With my body now getting used to early mornings it was no surprise I woke at 4 am on my day off. "What to do?". I could get some schoolwork done, or, I could go fishing. A quick check of the tides had me thinking positive. It's just about mullet time, I could catch first light, and it would be a few hours into the outgoing.
I started in the before sunup with a dark Hollow fly that swam like a mullet but had no takers. When light arrived I switched over to a Schoolie Fleye and swam that near and far off the beach with again no takers. I didn't see any bait or activity off in the distance. There was a smell in the air but it wasn't bunker, it was more like a warm smell, if you get that, and I could feel the warm air coming off the water and on my fly line as I retrieved. I was thinking with temps up I might find a fluke or two but that didn't happen.
After a bagel and coffee stop I went down to the inlet to see if anything, maybe albies or bonito, might be invading the outgoing water. Besides the head boats making their way out to sea and a few guys on each of the jetties it was dead.
We're a little past mid-moon, a waxing crescent, and I'm thinking on the next big moon, which will be full on the 17th, things might start to get going if the water temps drop a bit. It'll be the Harvest moon which is always a good time to fish, at least it has been in past years, like a decade ago. Thirteen years ago, on September 17th, 87 year old Al caught a nice keeper (below) when the mullet met up with the bass. On his rod is his favorite "Creek Chub" lure, which I got from his family after he passed away. I really do miss that guy.
