Yesterday afternoon I decided to take a short break after work and do a little fishing. The only problem, where to go, and for what? I had recently sold my boat, and for the last few years I was doing most of my fishing in various locations by boat. After a few minutes of thought, running through the bank of locations I have stored away in my mind, it finally occurred to me that I just need to get back to the basics, and that I did.
I hopped into my Jeep and headed down the road to one of my old favorite areas of North Mosquito Lagoon. I figured with the high tides we've been having the last few days fish would be cruising tight to the shoreline to take advantage of new feeding territories. I arrived at my destination and a quick survey of the scene revealed dirty water with lots of mullet running tight to the mangroves. Ok, so I have a spot, now what to throw? Ahhhhh, the good 'ole gold spoon. Back to basics.
It appears I have about an hour of daylight remaining, so I step into the water, look down the shoreline, and see a bit of commotion in the water just off the tips of the mangrove branches. I make my first cast in the direction of the rippled water and begin a slow retrieve, the wobble of the spoon sending vibrations up the line. The water swirls near my lure, but nothing happens. Naturally, this area deserves another cast. The second cast lands a bit further then the first did, and the spoon is now wobbling it's way back towards me, this time a little faster. The swirl returns, however this time the line pulls taught and I'm soon standing in the water next to a splashing 17" flounder. I walk over to the shoreline to take a picture.
Now wanting a nice flounder dinner, and not having a cooler with me, I decided to go ahead and call it a day and invite the flounder home for dinner. I grab my things, find a place to take a photo of myself with the fish, then snap a quick pic of the sunset before heading back home.
Back at home, it's time to clean the fish and decide how I want to cook it. I start to look in my book for some new flounder recipes, and then the little voice in my head speaks again. Back to basics. After a quick dip in milk and a thorough coating of corn meal, the flounder is sizzling in the pan in preparation for a delicious meal.
I've been working quite a bit lately and haven't had much time to really get out on the water. I'm always amazed how much even a short time spent fishing can improve my overall state of mind. In times of stress, worry and doubt it's always nice to know that I can always turn to the things that have put a smile on my face in the past.
Back to basics.