The Nuisance of those "No-Seeums"

Though they are less than the size of a speck of freshly ground pepper, they have a nasty little bite -- and they are called "Biting Midges" (apparently like the salty waters and banks on the other side of the road according to one of the camp workers here).  Glad I told them here when I made the reservation that I didn't want to be on the water -- at least they honored that part of my request.  Those little biters were rather pesky yesterday evening so, I had to get my hat on with extra bug spray (which still didn't keep them away).  I noticed that Tiger and Molly also seemed to be bothered by them too as they scratched at their twitching ears and bit at their paws occasionally.  I shortened our stay outside for that reason (and my thoughts of turkey and dressing in the fridge).

Another annoying thing is this BlogSpot which seems to slow down or fails to download more pictures when I want to (like last evening).  I am including the few others I had hoped to put in yesterday's post (if the network doesn't shut down again).  Never see that coming either (darn those no-seeums).

Merry Christmas to All . . .

Dinner here was at 12:30 p.m. and I decided to go even though I had originally thought not to do so because of the time of day and not really knowing many people in the park.  I took a platter of devilled eggs, a pumpkin pie and some green beans with almonds and onions -- cooked a turkey breast with stuffing but, kept that for myself to make those turkey sandwiches for the rest of the week and into New Years.

Today was mostly sunny and in the mid 70s so, after the dinner I had to slip off the jeans and get some shorts on and a short sleeved shirt to replace the long sleeved dress shirt.

Santa was really nice to me this year -- don't know if I really deserved it but, I'll certainly take everything and be very thankful.  Wore my new hiking sandals from my daughter to the dinner and all morning -- soo nice.  All the goodies from my brother and sister-in-law will go nicely anytime after I have a dinner or need something for breakfast -- look out waist line.  Another box of goodies from my son and his wife will be adding to that waist line and the beautiful pictures of them and their beautiful son (my first grandchild) will be a constant treasure to look at anytime.

Tiger and Molly really liked the little hummingbird and took only about five minutes to bend the delicate little wire the bird is mounted to -- will occupy my time just straightening the wire whenever I get the toy out for them (need to get those needle nose pliers out of the Jeep).

Tiger really appreciated the boxes my sandals came in and wasted no time jumping in and out of them.

 





 

And to all a good night (time for some of those goodies)



Christmas Eve and North Winds blowing

Merry Christmas Eve

Santa Claus may be able to use those winds to help him tonight on his trip down from the North Pole but, not many folks were out there today using those jet skis or wave runners -- too many white caps for the kayakers and most of the small boats as well.  Since I still had about a dozen or more of those little Mullet left from the pack I thawed yesterday, I had considered going over to that spot again on the sandbar at Honeymoon Island to fish that cove where I hooked that beautiful fish -- get a second chance at landing that rascal.  However, when I arrived ayt the parking area closest to the point, the flags on all the buildings were straight out from the poles and the winds seemed to be strengthening. If I had worn jeans and two long-sleeved shirts with a wind-breaker, I might have just gone out there but, shorts or a swimsuit with a short-sleeved shirt was just too little.

So, instead I made a bathroom stop at the closest facilities and then headed over to the Nature Center in the park to see how it compared to some of the ones I had worked on over the years.  It's a nice little nature center and the Ranger there was quite helpful and very friendly.  An interactive, pushbutton activated LED map of the island was really well done and pointed out some key features of the island such as the nesting areas for Osprey, Oyster Pearl cove and numerous island trails.  There are some really nice trails on the north end of the island and they look well worth exploring -- maybe on a nicer and less windy day.  No roads or additional parking on the north part of the island.

There are some long stretches of deserted beaches on that end of the island too and guess that may be where the lovers sneak off to -- no parking lots or roads to bring in nosey people.  Just have to walk-in and take what you need with you.  Guess there are no bathrooms or facilities up there either so, you would just have to be careful in the woods with Mr. "No Shoulders" wandering around -- or jump in the Gulf of Mexico (and watch out for the sharks).

Christmas Crowds - Not Back to the Grind

Big miscalculation on that as I had forgotten schools are out for the holidays but, I still went fishing yesterday at Honeymoon Island where the crowds seemed to build throughout the day.  I decided to walk out to the pet beach and fish there though the wind was blowing right in my face out of the south.  I thought the cove there might provide some good fishing and as soon as my deep line hit the water there seemed to be some bites which was encouraging.

