BeenThereDoneThat.
Fellow anglers would invite me to fish the big water at Lake Erie and my response would be no thank you.

My fear, like many do, I would lose interest in my own back yard. Even though, my beloved boat of 17 years was capable of fishing the big lake, I never made it.

Turns out after all these years, I was right. One day of surf fishing and the rest is history. Heck, even though I still catch no stupid fish, I definitely don't care about fishing Erie now.

Thanks to rsquared, pork, eyes, jm, & others, I've learned ya can "teach an old dog new tricks.

The only question that remains is, whyyyy did I wait so long.

Pork is correct about the summer temps and humidity in the south. Though I'm still wet behind the ears in learning the south I will say any y'all should take the time of the year into consideration if planning a trip.

Today the temp could be 73 degrees with humidity at 90% and it's y'all be wearing a thong on the beach. Tomorrow the temp could be 77 degrees with himidity at 45% and y'all will be wearing sweat shirts.

I suppose, y'all would get use to the weather in due time, just as you would seeing me👀 in MY thong.🙈


oh my heavens MY EYES ARE BURNING !!!!!
Good times & tight lines.

Mitch, the humidity we saw the past two days was common along the Gulf in March. The temps were only in the low 80s but the humidity was quite uncomfortable.

Cold front about to move through my neighborhood and will be knocking the humidity down and the temps back to the mid 60s by Sat.

Yesterday I worked up a soaking sweat mowing the grass with my garden tractor. Today, I fired up the AC in the car and drove to Franklin for a visit... screw the grass til the humidity drops.

Speaking of the humidity dropping..., it has begun. (6/10;18:45)

Raining like the proverbial cow and flat rock in my little piece of Penn's Woods.

Sounds like a little hail may be falling with it.🌩🌧☔

When I lived in SC, I did my fishing mostly at night in the summer.  If I went in the morning I got on the water before sun up and left around 9.  One word of advice, when asking locals for fishing advice, talk with a southern twang.  If you talk like a yankee most won't tell you anything. 
 

I think it is the same everywhere.  You get some helpful people that love the sport as PEB noted and willing to share helpful info.  Others are just grumpy/selfish/whatever.  I have learned a ton from many good people on this site and other sites, as well as meeting people on the water or bait shops giving some pointers.  I have shared it back with many others as well.

crawlerman2
When I lived in SC, I did my fishing mostly at night in the summer.  If I went in the morning I got on the water before sun up and left around 9.  One word of advice, when asking locals for fishing advice, talk with a southern twang.  If you talk like a yankee most won't tell you anything. 
 

Now he tells me!! I knew my, y'all and, all y'all was missing something.😌

No greater feeling than to teach someone what I been taught.

Just wish I'd of paid closer attention to the "catching" part.

Can't quite put my finger on it but I know somewhere I read "Give a man a fish and he'll eat for a day; teach a man to fish and he'll eat everyday". Which in my case,I'd starve but anyway, all y'all can see what I'm sayin.

Some yinz might remember my first attempt at slinging 1 to 4 oz chunks of lead into the frothy crashing waves of the Gulf. "Not" a pretty sight, I might add.

Prepping for our return home, I pondered selling the newly purchased fishing gear but then the fishing was shut down so little chance of finding a sssuc..... ummm, buyer and the gear came home with me.

Once home, with great care, the gear was removed from my vehicle, thrown into the corner of the garage and replaced with my favorite fresh water fishing stuff.

Time came, I hooked the boat, backed into Espeyville launch, fired the motor and looked across the waters of Pymy, as I waited, assuring the boat and motor would be ready to launch.

Shut the motor off, pulled the boat from the water, returned home and sold off the boat and all my fishing gear. All fishing gear except the the stuff I carefully tossed in to the corner of the garage cause I eagerly await, flinging 1 to 4 oz chunks of lead into the frothy crashing waves of the Gulf.

Not that I am now addicted to surf style fishing but it now matters not, that I don't catch any stupid fish, cause I only need to stop at any local restuarant and order fish, someone else caught.

The gooder part, I don't have to first, clean the stupid things. Priceless.

Thanks again to those taking time to teach an old dog.. new tricks.

BeenThereDoneThat.

Shut the motor off, pulled the boat from the water, returned home and sold off the boat and all my fishing gear. All fishing gear except the the stuff I carefully tossed in to the corner of the garage cause I eagerly await, flinging 1 to 4 oz chunks of lead into the frothy crashing waves of the Gulf.

Some of that freshwater gear would work just fine on the gulf, even in the surf on the Atlantic. There are also back bay and canal opportunities where it could be used. 

BTDT - I'm right there with you, plus or minus a few years ahead.  Going to put my boat up soon, and stick the money in the bank for a down payment against a Florida boat.  Selling off all the gear though... that's a bit too much.  Most if not all of my gear is usable down there.  Lots of small water and fish to toy with or use as bait while you wait for the grouper to eat your big rod.  
 
