Offshore Venice 12/9

[Shaun31]

Jeff Young, John Cox, and I headed out Sunday morning around 6:15am to get some AJ's and hopefully some grouper and maybe do a little trolling. We all met up around 6:15 at Venice ave ramp. We found ourselves in some foggy conditions heading out and to the jetty and while getting bait. We loaded up the livewell with shrimp from the north jetty fishcamp and caught a good mix of pinfish, blue runners, cigar minnows and green backs a few hundred yards out of the jetty. John set the chart plotter to D9 and we have a real nice cruise on some of the flattest and nicest conditions I've been out on. About an hour later we arrive at D9 to see that we are first there (pretty amazed after seeing all the boats headed out that morning). We start marking fish and do a few passes. Action is very slow. John hooks up on a small AJ and plenty big bruisers can be seen about 20-30' down but just not getting the hook ups. Threw a flat line blue runner out since we having slow luck down deeper and it got hit a few times but never hooked up and got it to the boat. Discouraged we agreed to come back and hit them later since they were there but not chewing. Headed a few more miles out and came up to another good live bottom spot where we landed all of our porgys, 1 yellow tail, 1mango, a few just legal reds, and Jeff caught a scamp. We then decided to try another spot not too far away labeled BIG GROUPER on John's chartplotter. Well the name was right on target, after a few shorts on the first pass the second pass we had a triple hook up as Jeff hooked up first with a 23-24" red, then I felt mine bend over and the way the fish was fighting I was real scared it was going to be a big gag but as I got it to the top and we were high five each other John's drag starts screaming as he left his rod in the rod holder to help me. He gets his to the boat. Mine goes 32.5" at 19lbs and John's came in around 28" at 15lbs. We made 1 more pass because Jeff felt real left out that he didn't get a big one. No luck on the last pass but we were feelin a little better after being real frustrated at the AJ's earlier. We made it back to D9 and did a few drifts and managed 1 hookup. Jeff got it to the boat and John hit it with a nice gaff shot right to the shoulder. We called it a good day and headed for home. On the way back in we hit the fog again after it being almost a cloudless sunny day going through thick fog for about 2-3miles and then emerging right back out into the sun was very strange. Great day on the water and got some good eats!


All my pics are too big (file size) I've tried putting them in a zip folder but still not working let me know if you guys have some ideas and I'll put them up!

[perlman1234]

Sounds like a blast and I know it was flat all weekend pretty much. Smaller grouper may be better eating per say, but nothing compares to the way a 15+ lb grouper feels like. Unless you are the elusive and endangered red snapper.

[larrywitt]

Looking forward to your images,file size can be a problem..
larrywitt

[Tight Loops]

There are lots of ways to change file size but an easy one it to email the pictures to yourself. Most camera / photo programs will automatically reduce your pic size. then save those and post them.

[Gen1:26]

Great report!

[RMD]

You can save your pics to facebook page, which then automatically downsizes them. Then simply cut and paste from facebook to FS

[Shaun31]

Pics are up! Thanks Ryan!

[chico]

Those two reds are real PIGS!!!

[perlman1234]

Great lookin fish. Looks like they will be there waiting for me next week.... cant wait!

[Angler Systems]

.
Dam those are some sweet Red Grouper, congrat's.