The Fishing Fools Thread....

[akaGatorhoops]

thanks, speed!

here are some pics from the 4th of july family fishing outing . . .

nothing great, but plenty of action:

legal mutton
http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i193/gatorhoops/jul4-1.jpg

small mutton... one of 3 caught:
http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i193/gatorhoops/july4-2.jpg

remora.... ugh!
http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i193/gatorhoops/july4-3.jpg

king coming to the boat. one of three caught... all released.
http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i193/gatorhoops/july4-4.jpg

watch your fingers!!
http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i193/gatorhoops/july4-5.jpg

another mutton...
http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i193/gatorhoops/july4-6.jpg

one of several bonito
http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i193/gatorhoops/july4-7.jpg

biggest king of the day
http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i193/gatorhoops/july4-8.jpg

another bonito...
http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i193/gatorhoops/july4-9.jpg

and yet another. my sis really struggled to pull this one in!
http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i193/gatorhoops/july4-10.jpg

[LittleBlueLW]

Just got back from a few days in Islamorada. Fished hard offshore Monday to the humps and only got one decent (10 lb.) blackfin which is currently residing on my dinner plate! Missed a few others and saw a free jumping sail on the way out.

Yesterday fished the outgoing tide drifting on Arsenic Banks and slammed the big Mangrove snappers and one 17.5 inch mutton.

Cant wait to go back with the family in a couple weeks.

[PMCGoldenEraG8R]

Great pics Hoops! Looks like such a fun day! That remora is huge! :-O I'd hate to see a big shark that the remora hangs on too!

LittleBlue...My son is going fishing in Islamorada in a few weeks. He can hardly wait. He loves to fish there! Sounds like you know the good spots!

[akaGatorhoops]

anyone fishing this weekend?

i may go for a quick am trip tommorrow.

[PMCGoldenEraG8R]

Getting up at 3:30 am and heading to the Gulf. I must REALLY like fishing to get up at that hour of the day. Hoping to catch some reds and Trips.

Can't wait to see pics of tomorrow's catch, Hoops!

[akaGatorhoops]

whoa . . . this thread slipped to page 6!! we cant have that happen! Get fishin, fools!! ;)

I took several visiting Gainesville/Gator buddies out this moring. Another day of action, but nothing to exciting. We got a dozen+ bonito, a small mutton, 2 kings, a couple remora and a squirrel fish.

The big catch of the day was a 15+lb king.

go gators!!

[G8rChuck85]

whoa . . . this thread slipped to page 6!! we cant have that happen! Get fishin, fools!! ;)


Agree! I love checking out the great pics on this thread!

[Speedofsand]

No pics, but I went this week to Sellers lake and we both caught a bass on the first cast, it only took a few seconds. They were small but it was funny to get the double to start the day. Ended up with a handful of throwbacks each.

My fishing buddy went to 'stickmarsh' a couple weeks ago and got almost a dozen, from 3 to 9 lbs.


http://www.imaginationbassin.com/photogallery/July2009/July2009/003.JPG

[akaGatorhoops]

damn!!!! that is a beast, speed!!!!!

did you weigh it???

awesome catch!

[Speedofsand]

I didnt catch that, it was my fishin partner who went to stickmarsh, somewhere down your way. He got all lunkers except one. I think that one was 9 lbs.

his best are at the bottom of this link.
http://www.imaginationbassin.com/Reports/2009/JulyReport2009.htm

[akaGatorhoops]

Went out yesterday... fought a ton of fish, but nothing that came home. Mostly bonito, ajs, kings. We did get a couple grouper and muttons.... but just short.

This bonito fooled me. It damn near dumped my spool and then fought like a big blackfin.
After 15 minutes on a light spinner, my buddy was poised with the gaff when I heard that dreaded words: "Agggh. . .its a big #@!^* Bonito".

Don't be fooled by my smile in the pic. . . i was not too happy with the catch!!!

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i193/gatorhoops/bonito-3-1.jpg

go gators!

[Speedofsand]

I went to Lake Panasoffkee AND little lake harris on Sat., got nothing but a tan.

"Hooked" is coming on NatGeo now. Flying fish episode.

[baygator1]

My brother and I caught 21 reds Saturday - best day we've had in several weeks. We were back at the ramp by 1pm, too.

It's been tough here lately, but we're finally starting to get some regular rain. The clear water we've had for a while combined with so much pressure on the fish really killed the bite.

[GatorBASS]

I went to Lake Panasoffkee AND little lake harris on Sat., got nothing but a tan.

"Hooked" is coming on NatGeo now. Flying fish episode.

Speed, I think "Hooked" has become my favorite show on TV now...not to mention it is Shark Week on Discovery Ch...

Les Stroud had a show last night about the 5 most dangerous waters in the world, in regards to shark attacks and deaths resulting....Florida's beaches was number 1...even over places like Australia and S. Africa....that was a cool show as well.

[GatoRella]

We headed out last Saturday with hopes of wrangling a few tripletails and perhaps a red or two. And were pleased to see the wind was the five or less noaa was calling for, and the storms were behaving for the most part. So we loaded up with bait and headed to our tripletail spot in hopes of catching the morning bite. As soon as we arrived the tt action was fierce! We didn't get any monsters, but what they lacked in size the more than made up for in quantity. Within the first ten minuets we put this guy in the boat
http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z197/gatorella420/TTs8-1-091.jpg

The rest of the them came in one right after another

http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z197/gatorella420/TTs8-1-098.jpg
http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z197/gatorella420/TTs8-1-093.jpg
http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z197/gatorella420/TTs8-1-096.jpg
http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z197/gatorella420/TTs8-1-094-1.jpg


We ended the day at lunch with 6 tripletail ranging from 5-12 pounds and a 24'' trout that slammed my topwater in the morning. Good day of fishing.

[GatorBASS]

We headed out last Saturday with hopes of wrangling a few tripletails and perhaps a red or two. And were pleased to see the wind was the five or less noaa was calling for, and the storms were behaving for the most part. So we loaded up with bait and headed to our tripletail spot in hopes of catching the morning bite. As soon as we arrived the tt action was fierce! We didn't get any monsters, but what they lacked in size the more than made up for in quantity. Within the first ten minuets we put this guy in the boat
http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z197/gatorella420/TTs8-1-091.jpg

The rest of the them came in one right after another

http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z197/gatorella420/TTs8-1-098.jpg
http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z197/gatorella420/TTs8-1-093.jpg
http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z197/gatorella420/TTs8-1-096.jpg
http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z197/gatorella420/TTs8-1-094-1.jpg


We ended the day at lunch with 6 tripletail ranging from 5-12 pounds and a 24'' trout that slammed my topwater in the morning. Good day of fishing.

Nice fish, Rella.

How far out do you have to locate triple tails? Do you have to go out past Spotty Bottom or Seahorse Reef, for example?

Definitely not looking to steal your spots, just curious about how to find them.

Thanks for any help.

[GatoRella]

Bass, they come close to shore to bread this time of year. So to answer your question, if you are in Spotty bottom or Seahorse you have gone too far.

[GatorBASS]

Bass, they come close to shore to bread this time of year. So to answer your question, if you are in Spotty bottom or Seahorse you have gone too far.

Thanks, Rella.

I will do some research to better understand their habits and locations.

Do they prefer live bait, or will a Spook or Spook Jr work?

I try and stay updated with the fishing reports for the Big Bend on Florida Sportsman, and the fishing reports from capmel.com, but you seem to be the only one that consistently post reports of triple tails. Keep up the good work!!

Thanks again.

[GatoRella]

Thanks, Rella.

I will do some research to better understand their habits and locations.

Do they prefer live bait, or will a Spook or Spook Jr work?

I try and stay updated with the fishing reports for the Big Bend on Florida Sportsman, and the fishing reports from capmel.com, but you seem to be the only one that consistently post reports of triple tails. Keep up the good work!!

Thanks again.

We would like to keep it that way! So if I am being tight lipped that is why.

TT's are very neat fish though, they are kind of prehistoric specimen's IMO. And truthfully there has not been very much research done on them, but we have developed our own hypotheses on their movements.

Never used a topwater on them, but that would be quite a sight!

[GatorBASS]

We would like to keep it that way! So if I am being tight lipped that is why.
TT's are very neat fish though, they are kind of prehistoric specimen's IMO. And truthfully there has not been very much research done on them, but we have developed our own hypotheses on their movements.

Never used a topwater on them, but that would be quite a sight!

I totally understand and would hate for that to change. :grin:

I will just continue to enjoy your tripletail reports, along with PMC's.

I have seen a few fishing shows in which they were able to find triple tail. From what I remember from that show, they are similar to locating cobia, i.e floating debris, big turtles, or channel markers.

Thanks again.

I am still hoping to run into some Spanish and Kings (if I can ever get my schedule on par with Pops), before football season starts, so your tripletails are safe from me (not that they should be scared anyways).

Thanks again and tight lines!!

[gators4life]

GatorBass, the luck I have had with triple tail is out of Cape Canveral. If you skip the first couple of buoys and go out to the deeper ones they tend to hold on them. What i like to do is take hand picked live shrimp and let them drift down the buoy line. Always keep the motor running. When you get hooked up put the boat in gear a little bit to get the fish away from the buoy. Fun fish to catch. Great to eat.

[GatorBASS]

Thanks, gators4life!!

Maybe I can convince one of my fishing buddies to try the East Coast for a change.

If I was going down that way, I would definitely take 2 days, so I could fish the Lagoon.

BTW, if anyone is interested in finding fish in the Lagoon, hit up Radg8tr....as he is KING of the Lagoon.

Tight lines everyone!!

[deathroll]

My best buddy just called asking if I wanted to buy his kayak. Seems he and his son just watched a 7' bullshark attack and devour a large ray in Tampa Bay.

He tells me they were both paddling backwards without realizing it.

[GatorBASS]

I do not doubt that deathroll...I was fishing on the East side of 4th ST N, right before you join the Howard Franklin Bridge (leaving St. Pete).....my dumbass was fishing at dusk, wade fishing, none the less. After wading 10 to 15 ft from the Mango shore, and making roughly 10 casts, I looked back to see a 7ft long dark shawdow swim between me and the shore.

As soon as I saw the shark, I ran on water.

Once I made my way up to the bridge area, a nice group of folks fishing from the bridge, asked me what spooked me from the water.

One of the little boys came up to me, as I told him what had me run on water - - "It was at least a 7ft shark that was between me and the shoreline", he was not spooked, but his mamma was. "That's it, we gone!!" I told my little bud Sherrod (who had told me his name shortly before his mamma arrived ), that it would be ok. She said she was there to catch snapper, not some big ol'e Nasty Shark, as packed up the mini-van.

I tell you what though, Sherrod was one hell of a fisherman, as he said he would have punched that shark in the nose and kept on fishing. Hell yeah, Sherrod!! I hope you continue your love and passion for fishing!!



Everyone else, please be carful when wading/beach fishing/swimming the beaches of FL!!!

They are not rated not the number #1 Most dangerous waters for shark attacks and kills, from Les Stroud @ NatGeo for no reason.

BTW, shark taste good, mmmmkaaaaaay......

[GatoRella]

I love wade fishing too Bass, it is actually my favorite way to fish, and if you wade fish long enough you are going to have a shark encounter.

My most memorable encounter happened two years ago on the shoreline just north of Keaton in a town called Dekle Beach. Me and my family rents a house on the water for the week, and me and my buddy spend a lot of time in the water wade fishing. Well we were fishing one morning and the fish were biting real good. We were catching reds left and right, a flounder here, a nice trout there. We were also making a lot of splashing noise as well, which is a :no:. Meanwhile I have a couple of trout and a flounder on my stringer, which is attached very securely to my shorts. Well we were working this shoreline and I just got the feeling there was something behind me, you know how you get that feeling sometime. So I turn around and not two feet behind me, going for my stringer which is dangling next to my leg, is a huge 6-7 foot bull shark! I SCREAMED,then ran! This startled the shark and he must have displaced a hundred gallons of water on his way off the flat. My buddy saw the whole thing and was like speechless. I really believe if I had not turned around when I did that I might have been on the Discovery Channel this week :grin:.

