And now, summer has (un-officially) arrived

Things change so quickly, and seem to change even more quickly with each passing year.  Which is why I probably hate going for 2 weeks without dropping a line.  Two weeks is half a month, and everything is now different.  That's OK, my rhythm of getting out every week is intact for now.

This weekend, I got out two consecutive days AND followed by a family boating excursion- SWEET.  Day 1, Friday May 25.  High tide was at 5:19 pm, a little early in the day but you work with what you have.  Launched at 2:20 pm and headed WNW out of the Wenona harbor.  Temp was about 81F and water temp was now up to 74F on its way to the steady mid-80s which would be here soon.  I had heard that the fish had moved deeper during the day and this is exactly what I found. After moving back down south by the #12 bell buoy, caught 10 nice croaker in 35-42 ft depth, drifting using my drift sock.  Since the wind was out of the SSW and tide coming in, the drift sock seemed to slow my up just enough to catch some fish.  I didn't know it then but this would be my last use of this drift sock.  Left it on deck for the trip home and discovered it gone the next day- it must have blown overboard. BUMMER.

Next day, May 26, fished the mid-day low tide which was around 12:45 pm.  Gorgeous day and a bit warmer, but I had to be back to Millsboro the next day to play guitar in church. Launched at 10:30 AM and worked the same area and the #12 bell buoy area hard for 3 hours for a yield of only an additional 4 fish.  Reminded me of why I have come to care less for mid-day fishing.  The water temp now up to 76F, it was a much warmer day.  A couple of noteworthy items.  The croaker were now taking squid about 50% of the time, as I was baiting each double bottom rig using soft crab and squid.  Expect a continued shift to the cheaper squid, to coincide nicely with rising soft crab prices (although I do love eating my left-over soft crab bait).  The other item is that the fish were now just slightly smaller, still all well over my personal 11-inch keeper minimum but nothing over 14 inches.

After returning to Millsboro and having wrapped up what I thought was the end of my weekend at Deal Island, I was surprised when my wife asked me after church if I wanted to take her and the kids on a boat ride from Deal ISland to Rumbley.  I was stunned and almost passed, but the opportunity to take them all out on my boat, a first (and perhaps a last) was to good to be true.  So, we jetted on down to Deal Island and 60 minutes later were prepping the boat for launch.  The 15-20 mph breeze at my camper was daunting, and I had no idea how my seasick-prone wife would deal with the boat ride.  But, the seas were pitching gently at 1-2 ft and we had a nice cruise to Rumbley, MD, where we dined on the waterfront at the Hideaway Bar and Grille.  Toes in the sand, awesome view, the food was OK but the drinks were cold.  And then we returned, and the return trip was as pretty as the outgoing.  And now here I am on Memorial Day, plotting my next adventure.  I am chomping at the bit to do some sunset fishing but the tide cycles are not working for me (in contrast to las tsummer, which was near perfect).  Oh well, it too shall change.

quick post- just trying to get caught up from last week (5/19/12)

This will be a quick post- just trying to get caught up from last week.   On Saturday 5/19, launched from Wenona in the midst of yet another small craft advisory.  Winds were 20-25 mph out of the NE, but it was borderline do-able with the tide coming in, although a bit rough.  Sure enough, we only hung two fish on the incoming tide- one a kingfish, which I hadn’t caught in awhile.  Just before tide change, my co-pilot and youngest son Blair had to go #2, so we jetted back into harbor and completed that business.

Tide change and the wind lay down just a few mph.  And for the next 30 minutes we caught nice croaker, all 14-15” and real fighters.   And then the tide really started rolling out, in addition to the wind picking up to a steady 25 mph.  Oh well, fish to clean and I can’t complain.  Other notes- we caught all the fish mid day at about 42 ft depth.  Water temp was 68F, up from 66F the week before.  And once again, the croaker wanted nothing to do with shrimp or squid, feasting only on my precious soft crabs.

A LOT has happened since my last post.

A LOT has happened since my last post.  Once again, I had bad fuel in the tank, 20 gallons of it.  Had to pump it all out and start over.  This delayed me a couple of weeks but fortunately didn't really cost me anything nor did it leave me stranded, like last year.  New battery was also part of the solution.

About the time I got the boat straightened out and ready to fish, I got a phone call that a long-awaited spot in a specific assisted living facility was now becoming available for my Dad.  You see, Dad has alzeheimer's and is no longer able to live alone, un-assisted.  So, my siblings and I made the move in late April and Dad was moved to his new home.  This step necessitated selling his house, so the next 3 weeks have been consumed with working on the house that he has lived in for the last 49 years, getting it ready for market.  Everything is in place, for now, so this past weekend I finally got my boat in the water and caught some fish.

Caught the high tide on Friday, May 11.  It was pretty windy, blowing out of the NW, so I had to work with the wind and tide.  But fishing alone, I could easily maneuver two rods.  The water temp was 66F, the air temp about 72F.  I knew that the fish had no reason to be in deep water, so I set up my drifts starting in about 12 feet of water.  Things started off slow, but as it became late in the incoming tide, the fish turned on.  I caught 16 in all before it got too windy and I called it quits.  Most were 12-13.5 inches.  Shame because it would have been a beautiful evening to try and catch a black drum.  Interesting tidbit- the fish were only interested in soft crab.  Neither squid or shrimp seemed to interest them at all.  Early season croaker are usually not so picky, but then again, they probably showed up in part for the soft crab run, which was in full steam.  That's why I set up my drifts to start among the crab pots- because thats where the fish were.  Until next time, which I hope is soon,....