However, as the winds persisted and my shallow line kept being blown back toward me and onto the shallow sands near my feet, I began to look right and left and walked both directions to check for a spot to relocate.  The point to my right across the cove was already taken by more than a few anglers so, I opted to move around the cove about halfway to the point where the wind should be at my back.  As I began the move with my poles and bucket of thawed Mullet, lots of dog owners began to show up and the beach got more rowdy with the animals taking control of the beach -- good time to move.

I moved past the last dog owner near the corner of the cove and gave myself some safe distance between us in case their black lab should decide to go splashing in the waters.  This new spot had more of a drop-off from the sandbar (which makes the point) and looked more promising so, I baited my lines and cast them out and planted them in my pole supports (which I wriggled into the sand).  Then, I headed back around the cove to gather the rest of my things from the beach where I had started the day.

Casting with the wind was so much better and the action on both lines had me busy even though I just seemed to be feeding the fish more and more of my Mullet -- catching nothing but, l did catch lots of rays of sunshine and some pretty, shapely women in pink bikinis showed up on some wave runners.  No complaints about that.  After more than three hours of fishing, I started to have thoughts of packing up my things and heading back.  However, around 2:19 p.m., I was holding my surfcasting rod in my hands in an attempt to catch one of those bait stealers when I had a big hit and hooked into a really nice fish that immediately started jumping out of the water out in the middle of the cove.  It then dove to the left and splashed out of the water again and again.  It continued left towards the corner of the cove and peeled off some line as I struggled to move in the same direction and keep out of the water.

I had to take my large pole over the top of my smaller pole as I went to my left hoping to avoid getting tangled in the line floating with a red and green bobber on it.  Then the fish must have realized it had not been heading for deeper water and started turning back towards me as I reeled in the line it gave back.  When it got within eight or ten feet of the shore I could see it pointing away from the beach and it looked to be a Barracuda some 3 feet or more in length.  Then it started to get tangled in my other line and it must have felt the sand under its tail and it then bit through the fifty pound leader in two places and shot back out into the cove.  WOW!  What an exciting time and oh soo close to getting that one onto the beach.

I reeled in the other line with the red and green bobber and found my sinker and the bottom hook of the double drop rig tangled in it.  My surfcasting rod had the swivel still attached to the 50 pound braided line but, only an inch or less of the mono leader below that.  I cut off the swivel and attached the sinker with the one hook and continued to fish until a little after 3:00 p.m. -- hoping to hook that fish again or his brother.  Another boat came into the cove and over the spot I had been fishing and slid onto the beach to my left so, I decided that was a good time to leave.  Time to get back to the RV and have a few brews while thinking about that fish.

When I was leaving the beach, a man came down the path onto the beach and said he had just seen the biggest rattlesnake he had ever seen crossing the path.  I took off my sunglasses and focused on staying in the middle of the path all the way back to the Jeep -- cautioned a few folks as they came the other way heading to the beach.  Didn't want to end the day by really getting snake bitten -- though, I think the term might still apply.

Fifteen Years and Not Enough

With the temps threatening the lower 80s again today and my body aching from its first day at the driving range yesterday morning, I decided to head for the Oldsmar Flea Market just up the road from here in search of that Forest Gump Soundtrack.  I misplaced the first disc of the two pack and haven't been able to find a replacement for nearly a year.  Many searches at stores around the country and at various flea markets around the country have yielded nothing so my search here in Tampa didn't have me feeling any better at the start of the day.

It wasn't going any better either as I walked for more than an hour around the grounds and through the aisles of the flea market here even as I reached the farthest limits and began the return trip to the entrance where I had entered.  However, when I reached the far end of the next to last aisle of the flea market to the west, I made a turn and found a booth with thousands of CDs and some old vinyl records and asked the operator if he might have the soundtrack to Forest Gump.  He directed me to a couple tables where he thought it might be and I started searching the two eight foot tables (with two stacked levels of CDs) which I searched for 20 or 30 minutes before I finally found what I was looking for under the last stack of CDs (of course).