That is when we decided to build this:
http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z197/gatorella420/GatorWader.jpg

So now I don't have a damn stringer hanging between my legs!

[G8rChuck85]

Love the pics and stories..Keep em coming.

[deathroll]

That is when we decided to build this:
http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z197/gatorella420/GatorWader.jpg

So now I don't have a damn stringer hanging between my legs!

GR, what exactly is that thing? Do you sit on it? In it? What exactly is that thing?

[sneakygator]

Dang I have missed this thread! Have not done much fishing this year. The whole trying to keep a business afloat thing has been taking up a lot of my time. But since my business has slowed to a screeching halt so only one thing left to do... FISH!!!

Look forward to posting some big fish soon on the best thread on the internet.

Just wanted to drop in and say hello. Hope you all are well and your lines are tight.

[akaGatorhoops]

Went fishing solo this afternoon . . . wahoo trolling.
not a good day.
After an hour+ of hi-speed trolling I came across a huge log. It had a bunch of bar jacks and a couple small triple-tail, but no dolphin.
I dropped a vertical jig below to see if anyone was home . . .WHAM!!! I battled a big fish for several minutes, then it took a sharp turn, gave a head shake . . . and it was over. I brought up a frayed leader 80# . . . jig gone.
Mr. Wahoo got me again! And this felt like a big one! AGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!
If anyone was within 3 miles of my boat, they heard a alot of shouting/expletives!

[Pantanoso]

I'm taking my wife salmon fishing today if the wind doesn't blow too hard. BTW, what is that thing?????

Shark trap? jk

[wallyzanger]

Big, Bigger and Biggest Snook:

/Users/chris/Desktop/Snook.jpg
/Users/chris/Desktop/snook/IMG_0209.jpg
/Users/chris/Desktop/snook/IMG_0367_1-1.jpg

[akaGatorhoops]

did a real quick 2 hour trip this afternoon with a buddy, that was pretty productive. we got 6 keeper mutton snapper, and 1 bonito.

dinner:

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i193/gatorhoops/2muttons-1.jpg

[GatoRella]

GR, what exactly is that thing? Do you sit on it? In it? What exactly is that thing?

I use it to hold all my stuff when I am wade fishing. It has 4 rod holders, an attachable bait pen, tackle storage, a large mesh bag to hold fish, and most importantly a cooler to hold the beer! We had a lot of fun making thing. We named it the "Gator Wader" it is EXTREMELY buoyant. We have an anchoring mechanism on it, and we usually just anchor it in an area and then wade around.

[Speedofsand]

a report of a bull shark jumps into the boat !


http://www.wesh.com/video/20343298/

[Speedofsand]

on now, Fishzilla ! Nat Geo, hooked.

[akaGatorhoops]

With some recent local wahoo reports, I was eager to give it a try. I called two buddies and recruited them for a very early morning mission. This morning, we were on the water by 5:00 am. The timing was great, as we watched the tail end of the meteor shower as we set up.
Still dark, we headed north pulling a yo-zuri bonito lure and a wahooking lure. Not much happened in the pre-dawn hours. Just as the sun rose, the Yo-Zuri gets smacked. My friend Rick grabs the rod, the other gets gaff . . . and I keep the boat in gear. Within several minutes and after some blistering runs, our target species comes to the boat! No a huge one, but a wahoo nonetheless!
Soon after we turned back and headed south. With the sun up, we placed waaaay back, down the middle, squid/daisy-chain. No luck on the blackin we were hoping for, but it did pull in several bonito.
In addition to the bonito, the return troll also produced a miss on the yo-zuri and a quick, strong, hit-and-run strike on the chain.
Got back to the dock by 8:30 and off to work . . .
A few pics . . .

Target speices in the boat:
http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i193/gatorhoops/wahoo1.jpg

Waiting for another bite:
http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i193/gatorhoops/wahoo7.jpg

Me reeling in one of several bonito:
http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i193/gatorhoops/wahoo5.jpg

Trolling back home:
http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i193/gatorhoops/wahoo4.jpg

The O&B Gator Lure that caught the 'hoo!
http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i193/gatorhoops/wahoo8.jpg

Back in the inlet, famous Boca Hotel in the background:
http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i193/gatorhoops/wahoo2.jpg

[deebo65]

Some DAMN yummy eatin in your hands right there Hoops! Might just be my favorite (tope 3 for sure) fish to eat. I'm certain you will be eating better than me tonight. Good job

[GatoRella]

Good work hoops do you really troll that fast for those Whoos?

[akaGatorhoops]

Thanks Deebo, Rella.

Yeah. . . we troll between 10-12knots when pulling those for wahoo. I know guys that even go quite a bit faster.

[gatorcowboy]

Man, sure makes me want to get up and head out on the water tomorrow. I finally have access to a boat worthy of doing some inshore fishing here off Cedar Key. Now I just need to learn where the good spots. So far only found a few small reds. Cant wait to find some bigger ones and some of those triple tails.

[GatoRella]

Cowboy you should try fishing around Deadmans Key in CK right as the sun comes up. We have had good luck with reds and trout there. Good place to get bait as well.

[gatorcowboy]

Thanks for the tip. Will definetly try to get over that way. So far we have only went out towards Corrigans Reef area. We've only been out a couple of times and had never fished salt water much, so learning a lot as we go. lol

[gatorcowboy]

Went out this evening just before dark and between the storms that came through. Caught a few reds but no keepers. Didnt make it out to Deadman's key due to keeping close eye on the incoming storms.. Will get there next good weather outing..lol.. My boys had a ball catching there first reds though. so was worth the effort to go out.

[akaGatorhoops]

going fishing in off Cedar Key this Sunday . . . weather permitting.
Anyone fish there b4?

It will be new waters for me, so I am excited.

go gators!

[GatoRella]

going fishing in off Cedar Key this Sunday . . . weather permitting.
Anyone fish there b4?

It will be new waters for me, so I am excited.

go gators!

I have been out of there a couple of times :grin:

The water has cleaned up a bit, but it is still murky until you get offshore.

Hoops are you going out with a guide?

[LitiGATOR645]

Nice, my kind of thread ;)

[akaGatorhoops]

Nice, my kind of thread ;)

Marsad!

If you start posting pictures, my catches are going to look like baitfish!

Welcome to the thread . . . post away.

Btw. . . we do have 1 rule. . . you must post your coordinates! Especially for those huge muttons you were catching last year! ;)

-brent

[akaGatorhoops]

I have been out of there a couple of times :grin:

The water has cleaned up a bit, but it is still murky until you get offshore.

Hoops are you going out with a guide?

That's right . . . i will be on your home turf!

Yeah... I am going out on a charter boat with some friends from Gainesville. I think the target is grouper. Though I am not too sure, as I did not organize the trip.

How has the fishing been?

[GatoRella]

The fishing has been pretty good out of CK.

Hopefully your buddy booked captain Phil Muldrow, that guy knows where the damn groupers are no doubt about that, but there are a few guides that do very well. It has been about a month since we went offshore in search of grouper. On that trip we did pretty well, but the red grouper are down right pesky there are so many of them. The main problem is that this time of year is that the grouper are a little further offshore like 60ft and deeper, which wouldn't be a problem down south but up here it is 20-25 miles offshore.

We are going out of CK on Saturday and it looks like the weather will be decent for this weekend knock on wood. Good luck!

[akaGatorhoops]

The fishing has been pretty good out of CK.

Hopefully your buddy booked captain Phil Muldrow, that guy knows where the damn groupers are no doubt about that, but there are a few guides that do very well. It has been about a month since we went offshore in search of grouper. On that trip we did pretty well, but the red grouper are down right pesky there are so many of them. The main problem is that this time of year is that the grouper are a little further offshore like 60ft and deeper, which wouldn't be a problem down south but up here it is 20-25 miles offshore.

We are going out of CK on Saturday and it looks like the weather will be decent for this weekend knock on wood. Good luck!

we have a full day.... so hopefully the capt. is willing to do the run.
the boat is called Awe-D-Sea. not sure of the capts name.

to be honest, i would have rathered an inshore charter, but my buddies booked this . . . so grouper it is.

good luck sat.!

[gatorcowboy]

Here's the website for Awe-D-Sea. http://awedsea.com/

I have heard some good things about their trips from different ones around town.

I know he goes waaaaaay out to get to some of his sites.

Good luck and enjoy the trip.

[akaGatorhoops]

thanks for the info Cowboy . . . and it proved accurate. We ran out 60 miles to get to some of the spots. But it paid off. Our boat of 6 anglers easily limited on gags and reds. None were huge, but all between 7-14lbs. We had at least 40 throwbacks. Fantastic fishery there, though a bit of a trek to get to it. Those two things probably go ahdn-in-hand!
Anyway... anyone up that way, I would highly recommend Awe-D-Sea. Good guys who know what they are doing.

A few pics . . .


http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i193/gatorhoops/cedar1.jpg

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i193/gatorhoops/cedar3.jpg


http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i193/gatorhoops/cedar5.jpg

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i193/gatorhoops/cedar7.jpg

[gatorcowboy]

Hoops looks like yall had a lot of fun. Glad the trip went well. I'm looking forward to being able to head out again soon. Sadly will be a couple of weeks probably. Prepping for Firefighter 1 and first responder testing is bout to kick my butt...

Tight lines everyone.

[gator7_5]

tagged a white, lost a nice blue, lost a sword, and caught a few dolphin sat night - sunday.

vid of the white. Im the joker without the shirt on who takes bad video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfcJH_jMlMg

[akaGatorhoops]

great stuff, 75!!!

awesome job on the release!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[g8tr96]

A crazy vid I saw the other day. Thought I'd share it in case you haven't seen it yet.

<object width="450" height="370">

<embed tplayername="SWF" splayername="SWF" id="Player1252280624450" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://www.liveleak.com/e/48e_1252205911" mediawrapchecked="true" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" wmode="transparent" width="450" height="370"></object>

[gatorcowboy]

Guess no ones fishing now that football is back. lol

I hope to go out sometime this week, but it wont be on the weekend. :P

[akaGatorhoops]

A crazy vid I saw the other day. Thought I'd share it in case you haven't seen it yet.

<object width="450" height="370">

<embed tplayername="SWF" splayername="SWF" id="Player1252280624450" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://www.liveleak.com/e/48e_1252205911" mediawrapchecked="true" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" wmode="transparent" width="450" height="370"></object>

That was in at a local inlet. . . very fortunate no one got killed.

Cowboy.... my boat was getting serviced... hope to be back on the water this week, also!

go gators!

[GatoRella]

So thats why they make kill switches huh?

Man that was nuts.

[deathroll]

Caught my 1st redfish this evening. Tampa Bay. 3 feet of water. Under a school of baitfish. Was catching trout and lady fish and then, wham. Had no idea what it was. Thought maybe a big jack or a blue runner. Like a truck. Bent the rod in half and was making my drag scream. Tried to bring him in but he was pulling line. Tightened the drag and then reeled him in. 26" and beautiful. Gotta understand, I've been fishing pretty regular for 3 years now; I'm the worst, but I do love being outdoors, being with my buddy and not knowing what I might catch/see. This was my 1st REAL fish ('ceptin for some real nice trout). Great time.

[GatorLane77]

Alright, I'm back in the saddle.....finally. Went out Saturday morning and got in a mess of bull reds. 7 bulls and 2 sharks. Here's a pick of one. Didn't get a pick of the big one because it towed me about 150 yards from my buddy with the camera.

http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r253/gatorlane77/redfish4.jpg

Good times!

[sneakygator]

Nice bull red Lane. Sounds like a fun day.

[akaGatorhoops]

awesome, lane!

that looks like a blast! i would love to rent one of thoseand fish w/ you sometime!

[deathroll]

What exactly is the slot for puffers?

[GatorLane77]

Anytime aka. It's a blast getting towed around by a biggun.

[Pantanoso]

I spent a couple of hours on the beach with a couple of poles in sand stakes. Fed the little 'uns. Caught a small ladyfish. Had something with sharp teeth take a rig. Saw lots of fat girls with big breasts and tattoos. Life is good.

