With Sandy being gone and normalcy returning to the flats, enjoyable fishing has returned. It was getting depressing looking at the water, wading into the water and catching only jellyfish and grass. I hate jellyfish because a Portuguese Man-O-War jumped up and bit me once. Some people think it was a Box-Jelly but I think I could survive a hit from a box-jelly. They would have to blown half way around the world as well, a highly unlikely, and singular incident.
I had a strange year on 2001. That was a year of, if it doesn't kill me, it will certainly cause long term to liver damage. That year I got wrapped up in a killer jellyfish, bounced along fire-coral, had my regulator stick at 65 feet and caught Dengue Fever twice. Pretty sure anything past my late 60's is questionable. I hate jellyfish and mosquitoes, neither really serve a purpose but yet they carry on. It's funny that you can have a tropical storm, get some rain, and not have to worry about bugs. What a great time of year fall is in Florida. All I have to contend with is swarms of little jelly's. In the grand scheme of things, I'll take swarms of jellies over swarms of mosquitoes.
I have been going through withdrawals, not being able to wander around the flats. It's been tough knowing that any effort I put forth will be futile. Trying to sling a fly would only result in head trauma. Mucky water attracts fish of another sort that are not the sort you want to be wandering around with. With all the wind, I tied some flies and waited for the sun to come out again. It sounds sad but I hate knowing there are epic times to be had and all that's keeping them from happening is some stupid wind.
Hopefully with the calm returning to the Tampa area and some nice, cool-air hanging around, maybe I can get in some great flats time. There are some new areas I have wanted to check out. All the muck and bottom being churned up should be fabulous in estuaries for out-going tides. The river mouths may produce the fall behemoths that are pushing into the estuaries. I'm hopeful that the wind cooperates and I have time to be able to get out. Upper Tampa Bay Park is on the to-do list for the next couple weeks. I want to get some play time in there before I hit Mosquito Lagoon.
I didn't think that Hurricane Sandy would affect the fish all the way down here. That's so crazy to think about. I'm glad to hear those nasty jellies are going away though, they are a completely useless fun drainer.
ReplyDeleteBarometric pressure and wind effect water and blah, blah, blah. Fronts, High's and Low's have just as much impact. It's hard to keep track of all the crap that affects a simple afternoon on the water. That's why it's just best to follow the tides and leave the rest to chance.
ReplyDeleteI'm happy the jellies are moving on as well. They are a total buzz-kill. I just had a manatee swim up on me yesterday. Literally, a pole length away. I freaked and jabbed her in the nose. I know it was the wrong thing to do, but she silently, sneaked up on me.