{"id":198,"date":"2016-07-04T13:55:54","date_gmt":"2016-07-04T17:55:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/undercovertroutbum.com\/?p=198"},"modified":"2016-08-23T11:32:09","modified_gmt":"2016-08-23T15:32:09","slug":"goombay-smashing-kissing-salty-dogs-crabs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/undercovertroutbum.com\/index.php\/2016\/07\/04\/goombay-smashing-kissing-salty-dogs-crabs\/","title":{"rendered":"Goombay Smashing: Kissing Salty Dogs & Crabs"},"content":{"rendered":"

I\u2019m not certain what I enjoy the most, preparing for a fishing trip or the trip itself. That\u2019s exactly the question I asked myself yet again just recently when the chance presented itself to fish salt-water with my co-pirate\u2026Davy Jones<\/em>. Okay, so\u00a0that\u2019s not his real name but in order to protect the innocent, let\u2019s call him that at least for now.\u00a0Besides, that\u2019s the nickname I\u2019ve given him and he\u2019s a shrimp boat captain of sorts but he\u2019s not a \u201cgump.\u201d\u00a0Under his young but\u00a0crusty exterior, just like the\u00a0famous\u00a0Gump,<\/em> he\u2019s got a heart of\u00a0gold\u00a0and\u00a0we\u2019ve found that often we know what the other is thinking before a word\u00a0has been spoken.\u00a0He\u2019s\u00a0sailed the Caribbean, North and South Atlantic, Pacific,\u00a0Gulf, and Mediterranean, passed through the Panama Canal\u00a0and most importantly he\u2019s survived a cup of my java. In order to understand just what that means, you could take my coffee brew and coat the exterior of the space shuttle without ever fearing that it would burn off during re-entry into the Earth\u2019s atmosphere. It will put hair on less than a real man\u2019s chest assuming it doesn\u2019t kill him\u00a0first. Many have attempted\u00a0my Java challenge but few have done so and remained\u00a0standing the entire day. Let that be a warning to all ye that dare take the Java challenge.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Yeah, I know, you are again asking yourself,\u00a0\u201cwhat did all that have to do with fishing?\u201d Let\u2019s face the facts for\u00a0a moment, you come here as much for the \u201centertainment\u201d as for the fishing tips or perhaps in\u00a0the hopes that I\u2019ll slip up one day\u00a0and\u00a0reveal my favorite fishing hole. You\u00a0look forward to\u00a0the photographs and\u00a0dry humor,\u00a0and find my feeble attempt at\u00a0word-smithing\u00a0just barely adequate enough to keep coming back.\u00a0Hear ye, hear ye! I\u2019d give up the location of my favorite spot\/s only after<\/em><\/strong> giving up my firstborn, dog,\u00a0and\u00a0a\u00a0precious\u00a02wt weight bamboo fly rod given to me by a bird of a feather.\u00a0 Does that put things into perspective?<\/p>\n

It was certainly a treat to fish the\u00a0salt again. Not only is it a thrill to fight a fish with the hope\u00a0of bringing\u00a0it to the\u00a0net but you never know what you are going to hook in salt. My heart starts thumping the moment I “hang” something in the salt environment and my mind immediately flashes to the art of past cultures and lost times depicting sea-monsters devouring ships and tossing sailors about like a dog’s chew toy. Being a fan of trout-who would have guessed it-I was focused not on benthic monsters as the prize of the excursion but spotted sea-trout also known as speckled trout. We knew that we were most likely behind the probable success curve since the prime\u00a0speck season had come and gone but hey-there’s no law against dreaming-right? Honestly, I really didn’t care what we caught as long as there was some kind of fight<\/strong><\/em> to be had. Spoken like a true pirate-aye? So when the first fish I connected with was a saltwater cat, I relished every minute of the fight. I love how they shake their head side-to-side\u00a0like\u00a0the guy that took the dare at a local\u00a0dive bar\u00a0and\u00a0just gobbled down\u00a0an oyster topped with the houses’\u00a0secret<\/em><\/strong> hot sauce.<\/p>\n

