Went out with Dave (stormy) on Sunday. Wanted to try a new area to us so we launched at the Desoto ramp around 7:15am. We headed straight across the channel into the Shell Key preserve south of Sister Key. That place has lush grass and some sandy potholes. I started off with a Super spook Jr. in bone and Dave was using a popping cork with a a DOA shrimp in clear/gold flake. At 7:38am, I caught a small 8 inch trout. Dave caught a 17" trout at 7:45am. Ten minutes later a 20" trout crushed my lure. At 8:02am, Dave caught an 8 incher. Three minutes later he caught a 12" trout that had a spinal deformity. He really started to put it to me with this presentation. I switched to a 3" RT mullet in shadflash but it seemed they wanted noise like the popping cork or topwater clicking in order to bite. One minute later he catches a 17" trout. At 8:09am he catches a trout just over 16". Another 17" trout for him at 8:15am.

We headed up and to the west of Sawyer Key. We saw some fish moving but couldn't seem to hook up. We went all the way around and back to work docks. We worked a bunch of docks and many of them were loaded with mullet. Finally, I caught a 15" flounder on the RT 4" shadflash worked on the bottom at 9:28am. Docks were not paying off so headed back to the ramp to get the net and my food. We were going to try and work the bridge but the current was running to fast. Some jagoff who was trying to catch bait cut right in front of us and we had to maneuver to avoid him. We began to work the east side of Madelaine Key. Nothing happening so we drifted towards Conception Key. At 11am, I caught an 8" trout on the RT 3" mullet in smoke/gold halo. Six minutes later I caught an 11" trout. Dave hooked up with a 17" trout on the popping cork w/ shrimp at 11:22am. Three minutes later he caught a 15" trout. At 11:30am, an 11" trout succumbed to his lure. At 12:10am, I caught a 15" trout on the smoke/gold halo. At 12:43am, Dave caught a 10" trout. Another 16" trout for him at 1:10pm. Three minutes later a 15" trout for him.

By now we had circled Conception Key which was eat up with mullet. No strikes there so we headed back under the bridge and up to the east side of Summer Resort Key. This area was really nice with a good sand and grass mix. I switched to a 3" mullet in redfish color and caught a nice redfish just shy of 18" at 1:40pm. Four minutes later I threw out and was almost to the boat with the lure and I saw a good redfish following it and inhale it. My drag began screaming and it felt like a good fish. She gave me a great fight all around the boat and I slipped her in the net. She measured 24 3/4". I should have taken a pic. We continued on and circled Sawyer key again. We got near the end and began to drift with the wind towards Listen key. We were coming across some good potholes. Before we got to the channel, I was swimming my 3" mullet through a pothole and felt a solid strike. Set the hook and a decent snook came up and spit my lure. First time ever getting a snook strike on a flat. No more strikes so we decided to head up to Mullet Key Bayou. We worked the western end and drifted forever but got no strikes. By now the water was really dropping and we tried back under the bridge but the water was so shallow it made fishing difficult. It had been a long day so we headed in. That area sure is nice and overall the quality of trout were very good. It was a good day and lots of fun.

Excellent detail. What is interesting to me is the general size of your trout. Me, Captain Mike Cole, and Captain David went fishing the other day on Anclotte. It was incredible out there. Long story short, it took time and hard work to get bait, and it was daylight by time we started fishing, you often cannot get bait there after sunrise, the water is so clear.

The first hole we hit - the southeast corner of the key - was filled with trout. After a dozen I started throwing a spoon, they were that thick.

But the size? The small ones were 18". The average were 24" and there were 28"er in the mix. They were thick, heavy, and yellow-mouthed.

But thanks. Good story. Anytime out there is worth the effort, it is so magical. And time on the water is skills piling up in your knowledge library. It is what makes the good angers as good as they are. Not the days they slam 100 snook and do not keep or kill a single one. It is a compilation of days you do not catch fish and the days you catch a ton of them.

I think the bigger ones are in the passes and off the beach maybe? I don't know Gary, but they still had a helluva day. Catching fish all day is fun, doesn't matter the size...although the big fish are definitely a teeny more fun to fight lol
Thanks Dave. You guys slay em no matter where you go, it doesn't matter :thumbsup:

I normally fish on the flats near Little CRB and the average trout is smaller for me. Way more 8-10" trout usually so i thought the size was pretty good from my experience. We had a pretty good day for our first time. To me it's all about eliminating areas that don't produce and focusing on areas that have produced in the past. Fishing live bait might make for better quality fish being caught but who knows.

Sure sounds like a good day to me, Dave! Action all day can't be beat. :)