During the search, I came across a CD soundtrack of the "Titanic" and thought I should pick it up even if I didn't find the Forest Gump soundtrack and another CD of Mariah Carey's too.  After so many searches for that elusive soundtrack, I was so relieved to have finally found that (my Christmas present to my self).  Earlier, I had bought a Christmas present for the twins (a solar powered hummingbird toy).  This amounted to the same expense for each of our Christmas presents ($5).

However, when I got back to the RV later and started to play that CD from  the "Titanic" the waves that overcame me were overwhelming -- remembering nearly 15 years ago spending those weeks with my younger sister during her last weeks of life.  Missing her still so much after all these years and just wishing she might still be here to share some of the fun times together.  Missing the long talks we used to have during the troubled times we each had during our lives -- supporting each other as good friends and siblings. Oh, I miss that.

No way to fill that void or to rid my mind of changing her diapers (as an infant or as an adult) and playing that beautiful music she so loved -- until she passed away.  So thankful I could be there with her and wish I could be with her again.  If only.

First Day of Winter or Summer?

Well, it sure seemed like summer down here yesterday and that had me heading outside in the morning before the heat really hit in the afternoon -- took my California neighbor Ron (from across the road) with me to the driving range just around the corner from here (at Tampa Downs).  First time I have been to the driving range or swung a golf club in over two years so, I chunked a few or maybe a half dozen (out of the bucket of 60 balls.  Since I'm here for another 3 weeks, I bought a discount card for 10 buckets and will see if I can find that swing again (before considering a round of golf at one of the public courses near here).

The facility is quite convenient to the RV park and has some nice practice areas for chipping, practicing bunker shots and putting -- too bad they are not open in the evenings.  They close at 5:30 p.m. at this time of year even though they have lots of lights.  Oh well!  Maybe a few bets on the horses will occupy me some of those evenings -- they have a card room too but, I'm pretty sure I will pass on that one.

After hitting those range balls, Ron and I stopped at the racetrack to check it out and had a couple expensive beers inside the air conditioned card room while the racing got started down on the fast track.  We had hoped for a casino of sorts with something a little more lively and he would have been interested in playing Blackjack -- for me, some of those one-armed bandits or even possibly some Roulette might have caught my interest.

Oh well!  Guess I will just have to enjoy the nice sunsets and the twins -- good weather for it so far.  Will possibly try fishing again tomorrow or Tuesday morning when the locals and their kids are back at the grind.

Sunny and 75 PLUS (really)

That's today and warmer tomorrow and Saturday.  Tried fishing yesterday at the spot where the couple had caught some of those Spanish Mackerel on the causeway to Honeymoon Island.  I fished from about 11:00 a.m. until sometime after 3:15 but, only caught one Whiting while all the people around me were catching lots of little Grunts or a Stingray.  I had originally thought of fishing the cove where the pet beach is in the state park on the island but, the wind was blowing out of the northeast and would have been blowing right across the water at me -- not appealing for that reason.

Well, the Whiting is in the fridge with a couple others from the freezer and two of the filets from the last Blue caught at Amelia Island are thawing (to be cooked on the grille later).  Finished getting the last of my Christmas cards in the mail this morning and had a nice late breakfast with a "Mock Mimosa" (orange juice and some leftover wine in the glass I had been using last night).

May look for a driving range for this afternoon and wait to fish tomorrow or sometime this weekend (before the rain hits on Sunday).  It should be nearly 80 degrees all those days.  So NICE!

Sunny and 75 - Ummm!

Well, it was about 75 in the morning and not much sun except around mid day yesterday.  Some  chilly north winds seemed to push the temps down to the low 70s and lower throughout the day -- they must be associated with the most recent winter blast working its way up the coast and toward New England.  Soon it should be out to sea and then it should be sunny and 75.

Instead of heading over to Honeymoon Island to test the fishing forecast, I worked on getting things out of my Jeep and getting my site decked out -- including some Christmas lights on the patio awning and some around the round chair.  Ended up grilling some burgers late in the afternoon before my legs and toes got too cold.

I had Tiger out on his leash most of the afternoon with me and took him on a few walks around the campground to see the creek and Mullet pond.  We even came upon three of those ugly big ducks -- two on the shore and one in the creek that got Tiger's attention as it splashed in the creek and flopped along the surface to the water's edge where it continued to flap its wings and duck its head in and out of the water as it took a bath.  Tiger decided he had seen enough and wanted to head back or away from these big birds -- though one of them nearly crossed or cut off our path back to our RV.  Still, Tiger didn't want anything to do with it.