\"One<\/a>
One of many saltwater catfish that we caught the first night of the trip right off of the dock.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/a>
Yet another catfish out of Manatee Pocket.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Yeah, I know,\u00a0their not sailfish, mahi mahi or spotted sea-trout which the area is known for but you can’t argue about one thing.\u00a0They are fish.\u00a0If I were fishing to eat and salty\u00a0cats were\u00a0all I came up with, I probably wouldn’t be\u00a0thrilled. However, on\u00a0an important\u00a0side note, I’ve heard some say if you prepare a saltwater cat correctly it’s not bad- fried. The species of\u00a0salty catfish also\u00a0make a difference\u00a0or\u00a0so I’ve heard.\u00a0Personally, I’d still be wary unless I could see some toxicology data on them but maybe that’s just me. Let’s not forget salty cats are great baitfish for tarpon and cobia. Which brings up\u00a0two\u00a0good points. Davy<\/em> didn’t know that either [you’re fired as my fishing guide Davy!] and since when do people eat tarpon on a regular basis?\u00a0\u00a0I hope that I’ve possibly changed the hearts of the\u00a0salty cat haters.\u00a0\u00a0Maybe next time you guys catch a salty cat, you will show him some respect just like the Spanish mackerel by threading him on a hook and making certain you speak kindly of him[salty cat] by giving him some credit in your big fish stories-fact or fiction. Speaking of fiction, every time I\u00a0land a stingray, I can’t help but think these creatures are straight out of a science fiction movie. They’re a\u00a0fun fight<\/em> and aside from the danger of handling them\u00a0in\u00a0an effort\u00a0to turn them loose, I don’t mind connecting up with one at all.<\/p>\n

\"Stingray\"<\/a>
Stingray from Manatee Pocket.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

That reminds me. Who in their right mind would ever take a fisherman’s story at face value? For instance, the very same\u00a0night\u00a0we\u00a0caught\u00a0these\u00a0salty cats and rays,\u00a0I caught a 17ft Mako and kissed a salty\u00a0dog out for a walk[tasted like Sangria]\u00a0and\u00a0a crab. How did\u00a0the latter taste? A bit salty with some bite. I mean, it’s safer kissing either of those than a random human-aye?<\/p>\n

With the above in mind, let’s talk about\u00a0crabs for a minute. Over the\u00a0years, I’ve been fascinated with\u00a0crab patterns. Most likely\u00a0because the first fish I ever\u00a0landed in the salt was on the olive\u00a0pattern pictured\u00a0below.<\/p>\n

\"My<\/a>
My crab patterns<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Fishing is much like writing-you can make it as entertaining as you like and there is no law against that-is there? Don’t forget, we make up what we want especially when\u00a0tying flies. Sometimes you don’t know\u00a0if it will work or not but you tie it anyway and throw caution to the wind-pun\u00a0intended. And sometimes the recklessness pays off-BIG. That’s why when I saw this pattern in a local\u00a0Port Salerno, FL shop,\u00a0I couldn’t resist picking up some more crabs[chuckle]. They put my patterns to shame and were a lot closer to the native crabs as evident when comparing\u00a0them to the live\u00a0one we caught in the mangroves close to a dock on the Manatee Pocket.<\/p>\n

\"Crab<\/a>
Crab from Manatee Pocket<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Custom<\/a>
Wish I could take credit for these but they came from a Port Salerno, FL bait and tackle shop tied exclusively for them.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

So now you want a true fishing tale? Try this one on for size. I found a new respect for Davy when I watched him cast a 10wt salt rod for the first time in the dark, trying his best to catch what I’d just lost on an ultra-light spin rod. Gasp, YES! We were fishing fly and spin gear and using-HORRORS-live bait in the form of shrimp. I’d built a 2-6lb spin rod some time back balanced with a Mitchell 308x<\/strong><\/em> from the last millennium and somehow between the two of us we thought it would be a great\u00a0idea to\u00a0take it with us-and\u00a0use it. While it could be considered an error in judgment, it did allow for some\u00a0entertainment for all when something the size of what I stated\u00a0was a 17ft Mako shark latched on and the line started flying out so\u00a0fast it emptied all but about 50ft of mono\u00a0before it snapped with a\u00a0bang but not before it broke the oscillating gear\u00a0that drives the\u00a0spool. If anyone could recommend a good reel repair shop, I’d certainly appreciate the help.<\/p>\n

