Fishing Log
 

 

Sunday, Oct. 10, 1999 - My first flounder since the rotor cuff operation.  Took it on a green jig off the east end of F-Pier.  Fish-boy Chuck and his flounder posse have invaded the base for the annual flounder run.  The fish I caught was 16-in. long, and we'll have it for dinner.  Kathy and I were talking last night, about how ready we both were for some fresh fish.

 

Oct. 18, 1999 - 15-in. yellow mouth trout taken at B/C corner on a live finger mullet, fished on the  bottom, during the incoming  tide.  The bait was provided by the young captain of one of the sea tugs.

 

Oct. 19, 1999 - Worked the jig and live finger mullet along the corners with no luck.  A 10-lb. flounder was taken at B/C corner, but a construction crew has that spot tied up during working hours.  The Good News is, that the piers outside the fences are wide open to fish, 7 days a week, 24-hr. a day.

Can't find any more Spider Fusion line in the stores, so I've gone to 20-lb. test Fire Line (in smoke grey) @ $14.00 a spool (ouch!).  Seems to be working well enough so far.

 

Oct. 29, 1999 - 19-in. flounder taken on finger mullet just before high tide at B/C corner, with the fish-boy posse looking on.  It weighed 2.5-lb. on a digital scale.  Iced down the fish and drove it down to Big Jim Devaney, down in Winter Haven.  His illness has progressed so far he couldn't eat the fish or pass Halloween candy to the neighborhood children.  Very sad.  We watched the Fla/Georgia game and he won a $2.00 bet from me, he'd placed on UF.

Fishing Log

 

 

Jack crevalle

August 23, 1999 - Foul hooked a small jack crevalle at Foxtrot Cove about 9:00-am, released same

 

August 26, 1999 - Thursday, hooked a small (13.5-in.) flounder at Fox Cove, just before lunch, and released same.

Bluefish

August 30, 1999 - Plentiful finger mullet at B/C Corner, big schools.  Took a large bluefish (same spot) on live bait.  Gave the bluefish and some soft drinks to two young Pilipino boys who were catching bait for me.  A shipboard injury to my shoulder prevents me from throwing a cast net.  Surgical repairs to my rotor cuff are scheduled for tomorrow.  Wonder how long it will be before I can fish again.  Sept. and Oct. are the two best months for flounder - too bad.  I'll probably miss many good fish this season.


 



From my old Fishing Log

 

 

July 25, 1999 - At 11:58 this morning, Jessica delivered Mason Tyler Althar, an 8-lb. 11-oz. boy, who may become my fishing partner some day.*  I also caught a 14-in. flounder at B/C corner, a decent croaker at A/B Corner, and 3 impressive sea bass, on dead shrimp, from the LA Cruise dock.

*Mason turns 20 today (7/25/2019) and captains my old 15' Boston Whaler.

July 27, 1999 - Seven flounder : A Banner Day - All fish taken on 3/8-oz. jig heads and MrWhiffelure, soft plastic bodies.  They ranged from 14 to 19 inches in length, but I was too busy to weigh them.  All fish, except the smallest, were taken at B/C corner.  The 14-in. fish was taken at Foxtrot Cove.  I gave 6 fish away to Mac & Helga, Dave Fisher and Bill Williams.  The last fish will go to Jessica or my Mother.  Kathy and I still have plenty of uncooked fish from earlier this week.



July 28, 1999 - Returned to work today.  We cleaned up the shop and grilled Bubba Burgers and hotdogs for lunch.  A nice thing for management to do.  The real work begins tomorrow.  Also caught an 18-in. flounder at B/C corner, on my way home.  A sea tug captain (same spot), working a jig from his fantail, seemed to be having no luck.

July 30, 1999 - I worked 2nd shift with the welders aboard the USS Taylor (FFG-50), which is berthed at Delta-2.  During our lunch break, I hooked up with a large bluefish from the fantail.  It jumped twice and did some did some fancy tail walking before it spit the hook.  Some of the Taylor's sailors who were standing by, were impressed by the fish's acrobatic performance.


Saturday, July 31, 1999 - Fished Guano with Andy Williams, about 2.5 miles north of the dam, using live finger mullet for bait.  We boated several keeper size spotted sea trout, a 23-in. redfish, and several throw backs.  A fun day.  

Fishing Log


 

Redfish

June 25, 1999, Friday - Picked up 2 small flounder Monday and Tuesday at C-2-West: the first fish (12.5-in), I released, and the second fish (13.5-in), I gave to Stoddard Andreu.
 

Also caught an oversized (29 to 30 inch) redfish today at B/C corner, behind the tugs, at low tide.  It hit the jig about 18-in. from the bottom then began stripping line so fast that I thought I'd hooked a shark.  After many strong runs and anxious moments, a passer-by rigged my landing net, and the fish went directly from the water to the cooler.  The last 7 or 8 feet of the 10-12# test, braided line had been badly chafed from contact with barnacles.  The fish weighed 9-lb. 7-oz.

 

June 29, 1999 - Landed 3 flounder at Fox Cove: tossed 2, kept one that measured 17-in. and weighed 1-lb. 13-oz.  More grief from Security about fishing from the piers.

 

July 9, 1999 -  A 20 inch flounder

 

July 11, 1999 - A 17 inch flounder

 

July 12, 1999 - 3 seabass taken from the La Cruise dock

July 13, 1999 - moon phase

 

July 14, 1999 - A 22 inch, 4-lb. 1-oz. flounder from B/C Corner and a 16 inch, (unweighed) flounder from C-2 East.