[GatoRella]

If you guys ever get bored you should check this site out.

It is a live under webcam on a bridge in Bahia Honda. There is also one on there for the Tortugas. You can see tons of tarpon, snapper, and groupas. Kind of interesting. There are yellowtail snapper and permit coveing the screen right now.

http://teens4oceans.org/webcam/ggrp/bahiacam.html

[GatorSkie]

Alright, I'm back in the saddle.....finally. Went out Saturday morning and got in a mess of bull reds. 7 bulls and 2 sharks. Here's a pick of one. Didn't get a pick of the big one because it towed me about 150 yards from my buddy with the camera.

http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r253/gatorlane77/redfish4.jpg

Good times!

lane,

weren't you and bass working something like this a while back?

are you in texas?

[GatorLane77]

Yeah, I'm in Houston now. Big difference fishing out here than in FL, but if I can reel in beauties like this on a regular basis, I'm happy.

[akaGatorhoops]

We need to bring this thread back to life! I have not been doing my part, but I did get out on Sat.
We had a good morning of bottom fishing... 10 yellowtails, 2 muttons, 6 short grouper, 1 bonito, tons of blue runners.

[PMCGoldenEraG8R]

Super pictures and videos here! Never ceases to amaze me at all of the different kinds of fish caught! Very talented fishermen/women here!

Hi Hoops (incredible pictures, and catches Hoops!) and welcome back Lane! Good to know that Bass is still fishing too! 7-5, that video was so much fun to watch! Can't imagine how much fun it was to be there!
Rella, I'm going to check out that video link, and you really are the king of the TT's!

Rella, my husband has fished with Phil Muldrow and we see Phil out in the area where we fish near YT very often. Muldrow really is a good guide!

I haven't been fishing since football season started. I go to the games, and my hubby goes fishing and then watches the games on tv. We had a good summer of fishing though, catching reds mostly and some trout.

We are going to the Bay City Lodge in Appalachicola this weekend. A big group of friends from Ft. Walton are going to meet us there. I can't wait to get out on the water and go fishing again. We're hoping to fish Sat morn and then head somewhere to watch the Gators beat UGA.

Awesome thread everyone! Good luck bringing in your catches and stay safe out there! That run-a-way boat was scary! :whoa:

[akaGatorhoops]

Finally went fishing yesterday. It was my b-day, so I justified cneaking out of work. I went solo, as my buddies could not break free.
I had enough action, but really blew it.... losing a 25+lb dolphin. I have no idea how it happened, but my mainline broke!?!?!? There was not nearly enough pressure for it to snap, as the drag was nowhere near tight enough. I'm not sure if the tail hit the main line or if I had nic in the line, but whatever it was.... aaaggghhhhh!!!!
I did land a nice sized mutton and a big AJ.
Short trip.

[deebo65]

Thanks for bringing this thread up from "the depths" Hoops

[GatoRella]

Man I haven't been fishing since hunting season started in September, but I am starting to get the itch in a major way.

Does anyone on the board own a SeaFox? Me and my buddies are talking a look at this SeaFox 21ft CC this weekend in Jacksonville and my be buying it right there. If anyone has any insight I sure would appreciate it.

Hoops, sounds like you had a weakness in the line somewhere? What a bummer man!

[akaGatorhoops]

As is our thanksgiving tradition, my cousin and i went sailfishing this morning.

And for the 4th straight year we landed at least 1 sail. Today we caught a solo... about 70lbs.

The streak looked bleak for a while, as we missed one earlier. . . and were running out bait/time.

We had three baits out and one in the well. I was netting the final bait to deploy a wth rod... when my reel screamed. Thiry minutes later we had a clean release on a 65+lber. It took awhile, as of course , it hit the rod w/ 15#line.


We released the last bait and went home. We decided that would be a new "lucky" tradition... releasing the final bait. Just like the Presidnet gives a pardon to a turkey, we will provide one to a goggle-eye! :)

Happy Thanksgiving fellow fishers! :)

[rburnett]

Hoops, not sure if we're going to get to go out! Cold front wind stopped us from going today, we might go down to key largo to do some inshore, but this cold front/ wind sucks!

[akaGatorhoops]

Hoops, not sure if we're going to get to go out! Cold front wind stopped us from going today, we might go down to key largo to do some inshore, but this cold front/ wind sucks!

nah... this cold front is great! this is what we needed!! our water temps have been so high b/c of the warm weather. i have not spoken with any of my buddies today, but i bet the sailfishing will be fantastic this weekend.
and i dont think the sea forecasts are too bumpy.

get out there if you can... this is sailfish weather!

good luck!

[akaGatorhoops]

This thread has been quiet!

I have not been out since Thanksgiving, but I was clearing my computer and found one of my favorite fishing videos. This is my buddy. . . a very apparent novice to fishing . . . in a pretty good battle on light tackle.

I laugh everytime I watch it. . .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhLz56-744U&feature=player_embedded

[deathroll]

Good for Dauber. I was scared we weren't gonna get to see that fish, hoops.

Caught one big mackeral after another on EVERY single cast for more than an hour in Tampa Bay last week. A VERY fun outing in the kayak. We'd hook up within 3 seconds after every cast and if the fish would throw the hook, there'd be another fish taking it before you'd crank the lure in another 3 feet. We finally left because we were tired (sorta like Dauber above).

[akaGatorhoops]

Good for Dauber. I was scared we weren't gonna get to see that fish, hoops.

Caught one big mackeral after another on EVERY single cast for more than an hour in Tampa Bay last week. A VERY fun outing in the kayak. We'd hook up within 3 seconds after every cast and if the fish would throw the hook, there'd be another fish taking it before you'd crank the lure in another 3 feet. We finally left because we were tired (sorta like Dauber above).

Ha . . . I thought we may lose the Dauber overboard!!! :)

Sounds like a gret trip you had. I have never fished from a kayak. It looks like a blast. What were you catching? Spanish or Ceros?

I will be smoking some kingfish this afternoon!

[deathroll]

Ha . . . I thought we may lose the Dauber overboard!!! :)

Sounds like a gret trip you had. I have never fished from a kayak. It looks like a blast. What were you catching? Spanish or Ceros?

I will be smoking some kingfish this afternoon!

Yeah, the Dauber didn't look too stable there at the beginning. Had an ear-to-ear grin once he landed that thing though. I enjoy taking folks out for the 1st time. Dauber will remember that the rest of his life.

You're more than welcome to come fishing with us should you ever come over this way. That said, I'm not sure you'd have that good a time. We rarely catch keepers and pretty much just go out to be out and to see what's there.

Not entirely sure what type of mackeral they were. Long, thick, strong, yellow spots and tails, numerous sharp white teeth in a snapping mouth that you do NOT want to drop into your lap while sitting atop a kayak! Spanish.

Catch 'em up.

[gatorcowboy]

Well after a week and a half the fog has finally lifted off of Cedar Key, so you can see more than 3 feet in front of you. Sure hope I get to go out before it decides to roll back in. Only time I"ve been able to go out in the boat was with the Fire Dept looking for a lost in the fog boater... Didnt want to be out in that mess..lol Hope everyone else is having better conditions and tight lines.

[deebo65]

Hoops, I see "simply" was more than just a hoops/football shirt... Apparently he was a fan of watersports as well as the hardwood and gridiron... RIP "Simply"

[rburnett]

I'll be in St Pete over the holidays and hopefully will get to do some fishing.. I'm sure we will catch trout in the canal, but might get to do some spearfishing in the bay. Maybe even some night fishing too.. can't wait!

[GatoRella]

Well after a week and a half the fog has finally lifted off of Cedar Key, so you can see more than 3 feet in front of you. Sure hope I get to go out before it decides to roll back in. Only time I"ve been able to go out in the boat was with the Fire Dept looking for a lost in the fog boater... Didnt want to be out in that mess..lol Hope everyone else is having better conditions and tight lines.

I went out of Waccasassa this last Sunday and it was less than 50ft of visibility the entire day. Really a weird day. Fog is the most dangerous of weather conditions for boating IMO, we really had to take it slow for most of the day. I will post pics of the catch when available.

[akaGatorhoops]

Hoops, I see "simply" was more than just a hoops/football shirt... Apparently he was a fan of watersports as well as the hardwood and gridiron... RIP "Simply"

LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Simply was very versatile!

As for fishing. . . . I am expecting my first kid to arrive any day now. He is over a week late, and is really throwing a wrench into my sailfish season.

As soon as he is born, he and I will pack up his custom-made stroller/fighting chair . . . and hit the high seas!

In the meantime, I am living through other people's posts and reports. . . so get out there and catch some fish!!! :)

[akaGatorhoops]

I'll be in St Pete over the holidays and hopefully will get to do some fishing.. I'm sure we will catch trout in the canal, but might get to do some spearfishing in the bay. Maybe even some night fishing too.. can't wait!

I meant to ask you.... did you get out fishing while down in s. fla?

[rburnett]

I meant to ask you.... did you get out fishing while down in s. fla?

I thought I told you, that cold front pretty much ruined us... we couldn't go for sails because some guys with us get sea sick, so we were wanting to go down to the keys and do an inshore charter. We did go out on the Flamingo party boat drift fishing for kings/etc. honestly there were like 5 fish total caught on the whole boat, it was terrible. But at least we only spent 35$ instead of like 250 each. It happens.. hopefully we will make up for it next week. I have been talking to this capt. in st pete called "The Mad Snooker" and he's supposed to be the best in the bay area, strictly night fishing and a few days ago when I talked to him he said they caught 40+ snook the night before... www.madsnooker.com

[LittleBlueLW]

'Winter' in Florida is awesome. Went out with some clients and friends out of Ft. Pierce on Tuesday. Teased up several sails and hooked up four, with two of them being two peoples first sails. Several dolphin in the 10-15 lb range, blackfin and kings. Bonitos were a real nuisance though.

Pre-Christmas fish fry and tuna grill party last night was awesome, although I am a little slow on the draw today.

Merry Christmas fishing fools.

[PMCGoldenEraG8R]

Happy New Year to all the Fishing Fools! :)

Went out in some waders in some creeks around Yankeetown on Saturday. Was a cool, pretty day and great to be outside. I haven't fished in some time (football season!)

Husband and son's gf caught some small redfish pups. Not a great day for catches, but sure fun to be out there with family and friends.

I sure hope all of you will have wonderful and fun fishing in 2010! >~~~)'<

[akaGatorhoops]

went offshore yesterday for the first time since thanksgving. it was great to get out there!
no spectacular catches...
3 AJs
11 short grouper
3 bonito
and 1 lost sail

The kings killed our sail efforts... chewing up our live baits, and tearing apart our rigs. We opted not to go with wire, so to catch a sail... but the kings kept finding us. A 30+ lbr skyrockets out of the water w/ one of our baits. It was pretty cool to see. The only sail we hooked, landed on the line and broke off.

This was the big fish of the day.

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i193/gatorhoops/aj-1.jpg

[LittleBlueLW]

Fished the last leg of the Treasure Coast Sailfish Championship last week at the Pelican yacht club in Ft. Pierce. We finished second in this tourn. with 27 sailfish releases but had enough in the series to win it all! Sailfishing with trolled dead balyhoo behind mullet dredges has been unreal this winter.

Last Wednesday we got on the boat is was 26 degress and blowing like hell. Easy 5-7 foot seas and occasional 7-9. Felt like I was filming an episode of deadliest catch. Thursday was a little better but still cold. Friday was gorgeous and thank God we took our lay day Saturday when the front came through.

My boys on the Floridian are down fishing a tournament in Jupiter this week and fishing is still going off. Someone had to stay behind and work this week, unfortunately.

[wallyzanger]

Nearly a State record. 37lbs, 48"

1175

[LittleBlueLW]

Thats one heck of a snook Wally. Inshore used to be my gig but I've gotten the offshore bug the past few years. I'm sure I'll oscillate back inshore one day, espeically after seeing that slob. Where from?

[wallyzanger]

I live in Jupiter but that snook was caught on the west coast. I have been fishing many of the tarpon and bonefish tournaments lately. Got a new boat yesterday and will be doing more offshore once the electronics are installed. How bout yourself?

