Got to fish on Friday. Took a local pork mogul with me this time. I never could coax the recipe for the secret BBQ sauce out of him, but we got three fat upper-slot reds and only three trout, with only one trout reaching 14". Toughest day this season for me so far. The reds were happy and eating. We just didn’t have much time on the flat because the tide was falling so fast (we hit a mud flat at low tide for them). My own fault there. Should have hit the flat sooner or taken the shallower boat. The trout were hard to find and coax into eating for us Friday for some reason, though. It definitely wasn’t the water clarity, because it was clearer than it has been in a while. They were just not cooperating with us in the usual places for some reason. You know what, though? When we can catch a half-dozen fish and call it a tough day, that might just mean you have a pretty good fishery and are a little spoiled by the better days. 
We gotta be thankful for that.
P.S. Did anyone else find Friday or this weekend a little on the tough side?
Only three days before, we got 13 reds and 12 trout in the same general vicinities. But we cut those totals by 10 fish per species Friday.
3 upper slot reds
3 trout (only one legal)
smoke silver grubs
Released
Gotcha Covered,
Lee Strickland
Strickland Marine Insurance Agency, Inc.
https://stricklandmarine.net
843-795-1000 / 800-446-1862
Funny how what is a bad day for you would have a been a pretty good day for me.
I did descent sunday with the reds but only got about a dozen trout. I blame it on the wind and the dirty water, water clarity was better last week and the trout fishing was better because of it imo. Reds were going crazy for the white jerk shad, trout wanted gulp shrimp barely moving on the outgoing tide.
I wanted to go Sunday but couldn’t. Had a sick kid. I’m glad I didn’t go because our 9-month-old German Shepherd pup dropped dead last night unexpectedly in front of us. The pup let out a groan and dropped. To make a long story short, last night was tough. I’m still pretty depressed about it. Pretty emotional stuff. 82 pounds of pure goodness. Very sad. Gonna miss that sweet pup.
Gotcha Covered,
Lee Strickland
Strickland Marine Insurance Agency, Inc.
https://stricklandmarine.net
843-795-1000 / 800-446-1862
quote:
Originally posted by DFreedom
Funny how what is a bad day for you would have a been a pretty good day for me.
We can fix that.
Gotcha Covered,
Lee Strickland
Strickland Marine Insurance Agency, Inc.
https://stricklandmarine.net
843-795-1000 / 800-446-1862
That would be cool. Don’t get me wrong, I am not poor-mouthing. I feel a lot more confident going out thanks to some things I have learned from Vinman and Salthunter. My biggest problem is simply not getting to spend enough time on the water which makes it hard to scout for good spots and note any kind of patterns. I was just putting things in perspective. For you accomplished fishermen, your bad day is not so bad for those of us that are less accomplished. My quest to be a better fisherman is so I can make my son a better fisherman. Unfortunately, my Dad did not pass on much in the way of fishing prowess. I am always happy to get out there, regardless of what I do or do not catch.
Understood. I didn’t think you were complaining. No worries at all, man. I’ve only been out 4 times since the Spring myself, but I grew up here and used to live on the Stono river with a boat ramp in the back yard. Time on water is key–just like with anything else. This is the time of year when I start to fish more inshore because I can’t stand too much heat and humidity (plus, the trout normally turn on this time of year, and we usually land 20-50 a day, which is why folks are talking about it being slow). Anyway, I just meant that you’re welcome to come with me whenever, and I’ll be happy to help with other stuff in general, too. Hope to meet you at a landing sometime soon.
Gotcha Covered,
Lee Strickland
Strickland Marine Insurance Agency, Inc.
https://stricklandmarine.net
843-795-1000 / 800-446-1862
Sorry to hear about the pup, Lee. Lost my 15 year old “pup” early summer, died laying in my lap 
Dang Lee, sorry about your pup. Any idea what happened?
Per the physical exam, the dog was in perfect health. There was no bleeding or swelling, and nothing was in his throat. The dog looked perfect and acted prefectly healthy up until the last second. He ate the finest food and was up on all his shots. An ecropsy was about $500, so I didn’t get one. He always drank a lot of water, but I don’t think it was bloat because he dropped suddenly after being fine and energetic. Nothing slow about it. He passed in like 2 seconds. Literally, by the time I ran out side to see what was going on with him, he was already gone. He was such a beautiful animal and so happy all the time. I am missing something fierce already. It’s hard to write this without losing it a little.
Gotcha Covered,
Lee Strickland
Strickland Marine Insurance Agency, Inc.
https://stricklandmarine.net
843-795-1000 / 800-446-1862
Three years ago we hand picked a Golden Retriever puppy out of a litter and named him Jake. He was the cutest thing you ever saw. He was all fuzzy with dark brown eyes and a nose as black as a piece of charcoal. His coat was almost solid white and he looked like a baby polar bear. He was eight weeks old when we took him into our family. At twelve weeks old, he started having trouble breathing one day. He died the next day of a perforated diaphragm, a birth defect. I feel Mr.Strickland’s pain. You can get awfully attached to a dog in a short peroid of time. Even today, three years later, the family cannot talk about the experience without bawling.
Sorry for the loss of your family member. I have 2 German Shephards and will never have anything else. One is nine, the other just turned one. I am sure you will have another and your odds of that not happening again are with you. Best of luck. Fishing makes all heart aches feel better.
We’re stuck between Barack and a hard place. Hide their food stamps under their working boots.
Manta Ray 14’
Know any good breeders?
Gotcha Covered,
Lee Strickland
Strickland Marine Insurance Agency, Inc.
https://stricklandmarine.net
843-795-1000 / 800-446-1862