Earlier in the morning, both Tiger and Molly gawked at these birds (ten of them) from the inside of the cab -- Tiger was in the driver's seat and Molly on the dashboard.  They had both of their tails twitching and Tiger meowing.

I went to the Sunday ice cream social last night at 7:00 p.m. and met at least half a dozen other campers.  While there, I learned there is a Monday golf outing typically but, will not sign up for that until I get a chance to hit some balls and get the swing back.  Will probably test that fishing forecast today while the golfers are out there about the same time of day (noon to 2:00 p.m.).  Hope the sun makes an appearance around that time too.

Sun was out as I had hoped but, the chilly breezes from the north strengthened and kept me from wetting my lines or my toes.  Did check with a couple guys fishing a point I might have been interested in fishing but, during the time I spent with them, they only had a few bites and didn't catch anything before I headed back to the Jeep.  I certainly appreciated the warmth of the Jeep when I reached it and even stayed in the Jeep after stopping on the causeway on my way back to the mainland -- only climbed out when I saw a woman with something on her line and she struggled to get it close.  Turned out it was a Stingray and she had hooked it in the tail and it broke off before I could get a look at it .

Then I stopped again at the other end of the causeway to see what might be happening there as well.  The wind was less of a problem there so I got out of the Jeep and I found a couple fishing off the short wall there.  The husband said they had caught one Spanish Mackerel so far.  The couple had relocated to the area from Lancaster, PA back in September and planned to stay.  While talking to the guy, his wife caught another Spanish Mackerel and this one looked to be about 17 or 18 inches.  He caught a couple little Grunts shortly after that and put them in with the rest of their cut bait.  I wished them well and good luck as I headed back to the Jeep to come back to the campground.

I put the bag of frozen Mullet I had taken with me back in the freezer -- to be used on one of these upcoming warmer days later this week.  Will head over tomorrow to have lunch with Miss Alabama up in Wesley Chapel -- that's Leigh Love from Talladega.

Bay Bayou RV Resort - Tampa

After a fairly trouble-free four hour ride from Yulee, I arrived here at Bay Bayou RV Resort a little after 2:00 p.m. and got settled in by about 2:30 -- slides out and the cats out of hiding.  The drive down 301 took me through some areas of Florida I hadn't seen before -- horse country and rolling hills in the Ocala Downs area.  We ran into a little rain on the way and it was mostly cloudy with temps quickly rising into the 80s as we got closer to Tampa.  Had to stop on the road to get the long pants traded out for shorts and sandals to replace the hiking shoes.

Getting out of Bow and Arrow Campground yesterday morning was more of a tussle than I had hoped for as that troublesome front, left leveler fought me for more than a half hour.  The morning had started out so nice as I leisurely enjoyed the last of my quiche tarts with a cup of OJ (a cup of coffee before that, of course).  Good thing I had that breakfast since I needed all my strength (and a couple short breaks) to get that last leveler up and the rig ready for the road (Jeep on the tow bar too).  Didn't get on the road until a few minutes before 10:00 a.m. after giving three short toots on my air horns.

When I arrived here and got to the registration desk, folks here were enjoying root beer floats in the clubhouse behind me and I was told there would be a Christmas party at 7:00 p.m. last night (didn't make either of those unfortunately).  There's supposed to be an ice cream social this afternoon so, I may make it to that depending on what else I might decide to do during the day.  The RV park is pretty nice for the most part but, the section they put me in is on the west side and doesn't have cable TV and the sites are not as uniform or as nice as the rest of the park -- explains to me why they wouldn't give out site numbers or even the street names for sites that were available when I talked to them on the phone.  This section looks like it had trailer homes parked on the lots and they recently took them out and didn't bother to do the simple task of putting in the cable just below the surface of the sod (yes, there is grass).  The woman in the office seems to think that everyone must travel with antennas for satellite TV and tried to suggest that I put mine out -- how about just getting the cable installed that is advertised on your website folks?

Since I don't have that pricey satellite service and don't really have any soap operas that I need to watch religiously, I will survive as best I can with the local stations (as I have done in the past).  Hopefully, the fishing will be better in the Gulf and most of my time will be spent wading the beautiful waters off Honeymoon Island -- maybe catching some rays too (not Stingrays, I hope).  There are a few fishing piers here in the park and I walked out on the nearest one to me last night before heading to the store -- saw a guy paddling his canoe upstream (Double Branch creek).

