SHOEFISH, HOLWACHAGOT, & THE CAPTAIN

[HOLWACHAGOT]

Shoefish made plans to fly into town and go Tog fishing with me several weeks ago. As the date grew near the Speckled Trout bite and the Tautog bite really started turning on and excitement was building. I was determined to show Danny some serious Tog and Trout action. The Wednesday before his Friday flight the weather forecast was grim at best and it was too late to cancel flights. Thursday the weather was worse than the forecast called for with wind out of the NW at around 30-35 knots with stronger gust and rain falling as fast as the temperature. I was starting to think the weekend would be ruined. By Friday evening when we were sitting in bumper to bumper traffic trying to get home from the airport, windows down because the Captain was kind enough to drain a cooler full of melted Trout ice in the back seat two days before, I was certain that Danny would have a weekend to remember. The only nice thing about the freezing temps Friday night was it curbed the stench of my car for our ride to the boat Saturday morning.
Friday night we were to go hunting for big Rockfish but were not considering taking the boat out of the creek. It was frigid cold! NW wind still blowing twenty knots if it was blowing at all. Livewell full of beautiful mullet frozen to death. We fished the same areas I had been catching Specks for the previous two weeks over incredible marks only to finally catch one small spike around midnight. Water temp had dropped four degrees in one day and the fish were not biting. There was ice on the car when we decided to quit and go get some sleep hoping the wind would switch and lay down a little. It turned out that our unplanned sleep would be a blessing.
The following morning I woke up startled to see the sun already up and quietly we snuck out of the house without awakening the Captain and having to deal with the consequences of mutiny against a four year old who does not like being left behind when I go fishing. Thankfully the Specks were a little more cooperative Saturday morning as the Sun bumped the water back up to a warm and toasty 52 degrees(it was 49 the night before). The sun shining Saturday was very welcomed even though the wind was still blowing a little. We managed our ten each before 11:00 and even saw a bald eagle on the creek. After our Speck limit we decided to head out and try for a few Togs. I admit I am very spoiled and expected to get a limit of them as well. We waded through throw back Seabass and managed a couple BLT(14"+), a few nice ones, and nine of very handsome Oyester Toads before we were sick of sloshing around in the washing machine on the windward side of the Structure we fished. Off to Gradywhite’s dinner hole we went. After fishing with slocumb all day and catching Trout, Toads, and Togs I was wondering if we were gonna stink up the Surfrider restaurant...any questions about that were quickly answered with the looks we received from every person we came within fifteen feet of. We even got accused of being blowboaters by the waitress. Before Danny could ask her if we looked gay or something he remembered the new hat I was wearing and figured it better left unsaid. After a delicious meal and some serius laughs we decided to head over to the bridge and work the light line for Stripers. We were not the only ones with that idea. We left the crowd and headed for the shallows rather than compete with all the Striper freaks all over the bridge and got right into the fish. While they were very small it was still fun casting to them. I caught twenty nine in about and hour only to get two over 18" long which went in the cooler. Danny caught even more than I did before we got an audience. The next morning we would get two more in the creek just barely over 18".
About the audience, I am sure Danny will bear witness to the triple neck snap that occurred when a BASS BOAT(fresh water type) with three people on board had to motor up within twenty feet of us and basically park, WITH THE MOTOR RUNNING, directly on top of where I had just cast thirty times in a row and caught twenty "Dinks". I don’t think I cast once without getting a bite or hooking a fish, (granted they were small) but we still took the effort to anchor so the fish would stay up and these idiots had to move in. The laughs that followed were well worth the frustration. With the tide getting ready to go slack and an hour of slack low to look forward to we pulled anchor and headed for a less popular spot up the river. More laughs to follow as an hour later I found myself stripped down to my BVD’s to keep my clothes dry and in the water pushing the boat off a sandbar I eased up onto. Danny said he was gonna get the camera out and decided not to when I informed him we could just sit there for the next three hours and wait through slack tide and a couple hours of the incoming until the boat was floating again. DAMN that water was cold! I was gonna head to another spot when Danny said he would not mind getting some sleep and hitting the Trout again in the morning before flying back up to New Hampshire.
The following morning, with the weather much nicer, we ran out of time a few Trout short of our twenty fish limit but did manage to catch a few nice ones. Danny ended the day with a nice Speck that jumped about two feet out of the water. Danny’s big fish ended up weighing 6 pounds 3 ounces and mine weighed 6 pounds 10 ounces. 28 and 28-1/2 inches respectively. All in all we had a great weekend. Had some great laughs and even caught a few fish despite the weather.
The Captain and I went back out Sunday evening for an hour after taking pics of the weekend slaughter and caught six more nice Trout for a night cap. He wants to know who in the hell took the Firetiger off his rod and demands they walk the plank. Thanks for joining me Danny, it was a pleasure. The Captain and I welcome you back any time.

3292
Some pics after the weather changed for the better.

HOLWACHAGOT

[shoefish]

What a weekend I had down in Virginia. I won't soon forget the trip, the laughs, or the smell of Geoff's car . When I first jumped into the car Friday night at the airport, tears just about started streaming down my face....by the end of the weekend though, I didn't even notice it....actually I kind of liked it . I'm not so sure the folks at the restaurant did, however, as they took one look (and smell) at us and put us in the corner table as far away from the others as they can. Still, the smell was a good thing- you can't smell like it if you don't catch it!

The trip was an education for me as we don't have an inshore fishery like the one they have down there, and so it was great to learn about all of the subtleties that you need to understand in order to be succesful. I picked up some of the touch that's needed, but suffice it to say that Geoff's eye and practiced hand led him to many many more hook ups than myself, or even the boats that were right next to us. The captain has a hell of a coach. Still, I had some nice fish, and will never forget the 6# spot putting on it's best mahi imitation...I get goosebumps just thinking about seeing that line come up to the surface....

What a spot Geoff has in this world- a wonderful wife, a son who's fishier than some of the old salts you see at the local tackle shops, inlaws who step up to babysit at a moment's notice, and some of the best fishing on the east coast literally steps away from his back yard. Thanks for sharing your world with me dude, and I look forward to fishing with you again sometime soon.

Shoe

[carom]

great trip boys, nice job....The captain just kills me.....that lil fellow is something else!

[gradywhite273]

that is some of the coolest stuff, thanks guys for sharing it.

[Capt-D]

sounded and looked like a banging trip! I would say congrats all around, but like Nick and Nick banging on the grouper, you really don't need the congrats cause its your world and almost expected that you produce! Looks like the Captain will be a force to be reckoned with in about 10 years, don't let him loose that fire!

-D

[mikelpl]

Nice job guys. I am glad to see the 3 of you had a great weekend.

[squirtis]

That was Frigen' awesome.....Hail to the Captain

Nice gators boyz


Curtis

[trollman]

luv those Specs just jumpin' into DaBOX!

[SeaBiscuit]

Great report, videos and pictures Geoff and Danny. I wish we had some of that 50 degree BVD wading action, but the mental picture will suffice. No wonder you got a cold Geoff!
Outstanding fishing. Particularly impressed by the quality cold water toads. I bet that delectable flesh becomes even more so in the cool water!
Glad you two hooked up and had a great time. I want to host next time!
SeaBiscuit
PS. Can't get enough of the captain! You are raising that boy right!

[hotrodmarlin]

Nice going guys! looked like a great time!