As my frustration peaked, I began to think about options (no, I mean fishing options!) My combat patience had worn thin. Each boat out there had a perfect right to be there and while I am sure they did not catch many fish, it was, after all, a perfect day, and for the many of them that only get to fish a couple of times a year, I am sure they had a ball.
The last two hours of the outgoing tide and first hour of the incoming tide are almost always the best fishing hours for me. The tide was headed out and I had about two hours left to the low slack. I decided to head inshore to the ICW and some estuary creeks. It was almost noon, and the high sun would be warming the exposed and shallow water mud flats, meaning the fish would be headed there when the tide changed. I should have known better…
As I headed north in the ICW I pulled around a bend to head into the first creek. At the mouth were three flats boats – poling platforms, Power Poles, trolling motors, all the right stuff. One was at the north edge of the mouth, one was at the south edge of the mouth and one had his Power Pole sunk into the bottom right in the middle of the mouth. I dropped my trolling motor and eased between them to get into the creek. The fish I had in mind were toward the back of this creek about three quarters of a mile away. Rather than disturb the fishing for the previous three boats, I trolled my way back. When I rounded the last bend, here sat – you guessed it – another three boats.
I could go on and on about the number of creeks I tried to fish and the number of boats I found already fishing, but by now, you get the picture. This was not a day meant for me to fish – at least fish where I thought I could find some fish. I even had one “professional” looking angler tell me – actually yell at me - to stay out of the creek he had so conveniently parked his boat at. “These fish are mine…” I believe there were some other words he spouted, but this is a family site… I left him to “his fish”.
Lots of people locally know me – they know my boat and they know I tend to be able to catch fish. I have had multiple boats follow me around on a day of fishing more than occasionally. Over the past thirteen years I have written over 1000 articles on fishing – how I fish and where I fish. I guess it should not come as a shock that every place I tried to fish this day had someone already fishing there.
I said at the beginning, I fish during the week. It’s been a long time since I went to fight the battle of the boat ramp on the weekend. Even ten years ago I would not have seen all the boats I saw this day. The water is getting more crowded, and that is certainly having an effect on the fish.
We had fish for dinner New Year’s Eve. I grilled some fresh mahi mahi to go with my wife’s wonderful sauce. Did I finally find some fish? You betcha! $6.99 a pound at Safe Harbor fish market… And no combat required! The fellow ahead of me in line at the market turned around and saw me. "Hey, didn't I see you back up in Hairpin Creek?"...