[wallyzanger]

try as I may I can't seem to drag a pic into this forum. Everything wants to shrink. How is everyone getting there pics in?

[GatoRella]

Walley did you guys lose snook down there due to this cold weather? For the last ten years or so the snook have been moving farther and farther north here in the big bend. The population was just just getting good enough to where you can really target them, and have good catches. Then we have this cold snap and most of the snook in our area are dead now, such a kick in the @ss. We pretty much have to start over, really depressing.

Anyhow here are a few pics of my last redfish trip in December.

http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z197/gatorella420/Rella33Inch12-09d.jpg
http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z197/gatorella420/Rella29Inch12-09b2.jpg
http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z197/gatorella420/Rella33Inch12-09c.jpg

[wallyzanger]

There was significant snook kill but the fishery will survive and thrive although as I say that there is another cold blast a'comin'. Guessing you are somewhere up north of Melbourne, maybe Titusville with those fat reds. Snook are NOT native fish and probably jumped from the Yucatan to Cuba and beyond. That is why they keep pushing north. This is how it will go.
BTW, posting pics seems complicated on this forum. Any tips?

[GatoRella]

Wally I fish out of the big bend from Crystal River to Cedar Key. The above pics are from Waccassaa.

As for the pics, you need to go to photobucket.com and set up an account. After you upload your pics go to "edit" and resize them to large and replace the original. Then just copy the IMG code and past it in you post. Would love to see some of your pics, Jupiter Inlet is a fantastic place to fish.

[wallyzanger]

Let's see if this works:

http://i353.photobucket.com/albums/r396/wallyzanger/IMG_0367_1-1.jpg

[wallyzanger]

O.K. Got it. Must've been like watching someone who can't throw a cast net.
Now how do I delete?

http://i353.photobucket.com/albums/r396/wallyzanger/IMG_0367_1-1-1.jpg

[wallyzanger]

Big permit. Way too early in the morning for that craziness.
http://i353.photobucket.com/albums/r396/wallyzanger/IMG_0368.jpg

40" Red caught from under a dock in the Hooters Cabbage Key Tournament. Fist fight to get him out from under the dock. Notice how scraped up he is.

http://i353.photobucket.com/albums/r396/wallyzanger/P1010108.jpg

Not my biggest snook but one of the best as I threw a line drive after sighting her moving across a sandy patch.

http://i353.photobucket.com/albums/r396/wallyzanger/P7020194.jpg

[deebo65]

Pretty damn sweet Wally

[akaGatorhoops]

great fish, Wally.

I caught the one below at a spillway a year or so ago. I did not weight, so never really knew what it weighed. I did measure it... it was 44" to the fork, so probably just bit longer in total length.

based on your weight... it must have been in the 30s, right?

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i193/gatorhoops/snook-2-1.jpg

[wallyzanger]

Hoops,
I'd put that fish at 30-32 as it looks thick. Also, love the dark spillway snook. Is that the Broward/PB county line spillway? Gizzard Shad or mullet?

[akaGatorhoops]

Hoops,
I'd put that fish at 30-32 as it looks thick. Also, love the dark spillway snook. Is that the Broward/PB county line spillway? Gizzard Shad or mullet?

yeah... i believe that would be it. military trail, by 18th street.
i rarely fish the spillways... only have done it 3 or 4 times.
i caught it on a mayan cichlid.
i got very lucky, as i was fishing w/ 15#mono, and a 30# leader. a lot of edges, corners, rocks, pilings at that spot. . . and without braid i had a tough time steering him away. a couple times i opened the bail and hoped he would move away from the obstruction. i got lucky each time.

[wallyzanger]

match the hatch. They know cichlids..

[deathroll]

Rough, rough going down here (Tampa Bay) on the flats. No fish, no bait fish, nothing. Lots of cold water fish kills. Hurts to see so many large dead snook. Thousands! Lots of species dying - spade fish, lizard fish, even greenbacks. Hoping against hope that this warm up allows many to hang on. That said, there's no need to go out right now, we're getting blanked.

[wallyzanger]

Droll,
I've been getting similar reports from Capt. Scott Moore in your area. Can't remember it being this cold for such an extended period. I remember it snowing in Coral Springs in '77 and in Gainesville in '89 but they were two-three day deals.

[deathroll]

Droll,
I've been getting similar reports from Capt. Scott Moore in your area. Can't remember it being this cold for such an extended period. I remember it snowing in Coral Springs in '77 and in Gainesville in '89 but they were two-three day deals.

Yeah, I was at UF when it snowed in '77 but it is this extended cold snap (11 days I think) that changed the water temperature so drastically and so quickly that is doing these these fish in. The local TV stations keep trottin' out a USF marine biologist that specializes in snook biology and he says 50 degrees is the critical temp. I'm hoping this warm-up and the (warm?) rain raises the water temp enough to save the fishery.

[akaGatorhoops]

Took a couple friends out on Monday. Both had expressed that they have always wanted to catch a sailfish . . .so that was our target. West winds made for not so great odds, but we did hook into a double-header. The first quickly pulled the hook, but we landed the second. The one we landed actually hit a real light rod we had set up for kings. . . so the fish put a great fight and aerial show. I normally hate taking these fish out of the water, but he was bill-wrapped and my buddy wanted a pic.
We got the hook out, him back in the water very quickly and revived him for about 10 minutes. He kicked off really strong.
Other than that, we managed a dozen or so short grouper, vermillion snapper.

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i193/gatorhoops/sail.jpg

[GatoRella]

Thats a nice sail AKA, bet your friend was stoked!

Do you use vertical jigs at all? I am a little behind the curve them, but I bought myself a v-jig for christmas. I plan on using it primarily for bottom fishing offshore in 65ft of water. Any tips or color that work?

[akaGatorhoops]

Thats a nice sail AKA, bet your friend was stoked!

Do you use vertical jigs at all? I am a little behind the curve them, but I bought myself a v-jig for christmas. I plan on using it primarily for bottom fishing offshore in 65ft of water. Any tips or color that work?

Rella,

Yeah . . . I use them constantly. I absolute love fishing the verticals. I have been doing it for years, as i was introduced to it real early in the craze. I now never fish without bringing the verticals along.

I have limited success with bottom fish for them, but that probably has more to do with our fishery and the fact that there are not many legal sized groupers in our area. I have caught some nice muttons on them and suspect that i have hooked a few goliath grouper that pulled me into the wreck.

But I have caught TONS of AJS, bonito, Kings, African Pompano, Runners and jacks on them. I have hooked 2 wahoo that I lost at the boat, and have had several others that bit thru the trail hook. I have caught several blackfin tuna using them, as well as a couple dolphin and 1 cobia.

It takes a little while to get it down, but it is really a fun way to fish. I have a few setups I use for them. . . shimano jigging rods, and a torium16. The rod needs to be flexible for the jigging action. . . and light so that you dont wear yourself out too quickly. The reel needs to be high-speed (6:1) and a good drag/narrow spool. I think braid is a must, otherwise the line stretch in mono will kill the action.

When the AJs and such are stacked over the wrecks, I take friends out and watch them get their azz kicked! It's a blast. They hit those things like freight trains.

I use Williamson jigs . . . orange has been my favorite. I use #7, but I am fishing between 170-300' w/ current. . . and usually fishing with 30-60lb AJs in the area.

Let me know how you do with them and what you think!


here is the best pic i have of my set up:
http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i193/gatorhoops/jigging2-1.jpg

[GatoRella]

Thanks for the info Hoops, that is a nice jigging set-up. I have a custom(orange and blue wrapped) spinning rod with medium heavy action rigged with at Penn 750 with braid. I think that will work, it has good flexibility in the tip for the action and I can really whoop a fish with it. It really irks me that you guys don't have legal sized groper down there, is it due to fishing pressure? I guess we are lucky up here, we have a GREAT grouper fishery as you know.

I think v-jigs are kinda designed to fish in deeper water since they get to he bottom so fast, and that really explains why not many people in my area use them as it is so shallow. The jig I got was a williamson as well, but only 3.5 oz which is plenty big for over here.

Do you put extra hooks on it? I noticed that some people do, so I attached another hook set up in the same location as the original hook is. There are also two other hook locations, but it looked to me like it might mess the action up of you attached them there.

And how bout them Gators last night? Our fearless leader Walker is tough as nails! Sure look like a team that wants to go dancing come March to me.

[GatorSkie]

nice job fishing fools, and Rella, the boys did look pretty good last night (at times), the effort is definitely there.

[akaGatorhoops]

Thanks for the info Hoops, that is a nice jigging set-up. I have a custom(orange and blue wrapped) spinning rod with medium heavy action rigged with at Penn 750 with braid. I think that will work, it has good flexibility in the tip for the action and I can really whoop a fish with it. It really irks me that you guys don't have legal sized groper down there, is it due to fishing pressure? I guess we are lucky up here, we have a GREAT grouper fishery as you know.

I think v-jigs are kinda designed to fish in deeper water since they get to he bottom so fast, and that really explains why not many people in my area use them as it is so shallow. The jig I got was a williamson as well, but only 3.5 oz which is plenty big for over here.

Do you put extra hooks on it? I noticed that some people do, so I attached another hook set up in the same location as the original hook is. There are also two other hook locations, but it looked to me like it might mess the action up of you attached them there.

And how bout them Gators last night? Our fearless leader Walker is tough as nails! Sure look like a team that wants to go dancing come March to me.

yeah... i think it is fishing pressure. by you, you have to go quite a ways to get into deep water, while by us, a canoe can get out into 60'. the payoff for that convenience is that the fish get hammered.
the other issue is that our water gets so deep, so quickly . . .that many of these fish are being pulled up from 150' or so. if not properly vented, which most rec. fishermen dont do... i suspect many of the released fish die.
as for the verticals... no i do not add any extra hooks, as i have found that they sometimes bind together. also, the fish hit them so hard, that they rarely miss. the only time i change out hooks is when toothy fish.. kings are wahoo are around. then i put wire assist hooks on, as the nylon-type attachment gets bit thru easily.

gators looked great last nite. great road win!!!

[Jupgator]

I've been on GC for a few years, but never really knew about this thread. Now that I've discovered it, I thought I would introduce myself. I used to primarily do the offshore thing (live in Jupiter on the water), and I can tell by reading some of your posts that you guys are way more accomplished than me at it. Now although I go offshore occasionally I fish mostly inshore. I've spent the last 30 years or so mostly fishing Everglades National Park (Flamingo or Chokoloskee) for Snook, Poons, Reds and whatever else is dumb enough for me to fool. Lots of fun and flat out gorgious scenery.

I usually use artificials in the glades (love to toss plugs and jigs in the backcountry) but sometimes I use livies.

Anyway if any of you fish the park or other inshore areas up and down either coast of FL, like to hear from you!!!!!!!!

[sneakygator]

Just heard a hero of mine Capt. Mel Berman has passed and wanted to wish his family the best.

Capt. Mel had a radio show here in the tampa bay area for the last 30 years or so. I have spent many a morning listening to him. Whether it be at home or on the boat fishing, I always tuned him in. He has a website that is as good as it gets for us locals here.

I will miss him dearly and just wanted to say God Bless to a fisherman's fisherman.

[bencp]

I cant wait to go catch some specs. Folks Ive talked to are tearin em up right now. The weather needs to get a little better for me though.

[GatorLane77]

Oh man, Mel Berman died. How did it happen? He was a class act. Loved his show.

[akaGatorhoops]

went out for the first time in awhile on Monday.

fishing was kinda slow, with some trash fish and a few king cutoffs. around midmorning my cousin spotted some birds working about a mile off. how the hell he spotted them.... i have no idea.
we cruised over, set up in front of the birds and tossed out live baits to slow troll thru the area. the second my hit the water . . .CRASH. i was hooked up to a nice cow, but on a REALLY light rod. soon after hooking up we noticed the bull trailing... which had to be close to 50lbs. we threw everything at him, but he wasnt interested.
i fought my fish for about 25 minutes . . . . DINNER! :)

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i193/gatorhoops/phin-1.jpg

[deebo65]

Sweet! So envious of all the fresh fish you get Hoops. If I were you I would take a sushi rolling class.

