5th street, real quiet this morning. Few baby sharks and whiting on squid, nothing on the rig rod. Tried a piece of sting ray wing, and then half a fresh whiting, not a bite. 8-12 on the rising tide.
Side note, what is wrong with swimmers? I’m the ONLY guy out there fishing nobody is in the water either side of me EXCEPT where I am fishing, and then I have an entire family, and 6 people on surf boards. Why would you choose the only place someone is fishing to swim? Does that even make sense?
It happens to me everytime. I always pick a secluded spot with nobody around and magically it happens… kids everywhere and then the parents. At some point logic should set in and they will realize the guy who was there for hours before them holding the pole is fishing? I’m not too sure who would be “at fault” but I don’t move. I figure it’s natural selection playing out.
I was fishing further north on IOP and had the same results. Not a nibble on the big baits.
Lately I have been having the same issues with swimmers and stand-up paddle boarders as well. The other week a family of WHALES comes up the beach access and parks their chairs right next to me. I had been fishing for 2 hours and I didnt see another person of the beach for blocks but right next to me was THE spot apparently. They pull out all their crap and start to get in the water. I was so mad. I threw a couple casts at them and they didnt get the picture. Luckily, I caught a small shark on a little rod. I walked down the beach (10 ft) to where they were swimming and released the shark ensuring they saw me. That little guy took care of them for the rest of the day.
Thanks for the report Iggy. I could go on about swimmers/tourists all day, but it’s not going to change. Stobelma you’ve got the right idea, I will intentionally target a sharpnose just to release them near swimmers, it really does work about 90% of the time.
if they want to tangle with braid, hooks and lead flying every 10min or so, let them.
if they want to tangle with braid, hooks and lead flying every 10min or so, let them.
iggy, I was at IOP Tue. afternoon from 5:30-8:00. Caught 10gallons of Whiting, Spot, Couple of 16-18" Rays, and a 18" Ladyfish. Went through about a pound of shrimp. Ran out, left them biting. And the “most” swimmers do not have a freakin’ clue! And a real surfer will not be surfing where I fish for the lack of waves. And the Ohioan and Canadian surfers can’t afford a clue. Remember we live down here, and October is still really nice.
Read a few reports in the surf forum lately and it seems like the sharks are a little heavier around the folly side than IOP. I’ve been taking my boat and friends to the backside of Kiawah to hang on the beach and I cast out a shark line and let it chill in the boat in the rod holder and when I see it bending I go get it. Like a week ago every time my friends girl friend would go to get her a beer a shark (full size sharp-nose)would get on and she could barely get them in. That same day there was a huge black tip 6+ ft for sure (saw both fins and body) fining between my boat and the beach in less than a foot of water that passed by two of my friends as they stood there about 5 feet from it in the water. No swimmers there, few people, small/no waves and excellent fishing makes it a great spot but the only way to get there is by boat.
17ft Key west
Dparker677 where were you at ?
never fails! i used to like the station 28-30 area of sullivans and would be the first one on the beach and away from the main walkway. i couldnt tell you how many swimmers, surfers, paddleboarders, kiteboarders, … i dealt with but its part of surf fishing. i even had 1 swimmer ask where my line was, but then proceeded to swim directly into it 50 yards out and over my second line too (100 yards from anybody else on the beach) sometimes aiming a 10 foot surf rod at the incoming target (kiteboarder/paddleboarder) would work, other times not so much. the sharpnose/bonnethead method works VERY well since tourists have no clue what they are! 5 foot blacktip and then pointing out fins swimming 30 yards from shore that i didnt catch because sharks in fact do live in the ocean is even better ill probably take a trip home soon, maybe ill have to start a boot camp for tourists or something at least SO FAR people seem to be a bit smarter in north florida.
North of the pier.