I started my trip this Monday night looking to do what I normally do. And by do what I do, I mean net Mojarra and catch everything. Well, the netting Mojara part went fine. I got about 3 dozen in 4 or 5 tosses of my new 3' cast net. Out near the end on the channel side of the north jetty I soaked the mojos tight to the rocks hoping for mangrove snapper .... nada. I caught several magnum pinfish and hung up/broke off 3 times.

As the bait dwindled and the sun got low, I decided to make my way back toward the beach where I could feel the wife's eyes beckoning me back to the truck. Close to the beach I put one of the last Mojara out in the middle of the channel on bottom. The tide was mostly slack. I watched my line looking for a sign of a bite, when it abruptly went slack. I reeled down tight and made my best bass master hook set. At first the fish just kind of felt heavy and dull. Then it came to life and actually took a little drag. A moment later I had a solid keeper trout up on the rocks. I released it.

The last Mojara produced a second keeper. "I'm not keeping fish tonight" I said quietly to no one in particular as I tossed the second trout of the night back. The sun was firmly below the horizon now, but the light was still fishable.

Mullet swirled near the edge of the submerged rocks a few feet from the jetty. I checked my little green tackle box for something to throw, and settled on a Mirrolure Catch 2000, white body with a red head. Once tied, I made a hero cast toward the middle of the channel. This lure was a slow sinker, so I let it sink and drift on the slow incoming tide. When I took up the slack and tried to work the lure I felt weight. I didn't set the hook so much as just start reeling. The fish immediately broke the surface and shook its head. A few cranks later, I had my 3rd keeper trout up on top of the jetty.

Now, I haven't caught that many keeper trout on a hard plastic lure before. At this point having already caught 3 trout on 3 successive casts, I decided to box one and just see what happened. The next 15 minutes, as the Fall light waned, I caught a dozen or more trout. Most were right at the 14' minimum. After boxing my 4th keeper, I decided to wait for a big one to fill the limit.

I boxed a 19 incher when there was barely enough light to see. I made what I told myself was the "last cast" and got a big bite right next to the rocks. The fish took drag and rolled at the surface before I wrestled it close. It was a big trout, probably 20" +. When it finally settled down, I reeled down to it and tried to lift it up onto the rocks. It thrashed violently as it cleared the water and broke my line, plopping on the rocks near my feet. It tried feebly to grab it before it flopped back into the water. I smiled, cussed, and then realized that the Mirrolure was loose and sinking slowly right next to the rocks. I managed to snag it before it sank out of site.

That was my first ever limit of trout on a hard plastic. It was an awesome night for sure.

So much for catching "everything" with Mojara!

Bugs

Great report!

Trout minimum length is 15 inches, not 14.
Glad you were catching & enjoying.

I stand corrected K5. I accept the correction and bow to your wisdom......