Because of the above mishap, we watched my $3.50 luminescent, rattling bobber\u00a0swaying back and forth in front of us as we continued to fish and Davy couldn’t stand it. I\u00a0marveled at\u00a0him casting the fly rod until he finally hooked the bobber as he was half way down in the backing! He screeched that something was still on the line and after just a bit of a fight, you may see what my 17ft Mako looked like for yourself.<\/p>\n

\"Croaker<\/a>
Croaker AKA my 17ft Mako<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In my defense, it felt bigger\u00a0and I began the cast with a two circle hook rig and when Davy<\/em>\u00a0reclaimed my catch, the\u00a0terminal hook was missing. So it was a 17ft Mako, my\u00a0friends. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.<\/p>\n

The next morning we decided to fish a stretch of Jensen beach where Davy\u00a0said he’d had good luck fishing before in the trough<\/em>.\u00a0He was fishing with spin gear,\u00a0lobbing\u00a0dead shrimp with a\u00a0triangle weight\u00a0on the terminal end,\u00a0and I was casting a fly-rod using a pinfish imitation. We were fishing the same\u00a0vicinity and almost immediately he started catching fish. The first thing he tugged ashore was a whitening.<\/p>\n

\"Jensen<\/a>
Jensen Beach, Stuart, FL<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
<\/a>
Davy and a Whitening from Jensen Beach<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Davy<\/em> tossed that one back and shortly thereafter landed another whiting and then another. His next catch was none other than a juvenile pompano. We were in such a rush to snap the photo and get him back in the water we didn’t take the time to make him look the best. I’d say he[fish] was just glad to get back in the water instead of being part of a stew and didn’t care about his fifteen minutes of fame being somewhat tarnished<\/em>.<\/p>\n

<\/a>
Davy showing off a juvenile pompano that got wet and sandy just for the photo op…<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Throughout Davy’s string of catches, I’d only received\u00a0a ping<\/em> and a take that resulted in a loss. I tried pinfish, crab, and other patterns to no avail.\u00a0Davy kept telling me I should just fish spinning gear but I resisted. He was laughing as I was getting\u00a0bashed by the surf\u00a0in an effort\u00a0to better position myself as to combat the wind\u00a0and current for easier casting and line stripping. Honestly, I was having more fun watching Davy Boy<\/em> catch fish than catching them myself. I’ve found over the years that watching someone else catch fish especially a best friend, family member\u00a0or one of my kids\u00a0is much more rewarding than catching them myself. To put it yet another way,\u00a0if Davy were an orphan, I’d most likely adopt him.<\/p>\n

Possibly the most memorable part of the trip had nothing to do with fishing but what happened the night before we left. No more than we checked into the hotel at the beginning of the trip, I almost tripped over the community cat that I remarked look just like the cat in Stephen King’s\u00a0<\/strong>horror flick-\u00a0Pet Semetary<\/em><\/span>. Davy laughed it off and said I was nuts. Isn’t Davy smart? The next night as we walked back from dinner there was a local ghost tour stopped at the base of a gigantic tree, focusing infrared thermometer beams overhead onto its trunk and a very large branch. The group was calling out the temperature of\u00a0trunk and branch\u00a0in relation to one another and\u00a0the surrounding area. In\u00a0my\u00a0typically dry but harmless and friendly\u00a0way of approaching humor,\u00a0I asked if the readout was in Fahrenheit or Celsius to which a somewhat annoyed answer was given that, “If it where Celsius we’d be boiling right now.” Right on. Our bird’s<\/em> motors measure ITT[internal turbine temperature] in Celsius with the maximum starting ITT at 1000o<\/sup>C which converts to 1832o<\/span><\/sup>F. Yep, I’d say that conclusion was spot on.<\/p>\n

\"Port<\/a>
Reportedly haunted tree in Port Salerno, FL. You can see one of the infrared beams high and to the left on the trunk.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

