Fishing at the Channel 5 Bridge

    Eager to go fishing at a new location after spending pretty much an entire summer at home and taking classes, I convinced my family, who also desperately wanted to leave the house, to head down to the Keys, a fisherman's paradise, where I could go fishing with my brother. We headed to the Channel 5 bridge, a location I had heard much about and had wanted to fish for quite a while. On the way I stopped at two different bait shops. At the first, I had planned to get live shrimp and maybe some ballyhoo as a backup plan. I entered the store with my bait bucket and aerator, but upon seeing the bucket, the woman at the cash register immediately told me that they unfortunately did not have any live shrimp, seeing as how in the summer months it is harder to acquire them. I settled for frozen ballyhoo and chum, which happened to be all I needed. She kindly instructed me to check out the marina behind the Bass Pro Shops a bit further south and closer to the bridge to see if they had any shrimp, but they only had mostly small dead ones. Nevertheless, I self picked as many adequate shrimps that I could and payed less that $4 for the "dozen." I had a pack of 6 ballyhoo, a block of chum, and some shrimp, and I was ready to go fishing.

    The bridges on the way, from the southern tip of the Florida peninsula to Islamorada and on, were awesome. The blue water and the multi-colored reefs were always, of course, quite the sight. I'm very glad to be able to live in an area so close to such pristine nature and fishing grounds. We arrived at the pier next to the bridge and started fishing We arrived as the tide was reaching it's lowest point. Seeing as the channel marks a passage in between Florida Bay and the Atlantic Ocean, it is not surprising that the current was very strong and that single egg and split shot sinkers did not suffice to keep the bait on the bottom. I had to put on extra sinkers to keep the bait on the bottom. Soon after we started, Jacob hooked up and reeled in a small Porkfish that took his shrimp. The colors of the fish matched the colors of the water and the nearby reefs. It truly was a great spot to fish, what with the sights and fishing quality. We were glad to start off the day with a catch, albeit small. We waited for the sun to defrost the chum, and we used the knife to cut up the block and toss out pieces. After fishing on the bridge in direct exposure from the sun and heavy current that made the chum less effective as we had hoped without a chub bag, we decided to pack up and he'd to another spot on the channel that was under the bridge, closer to the base. There was ample space both on the bridge and under it at the second spot to which we had moved to maintain social distancing and negate the need for a mask.

Under the bridge and in the shade, it was very calm and nice. Being so close to the water really helped, too. We could get away with less weight and the chum was more fictive. We got into the bites soon after we settled. At first my brother and I switched off with the shrimp and the ballyhoo. The ballyhoo wasn't being taken very much at first, but the shrimp did catch fish. My first fish of the day, on shrimp, was a small French Grunt. Also on shrimp, Jacob and I started off with a few small Mangrove Snappers, which were there in abundance. He caught 2 and I caught 1. But then I decided to target the bigger fish and switched to the cut bait, while Jacob was satisfied trying to catch fish on the tried and true shrimp to which he was accustomed. He caught another Porkfish. While we were happy he caught something, I suggested he switched to the ballyhoo. I was using it, and it was working well because of how thick and sturdy it was, so it was much harder for fish, specifically the smaller ones, to take it off the hook. He ended up switching, which proved to be the right move. I baited his hook with his first piece of Ballyhoo, and he immediately hooked up with a nice fish. It was taking line off the reel and Jacob struggled to hold the rod still and reel in. I helped him land the fish by grabbing the line and pulling it over the ledge, and it was in; Jacob's PB Mangrove Snapper, a keeper of 10.5 inches. While this wasn't the biggest Snapper I'd seen, we were both ecstatic to have brought in Jacob's best Mangrove Snapper. While we stuck with the cut bait, we both kept on reeling in keepers. We outfished the others under the bridge by far. Since we didn't have a cooler and had no intention of keeping the fish, even if they were legal, we gave the legal ones to the other people fishing near us. After reeling in some more quality fish, we ended with a 12 inch Mangrove Snapper, our biggest of the day. It was around 3 o'clock when we left, which means that we had been fishing for around 4 hours.

    All in all, it was a great day. I caught 2 French Grunts on the shrimp and 3 Mangrove Snappers on the cut ballyhoo (2 of which were keepers) while Jacob ended with a French Grunt and 2 Porkfish on shrimp and 6 Mangrove Snappers, some on shrimp and some on ballyhoo, 3 of which were legal to keep. Truthfully, fishing in the keys feels like a rite of passage, a necessary pilgrimage for fisherman, both land based and from boats. It's an incredible area, and especially in the region around Islamorada, very fishing oriented. The towns and waters seem like they were made for fishing and diving. The Keys truly are a fisherman's paradise. It was great to get out of the house and experience this magnificent environment once again, catching some quality fish in the process.

