Cudjoe inshore trolling 12-3-12

[urbanRenewal]

After days of wind and more days forecast I just could not stand on shore anymore. I grabbed Hammerhead ( Bill ) and off we went for a few hours of Grouper trolling. The strategy was to head east into 15 to 17 kt easterlies from Little Palm along the 20 foot edge for a while then pull up, run south to the reef and troll the patches with the wind at our backs to about off Cudjoe. The problems we had were intermittent weeds fouling the plugs and nothing biting. Then at about the 3 hour mark we picked up this Grouper on a 16 foot patch.



It looked legal but the tape said twenty *&^% three inches so back it went along with our hopes for a Grouper dinner. We continued on for another hour with nothing else and headed back in.

It was pretty sloppy even close in and there were few boats out. I talked to a charter boat well off shore and he said he was out yesterday and today and was not finding anything out deep. From where I sit the dry spell continues into the fall.

Tom

[Northern]

Sounds like some tough fishing still Tom.

It's bad enough that the fishing is slow and the wind is howling, but the wind always wants too serve you a tossed salad as well. It gets old pulling that off of your lures and line all of the time. It's also much harder to see them, and avoid them, in rough seas too.

Better days ahead.

[TavernierGuy]

Got to love winter fishing. Going to be rough one.

[swordslayer71]

It hurts sometimes when they're just so close.Good effort though, you won't catch nothin' sittin' on your couch.

[Angler_2600]

Nice Black! Wind was real stiff yesterday! Fished off key largo yest and was only able to fish for an due to friend getting sick? Fished the patches in 35 ft - live pilchards- one bite with a solid 33" mutton to show for it