[sneakygator]

Awesome fish Hoops.

Hoping the weather gets better here on the west coast soon just so I can take a boat ride!! :cry:

[vanders]

this thread needs SPRING to arrive!

[Pantanoso]

Here's my buds up in BC. I'll be there in 9 days for 2 months.
http://i571.photobucket.com/albums/ss156/OsamaBinFishin/DSC03075.jpg

[G8trGr8t]

nm

[GreenNNScaly]

Its been a while since I posted a fish pic so here is one of me with a nice yellowtail that hit a rapala I trolled off the southern end of La Isla de Espiritu Santu in Baja. This fish kicked my azz I must say. AKA that is a nice cow you got. You always seem to be on the fish, dude.


http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll106/CapnMikey/Baja/P3280123.jpg

[GreenNNScaly]

Heck, as long as I'm at it I will post another pic - this one is a lingcod in Alaska. I can't take credit for actually catching it but since I was the captain and did put the guy in the pic on the fish I deserve a bit of a shout out. This fish nailed a 24 oz twisty tail in 130' in May which is early season in AK. All lingcod caught before July have to be released so this one was. I estimate it at over 60 lbs and that is a frikken TOAD of a lingcod!!! :)


http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll106/CapnMikey/Alaska%20Fish/bigLing.jpg

[G8trGr8t]

Got a couple of fish pics mixed into my travel album. halibut and salmon in alaska, blue marlin in hawaii, and mahi in the USVI

Ling cod are some ugly arse fish. biggest one I ever got was out of Valdez and was around 45 pounds. almost too ugly to eat, good thing the fillets aren't as ugly as the fish

We go to alaska every summer and I just booked my fishing trips for this summer in. One for just me and one with the family.

Overnight trip out of Homer Alaska for me where you can get two days quota of halibut (4 fish) and if weather permits, they go out further for bigger fish. Guy next to me got a 212 pounder last year. Have to admit, I almost stood in front of it for a pic like it was mine, hell half the boat did. At least 20 people went home and caught that fish :) Also get ling cod and yellow eye rockfish (kind of like a snapper)

http://www.alaskacoastalmarine.com/overnight_fishing_trips.htm

Silver Salmon on the Deshka River (north of Anchorage) for the family

http://www.ifishalaska.com/index.html
guide also guides bear, dahl sheep and moose hunts during the fall/spring

since family goes for 2+ weeks to visit grandma and I always use miles for my trip and fly different times, i usually go first class so you still get to bring up to three 75 pound bags. i get 1 bag and 2 big fish boxes. if you had to pay to ship it, it gets expensive.

live in Ft. Myers area but do not get to fish as much as I would like. I have a 21' wellcraft cc that sits way too much. wife says if I had my way, life would be all about the three f's, fishing, football, and f***ing. I don't see the problem.:grin:

going to Maine this summer too and really want to get into a bluefin but don't think the timing will be right so I will just have to take on my frustrations on some defenseless lobsters

[GatoRella]

Good reports guys, those ling cod are gnarly to be sure.

The water here in the big bend is still in the lower 50's so until it heats up a bit the fishing is going to be beyond slow.....We went out last saturday and caught a few sheepshead, not great fishing day but the weather was gorgeous.

Best thing to happen fishing wise recently happened last night at the Gator Basketball game. They were handing out gator orange and blue head sock thingies which are perfect to use as fishing buffs. I have been wanting a buff for a while, but have never been able to justify spending $20 on it. You know you want one Hoops ;)

[akaGatorhoops]

Good reports guys, those ling cod are gnarly to be sure.

The water here in the big bend is still in the lower 50's so until it heats up a bit the fishing is going to be beyond slow.....We went out last saturday and caught a few sheepshead, not great fishing day but the weather was gorgeous.

Best thing to happen fishing wise recently happened last night at the Gator Basketball game. They were handing out gator orange and blue head sock thingies which are perfect to use as fishing buffs. I have been wanting a buff for a while, but have never been able to justify spending $20 on it. You know you want one Hoops ;)


damn-it! i do!!!

[akaGatorhoops]

Its been a while since I posted a fish pic so here is one of me with a nice yellowtail that hit a rapala I trolled off the southern end of La Isla de Espiritu Santu in Baja. This fish kicked my azz I must say. AKA that is a nice cow you got. You always seem to be on the fish, dude.


http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll106/CapnMikey/Baja/P3280123.jpg


Damn . . . nice!!! thanks for the compliment. . . but you only see the posts when I catch fish! ;)

[deathroll]

Hey Gator fishing dudes, can you recommend a bare bones (cheap) fishing camp/efficiency motel directly on the water in the Keys?

Thanks.

[deathroll]

Guys, it's all gone. There's nothing left. I am fishing the same Tampa Bay flats that I've fished for years and am seeing very little, catching less. OK, I have seen a good number of redfish and caught the bay's last trout but that's it. There are no minnows, no pin fish, no ladyfish, no mangrove snapper, no lizard fish, no puffers, no snook, nothing. I'm afraid it's gonna take quite a while (years) for our fisheries to bounce back.

[G8trGr8t]

spanish are just starting to show in Naples/ Ft. Myers area. Bait is about two to three weeks behind this year due to cold weather. Seeing some snook around but they are very lethargic. No doubt that the cold did some damage but we won't really know until later in the summer just how much. going to have to be patient this year.

[beachpiratefla]

It will take some time for the stocks to rebound...only thing biting here right now is the whiting...54 degree water still

[LittleBlueLW]

Got some pics with my fellow gators down in Mexico to post but they are huge files. Anyone familiar with getting 2-3 MB photos down to a size to post here? I've got some cool shots to share with you guys and gals.

[LittleBlueLW]

http://pbckt.com/sB.ddG5

Finally got around to posting some pics for the fellow 'fools' out there. If you want to go and have consistent billfish action, Isla Mujeres from late January to now is awesome.
Gives the inexperienced a great chance to learn the art of hooking sails using circle hooks.

We released 42 sails in 2 days and caught this load of fish on a half day within sight of the island.

[G8trGr8t]

Spanish are up to Ft. Myers now, kings should be here in a week. Pelicans starting to feed again, bait is stll small but getting bigger.

[gator7_5]

sheepshead are pouring into Pensacola Pass right now. heading ou to try and fill the cooler later today. Cobia fishing starts for me next week!

[sneakygator]

Nice pics Blue looks like you had a fun trip.

Good knews about the macs appreciate the info Gr8t.

Went out of Tarpon Springs yesterday and it is like a grave yard here.
Hopefully things will warm up soon. Water temp is still in the low 60's.
Looking forward to some screaming drag soon.

Tight lines!!!!

[PMCGoldenEraG8R]

Sooo excited to see this thread is alive and well! I've really enjoyed reading the posts and seeing all the great catches! So nice to "meet" new Fishing Fools too!

Hubby and I went out last Sat. Caught a few small trout and a huge gar. I guess water is still too cool for us here too, as Rella stated. It was just so nice to be on the water again. Drpmc and I fish in the same waters as Rella does, but we don't do as well as he does! He is the Pro in these parts! :)

Don't forget to use your sunscreen and wear those hats! I just had a basal cell cut off my face....smack in the middle of my cheek. :-( I'm paying for so many years of fun in our Florida sun. I've been diligent about using sunscreen and wearing hats for years, but as ya'll know, I probably did most of the damage when I was young. Hopefully, the younger generation knows more about UV protection than mine did.

I'm looking forward to reading more excellent posts and seeing more fantastic pictures in this thread this spring and summer! Go Gators! :)

[bofusgators]

I'm a retired Gator up here in N. E. Georgia with a lot of fishing experience on Pine Island Sound and a fair amount in Charlotte Harbor, especially Boca Grande pass. I used to have a six pack license for the area, but now I'm boatless and am looking for a Gator in the area to go Snook, red, mangrove snapper, etc to share expenses and talk Gators. Any one interested please email me.

Dr. Doolittle

A gator in the Dogs back yard.

[PMCGoldenEraG8R]

Good luck bofus! I hope you find a fellow fisheman/Gator up there! :)

[G8trGr8t]

bofus,

you looking for Georgia or SW Florida?

I assume SW florida since you mention snook but not sure

[bofusgators]

Hey Golden Era Gator. Thanks for the reply. I'm really interested in a fishing buddy from S. W. Florida...........Not one from up here, but if all else fails, then one from up here will have to do.

Thanks again.

[bofusgators]

G8trGr8t. You're got it right. I'm interested in snook mainly and not anything around here other than catfish. And thanks for the reply.

Dr. Doolittle

[G8trGr8t]

snook got hit so hard with the freeze that we don't know when they are going to open up the season. As I understand it, snook season is now closed till September. I am seeing some snook moving down the river right now and with the bait coming in, the snook should really turn on in the next couple of weeks.

I end up taking at least one of my kids everytime I get to go inshore or I would invite you along. Saving brownie points for a long day of grouper fishing soon though. Season opens the first and the grouper have got to be thick. Between the winds and the gas prices and the depression (17% unemployment in Lee County) the grouper have been getting a real break the last couple of years so there should be some fillets waiting to happen.

[Speedofsand]

I have not fished much at all the past year, but I just got a Hobie outback kayak and will be on water somewhere soon.
Anyone else here kayak fish ?

[G8trGr8t]

had to go to Boca Grande to look at some bridges last week. small bait up that far and pelicans were feeding. big blow on Monday slowed down the progress but warmn weather this week has a lot of pelicans working hard off Sanibel

[LittleBlueLW]

had to go to Boca Grande to look at some bridges last week. small bait up that far and pelicans were feeding. big blow on Monday slowed down the progress but warmn weather this week has a lot of pelicans working hard off Sanibel

You a structural engineer or something?

I'm going down to Little Gasparilla the 14th to 17th. Hoping the warming trend continues and some more bait shows. Planning to take lots of spoons for macks if the bait is still scarce inside.

[obone]

Triple tail in the Jupiter Inlet. My fellow Gators and I have caught our limit (2) every time we have been out this month. 10-24 lb range. They've never been this thick in the inlet. Something to do with the cold winter. Talk about fun! Benita make for great bait.

[deathroll]

I have not fished much at all the past year, but I just got a Hobie outback kayak and will be on water somewhere soon.
Anyone else here kayak fish ?

Yes, I do.

Very happy to say that fish do still exist! Caught lots of trout and a few mackeral on the flats in Tampa Bay today.

[deathroll]

OMG, big mackeral on light tackle! Fun stuff.

[G8trGr8t]

Spanish? Haven't seen/heard of any kings yet in Ft. Myers area but the few spanish we got into yesterday were pretty big for spanish. Great fun for my 6 year old son.

Are you seeing any bait yet in Tampa? Just small, scattered bait yesterday. Did see a lot of snook running the trough at the beach, too bad they are out of season till September now.

[akaGatorhoops]

Spanish? Haven't seen/heard of any kings yet in Ft. Myers area but the few spanish we got into yesterday were pretty big for spanish. Great fun for my 6 year old son.

Are you seeing any bait yet in Tampa? Just small, scattered bait yesterday. Did see a lot of snook running the trough at the beach, too bad they are out of season till September now.

I really think everything is a month behind, due to the long, cold winter.
Our the east coast, our water temps are still pretty cool. . . and the usualy spring fish/patterns have yet to show.

[deathroll]

Spanish? Haven't seen/heard of any kings yet in Ft. Myers area but the few spanish we got into yesterday were pretty big for spanish. Great fun for my 6 year old son.

Are you seeing any bait yet in Tampa? Just small, scattered bait yesterday. Did see a lot of snook running the trough at the beach, too bad they are out of season till September now.

The one mackeral was so big and so strong I thought about asking my buddy to take the reel. Made 6 runs, bruised my ribs and turned the kayak around 2 (or 3, not sure) times.

Tons of minnows now. All very small (1" to 1 1/2" long). No idea what kind they are but they are there. Had a Spanish mackeral throw up a half dozen. Pelicans are diving on them repeatedly.

