Another Snow Day in La....and the Fish were Hungry..Kind of

 So the weather man said that today would be 17 mph winds and temps in the upper 30's gradually increasing throughout the day.  Not that the weather man is ever wrong, but I must have heard something totally different during the broadcast, since I got up this morning and weathered the front passing through.

Todays trip actually started out yesterday morning as I left my house at 3:30am when almost an hour and a half into my drive and the wind blowing my truck all over the road, I decided I would go back home, unload, and make a solid days work of the day, and that's what I did.  So today, on the other hand, I got up, left at 3:30am and kept on driving. 

I made it to my first launch spot just before 6 and when I got there the wind was doing way more than 17 mph, but that was ok, because I could hide behind my truck as I gathered my things and got everything set up for a productive day.  I probably should've realized something was wrong when I didn't pass a single boat or Pirogue during my drive south, but my motivation kept me moving forward.

I eased my Hobie into the water as the sun struggled to light up the black sky.  I made it about 15 yards out from land and I set my mirage drive into place, but instead of the drive lowering below the surface as it always does, it stood straight up, not being held by anything that I could see, and just hovered in space.  I then pushed the drive down and locked it in, but then the pedals wouldn't move.  Yep, I just dropped my drive fins into the softest mud I have ever witnessed, the drive sunk in the mud like a kids finger in a whipped cream bucket.
Still, I proceeded on, all I had to do was make it 2 miles to my hole and it was going to be a little piece a heaven.  Yeah right, 2 hours later and less than a half  mile, freezing hands, mud all over me and the yak, I arrive back at my truck.  This was a work out that even Tony Horton of P90X would have cried Mercy to.  My shoulders were burning, my forearms were cramping, my face was freezing and I was ready to go home empty handed, AGAIN....

Well as I got everything loaded up and covered the inside of my truck with great smelling gumbo mud, like a babies diaper after eating string beans for 3 days, I was on my way. When I hit the crossroad I should've gone north, but that little devil was in my ear saying, "go south, go south, you know you wanna," so south I went.  Next stop, trout paradise, or maybe it was 3 or 4 stops later, either way, it was more than 2.

Finally....I found some water that was actually deep enough for my drive to work in, of course that was after I waded out in it 100 yards before entering the yak, but hey, it was deeper water.  About the third cast I landed a trout, not big but a keeper, next cast, another one, and then another one.  I was amazed, I have never been to this area before, no one was around, the fish were here, I was somewhat protected from the wind, wow, this was turning out to be a good morning after all.

And then it happened, about the time I was putting in my 11th trout,within 30 minutes of fishing, a sleet storm moved in.  I thought someone was sling shotting bags of sand and rocks on me at one point.  This was my first time fishing in the sleet and hopefully my last, but for some reason as my yak was filling up with ice, I kept thinking, my kids would love this, I could see my daughter Charlee gathering up all the ice and pouring coke on it to make a snowball.  Maybe I was dilerious,, I know I was freezing, but the fun thoughts kept me moving on, in the direction of the truck that is. 
 I was peddling as fast I could into the wind, I just wanted to sit inside my stinky, muddy, funky, truck and turn the heater on high so I could really get that great smell deep into the recirculation system of the vehicle.  I was excited just thinking about it, and then all of a sudden a huge football swam right in front of me, I threw my lure at it to try and grab it so I would have something to bring home and

wouldn't you know, the football was a georgeous plump tournament style redfish.  I think he was confused with all the sleet falling and just wanted to go somewhere other than there.  Even if it was to the dinner table, at least he would be warm at one point. 

I ended the day with 11 trout tagged and released and one big red that was also release.  I would've have tagged him, but I was cold and I had already put the tags up, sorry, maybe next time.

Water levels were 3-4 feet low and muddy, winds were north 17(haha) to 25 and the Barometric pressure was on the rise @ 30.20 up to 30.28 from start to finish.  Air temps were 34-37 degrees and water temps were 46 degrees in the shallows and 54 degrees in the deeper areas.  Deep being 7-15 feet.  12 fish total and I would have to say I actually fished for probably 45 minutes of the morning, I was headed north before 10am and back in town before noon.

Until next time, stay safe and Catch1.....