The Cure for Wot Ailes Ye

Old Ulysses hasn't been quite up to snuff lately and whilst consulting with Atticus, he prescribed ( 7 years at an SEC school makes you a doctor, right?) fishing, massive amounts of fishing. I haven't been able to get out on the water for a bit now and so I was up early and didn't even consult the tides; I had to go.

I drove out to [Name Redacted] for a typical spring Sunday lots-o-crowds, but I knew a little turn off away from the beaten path. Only one old Ford was parked at the end of the trail and I rigged up.

It was green grass and high tides on [Name Redacted], but a metric shatload of bait and the water was ever the right height at the mangroves. I tied on a Cooks Creek Critter and started working the 'groves. First cast was a bit rusty, landed one right in the branches and had to wade up and get 'er out.

I worked the cuts and holes up this shoreline for a few hours, perfecting the cast and getting the fly to land in the cuts, and sometimes the branches. Mullet were everywhere, and not just Old Duane; it was heartening to see the lower Bay come back after a severe red tide two summers ago that took out a lot of life down here.

After a few hundred casts, it became apparent that Messrs Snook and Redfish had gone elsewhere, so I practiced snap sight casting at mullet moving up the grass line. I headed back to the truck, hopeful to break out the shooting head and work some Jedi skills at the Pass.

The Pass is a spot where you can find poon beach side (read that however you want to). Basically, on an outgoing tide, you swing big crab and baitfish patterns through the pass, hoping to drift one pass the nose, eyes and gaping maw of Mr Silver King. Last summer I spooked three 60 pounders, laid up 5 feet from me in 3 feet of water. I tried to make a ninja short side cast to them, but I turned my right foot ever so slightly and splashed a bit, sending them out to the Gulf.

I drove up to the Pass, knowing it would be packed, knowing I would have to traverse about a mile of family beach before getting to the outlet. What I didn't know was that I'd have to drive around for 15 minutes looking for a parking spot. I was about to park on the grass when the local rock station kicked off the Crue's "Doctor Feelgood". Feeling better and realizing there would also be about 200 Sea-Doos and jet-ski's either beached, anchored or ripping around the pass, I saddled up and left.

Atticus, the script worked