On the water again

A visit by my three sons triggered a request. Would they go backwater fishing with me? The quick response was yes; it would be great fun. So I quickly called Terry Lacosse, an old friend and a legend in the local fishing community. We were booked; all we needed was a good weather morning.

For me, it was a great return to being on the water around our island. It has been too long. I guess it is in your DNA, fishing and being on the water. My boys arrived, and on our fishing Friday, we were up early and on the Amelia River by 8:30 a.m. The morning was quiet with blue skies and soft puffy clouds. We met Terry at the harbor and climbed into his state-of-the-art boat; comfortable and fast when it needed to be.

First stop was traveling out through the channel and past the jetty to track down the bait needed for our morning’s work. We looked for schools of pogey, another name for menhaden, a small oily baitfish found along the coast. They are lowest on the food chain; everything eats them, so they are perfect bait. One of my boys threw a cast net, a circular net with weighted edges, into a school of pogey. Soon we had a water tank with our bait for the day.

While we were offshore, we threw lines hoping to hook a big one, maybe even a tarpon. I still have memories of the fish that got away. Many years ago, while fishing near the jetty, I hooked a tarpon; it jumped, ran, and cleverly headed for the rocks where it managed to slip the hook. So maybe I would have a second chance, but it was not to be.

So we headed to another hunting ground, the backwaters around Amelia Island, full of fish just waiting for us. Our captain, Terry, knows where to find the fish, and we headed to an area he was confident we would find redfish or sea trout. He delivered. Casting lines with bobbers and shrimp bait, we let the tide carry our offerings along and hoped for luck. Bobber down! Fish on! Flip the bail and reel it in. Youngest son got the first fish, a nice red. Bang, Mom was next, another red. We were in business.

Before we knew it, it was time to return to the harbor. The day had heated up, and cumulus clouds were climbing, promising our predictable late-day rain. We may not have caught a lot of fish, and that's OK. Sometimes the best part of fishing isn't what you catch. It's the boat ride, the quiet water, the familiar faces, the stories — and being together.

Yes, we hoped for more drama, but it wasn’t to be that day.

We’ll be back.