COVID-19 Closures

After being quarantined for the last month, not really able to leave my house due to the coronavirus, my family and I finally found an opportunity to leave, and we took it. I had planned to spend the day fishing at a new spot, the Rickenbacker Causeway, which is the bridge connecting Miami to Virginia Key and Key Biscayne. Next the the bridge is part of a bridge that was not completed. This section is now a fishing pier. I had wanted to fish at this spot for a while, as I had heard some good things from there. This would be my first fishing trip of the year. (Trust me, it's been tough.) I was very busy for the beginning of the year, and with the Coronavirus, I hadn't really been able to find time. On the way I stopped at a bait and tackle shop, and, with a mask and all, I bought two dozen live shrimp for the day. It was a beautiful day, and there were lots more people out then I expected. When I arrived at the pier, however, I found that both the parking spaces and the pier itself were closed because of the pandemic. I then checked, just to be sure, whether Bill Baggs State Park was closed, and it sure was. It was disappointing, but it was understandable. We had to move on. We still had to find a way to kill some time, so we went north to pickup some food and to find another spot. Both the Haulover jetty and the Newport pier at Sunny Isles were closed. By now we had just decided to go home and fish across the street. Again, I did not expect to see so many people out. But the time it was much more reasonable; all were on boats heading out of the canal, away from people, and I'm sure that they, too were anxious to leave the house. Jacob and I faced a few challenges. The bigger fish were only around for a few minutes at a time. Then they would suddenly vanish. Another was the constant threat of Puffers coming in to steal our baits. I like to catch all fish, and I appreciate each fish I have the opportunity to catch, but Puffers can be quite the nuisance when targeting other fish. Jacob caught three nice fish: a small Blue Striped Grunt, an 8 inch long Mangrove Snapper, and a Puffer fish (he enjoys the Puffers more than I do. I have grown rather weary of them.) I, on the other hand, had only managed to catch an unavoidable PUFFER. I've had better results. Welp, it was a nice day of fishing anyways, even though we only managed to catch 4 smaller fish in total, and missing many bites by bigger Snapper and such. Regardless, it was great to finally go outside and enjoy the beautiful Miami weather and waterways.

Small Bass at Orange Lake

Back at Orange Lake Resort in central Florida, I was excited to hit the water and try again at catching Bass. I started out waking up early in the mornings and trying different lakes, however none of them worked. They didn’t seem to have much life either, and the water was flat and quiet, which isn’t exactly a great sign for active, feeding fish. I ended up going back to the lake on which I had caught a Bass before. There I had seen many birds, small fish, and splashes in the water caused by predatory fish chasing prey. I went fishing over the course of about 4 mornings, walking around to different lakes, casting with my bait caster reel and Zoom Trick Worm, and I had started to go to the Bass lake on the second day. That day I saw Bass bear the bank, however, I noticed that they were rather small. I got one strike and no hookup, while not enticing any other Bass, probably due to to the small size of the fish and the large bait and hook I was using. On the third day, I arrived to see, to my dismay, that it was raining and there was no life to be found. I casted around the lake for a few hours, but I did not manage to catch anything. I didn’t even see any fish this time. On the fourth day, I decided to change up my presentation. I used a smaller Zoom Ultra Vibe lure in the same color, Watermelon Red, and cut off a piece in order to shorten the lure. Now, the bait was manageable for the smaller Bass of the lake. I got to the lake and immediately started casting. I saw many small Bass schooled up near the Bass. (By small Bass I mean Largemouth Bass under a pound. I thought it must have been post-spawn for the Bass, as these were young.) I decided to focus my attention to a patch of weeds near the bank, repeatedly making casts around the patch. My retrieve was based on a pattern of making two quick jerks of the rod to bring the lure up off the bottom, letting it fall again, reeling in the slack, and repeating. At one point, a Bass hiding in the grass made a big splash as it jumped to try to take my bait near the surface. I got really excited, but the fish didn’t bite the bait. However, in about 20 minutes later, at 9:17 AM, I hooked up with a Bass and reeled it in. It was small, but a fish is a fish. Unfortunately, the fish was barely hooked and it came off and flopped down the bank and back into the lake before I could take a picture. I kept fishing afterwards, but not for long, without any other results. It was a fun trip, even though I only caught 1 small Bass. I was happy that I was able to come away with with a Largemouth Bass, even if it was a small one. That seemed to be how it was this winter, just small Bass swimming close enough to the bank to be caught.

