The good, the bad, the ugly and the dangerous

Rusty Tardo

October 01, 2012 at 7:00 am  | Mobile Reader | Print 

Rusty Tardo

John “Dad” Pounders with a solid Indian Graveyard red.

The bad news? Massive amounts of salty Gulf water roars in, and the "stale" waters are purged from the marsh.

Naturally, this flushing action of the interior waters is detrimental to our coastline. It accelerates erosion, washes away vast amounts of shoreline and islands, churns up the bottom, buries oyster reefs, silts in waterways and opens huge, gaping holes where marsh once was thick.

The ugly? Wildlife is also decimated, and the bloated remains of wild hogs, nutria, rabbit, rats, raccoons, armadillo, deer and possum cause quite a stench.

The good? All that salt water Isaac pushed up from the Gulf shoved massive amounts of bait deep into the interior waters. And it pushed the speckled trout we prize so highly right in with the bait.

That means fishing action will be excellent in all the late-fall hotspots right now.

The fish are inside, and anglers no longer have to make the long haul to the outside waters to find them. They’re close to the dock, and they’re ready to pounce on your bait.

The dangerous? Two words: storm debris!

Boaters must use caution, and all aboard should wear life jackets whenever the boat is under power. Underwater debris can ruin your day, your boat, and your life.

Channels that were deep before a storm can be completely silted in after one. Submerged logs, timber and other debris can bend a prop, bust a lower unit, or bring a boat to a sudden stop and send passengers flying overboard.

So exercise extra caution until you know for sure a pass or waterway is clear of debris.