report that there’s a new tree down that blocks the most of the creek, including the “deeper” passable channel. I may have to bring a chainsaw out there to clear the way next time. [smiley=greenchainsaw.gif]


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## paint it black (Nov 3, 2007)

Looks like it was a great day!


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## tom_in_orl (Dec 9, 2006)

Wow, great day on the water. Do you think on of the kayakers put that tree there to keep you out? ;D


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## mark_gardner (Mar 18, 2009)

nice report and glad you found them chewing, think i might have to plan a trip down your way in the near future, been a while since i have fished that area . good luck with the tree, if it were me i'd cut it just wide enough for my boat to get thru


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## Flyline (Mar 3, 2008)

*Re: A Sight for Sore Lips*

Wow! Nice reds! I need to rig it up and mod my camo highsider soon as I can then put a possibly a 9.9 4-stroke Merc/hatsu outboard motor on it then head up on your way!...;D. Decided not going for a 2-stroke because I don't want you to hear me coming on the wada...;D.

I think highsiders are perfect boat for twisted creeks and shallow oyster bars....

I need to come up there soon.....loved that place.


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## phishphood (Dec 15, 2006)

That kind of day makes you forget all about those dog days. Awesome job.


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## HaMm3r (Dec 11, 2006)

> Looks like it was a great day!


Indeed, it was a day worth writing about.   Even though the fish weren't the biggest, they were fired up and I swear a couple of them sure fought bigger.  ;D I had a couple shot at upper/just over slot reds but blew it both times...



> Wow, great day on the water. Do you think on of the kayakers put that tree there to keep you out?  ;D


Make no mistake, it didn't keep me out!   Just imagine me with the push pole in one hand, the tiller in the other, mud flying from the prop, no water whatsoever coming out of the engine's pisser, creeping along at about 50 feet an hour against the current and you'll get the picture... 



> nice report and glad you found them chewing, think i might have to plan a trip down your way in the near future, been a while since i have fished that area . good luck with the tree, if it were me i'd cut it just wide enough for my boat to get thru


Thanks!   Let me know when you come down. Maybe we can meet up if I can get free that day.



> Wow! Nice reds!  I need to rig it up and mod my camo highsider soon as I can then put a possibly a 9.9 4-stroke Merc/hatsu outboard motor on it then head up on your way!...;D.   Decided not going for a 2-stroke because I don't want you to hear me coming on the wada...;D.
> 
> I think highsiders are perfect boat for twisted creeks and shallow oyster bars....
> 
> I need to come up there soon.....loved that place.


Dude, you are always working on that "next" ride.   Highsiders are good, but I think I'd rather have tom_in_orl's setup. He ran that creek no problem and was much roomier, drier and stabler than mine. Something like that might be my "next".  



> That kind of day makes you forget all about those dog days.  Awesome job.


Sure does...and the fact that it was nice and cool out helped a bit too.


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## Flyline (Mar 3, 2008)

*Re: A Sight for Sore Lips*



> > Looks like it was a great day!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Yeah, lowtide 25 will be a great boat for you to fish.

U are growing out of your highsider ;D 

I want to get a new LT25 but my wife wants a new house with bigger yard sometime soon... ;D : :


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## tgaud11 (Sep 30, 2008)

Congrats Hammer....For sure a good day.

I like the pic of the lit up tail!


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## Big_Fish (Dec 10, 2006)

Awsome job!


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