Okay last post was Wednesday; here is your catch-up.
I basically managed one shitty little jack Thurs/Fri/Sat; although one day I only fished for a few because the lightning was pretty bad.
Sunday I took a little drive down to Matanzas Inlet. Last Summer, I hit on a really good bite with a light-ish Southerly flow, small trade swell, outgoing tide. Lots of Spanish, Ladyfish, and Jacks, fun on fly, and I wanted more. The bar setup was similar but not quite as good, and the fish weren't remotely as thick as last time. I got one small and one kinda small but not bait-sized jacks.
Also had encounters. I saw a turtle, I saw a small-ish ray, and not a stingray or other sand prowler, a small manta or some kind of eagle ray or something. I also got shark prowled. Last year, I could see them cruising the very edge of the bar, but they wouldn't come up on it. The top was like barely shin to knee deep. This year, it was way more gradual, with a fair bit of more thigh to waist. They came up on it, pack of four or five, about five to six footers. Moved towards me, one went deeper, at least three went shallower. I didn't like the angle one took so I jabbed with the fishing pole, eight foot but really seven with my hand on the reel seat and my arm not even fully extended. It darted all over this way and that, including toward me for a brief second, and as soon as one wasn't in my way, I walked back a bit shallower.
Clueless bathers all around, and complete jet ski choad festival.
I broke my fishing pole on my trip the Gulf, old travel 3-piece, so I got a new one. Went up tonight, figured I'd put on a tiny jig and a piece of fishbites and just mess with miniature stuff, see what will hit it. Got a bunch of little taps but nothing caught. Little piece of fish bites got nibbled off, switched to a plug just to see how the new travel rod throws a small topwater.
Was just zoning out on the walking motion up on the wash, like the very last twitch before that retrieve was over, and it got picked off. Fish fought decently, thought for sure it was a lower-slot redfish (18") but it wound up being a seatrout around 24". Fish was tired because I had the drag soft, light was very, very low, so I wanted to get a fast release and so I have no pics. But top three trout ever and biggest in the surf ever no doubt.