Even though we live on a barrier island, it's hard to find a good
fishing spot. Private property abounds here so shore and dock fishing
spots are not that easy to find.
The Island Girl wanted to go fishing the other evening and we had
to stop and think about where we could go.
Which is absurd! We are surrounded by water – why don't we have
a long list of good fishing spots?
So I'm now on a mission to compile such a list.
Our first trip was to Norriego Point – which actually offers 2
different kinds of fishing. The mission for this night was to fish in
East Pass.
Fishing anywhere along Norriego Point isn't good during the day
because of the large amount of boat traffic but at night it can be a
gold mine.
As the tides change, fish come in and out of the Pass so it's
possible to catch Mackeral, Trout, Red Fish, as well as several other
kinds of fish.
At the very end of Holiday Isle in Destin is a public access to
the Point.
The parking lot is small and tends to fill up right before sunset
because this is a great spot for sunset beach photos if you go a
little before sunset or a little after, parking usually isn't a
problem.
From the parking lot you can walk down along the harbor
Or over to East Pass.
The first thing to be said about this particular spot is that it's
a long walk through soft sand. Think about this before loading your
cooler or packing your bag. It's a hike.
The good news is that it's a beautiful walk. East Pass to your
left
and the Destin Harbor to your right provide plenty to look at which
does help with the trek.
Once you've made it you'll be glad you did.
On this night we put out a small bait line baited with frozen
squid, hoping to catch some live pin fish. It's better if you take
the time to find live bait beforehand but we opted to see what we
could catch on the frozen squid.
We also put out two bigger rods, baited with cigar minnows.
We were hoping for a nice sized Red Fish or maybe some Trout.
We never did have any luck catching live bait but the Island Girl
felt a tug and pulled in a nice sized catfish.
I love catfish stew but the Island King HATES to clean them and I
don't like then enough to clean them either so we unhooked him and
sent him back out into the Pass.
Another Cigar Minnow and a few minutes later she'd landed yet
another cat. A little smaller but again, hubby doesn't do Cat Fish so
back he went.
The last Cigar Minnow brought in an even smaller Cat and he too
was sent back into the Pass.
We didn't have any luck but we've caught many fish from this spot
before. In fact, the Oldest Island Boy caught his first Red Fish here
several years ago.
It's a fun spot to fish, the view is breathtaking and some nights
it's possible to bring home a cooler full of fish.
Of course, fish or not, it's about the adventure – not the
catch.
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