Panhandle Slam!

[Cooney's Fishin' FL]

We headed out to Pensacola for a Snapper fishing trip before Red Snapper closes on the 18th. Friday July 8th, we were at the Navy Point boat ramp by 5 a.m. the water was perfectly glassy and the weather was beautiful! Definitely was a perfect start to the day! We were heavily loaded down with ice and gas so we were worried that the boat wasn't going to be able to get on plane but she did great!

http://i979.photobucket.com/albums/ae278/meagancooney/Pensacola%20Fishing%20July%208th%202011/DSC_5421.jpg

http://i979.photobucket.com/albums/ae278/meagancooney/Pensacola%20Fishing%20July%208th%202011/DSC_5425.jpg

We got to our spot about 10 miles out and started fishing. I was bottom fishing with 2 outfits rigged with chicken rigs from the front of the boat. My husband, Jeremy and my brother, Corey were fishing the back of the boat. Each of them were floating cigar minnows on treble hooks on 60lb steel leaders they were also rigged to bottom fish with Chicken rigs. I pulled the first fish in the boat! ;) It was a 22" Red Snapper, caught on a small pin fish.

http://i979.photobucket.com/albums/ae278/meagancooney/Pensacola%20Fishing%20July%208th%202011/DSC_5426.jpg

http://i979.photobucket.com/albums/ae278/meagancooney/Pensacola%20Fishing%20July%208th%202011/DSC_5428.jpg

Jeremy hooked up on a nice sized King a couple minutes later but it spit the hook as it reached the side of the boat. Soon after, Corey and I both hooked up at the same time.. I landed a 20" Flounder and Corey pulled a 34" King.

http://i979.photobucket.com/albums/ae278/meagancooney/Pensacola%20Fishing%20July%208th%202011/DSC_5430.jpg
http://i979.photobucket.com/albums/ae278/meagancooney/Pensacola%20Fishing%20July%208th%202011/DSC_5431.jpg
http://i979.photobucket.com/albums/ae278/meagancooney/Pensacola%20Fishing%20July%208th%202011/DSC_5461.jpg


We caught several Red Snapper on the Cigs we were floating in the chum line off the back of the boat. We had some live finger mullet and pinfish that we had caught at the boat ramp but we ran out of them quickly so I started fishing with butterflied fresh-dead finger mullet which was very successful. I landed two flounder at the same time on a chicken rig which I had never done (or seen done). That was pretty exciting.

http://i979.photobucket.com/albums/ae278/meagancooney/Pensacola%20Fishing%20July%208th%202011/DSC_5471.jpg

The bite continued and by 9 a.m. we had 6 large Red Snapper, 5 Flounder, a Lane Snapper, a Mangrove Snapper and 3 King Mackerels in the cooler. We continued to fish at our spot until around noon then decided to troll around a little bit before heading in. Jeremy and I both caught a King on the same Green Stretch 22" and missed another fish. This was such an epic day of fishing! We had an amazing time!! :beer:beer

http://i979.photobucket.com/albums/ae278/meagancooney/Pensacola%20Fishing%20July%208th%202011/DSC_5448.jpg
http://i979.photobucket.com/albums/ae278/meagancooney/Pensacola%20Fishing%20July%208th%202011/DSC_5465.jpg
http://i979.photobucket.com/albums/ae278/meagancooney/Pensacola%20Fishing%20July%208th%202011/DSC_5478.jpg
http://i979.photobucket.com/albums/ae278/meagancooney/Pensacola%20Fishing%20July%208th%202011/DSC_5476.jpg

We followed that trip up with a boat-trip Saturday morning to Pensacola Beach for the Blue Angels Airshow. We ended up with a boat party consisting of a 4 boats, a house boat and 2 jet skis.
http://i979.photobucket.com/albums/ae278/meagancooney/Pensacola%20Fishing%20July%208th%202011/P7090449.jpg
http://i979.photobucket.com/albums/ae278/meagancooney/Pensacola%20Fishing%20July%208th%202011/P7090460.jpg

Such a great weekend!!!


Happy Fishing everybody!
Meagan & Jeremy Cooney
St. Augustine Beach, FL

[FS Blair]

Hey Guys, great report, you really did have better fishing than I did in the Bahamas this weekend. I guess all those fish you caught on your blog trip weren't a fluke afterall....good to see you guys still living the dream.

[Ron-da-vu]

Great report. We need more posts like this one. It's good to have a trip that is good enough to remember for a long time.

[Cooney's Fishin' FL]

Thanks guys, we really had a great time!

Oh yeah, forgot to tell you. By the end of the day I had gotten sick of bottom fishing so I threw out a cig with the guys so all three of our lines were out. All at once they went off and we were thinking that a school of bonito or king had come through but it turned out that I had a big red snapper, Jeremy had a big bonito and Corey had that shark in the picture above. We somehow avoided having tangled line which was impressive considering we were on such a small boat. Just was crazy timing I guess.

[Slough]

:beer great trip- great looking times.

[upinthewater]

Most excellent - finally a report and a great one to boot!

[Panhandler80]

I'm not much of a diver, but if you caught 5 flounder on that spot using a chicken rig in mid July...

WHEW!

That right there almost makes me want to suit up. I bet there were over a hundred down there for sure.

[Cooney's Fishin' FL]

It was pretty much one after the other too, I had definitely found the honey-hole :)

I need to get certified!!

[crcattypc]

That one flounder is very nice! As Panhandler said, diving that would probably have been very productive... How deep were you?

[Cooney's Fishin' FL]

Between 95' and 105'. :)

[Panhandler80]

I was wrong. I figured you were in closer than that.

[Zeus]

Awesome job on the fish!

[Capt. Kevin Brotz]

Looks like ya'll had a blast! Nicely done

[Yaksquatch]

That's a fine body-count! Especially for being in a little boat! That's a whaler isn't it?

Alex

[Panhandler80]

That's a fine body-count! Especially for being in a little boat! That's a whaler isn't it?

Alex

Negative.

[Cooney's Fishin' FL]

It's not a whaler (I wish it was) It's a 16' Chapparal.

I love this little boat! It's been through alot :)

http://i979.photobucket.com/albums/ae278/meagancooney/DSC01018.jpg

[PONCE]

Great report guys and nice fish in the boat :beer

[jimmyp]

:thumbsupGreat pics and report. Nice fish too.

[JoeFish]

Great report and great catch.

[Triple Threat 33T]

Sweet. Looks like you and your crew had an epic weekend. Great weather, mess of beautiful fish and some great family and friends to share it with.

Great report and your pictures are awesome.


:USA