Another Great Day Across the Street

Today was yet another great day for fishing in sunny South Florida. I woke up, looked out the window, and immediately called Arky's Live Bait to ensure they had some live shrimp waiting for me. It was a great day to fish. The temperature was in the 80s, there was a nice breeze, and not a single cloud in the sky. I went over to Arky’s, bought 2 dozen live shrimp, and then prepared to catch fish across the street from my house in a saltwater canal connected to Biscayne Bay. We started off by dropping our shrimp down near the dock into the clear water, and, sure enough we instantly started feeding frenzies. Schools of Snapper, Jacks, Pinfish, and more were fighting for our bait. Less than five minutes after initially putting the baits in the water, Jacob and I doubled up and caught a Mangrove Snapper each. The catching continued as Jacob then caught 2 more Mangroves and a Needlefish by suspending the bait on the surface of the water. I caught 2 Mangroves and a Schoolmaster in the same amount of time. We had our eyes on the Jacks and bigger Snapper, however. Jacob, once he started targeting Jacks, even had a Jack bite his shrimp, but then it spit it out only for a puffer to eat it and get hooked. Jacob then caught a Mangrove Snapper on the next drop. After catching those fish, Jacob went back to the house to bring some bottles of water. Meanwhile, I saw that the school, for the most part, had moved over to another part of the dock while the Jacks were still under me. I dropped the shrimp in front of their faces, and they couldn’t resist it. Two or three Jacks fought over the bait until one took a big bite and I set the hook. It put up a nice fight. Jack Cravalles are considered by many to be the best fighting saltwater fish pound for pound, and I strongly agree. I brought it up just in time for Jacob to see. We unhooked and released the fish. Then Jacob finished off the shrimp by surprisingly catching the only Pinfish of the day. This was surprising because Pinfish had made up around 40-50% of the school and yet we had only caught one all day. That was the last fish of the day, and Jacob and I went home satisfied. It was a great day to be outside catching fish, in late fall where the weather is just right in Miami. Today helped me really appreciate the area in which I live, where beautiful fish that are fun to fight can be caught literally right across the street from my house. Overall I caught 5 fish and Jacob caught 6, with my 9 inch Mangrove Snapper being the biggest fish caught, not including the Jack or Needlefish. We fished for about two hours combined.

Today was great. Stay tuned!

Thanksgiving Dock Fishing

It was Thanksgiving, and so I met up with family once again to eat, watch football, and go fishing! My cousin, Nathan, and my brother and I went over to the dock to cast a few lures in hopes of enticing any fish down there. On the second cast, Nathan casted out by the piling, and reeled in his lure.  During the retrieve, we saw a flash in the water, and the line got tight. Fish on! He reeled in while I grabbed the line and pulled the fish onto the dock. We caught it. A nice Jack to start off the day. The fish were there all day under the dock, but we only managed to catch 2 in about 30 minutes combined fishing. One time, I hooked one at the surface, but it came loose. Another time, Jacob and I brought a fish close to the dock, but it then powered under it and broke us off. We caught the second fish by using a white bucktail jig under the dock to imitate an injured baitfish. Overall, we didn't have much time to fish but it was great to be back at it, especially since I hadn't had the time to fish since August.

New Species at Santa Monica Pier

       My family and I came back to Los Angeles, and, having not fished for so long, I planned to head out to Santa Monica Pier as soon as possible. On this trip, I went fishing with my dad and brother. Our goal was to catch as many fish as possible, of course, and to hopefully catch a new species. We had brought a rod of our own to the pier, and we had a sabiki rig on that one. We also rented a rod with a simple dropper rig for 2 hours, at $4/hour. We bought frozen squid for bait. When we got our rods and bait, I directed the group over to the right side of the pier, facing north. The end of the Santa Monica pier is quite convenient for fishermen, because of certain decks that are built closer to the water. It was a partly cloudy - sunny day, and very breezy. Temperature was around the mid-high 70s. Great day to be fishing. We set up our rods and we were ready to go.

       The frozen squid was tough to deal with. The insides were too frozen, which made them mushy and useless, and the outer part, the skin, was slimy and slippery. Regardless, I managed to tip each hook on the sabiki rig with a strip of squid before putting a bigger piece onto rental rod. Very soon after we dropped the baits, we felt nibbles. Last year, my brother and I had come to the pier, and we bought shrimp for bait. Although we felt fish, most likely Mackerel, nibbling our baits the whole time, the softness of the frozen shrimp made it easy for the fish to take the bait off without getting hooked. This time, we learned from our mistakes and used tougher squid bait, which stays of the hook much easier. The change in baits proved to work, because not long after we started feeling nibbles, I saw the line move out to sea, away from the pier. I reeled in the line, and gave it to my brother to finish the job and bring the fish up. We had caught the first fish of the day, a Pacific Mackerel. This was not the first time I had caught this fish. Pacific Mackerel, or Chub Mackerel are very common all over California. It was a nice catch, and we were happy to get on the board so early.

