Click for Hi-Res Photo
In the upper 20's, there were Skipjack hunting down anchovies against the beach... I figure, ok... it can't be that bad. Surely its a small outbreak. I continue on south. My mission was the Jetties for Tarpon. I am around the 45 and I see a bird I haven't seen on the beach yet. I think it is a Purple Gallinule.
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I finally hit the jetties fairly late. Saw Ryan(??) as he was leaving. Walked out near sunset to the end and started throwing lures. After about 10 minutes, the 6" Storm Shad come through and I hook up and get a 5' class Tarpon launch out of the water and throw the hook. Sweet... I knew they were here!! Throw a few more times and hook up again, this time on a Bull Red...
Click for Hi-Res Photo
Click for Hi-Res Photo
Come dark, I get back to the truck and crash out. I enjoy the lightning show and eventually get soaked during the early morning hours in the tentcot. Capt. Billy makes it down with a charter and wakes me up telling me about the death and destruction washing in up north. I figured...great, but not totally unexpected. They do there thing and I do my thing and get out in the yak to chase the Tarpon. I get out there and begin throwing lures. Mullet weren't staying alive for more than a couple minutes...hmmm. Anyway, started picking off Mangrove Snapper and a small Gag Grouper... all released. Then I get a upper slot Red with a shark wound...
Click for Hi-Res Photo
Things slowed, I come back in for a break and to eat. Couple hours later I get back out into the raging wind as massive anchovy baitballs organize. There were square acres of the guys just past the end of the jetties in the middle of the channel. Birds were going nuts, but there were NO Spanish and NO Sharks. Very, very odd. However, aside from the occasional Skipjack, there were Tarpon blasting through... LOTS OF TARPON. At this time I am drifting a LIVE pinner Skipjack, small owner circle and fluoro. I did this for nearly 2 hours, and the lil guy stayed alive the entire time, untouched. Very weird. The Tarpon were just dead-set on the Anchovies I guess... however a free Skipjack sure would sound tempting.
Anyhow, I get back to the beach to debate whether or not to run baits. I thaw out a Jack and after unwrapping it, appears it was one that had made a couple previous trips, thus wasn't in the best condition and looked washed out from old ice-water. I scratch that idea and by now it is dark. I cook up and get the yak ready for in the morning. I sleep and wake up at sunrise to virtually NOTHING. NO BIRDS... very erie. I get out in the yak and head out. I see Mako-Mark on the rocks sight casting a Tarpon and actually getting him to hit, but instantly throws the hook. I anchor up at the end of the jetties. I am fishing one rod with Mullet, and throwing lures on the other. NADA. Very strange. Things overall are just very quiet. I decide to pack it up and go home. As I am driving up the beach, I get about 2 miles from the jetties and look at the beautiful water. I see Mullet are running a constant flow, and Skipjack around. I say screw it and run baits out for the night... I just have to know.
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Get 4 big baits out and am relieved. I walk around looking for fossils and such and find a Keel Earless hatchling burying itself in the sand trying to hide from me...
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Come dark the wind is cranking good again... surf and current is rocking, but I have shark baits out. I'm feeling good and glad I stayed. The baits stayed out all night untouched. Wish I had went home. Wake up, bring everything in and head off the beach for good. I get a couple miles north and then the mayhem begins. Fish are washing up, mainly Skipjack and Mullet. Come into the 40's and it exploded all over the beach. Mass amounts of deadness. Further north I went the more species I noticed were being present. Eels started stacking up pretty good. I stop at around the 42 and do a sample study count. With an area of 20', from North to South, and from the tide line to the beach (20-30') I did a random count of nearly 150 fish for that sector. I continue on north and the 30's were getting hammered pretty bad. The madness is sickening. You can see the Red Tide present in the water around the 3rd bar.
