I went out this morning to fish the Lynnhaven Inlet. It was sunny and getting hot fast. The tide was starting to come in, but the current was still fighting and pushing out to the bay.I started beneath the Shore Dr. Bridge and moved down the channel. I threw some split shots above a fancy modified wooly bugger, and pulled it across the bottom of a pool next to the channel for boats to drive through. And then it came, a delicate tug. I raised my arm, felt the tremor, and I pulled my line. The smooth scales of the sandy colored flounder eased out of the water. I took a few pictures (and accidental video) and let the fish swim away. Honestly, I've never felt a fish with such a soft body.
I stood up and laughed out loud. I guess out of happiness as well as relief. It just feels so good to catch a fish after searching so hard. I know I can catch a fish in a Minnesota lake. I am confident in that. Moving to such a foreign ecosystem pushed doubts of catching a fish into my mind, that were relieved by this small flounder. Thank you, Flounder.
One thing I have noticed, there is so much wild life to see, I saw tons of crabs: blue, hermit and ghost. The crabs and birds are usually alive, but many of the other amazing things I see, unfortunately are dead and washed up on shore.
Some of the beautiful but, unfortunately, dead things I have seen: horseshoe crabs, a spider crab, a gorgeous Diamondback Terrapin.
sorry, this is blurry
And just so we don't end this post on a macabre note focussing on the dead, If you head over to Owl Jones' Place and reply to his Friday Fish Sticks post that "Fish Sticks Rock!" he will send you a free Owl Jones decal. Not to shabby if you ask me.Have a great weekend!
Nice! Flounder can be hard to catch in Virginia , especially keeper size. It has gotten better over the last few years.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on getting a fish so fast after the move :)
J - Thanks! Your "surf fishing for beginners" column was definitely a help even though I haven't bought any gear for actual surf fishing. I think I need to get better at timing the tides/currents... but like you said in your "when to fish" post, if you can go, just go, no matter when it is.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on your first catch from the brine!
ReplyDeleteVery sad about the terrapin. It takes along time to grow an adult female turtle like that, and the chances of one actually surviving to adulthood are pretty slim. It looks a bit like she has a serious laceration to her carapace across the 4th vertebral scute. Maybe I'm just seeing things, but maybe she was a hit by a boat propeller. Sad.
Jay- your are absolutely right. I didn't point it out but she was definitely hit there. I assume that's what killed her but who knows. Sad for sure.
ReplyDeleteI did use you book though to read about the diamonback terrapin. Thanks again for that!
d.nash -- Huzzah!!! I knew it wouldn't take you long ;)
ReplyDeleteGlad you got the monkey off your back...well done!
ReplyDeleteCoNGRatS! That flounder is one freaky-deaky looking, two eyes up kinda fish, is it not? However, it is just about my favorite fish on a plate. Glad you got one and thanks for the help on the decals. got up to about 7 or 8 to send out. I guess people can't even afford "free" these days?! ;)
ReplyDeleteAlright...now we want to see a tarpon. :)
e - I might have to start calling you Tobias with that "huzzah" exclamation :)
ReplyDeletesanders -The monkey has left the building.
owl - They are amazing fish, for sure. As far as tarpon goes, I'm sure my 5wt can handle that, right?
d.nash - comes from reading way too many British novels as a kid. ;)
ReplyDeleteYou must have had an attention span I never could muster. I was too scatterbrained to focus on anything in Modern English.
ReplyDeleteNice work, man. There's going to be plenty of fun from the adventures in a new place. Drop me a line sometime - I can give you some beta on some of the places I used to fish when I lived in that part of the world. -R
ReplyDeleteGreat job! I really like the blog, too. I'll be following.
ReplyDelete