Red3Fish
07-25-2011, 06:45 AM
Here is a story I wrote on another fishing board! ALL passes and a couple of miles each way of them, (front side and back sides) are very dangerous!
We used to fish St Louis Pass all the time in front and behind the pass. Once you passed Sholes Field, the road was basically a one lane blacktop. It made a couple of sharp 90 degree left turns, going around someone’s property line I suppose, and you didn't want to be half awake, or too hung over when you drove it. Only one or two little ranch houses to the right, and cattle grazing where all the subdivisions are now. Not a single red light or stop sign from Sholes Field to the pass, where the road ended, no bridge then. You could also drive the beach from the seawall to the pass, as long as there wasn’t a real high tide.
I had heard from a buddy that the surf was "getting right" the afternoon before, so loaded up gear, called in sick to my job, cut classes at U of H, and headed out. My priorities were kind of confused then! Or maybe not. LOL
There used to be a giant driftwood log on the beach for a decade or more that "marked a good spot" to fish. Parked my old '58 MGA there (yeah, I was the coolest redneck in college), put up the top and windows in, and waded in, while still dark.
There used to be a giant sandflat on the gulf side that normally gently sloped out, and you could wade out about 200 or 300 yds, until it abruptly dropped off. This flat was always changing, sometimes bigger, sometimes smaller, sometimes with guts cut through it, I knew this, my pop had told me, my fishing buddies had told me, but it had been the same all summer.
So when the sun rose, I had 5 or 6 trout on my stringer and about 200 yds from the beach. The tide was starting in, and small schools of trout were riding the currents by me...I would snag 2 or 3 out of each small school, as they went by. You could see them in the clear water, once the sun was up.
So the first time I look back at the beach, my MG is just a little red dot waaay back to the East. Unless you plan different, you usually always wade with the current, without really noticing it. By this time, I had 8 or so trout on my stringer, and decided that if I hurried, I could still make my 11:00 class. Besides, I could feel the current starting to tug at me and the sand started to get swept away from under my feet....must really have a strong incoming tide this morning. So I started towards the beach to walk back.
About 50 yds from the beach, I came to deep water...HMmmmm? Waded back East against the now pretty strong current...trying every 50 yds or so to head to the beach.....nope still deep water. After about 30 minutes of wading, I was nearly back even with my red MG...still deep water between me and the beach. And the sand was getting swept from under my feet like a shopvac was right next to each foot. REALLY strong incoming tide!
The tide had cut a gut between me and the beach, where I had waded across easily in waist deep water. Oh well a few strokes swimming ought to get me back in time to make the class. I wasn't but about 3 long casts from my car.
So, I slid all the trout down to the bottom of my stringer, coiled it in my left hand, put rod in left hand and started to side stroke to the beach. Side stroked for about a minute, and stopped to put foots down on firm sand....nope not here..grabbed floating hat and put back on my head. If you have ever swam in jeans and tennis shoes...it is a lot more difficult than in a bathing suit, and even harder swimming with one hand dragging a stringer of trout....and I had a couple of nice ones...bout 4 or 5 pounds.
Swim some more.....bound to be there by now...nope grab floating hat and start up again. I am getting really tired, and last time I came up, I noticed little red car was prolly 1/4 mile back to the East....the incoming tide was carrying me into the pass. This is getting serious! Decided to swim until I couldn't anymore, just to make sure this time. Swam until arms were like lead, and wore out, stop put down foots..nope over my head....but when I sunk down, I did hit bottom in about 7' of water. I took a couple gulps of saltwater this time, and got my feet on bottom and "bounced" off of it. By now I am more dog paddling than swimming.....this is it....I either make it this time or drop stringer and rod, and float and backstroke to the beach, if I can!! I was thinking, I might be one of those 3 or 4 guys that drown at the pass every year! But it wasn't to be...next time I stopped, still choking on salt water and puking, I stood up in about waist high water. Yep, I nearly drowned...and I KNEW better.
At the pass anyways from then on, I wore one of those skinny white ski belts. I got a little razzing from my buds, but I didn't care!! I am a little slow, but not completely DUMB.
So take heed around the passes, and learn from my foolishness.