[G8trGr8t]

How far do you have to paddle to get to water deep enough for kings? Surprised to hear that kings are in Tampa already.

In Hawaii, the big island, the sea is dead calm (think barefooting water calm) on the leeward side. While out marlin fishing, we saw a guy off of kawaihae with a sea kayak out paddling and he hooked up. watched him off and on for over two hours while he fought what turned out to be a pretty good sized yellowfin tuna (+/- 40 lbs). he got drug all over the place but he got the tuna to the kayak, captain says the guy does it all the time and they have seen him hook up with some pretty nice blue marlin before too. all the captains in the area seem to know him and mine said that if he gets pulled too far out or if it is getting dark, somebody usually stops and gets him. after seeing some of the tiger sharks in the area (huge), I was amazed that he would tether a tuna to his kayak and paddle to shore. I'm game for a challenge but don't see myself doing that.

[deathroll]

How far do you have to paddle to get to water deep enough for kings? Surprised to hear that kings are in Tampa already.

Don't believe it was a king. Had to be a mackeral (all the other, smaller ones were).

No cowboy here. Sharing a 2 seater, sit-on-top kayak with my best buddy. Fishing in 10' of water within 25 yards of a seawall lined with houses.

[G8trGr8t]

sounds like a big jack. they will hang in same spots as spanish

[deathroll]

sounds like a big jack. they will hang in same spots as spanish

I boated (and then released) the fish; it was a mackeral.

[G8trGr8t]

my bad. sounded like you never saw it. misunderstood your comment. must have been a big spanish to run out like that and drag a kayak around in circles

Had to be a mackeral

[LittleBlueLW]

http://i886.photobucket.com/albums/ac69/fishandmitch/Ft%20Pierce%202010/DSC_0043.jpg

Awesome day yesterday out of Ft. Pierce. Lots of vermillions, sea bass, mangos, big AJs, sharks and some catch and release groupers and red snappers.

Will be eating well watching the final round of the masters today.

[akaGatorhoops]

Don't believe it was a king. Had to be a mackeral (all the other, smaller ones were).


fwiw, a king is a mackeral . . . a 'king mackeral'. as juveniles, they look exactly like spanish, same spots and everything. the only way to distinguish when they a juveniles is by the lateral line. as they get older, kings lose their spots . . . and obviously become bigger.
the juvenile kings are a bit bigger than the spanish macks they are sometimes found with, and i think they are stronger.
that may have been what took you on a tow ride! :)

[akaGatorhoops]

I am finally going fishing on Sunday! Cant wait . . . will report back.
Going Kingfishing, so it wont be anything too exciting . . . but at least I will finally get out there.

[GatoRella]

fwiw, a king is a mackeral . . . a 'king mackeral'. as juveniles, they look exactly like spanish, same spots and everything. the only way to distinguish when they a juveniles is by the lateral line. as they get older, kings lose their spots . . . and obviously become bigger.
the juvenile kings are a bit bigger than the spanish macks they are sometimes found with, and i think they are stronger.
that may have been what took you on a tow ride! :)

This. I have caught juvenile kings up to probably 10-15 lbs with spots and lines on them, and thought I had a world record spanish! :no:

We went out on opening weekend for grouper on April 2nd & 3rd and wore out the grouper out of Cedar Key. We caught them all in two patch reef spots we have in about 62' on dead bait and live pinies. My dad put it on the rest of us catching the biggest red grouper at 13.5lbs and the biggest gag at 16lbs, he had a hell of a weekend. I think we ended up with 24 keepers on the weekend which equated to about 75lbs of fillets :joecool: Normally we wouldn't have kept that much but we had a bunch of guys and I am getting married in May and we are doing a fish fry for my rehearsal dinner. So right now I have 25lbs of grouper vacuum sealed in my freezer ready to go, now that I think about it that is about all that is in my freezer after throwing things away to make it fit........ We are also doing frog legs, chicken tenders, gator tail and hush pups should a damn good meal.

obone, good to hear you guys are catching some TT's in canaveral, good stuff. They usually make it our way mid to late summer and stick around for a few months. Last year was good but no great up here, hopefully this is a banner year like it was three years ago. Probably my favorite fish to catch, and defiantly my favorite fish to eat! BTW if you dont already have a tripletail tagging kit you should check out the tagging program they have at Southern Miss(same guys as the cobia tagging program). They are quite the mystery fish, I would love to know more about there movements.

PMC thanks for singing my praises, you and hubby been doing any fishing? The gator trouts are out and about in our area. I actually saw there was a 9lber caught this last weekend WOW.

[G8trGr8t]

Small kings have finally moved into Ft. Myers area. Friend trolled up 11 of them last Saturday in three hours while I was coaching soccer.

Bait is big enough now to not end up getting gilled in a 3/8" net. Wind has kept most from venturing offshore but your grouper report has me fired up and ready to go. Between the closed season, the wind, the price of gas, and the downturn in the construction industry (lot of fisherman in that business down here) the grouper have had almost two years of very little pressure so the numbers should be good.

ACOE is flushing so much polluted water down the river that what would normally be prime snook time in the river is very slow. We don't need sugar that bad, let alone having to subsidize it to boot.

Suggestion Rella, get a pre-nup on number of offshore trips allowed, that number seems to keep dwindling for me as the years go on. :grin:

[Speedofsand]

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s203/speedofsand/TomokaBasin001.jpg




http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s203/speedofsand/TomokaBasin007.jpg




http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s203/speedofsand/TomokaBasin004.jpg



I covered the whole Tomoka Basin today. Nobody was getting a bite. Mullet were jumping everywhere. Tomoka State Park is a must go when the weather is so nice.

[sneakygator]

Nice pics Speed.

Finally got out today and really didnt care if we caught anything, it just felt great to be out.
Found some real nice bait eventually and headed to one of my favorite spring spots. First cast I must have thrown it right in the red's mouth because as so as the bait hit the water it was fish on. A nice 22" redfish and my first this year!! Usually by now we have been catching reds for weeks.
Next was a 25" redfish and I was getting excited about possibly having a day of catching one after another.
Well that was it. Two fish and we saw no more.
Glad to see the bait back and that the redfish are getting frisky.
Can't believe that water temp is still barely above 70 but it was a beautiful day and the 2 fish were a bonus.

[akaGatorhoops]

Went out Friday solo . . . 1 king, 2 muttons, a bunch of bonito and whiffed on a sail.

Yesterday I went out on a friends boat to show him some trolling techniques. We were met by 4-5' seas. Ugh. I felt like I was thrown into a big washing machine. We dragged five line for a few hours, with only 1 blackfin tuna and some bonito to show for it.

The bait is starting to show here, so the fish should follow.

[Speedofsand]

I kayaked in Spruce Creek yesterday at Gamble Place. No luck at all, but saw some big tarpon for such a small creek. Great time, though. The current took us out and the wind brought us back, about 4 miles each way.
Beautiful property, former winter home of Proctor & Gamble co-founder.
http://www.moas.org/Gamble%20Place.html

[radg8tr]

http://i285.photobucket.com/albums/ll63/raderrough/snook_4_29_10_1.jpg

[G8trGr8t]

That is a monster snook. They are definitely starting to turn on around Sanibel right now.


Need some help.

Anybody out there got a loran that will convert numbers to Lat/lon? Came across some numbers that I need converted and don't feel like dropping the $100 for the program?

[radg8tr]

The coast guard has a free program that is available...try this url http://www.navcen.uscg.gov/LORAN/convert.htm

[LittleBlueLW]

Awesome fish rad. careful holding them under the gills!

[akaGatorhoops]

WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Helluva fish!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

I went out kingfishing on Sat. We found a few for the smoker and the spotted the blackfin schools. We caught 15+, mostly "footballs". We released most, keeping a few of the deeply hooked fish for sushi. We landed a couple decent ones, in the 6-8lb range. A ton of bonito we mixed in too.
Fun time and have plenty of tasty tuna in the fridge.

After that we wanted to fight something with a bit more muscle, so we dropped baits on a deep wreck. It was loaded with the big AJs gathering to spawn.

We caught 3 and went home.

My buddy with AJ
http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i193/gatorhoops/ray-aj2.jpg

Tuna cooler:
http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i193/gatorhoops/tuna-4.jpg

Dinner:
http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i193/gatorhoops/tuna-5.jpg

[gatorfan5220]

Great, great fish folks! Good job!!

What is your fave way of fixing them to eat?

[deathroll]

Hooked a REALLY, REALLY big one this morning. Fishing the flats in Tampa Bay. Using a light blue Mirrodine. 1st cast and he was on. I knew he was big immediately. Told my friend I had a BIG redfish. Pulled a couple feet and then turned. The swirl was massive. Started coming straight for us, with us sitting in our two person, sit-on-top kayak. He was coming fast, REAL fast. Wasn't until he pumped his tail that we realized I'd managed to hook a manatee. My buddy starts yelling, "Cut the line, cut the line." Thing is swimming straight for us; a very angry, very vengeful manatee. Went right under the kayak, pumping that big wide tail the whole time. I was waiting for my 8# test to break. Hook popped out almost immediately after he'd passed under us. Scared us REAL, REAL good.

[G8trGr8t]

Friend went out today. Big schools of sardines moving up the coast past Ft. Myers right now. He caught three blackfin tuna trolling some sardines around the edges. He also got some real nice mangrove snapper in 75 feet of water. They had to have been 7 - 8 pounds each, just pigs. Said he lost several nice ones to the jewfish though.

Tarpon are starting to sit down in the passes. Hope to make it to Captiva Pass this weeked to try and entice one to eat a big pin.

[GatoRella]

Redfish Pass is my favorite place on planet earth. We used to stay at South Seas Plantation every year when I was growing up, what a great place.

Here are pics from our most recent grouper outing:

http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z197/gatorella420/3-1-103.jpg

My dad with a nice Red

http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z197/gatorella420/3-1-102.jpg

Me and my Dad

http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z197/gatorella420/3-1-101.jpg

And here is a grunt that I lassoed and drug up from 65 ft

http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z197/gatorella420/3-1-104.jpg

[deathroll]

Was fishing from my 2 person kayak with one of my son-in-laws yesterday (he graduated from "da U"). We had one keeper trout in a mesh bag and were done fishing. Rather than keep/mess with cleaning one fish, we figured we'd give him to the only other guy on the water. We paddle over and, he's a nole! Only 3 of us out there and you have a Gator, a Cane and a Nole. Just kinda cute. Fish turned out to still be alive; we released him.

[akaGatorhoops]

Caught a bunch of tuna again yesterday, along with a couple kings, a few AJs, a bunch of schoolie dolphin. . . . and a missed wahoo!
Great day, but the lost wahoo will be the one I remember.

[GatoRella]

Snuck out on Saturday morning to do some redfishing, I have a zillion things to do besides fishin so we had to make it a half day. We left the mouth of the Waccassaa at daybreak to a solid 15mph winds and storms barreling down on us. Dispite the nasty conditoins we did manage to pick up a couple of reds both on topwater.

Here is me with a nice 32' red, broke in my new sustain reel the right way!

http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z197/gatorella420/5-8-101.jpg

My buddy with a 26', dinner on the table.

http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z197/gatorella420/5-8-102.jpg

We got tired of fighting the wind and waves and bailed, but we left happy to have caught anything at all!

[radg8tr]

Nice fish Rella!

[sneakygator]

Wow Rella that is a real toad. Sure you measured right? Looks bigger than 32".

Rad that snook is unreal!!!

[G8trGr8t]

It appears that he is holding it extended out from his body, great trick to help make any fish look bigger. Too bad the slot is what it is now, would have got some real nice fillet's off that fish. Miss fishing the Waccasassa. No houses or anything for miles and miles and some great oyster bars off the mouth. Bet there are some big gator trout in there now too.

[LittleBlueLW]

Allright fools. My trip to the Bahamas is finally here. Headed out of Ft. Pierce tomorrow for Nassau. Picking up a second mate flying in from Mexico, then fishing our way to Harbor Island for the week. Will post pics upon return. Yea Haw!

