After a long week of rain and flooding, the weather finally broke, and Tania and I weren’t about to waste it. With the time change, we were able to get an earlier start than usual. We left the house about 5:45 a.m. and headed to the Fishing Center for some shrimp. As we started our drive, we said our morning prayer, as we always do, asking for protection and for God to keep us safe on the water. We asked Him to open our eyes to His wonderful creations, and if it was His will, to let us catch some fish.

We made it to the Fishing Center by 6:15 a.m., and it was packed. After a week of being cooped up, it seemed like everyone had the same idea we did — the first nice day meant everyone wanted to go fishing. I can’t blame them, because that’s exactly what we were doing too.

I honestly wasn’t sure what to expect from the fishing. With all the freshwater dumped into the river, the water was dirty, and I had no idea how the fish would respond. I told myself the sunshine was the goal and any catch would be a bonus.

We started out drifting the South Causeway Bridge, drifting south with the incoming tide and a northwest wind. Unfortunately, those conditions made the drift really too fast, but we still managed to land a few fish. The first catch of the day was, of course, a catfish. We also picked up a few jacks, a short mutton snapper, and a couple of ladyfish.

After that first drift, we moved over to the inlet at Harbor Isle Marina, but once again the drift was too quick to fish it effectively. So we moved into the channel that leads to Faver Cove, and that’s when the fishing got a little better. I hooked a decent flounder, and since flounder season is closed, I didn’t wait for the net — I was just going to flip it into the boat. But it came off the hook right as I lifted it out of the water. That one stung a little. We fished the area for a while longer without another catch, but we had quite a few bites I didn’t recognize, and they left teeth marks in the bait, so I’m assuming they were flounder. Tania also had a massive hit that startled her, but just as quickly as it bit, it spit the bait.

Our next move was the Smithsonian Dock, but we didn’t even get a bite there. By then, the tide had shifted, and conditions improved, so we moved back to the South Causeway Bridge. That worked in our favor, and we caught quite a few snapper, a few porkfish, some grunts, jacks, and ladyfish.

We didn’t keep any of the fish we caught, but it didn’t matter. It was exactly what Tania and I needed — a beautiful day on the boat, sharing time in the great outdoors, getting fresh air, and taking in God’s wonderful creations. We watched countless dolphins and a few turtles, and Tania even got to witness a baby ribbonfish jumping and swimming around the boat.

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.