Homosassa Sunday

[Upnorth]

I just got back from three days of fishing. The first two were inshore with a local guide as there were too many to fish from the kayaks. We had a good day Friday with everyone catching fish. Saturday – boy was it crowded. We still ended up with more fish than we wanted to keep – every fish was a keeper trout. This was largely due to a hard working captain.

Sunday we all headed up to Homosassa to watch the manatees. We rented a pontoon and took a couple of kayaks. Four of them took off with the pontoon leaving three of us to follow up.

I had just finished adding the Scotty rod holders to the two person kayak that morning. With Ed was with his daughter who was in a kayak for the first time. He did not want to try to do too much as we were really there to watch the manatees.

After we were ten minutes or so away from the launch I decided to put on a Rapala and try trolling as I followed up in the rear. I know it would be pointless but I wanted to give the Scotty a try.

I gave the a few casts a try with no luck. By now I am farther back than I should be so I just throw out the Rapala and let out some line before I closed the bail, and off I went to catch up. In no time at all I looked at the rod tip and it is bouncing away. Darn it is hitting the bottom – oh well it least it did not snag. Wrong, I picked the pole out of the holder – fish on. I ended up with a nice 20 inch lady fish. Not bad for something that was supposed to work.

Well now I am even farther behind. Luckily Ed was keeping a bit of an eye out and had waited up just where I could still make them out. Well a hard paddle and I would catch up in short order. Wrong.

I figured I might as well throw the Rapala back out. No way was it going to work again. Out went the cast, leave the bail open, run out some line, and close the bail. After about 50 feet – fish on, this was about a 15 inch lady fish.

Now I am even more behind. So this time I just paddle for a little while before I cast out. I figured I might just be in a school of ladyfish. After I was far enough away I do the same thing again, (cast, open bail, paddle, close bail, catch lady fish). This time as I am bring it up to the kayak I am watching it come up when a LARGE gar pike (?) makes a pass at the lady fish. These were the same fish I was casting and trying to catch the weekend before. Well when I saw this one up close, let’s just say I got the ladyfish out of the water pretty fast. I think that will be another days project.

A little more distance to get out of the school, maybe twice as far this time. Cast out again with the same basic luck. Ladyfish in 50 feet, no gar pike this time.

Well by now the Ed and his daughter have decided to stop for lunch. By now I have figured out that I am never going to get up to the manatees if I keep this up. So for safety I do not put the Rapala back in the water. This time I was right – no more fish.

After lunch with the group on the pontoons it was time to watch the manatees. After a nice tow up river, the kayaks let the kids get up close and personal with the manatees. All in all it was not a bad day and not a bad day fishing for a non-fishing trip.