1/2/04 Our day started off where I managed
to be 15 minutes late getting to the ramp. Seems I grabbed the wrong ball hitch
and when I got to the port over ramp to hit the gas station the boat and trailer
decided to unhook and go on it's own. I decided to
save te rig at almost any cost so hit the brakes and stopped it. Did some bumper
and fender damage . Trailer wasn't in the best of shape
after that but was able to get it hooked back up, get gas and head to the ramp.
The place looked like Saturday in the summer! Saw Oasis and breifly told him my
situation and he gladly lent me hit 2 5/16 ball. Thanx Vic!! Splashed in the
boat and headed out and about a mile out got cavitation. Someone lost their
floating rope and of course the Suzis found it for them.
Back on the way and stopped short of the subwreck to
get dozens of sardines and cigars. Acres of bait were found and chased them
around to speed things up. Next stop Carol Lee where we got a slow bite going on
bottom but Warf Rat Hooks up on his first Cobia! While
he was wrasling this 27#er another top line screams and PaulR grabs for the pole
and is wondering what it was? It danced on the water like the tarpons at SI.
After 30 or so minutes he gets it up to the boat.
After that we headed to 21fn but some one was on the small reef so kept going ne
to 27F where we managed ajs, scamps, and short snapper. Gest scamp ended up
being PaulR's
Around 2pm we had a full cooler and ran out of ice so we called it a day.
Dropped the aj's off at the smoke house and made it home without incident.
I apologize to Hooknline, TNF, and Divegirl for cancelling our dive trip for
tomorrow but I have to get going on the repairs to the trailer and truck.
1/30 Splashed the boat in at 545 to see Mr.
Bill and crew next to me. Took the ride out at 20 mph to fairly smooth seas.
First stop was Domacles for some bait. Plenty to be gotten and decided to try
bottom near by in 80' to some short red snappers, keeper seabass, and spanish
macs. pointed east and hit titan area for more of the same but with some nice
beeliners in the mix and a chocolate chip. tried a small patch of something and
got JParker on a 22# cobia
Then after a few breakoffs and misses I lectured about let it tap tap tap and
them reel reel reel instead of trying to set the hook and up comes Screaming
Drag lifting a 17# gag
Bt noon the seas and wind kicked up so we headed in and cleaned some fish. got a
lil wet and bumpy ride in but nice day.
2/11 Headed out of the port at 6am to not too
bad of seas and no wind. Stopped a Domacles for bait and there was plenty. Off
to Titan for short snappers but JohnB got this halib... uh flounder.
Then Surveyor got this guy with a jumbo shrimp.
Stopped by City Services Tanker but someone was sitting on it so we went out
deeper and found a weedline. Got a few peanuts in the box. off to another spot
for anchoring and bottom fishing and got a couple more keeper red snapper, scamp
and chocolate chip. Then the big bowup went to SDY for his 2 22# cobias.
Let a sting ray go without the nose ring.
Finished off the day with JohnB's mango
The wind kicked up a bit for a slightly wet ride in but seemed worth it. A manta
ray kinda gave us a thrill when it launched itself out of the water right in
front of the boat as were were underway. A partyboat had a wheelbarrow full of
ajs and couple small grouper as I could see. Nice day for reconning and fishing.
4/26 bash report: Didn't take many pics but
did get a few. First off I got there Wednesday with Sailcat behind me making
sure I made it with the motor knocking on the RV. Oh
well got there successfully and setup. Took a ride out
that afternoon to check out the seas
Real sloppy till you get to the blue water. Planned to come back out around
midnight to try for snook. By 1130pm the wind was howling so cancelled. Next
morning me and Sailcat got up to try some offshore stuff but the waves were not
comfortable in a 18' boat so decided to come in and try the inlet. Didn't have
much luck so back to camp. Ran into Walt a lil later Thursday and invited us to
go offshore with him since he had some cancellations. Much better ride out on
Friday but couldn't go for tuna so we trolled a while. Being new to this I
watched LOB and Walt rig up and first hookup brought in a fin about 12- 15# Next
hookup was my first hoo but with a 50w was not fight.
