March mayhem ensues when fishing-finding dog dives in the drink

March is without a doubt the toughest month to fish.

 

The temperature is highly variable, and it is always windy. Longer and warmer days have inshore species transitioning from winter to spring patterns. The large wintertime schools of trout and redfish are beginning to break up and spread out. So, consistently locating fish can be a challenge.

 

Thankfully, I fish with Brody, the amazing fish-finding and stock-trading dog. He helps me to locate fish.

 

On Sunday morning, Brody and I did a little yard work. I picked up sticks and placed them into a pile for trash day. Then Brody would promptly scatter them about. After an hour of working in the yard, it looked worse than when we started. Regardless, we checked yard work off our to-do list and decided to go fishing.

 

The tide was falling when we launched the skiff. As we idled away from the dock, Brody noticed several pelicans diving just down the creek. So, we drifted towards the diving birds to see what they were feeding on.

 

A school of small mullet was on a shallow flat. In the clear water we could easily see the mullet. The pelicans could as well. For them, it was an all-you-can-eat buffet.

 

Brody watched the pelicans for several minutes. For him, it was a wonderment although he has seen pelicans diving countless times.

 

When we finally got around to fishing, the trout bite was hot. The fish were not particularly large, but they were plentiful and hungry. They found the Z-Man StreakZ 3.75 on a Trout Eye 1/8-ounce Finesse Jig to be irresistible. When catching lots of smaller fish, I try to release the fish without taking them out of the water. This is better for the fish. 

 

As I prepared to release another, I took a picture of Brody looking at the fish. Then to my surprise, Brody, like the pelicans, dove into the water to catch the fish. He got the fish into his mouth. He also got tangled up in my fishing line. Mayhem ensued.  

 

It took several minutes to get things sorted out. Brody was soaking wet in the back of the boat still tangled up in fishing line. He gave me a sheepish look. I took it to mean that diving like a pelican is truly for the birds.

 

Contact Captain Greg Peralta at captgregp@gmail.com or call (843) 224-0099.