Fishing on the Surfside Jetties

I live about 12 miles from the Gulf of Mexico and one of my favorite activities is fishing on the Surfside jetties. 

It's a different type of fishing somewhat akin to a combination of boulder hiking, fly fishing and, At times, fishing on a crowded charter boat.

The standard catch is spotted weakfish aka speckled trout. 

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cynoscion_nebulosus#section_4
 
Went down there with my son, a friend of his and my BIL's friend, Tatyana.

Unfortunately, the trout weren't there and we caught only one. We caught quite a few of the small bait stealing toothed bluefish. 

But the trip was a complete success anyway. 

It was a beautiful day.... We saw porpoises, pelicans and a sea turtle and shared the community and competition of fishing with the many Vietnamese who are always present on the jetties. 

In addition, I got to share the company of a delightful young lady, Tatyana, who had never done this sort of fishing and who was kinda rusty on her general fishing skills.

Well - you know that was right up my alley cause I like fishing and talking about fishing and teaching so I was in Hog Heaven. 

Turns out there wasn't a whole lot of teaching to be done as Tatyana caught on quickly and was baiting her own hook with live shrimp, navigating the slick and dangerous surfaces of the huge pieces of granite that make up the jetties and casting the live shrimp with no weight like a pro. 

She never got hung up, outfished and outdrank my son and his friend and was low maintenance and easy on the eye. 

Here's a few pics of the trip. 

A wagon is the best way to haul all the gear the half a mile out on the jetties. 

Gotta have a 12v battery and aerator to keep the shrimp alive. 

The Vietnamese are the best fishermen in the world IMHO and have the best gear, techniques and equipment for fishing on the jetties and come prepared to stay the day in comfort. 

On the walk out on the jetties, I asked Tatyana if she liked Lenny Kravitz kinda knowing that a 28 year old free spirited Ukrainian chick would like LK and she says "OMG I love Lenny Kravitz! How did you know?"

I just smiled and said "I just knew...."

Guess there's some advantages to being 50.

So on the way home with the truck smelling of fish, shrimp and tobacco and the windows rolled down, Tatyana and I jammed to Lenny singing the lyrics at the top of our lungs....

Like you do when you're young and free-spirited. 

And for a few hours I was....

Thanks Tatyana!