       After we caught the first fish, the nibbles seemed to slow down. We casted in different spots, but nothing changed. After a while, Jacob, my brother, and I decided to chum the water with our squid, as we had way too much bait to use in 2 hours of fishing. We cut up the bait, threw it out into the sea, and, sure enough, the squid had brought a school of fish to the surface! I started to jig the sabiki rod and Jacob casted the lighter dropper loop past the school, so he could reel the bait right into the school. The fish were nibbling, but the current had taken the chum, and the school, out too far in the pilings. I had already lost a hook back in the pilings when I decided to fish on the other side of the deck, under the pier. I told Jacob to cut some more squid and to throw it out into the Ocean side, North, so that the current would take the chum and the school into our lines. The plan worked! As I was jigging the sabiki rig in the school, a fish bit one of the hooks! I brought in the feisty fish and made sure to bring it over the railing as fast as possible. I didn't want to lose this fish. On the deck, I realized that I had just caught a new species! After researching the fish, I found out that it was a California Salema, Xenistius californiensis. It is a schooling grunt commonly found in Southern California. I was really excited to end the day with a new species!

       It was a fun day out on the water with my dad and brother, and I was happy with the results. The fish may not have been too big, but as a multi species angler and lifelister, I respect every fish I catch. After all, a fish is a fish, and we achieved our goal of catching them. One of my favorite things about fishing is how it allows one to experience, learn about, and appreciate our waters and marine ecosystems. Catching a new fish in new waters is always a really cool experience that gives one a greater appreciation for the diversity of the waters that they are fishing and they fish for which they are fishing. It's really fun to keep track of the fish you have caught before, and to set out to catch new ones.

       Anyways, like most fishing trips, we learned a lot from this one. It's no secret that current and positioning when chumming means everything when trying to bring fish to your bait, and we used this method to catch ourselves a new species. It was great to be fishing again. Stay tuned, and Tight Lines!

A Slow Day at North Bayshore Park

Today was another slow day of fishing. School’s out, so my brother and I decided to fish at the pier near our house, at Willam Lehman Park. We first went to get live shrimp as bait, then we went to the pier. It was extreme low tide, and there was a little current off the pier. First we started to fish in the lagoon, where I caught a needlefish by letting it swallow the shrimp on the surface. Jacob hooked a small Barracuda, but it spit the hook shortly after. Then we decided to head over to the main part of the pier. There, Jacob caught a Mangrove Snapper and I caught two. Again, we casted into the sandy holes a few feet away from the pier itself to catch them. Those fish would be the only ones we caught today, however there was another bite I had at the main pier. I cared out and let out some line so that there would be a good amount of slack. When the line straightened out, I would know that a fish was on. One time, bout 3 seconds after I casted out, a fish took the bait and ran with it. I set the hook, but a few seconds later the fish came off. I reeled up the rest of the line only to find the hook missing. I’m pretty sure it was a Barracuda that bit through the line. Predatory fish like Barracudas and Mackerels are known for sometimes biting through the line before the fisherman has a chance to fight it. We finished the day having fished for about 2 hours, me having caught 3 fish and Jacob having caught 2.

Kelley Fleet Fishing

       It's the middle of a week off from school, and there's no better way to spend it than fishing in this perfect weather. My grandfather and I decided to try the Kelley Fleet in hopes of catching some big fish. The results were kind of disappointing, but, regardless, we had a great time.

       We started off in the rather cold, cloudy morning, eager to catch some fish. We had dead ballyhoo as bait, and we were going for Kingfish. We would simply let line out from the reel and let the ballyhoo drift in the middle of the water column. After a little while at our first spot, Zaide, my grandfather, felt a tug. He handed the rod to me, and I reeled it in. We caught a Triggerfish. It was a nice catch, but we were hoping that it was a Kingfish. I had caught my first Kingfish on this boat, years before. The Triggerfish was pretty cool, and its skin was so tough that we had to use a knife to get the hook out. We had one.

       After a little while, the clouds went away and the sun came out. The water was really clear. The weather was perfect.

       Since we weren't catching anything, I asked for a chicken rig to drop to the bottom. We put cut squid on these hooks. It turned out to work! Once we arrived at a new spot, I felt the nibbles and then a nice pull. The rod bent over, and a fish was on. I reeled in a Squirrelfish! Although very colorful, the Squirrelfish is poisonous and I was very careful not to touch the fish directly when I was handling it. About 15 minutes later, there was another bite on my ballyhoo rod. I reeled it in, and it was another Triggerfish. We then waited quite a while for the next fish. After about 30 minutes, we went to a new spot which looked promising because there were already two boats there by the time we arrived. On the very first drop, I felt some small tugs, and I reeled in a Grunt. We threw it back before taking pictures. It was our 4th, and last, fish of the day.

       The clouds that were present in the morning left early on in the trip, and my grandfather and I had an awesome day on the water, even though we did not catch the Kingfish we were after. After all, "they call it fishing, not catching." A fish is a fish, and we caught 4. Today reminded me what fishing is all about, just having fun out on the water with friends and family.