by Keith Lozott, Contributing Writer
I’ve always tried to sneak out and get a fix for the fishing addiction on my family vacation each year and this summer wasn’t any different. I booked a half-day charter with Capt. Jim Britton out of Palm Coast and it didn’t disappoint. He was professional, courteous, knowledgeable, not a clock watcher if you know what I mean, and a good all-around guy and guide to fish with. He is someone you would want to fish with on a guy’s trip, which at times can be hard to say. If you’re able to make to the Palm Coast, give him a call and book an inshore trip. You will have a great time on the water and even a better time fishing.
Now for the fishing experience! We started the morning casting topwater lures on a flat that was very close to the ramp. The flat is lined with oyster beds which made for a very picturesque back drop. I made numerous casts with several spectacular hit and miss explosions on a Rapala Skitter Walk. Then what I believed to be a top of the slot redfish crushed the lure and was hooked up. I fought the fish for a few minutes enjoying a couple line ripping runs when she decided to rub her noggin on the bottom jarring the lure loose. I will take a stab at the idea that this fish had some experience with lures in its past without a doubt. Next up to bat was a huge gator trout on the line. This trout fought like Mike Tyson in the early days of his career. It made runs like a redfish, which is what I thought it was at first. I got it close to the bow of the boat and realized it was a behemoth trout. This may have been the biggest trout that I’ve ever caught at this point of the fight and I’m sure you know what’s coming next. Capt. Jim was getting the net to the side of the boat ready to land the massive specimen. I then started to lightly ease the fish in his direction carefully trying not to pull too hard as trout have very soft skin around their mouths’. At this point the fish must have had just enough slack to turn its head and swim away free like it wasn’t even hooked up to begin with. I really think the girl was ten pounds plus and over 35 inches based on the good look I had when she was boat side. Disappointment was what I thought I’d feel but, I was going to release the fish anyway. I fought her to the finish anyway so no harm no foul. A few casts later and another nice trout on a topwater was on. I would say it was 3.5 to 4 lbs. max, but nice none the less.
Now for the maybe the best fish of the trip! We went to another shallow flat closer to Matanzas Inlet that is known for flounder and some redfish. Capt. Jim rigged me up with a Berkley Gulp Shad (I’m not sponsored by these lures FYI) and I began working the lure slow. He said the hit feels like an oyster bump, so set the hook when in doubt. He was poling up the flat and we saw numerous redfish push off in front of us. I was sure I was going to hook a nice red and all of the sudden a huge bang on the Gulp ensued. I set the hook knowing full well this was a fish and not an oyster. No doubt a nice red was on the other end as the fish had power and fought well. Thirty or forty seconds into the fight I got my first glimpse of the fish and to my surprise it was a huge flounder. Now I will admit I haven’t caught many flounder and the ones I have caught have been small in comparison. When we got this fish boat side we were determined not to lose it. Capt. Jim had the net ready and I made sure to quickly get the fish in the net. Capt. Jim was as excited as I was getting this fish landed, which was cool as you could see his true enjoyment of being a guide and angler. I typically catch and release, but Capt. Jim said I should take it to the local hook and cook and have it for dinner. I must say he was right on as the big flounder and then a smaller one that I caught later was amazing table fare and fed four adults and one kid with a little leftover for the table next to us. Sadly, we never caught a redfish to complete the North Florida Slam. We sure did try for the next few hours and at least an extra hour past the half day charter time. Call Capt. Jim next time you’re in Palm Coast, you’ll love it!