This will be real short.   We have had a great trout top water bite in the morning.  The trout fishing on Cumberland Beach has been hit or miss, and sometimes the trout are hard to find.    We got lucky the other morning and caught this nice 23″ trout on top

An early morning top water trout

water.  I am trying to release all trout over 18″, and my client graciously agreed to release this breeder fish.  She will make millions of fish this summer and help our population recover after two severe winters.  Some of the old timers say the trout fishing is a poor as they can remember it and acknowledge that the last two winters have really hurt the population.

The red fishing has been great on the early morning low tides.  It is a hoot to see a line of small shrimp jumping out of the water as a red fish cruises along on the bottom.  In the early morning, the wind is normally calm and you can see the fish come cruising

Tom's first red fish on the fly

down the flat from 50 yards away.  These fish school up on the low tide for protection from predators, so we are seeing schools as large as we normally see in the winter. Most of the fish are three to four pounds, with an occasional large one thrown in for good measure.  A dear friend fished with me earlier this week, and caught his first red fish on a fly rod.  Tom, here is wishing you many more.  It has become tradition on my boat that when an angler gets his first fly rod red fish, he also gets the fly he caught it on.  I have been fishing a small, size four black and purple rabbit strip clouser lately, and it seems to be producing well.  This is an easy fly to tie.  Just tie in some black bucktail on the top of the fly on top of dumbell eyes, add a little copper k-flash and a two rubber legs, flip the fly over and pierce a piece of rabbit strip with the hook and slide it over the hook point up to the body of the fly, stretch the strip to the hook and tie off.  It has been producing well in the stained waters we see in the Golden Isles.

This week begins the first set of what should be some great tailing tides.  Check back often for more reports.  Until then,

Tight lines, strip strike and practice the double haul!

Capt. Dave