A New Year’s Day fishing tradition unlike any other

Years ago, my son Elliott, brother Dave and I decided to go fishing on the first day of the year. Every New Year’s Day since, we have gone fishing together, regardless of weather or hangover conditions. 

 

This year was no different. Elliott and Dave met Brody and me at 10:30 a.m. The weather was unusually warm. We all laughed when everyone showed up in shorts and T-shirts. Brody, the amazing fish-finding and stock-trading dog, did not get the memo and showed up in a fur coat.  

 

We launched into the last hour of the falling tide. Our plan was for each of us to catch a fish and then get home for lunch. Brody recommended that we target trout and picked the location. It was a small creek draining over an oyster bar into deeper water. I deployed the trolling motor and quietly moved the skiff into casting range. Simultaneously, we cast our Z-Man Finesse TRD lures to the oyster bar. As soon as my lure hit the bottom, I felt a strike. Unfortunately, I missed the fish. Twice. This brought about a series of comments about my angling ability. While Elliott and David were laughing, I made another cast. Boom. First fish of the year!

 

After a quick picture and a round of high-fives, we got back to fishing. At 10:55 a.m., our mission was accomplished. 

 

We debated going home. Instead, we decided to try and catch a few redfish. A quick move to a shallow, oyster laden creek found us in the midst of a bunch of redfish. They were not particularly large, but at least they were hungry. We each caught and released a few and were back at the dock by noon.

 

As we unloaded and cleaned up the skiff, we wondered how many years we have fished together on New Year’s Day. Elliott said, “When we started, you did not have gray hair.” We all laughed. It was a long time ago. 

 

Family. Fishing. Fun. A great way to start the new year.

 

Contact Captain Greg Peralta at capgtregp@gmail.com or call 843-224-0099.