I decided to try DB for the first time on Friday, 2/19/10.
It was chilly and overcast when I started out from the launch at State Street. Bundled in my layers of fleece, wool and waders I paddled out onto the slick-calm waters of DB Creek. There was virtually no wind, which seemed a nice change form the recent past. However, it would prove to be my down-fall in a quest for reds.
I was trying to get a nice red for my Redfish Saltimbocca (fillet chunks rolled in parmesian and wrapped it panchetta, then grilled) and/or some keeper specs for fried fish with hush puppies and baked beans (I'm getting hugry thinking about it!).
Anyway, as I said earlier, it was slick calm. I found tailing reds in the flats just outside the mouth of DB. I paddled and floated (it was an out-going tide) into a good position ahead of a small "herd" and set up. My first cast (pumkin seed dart on a 1/16 oz. weedless hook) was fifteen to twenty feet ahead of the pod. As soon as the dart hit that calm water (I tossed side arm to keep the splash to a minimum, too) they changed direction. After several attempts at these and other small schools I could see that the flat water was my true foe here. Ah, well, the Saltimbocca would have to wait.
I now had just over an hour before slack tide, so I moved back into the mouth of the creek and found a nice, deepish area of mud bottom by the numerous oyster beds. I tried the dart and a 1/4 oz. jig head with a DOA Cal golden bream shad tail with no luck. So I went to my go-to lure. A natural color Mirrolure Mirrodine (anyone want to guess what the optional lure in my bag for the next PFTS will be?).
First cast (with a slow, jerky retrieve) BOOM, fish on. A nice little slotter on my stringer. Second cast, BOOM, an under-slot that de-hooked itself next to my leg (hanging the rear treble hook on a fold in my waders, but phew, no penetration, foiling the fish' obvious attempt at revenge). Third cast, BOOM, my second slotter. A couple casts later my fourth and last trout came in right at 15 inches so I put it back for another day. Two keepers would be enough.
After that, nothing but lady fish; No food value, but lots of fun. Then it was slack tide and the bite stopped so I attended to the matter at hand: gutting and icing the fish. Of course, this fellow shows up for the gutting only to be disappointed. No fish for you!
After icing and stowing the fish I headed back. On the way there was a fire somewhere back in the mangroves not far from the put-in at the park.
After a time it died down. I never did find out what it was, nor did any of the other fisherpeople I ran into.
Over all this was my best trip in a while. Other than not getting any reds it was productive for a change. Hopefully it will be getting a bit warmer soon and the fishing will improve. Either way, it was fun seeing someplace new. I will definitely be returning to Double Branch Creek in the near future.
. I wasn't watching a clock, but I guess it took about forty minutes.
My memory gets shorter as the years go by...