PACK was again blessed with yet ANOTHER wonderful Bolivar Hilton weekend. The weather was  absolutely beautiful, the tides were excellent, the food and camaraderie at the beach house was terrific and the fishing was really amazing!  When Buzz, Greg Corbett, and I arrived Thursday afternoon, the water on the Intercoastal was smooth and  flat as could be. I've never seen it like that. Throughout the weekend, wind was never an issue.

This was the 8th Bolivar trip that I've led and one of the most memorable. As I prowled the marsh (to the left of Stingeree) I could hear some of the other kayak fishermen in the area (and there were lots of them) laughing out loud and having a hell of a good time. And then I hear on my radio about five guys all getting hooked up at the same time. And then I found them 5 or 6 guys all anchored around  one big honey hole, pulling out one red after another. Then something happened that I've never heard of before Chris Busch and another guy caught the SAME fish at the SAME time. First the red took a Gulp, and then hit the plastic lure too! In another location,  Aaron Ferguson caught FIVE limits of slot reds in 2 hours, one of the best fishing days in his life! Ron Romeis caught a 28" red on a fly in the east marsh. On his first day of ever kayak fishing, Bill Leary caught a nice slam AND a monster black drum. And speaking of black drum, last year was the first that I recall anybody catching a big ugly (Chris Arseneaux did) but this year they were everywhere. Buzz hooked two of them, one of which ruined a reel after 30 minutes of fighting. And there were 3 or 4 others caught too. 

Unlike last years trip, most of the flounder caught were small, but Buzz did hook a "doormat" and upon bringing it to the boat, realized he had no net, and while trying to use a fish grip on the flounder, it broke free. But more than anything, the marsh teemed with hungry reds feeding on the falling tide. On Saturday, I spent hours sitting in one place pulling out one red after another on live shrimp.  Five were good slots and the rest around 17"-18".  Mike Emshof fished nearby, laughing at the non-stop action that never seemed to end. One of his best reds was 6 lbs. 

I think its no accident that all but one Bolivar Hilton trip has been productive (and that was because of lousy weather). I specifically choose a weekend with excellent tides, and I think thats why the fishing has always been so good. A falling tide in that marsh is heaven.

And then there was the food! Friday night was Joel's brisket dinner. Breakfasts were prepared by chef Ron Moore. And of course the highlight is Bruce Behrens fried fish on Sat. night. Greg Corbett also provided cedar plank salmon, and Tim Boone brought some great venison sausage. And even though Mike Harris couldn't make the trip, he still gave us a case of St. Arnolds! How much better can it get?

More than anything, its everyone's contributions and cooperation  that makes the trip an enjoyable success for all. And catching lots of fish doesn't hurt either! Thanks to everyone! Next year's trip will be a great one too. Joel Berry