Missed another fin to the boat. No luck with bottom fishing. Got back to camp
for some grub and brews. Planned to go back out again to the inlet for some
snooks when Walt comes by and said he had some cancellations and if we wanted to
do a repeat performance. Said COOL ok. Cancelled the
snook trip to be rested for Saturday. Got out a lil later and dragged Debbie out
with us. First stop was for baits. Got a fet tinkers, sardines, and cigars and
headed for the highbar where we heard reports of good bottom fishing. First gag
was JohnB's a keeper. Next one was mine a similar fish. Then The wife catches
her first red.
Bite slowed down so we went out to troll. Managed one fin about 12# and found
this mean turtle trying to drown another turtle. Walt says we need to let
nature take its course so we left. Went back in to the last bottom spot and
JohnB get freighttrained and managed another red. Headed back in for the bash
festivities. Had a great time and partied away a few years of my life away.
Prepered ourselves for the drive home and manages to get as far as Holopaw when
the motor on the RV overheated and died.
Will be looking for a used or rebuilt motor and will sell that POS like a hot
potatoe in the hand!! All in all fun was had by
all.
5/6 Went out of PC headed southeast to liberty wreck where we did good on some
snapper last time but for some reason the schooled up bait wouldn't bite and
neither would the snappers. Hit pelican flats south and found some fishy bottom
and anchored up. Surveyor was able to get some pin fish prior to our depa rture
so we used them. Nothing biting on the bottom so tossed out some shrimp heads
and the mahi come by. We had pins out on top water rigs and got slammed for
about an hour.
4 11 to 20#ers were caught. When they
go at it it's like a circus! first off we had to pull up the bottom rigs and for
some reason someone set Surveyors pole with the bait dangling over the side. He
was fighting his cobia
What happened next was to be expected. These
were some big schoolers (gaffers) today, and one grabbed that bait and the penn
4/0 senator takes a flight into the water with the mahi dancing off the horizon
with his pole in tow! Well things settled down and decided to try another spot
north and found a few seabass, triggers, small red snappers and a flounder 6#.
No boats to crowd us today!! Nick lost a nice fin to a tangle off my hooked
turtle and got away and the next one his first cobia but it wrapped around the
anchor ball and off it goes. Got some cheers at the tiki bar for my expertise on
loading a trailer. A great day was had and more meat in the freezer.
5/22, 5 am hit Race Trac for gas, get to the
stage area and see a line of boats ready to go in. got in line and next thing ya
know Im looking at the time 524 as im pointing east in the boat. Bumpy and slow
going out. Head e to a spot for bait. then to 110' Anchored on a known place of
heros. Bottom lines down top lines out first fin at 8am. 10#
The bottom bite was slow with only seabass,
and choolate chips. off we go a couple miles and see a sailfish following beside
us 4 jumps parallel to us so dropped a sardine.......... nothing. Next stop saw
lots of fins got two more. That was the stint of our trip and thought 5 in
the boat would have been crowded but no problem with this crew. Water smoothed
out around 1 the ride in wasn't bad Not bad for their first offshore trip. 3pm
and the ramp is near empty and was no problem getting out.
5/25, Went out and did a repeat performance
from Saturday and was able to get 5 phins in the boat by noon. Bottom bite was
slow again. Water was clean 74º and blue in 100' and not too bad all the way
back in. Also got a cuda trolling.
JohnB gets the pic for the largest.
6/5 Went out with JohnB, Nickychevrolet, and
JParker on JB's boat. Took us to a spot he saw some nice fish out near the
Brevard reef 21f. stopped and found some bait a mile out of the port. This day
would be a good fishing day since I forgot my camera
Well this morning I was freight trained but it didn't get away. Using aj strips
on a 10/0 Gataz... octo hook and 150# power pro, I did not let this guy go back
down! On the way up we were calling it a snapper, gag, and ray. Saw some brown
color and thought maybe a flounder till it made it 10' from the top and there it
is just sitting on its side and ready for me to grab by the gill plate and heave
in the boat. After a few ^5s we look at this thing with amazement! My biggest
warsaw! JohnB had a video camera so he hopefully took some pics. I had to get
this thing home and weigh it and it measured 37.5" and weighed 41.5# on my
digital scale. Sorry guys for not sharing this fish but had to weigh it first
and you know how it was tourney day and the place packed. There were a couple
dolphins, flounder, and triggers that met the ice too. Lots of short redsnappers
were caught also. A beautiful day and a great crew. Even the storms couldn't
ruin our day. Got the boat out without a problem and home safe. Another great
day we had.
