Tuesday, December 29, 2020
Davis, Jacob, and I decided to head back to Bill Baggs for some fishing, given the day off we had because of Winter break. The weather was perfect again, and we wanted to capitalize on the conditions. Also, it was the day before Jacob's birthdayHowever, we left a little late (arrived at Bill Baggs at around 2) after getting bait, and saw that Bill Baggs was closed because of the visitor limit being reached. We knew that this normally happens at around 1, so we were not very surprised. Unwilling to head home, we decided to hit up the Rickenbacker Causeway. Parallel to the main bridge that connects Downtown Miami to Key Biscayne is an old bridge for which funding ran out during construction. It only spans about halfway across the bay. It's right in the middle, so the views of the bay and the Miami skyline are pretty cool. Today, it is a top fishing spot in downtown Miami, although a bit overfished. We decided to check it out anyways.
There was very little parking, so while Davis waited in the car, Jacob and I set up closer to the base of the pier and dropped down some shrimp. We did not have very heavy sinkers, which didn't help, especially because the bridge was pretty windy. However, as we later learned, too much weight was not good. Only a few ounces, enough to take it to the bottom and keep the line taught, are necessary.
The first hit was by a small Mangrove Snapper. We reeled it up, took pictures, and released it. It wasn't a big fish, but we weren't skunked. Right after that catch, Davis met with Jacob and me at the pier and we moved further down. That's when we found the school.
Right away, Jacob and Davis started to feel nibbles. Soon enough, they started to pull up fish left and right. I was trying with the heavy gear, but nothing was getting hooked on that one. I was also helping Jacob rebait his hook. Meanwhile, Jacob and Davis were catching lots of Yellowtail and some Mangrove Snappers. The Yellowtails Jacob caught were his first of that species. The totals were 1 Mangrove for me, one Mangrove and one Yellowtail each for Davis, and Jacob with a whopping 3 Yellowtails and 3 Mangrove Snappers. He was happy with his birthday haul.
Overall, it was a great day on the water at a new location. We only spent a good 2 or 3 hours there before the bait ran out, but we were satisfied with the fish and the day.
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Saturday, January 2, 2021
For the first fishing trip of 2021, the three of us decided to head back to Rickenbacker. We were excited after the last trip, and went back to see what else we could find. As much as the pier was crowded before, it was even more so on this weekend. Again, Jacob and I got out of the car to find a spot and fish. The fishing was much slower today, but we were still able to catch fish. The first two catches of the day were a Yellowtail and a Mangrove Snapper by Jacob. As time went on, I was able to bring up a Bluestriped Grunt and a Tomtate while Jacob brought in two more Mangroves. The fish were nibbling almost all day, but they just didn't get hooked. It was alright though, as we still brought up a few and had a good time back at the bridge. It's always great to be out on the water, especially in the great "winter" weather Miami is experiencing and after staying inside due to COVID.
