When you're used to fishing every weekend, you feel like you have to go somewhere even if the wind direction might be against you. I had planned on fishing Saturday and Sunday of this weekend. I decided on Yates Creek Saturday with Buddy and Ed and Horseshoe Beach with Mark and 5 other kayakers that invited us to fish with them.
Looking at the tides, the morning negative tide coupled with the wind direction was challenging. We have launched out of Yates Creek when the middle of the creek was exposed and just 2 channels of water down the sides. So when we got there and saw plenty of water, we figured we were good for getting out into the flats and deeper water could fish further out from shore until the tide came back in.
Boy were we fooled!
We never found water with more than a foot over the tops of the grass. The wind started blowing strong and steady making it difficult to (not impossible) to paddle (or flutter peddle) towards shore. We decided to just anchor and see if the wind calmed down and wait on the water to come back in. We waited for several hours.
At one point Buddy and I headed for an exposed oyster bar so we could get out of the yaks and stretch. Ed followed, but took a lot longer as it is more challenging to paddle/pole a Pro Angler against the wind in very shallow water.
When the tide finally came back in, it came in quickly! The oyster bar we were camped on quickly became submerged after we left it to start fishing. You could see a lot of boats coming in from the distance to fish. The winds died down as well. I hooked a very large red initially than pulled a ton of drag. After a few drag runs, the jig head came loose and I lost the fish. Caught another dink red in the same area.
After fishing for an hour or so, Buddy and Ed had to go, so I fished for a couple more hours and only caught one dink trout. Quite a difference from the trip with Mark where we each caught 25 plus fish apiece. I decided to cancel the trip to Horseshoe Beach today after conferring with the friends at Horseshoe Beach about the poorer water conditions there due to the wind direction.
No fish pictures, but a few for your viewing enjoyment.
Yates Creek - 3-3-2018
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- SRAces
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Yates Creek - 3-3-2018
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Steve Stubbs
USAF (retired)
Lake Park, GA
SeaDek Fishing Team
Unfair Lures Pro Staff
Ziptailz Ambassador
2018 Hobie Compass - Seagrass
2015 Hobie Pro Angler 14 - Papaya
USAF (retired)
Lake Park, GA
SeaDek Fishing Team
Unfair Lures Pro Staff
Ziptailz Ambassador
2018 Hobie Compass - Seagrass
2015 Hobie Pro Angler 14 - Papaya
- Edwade
- Yak Daddy
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Re: Yates Creek - 3-3-2018
Thanks Steve. I think that was our penance for all those great trips we've had this year. We actually sat anchored (and not fishing) from 7:30 till 1:30, when the wind finally let the tide come in enough to peddle and fish. And then the cold front had the fish shut down. Well, at least no one got hurt, and the company was good. Lots of lessons there. Avoid negative low tides, and don't fish cold fronts! It would have been a great day for the golf course.
- fishinbug
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Re: Yates Creek - 3-3-2018
The eagle has landed.
"It's not as easy as I make it look."
---thus sayeth the suber
---thus sayeth the suber