Halibut Speak

Explore Love this Week! Monday: Read Leviticus 19:18

Monday: Read Leviticus 19:18 “You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against any of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.” 

Think today about any people for whom you have hard or negative feelings.  Who tends to irritate you?  Who do you avoid?  Why do they get to you?  What can they teach you?  What is their gift to you? Take a moment to close your eyes and visualize these people if it is not too painful) and pray love and forgiveness into their lives. You don’t have to initiate contact.  It is enough for now just to send love in your heart.

A Week of firsts!!!

Well, I’m not sure if this is the end of a week or the beginning of another???? On the roof was the first of the Western Bluebirds I’ve seen this spring. A pair to be more truthful. Beautiful.

first bullbats, now grackles

first bullbats, now grackles. Here is a first of the year… a flock of Boattail Grackles was at the park this morning. My dog Abigail didn’t take too much notice but it wasn’t considered food for her, but she would have gone and played with them. The coastal spring is in the sproing mode now. The water is still too turbid for near shore flattie fishing. Big wind and swell will keep those beauties outside for a while. Haven’t heard from anyone at the local club about perch either. Some interest in bass fishing though. No report…

We did a casting clinic the last two weeks and it was good to work with some folks on mechanics. I am a firm believer in the basic mechanics of the cast and try to work with folks to “get back to basics” when they are out of sync with their FIVEs. Angle, Rhythm, Timing, Power Application, and Stop Discipline.

The first of the Bullbats

Well. The first of the Bullbats came drifting into the house yesterday. Ginger craneflies to you Maybe yours are out now too. The real spring to me. AND the begining of seeing a ocean full of sheep (whitecaps) out front. The wind may keep the ocean temps down. Keeping the halibut outside. Groan! Just got a cool calendar that gives up every moon phase. The perfect fish diagnostic tool for the surf.

Palm springs vacating must do. Eat at Sherman’s Deli. THE BEST THIS NEW YORK LAD has eaten. Even NYC doesn’t come close. Tyler’s burgers are good but the fries are just so so. There you have the culinary part. Absolutely no fishing. Which is ok for this trip, it’s down to fish the Gulf next month!!!!!

There may be stealies on the creeks

There are be stealies on the creeks!!! A good informant tells Mehe has seen some(Juvenals) caught on the creeks n of Cambria. ALSO!!!!! he as been checked for license, stealie tag, and BARBLESS HOOKS!!!! So have some finfun but be smart out there

Back to Miami Burrrrrr!!!!

Back to Miami Burrrrrr!!!! Great cruise. St Kitts had my only fish of the trip. Will post pics when back in AG. 36* in Miami now. Ttfn

Well,we’ve been on this cruise since the 1st. Samana. Tortola. And now we just left Antigua. We did beach shore excursions at each. All were not surf fishable. Saw very few fish,didn’t even unwrap the rod I carried to each beach. Probably wrong time of year or we signed up for the wrong excursion???? Did find some shells,coral went swimming and drank a bunch of rummmm ymmmm. Off to Barbados tomorrow and then to St Kitts. Tortla was my favorite so far. The Everglades were great for bird watching @ 80 mph. Will keep you up when I can.

Seminole Florida fishing

Well, this part of Florida is a lot like and a lot not like the Panhandle.

A fella, I failed to get his name, at “Sabala Boat Works” (very friendly,helpful folk!!!!)let me in on two “good” fishing spots. He pulled out a water map and showed me Millennium Park and Bay Pines War Memorial Park.  He always uses live shrimp, like most everyone else in Florida. He showed me some pics of his catches, nice red fish and snook.

Tuesday morning, 44 degrees and 20 knot winds from the north

Well, I didn’t really fish Millennium, I tried but the muck was very deep and sticky and I was  a long way from the water, I turned back.

Bay Pines was a different kind of place. In both places, wherever there was grass, submerged or not, it was “sticky.” Getting unstuck was like trying to pull your feet out of almost set epoxy. Where there was no grass it had a firm bottom.  So at Bay Pines I kept mostly to the clear bottom.

The kayak launch site ”bay”  was sheltered from the wind, shallow and I waded out to the left.

He said to get on the outside of the “bar” and there may be some bait to draw the fish in. There was a heavy wind line out by the corner at the bar. There was not shore per se, the mangroves came right down to the water line.

At break time, I spotted a couple of Ladyfish breaking the surface and got all inspired to try some more. Out to the bar I went. Around the corner I spotted a coupled of lunging ladys and then a redfish lunger, but not a bite was to be had by me. Leaned some more about this Florida fishing. I went from a int line with a sink leader to no sink leader and lighter fly. Next will go to a floater and longer leader.

Everywhere the bottom is littered with empty shells of all description, clam, oyster, razors, scallops. Picked up a few live welks just to see if they had anything to eat, nadda. At both of the kayak launch sites there were hoses to clean up with, nice touch, the muck splashed all over my quick dry pants.

8wt scott v2, lamson v2, airflo int line, 10# tippet, beadchain shrimp and beadhead squid flies, annual non-resident fishing license 47.50

Peak Vise, how is it?

Peak Vise appraisal. I like the vise. It had a very precise feel with no moving around the table like some of the other pedestal vises have done to me. As I said before, this is a 5 pound pedestal vise. Formidable. The jaws held my #4 hooks with no slippage. Rotating was a breeze and the ability to move the crank handle up or down the drop bar made for a nice personal adjustment. The finish was made so there was no glare coming off the vise while tying.

I do have some ideas that I would add to the vise:

• somehow to leash the two allen keys so they would not disappear in my overly cluttered tying bench.
• a way of loosening the bobbin rest so it could swing out of the way with just a nudge. (I’m sure it would do this on its own in time)

Now that’s a very small idea list!!!!

Overall the Peak Vise is a very nice vise that is in a price point between the Dan Vise and the Renzetti/Dyna King range of vises. I have used all of these and the Peak is the friendliest of the four. My big gommie hands have always felt tight on the Renzetti and the span from crank lever to jaw on the Dyna Kings was too far for my liking. The Dan and the Peak vises have the proportions the feel comfortable for me. Sounds like the story of the “three bears” and I just like the momma vise???? Oh well, bad joke but a darn good vise.