Made it back from shopping just before it got dark last night and I had to fumble with the keypad at the security gate -- hit a wrong number and had to backup and start again.  Just need to get home before dark (maybe with some fish today).  Need to check those tide charts, first.

If only I had taken my camera

Went up a little earlier to check the mail and as I came back from the office, I looked up into the eastern sky to view a beautiful moon there and a jet plane flying directly above it from right to left (that would be south to north) -- what a beautiful sight and what a beautiful picture that would have been with a big pine tree just below it and some clear azure blue skies as a backdrop.  Darn!  Never know when such things can happen.

Now settling in as darkness overtakes everything (except that moon and the lights inside the RV), anticipating a chilly night in the 30s or low 40s so the heaters are already running to counter that.  Tiger is settled in on the seat beside me and Molly is already in the bedroom after having their dinner.  Guess mine will be salad and soup (New England Clam Chowder) with some warmed pieces of the last Blue cooked a few nights back -- maybe some popcorn a little later too and some chocolate candy bites as I watch a little TV.

I had Tiger outside with me this afternoon starting a little after 3:00 p.m. but, Molly didn't get the harness on so no outside time for her (only time in the open window or the screen door).  I finished cleaning that trailer for those neighbors (Ida and Beth) after the temps got above 60 degrees here.  It took about two more hours today and I finished around 2:45 p.m. -- included power-washing their picnic table too.  First day that I have been able to wear shoes since breaking that little toe a few weeks ago (banged it again this morning against the heater on the floor in the kitchen).  Made me think I needed shoes on and with smart wool socks too for the warmth -- all better now with the shoes off and the socks still on.

Before and After (North side)

Nice to have that trailer done for those two women and I know they do appreciate it -- too bad Ida stepped on their telephone cable and broke the connection at the terminal box.  May have to offer a hand on that tomorrow (between packing more things away and getting awnings pulled in).

I've been forgetting to mention that my early morning trips to the beach for fishing this week had provided a neat sight of the Palm trees with lights on them on A1A.  They had vertical lines of lights running up the trunks and the bottom of the canopy had lights lining the edges -- really, really nice touch.

 

After enjoying a couple beers outside with Tiger and soaking up the sunshine, I managed to get the Jeep organized and packed away the ladder and fishing gear -- removed the tie-downs on the patio awning and stowed everything except two chairs and the grille.  Tomorrows work.  Time for some dinner and maybe a glass of Sambuca (to kill the aches and pains).

 

The Chill is Back in Yulee

At least it was still in the 40s this morning when the first rays of sunlight burst through the trees to the east -- tomorrow morning will be in the 30s I've heard (with some frost warnings farther inland).  So, I had thoughts of sleeping in a little later this morning since I had gotten up early the past three mornings to try my luck at catching some fish around the time of the low tides -- the a.m. tides not the ones after dark.  However, Tiger seemed to have a different idea about me continuing to sleep and he began to break into one of his Alley Cat courses and made a couple trips back to the bedroom to climb onto my chest and beg for attention (probably asking for food too).

Yesterday, I headed out by 8:00 a.m. with a Gatorade and one bag of those frozen Mullet thinking I might look for the jetty (or rocks) at the southern tip of the beach but, after driving past the "No Vehicles Beyond this Point" and the "Caution Rocks" signs, I had no luck even seeing those rocks or the jetty.  So, I took up a familiar spot just upstream from the last sand bar where I had caught one of those nice Flounder and I tried to put the chilly north wind to my back (parked the Jeep close to my poles too in hopes of blocking some of the wind and sand -- and sat inside with the door open).  I only passed one other angler who had walked onto the beach near the access point by the parking lot -- no one else showed except the Pelicans, Sea Gulls and the Osprey.  Even the sun didn't make an appearance after more than an hour and a half of fishing -- no bites and no fish.

