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Thread: 12 species cornucopia from Crystal River today! 5/14/2020

  1. #1
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    Default 12 species cornucopia from Crystal River today! 5/14/2020

    My old bait bucket finally died from sun rot. Used it as an excuse to go grab one of those neat $125 Yeti LoadOut bucket kits. Had some ***** and giggles with the guys a Sodium and they were glad to have me back forking over all my dough. I also picked up some saltwater baitfish flies for the 8wt.

    That was last night. I worked on assembling the bucket. After which, I figured I’d go test out the bucket.

    fast forward to today and it’s 2:45 am and I. Awake for god knows what reason.
    was showered and loaded up to fish by 4:15 and parked at my spot by 4:45. Was still pitch black as I grabbed my kit and walked off, down the pathway into the dark and dense Florida estuary jungle.

    I get there and it’s low tide as I planned. Not even grey light yet. I yank out the cast net and bag two 12-14” live mullet. Threw in bucket for fresh cutbait. Walked around a tad, cast my net, get it stuck.
    wade to other side of Chanel without being eaten by alligators. Unstick the net. Make another cast.
    bam 20 baits in the net. Bingo!

    cross channel. Load baits into bucket. Forgot new bucket doesn’t have bubbler yet pack everything up. Fill bucket with water from the estuary deprived of oxygen. Hopes fishes would survive the 1/4 miles trek with the water and tool full bucket.

    get to the hot spot of the fishing hole. I see activity as I’m walking up. I smile. Always a good sign!
    gray Light is come on while I tie up a circle hook flyline on 20lb test and load a 4” Chubb nose hooked onto the hook. A small lob to the middle of the hole...

  2. #2
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    First cast I’m on to a 4lb salty catfish from hell. Took me all over. Good fight. I hook and back he goes.
    the sun rose up and the water is still swirling with fishes jumping all over of all types.
    I basically began to slay fish after fish for the next few hours until 10pm in a nice breeze on a clear warm day. Fishing in Florida is f@&$!?• as epic as it gets.

    I used up all the baitfish and on my way out caught a few crabs to toss off the docks tomorrow on light line to hope for a sheeps head. Haven’t caught one yet.

    species list today:



    Snapper
    Flounder
    Catfish
    Ladyfish
    Chubbs 4”
    Mullet 12”
    Some other small baitfish not sure
    Snook
    Redfish
    Stone crab
    Fiddler crab
    Blue crab


    i kept the n0tHaLiBuT “Flounder”. I’m about to eat that thing any minute now.
    love ya’ll. Still getting the kayak dialed but I can’t wait to smoke and fish off the main grove islands outside crystal river.
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    first time I ever caught 12 species in one day lol.
    I lost a couple others also. I was hoping for a speckled sea trout or weakfish to make it 13-14 species. No such luck. Maybe next time!

    gonna take these crabs to the dock tomorrow and see what happens.

    i got all the fish on video. They’ll be featured in my next episode of TJ TV.

    thanks for reading.
    Last edited by tacklejunkie; 05-14-2020 at 11:05 AM.

  3. #3
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    Damn! That flounder tastes good as hell!
    I’ll definitely be targeting those guys more often. It had a surprising amount of meat on it for being such a small fish. I got a whole plate of cooked fish off of this. Five large tacos easily. Here is three of them. They taste so good I’m impressed!!
    Forget Taco Bell!
    Click image for larger version. 

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    He had baitfish/chubbs in his stomach. Now I have him in mine!
    Last edited by tacklejunkie; 05-14-2020 at 12:13 PM.

  4. #4
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    Took my krabs from earlier back down to the pier today. Was trying to find more species and see if I could increase the numbers. Didn’t catch anything with them this time.
    On the way home from the pier is the spot I was at this morning at 4am before sunrise.
    I witnessed a six foot long alligator exit the dirt parking lot I was parked in at 4am and cross the road in front of me.
    As I drove closer to it, it took off running! That sucker was fast!!!

    holy crap!
    this confirms it. There really is alligators back there and I have been all Agro up in the waters gung ho after those fish in the reeds. I just about peed myself lol! wow! The gators really are RIGHT THERE all around me in those bushes and estuary ponds. I got a visual confirmation just now!! I’m still trippin. I should be dead long ago lol

    all those night time island hopping missions. Omg I can’t believe I’m still alive!

  5. #5
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    I keep seeing river otters or sea otters or something also. Small packs of them. That could be what the gators feast on. Amongst other things. I’ll never bring my dog outside in Florida again! A few days ago there was a straight up tortoise crossing the road too. This place is crazy

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