PS....didn't bother with my vintage "aged" straw hat with half a dozen lures on it the last time....floated off down current....with the vicious incoming tide prolly made it to where Sea Isle is today!! LOL
Later
R3F
We used to fish St Louis Pass all the time in front and behind the pass. Once you passed Sholes Field, the road was basically a one lane blacktop. It made a couple of sharp 90 degree left turns, going around someone’s property line I suppose, and you didn't want to be half awake, or too hung over when you drove it. Only one or two little ranch houses to the right, and cattle grazing where all the subdivisions are now. Not a single red light or stop sign from Sholes Field to the pass, where the road ended, no bridge then. You could also drive the beach from the seawall to the pass, as long as there wasn’t a real high tide.
I had heard from a buddy that the surf was "getting right" the afternoon before, so loaded up gear, called in sick to my job, cut classes at U of H, and headed out. My priorities were kind of confused then! Or maybe not. LOL
There used to be a giant driftwood log on the beach for a decade or more that "marked a good spot" to fish. Parked my old '58 MGA there (yeah, I was the coolest redneck in college), put up the top and windows in, and waded in, while still dark.
There used to be a giant sandflat on the gulf side that normally gently sloped out, and you could wade out about 200 or 300 yds, until it abruptly dropped off. This flat was always changing, sometimes bigger, sometimes smaller, sometimes with guts cut through it, I knew this, my pop had told me, my fishing buddies had told me, but it had been the same all summer.
So when the sun rose, I had 5 or 6 trout on my stringer and about 200 yds from the beach. The tide was starting in, and small schools of trout were riding the currents by me...I would snag 2 or 3 out of each small school, as they went by. You could see them in the clear water, once the sun was up.
So the first time I look back at the beach, my MG is just a little red dot waaay back to the East. Unless you plan different, you usually always wade with the current, without really noticing it. By this time, I had 8 or so trout on my stringer, and decided that if I hurried, I could still make my 11:00 class. Besides, I could feel the current starting to tug at me and the sand started to get swept away from under my feet....must really have a strong incoming tide this morning. So I started towards the beach to walk back.
About 50 yds from the beach, I came to deep water...HMmmmm? Waded back East against the now pretty strong current...trying every 50 yds or so to head to the beach.....nope still deep water. After about 30 minutes of wading, I was nearly back even with my red MG...still deep water between me and the beach. And the sand was getting swept from under my feet like a shopvac was right next to each foot. REALLY strong incoming tide!
The tide had cut a gut between me and the beach, where I had waded across easily in waist deep water. Oh well a few strokes swimming ought to get me back in time to make the class. I wasn't but about 3 long casts from my car.
So, I slid all the trout down to the bottom of my stringer, coiled it in my left hand, put rod in left hand and started to side stroke to the beach. Side stroked for about a minute, and stopped to put foots down on firm sand....nope not here..grabbed floating hat and put back on my head. If you have ever swam in jeans and tennis shoes...it is a lot more difficult than in a bathing suit, and even harder swimming with one hand dragging a stringer of trout....and I had a couple of nice ones...bout 4 or 5 pounds.
Swim some more.....bound to be there by now...nope grab floating hat and start up again. I am getting really tired, and last time I came up, I noticed little red car was prolly 1/4 mile back to the East....the incoming tide was carrying me into the pass. This is getting serious! Decided to swim until I couldn't anymore, just to make sure this time. Swam until arms were like lead, and wore out, stop put down foots..nope over my head....but when I sunk down, I did hit bottom in about 7' of water. I took a couple gulps of saltwater this time, and got my feet on bottom and "bounced" off of it. By now I am more dog paddling than swimming.....this is it....I either make it this time or drop stringer and rod, and float and backstroke to the beach, if I can!! I was thinking, I might be one of those 3 or 4 guys that drown at the pass every year! But it wasn't to be...next time I stopped, still choking on salt water and puking, I stood up in about waist high water. Yep, I nearly drowned...and I KNEW better.
At the pass anyways from then on, I wore one of those skinny white ski belts. I got a little razzing from my buds, but I didn't care!! I am a little slow, but not completely DUMB.
So take heed around the passes, and learn from my foolishness.
PS....didn't bother with my vintage "aged" straw hat with half a dozen lures on it the last time....floated off down current....with the vicious incoming tide prolly made it to where Sea Isle is today!! LOL
Later
R3F