Panhandler80
06-12-2011, 09:22 AM
Pulled away from dock just a little after 5:00 am. Stopped at bait boat along with about a dozen other boats (having left 10 minutes earlier would have saved us probably 20 minutes), but still got bait quicker than catching it oursleves. Just imagine how much more money bait man could make if fishing was legal 365 days a year. :mad::mad:
Anyway, first spot was a wreck that I haven't fished in about 5 years. Approx 8 miles straight out. Used to hold B-I-G snapper and apparently nobody knew about it for a long time because it was reliable for several years for a few big snapper. Well, I now know why we quit hitting it up. We put divers on it and it was avery small wreck and not of the most substantial material. So, we pulled up yesterday morning and nada... it's gone. Circled and circled and never saw the first scratch.
Only other spots I have in that area we have already fished this year... so, I made the decision to make a 4 mile run to the west where I knew we could get our red snapper. This put us about 9 miles west of pass. Caught and killed our first 8 snapper and then made a 4 mile run to the west where we would target red grouper.
First spot we caught 1 keeper.
Next spot we caught 4, with the biggest being a 33" fish and I'd say about 18 pounds. I had two additional keepers all the way to the boat and the hooks pulled... so we should have had 7 for the day, but yours truly was having a hard time.
Was fishing a gamagatsu octopus hook with the eye bent over (meant for snelling). I, however, had just tied the hook on in a hurry... which actually rotates the circle hook the wrong way. MAYBE that had something to do with it, I don't know.
Best part of the tirp was that girlfriend caught 3 of the keepers all on her own and my other guest caught the big fish of the day.
Also released a king and caught a scamp. Wish I could have convinced myself and the other anglers to fish trigger rigs every now and then, but he snapper / grouper fishing was too good. Oh well.
Back in pass around noon.
Not a bad day for a bay boat... gotta love calm saturdays!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v161/Panhandler80/downsizedvalgrouper.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v161/Panhandler80/downsizedbiggroup.jpg
THe catch... all pics are cell phone, but of course this pic was with the sorriest cell phone of the bunch. Oh well.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v161/Panhandler80/downsized_0611111455.jpg
Anyway, first spot was a wreck that I haven't fished in about 5 years. Approx 8 miles straight out. Used to hold B-I-G snapper and apparently nobody knew about it for a long time because it was reliable for several years for a few big snapper. Well, I now know why we quit hitting it up. We put divers on it and it was avery small wreck and not of the most substantial material. So, we pulled up yesterday morning and nada... it's gone. Circled and circled and never saw the first scratch.
Only other spots I have in that area we have already fished this year... so, I made the decision to make a 4 mile run to the west where I knew we could get our red snapper. This put us about 9 miles west of pass. Caught and killed our first 8 snapper and then made a 4 mile run to the west where we would target red grouper.
First spot we caught 1 keeper.
Next spot we caught 4, with the biggest being a 33" fish and I'd say about 18 pounds. I had two additional keepers all the way to the boat and the hooks pulled... so we should have had 7 for the day, but yours truly was having a hard time.
Was fishing a gamagatsu octopus hook with the eye bent over (meant for snelling). I, however, had just tied the hook on in a hurry... which actually rotates the circle hook the wrong way. MAYBE that had something to do with it, I don't know.
Best part of the tirp was that girlfriend caught 3 of the keepers all on her own and my other guest caught the big fish of the day.
Also released a king and caught a scamp. Wish I could have convinced myself and the other anglers to fish trigger rigs every now and then, but he snapper / grouper fishing was too good. Oh well.
Back in pass around noon.
Not a bad day for a bay boat... gotta love calm saturdays!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v161/Panhandler80/downsizedvalgrouper.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v161/Panhandler80/downsizedbiggroup.jpg
THe catch... all pics are cell phone, but of course this pic was with the sorriest cell phone of the bunch. Oh well.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v161/Panhandler80/downsized_0611111455.jpg