FISH FLASH: Hunting the flat fish

Nothing like watching folks during the Rodeo — day after day — bring in fish to give you a hankering to try your own luck.

Well last week, my sister Anita, brother-in-law Kenneth and I gave it a try over at St. Andrew’s Bay.

We had planned a month ago to go to the state park, set up camp and fish. Of course I could only take off a couple of days, so I spent a Sunday and Monday with them.

I’m not much on camping, but when it means roughing it in a 31-foot long travel trailer, complete with TV, toilet, refrigerator — I’m all for it.

We moved into the campsite after lunch on Sunday, and then headed out in search of the flat fish, flounder.

Kenneth had done quite well fishing in St. Andrew’s Bay last year, so our hopes were high — maybe too high.

We launched the boat there at the park and headed toward Deepwater Point. Right before the point, we stopped at an area near one of the channel markers and tried our luck.

Using an “electric chicken” Bass Assassin on a spinning reel with 10-pound test, I cast it out. Not long after I had a tug on the line. And it was what we were there for — flounder. It was a keeper, just barely making the 12-inch limit.

And of course it was just enough to whet our appetite in hopes of more.

We ventured on around the dredge set up at the point and went out to the pass and tried our luck near the east jetties.

The closer we got to the rocks, we noticed a Coast Guard boat and the men aboard were waving us down. Usually it’s the other way around. We went over to see what they wanted.

They needed help getting to a pontoon boat that was broke down up against the jetties. A couple of Coast Guardsmen came aboard and we took them to the boat. The Coasties tried to get the pontoon working, but it didn’t happen and we had to pull the pontoon, loaded with a family, out to deep water.

Then back to fishing — and that’s about what it was fishing, not much catching. We did catch a couple of undersized flounder, 10 or 11 inches, and a bunch of snake fish.

After a couple of hours on the water, we decided to head in for the evening.

Monday, it was a bit blustery out, but it soon warmed up and the bay slicked off.

We went straight toward the jetties, and fished around the edge of the grassy spots. We used a variety of Assassin colors, from “candy corn” to red and clear and an albino. All worked. As a matter of fact, I caught a keeper on the red and clear and Anita hauled in one on the candy corn.

We went in for lunch, then came back out afterward, which is always nice when you’re staying right there at the park.

This time, Kenneth tossed a net for baitfish. He caught a big bluefish on the live bait and later hooked a keeper flounder.

It was a beautiful day on the water. The water was so clear you could see redfish passing by in the water. The flounder bite was not that great, but we did manage to catch enough for dinner.

I got a call from Anita a couple of days later and it sounded like the bite was a bit better, but more than that she was extremely excited about the 27-inch redfish she landed, and the Spanish mackerel that Kenneth hooked.

The best always happens after I have to leave.

But there is always next year.

Tina Harbuck is the longtime sports editor at The Log.