Executive Summary
Winds 0-5, temp 85, water temp low to mid 80's, 6-8 reds, and 1 trout. One big ol' something we'll never know what it was.
Details
I loaded up the family and moved to Anna Maria for the week of July 4th. On 7/1 I hit Perico Bayou - one of many sites for famed PFTS #5.
Last time I was skunked, but thanks to some recon and some advice from our fearless leaders/moderators from that trip I was able to get on fish this time. I was greeted with a beautiful sunrise some no-see-ums and a bit of heat. Classic Florida summer weather. Tropical Depression Debbie had stirred up the waters enough to make the weeds a hassle, but after a while I was able to get on some fish.
I found a billion mullet all scattered so it was going to be an interesting morning; using my trinity of go-to lures I had used at Bishops a week or so ago (mirodine, firefly plastics, and aquadream gold spoon) I fished the eastern side of the mangroves. I managed to get a shortstrike on the sppon, so I knew that they were around. I've always found it a mystery on how they shortstrike a gold spoon. Couple few more casts later I managed to get on this guy.
With the skunk off the boat I was feeling that the trip was already worthwhile and settled in for a bit of eco-tourism and paddled out towards the island in the middle. With several spoonbills, pelicans, and storks on the island it smelt like a rookery should.
Regardless I took a couple photos of the island and birds...
With the incoming tide I saw some water action around the power lines and managed to snipe another red. This guy had the same pattern - short strike and on cast number two hammer the spoon. Seemed the spoon around 10/11 am was the ticket.
Fishing the western side now I saw some good mullet action and put the camera away and decided to switch to the riptide firefly pattern. I picked up a trout, but it being small and seeing more action in the water I skipped the photo. I cast again and hooked up on a decent red. In relatively open water I didn't bother throwing out anchor. Reeling him in I saw that a second red was trying to get to the plastic lure and kept swiping at the mouth of the red. The second red was a bit bigger and gave me the grand idea of going for two reds. Nearing boatside I was trying to figure out how to get a cast off and realized that effort wasn't going to happen. I grabbed my second rod with the Aquadream spoon on it and tried to jig it near red #1. Red #2 took a swipe at the spon and missed. On the second pass he didn't miss - course this was close enough to red number #1 that red #1 took off. With red #1 on the starboard side and red #2 on the port side the Perico Bayou sleigh ride was on - I needed a third hand to cast off anchor, but that sure as hell wasn't going to happen.
Heading for open water (and feeling a bit like Aquaman) I was being pulled back towards the island. Both fish seemed perfectly content pulling about 15 degrees off the bow, and there wasn't much to do but hang on. After a while red #1 was pretty worn out and I managed to take that rod and just put it between my legs and hang on. Red #2 eventually came around and threw in the towel. I knew I had to get a picture of this, but it was a bit off work. I held both rods with my right hand and shot the photos lefty (not my good hand). Fortunately everything worked out and I manged to get this photo.
Laughing out loudly for several minutes, I measured the "girls" out and they were sent back to grow up a bit more.
I laughed some more about the situation and after a while I decided to call it a day. I hit the beach had several brews and brought the family up to speed on the double hook up.
I took a couple more photos, had several rounds of beer, and rounded out the day with a great sunset.
price tag.