I watch the clock as it ticks away, each moment I am a minute closer to a line in. Conditions are getting better as we get close to spring and I know fish are around my area, everything says so.

I get my first hour and a half Monday Morning its 5 am and RODS ARE LOADED and Ready. The water is clear and this is not good from what my book say’s. But it does have a nice chop and there is a school of Goggle eyes racing back in forth in the flood light on the North side of the Fishing Pier. They won’t stop moving, they are balled up tight and have lock jaw, so I figure there must be fish on them and with all the Sharks, Bluefish, Jacks around I assume this is what it must be, at least one of those species.

Well no fresh bait, but I do have some semi fresh Gogs so I cut them up into plugs and toss them in because I figure I have an idea of what’s on the side with the gogs. So with the dead gog plugs on two different poles on the south side, I jig a little in the flood light with a Capt Delo jig while I wait for the bigger poles to get hit.

Now my whole purpose for being out here is to relax for an 1 hour or 2 before I go home and at the same time check out how the Fishing is now because I am planning on doing a lot of fishing over the next 3 to 4 weeks. I will be keeping the readers, that are following, up to date as to what I see and what I am hearing from the numerous people I know.

So one of my rods goes screaming, I pick it up, crank it in and fish on, this little puppy is screaming, running out smooth and fast and heads into the beach. I am using 40 lb test with a 50 lb leader and so I put the pressure on because I only have 275 yards and I am assuming the line is going to break with the amount of pressure and drag I am using. The fish turns, starts shaking and tugging but not pulling any more drag and it almost feels as though it’s digging into the bottom.

Well after a little back and forth she runs at me with a vengeance and I am cranking fast with 6 to1 and still not catching up to her, she starts at an angle to the east and heads to go under the pier 30 feet to my east, I have not seen what it is but I know it’s over 60lbs, IT’S NOW OR NEVER.

What the Heck I lock it down, lift and she comes up like a Sub,the nose breaches the water and I hold it up and out. She does 180s and dives so I breach her out of the water again and now let her tail walk in 360s – nothing prettier than a 5 to 6 Foot Sand bar dancing. Man! this 40lb test is not giving and I have no idea why.

I tried to snap a couple of shots, but it was dark so after a few minutes she frays it off. It is times like these I am glad I use Bronze circles on a 50lb mono leader – I left only that hook and maybe 6 inches of line – it’s always fun catching them in those situations.

Well re-rig and I am interrupted by the other rod as it screamed out, I grab it, crank into the fish and I am on. This fish gives a nice little dig, I hold it’s head up and reel it in with the thought “dog gone” this thing may be dinner in a minute for a fish stealer. I crank it in fast and skip in across the water the last 10 feet, up and over a nice Grover, there’s the wife’s Valentines Dinner.

2 bites, two Fish, it’s been slow the last 20 minutes and the sun is up so I am done and home-bound with a little something for the wife.

So it’s Thursday night and I am wondering where to go. I hear scattered pompanos, lots of Bluefish, some Sharks, Gulf Kings “Whiting” and Mangroves are hit and miss to the North Beach of Broward and the South Beach has picked up considerably from Port Everglades to Hollywood, I hear a lot of Pompano and they seem to have seen more shrimp in that area the last few nights, Bluefish.

So it’s Friday morning and I am fishing the closest place to where I work because I don’t feel like driving anywhere, if I did you would find me fishing a South Beach or a another pier.

So I’ll stick with the North, it’s easy.

6am, a line goes in, I drop the second off the tee and turn to chat with the Roofer. The South rod screams I grab it and reel in, feeling I have a nice Bluefish around 2 to 3 lbs and they fight great. I get that, toss out another bait and zip off goes another rod and another Bluefish, this is good I have been out here 30 minutes and 2 baits, 2 fish.

Well my I loose my next hit, it cuts me off, but it felt like a Bluefish. I then missed a hit and I am 45 minute into fishing with another 45 minutes to go, I have things to do by 8 am I’m thinking. Then my rod screams off, I pick it up and crank, feeling a really nice pull of drag, I have a nice fish on. It’s fighting nice, pulling drag every so often but just as I get it close enough to the pier to almost see it – CUT. From the gashes on the leader this was a BIG BLUE and I would say she went 8 to 10lbs but we will never know.

Re-rig and out it goes, no more than a few minutes later another blue and another and The Roofer is doing the same. Then my rod gets hit, I hook a fish and it almost spools me, I tighten down on the drag and it tail cuts me, I never would have gotten this fish in, but none the less it is always nice to get almost spooled.

Well it’s 7:45 and time to get on to my tasks of the morning.

Saturday Morning water has laid down and clear but with canal water moving in. Canal water is produced by the inlets and the run off in the back water as it travels North orSsouth from the inlets depending on which way the current is moving – it can be Good and Bad, all depends on the day. I figure well I’m here I might as well take out my light rods which are 12lb, 8lb and 6lb spinners all with different artificials, and get it an hour or hour and half of tossing them to see if there is any thing swimming around.

I start casting and have a few Houndfish grab it. I let them shake themselves of the hooks and I keep throwing with a little fishing chat in between. Finally, I get the first and only fish that hour and a half, a Jack 1lb or 2lb. This morning was a total bust but that’s fishing, I am just lucky I live here in South Florida where I can fish at the drop of a bait bucket!