I decided to move farther back upstream on the beach and stopped at the other spot where I had caught the second Flounder.  This spot proved to be more productive and there actually was another angler in sight just a bit farther on -- another Jeep driver it turns out too.  I caught more than a half dozen Blues and one was about 16 or 17 inches (a keeper in my mind).  Since there were numerous Osprey in the skies above, I decided to play the game again of attempting to lure one out of the clouds above but, the first Blue I tossed onto the beach to my left only seemed to draw the sea gulls and they only seemed to peck at the fishes eyes so, I threw it back into the water.

A little later, I saw more Osprey hovering above the waters where I seemed to be catching the Blues so, when I caught another fish, I threw it onto the wet sand to my left.  This time, it caught the eyes of one of the Osprey and it made a pass and it missed but, it adjusted and came again for its prey (my bait) and I had my camera pointed in its direction this time.  Not a great shot but, it's the best I could manage with my fuzzy eyes and fumbling fingers on the small camera.

Well, I wish I could have caught another Flounder or a nice Spotted Sea Trout but, at least I have that one Blue in the fridge -- will filet it later today or this morning.  Anyway, I came back and had a nice late breakfast around noon -- bacon, eggs and toast.

After eating, I dug out my power washer and headed up to one of my neighbors (Denise and Larry's) and cleaned their picnic table, two rocking chairs and small side table.  Later in the evening, she brought me a nice container full of fresh, home made potato soup she had prepared -- tasted really good with my salad.

When I finished with their outdoor furniture, I headed across the campground road to power-wash another neighbor's trailer (a mother and daughter from Maine) -- turned out to be more of a chore than I had anticipated as the northern side had so much green mold and mildew that I only got one half of the trailer done when my arms got too tired to continue.  The daughter helped me and we found that we had to use brushes and some detergent in the power washer to get down to the white (or nearly white) color of the siding on the trailer.  I had done the roof myself using my ladder, the power washer and their rake -- removed nearly two inches of pine needles, branches and leaves (a real blanket of stuff that had accumulated over a few years). I told them that they might have to crank up their heat after removing the blanket.  I didn't risk walking on their roof as I wasn't sure it would support me or anybody.

Today, I will head up again around mid day to attempt to get that trailer finished.  First, I will have some hashed brown potatoes, eggs and toast while watching the temps get to around 60 or more (closer to my comfort level).  After that, more packing and putting away of things.

The Difference a Day Makes

Yesterday morning, I decided to head back over to Amelia Island State Park to fish the incoming tide for a few hours -- I drove there in the fog and waited for the first view of the sun (hoped eventually that the fog would clear and by 10:30 it nearly did).  Fishing was better than it has been recently and I caught a few small Blues, one Spotted Sea trout (too small to keep), and two small Whiting which are now in the freezer with the last of the Blue fish.

This morning, I got up earlier and since there was no fog in the campground, I decided to go over to the park again in hopes of catching a nice sunrise -- and fish some more too before the rain and nasty weather is supposed to hit.  Well, I caught a really nice sunrise but, didn't catch much of anything else (only a few small Blues and I tossed them all back).  I did try throwing one of the Blues up on the beach for a few minutes in hopes of luring one of those beautiful Osprey down from the skies -- had my camera ready but, only the sea gulls showed up and they didn't want anything to do with that flopping and snapping Blue.

Getting ready for Tampa - No Shark Fishing

Yesterday, I had planned to head to the southern tip of Amelia Island with that neighbor who expressed an interest in swimming some bait out to the sharks -- he backed out (I had began to think that he perhaps had a death wish).  So, instead of 4-wheeling onto the beach at Amelia Island State Park at the south end, I headed back to Fort Clinch to try catching something in Cumberland Sound without having to get the Jeep dirty in the sand.



My little island in the sun.

I went there a couple hours earlier than I had planned to fish and only after getting out the pressure washer to wash the Jeep and the Winnebago -- before it got too sunny and hot down here.  Weekend crowds were gathered at the fort and that left lots of parking at the east inlet lot.  Only two other cars were there when I arrived -- two more came in right after me.  The three Asian guys who came in those vehicles had buckets and were headed for the beach too so, I tried to make a point of beating them to the beach and the rocky point nearest the fort.  No need to worry though, they had come to gather some of the Jellyfish out of the water's edge -- to eat??

