Drifting Yak and I fished the causeway area yesterday evening and night. It was a comfortable evening around 80 degrees, with wind out of the SE at 7-10 according to the noaa site, though it sure felt like the winds were over 10 most of the time! The tide was dropping, though running high, a bit over prediction.
We fished some of the reef and shallow water areas south of Tiki Island initially during the evening daylight. This is where I caught my first PB fish. I was fishing a shallow water area south of the exposed reefs, where I saw some bait fish action. I fished the deeper water north side and the shallow area with no hits. I kept moving south and cast into the deeper water on the southern drop-off and had a hit and a nice run – felt like a red perhaps. Worked it closer to the boat and could not lift it off bottom very easily, perhaps a flounder? Finally got it to surface and saw it was a gafftop! The largest I have ever caught at about 20”, not that gafftop are on my wish list of fish to catch. They sure can pull! And quite an interesting face and fins. Slimed everything, of course. My rudder control on that side was slippery for some time after that.
There were lots of mullet schools in the shallow areas, getting hit by birds and by fish. We could not coax the fish to take our lures much, though I did manage a rat red in the area.
We then worked our way to the causeway. At first the fish action was a bit slow and I had frustrations from bottom snags with jig heads and wind knots, since most casts were up-current and so largely up wind. I switched to a twist-lock weedless with a jerk shad to deal with the snag issue and adjusted casting to deal with the wind and eventually the specs started biting. Mostly 16-17” range. These smaller fish had quite a fight to them. Then I hooked into one that was harder to get in and he ran around a bit more. Once I got it to the surface I saw a slot redfish size but this was a trout!! Once in the boat it measured out at close to 24”, my personal best for a trout!
A bit later I landed a 19” spec and ended the night with 7 keeper sized trout. Not a bad outing for my first night at the causeway!
Enjoy your next outing.
PB catch - times 2!!
- YakRunabout
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Re: PB catch - times 2!!
Nice, Ken. I want to hit the Causeway some this summer. I like that area.
- Dandydon
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Re: PB catch - times 2!!
Congrats, Ken, on your double personal-best speck @ 24” & hardhead catfish @ 20”. That area can be difficult to fish in much wind & current, but obviously pays off to those who brave the risks.
Good report & may your learning curve continue its positive ascent... See you over there soon.
Good report & may your learning curve continue its positive ascent... See you over there soon.
- YakRunabout
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Re: PB catch - times 2!!
Thanks guys - The causeway is quite a place - you have the current and the winds, then there are the flocks of birds flying around or lining the slab edges waiting to pounce on the shrimp or minnows that are flushed into the air by the marauding specs. The wind complicates casting but then you have to get it between the birds - all a bit of a challenge!
Oh, and Don, that is a gafftop not a hardhead. In my limited experience with catfish I would call the hardhead the base model with the gafftop having all the extras, a fu Manchu, some extra fin flash, a little extra slip to the slime!
Oh, and Don, that is a gafftop not a hardhead. In my limited experience with catfish I would call the hardhead the base model with the gafftop having all the extras, a fu Manchu, some extra fin flash, a little extra slip to the slime!
- Dandydon
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Re: PB catch - times 2!!
I stand corrected! Might have been my first-ever mistake! (Ha ha).
Guess a gafftop beats a hardhead in most fishing competitions... But the PB trout speaks for itself.
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Guess a gafftop beats a hardhead in most fishing competitions... But the PB trout speaks for itself.
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- TroutSupport.com
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Re: PB catch - times 2!!
Good Job!.... Gaffies are good eating. little snotty but I don't hate'm they fight good and a 6'lber on a topwater will be a hoot.
Great work on the PB trout.
t
Great work on the PB trout.
t
Re: PB catch - times 2!!
Haha, I wasn't going to say it, but I concur gaptops are good eating. Just like regular cats I think.TroutSupport.com wrote:Good Job!.... Gaffies are good eating. little snotty but I don't hate'm they fight good and a 6'lber on a topwater will be a hoot.
Great work on the PB trout.
t
I never would have known, but one time my friends and I went surf fishing, just kept catching gaftops and throwing them back, "trash fish."
Eventually after not catching anything else for hours I said I'd try them out. Ended up taking Home about 8 of them lol. All good size too.
Just rinse them down with fresh water at home after being on ice and their slime comes off. Skin them like a regular cat fish. Fry them up. You wouldn't know you are eating a "trash fish."