Written by a friend on board:
After whining a lot after the reports from last weekend, I managed to invite myself on a trip scheduled for today!
I changed my mind Wednesday and decided since the forecast was iffy, I'd stay home. Mullet posted about tying leaders, and I got FIRED UP about it and changed my mind again. Left Douglas at 3:40 yesterday.
The original plan was to go out of Panacea, but GS called me about 7 last night and said I was to meet him, Mullet, and....it's safe to say it now...Dewey, at the C-Quarters ramp in C-belle at 8 a.m.
I met them, we loaded up and rounded the dog at 8:35...it was sporty. Stacked 2-3 with no backs. Mullet dug in the tabs and pointed the bow in a generally offshore direction and we proceeded out to a spot in between 35 and 120 feet of water. A few comments were made about varying the rpms since we were, after all, running offshore with a brand new power head. It worked like a charm all day long.
We got there and fired down some dead LY's...the tappers were home. GS caught a couple of shorty grunts and threw them into the livewell for later. Then both he and Mullet connected on some good ole big grunts. I thought it couldn't get any better!!! Then we started to catch scamp...I think we ended up with 4 or 5 - all between 10 and 13 inches long. All returned to their home in the deep blue. Beautiful fish though.
Mullet commenced to strainin' and gruntin' out loud and managed to drag up a keeper gag. That was about it for that spot. We motored over to pick up a few squirrel fish if we could find them. Hey Tidedancer...those numbers GS gave you the other day are dead on. Actually, Bait 1 wasn't holding much, but between Bait 1 and Bait 2, we managed around 4 dozen liveys. :king:
While Dewey and I contemplated the task at hand, namely eating a little something, the idol and the moderator decided on a number they'd like to fish. Since we were in the boat, we managed to tag along.
After slogging through some more slop, we neared the number and the bottom machine lit up - which is very surprising since the connectors actually sheared off when we hit one of those 3 footers with no back. The command to throw the buoy was given. The sea anchor was tied on and deployed.
Dewey was rigging up a broomstick...I dropped my heaviest rig down. GS and Mullet both dropped liveys to the depths. In about 2 minutes, I heard the F bomb and GS started to groan like a demon at an exorcism. He pulled up the second keeper gag of the day...probably 26 inches or better. Let me say at this point in the report, that The Internet Idol, put on a fishing clinic today like none of us have ever seen. :worthy:
Next thing you know, Dewey starts cryin' about having a fish on. I told him to just reel the dang thing in and quit bellyachin' about it. After a while, he was able to get it done and we all cursed when the fish broke the surface. GAGMONSTER. Close to, if not over 25 pounds!!!!!
Mullet started to grunt and strain again, and the action was on. It went pretty much like that for an hour.
Suffice it to say I was snake bit....couldn't get them to stay buttoned up (I managed 2 keepers) and GS was the high hook. More on why I had bad luck later...GS started it!!! Everyone but me caught quality fish! My little bitty 24 or 25 inch gags looked small compared to the other stuff they'd thrown in the box!
At 1:00, we turned back toward the sea buoy. I left C-belle at about 3, got home about 6:30 and am still feeling the rocking of the boat, but DANG I had a good time.
Thanks to God for good friends, and a beautiful day on the water. Thanks Billy for inviting me on the trip. Thanks Brian for catching a lot of the fish, for being part of the crew, and for the fishing lessons you gave me all day long. Thanks Dewey for postponing your announcement of the coastal trip long enough for the weather demons to be partially fooled. :roflmao: :tooth:
Final tally -
16 gags to 25 pounds
4 reds to 8 pounds or so
2 grunts to be covered up in the fish box
1 heckuva great day with some truly good friends.
A shot showing all I'm really qualified to catch...
When the fish box starts to look like this, it's time for a head count!
When you drag 'em all out and Billy holds up a couple of the bigguns, it looks a lot like this....
The Idol, The Moderator, and The Dreamer all caught QUALITY fish today...
Billy held a couple of the biggies up for a better photo...no the one on the right doesn't have a cold...that's a whole octopus coming up.
Finally, something I LOVE to see...a limit of grouper on my cleaning table at home.
Side note -
Billy and I saw something today we'd never seen before. He hooked up to and brought up a nice red grouper. As they are wont to do, the red vomited at the surface. He regurgitated a fish of some kind (probably 6-8 inches long) that immediately SWAM AWAY! He had to have just eaten it when Billy hooked him.
