Season Ending "O-fish-al" Report

To sum it up in one word:  Disappointing!  (And you can throw "frustrating" in there too!)

Our fishing season (and time in Stuart) started earlier and ended later than it has in previous years.  Winter was much colder and for a longer period of time.  The winds created such rough and high seas for many consecutive days that we couldn't fish.  And it seemed as though Spring skipped right by us.  By mid-May we were experiencing Summer-like temperatures and weather patterns.  No wonder the good fish aren't around.  I want to go where it's cooler too!

Our mornings started early in order to avoid the railroad bridge.  We spent hours covering what seemed to be a million miles of the Atlantic Ocean hunting for fish.  Some days there were very few boats on the water.  Other days (especially the weekends) we were competing for space with a thousand other boats.  Yes, we've caught fish - but not always the kind we want to keep.  (Big, fat bonita and pesky, annoying ramoras, and sneaky sharks, along with many mystery bites.)
 
I guess we got spoiled last year:  we managed to have double hook-ups every time we went out (and those fish were BIG).  And there were more "signs".  (Not the neon "Fish Here" signs, but big patches of weeds, flotsam and jetsam, baitfish, splashes, and birds.)  And so we started this season anticipating we'd have similar results.

While the freezer isn't stuffed like it was last year, we did manage to get a few keepers in the boat.  (Cobia, Mahi Mahi, King Mackerel and Snapper)

On a positive note,
* Many days we were able to find live bait
* We tried several new techniques - drifting with balloons and live bait, putting a bait down deep,  running a bait way back down the middle.
* The Nauti Nole is outfitted and organized the way we want.
* We noted a major milestone - 1100 hours on the engines.
* We successfully bottom fished a few times.
* We both caught sailfish and saw numerous free-jumpers.
* We covered new territory (South and East).
* We participated in the Lady Angler tournament.
* We saw many different kinds of turtles and birds.

We also had many opportunties to get together with family and friends:  family wedding in DelRay, two trips to the Keys, multiple dinners with NC friends in S. Florida, a trip to Naples and hosting folks at the "Fish Camp".

So, that's the report.  Still disappointed we didn't get a record-breaking dolphin but the year isn't over and we'll probably be back in the "winter". 

Keep expectations low and be pleasantly surprised

Keeping expectations low should not be confused with lowering your standards. 

For several days in a row, the forecast was finally in our favor and we were looking forward to getting out as it had been about 2 weeks+ since we were able to fish.

We headed out early one morning, only to find the winds were not as favorable as we had hoped.  Needless to say, we endured it for as long as we could and then called it quits.  (No fish to report that day.) 

Frank's brother, Rich, joined us for fishing the next day.  The winds were a little calmer, but not as we originally read on the forecast.  Nonetheless, we headed out. 

We stopped at the bait guy for some "plan B", in case we weren't able to find live bait out of the inlet.

"Hood Ornament"

We tried drifting with live bait and trolling with ballyhoo (switching from one technique to the other every so often), but no luck.  Until towards the end of the day when Rich caught a 8-10 pound dolphin.  Whew!

The next morning we were out bright and early again.  This time we were only going to fish with live bait.  It seems like we covered a 1000 miles of the Atlantic Ocean and in spite of all the effort, we returned with an empty fish box.  But we did have an additional passenger who made the ride from offshore all the way to the inlet:

We took a day off and then Frank and I planned to fish for the next two days.  The seas were pretty flat and it was HOT.  Water temperatures were pretty warm as well and we weren't sure what we were going to find, but again we were hoping we would find the BIG dolphin we heard about from all the fishing reports. 

The only thing we have been guaranteed for sure are the thunderstorms that roll through early in the afternoon.  (Kind of nice to get a free, no-effort boat wash, but a little scary being on the water.)  Sunday proved uneventful (in the big game division).  Oh we caught some fish - a huge bonita and a couple of pesky ramora - but nothing that we wanted to keep.

Monday we decided we were going to adopt a different philosophy:  Keep expectations low and be pleasantly surprised.  And we were prepared.  We stopped at the bait guy for a little "insurance" before heading out the inlet.  We had good luck at the bait grounds and pulled in a fair number of tasty sardines.  So far so good!

It was HOT again and because there wasn't any wind, it seemed like we were on Lake Atlantic rather than the Atlantic Ocean. 

We worked our strategy and it paid off!  Within the first hour of getting our bait in the water, one of the lines got it!  It was a big surprise because the rod that was bent over was the bait we put quite a ways under the water.  But oh when that big sailfish broke the surface and jumped several times....the adrenaline started to pump and we were getting excited!  It was great to watch him in action - Frank too!

(Unfortunately when there are only two of us on the boat it is difficult to get any pictures - one person is fighting the fish and the other is clearing lines, turning the boat, etc.)

The second bite came about an hour later, but it was in the same water depth as the first.  And it was another sailfish!  This one seemed a bit bigger and jumped as many times or more as the first.  What beautiful fish - all silver on the sides and bottom, big black sails fanned out, the big splash that follows when they crash back into the water.

When drifting with live bait, there isn't a whole lot to do except watch the bait, make sure the lines don't cross and keep a look out for anything that might look like a good fishing area.  As we were watching the bait, we noticed it came up to the surface and scooted along the top. (This usually means something - a bigger fish - has scared it and because there is a balloon or bobber keeping it a few feet below the surface the bait doesn't really have any place to go.)  We could see the tip of a fin circling around the bait.  And as we looked closer, it was the top part of a sail.  The third sailfish of the day was after our bait!

It circled a few times and then finally 'took the bait' and we were fighting a big sailfish! 

It took quite a bit of line and put up a good fight, jumping a few times too!  So much fun!  Throughout the rest of the day, we saw numerous sailfish free jumping and try as we might to get to them, they just weren't interested.  Guess they like to sneak up on us.

I guess it's fair to say, our philosophy and strategy worked and we were pleasantly surprised!