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There was not one area of beach that was bare, the entire stretch from the 50's all the way to the blacktop was covered, sometimes layered, with fish. Come the high banks you have to drive the high road, actually you have to drive the highroad the entire way. In the low 20's and upper teens it is stacked up pretty good again, and this is where I saw the first Tarpon washed up. I think. Anyway, here are a couple pictures of the partial aftermath since fish are continually washing in (saw several Bull Reds and multitudes of other fish still washing in around the 20's. The rest of the pictures will be posted as optional links below in the Oz RT Report since they are quite grotesque.
Click for Hi-Res Photo
Click for Hi-Res Photo
It was a very unfortunate event of nature. And the Red Tide is not gone, it is still in full bloom over a large stretch just hanging around. Fall fishing is going to suck... but who knows. I certainly wont be down for a while.
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Oz Red Tide Analysis - As of 3pm Thursday afternoon. (disclaimer: I am not a certified Biologist, however I certainly didn't see any Park Service Officials or TPWD Biologist down there taking detailed counts/samples)
'TB' refers to High Tide Line to Water for distance reference.
- As of Thursday, there was fish washing up in the 50's.
- In the 40's, the concentration of fish was getting dense. At the 42mm a sample survey size of 20'xTB had a fish count of nearly 150 specimens. Mostly consisting of Skipjack and Mullet. Stargazers with washing in as well.
- In the 30's it was a war zone. More species were washing up... many many inshore eels, along with the first of the Bull Reds. Jack Crevalle were also washing in.
- In the 20's were the greatest concentration of Bull Reds. I had to drive the high road so couldn't see the beach as well as I liked, however could see the Bull Reds lined up. Large Common Snook observed around the 20mm.
- In the Teen's were highly concentrated with various baitfish. Tarpon, Reds, and Occasional Trout were in the mix. The Bull Black Drum were spoty throughout.
- From the 10 to the Blacktop was the same story... a lil bit of everything. Red Tide observed hanging offshore. Fish still washing much of the beach.
- There were areas of beach where the sample survey size of 20'xTB would exceed several hundred specimens, perhaps as many as 1000 or more.
- There were at least one King Mackerel, one Common Snook, and two Tarpon observed.
- Estimation of 200-400 Bull Redfish observed.
- Low ratio of Speckled Trout. Nearly 100 large Jacks Observed (estimate could go either way).
- It is of my non-professional opinion that this large Red Tide bloom developed near-shore, less than a mile out. This would explain why no Snapper and reef-fish have washed up. However it may take a few more days to tell, and there is a chance this next coldfront could push the RT offshore over the reefs and rocks.
Based upon random sampling data seen throughout, I would say an estimate of around 5 million individual fish would be a figure as close to accurate as one could come up with without having to count every individual fish. Now that count can go either way in my opinion but is definitely in the MILLIONS of individual specimens.
There were MANY species observed. These are some of the species observed and documented (click for photo)
- Stargazer
- Inshore Coastal Eel's (species N/A)
- Gafftopsail Catfish
- Whiting - Gulf Kingfish (both species Whiting observed)
- Pompano
- Black Drum, Atlantic Bumper Shad
- Tarpon
- King Mackerel
- Speckled Seatrout
- Red Drum
- Jack Crevalle
- Houndfish
- Common Snook
- Irish Mojarra (?)
- Random Pic 1
- Random Pic 2
This is just a personal observation and my non-professional report of the Red Tide on the entire length of the National Seahore which was observed on Thursday October 15th. While I know there was Park Staff that drove down (to some distance) to check out the chaos, along with TWPD fly-overs doing surveys, I am VERY surprised neither were down the beach doing their own detailed research and report. While a very destructive act of nature, you can learn a lot by what and how many of each species washes in. It is a biological goldmine that should be documented before the fish begin to rot and deteriorate beyond recognition. Guess it is sad when I am the only one down there walking through and documenting the fish in some moderate fashion of detail throughout many random sections of the beach, seems like the Park Officials and Biologist of PINS would want to know what is out there for sure... guess not.
