Happy Fathers Day!

Mayan Cichlid

The morning was a bit overcast and windy so I decided to head back to the canals and see what I could catch on the end of my line.  The peacock bass weren't as abundant as we had been seeing in previous nights (possibly due to the amount of rainfall we've received the last two nights).

As I was leaving I spotted this large vegetation floating down the canal and didn't think much of it.  Then I checked it out again and I thought I recognized what looked like an alligators tail.  With further inspection I could see that it was about an 8 - 9 foot alligator floating down the canal looking for lunch!

Although there wasn't a lot of hook ups with fish, it was still a fun morning and afternoon slinging Clouser minnows!    

Canal Fishing!

A couple of cool things happened today. The first was that I was out of work at 2 pm. After that I went to check out some of the cool boats in the Ocean Reef marina. This boat pictured below is the Sweet Release captained by Chris White, and owned by Benson Ford. Benson Ford is one of the great grandchildren of Henry Ford (The inventor of the automobile). Chris is my boss' husband and ideally one day I will get to saddle up in that fully varnished fighting seat whilst battling a massive marlin or sailfish! Wishful thinking maybe but hey a guy can dream right? 

Once I left the docks I went and hit up the canals again and hammered a couple more peacock bass! They love the chartreuse and white color combo. The one below ate a clouser minnow in that color combination. I threw pink, and brown stuff at other peacocks I was seeing and nothing. Seems to me that chartreuse must be the ticket for them. But a wise man once said "if it ain't chartreuse it ain't no use." So I should have known. I'm currently attempting some merkin crabs, so should I hit the flats this weekend I'll have something different I can throw at a tailing fish should I find one!

First Peacock on the Fly!

Today I was supposed to hit the flats after work and due to some rain showers in the early afternoon and a conflict with the captain we had to take a rain check. However, the idea of hitting the flats and picking up a tarpon or anything got my blood pumping and I had the itch. I didn't have my gear with me because the captain said he would take care of it, so I had no choice but to race back to my house and get my stuff. Along the way I was seeing some fish boil in the canals, and some mullet jumping out of the water. So, I grabbed my stuff and headed to a canal that appeared off the beaten path. I rigged up the 10 wt. not really sure what to expect and just walked the bank.. Sure enough there were peacock bass just cruising the banks. It took me a while to find what they liked but it ended up being a chartreuse shrimp pattern I had tied up before I came down here. It's a crazy looking thing with krystal chenille and rubber legs but it had awesome action and they loved it! I only ended up landing a couple and getting a picture of this one but I had a blast doing it. I also hooked and lost my entire rig on an alligator gar, which was awesome! Anyway take a look at my first peacock bass!

In a different note. I watched a guy catch a turtle on a live fish. I helped him land it and release it... and now I really wish I would have taken a picture. It was kind of hilarious.