Saturday morning started with some uncertainty. The weather had been questionable all week, but as the weekend approached, the winds lay down just enough for us to plan an inshore trip. I invited a coworker, Oliver, to join us on the adventure. The goal was to target sheepshead and possibly pompano, though, as always, catching anything is a blessing.

Tania and I told Oliver to meet us at the dock around 6:30 a.m. We left the house about ten minutes late, but that was not a concern since we were still on pace, depending on how busy the bait shop was. On the drive to grab ice and bait, we prayed our usual prayer for protection, for open eyes to see God’s creation, and for a bountiful catch if it was His will.

The icehouse and bait shop were empty when we arrived. However, I got sidetracked at the bait shop, talking with the owner about where the sheepshead had been holding lately, since I had noticed he had been catching them consistently. With ice and bait in hand, shrimp and sand fleas, we made it to the dock around 6:35 a.m.

At the dock, I introduced Tania to Oliver, not sure whether they had met before. After a quick meet-and-greet, we loaded the boat and headed out. Our first stop was a “secret spot” shared by the owner of The Fishing Center. The bites were steady, but Tania and I were clearly rusty when it came to sheepshead fishing. We missed nearly everything that touched the hook.

I did hook into one sheepshead that pulled drag, but it spit the hook right at the boat. The jig came flying back toward us and nearly took Tania out. Thankfully, her catlike reflexes kicked in, and she ducked just in time. At that spot, I did manage to land an undersized sheepshead, which at least put a targeted species on the boat, though nothing worth bringing home.

As we started to run low on bait, I decided to try a spot known to hold pompano. Unfortunately, it was not our day for them. Oliver did manage to land a jack, and Tania put a nice bend in the rod with a big lockdown, keeping things interesting.

After a few more drifts with very little action, we decided to head back toward our usual spots near Harbor Isle in hopes of finding some snapper, especially since Oliver mentioned he enjoys eating snapper. Once again, it just was not our day. We caught several short mutton snapper, small lane snapper, and more than a handful of catfish.

After the fourth or fifth catfish, I decided it was time to move and start drifting near the South Causeway Bridge. With the outgoing tide and light winds, the drift was slow but did produce a few small groupers, several short mutton snapper, and a couple of decent gafftopsail catfish.

One of those sail catfish turned out to be a big one. I had my rod in the rod holder while reaching for something, and the fish loaded my rod hard enough to snap the rod. I was disappointed, but Salt Strong stands behind their gear, and for sixty dollars, the rod can be replaced under warranty.

We took that broken rod as a sign and decided not to push our luck. We headed back to the dock and were tied up around 12:30 p.m. The cooler was not full of fish, but the day was full of memories. Trips like this help us appreciate the good days even more, and we were grateful for the time on the water and a safe return to the dock.

Tania and I send our best wishes to all our fellow anglers. May your time on the water be safe, blessed, and filled with tight lines and good memories. Until next time, keep casting, keep believing, and keep chasing those dreams on the water.

The Treasure Coast Chapter of Salt Strong now hosts monthly meetings at Islamorada Brewery and Distillery on the 4th Tuesday of each month. These meetings offer members a range of benefits, including guest speakers and fellowship with local anglers who share their knowledge and help one another catch fish. Membership to Salt Strong includes a 20% discount on tackle, access to Smart Fishing spots, and insider information on local trends. To learn more about Salt Strong, click the link below for a FREE 30-day test drive.