Kayak found a flounder

Men.  Write this down.  Don’t launch from a muddy bank when the tide is going out.  I’m sure most of you will understand this and probably realize that in the greater scheme of things, it’s not that big of a deal.  However, I will tell you that the launching part of the excursion was great.  The water was a little shallow, but perfect for setting out with our kayaks.

My Buddy Steve and I took the kayaks out this past weekend for some paddling and fishing… in that order.  Steve had found a great place to launch the kayaks that would give us a pretty good workout to get to the mouth of Graveline Bayou that empties into the Gulf of Mexico.  We loaded up the light tackle, bait shrimp, and started paddling.  As we neared the destination we saw a perfect landing area where pretty much only a kayak could nuzzle up to the bank.  What makes this area unique is the shape of the bayou mouth curls around a point and deposits sand and sediment into a slope.  Just under the surface of the water, you can see where the bottom slopes from about 6 inches of water to around 10 feet in a span of about 50 feet.  This slope is a perfect feeding ground for flounder, red fish, and other assorted saltwater specimens.

We spent the afternoon casting and retrieving when Steve pulled up the flounder you see in this picture.  I love flounder.  Incredibly easy to clean, simple to cook, and awesome to eat.  Steve was gracious enough to pass old joe over to me and the family for a good evening of dining.

The day was great… the fishing was fun… then the trip back.  Paddling against a pretty brisk wind, we headed back to our launching spot a few hours after we left out.  Upon return, the tide had receded quite a bit and we found ourselves bottomed out (in a kayak) some 30 yards off the beach.  The bottom of the Mississippi Sound isn’t sandy… it’s pure Mississippi mud.  We were ankle deep in mud that was sucking the shoes off our feet.  We had a good laugh and determined that the tide forecast we read wasn’t entirely accurate.

It’s a great day when you can go and get one on one with God’s creation, have a great time, and a good laugh over going knee deep in the mud.  Our kids really have this “life thing” figured out.  Play in the mud… laugh hard.  We could learn from that.

If you’re interested in some good fishing and a kayak trip… check out the map below.

I’m not afraid of giving up a good fishing spot.  If you’re a motor boat kinda guy… be careful, you’ll ground out trying to get the good catch.

About

Welcome, and thanks for dragging yourself over to Live|Bold! My name is Greg Arnold and I am pumped to see you here. This interactive online community is here to point every man toward the cross. Whether you have been a follower of Christ for ages, or you are just stumbling into this strange new world of faith, we have something of value to offer you. This online e-zine is a cross between a blog, a social network, a resource center, and a pulpit. My hope is to inspire you to live your faith on the outside and be a real man for God. We need you in the fight.