Lots of people were walking the ramparts of the fort behind me as I hoped for some action at the end of my lines -- only action was from the drifting of the lines with the outgoing tide and current.  No bites and no fish so, I spent some of the time looking for shark's teeth (as I half watched for a bite).  Only one bit of excitement occurred when the re-enactors fired a blank round with that little canon I had seen the day before.  I heard them making the canon ready and I had entertained the thought of dropping to the ground when they fired it (since the canon was pointed in my direction) but, decided I might just break another toe or something else.

After what I guessed to be some two hours, I decided to give up fishing and looked again for a while for some of those little black teeth but, came up empty-handed on that too.  So, I headed back to the campground to give Tiger and Molly the opportunity for a little more time outside.  As you can see, Tiger took advantage of the extra time but, poor Molly just isn't getting the message about wearing the harness so, she just stands at the door crying (runs away when I step to the door and offer her the harness).

Well, that's her little problem.  Me?  I'm tired of chasing her around all the time to keep her in my sight and really don't like missing out on the nice weather and the sunsets.

I plan to fish tomorrow morning and will spend today putting more things away for the trip next Saturday. Good day for a few more of those Gin and tonics -- more time for the kitties too.

Last Week in Yulee - Fort Clinch

Since the "Bite is Gone", yesterday I decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather down here and in the morning headed over to Fort Clinch and wanted to avoid the weekend crowds -- maybe a little more fishing over the weekend instead.  Shorts and sandals weather with lots of sunshine is great right now and is expected to continue through half of the week (highs in the 70s).

I thought it would be nice to compare this fort with Fort Macon in Atlantic Beach, North Carolina where I had project managed the installation of exhibits there.  They only had one little room of exhibits in their museum here and that was next to the visitor center so, I went through it first before heading through the entry door to the fort.  The museum was a little "cheesy" in my opinion and it made me think of something a kid might do with some cut-n-paste in a photo album.  Some color combinations were very hard to read as well (something that would not meet NPS guidelines).  I didn't take the time to stay and view the video in the second half of the room -- the narrator was dressed as a soldier and I could hear him describe the life of a Union Soldier as I looked over the exhibit and artifacts.

It was a short, fairly level walk from the visitor center to the fort entrance and the great weather made it even more enjoyable with glimpses of Cumberland Sound (to the north) occasionally being visible.  The entrance wasn't really very impressive and as I crossed the little draw bridge, I had hoped to see a moat somewhere below but, it must have been filled in over the years (alligators probably left some time ago too).

I didn't see any other visitors as I walked around the fort but, I did hear someone talking inside one of the buildings at the north end of the fort -- later found that to be three men dressed as Union Soldiers working in the kitchen (said they were from New York and New Hampshire just waiting for the end of the war).

Guess you're in there.

Guard's Quarters

 

Guns to the left.

Guns to the right.

 

As I started to head back, two other visitors (a couple) were coming into the fort and the three soldiers emerged from the kitchen and began to play some tunes on their drum and flutes.  When I made it back to the visitor center I noticed that two bus loads of school kids had just arrived and their energy and noise began to overcome the peace and quiet I had enjoyed -- Good Timing!

I drove back from the parking lot and stopped to check out one of the campgrounds in the park (the one nearest to Cumberland Sound and a short walking distance over the dunes to the water).  The boardwalk over the dunes was closed (on Oct. 1st) and won't reopen until May 2014 so, I drove back towards the fort and drove to the east inlet parking area to check it out.  I brought some leftover Mullet and decided to fish a little while before heading back to the RV park -- did get some bites but, didn't catch a thing.  However, I learned from a guy on the beach (with his wife) that there are plenty of shark's teeth to be found there and lots of nice shells -- he showed me a few of the teeth he had found that day.  Nice!

Today, I will fish the southern tip of Amelia Island State Park later in the afternoon and will be taking one of my neighbors along (Daniel) who wants to try catching a big shark (hopefully, he won't become the bait).

Mullet Stream Shutdown - Bite is Gone

Yesterday started out with some dense fog but, it cleared out nicely before noon so, I headed over to Fernandina Beach and had thoughts of fishing Nassau Sound between 1:00 and 3:00 p.m.  First though, I headed to the north end of the island to check out the fishing pier in Fort Clinch State Park -- they claim it is the longest fishing pier on the east coast (half mile in length).  Some local tackle shop owners had told me they thought it was built on the wrong side of the longer jetty which runs parallel to it and to the south.  Since there is a shipping channel running just north of the pier, I think casting in that direction makes better sense and that the variety of fish should be better and more plentiful so, I would have to disagree with those shop owners.