[Pantanoso]

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs464.snc3/25503_360978284501_189544699501_4961780_4386596_n. jpg

[LittleBlueLW]

Two snappers and a shark. Nice.

[Speedofsand]

fins to the left, fins to the right

[Speedofsand]

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s203/speedofsand/51610016.jpg



http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s203/speedofsand/51610022.jpg

[akaGatorhoops]

^^ Nice pics, Speed!

I went out yesterday late afternoon hoping looking for the blackfin tuna. We caught bait for about an hour.While doing that, we kept noticing boats turning around at the inlet.
We soon learned why. . . it was ROUGH!!!!!

We spent too much time catching bait to u-turn, so we bounced out. It was like being in a salt-water washing machine!

After a couple hours, it died down quite a bit.

We were the only boat out there, which was a good thing . . . but the tuna were not around.

We did manage 2 kings, an AJ and went 2-3 on sails. What is wierd is that our flat lines never got touched, but all fish were caught on the drop.... even the sails????

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i193/gatorhoops/sail-2.jpg

Here is my buddy with his sail.

[deebo65]

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs464.snc3/25503_360978284501_189544699501_4961780_4386596_n. jpg

Pantanoso, I want to go fishing with you!

[akaGatorhoops]

Went out for Blackfin Sat. morning, but didnt find 'em.
We did catch tons of kings, bonito and AJs.
We kept these 4 for the smoker. . .

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i193/gatorhoops/P5220191.jpg

[GolphinGator]

If anyone wants to check out the mouth of the Steinhatchee river they have a web cam going at Steinhatchee.com. It is neat to watch the boats go by and if you are going over to fish you can check to see have rough it is.

[LittleBlueLW]

http://s886.photobucket.com/albums/ac69/fishandmitch/Harbor%20island%20BBC/

Hope this link works fellow fools. Decent pics of some fish in there.

We left Ft. Pierce on Sunday the 16th and went to Nassau to pick up our mate who flew in from Mexico. Spent the night in Nassau, then boated past the Berry Islands and over to Harbor Island. Stopped and fished in catching numerous dolphin and tuna. Family flew in Wednesday. Fished the BBC tournament Thurs to Sat and won the daily for Thursday (released a blue and a white) and finished 3rd overall. Flew back with the family last Sunday.

I highly recommend Ramora Bay Club on Harbor Island. Valentines looked good too. Good people, great scenery, great fishing and diving. It is pricey however.

[GatorSkie]

keep it up fools!

[akaGatorhoops]

Nice BlueLW!!!

I go to Bimini in a few weeks, and plan on running the NW Providence Channel in the hopes of finding the tuna. Di you catch any yellowfin? How big?

My buddy just got back from a very similar trip you went on. They got a ton of dolphin, but struggled with the tuna. They got plenty of footbal blackfins, skippys... but only 3 small yellowfin.

Great post and pics!!!

I got out today solo and had an incredibly action packed day. I put out a spread of biats and was quickly covered in fish and scrambling. It was like that all day, until I finally figured out that I should only fish 1, maybe 2 rods at a time. The King bite was insane. I boated 11, but left em b/c they were chewing thru my tackle. I gave up at leqast a dozen hooks, hoping to weed thru them for a blackfin or 2. I could have caught all the ings i ever wanted... all 12-20lbs. It was fun for awhile. I thne pushed out and got covered in bonito. I did manange 1 nice blackfin from the madness.
On my third drift I went a bit further and landed a nice sail.
Only brought 1 fish home, but had a blast today. I did not have a single bait in the water for more than 3 minutes before it got smashed.

My buddy too this pic when I got back to the dock. . .

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i193/gatorhoops/blackfin-1.jpg

[LittleBlueLW]

We did catch a few yellowfins, blackfins and skipjacks off the east side of Harbor Island up to about 20 pounds. Most were really small. Some of the folks over there that live bait for the big yellowfins have been disappointed so far this year and are waiting for the fish to show.

Dolphin were a nussance throughout the tournament. At times, all six lines were slammed by fish up to 20-25 pounds or so.

[Speedofsand]

Big tourney at New Smyrna this weekend.

http://www.news-journalonline.com/sports/local-sports/2010/05/28/organizers-say-tourneys-are-healthy-marriage.html

But since 2004, when FishStock added an inshore tournament, the Redfish-Trout Challenge's participation has "exploded," said tourney organizer Dan Jacobs.

[GatoRella]

Went fishing with my dad yesterday and we caught the first Tripletail of the year. They were not monsters but they got my heart beating! Plan on cooking them up tonight.

http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z197/gatorella420/6-1-10TT.jpg

[akaGatorhoops]

^^ damn, you have that triple-tail thing down!!!! i have never seen anyone catch so many big ones!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[akaGatorhoops]

Took some friends out today. Not great fishing, but we managed a couple small blackfins, a couple kings, bonito, a nice yt snapper, a keeper red grouper... but this was the trophy fish.
My buddy landed it on 15lb spinning rod, no wire. We released it after the pic. Grabbing this thing by the tail was an adventure!
A few pics...

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i193/gatorhoops/king2-1-1.jpg

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i193/gatorhoops/king3.jpg

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i193/gatorhoops/king-3.jpg

We found this boogie board well offshore with a very apparent bite mark. . . yikes! JAWS!!!

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i193/gatorhoops/fishpic-1.jpg

[akaGatorhoops]

Just got back from a 3 day trip to Bimini. Took the boat over in the hopes of finding the yellowfin . . . no luck.
We did manage a bunch of other fish. The yellowtailing was fantastic . . . with tons of 'flag' fish.
Though no yellowfin, we found a few blackfin tuna. We got a bunch of schoolie dolphin, but no big ones. We got an assortment of other fish... AJs, Kings, Grouper, Sharks and way too many cudas.
We lost a nice wahoo at the boat, and had a marlin free jumping off our port side... but he never even looked at our spread. We lost a bunch of fish to the sharks.

No trophy fish... but here are a few pics:
http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i193/gatorhoops/yellowtail1-1.jpg
http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i193/gatorhoops/tuna2-2.jpg
http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i193/gatorhoops/tuna1-2.jpg
http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i193/gatorhoops/aj-2.jpg
http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i193/gatorhoops/sharked.jpg

[deebo65]

Not the brightest fisherman ever. I believe the camera guy just knew this was going to happen which is why he zoomed in...

<object width="464" height="376" id="1864189" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" alt="Shark Bites Fisherman's Hand Funny Videos"><param name="movie" value="http://embed.break.com/MTg2NDE4OQ=="></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://embed.break.com/MTg2NDE4OQ==" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowScriptAccess=always width="464" height="376"></embed></object><br><font size=1><a href="http://www.break.com/index/shark-bites-fishermans-hand.html" target="_blank">Shark Bites Fisherman's Hand </a> - Watch more <a href="http://www.break.com/" target="_blank">Funny Videos</a></font>

[LittleBlueLW]

Pliers or a hook remover would make a great father's day gift for that dude.

Love the way he screams like a little kid. Be careful with the toothy critters guys.

[deathroll]

Hi Hoops, email me please.

Thanks,
Deathroll

[akaGatorhoops]

Hi Hoops, email me please.

Thanks,
Deathroll

will do.

what's up?

[akaGatorhoops]

Went out this am for only a couple hours. . . crushed the dolphin. We found a beautiful weedline 9 miles out, birds working over it... and loads of phins under it. Between 2 of us, we probably caught over 50 before tiring and leaving the fish. We released nearly all of them, keeping only 8. No real big fish.... but a blast on the spinning rods.

After fishing, my cousin and I met our wives for lunch... and took some photos with our kids. Appropriately, my kid was dressed in a shark outfit. :)

He is my future fishing buddy... and a photo of our future fishing team! :)

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i193/gatorhoops/phin2-1.jpg



http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i193/gatorhoops/phin4-1.jpg

[gator7_5]

Headed out around 7 miles ESE of Pensacola Pass (60 ft of water) Saturday and got our 4 man limit of snapper quickly. All were close to the 30" stud below. Caught on live mullet. Don't know how to rotate the pic. Sorry.

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e80/bighoos/imagejpeg_2.jpg

[akaGatorhoops]

^^^ that is a beauty!!! we have our mutton spawn going on here. hoping to try to sneak out 2mrw anf find a few.

[gator7_5]

Good luck! Never caught a mutton before!

[akaGatorhoops]

Did a quick mutton trip yesterday afternoon/evening.
We first hit a wreck... got pulled into it and broken off twice before landing a solid almaco for the smoker.
After that we drifted north of the inlet... starting in 170' and pushing in to 80'. Very little north current, with mainly a shoreward wind drift.
Most of the bites were between 130' and 110'. It was pretty consistent, with us catching about a dozen muttons. Only about 1/2 were keepers, and another lost to a shark. They were eating AGGRESIVELY... often swallowing the circle hooks.

Fished from 5-8pm, with our final talley:

6 keeper muttons between 16-20"
4-6 throwbacks
1 14" yellowtail
2 short grouper
2 BEASTLY bonito
1 15lb king
1 oversized almaco

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i193/gatorhoops/muttons.jpg

[GatoRella]

Nice Muttons Hoops, they still spawning down there? Thanks for single handedly keeping this thread alive!

We have been doing some fishing, but I keep forgetting to use the camera. Oh well. We have been doing pretty good on the trippletail of late although it has not been as hot as it was the last couple of years. Did manage to put my dad on a nice one a couple of weeks ago:

<a href="http://s192.photobucket.com/albums/z197/gatorella420/?action=view&current=June2010TT.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z197/gatorella420/June2010TT.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

Also had some good trips offshore grouper digging. We have been catching TONS of short grouper probably 75 a trip, and have been averaging 5-8 keepers a trip. The vis has been really clear (by our standards 20-30ft or so) about 20 miles out so we have been able to do some spearfishing. We have this great patch reef area we love to dive. It doesnt have a ton of relief maybe 4-5ft rocks at the most, but it is only in 45ft of water so we get a good amount of bottom time, and it is LOADED with fish. Hogfish are everywhere and I probably saw over 100 grouper on the last dive. The bigger 10lb+ grouper are exceedingly difficult to get close enough to spear, I guess they didnt get that big by being stupid. Very neat place to dive though. This is a picture of our last trip, we ended up with 6 Hoggies and 7 Keeper groupas. Good trip.

http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z197/gatorella420/HogsJune2010.jpg

We are going to give it a try again tomorrow, if the weather permits we are going to slip offshore and get some groupers! We also jumped a tarpon 2 weeks so that is a good backup plan if the weather sours.

Tight lines!

[deebo65]

You kill those Triple Tail. I've never caught or had one before. Are they good eatin?

[GatoRella]

Yea Tirpletail are great eating!

Here are some pics from last weekend diving and fishing. It was a rough day to say the least weather wise, and we took a major butt whopping on the way out, heading directly into the wind.

Catch of the day:

10lb Tripletail
2 legal Grouper
6 Hogfish
1 Flounder

http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z197/gatorella420/7-10-102-1.jpg

I have been getting a lot of crap from my friends about my pink BC:

http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z197/gatorella420/7-10-103.jpg

http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z197/gatorella420/7-10-101.jpg

Heres an AJ from last trip, we kept it and it was surprisingly good eats.

http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z197/gatorella420/JuneAJ.jpg

[akaGatorhoops]

NICE!!!!! You are killing it out there!!!! Great stuff!

[jrcg8tor]

Kayak purchased. Hopefully pictures and stories soon to follow.

[PMCGoldenEraG8R]

Kayak purchased. Hopefully pictures and stories soon to follow.

My husband is interested in getting some Kayak's. Can't wait to see the pics and read the stories!

I'm so glad to see Hoops, Rella, 7_5 and OTHERS too are still out on the water bringing in those great catches!

The redfish catch has picked up for us lately, but the trout fishing has been slow where we fish. We've been hearing about good trout fishing south of where we usually go, and maybe out deeper. We are going to go to some other places!

Went out yesterday and the heat was a killer. The Gulf was like bathwater, as the old saying goes, and I love it when it is like that. Makes site fishing more fun!