So you think the story ends there? Well no, this is just were it gets interesting because the very next night as me and Davy were sitting on the front porch of the marina hotel’s lobby, he brought up\u00a0ghosts again after the cat reappeared. I remarked that ghosts are just a lot of overthinking<\/em>. We both laughed and I started looking at the weather radar on my iPAD<\/em> trying to figure out what we’d be\u00a0facing\u00a0for departure the following day. Suddenly, Davy jumped up and almost fell at the same time, looking at me like-what gives? <\/em>His face quickly melted\u00a0from\u00a0“friendly agitation”<\/em>\u00a0to “that was weird<\/em>” when he realized both of my hands were on my iPAD. At the time, we\u00a0were totally alone on the porch with our backs to a railing and a hedge row on the other side that was several feet thick and dense. The only other person anywhere around we could\u00a0see was\u00a0the night clerk for the hotel in her office.\u00a0A roaming security guard had passed by about 10 minutes beforehand but was no where to be seen. What made\u00a0the hair stand up on the back of\u00a0my neck was that I saw out of the corner of my eye\u00a0his shirt\u00a0pinched<\/em>\u00a0and slightly lifted<\/em> just before\u00a0he grabbed\u00a0his side.\u00a0I asked Davy\u00a0what happened and he said\u00a0it felt like someone pinched or gripped his side. Now for the really weird stuff.\u00a0Afterwards, Davy has\u00a0had a string of terrible luck ranging\u00a0from most of his appliances giving up the ghost-pun intended- to narrowly escaping giving up the ghost himself-pun again intended. I’m really full of puns on this post, am I not?<\/p>\n

\"Cat\"<\/a>
Looks like a “dead ringer” for that cat in the movie-don’t you think? Yes, another pun. I’m on a pun rampage even in captions. I’m out of control just like this cat. Isn’t it[cat] suspicious?<\/figcaption><\/figure>Moving onward, while I still don’t believe in ghosts, I have\u00a0to admit this one was and still\u00a0remains\u00a0very difficult to explain. To add to the mystery, within just a couple of hours of this occurrence, a storm that had been brewing\u00a0as we sat on the hotel porch exploded in a fury that\u00a0scattered all of the furniture, slamming it against the porch railings. I’m talking about REALLY heavy\u00a0outdoor furniture which in itself isn’t implausible. However, the storm woke me up that night and I watched boats in the\u00a0marina bounce up and down like wine corks in a hurricane BUT<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0the\u00a0power never went\u00a0out and nothing was damaged or disturbed elsewhere on the property-at least from what we heard. Hmm, I don’t know.<\/p>\n

So how about\u00a0a deal\u00a0ghost, I won’t ask silly questions during ghost tours anymore, doubt your existence, or make\u00a0jokes at your expense\u00a0if you will just let my Davy Boy go? Oh, and I almost forgot, if you could leave him less grumpy than you previously got him,\u00a0I’d appreciate that, too. You know how boat captains can be-crusty and rusty. I mean, he should be more like me, just a peach day in and day out. So do we have a deal?<\/p>\n

Admit it. My ramblings have you wondering what next and you can’t wait for the next installment-right? For\u00a0those of you that placed bets that the April\u00a0Fools\u00a0post was a one-off only for me to disappear again forever-pay up. Payment my be rendered in pints, kegs,\u00a0or\u00a0by the bottle or barrel-ARRGH. Oh yeah, and I’ll spare you from what the parrot said-it wasn’t for landlubber ears-RAWK!<\/p>\n

Disclaimer: No goombay drums, crabs or salty dogs\u00a0were actually\u00a0harmed during the crafting of this tale.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I\u2019m not certain what I enjoy the most, preparing for a fishing trip or the trip itself. That\u2019s exactly the question I asked myself yet again just recently when the chance presented itself to fish salt-water with my co-pirate\u2026Davy Jones. Okay, so\u00a0that\u2019s not his real name but in order to protect the innocent, let\u2019s call … Continue reading Goombay Smashing: Kissing Salty Dogs & Crabs<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":213,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-198","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-davy-jones-locker"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/undercovertroutbum.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/198","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/undercovertroutbum.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/undercovertroutbum.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/undercovertroutbum.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/undercovertroutbum.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=198"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/undercovertroutbum.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/198\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":226,"href":"https:\/\/undercovertroutbum.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/198\/revisions\/226"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/undercovertroutbum.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/213"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/undercovertroutbum.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=198"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/undercovertroutbum.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=198"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/undercovertroutbum.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=198"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}