But how about an actual ARTHUR report for the Arthur thread?  Drug my slightly unwilling self and fishing buddy out Friday past.  Was a beauty of a day until 2pm or so.  Got there pretty early for us, like 7:30am.  12-15 trailers in the lot at Bear Run.  Mostly overnight and ultra_early guys by the look of them.  Got launched and headed out into the Porter's finger.  Lousy with dink perch, couple bluegills mixed in.  Had a nice runoff on the catfish rod but no hookup.  Buddy hooked into a nice cat that turned out to be a big softshell turtle.  That's a first for us.  Plenty of snappers over the years but not softshell.  I know better than to clean turtles, so back he went.  
 
Water was low 80s to start and mid 80s by mid day.  Accidentally parked on a tree that had no business being where it was and ended up catching a handful of 12" largemouth.  Managed three channel cats in the mid 20" range for the day.  Action was slow and steady, typical "too hot for fish to be where you are" summer on Arthur.  Tried the bridge for LOLs before we left.  Didn't take long for me to recall why I hate fishing the bridge.  But we did give a young barnswallow a perch for 15 minutes or so.  Got out of there before the heat storms rolled in.  Lake wasn't too busy when we pulled out either.  Couple sails in the main lake, beach looked to be half full.  
 
Two closing stories: first one, I dropped a towel on the way to the boat in the morning but didn't know it.  Found out on the way to my car because some good folk(s) left it on one of the posts along the parking lot.  Thanks!!  Second one, guy in front of us coming in had a 30hp stickered 30hp (that's a new one) and no plates on his trailer.  Figured he wasn't a local.  I swung by to let him know if the lazy POS wardens ever left their padded office chairs he'd get lit up for that 30hp.  He said he wasn't local.  As expected really , especially since he drove past a big 20HP LIMIT sign to launch.  And also he's being more honest than all the rest of the big motor small sticker crowd out there.  
 
That's about it.  It was hot, but not as crazy hot as it was all week.  And dead calm for Arthur until afternoon.  Wasn't super excited to be there and afterwards I didn't think much for the effort to reward ratio.  Keep your eyes open if you're in the market for a nice 20' rig in the sub 5K price range.  Take me a week or two to get her cleaned up in time for the fall season.  Worst case I'll winter her and maybe kill a few spring crappies before selling and heading to a state with a lot more salt in the water.  
 

Pork - year round/perm.  My wife's job can be in Tampa tomorrow.  I'm hoping she gets promoted and then I can just spend my days on a boat chasing shrimp, but likely I'll have to work also.  Been in IT a long time, almost everything I need to do can be done remotely.  
 
We don't spend much time down there in summer, but I expect that the heat is something to behold.  That said, I pretty much spend my time indoors when it is crazy hot here, so that won't make much of a difference.  I suspect that evening/night/morning is the fishing game if you are talking June-September down there.  Been there in May and October and both were fantastic.  Once I get down there and have a boat I'll drop you a line.  :)   

OMG.... 🍤BUBBA ZelieSams SHRIMP. 🍤

🙉


The humidity thingy is like anything else. To some, not a problem yet to others, I'm moving back muup north in May til November.

DarDys
Friends of ours live in Clearwater. They say in the summer they stop and get three blocks of ice and toss them in the pool.

I hear the Gulf side has "a nice breeze" to keep humidity lower...  I would imagine any of the coasts would have a bit more wind to keep things a bit more comfortable than inland a bit does.  Those days in the 90's here, if there is shade and a breeze, I find it to be about as comfortable as any temp.  Same thing when I am at the beach.  Get out from under the tent/umbrella and I have about 10 minutes.

They all say you get used to it.  I have some refugee neighbors from Nepal.  There are old guys wearing winter coats and hats in the 90 degree heat...  I'm guessing they haven't got used to the "cold" here yet?  They must be in shear pain when it drops to negative temps.

DarDys
We typically went tarpon fishing the last week of June in the Keys. Temps in the 90’s with humidity above 80%. I did okay with it because once the sweat starts running down your crack (about 5 minutes), all bets are off and who cares.

😣ummm..... just a little more then we needed to know about.....

Welp all this talk about high humidity and temps made me do it......  so it'snot my fault.  OK?
 
Disclaimer:  It'snot my fault about type of commercials or surveys.... either, OK?
 
 
I'm thinkin won't be long before we see Youtube vids featuring "Zelie Beach Dude"  but til then, as they say in the south....  fish on y'all!!!
 
 
https://youtu.be/DgXFm9II54o

pensfan1
A friend was out yesterday for a little bit.. he told me someone had a jetski out there. Anyone else see that? If so, where the heck are the rangers at? And I thought it couldn't get any worse.

Wow.  That takes some huge kahunas or just completely illiterate.  I hope he got busted.  

pensfan1
Nothing surprises me anymore T. Especially with the influx of pedestrian boat owners/kayakers . Hopefully it lets up by fall. Can't wait for our "field day" . Talked to Brock the other day, him n Rich are in for sure.

Don't be surprised, as desperate as the PFBC is, PWCs and bigger horsepower will be permitted on many of the local lakes.

Promoting fishing only lakes as multi-purpose lakes will change the economy for places like Jamestown, Andover, and local areas.... big time. Likewise, areas around other lakes such as Arthur will benefit, likely more, attracting crowds from Pittsburgh and Youngstown areas.

PA anglers & boaters alike, never imagined HP limits changing from 10 to 20 across PA.



Good times and tight lines. 🎣

Don't forget the pics from your outing.