Catching Gator Trout During A Thunderstorm

Catching gator trout during a thunderstorm is usually productive and this evening was no exception.

When I got home from work late this evening I had fishing on my mind, despite the steady rain that was coming down at the house.

After greeting Elmo and Odie with "busy bones", I loaded some rods into the truck and headed for East Gator Creek road to pick up some bait (ladyfish) for tomorrows fishing trip.

I stopped at the first open culvert and started pitching a "Tennessee Shad" pattern Chug Bug into the shallows.

It only took three casts before this large ladyfish slammed the bait.

After several nice jumps I unceremoniously landed the fish and put it on ice in the cooler I brought along.

 I planned to chunk it up and use it for redfish tomorrow if the weather permits.

I hooked and lost three more ladyfish before moving on to Peacocks Pocket road where I planned to fish a couple of ponds.

Up until now the rain was coming down in a mild "drizzle" but as I drove up to Peacocks Pocket road it really let loose.

I passed only one other idiot in the refuge who stopped and briefly told me about the redfish he just lost in the marsh canal.  He said he hooked it on a live finger mullet and when he set the hook the fish took off down the canal and eventually broke off.

He said he was using 30 pound Power Pro braid and that the fish was in the over 30" category.

As we parted ways I drove up to the first pond I wanted to fish.  I donned my Frog Toggs and started blind casting the same Chug Bug smeared up with Pro-Cure Inshore Saltwater formula.

After several casts the rain slowed down and I got a hit on a nice sea trout of about 19 inches or so.

I took a quick pic of the fish and immediately released it.

When it started pouring again, I sat it out in the truck and slowly drove up to the second pond I planned to fish.  It was late and I knew this would be my last stop.

I started methodically blind casting the Chug Bug around the area and finally got a hit from a redfish that missed the plug.  I let the Chug Bug sit for a second hoping the fish would reengage but it was gone.

I must have made at least another couple of dozen casts into the area but only had one followup from

a small sea trout.

The rain was coming down in buckets and although my upper torso was dry and cozy, my shorts were drenched from the rain.

I was getting chilled and the sky was getting almost black, so I decided to head for home.

On the way out, I stopped at one more spot I occasionally fish when it rains.  Karen and I call it our "fish in a barrel" spot.

The growth along side of the road was high but I found a spot to cast and hopefully land a fish if I got lucky.

I smeared the Chug Bug up with more Pro-Cure and started blind casting the plug into the shallows next to a drop off.

On my second cast, a huge sea trout smacked the plug and missed it.  I let it sit but the fish didn't come back for the bait.

I decided to wait a minute or two and smeared some more Pro-Cure on the plug before making another cast.

I pitched the bait back into the shallows and worked it back to the same spot where the fish missed the first time.

This time the trout literally inhaled the Chug Bug.

The big trout peeled drag as it made it's first run into the shallow pond and as it came back it ran down the marsh canal.

I put pressure on the fish to get it in as quickly as possible and the fish got tangled in the brush alongside the road.

I thought I lost the fish and was ready to wade in to retrieve it, but as I gave it some slack line, the

trout took off again in the other direction and untangled itself.

A couple of minutes later I finally landed the fish and took some pictures of it in the rain before releasing it.

Unfortunately, the pics didn't come out as nice as I hoped.  The camera lens was apparently wet.

Anyway, the fish measured 29" long and even though it wasn't loaded with eggs, it had some weight to it.

I was drenched as I sat down in the truck so when Karen called to see where I was, I didn't need any prodding to get my but home.

Hopefully, I'll get a chance to get out again tomorrow and do it again.

Till next time, Tight Lines and don't forget that you too can be catching gator trout during a thunderstorm if you're as nuts as I am.