Corpusfishing.com

[Prof. Salt]

Saturday morning I launched the Stealth Fusion dark and early under starry skies, into a river I had never fished. According to Google maps I had a 3.5 mile paddle downriver to get to my target marsh at daylight. I found the launch site, walked ahead in the grass to make sure the potholes I could see wouldn’t swallow my truck, then got the kayak into the water. The muddy bank was rough and uneven, but I managed to get the gear all loaded. I looked around the immediate area with headlight shining, looking for any obstructions. There was one gator across the river but he wasn't moving any closer so I carried on getting all the gear stowed. On the way down river, there was just enough starlight to differentiate shore from water but details were nearly impossible to see. I paddled down the middle of the river because this one is known for its healthy population of alligators. They won’t usually bother people, but if startled they tend to sound like a bomb going off as they run away. As I was moving along a gator charged off the brushy shoreline and into the water. I had already passed that spot, but lizard boy realized something was moving in the river and he decided to head for the safety of deep water. The sudden commotion made me smile, knowing that nature was relatively undisturbed in this little part of the world. A few minutes later another one charged into the water from the other shoreline ...well behind me again. They must be sleeping and I’m waking them as I pass. Then a few minutes farther along I noticed a log I was about to pass very close to the right side of the kayak. As I coasted closer I began to see it better and I raised that paddle blade higher to make sure not to touch it. As it passed within three feet of the kayak I could see it was a huge gator head. I can only assume it was sleeping on the surface. I was glad that my kayak glides quietly, and I held still as momentum carried the boat past the dark shape. Finally clear, I quietly began to paddle past what must have been a very sound sleeper. My camera takes good night time shots, so I attempted to get a photo of the river ahead. It wasn't as bright as the photo shows, but then again it wouldn't be a very informative photo if it was accurate to what I was seeing at that point.


By the time there was enough light to recognize fish activity, I had covered the three miles and arrived at the shortcut I had identified on Google maps. Water was coming out of the marsh and a few trout were popping baitfish on the surface. I made a cast and hooked one, but it shook the hooks as it jumped clear of the water. Then a small gator popped up near where my fish had jumped. He looked at me and eased away down the shoreline. Sorry dude, I just need to get through. I moved ahead into the narrow corridor that I hoped would lead me into a big lake system. The grasses were too high to confirm what was ahead, so I kept moving farther than I expected, around bends and corners as the pass got more and more narrow. For a bit I was paddling the grass on either side, but it quickly began to open up until I finally rounded the last corner and came to the lake.


The water just off the shoreline 30 feet ahead had a redfish back cruising around as it hunted for breakfast. It took a couple of casts for me to get the bait where the fish could see it, but just like that I had fish number one. I pushed ten yards ahead and saw several more fish within casting range. I sat and waited for the right visual to make sure where my target’s head was pointing. One cast and “boom!” fish two was aboard. Fish three didn't even require me to move. As I was cleaning up the bait on the hook, I noticed another red just ahead of the boat, moving to the side. A gentle flick put the bait in its sights and the undersized fish came aboard and was released. I worked down farther and spooked several more unseen fish before turning to work a different shoreline around the corner. As I paddled, a back suddenly appeared beside me 20 feet away. Not one to turn down a volunteer, I put the bait out ahead of the fish. He struck hard and fish three came to the boat. I got a photo and opened the hatch lid. As I moved the fish into the hatch, it suddenly jumped …right out of the boat. 😆


I worked the rest of that cove and lost another fish that struck but missed the hook. Finally I decided to head back to the river and check another lake system on the other side. It was almost a mile down before I got to the bay and could turn towards the new target area. As I began paddling into this area, I could see that water was pushing out with the dropping tide. That helped me follow the main flow towards the back. There were lots of offshoots, and I tried to keep a mental map of where I was going. As I came around a corner, there was a seven foot alligator beached partly out of the water, and a beautiful 10 footer up on shore. The smaller lizard immediately began backpedaling into deeper water, and the big one shoved itself forward until it too disappeared under the surface. The pass there was only about 20 feet wide, so I gently paddled right over them as they rested on bottom. When I got to the larger lake it looked ideal. It was wide, long and shallow all over. The sun was higher by now, but I kept searching for fish as I made my way around the lake. I found several fish, but they either spooked or missed the baits. Quite a few large fish were sleeping when I came over them with the kayak, sending them bolting across the lake and scaring other fish. Oh well, at least I was exploring and mapping out a new area.

On the way out the tide had stopped flowing, so it was a bit tricky figuring out what turns to take. I turned down one lane and got half a mile before it ended and I realized I was off the track. I got out and stood on the shore, but the bushes and grasses were too tall and it was impossible to get the lay of the land from my vantage point. There was no cell service, so Google maps just mocked me when I tried to pull it up. I considered my dwindling water supply and calmly backtracked, taking the other option. It finally opened up a bit and I knew I was back on the right track to get out. By the time I got back to the river mouth it was late morning and I was ready to head for home. The 3.5 mile paddle up the river was nice, with several more gators seen and a redfish that I nearly caught as it worked along a muddy stretch of the river bank. By the time I got back to the truck I was worn out and ready for lunch. This wasn't the kind of area most folks would want to explore, but that is exactly what attracted me to take a look. The number of gators was an indication that not too many people disturb this stretch of water - and that keeps me interested. I think I'll visit again later.

[awesum]

Great trip Glenn.

Meanwhile I'll probably watch one of your old BTB vids today

[ziacatcher]

Good job is always, Glenn! Love the expression on your face in the last picture.

[Prof. Salt]