After whining a lot after the reports from last weekend, I managed to invite myself on a trip scheduled for today!
I changed my mind Wednesday and decided since the forecast was iffy, I'd stay home. Mullet posted about tying leaders, and I got FIRED UP about it and changed my mind again. Left Douglas at 3:40 yesterday. The original plan was to go out of Panacea, but GS called me about 7 last night and said I was to meet him, Mullet, and....it's safe to say it now...Dewey, at the C-Quarters ramp in C-belle at 8 a.m.
I met them, we loaded up and rounded the dog at 8:35...it was sporty. Stacked 2-3 with no backs. Mullet dug in the tabs and pointed the bow in a generally offshore direction and we proceeded out to a spot in between 35 and 120 feet of water. A few comments were made about varying the rpms since we were, after all, running offshore with a brand new power head. It worked like a charm all day long.
We got there and fired down some dead LY's...the tappers were home. GS caught a couple of shorty grunts and threw them into the livewell for later. Then both he and Mullet connected on some good ole big grunts. I thought it couldn't get any better!!! Then we started to catch scamp...I think we ended up with 4 or 5 - all between 10 and 13 inches long. All returned to their home in the deep blue. Beautiful fish though.
Mullet commenced to strainin' and gruntin' out loud and managed to drag up a keeper gag. That was about it for that spot. We motored over to pick up a few squirrel fish if we could find them. Hey Tidedancer...those numbers GS gave you the other day are dead on. Actually, Bait 1 wasn't holding much, but between Bait 1 and Bait 2, we managed around 4 dozen liveys. :king:
While Dewey and I contemplated the task at hand, namely eating a little something, the idol and the moderator decided on a number they'd like to fish. Since we were in the boat, we managed to tag along.
After slogging through some more slop, we neared the number and the bottom machine lit up - which is very surprising since the connectors actually sheared off when we hit one of those 3 footers with no back. The command to throw the buoy was given. The sea anchor was tied on and deployed.
Dewey was rigging up a broomstick...I dropped my heaviest rig down. GS and Mullet both dropped liveys to the depths. In about 2 minutes, I heard the F bomb and GS started to groan like a demon at an exorcism. He pulled up the second keeper gag of the day...probably 26 inches or better. Let me say at this point in the report, that The Internet Idol, put on a fishing clinic today like none of us have ever seen. :worthy:
Next thing you know, Dewey starts cryin' about having a fish on. I told him to just reel the dang thing in and quit bellyachin' about it. After a while, he was able to get it done and we all cursed when the fish broke the surface. GAGMONSTER. Close to, if not over 25 pounds!!!!!
Mullet started to grunt and strain again, and the action was on. It went pretty much like that for an hour.
Suffice it to say I was snake bit....couldn't get them to stay buttoned up (I managed 2 keepers) and GS was the high hook. More on why I had bad luck later...GS started it!!! Everyone but me caught quality fish! My little bitty 24 or 25 inch gags looked small compared to the other stuff they'd thrown in the box!
At 1:00, we turned back toward the sea buoy. I left C-belle at about 3, got home about 6:30 and am still feeling the rocking of the boat, but DANG I had a good time.
Thanks to God for good friends, and a beautiful day on the water. Thanks Billy for inviting me on the trip. Thanks Brian for catching a lot of the fish, for being part of the crew, and for the fishing lessons you gave me all day long.
Thanks Dewey for postponing your announcement of the coastal trip long enough for the weather demons to be partially fooled. :roflmao: :tooth: Final tally -
16 gags to 25 pounds
4 reds to 8 pounds or so
2 grunts to be covered up in the fish box
1 heckuva great day with some truly good friends.
A shot showing all I'm really qualified to catch...
When the fish box starts to look like this, it's time for a head count!
When you drag 'em all out and Billy holds up a couple of the bigguns, it looks a lot like this....
The Idol, The Moderator, and The Dreamer all caught QUALITY fish today...
Billy held a couple of the biggies up for a better photo...no the one on the right doesn't have a cold...that's a whole octopus coming up.
Finally, something I LOVE to see...a limit of grouper on my cleaning table at home.
Side note -
Billy and I saw something today we'd never seen before. He hooked up to and brought up a nice red grouper. As they are wont to do, the red vomited at the surface. He regurgitated a fish of some kind (probably 6-8 inches long) that immediately SWAM AWAY! He had to have just eaten it when Billy hooked him.