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bd0202 · Posted: Sun Sep 08, 2019 10:33 am Post subject: PINS 9/7-9/8

Went down PINS for the first time in months because I really needed to get away. I packed everything - fishing, body board, and even something to sleep on.

I've been wanting to do an overnight trip for some time now, but with the dry conditions throughout the summer I was afraid it would be too tough to drive. Then TS Fernand washed water to the dunes and I knew it was going to be nice driving for a while, so now was my time to pounce, fresh fishing license in hand. Hit the sticks right at the peak of low tide.

I was not disappointed by the driving at all at first - very smooth all the way to the 15mm at least. So good in fact, I wondered if I could make it all the way to Mansfield or at least to the Nicaragua in my 2WD...then I came to the 20mm. Lot narrower beach and a lot softer stuff to try and get through. Further complicating things was still quite a few day trippers and campers parked right in the low road where it was obvious the high tide line had been the previous night. It started to get a little challenging for me getting around some of them, but it might have been easier on a 4WD. Luckily, I made it past the 30mm and things started to widen out and smooth out again. I found a perfect spot about 33 miles down where I could see high tide was not going to bother my truck, it was packed enough up by the dunes, and still allowed enough of a high road for traffic overnight.

Wind was very light out of the SE, maybe 5 kts - though it steadily picked up into the afternoon. Water quality was very nice, trace of green but mostly blue and could almost see bottom after you got passed the grass. However, there was a huge bed of sea grass (not weed) just sitting and churning in the first gut. Waves were pretty flat calm, no good for boarding. Sad

I tried different varieties of Fish Bites on my 8ft and 10.5ft rigs. I caught a nice whiting on the 10, chopped him up and cast him back out in pieces - hardhead after hardhead. I decided to stop using the cut bait and try different arrangement os Fishbites on both rigs again. A lot of silence, used my 6.7ft to start fishing dead shrimp for bait, nothing but hardheads either. For nearly 3 hours, I saw a frenzy of birds running up and down my area chasing a huge school of something, but there was no way I could walk, swim, or even cast that far out. I despeartely wanted to get live bait though, but I wasn't seeing anything in the first or second gut that I could net. Luckily, my 8ft went off and I caught a small whiting just perfect for bait size - hooked him up on my 10ft on a homemade redfish rig. Nothing, nada, zilch. In fact, he was still very much alive when I called it a day, so he got a free pass even with a hole in his back (haha).

Regardless of the fishing, I had a wonderful trip. Enjoyed the rest of the evening sitting in the beautiful sunset, drinking a few brews, and listening to my satellite radio with ZERO cell service to break the peace. Made camp in the bed of the truck. Slept fairly well. Saw stars I hadn't seen since my last camping trip here. Woke up right at high tide and water didn't even make it to the previous night's mark. Back to sleep until I started getting lightly drizzled on. Stopped after 5 minutes or so, back to sleep again.

5am rolled around and I was awoken by lightning to the north. Not sure which direction the storm was headed, I decided to pack it in; wasn't about to get zapped. Driving north was about the same; a bit rough from the 30 to 20, especially with one particular camp right smack dab in the only low road available! UGH. Made it through the soft stuff by whipping around their camp at legal speed letting my Hemi growl at them - hopefully I woke em up! Laughing

Well, turns out I got back to the city and saw the storm had come through here and didn't go south. I would've been fine staying. Ah well, I still had a nice trip still, and it was just what I needed after not having been out in a while. I need to invest in some new camping gear though. Really get on my game with that.
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All things will pass. Have a Blessed day.

ratherbefishing · Posted: Sun Sep 08, 2019 11:50 am Post subject:

Thanks for the report. Sometimes, you just have to get away and enjoy the peace...
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ratherbefishing · Posted: Sun Sep 08, 2019 1:04 pm Post subject:

moved this post to the correct subject. Sorry
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Jetty Rat · Posted: Sun Sep 08, 2019 9:17 pm Post subject:

Well its always good to get out of the house and enjoy some Island time, wierd that you coudn't find any bait though, went down to about the 30 with my dad on Saturday to test the off-road capabilities of his subaru and do a little fishing, didn't catch any thing to write home about, but at every spot we stopped at, there were finger and pony mullet running through the first gut.

bd0202 · Posted: Mon Sep 09, 2019 4:09 pm Post subject:

Vern · Posted: Tue Sep 10, 2019 8:56 pm Post subject:

Well BD glad to hear how it is down there. Planning on going for a Thur or Friday thru Sunday trip this week and wondered what it was like.

I have never understood people that drive down on the only really passable road stop right in the middle of the road and either set up camp or start fishing like they are the only ones in the world that matter and every one else can just go to .....well you get the idea.

I do know after talking to a ranger or two and the people at Malaquite that they sometimes make them move when they find them.

Heck 2 months ago some idiot pulled a couple of 10 foot logs straight out from in front of his camp at the dunes right across the road thinking that would slow people down not realizing someone not paying attention might hit it and fly right into his camp.

Another did it by diging a ditch the same way....whatcha gonna do?
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Whatever your hands find to do, do it with all your might. (Fishing is one of those things Wink

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