6/24 Went out again on JohnB's boat with Jim and Linda to
some smooth seas. First off we got a few threadfins out from Jetty Park. then
straight to Titan. Got a good bite but pulled the hook. moved on the the cones
and Jim catches this on a spinner.
Then I followed with a good size scamp (no photo) a couple
red porgies were caught but one was set free. Came into some shallower waters
and set the anchor, chum, topline while bottom fishing. Few shorts reds and
mahis. Kept the legal ones new law 20" to fork. Lost one of Linda's fins at the
boat. Sorry. Got to view some porpoise and their young . Was a good day and
great weather! Thanx again JohnB.
7/13 Went out of the Port around 545 am to some dumpy water
and cancelled going to the cones to going to some #s east of the weather bouy.
First hook up was JohnB's 10# scamp. I follow up with a 6# red snapper, then
this 20#er made its way to the boat. The hook fell out once in the boat! Knowing
the ride in was going to be a rough ride in we headed in early.
9/30 Went offshore PC with JohnB and friends Linda and Jim.
headed to some spots south if 50' water. After the hurricanes Charlet, Frances,
and Jeanne I was anxious to get out! for most of the day I watched them catch
some short red snappers with a few keepers. I wasn't doing so well and got tired
and crawled in the cabin and snoozed for a while. Later got up after we
moved to deeper water. Managed a nice mangrove snapper 21". Then we saw
some floatsam and looked under it to find them blue green yellow fish!
Lost count and how many were caught but it was a fire drill from hell for a
while. Then dropped some fishy entrails down to hook a seabass and slowly was
bringing it up when I got bowed up good to my surprise up comes a 26lbs.
red snapper1 the cooler was pretty full today and the seas were nice and flat.
The ramps are still not setup yet and a pita to get on but can be done.
I decided to
save te rig at almost any cost so hit the brakes and stopped it. Did some bumper
and fender damage 
. Trailer wasn't in the best of shape
after that but was able to get it hooked back up, get gas and head to the ramp.
The place looked like Saturday in the summer! Saw Oasis and breifly told him my
situation and he gladly lent me hit 2 5/16 ball. Thanx Vic!! Splashed in the
boat and headed out and about a mile out got cavitation. Someone lost their
floating rope and of course the Suzis found it for them.
Back on the way and stopped short of the subwreck to
get dozens of sardines and cigars. Acres of bait were found and chased them
around to speed things up. Next stop Carol Lee where we got a slow bite going on
bottom but Warf Rat Hooks up on his first Cobia! 
While
he was wrasling this 27#er another top line screams and PaulR grabs for the pole
and is wondering what it was? It danced on the water like the tarpons at SI.
Oh
well got there successfully and setup. 
Took a ride out
that afternoon to check out the seas 
Real sloppy till you get to the blue water. Planned to come back out around
midnight to try for snook. By 1130pm the wind was howling so cancelled. Next
morning me and Sailcat got up to try some offshore stuff but the waves were not
comfortable in a 18' boat so decided to come in and try the inlet. Didn't have
much luck so back to camp. Ran into Walt a lil later Thursday and invited us to
go offshore with him since he had some cancellations. Much better ride out on
Friday but couldn't go for tuna so we trolled a while. Being new to this I
watched LOB and Walt rig up and first hookup brought in a fin about 12- 15# 
Next
hookup was my first hoo but with a 50w was not fight.
ok. Cancelled the
snook trip to be rested for Saturday. Got out a lil later and dragged Debbie out
with us. First stop was for baits. Got a fet tinkers, sardines, and cigars and
headed for the highbar where we heard reports of good bottom fishing. First gag
was JohnB's a keeper. Next one was mine a similar fish. Then The wife catches
her first red. 
Walt says we need to let
nature take its course so we left. Went back in to the last bottom spot and
JohnB get freighttrained and managed another red. Headed back in for the bash
festivities. Had a great time and partied away a few years of my life away.
Prepered ourselves for the drive home and manages to get as far as Holopaw when
the motor on the RV overheated and died. 
All in all fun was had by
all. 
