OK well it might not have been INSANE but it was very good :) Alright on with the report.. lol

I really intended to get out earlier but my travel plans got messed up going home Friday night. Ended up getting on the water about 9am saturday and the sky was actually looking like it was trying to clear up. Wanted to stay kindof close to home though so DB got the nod. Ive been thinking about trying a rod that was more suited for bluegill fishing to see what catching some decent sized reds would be like (sounded like fun to me) so I got a 1000 class reel and a 6' St. Croix rod with some 8lb braid. I was able to get 150yrds of braid on my reel. I started off throwing the trusty spook jr. in bone. The rod is really like a noodle but I'm tellin ya, I LIKE IT!

So I launched from State Street about 9am and the water was just about as high as I've seen it and the water continued to come in slowly all day by the time I got back to the truck the water was all the way up past the pavement on State Street. I made my way south on the trail and decided to try a few spots near the kayak launch at Double Branch park where a guy I met out there told me he got on some snook, got a few small pops but nothing much else. The trail just wraps around to the main trail so no biggie, nothing ventured, nothing gained. I continued on down the trail casting all the way. Didnt really get any action until I got back towards the back of the park. There is a trail that I like to fish kindof towards the back of the park that is kindof a loop that I do. I will work an area for a little while and then move on to the next mangrove island and so on. Sometimes I will go around the loop a few times. This time of year, there is normally plenty of water back there to fish especially in a kayak.

So I made my way back to the area I like to fish and just as soon as I entered the area thru the narrow trail I made my first cast about 30yrds or so about 5' from the mangrove edge and got my first good sized blowup and a miss. But that just told me this could be a good day. I continued on around the perimeter for another 10min or so and I hooked up with a decent snook, had him on for maybe 30seconds until he spat the hook back at me. He swam right by my kayak, I'm guessing around 20". Anyways, I lost em. I just kept on moving. About 10 minutes later I got a nice hookup again, this time it was a 22" red on the bluegill rod! :excited001: Man that was REALLY fun.. Got the 1000 reel squeelin pretty good and that rod looked like a pretzle.. lol I got him in a snapped a pic.






I made my way back to the southern most part of DB almost all the way to the east. I started working my way up the trail towards the mouth of DB and got a few nice blowups/misses at the first mangrove island. Tried to cast back out to the miss but no follow up strikes. Kept heading west and caught a nice little Jack.



I continued up the trail to a massive oyster bar. I came in from the east side and peppered the shallow areas close to the mangoves and picked up a nice 20 red.
Oh man, this rod is a lot of fun!!


At this point I decided I'd head back to the area where I got lost the snook and work it again so I headed back. This time at a different island I got hit by another snook and the same exact thing happened as the first but this one spit the hook a little quicker. Two lost snook.. bummer.. Now that I've thought about it I think it may partially be the rod to blame and my inexperience with it. With a rod as pliable as this thing is, ya gotta really give it a good yank to put any pressure on the hook for those snooks tough mouths. When throwing top water I just let the fish take the lure for a couple seconds before I try to set the hook to make sure they have it. OK back to the fishin.

By this time it had been slightly raining for a while and the wind was picking up a bit but nothing unbarable. Actually it was really nice. Very comfortable but the bite seemed like it was slowing down so I thought I'd try throwing something with a little more rattle to it since there was a slight chop and the water was very murky. In the "best lures" article I saw a few reccomend the she dog so I tied one on my other rod and threw it for a while. Got some blowups but to me that lure is a little on the heavy side and when trying to cast approx 60/70yrds all day the wrist was getting a little sore, it was around 1pm or so by this point so I might have been getting a little tired. maybe I throw the lure too hard I donno but I switched back to the spook. I did just pick up the she pup which is a little smaller but the same sonic range (pretty loud compared to the spook jr. imo)

So I switch back to the spook and a few minutes later I have another 22" red on. Smile for the camera!



Few more casts and got a nice fat little Jack. Got 4 Jacks in total.



I got one more smaller red, about 17" or so about 20min later.



I also caught a few ladyfish here and there. I think this was one of the best days I've had at DB in quite a while. Quality fish and a few missed snook.
Didnt mind the rain one bit. Actually it was refreshing. Never really did start coming down too hard but I had my rain jacket so I didn't care. I'll fish in the rain any day.

I called it a day about 4pm. I was pretty soggy but man, what an absolute blast! :thumbsup:


Get Some!!

sounds like a fun day and quite a good report...I like fishing with real light stuff as well but unless the roe is light and a little stiffer I dont much like throwing jigs or topwater with them...I like noodles and live bait..just my preference...And I very much agree with the giving the snook a real good whack when they hit topwater. I sort of like fishing in the rain as well but I always have my huge straw hat on and I like the frogg toggs, they feel cool in the rain but not wet....just a suggestion.(only the jacket is good i like the rain on my legs...) I know you didn't ask but i figured I would throw it in there...LOL....I have never fished the DB area, I don't have a yak yet...I want to hit that area though, It sounds good most of the year and there have been many good reports from there , including this one...sounds fun.

Yeah its a pretty nice place. I like it because its really close and I like fishing back in the mangrove trails. It's really nice back there. I hope to hit Cockroach more this summer. That place looks really fishy. Been there a few times this year.

Hit me up some time and ill show ya around DB.

sounds good :thumbsup:

That tackle is giving those fish a heck of a chance to get away. That must be a good challenge on tackle that light.

Floridakey wrote:
That 1000 cllass reel has 7lbs of drag and I think 8lb test braid is plenty strong. I've fished DB a lot over the past year and the largest fish I caught back there was a 29" snook. The only thing is with a rod that flexible u can't control them very well. It does make them seem to fight harder that's for sure. I'm gonna give it another go Saturday I think. :)

Nice report. I wish I could learn how to use that damn lure lol .

Cockroach bay is my favorite place for reds . My biggest red was caught there.

Nice report. Sounds like a great day. Light line and rods are my preference too, especially on the flats. I am too much of a wus to throw the spook jr. on 8# braid and a 1000 reel, especially near the mangroves. My luck and i would hook my npb snook and she would school me in the groves. Besides, those spooks are too valuable to lose.

Yeah I hear ya :) So far the biggest fish I've caught back there was a 29" snook. Got a 27" snook on it today and man was it fun. =)))

Was that 29" on the light action rod, 1000 reel and 8# braid? If so, you got mad angling skills.

bassin assassin wrote: .

No, I got that one this past winter. The only thing I have is dumb luck :).