Best day of flats fishing EVER! Well, sort of....

Saltwater Inshore Reports
1

This is officially my first fish tale!

We’ve been crazy busy, so the boat has been covered for a month but Friday was a window of opportunity for the family to fish. We didn’t stress, we just got up when we got up and fished what we fished. Basically enjoy the day unless a fish interrupts us!:sunglasses:

I caught a trout on sapphire shine, Momma got a red, and we “toodled around” as Momma loves to do. Coming up on low tide so I decided to work our way back towards the landing and hit a spot or two on the way while Bushy Park refilled.

I’m hauling butt at low tide out of Flagg Creek, which I know like the back of my hand, right! Except we see a bunch of gulls sitting in the middle of the water. We always aim for those and blast through them, sending them flying. Screw dem gulls:imp::wink:!

[:0]Except they weren’t sitting…

:frowning_face:They were standing!

:face_with_head_bandage:Vinman 1,362 - Birds 1!!

We fly up on a mud flat in the middle of the creek and pluff mud our way to a semi-screeching halt, mud flying EVERYWHERE! 1" water at best! I was probably 10’ away from deep enough water. No one is hurt, tide is about to come in, SCREW IT! Lets fish!!:smiley:

Toss some minners out and BAM! Rod bends to our surprise and we’re hooked up! Fought it for a bit, saw it roll, and missed it. We bait up a couple more. BAM BAM! Double hook up! E-dog and I reel them in and have two fat catfish.

Normally we curse our luck and toss them back. But today - DINNER! The tide comes in, the boat comes loose, so we Power Pole to STAY stuck! LOL! We hook up with a nice big fatty, miss another, and as soon as the water got a bit higher, the bite died.

Cranked up the motor to make sure she’s peeing good, upped the Power Pole and headed to the landing to clean our catch.

When life hands you lemons, make catfish nuggets!:wink:

Happy Easter!

[IMG]http://i1129.pho

2

great story and awesome smiles!

The Morris Island Lighthouse www.savethelight.org

3

Nah, Vin. That was just a strategic move to get those catfish stirred up and ready to bite! I’m curious as to how those catfish tasted. The ones here out of the Edisto river are delicious, but in some lakes and rivers I’ve caught a few from recently, they were pretty strong (fishy).

4

lol, I saw there entire thing but had no idea you got stuck. I just thought you stopped to fish there. I also saw you back at bushy park… no wonder I kept thinking to myself why you and your boy looked so familiar.

2004 Action Craft 1820
Flats Master SE

5

You’re only about the 1,000,000th person to do that! Usually you’ll see huge redfish explode away when disturbed on that flat. They sit in the mud all around there.

Way to go! Those catfish always make my day, whether or not I catch anything else.

Mmmmmmm…catfish lemonade…:stuck_out_tongue:

Semper Fi
18’ Sterling
115 Yamaha
Big Ugly Homemade Blue Push Pole

6

Zen, that’s a lil move I like to call “controlled failure”! It’s quite similar to “actual failure”, except no one gets hurt. Well usually, anyway.
It would have been our pleasure to meet you, and nice boat BTW.

Rad, I actually cleaned the fish last night and have them iced up to eat today. The bigger fillets looked a little gamey, so we are going to soak them in buttermilk for awhile before we fry them.

About 2 minutes before impact Megan was standing casually next to the console with her back to the bow. I told her she’d be better off facing forward in case we hit a wake or hit something. She sat, and we did.

Vinman
“Every saint has a past, every sinner a future”
www.summervillesaltwateranglers.com
2011 Carolina Skiff 178DLV
90 HP Honda

7

As ya’ll know I’m only 2 years old to salt fishing. But i noticed an interesting technique, even for freshwater I’ve never seen. I noticed the 2-3 MMs on one jighead. I can understand this working as most MMs are schooled together. Does that produce a better bite than singles or is it something you’d do when they’re not biting?

8

Vin, you know you can’t have catfish nuggets without hushpuppies…

9

Thanks, I was thinking the same thing about yours when I saw it close up at the dock. I got mine used for a price that would probably piss people off. I was looking at a 17ft Sea Hunt or equivalent when it fell in my lap.
I had a similar snafu that started with “hey man, it looks pretty shallow!” and then “Don’t worry about it, I go thru here all the time!” I was amazed at how smooth a stop it was.
I joined the Summerville club in February but missed the last meeting due to a sinus infection that went bronchitis on me. I should be at the April meeting and I will introduce my self then. I need to get on the forums over there.

2004 Action Craft 1820
Flats Master SE

10
quote:
Originally posted by Athon08

As ya’ll know I’m only 2 years old to salt fishing. But i noticed an interesting technique, even for freshwater I’ve never seen. I noticed the 2-3 MMs on one jighead. I can understand this working as most MMs are schooled together. Does that produce a better bite than singles or is it something you’d do when they’re not biting?

That’s something I did because I had alot of mudders and I figured if anything was nearby it would probably be a catfish, and they are generally dumb enough to eat anything with a scent. More minnows make perfect scents, right? LOL!

Generally I’m a one minnow hooked through the lip to a 1/4 oz. jighead kind of guy.

Cool, Zen. MAKE SURE you make it to the next meeting. Get signed up on our website and have a look - it is going to be awesome. Plus it will be held at McElveen Truckville, an awesome sponsor who fed us like kings last year!

Vinman
“Every saint has a past, every sinner a future”
www.summervillesaltwateranglers.com
2011 Carolina Skiff 178DLV
90 HP Honda

11
quote:
Originally posted by RADDADDY

Nah, Vin. That was just a strategic move to get those catfish stirred up and ready to bite! I’m curious as to how those catfish tasted. The ones here out of the Edisto river are delicious, but in some lakes and rivers I’ve caught a few from recently, they were pretty strong (fishy).

Just finished dinner. We’ve grown accustomed to trout and flounder, so the catfish came off a little fishy on the big chunks, a little muddy on the thinner chunks, and just a hint of Nucor.

Had the pups, GCF!

Vinman
“Every saint has a past, every sinner a future”
www.summervillesaltwateranglers.com
2011 Carolina Skiff 178DLV
90 HP Honda

12

Good day Vin, glad you ran up on some catfish haha

experience noun \ik-#712;spir–#601;n(t)s

  1. the fact or state of having been affected by or gained knowledge through direct observation or participation

  2. that thing you get just moments after you needed it.

13

The trick with catfish is to use the following recipe. If breading and frying, add it to the cornmeal/flour. If sauteeing them, make it a nice rub.

1 part garlic powder
1 part red pepper
1 part garlic powder
1 part onion powder
1 part garlic powder
1 part black pepper
1 part garlic powder
2 parts garlic powder
1 part salt
1 part garlic powder
fresh minced garlic, to taste.

14

This also works with any fish, but is especially good on largemouth bass, shellcracker, stingray, leftover mud minnows, and some brands of stink bait.

15

Awesome story, glad everyone faired the sudden stop well. those mud minnows on a jig head is interesting.

“I fish therefore I lie”

2006 Mckee Craft 185 Bay Classic 150 Yamaha

16

HaHa Vinman…you look like that Charlie Moore mad fisherman fella…google him if you don’t know who I’m talking about. lol

17

LOL @ just a hint of Nucor…that’s the good stuff

“Fish On”