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Horn Islands, Pascagoula, Biloxi Bay, Bay St Louis & Heron Bay
Capt. Charles Damiens
September 16, 2007
Gulfport - Saltwater Fishing Report
Hooked Charters Vacation
Oh there are not many things better than going on vacation, especially with family. This past week Hooked Charters went on vacation in Natchez, MS. Of course we did the numerous normal tourist endeavors. How could you pass them up in such a beautiful historic place as Natchez? But fishing started each morning and ended every evening.
The location was Natchez State Park, and the quarry Bass, Bream, Crappie and Catfish (the freshwater variety). Some good old fashion bank fishing was the desired method for the week. It's a great way to get back to your roots when things were simple, life uncomplicated, and fishing required nothing more than a cane pole, a tin of worms or some bread dough balls.
This impound holds the state record for large mouth bass of 18 lbs, 5 oz caught in 1992. Armed with this information and years of experience needing to be explored, and put to the test, my endeavor began at the water right outside our cabin. Basically every lure in the tackle box had to at least get wet, to prove its worthiness.
Open Wide!
Day one bass teasing just out of range destroying bait on the surface. I has unable to get a strike. The same thing happened that late evening. Large surface strikes as if Bass or Crappie were feeding on the surface. That night I found out what the needed lure was. In fact I didn’t even bring the right equipment. I should have taken along my fly rod and tying equipment. It was definitely the time for the fly. Some sort of Caddis or Dunn fly were emerging and swarming the porch light at night. I know I didn’t properly identify them But with a combination of light green and tan dubbing material, and a tan rooster hackle I would have been in the thick of it as though I was wading the rocky French Broad in Western North Carolina. Oh well, hind sight is 20/20.
Day two rain but I still managed a few minutes in between feeder bands from tropic storm Humberto that passed directly over Natchez. It sure made for a relaxing day of watching the rain fall on the lake while sitting on the porch in the cool moist air.
It was obvious I had the wrong equipment to successfully catch my quarry. So I proceeded to spend the mornings and evenings practicing my casting. Well obviously there wasn’t any catching so I prefer to think of it as practicing my casting. Top water plug and walking the dog was what I stuck with for the remainder of the final evening. It is quite fun practicing various techniques like trying to make the splash less cast, walking the dog, and skip casting under overhanging branches.
Today I decided to sleep in. We had to check out and go home. We had packed most of the gear and all of my fishing gear the night before. When I got out of bed my wife greeted me with “you missed it, the fish were striking everywhere”. And when I got to the kitchen my brother told me “the bass were striking the surface so hard I thought someone was throwing cinder blocks in the water”. Oh well that’s fishing. But was it ever relaxing and enjoyable!
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