They Bit HARD today...Reds/Trout 2-4-13

I am sure everybody is pretty aware of how solid the St Simons fishing has been this fall and right up until today. The mild winter and clear water probably have a good deal to do with the great fishing. While we have had some great trips this past week and all winter in general, today was exceptional.  I met Orren at the dock this morning, and he had red fish on his mind. Orren had one day left on Army leave and it was now or never. With some nice low water we decided to check an area I hadn’t visited in about two years…and they were there…in spades. Problem was, they were super spooky. We picked off a few, broke off a few and scared a few. We talked about checking spots for some more user friendly spot tails but decided “you don’t leave fish to find fish”. A few minor adjustments and it was instant carnage! They depleted all of our minnows and Gulps for nearly three hours. My best guess is that we had two huge schools of year classes as the fish were either in the 22-23” range or 26-28” range. As the bite slowed and time was nearly out I figured what the heck, we’d try a few trout drops. Most of you know I love to plug for trout, and Orren being a pretty seasoned fisherman both salt and fresh, was all over it. With 30 or 40 cast, jerks and twitches of the fabled Bomber Long A, and no results, I was about to pack it in when Orren connects on a good one. Mission accomplished. As we headed back to the ramp, I just had to check “one more spot”…right? Armed with the trusty DOA’s, Orren and I went to work. I don’t think a cast lasted more than 15 seconds. The trout were absolutely shredding the plastic shrimp. With mere shreads of the DOA’s hanging on the hook and the cooler full, we headed back to the ramp. I guess all things happen for a reason. When Orren called me a couple of days to schedule for today, I had just hung up the phone with one of my regulars who had to go on call, leaving the door open for Orren. Call it karma or whatever, Orren, you are a fishing machine and I had a blast!