The pier has some nice restrooms and graphic panels with information about the local flora and fauna and they are nicely located on the approaches to the pier and some alternate steps and a ramp lead down to the north end beaches -- they were nicely cleaned too at the time I used them.  As I made the turn past the restrooms and began the straight walk out onto the concrete pier, I passed a fisherman who had a nice Red Drum in his cooler which he had caught at the very end of the pier (something encouraging).  I think it was a little after 11:00 a.m. and I figured I could at least spend an hour or more trying my luck and a few of those leftover Mullet in my bait bucket.  I also had put my pack of Fish Bites in my pocket to try catching some Whiting.

The end of the pier was already taken by an Asian couple and they had more than a half dozen poles occupying every pole pocket in sight so, I took up a spot a little short of them and threw my big rig deep toward the channel with two offerings of Fish Bites.  I hooked one of the small Mullet on my small rig and kept it closer to the pilings of the pier (hoping for a Flounder or one of those Red Drum).  While I soaked up the warmth of the sun and watched my poles for some action, I saw a beautiful yacht motoring out in the channel -- thought it must be heading for someplace exotic like the Bahamas or farther to the south like Jamaica.  Too bad my motorhome can't get me down there too.  Well, it's supposed to be in the 80s here this weekend -- warm enough for these old bones.

After more than an hour and a half, I didn't get a single bite and didn't see the Asian couple get anything either so, I started to head back toward the Jeep and hoped to head down A1A to the other end of the island.  Besides, the water there looked so muddy and murky that I doubted I would want to eat any fish caught in those waters.  I passed two younger guys on the way back (closest ones to me) and they had caught one Whiting and a couple small fish they said.  I stopped about a third of the way back and cast my Fish Bites out again toward the channel but, again had no bites.

I went about another third of the way back and stopped to try again at a spot where the pier jutted out toward the north (and the channel).  A local guy came down the north side of the pier toward me and we talked awhile -- he has a place in Cleveland too and has fished here for some 30 years.  He was using a mud minnow and hoping for a Flounder, he said but, he too thought the water was too muddy and hoped some changing tides might bring some cleaner water.  I decided to head for the cleaner water at the southern tip of the island.

By the time I got back to the Jeep, it was about 1:00 p.m. so, I didn't get to Amelia Island State Park until 1:30 p.m.  When I 4-wheeled onto the beach, I only passed one other vehicle parked on the beach and it was on one of the points I had fished a couple days ago (with no luck).  On the way out to the farthest point, I didn't notice any Mullet activity along the shores so, I didn't stop to try casting my net into the water.  Instead I drove all the way out and along the farthest sandbar to see what might be happening but, there wasn't any bird activity on the waters and no other vehicles.  I decided to stop a little closer to the farthest sandbar (still in Nassau Sound though) and tried using the Fish Bites with a piece of Mullet too on each hook for the deep line.

I tried the smaller rig in the shallower waters where the outgoing current was running still -- fairly strong too.  As I waited and watched for some bites, I grabbed my casting net and bucket from the Jeep and walked the shore looking for some live Mullet to put on the smaller pole.  I only managed to net a few of the Mullet and a few silver minnows after trying more than a dozen throws with the casting net.  Anyway, I at least had a live Mullet to put on the smaller pole and walked the shore toward the farthest sandbar and even walked onto the sandbar for the first time as the tide was so low -- water wasn't more than ankle deep.  It was the first time I had seen the water that low since being down here.  Normally, you would have to wade through waist deep water to get onto that same sandbar.

One guy showed up in his truck as I walked the shore back from the sandbar and he inquired about the Mullet and if I had caught anything -- his response implied that if the Mullet are gone then, so is the fishing for this season.  I tend to agree.  Oh yeah!  I only had one bite on that live Mullet and it must have been a big Blue because he only left me the head -- food for the sea gulls.  Also, the water was much cleaner and fairly clear.

Next stop -- Tampa and the Gulf of Mexico (off Honeymoon Island).  Only 12 miles from Bay Bayou RV park where I have a month reserved from Dec 14th to Jan 14th.  After that, maybe Naples or the Florida Keys -- Coral Castle somewhere along the way too.