Barnabas
Forum Replies Created
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Hey guys, here is a copy of my fish log summary following up on my trip.
Fishing Trip Summary – Saturday, August 29, 2026
Overview
This trip was shaped heavily by early‑morning weather delays and shifting seasonal patterns. Despite covering a wide offshore route, the most productive fishing occurred closer to the coastline, suggesting that speckled trout may already be transitioning into their early fall migration.
Weather & Departure Conditions
Wake‑up: 4:15 AM to the sound of widespread thunderstorms
Storm behavior: Intensified through sunrise, covering the entire region
Impact: Forced a late departure at 7:15 AM, delaying the planned offshore start and likely reducing the bite window at several rigs
The delayed launch meant arriving at offshore structures after the prime early‑morning feeding period, which historically matters for trout and redfish on rigs.
Offshore Rig Performance
Fishing multiple offshore rigs produced only small fish, with several rigs not producing a single bite.
Techniques used:
Popping corks
Various soft plastics fished on bottom
Result: Minimal activity, no keeper trout, and overall weak feeding behavior
This lack of offshore action aligns with seasonal movement patterns—shrimp beginning to push out and trout moving towards them toward interior bays.
Redfish Activity
One highlight of the trip was a bull red caught near the extreme southeast section of the route:
Location: A small island with a shallow underwater shelf wrapping around a point
Conditions: Moving water and structure created a favorable ambush zone
Result: Strong single catch, but no additional redfish activity in the surrounding area
Speckled Trout Success – Bay LaFleur
The most productive stop of the day was an oyster reef near the Bay LaFleur coastline, where we caught 12 keeper speckled trout.
Baits used:
Four Horsemen popping cork with
Artificial shrimp and
Sparkle beetle plastic
Pattern: Trout feeding over hard bottom with bait present — classic late‑summer/early‑fall transition behavior
This catch strongly suggests trout are already staging northward toward interior reefs and bay systems.
Seasonal Interpretation
With shrimp beginning their migration and rigs showing little activity, it is likely that:
Speckled trout have started moving north into fall patterns and so should we fishermen.
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Storms that come in from the east through the southern Caribbean are always a heart stopper. Definitely need to keep an eye on this one!
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Not a stupid question at all. I have used my raw water live well on my 19 ft center console several times to keep a few fish for eating while releasing the rest. I agree with Captain Devin as the limit of fish in a live well is 3-5 depending on size. I have had no problem getting back to the dock with the trout still alive for me to clean and ice down. I have noticed however that the fish seem to clean a little better when cold versus being hotter. And, I have only done this in cooler temperatures like late fall through early spring. Welcome to the forum JDB!
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Do trout prefer and gorge themselves on brown shrimp vs white shrimp or any other bait? I have noticed trout having shrimp in their stomachs when cleaning but also other pin fish in their bellies. It is an interesting comment by WLF. Maybe the 2 limit over 20 rule is starting to work?
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Inshore 101 for sure! Thank you for the post. Confirms that we shouldn’t be too itching to move until trying different tactics in bait presentation and methods.
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Devin,
I definitely know your pain. The same thing happened to me when I was close to your age over 20 years ago. I was bending over to pick up a minnow out of the live well when I fell to my knees with pain in my lower back like something snapped. I was put on muscle relaxers and PT, but I got through it and thank God it has never happened again! Maybe a little PTSD as to why I don’t like to fish with live bait anymore. Great post and never give up is the lesson!
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Thank you Captain Devin! I have been limping along with importing waypoints and tracks but not able to get a true route into the Garmin. I have been using CoPilot AI and will have to check out ChatGPT. I have liked CoPilot because it works inside of Microsoft’s products like Excel and Word seamlessly. I even created a digital fish log in Excel using it. I will have to share that with the group as I can embed photos and it looks really cool.
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Thank you Jason! I will definitely have to check out Garmin Base Camp. Thanks for the detailed instructions too!
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Late July and August is when I usually pull my boat in and perform detailing and maintenance because August is so hot. The action is heating up on the coast and I saw lots of boats working coastline islands. Very few boats headed out away from the coast to rigs and barrier islands.
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They were white shrimp. I should have taken a photo of the large white shrimp I pulled out of the stomach. It was 100% intact and I could have cleaned it and fried it up, but I didn’t. LOL! Based on the fishing experience for me anyways over the past two weeks I will be focusing on Fall patterns from now until winter.
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Yes. Double rig jigging. Couldn’t get the bite on. Maybe I didn’t stay in one spot long enough but will try again this next weekend closer to shore.
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Boat is ready and fueled up. Will give a report after the day tomorrow.
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Thank you Capt. Devin! Confirms what I have experienced and noticed how bigger trout are often caught on swim baits vs. shrimp.
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I definitely agree with that as I noticed they would bee line it for the fish once we hooked them up.
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I will have to try that! Never heard of it. Thanks! It is amazing how the course material has taught me to look at the water and movement differently as I always just fished where everyone else did. Thanks Devin!