Like others say here, "tight lines" to all of you good Gators!! ~~~-;==;"<

[radg8tr]

Here is a nice bull red taken just after daylight on a skitterwalk jr.

http://i285.photobucket.com/albums/ll63/raderrough/S7300533_2-1.jpg

[VAg8r1]

Not great pictures (the pictures were taken on film which may have been fogged from the airport x-ray machine). Some Halibut from our trip to Alaska eight years.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4093/4800440354_d39cd246d9.jpg
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4042/4623088084_50f9a2989d.jpg

[G8trGr8t]

I leave for Alaska next week and have an overnight halibut trip scheduled out of Homer for myself and a full day of silver salmon fishing with the family scheduled. Hope to post a monster halibut pic soon. :)

Offshore in Ft. Myers has been great when you can get out. Ratio of keeper grouper has definitely went up the last few years due to the cost of fuel, less people fishing with the economy in the tank, and the winds not giving us much of a break so we can get that 20 - 25 miles out you have to go to get to good water (80 feet) around here. Seeing some pelagics closer to shore than normal. Some captains think the oil may be pushing them out of their normal travel lanes but who knows.

[akaGatorhoops]

This thread is making a comeback. . . .

this was several weeks ago, but i could not find this thread at the time.

we found this one under a circling firgate. a 40-50lb bull was swimming w/ her, but would not touch our baits.

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i193/gatorhoops/dorado.jpg

[G8rChuck85]

Every time I look at this thread it makes me want to get out there on the water.

Unfortunately that would mean turning off my TV and computer and getting out of my Recliner...Sooo, I'll just keep checking the pics on this thread for now :whistle:

[LittleBlueLW]

Caught 16 dolphin and a nice wahoo yesterday in Marathon. Two days prior caught a limit of mangrove snappers and several nice groupers that will be fried tomorrow. Wahoo sushi last night was unreal.

[G8rChuck85]

^^ Nice! Post a few pics

[UF_HOSS]

nice pictures.......rep to a bunch of you!

[G8trGr8t]

http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk119/g8trgr8t/Alaska/Alaska105.jpg

http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk119/g8trgr8t/Alaska/IMG_5024.jpg

http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk119/g8trgr8t/Alaska/IMG_5009.jpg

http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk119/g8trgr8t/Alaska/IMG_5017.jpg

http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk119/g8trgr8t/Alaska/Kenai092.jpg

[GatorBluee]

http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk119/g8trgr8t/Alaska/Alaska105.jpg

http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk119/g8trgr8t/Alaska/IMG_5024.jpg

http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk119/g8trgr8t/Alaska/IMG_5009.jpg

http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk119/g8trgr8t/Alaska/IMG_5017.jpg

http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk119/g8trgr8t/Alaska/Kenai092.jpg


Did you guys go to rideoutbay?

[G8trGr8t]

If you meant Redoubt Bay for the bear viewing, no. We haven't ever done the cruise thing to get that far south in Alaska; I just don't like being around that many people that much and having to follow the schedules that get associated with cruises. Prefer to go my own route when I get ready but that is just me. Mom-in-law lives in Wasilla so we are fortunate that Alaska is an annual thing for the family. The bear in this pic is on the river at Russian River Falls at a place you can hike to qnd since she caught a fish thought I would toss it in for kicks. We have found at least one bear there two out of the three times we hiked there. I put a lot of other bear pics in the pub photo album if you are interested, most from Brooks Falls or Yellowstone. Brooks Falls is a place I want to go back to. Trying to get camping reservations there for 2011. I have never seen so many bears in one place. Brooks Falls is incredible if you ever get a desire to splurge for a really cool experience.

I have fished halibut out of Seward, Homer, and Valdez and that was my biggest halibut to date. (120 lbs). The salmon are from the Deshka River, halfway between Anchorage and Denali. Got a silver salmon trip booked for the family Monday am and an overnight halibut trip (get to keep 4) scheduled out of Homer next Wednesday. Guy standing next to me got a 200 + pound halibut last year on that same trip. Trying to stay up late this week to get my body on Alaska time before I get there (EST - 4 hours)

Have you been to Redoubt Bay?

[G8trGr8t]

This thread is making a comeback. . . .

this was several weeks ago, but i could not find this thread at the time.

we found this one under a circling firgate. a 40-50lb bull was swimming w/ her, but would not touch our baits.


Nice cow. I used to fish with a captain out of Key Largo and when we found a finicky big fish like that, he would get rid of all the colors, shorten the lines, speed up and literally skip the ballyhoo across the surface and it worked really well.

[Speedofsand]

http://www.wesh.com/video/24445775/detail.html

400-Pound Shark Caught In New Smyrna Beach River

I can't catch a damn fish, might as well post news stories about them.

[G8rChuck85]

http://www.wesh.com/video/24445775/detail.html

400-Pound Shark Caught In New Smyrna Beach River

I can't catch a damn fish, might as well post news stories about them.

It was caught near disappearing island...

[GatoRella]

Here are a couple of pics from the weekend before last.

http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z197/gatorella420/7-24-10Cobe2.jpg

http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z197/gatorella420/7-24-10Cobe.jpg

[GatoRella]

We had another good trip last Saturday out of Cedar Key. The target species was Cobia and we were able to hit our mark.

We have a new little chum spot a few miles out and it is paying major dividends in the Cobia department. We got another keeper for the grill, but we should have had many, many more, it seemed like they were just coming out of the woodwork! :happy: We caught 4 total, three of which were tagged and released and one that was a keeper. So on this spot in the last two trips we have caught 8 Cobes (2 keepers, 6 shorts tagged) and seen at lease 20 Cobia more that didnt bite.

http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z197/gatorella420/7-31-10Cobe1.jpg

http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z197/gatorella420/7-31-10Cobe2.jpg

Happy gaffman
http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z197/gatorella420/7-31-10Cobe.jpg

In addition to the Cobia, there was just a ton action at this spot, really nonstop. There was more spanish & spadefish than you can shake a stick at, three different sea turtles, bait fish galore and HUGE sharks. We caught a 8ft Nurse Shark which was neat, and then I saw JAWS! I was reeling in on of our baits and I see about and 8ft + Bull Shark :jeez::jeez:, about halfway out of the water crashing down on my bait. The only words I could get out of my mouth (besides some choice obscenities) was JAWS! Couldn't pay me to dive that spot :wave: Anyway I was able to get my bait in before he got a hold of it, I wanted no piece AT ALL of that thing.

Unintended bi-catch, we were able to get the hook out of this and he was safely released.

http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z197/gatorella420/7-31-10Turtle2.jpg

[akaGatorhoops]

Rella . . .

awesome! does your new spot have some sort of structure, ledge or something that is holding all of the fish?

regardless... great job!!!!!!!!

cobia is a species that i have never really done well with... have caught a few, but mostly small fish.

take care!
-aka

[deebo65]

Great pics Rella

[GatoRella]

AkA, it is a wreck in about 25ft.

[G8trGr8t]

http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk119/g8trgr8t/Alaska/h1.jpg

http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk119/g8trgr8t/Alaska/h2.jpg

http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk119/g8trgr8t/Alaska/h3.jpg

Overnight trip out of Homer Wednesday night. Lots of 15 - 30 pound fish and one monster 258 pounder caught by the guy standing next to me on the stern. Dude didn't know he had a fish until I told him and had no clue as to how to tighten his drag, use the stand up belt, or even lift and reel. Two years running now that I stood next to a guy that was clueless who ended up catching a fish over 200 pounds. Doesn't seem right.

[jrcg8tor]

I entered an online month long bass tournament this past weekend. It is the first time I have entered anything like that. It counts your three longest bass you catch during August.

Went out last night to try and get on the board. The whole time my son was taking trash about me not being able to handle tournament fishing and that he expected me to choke. I never want to catch a fish on my first catch so after getting my "work the lure super fast so you won't catch a fish cast" out of the way, I threw my first real tournament cast. The plug got hammered and a big bass came up and rolled on the surface a couple of times. The fish fought very hard. I was shock to see when I went to land the fish that I actually had two fish to land. My first real tournament cast produced a 14.5 inch bass along with a sweet 22.1 inch fish. So much for choking.

First attempt at posting a picture. Hope it does ok.

[akaGatorhoops]

I entered an online month long bass tournament this past weekend. It is the first time I have entered anything like that. It counts your three longest bass you catch during August.

Went out last night to try and get on the board. The whole time my son was taking trash about me not being able to handle tournament fishing and that he expected me to choke. I never want to catch a fish on my first catch so after getting my "work the lure super fast so you won't catch a fish cast" out of the way, I threw my first real tournament cast. The plug got hammered and a big bass came up and rolled on the surface a couple of times. The fish fought very hard. I was shock to see when I went to land the fish that I actually had two fish to land. My first real tournament cast produced a 14.5 inch bass along with a sweet 22.1 inch fish. So much for choking.

First attempt at posting a picture. Hope it does ok.

great story!!!!!!!!!!

i would love to see the pic. Try using photobucket.com

[G8rChuck85]

You guys never ceases to amaze me with these awesome catches and pics!!

[gator7_5]

http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk119/g8trgr8t/Alaska/h1.jpg

http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk119/g8trgr8t/Alaska/h2.jpg

http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk119/g8trgr8t/Alaska/h3.jpg

Overnight trip out of Homer Wednesday night. Lots of 15 - 30 pound fish and one monster 258 pounder caught by the guy standing next to me on the stern. Dude didn't know he had a fish until I told him and had no clue as to how to tighten his drag, use the stand up belt, or even lift and reel. Two years running now that I stood next to a guy that was clueless who ended up catching a fish over 200 pounds. Doesn't seem right.

You waylaid the halibuts. That's some fine eating! My old roomate was stationed in homer we ate a lot of fried and grilled halibut. Nothing better

[G8rChuck85]

Who's hittin' the water this weekend? Need more pics!

[gatorfan5220]

Although I sadly seldom have the occasion to fish, here in Miami I do run across more than a few "Big mouth asses".

[baygator1]

6 reds and 5 specs on Saturday in East Bay. Radar was loaded up with rain so we didn't take the camera. Too bad...later in the morning after the rain ended we watched Air Force One land at Tyndall AFB and had two manatees come right by the boat.

Did get a pic of a red i caught weekend before last with 104 spots. Most spots on a red I had caught before that was 57. I'll try to get the pic moved to photobucket and then here this week.

[GatoRella]

Me and the family spent a long weekend in the lovely town of Dekle Beach Florida, population 20. It is in the middle of nowhere (no cell phone service), has pristine water, good fishing & scalloping, and of course we all just love it. It is a good time to get away from the madness for a bit and enjoy the fruits of our labor.

Anyhow here are some of the pics I took. We caught a bunch of redfish wade fishing, but for some reason none of them were taken on my camera :sad:

http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z197/gatorella420/Picture053.jpg

http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z197/gatorella420/Picture002-1.jpg

http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z197/gatorella420/Picture052.jpg

http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z197/gatorella420/Picture037.jpg

http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z197/gatorella420/Picture032.jpg

http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z197/gatorella420/Picture033.jpg

http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z197/gatorella420/Picture024.jpg

http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z197/gatorella420/Picture008.jpg

http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z197/gatorella420/Picture010.jpg

http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z197/gatorella420/Picture021.jpg

http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z197/gatorella420/Picture035.jpg

http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z197/gatorella420/Picture001-1.jpg

[AUalumna05]

Rella -- Awesome fishing pics, and Dekle Beach sounds like a great little spot!

jrc -- Love that story, and congrats!! I'd love to see the photos, too, if you can upload them to a site like Photobucket.

Wish I could go out fishing more often like I used to!

[akaGatorhoops]

Went out this morning for just a couple hours... hoping to troll up some blackfin tuna that have been around. They have been small.... 5lbs or so, but are AWESOME sushi!
I typically catch them on rapalas... one I use for bass fishing, but change outthe hooks.
We went 2-4 today.
The highlight was catching a sail on one of these light rods/rapalas. It was not huge... maybe 50lbs... but it put on one helluva an acrobatic show.

[G8rChuck85]

Nobody been fishin' lately?