 

July 23, 1999 - Took a 17 inch, 1-lb. 12-oz. flounder from B/C Corner, at low tide today.

July 24, 1999 - A croaker and a jack crevalle, taken on the base; and a sea bass, taken on dead shrimp, from the La Cruise (old Strickland's) dock.

 

 

 



Fishing Log

 

June 6, 1999 - Picked up another 15-16 inch flounder on a gold metal-flake Whiffeltail jig w/ a red head.  Took Dorothy (my mother) a couple of pretty flounder for her birthday.

 

June 7, 1999 - 16 inch flounder taken on a live mullet at C-2 East. A guy who saw me catch was back fishing the same on the next high tide, with a nice flounder and a bluefish already in his bucket before I could get back there.  Wind - ENE.

June 8, 1999 - We got released from work early today so I worked the corners along C Pier hard with no flounder to show for it, but did add some seabass fillets to the (zip lock) bag for Kathy's party.

June 17, 1999 - It's been a slow week.  Lots of seaweed and green crud have drifted into the basin on a NE wind, reducing the water clarity to nothing.  The jacks and bluefish have been tearing up an abundance of baitfish, but I've taken no flounder.  Manatees, sea turtles, and schools of 2-lb. mullet have also moved into the basin.  The porpoises have been putting on spectacular acrobatic displays of catching, killing, and tossing big mullet back and forth to each other in the air.  With so much live bait around, it's probably time to break out the cast net and give the artificial lures a rest.

Fishing Log
 

 

 

Wednesday, May 19, 1999 - Caught a nice 16 inch, female trout at C-2 West, just off the nose of the Kennedy, at low tide, just before first light.  (Did not weigh the fish)

Thursday, May 20, 1999 - Caught a 18-20 inch, yellow mouth trout, before first light (5:45 AM), at C-2 West, on a jig.  There were more there, but they were biting short, and I had to clock in for work.

May 25, 1999 - Picked up a 17 inch flounder At the B/C tug corner.  Got news from Base Physical Security via my boss, that my pier pass had been revoked and that I would not be welcomed back on the base to work if I got caught fishing on the piers again.  OUCH !!

Thursday, May 27, 1999 - I snagged a shrimp mammy east of C-1-1, then came back in the afternoon and harvested a 17.5 inch flounder at B/C corner, behind the last tug's transom.  Cleaned it and took it over to Mac and Helga's house.  Also picked up a keeper black sea bass on a jig at Mat Roland's dock.

May 28, 1999 - Lost a 2-lb. flounder and a nice sea bass at C-2-East, during a dead low tide, and on the first of the incoming tide, I hooked a big stingray from Mat Roland's dock that I never landed.


Black and white Wifflelure jig

June 3, 1999 - Landed a 17.5 inch flounder at C-2 East notch after work, wind SSE.  The fish was taken in the lee of the carrier (USS Kennedy) on a black and white Wiffelure  with a red .25-oz. jig head.  I broke my rod tip off heaving her up onto the pier.

June 5, 1999 - Caught 4 flounder and a big croaker at C-2 East and lost another 2-lb. flounder at the same spot.  All of the fish in the box were between 13 and 22 inches long.  Kathy is planning an end of the school year party for her faculty friends.  If the bite holds, I should have enough fish to feed all of them.  Can't wait for tomorrow.




Fishing Log

 

 

May 3, 1999 - 2 small sea trout and a sea robin, caught before dawn at the east end of C-1.  Kept one trout and cooked it with the flounder for Kathy.

 

May 6, 1999 - A jack crevalle and a 14.5 inch flounder taken at Fox Cove, just after noon, on a Christmas tree colored jig, on a white, .25-oz. head.  Released the jack.  The flounder fought so hard that I thought she was a jack too.

 

May 7, 1999 - Caught a toad fish at C-2, brisk breeze from the SW.  Yesterday's flounder filets are cooling in a Ziploc bag with curry seasoning and olive oil.  The cat ate the liver.

 

May 9, 1999 -  2 jacks, a sand perch, and a black sea bass, all released.  Saw 2 flounder at the west end of C-2, both (estimated to be) under two pounds.



'Christmas Tree Firetail' jig

May 10, 1999 - 18 inch flounder taken at Fox Cove, on a 'Christmas Tree Firetail' jig.  A nice flounder for this time of year.  NE wind, 5-10-mph.

 

May 11, 1999 - Lost about an 18 inch flounder at the West notch of C-2, just after work.  Was walking him along the pier, just below the surface, when he shook loose of the jig.

Saturday, May 15, 1999 - New moon, bottom of the outgoing tide, brisk wind out of the NW, overcast, and crummy conditions; But, I got a 21 inch flounder (just under 4 pounds) at the B/C corner, using a chartreuse jig.  Two young boys with a landing net helped me land the fish, which is a big one for this time of year.  Gave the May 10, 18-inch flounder to Kay Kaufman.



Mangrove or Gray Snapper

Sunday, May 16, 1999 - Caught and released the biggest inshore mangrove snapper I'd ever seen, at B/C corner, on a chartreuse jig.  I had misidentified the fish as a snapper species which (I thought) had be much larger to legally keep.  The tug boat crew that watched me land the fish, was shocked when I released it.