Goose Island State Park
Friday Oct 15th
This was a nice solo get away for me to a place I have visited many times over the last 25 years. I got to the park at 7:30am Friday Oct 15th in order to secure a nice Bayside site. Once I checked in and got items unloaded and the kayak packed I was off to do my business, catching. After a relatively short paddle on a calm clear cool morning I arrived at my destination to find a lot of bait thrashing around. I got my kayak anchored and fitting myself with my net, stringer while trying to make my first cast. Well, I new it was going to be good as the lure hit the water, fish on. The trout were stacked in there chasing bait and almost every cast was a hit. As I waded and worked the shoreline I filled the stringer in a bit over an hour. There were also some rat reds running through there and C&R a couple of those guys. I paddled back to camp caught some mullet and set off to hole number 2. One of my sons had put in an order for some redfish and my mother an order for flounder. The first mullet put I out I filled the redfish order within minutes. I had to wait another 40 minutes for number 2 and that was it for the day. The activity seemed to just shut down once the sun got up high and the mullet retreated to deeper waters of the bay. Since I drove 6hrs during the night I hit the camp for some lunch and rested up. Dinner that night was of course trout.
Oct 16th
Around 12am I set of for some flounder gigging. While the tide was not optimal I was optimistic. I picked up 2 flounder and saw about 30 rays and more blue crabs than I have observed in many years. I also waked up on a bush at the waters edge which must have had 6 coons in it an around it we said our hellos and I was on my way. I had two firsts that night. I had spooked birds while gigging in the past but this one made a bee line for my light I looked up and saw him coming and dodged just in time and he hit my shoulder and then hit the water. After a couple of minutes he flew off. Then while paddling across the bay which had plenty of phosphorescence and you could see the mullet darting through the water. Then all of a sudden I could hear the thunderous base like sound. It sounded like one of those cars with the base turned up. The water and kayak were vibrating from the sound and it was like mini grenades going off in the water. Based on the water being lit up by a school of large fish and the sound I decided I had paddled on top of a school of large reds and spooked them. I have paddled on top of red before but never had them drum like they did in that organized a manner. It was different to say the least on a totally calm night and to hear this and feel the yak and water vibrating from the noise. On the way back I found a bait bucket out in the bay with 8-10 nice size shrimp. I got back to camp made some breakfast and set off for another stringer of trout.
Once to my trout location I could once again see the finger mullet running for their lives and new it was going to be good. Well, I was not disappointed, another full stringer in short order with some really fat trout. I had one PB stopped and anchored a safe distance away and they watched while I pulled in fish after fish. After a bit they packed up and left. I am not sure what they were using but did not see them pull anything in. Another fellow kayaker showed up and also filled his stringer. The action was like nothing I have seen in 30yrs. There was a period where it was instant fish as soon and the lure hit the water and if you lost that one another would take his place. This went on for several hours and then died off by noon. I went back to camp cleaned fish and set off to the redfish hole. Picked up a couple more slot red and C&R several rats. I was back at camp by noon packed some lunch and set off for San Jose Island to get my distance paddling in for the day. I ate lunch out there and managed to stay away from the Airboats. Then I paddle back across the bay to a point between Kontiki condos and the bridge. This is a place I have found some large trout in the past. Sat there with no action and a couple of guys soaking live shrimp with no luck. Then picked up and paddled along the bridge and then back to GISP. Dinner that night was boiled shrimp from the bait bucket and trout.
Oct 17th
I had planned on getting up and doing some flounder gigging once again but the wind had not died and the water was a bit murky. Based on the number of rays I saw the night before I decided to stay put and hit the trout hole at first light. I was not disappointed, for a third day the weather was outstanding and the trout were on time with the same vigor they had shown in the previous days. After keeping a couple of larger trout and wearing out my arms I headed for camp. I paddled over to my redfish hole and picked up one more reds and on the way back ran across mullet running for their lives and could not refuse at least one cast. Well, first cast was very nice trout. Sat there and C&R a few then headed back to camp. Dinner that night, well lets say POPS make a great bacon bleu cheese burger.
This was one of my better trips to GISP with perfect weather of cool nights, warm days, calm waters and a bit of moonlight. I never put up a tent and just slept out by the bulkhead on a tarp and my bag. I almost paid the price as one morning a few showers blew in from the gulf and across the bay. While it rained a bit on me while wading it was very light at camp.
Few pics of the fish and one of the little rain cloud that I thought for sure was going to produce a down draft but did not.
Little storm did not amount to much though
First stringer of trout and flounder
Second stringer of trout
First redfish of the trip
See you on the water,
Earl