Just back home from about 6 weeks of bumming around along the salty shoreline of the Gulf in both FL and AL. Winter fishing in Michigan was a complete bust this year, along with any other cold weather outdoor sports, so it was time to make the Southbound journey and leave things behind until Spring. While fishing was always an important part of most days, there was plenty of other side attractions to keep occupied with.

A highlight of the time away was to get a free personalized tour of the Gulf Shores Fish Hatchery located near the local airport on the North side of the inter-coastal waterway adjacent to Route 59. They specialize in raising pompano, redfish, flounder and speckled sea trout. Very cool, and well worth the time spent to learn more about these popular species!

Since we were going to be gone a while it made sense to procure a non-resident annual pair of saltwater angling licenses for both States...that way I could fish anytime the chance arose without worrying about a short term license expiration. Sometimes the water was barren, and other times you just so happened to arrive during a feeding frenzy! Those were the best of times!

My usual approach was to throw various lure types, both top water and under the waves, to temp fish into a bite. Bait lines in the surf worked well too when there was more time to hang around and enjoy the beaches. My favorite fishing memory of the trip was in having a large fish yank one of my surf rods into the ocean while I had my back turned to make a cast with a second rod while fishing from a seawall. The bait, being half of a small "cigar" mullet, had just been tossed out about 125' during a slack tide. Within a minute of hitting bottom, something grabbed it and all I heard was the clank of my rig hitting the handrail as the rod appeared to have been shot out of a circus cannon and launched into the emerald blue waters in front of me. Bugger...that was an expensive bit of entertainment! Shame on me for not having checked the drag setting since this particular reel does not have a "bait runner" setting.

About a half hour later, after deploying another bait rod, I hooked a small red snapper and while reeling the fish in I noticed the yellow braided line of my original rod coming in as a tangled ribbon gracefully wrapped around this new fish! The other rod eventually made it's presence known and a nearby angler assisted me in getting the whole mess safely back onto shore from the depths of the inlet. Boy was I happy! The 20 pound fluorocarbon leader was cut clean off well above where the hook had been.

You never know what kind of fish is out there waiting to find your hook. Big or small, the thrill is still the same! I had numerous fish "break off"...some even pulling me down the boardwalk as I tightened up the drag and tried to manage the fury while putting my back into a reverse curve and hold my ground. Those instances go down in your memory banks as future "tall tales"....

I hope you enjoy the following snapshots!

Started the same as the previous day except the bay reminded me more of the SF Bay, windy and a bit angry, settled down to glass after lunch. Bait was quicker and headed to the closer reef vs. the sea mounts. Got there and just like the day before, instant hook ups and fish. After 1 1/2 hours it slows down and the hook ups are here and there. We are all getting better at handling the rods and fighting the fish which means fewer lost fish, but it still happens. I didn’t mention that we rotate boat members, so we all have a chance to fish with one another and the different captains. Each boat did well, not limits, but the fish landed on average were larger. Dinner tonight was Bonita ceviche and sashimi with grouper cooked by the chef’s choice, wow is all I can say. I didn’t take a lot of pics ( more vids) but you’ll get the idea. One more day…..

Good Friday morning! Another week in the books. Hey, it's National Shrimp Day. Have them buttered, battered, breaded, boiled, baked, or bbq'd.. they're just yummy!!

50° now, only to raise to about 52° with all day rain. It seems like we're going backwards...

A couple of furnace service calls this morning and I'm calling it a week. I've got a desk full of paperwork that needs to be caught up on, so that's how I'll spend my afternoon.

*****

Emergency Repair Kit

Josh was helping Sally, clean out the trunk of her car. Inside, he noticed a bag labeled "Emergency Repair Kit". Looking at it a little closer, he noticed a stick of dynamite inside.

Thinking that was a bit strange, he asked Sally what it was for.

She said, "It's part of my emergency repair kit."

Josh said, "I can see that, but why?"

Sally replied, "In case I have a flat and need to blow up one of my tires."

**Bonus Groaner**

Chemical Formula

TEACHER: What is the chemical formula for water?

SARAH: "HIJKLMNO"!

TEACHER: What are you talking about?

SARAH: Yesterday you said its H to O!


Have a great day folks! 😊