Dave
05-28-2008, 09:37 PM
Sunday was a nice day, made even nicer by the change of winds, now coming out of the south, predicted to be 2-3 feet. Dave and I took a longer run offshore to one of several favorite numbers. The sea swell was substantial enough to keep us at 18 MPH on the run out but all in all, it wasn't too bad. We rained up for a small school of alberts but couldn't get a hit right away so we throttled back up and headed south. We saw our first flying fish at 23 miles out - a good sign that we're in or nearing productive trolling water - wahoo, dolphin, maybe a yellowfin... About a mile from our destination, we set out a couple of plastic surface lures and trolled into our area, circled around, marked a lot of bait and fish on several rocks and ledges and soon I had Dave bring in the plastics and we set up to bounce the bottom.
There were other boats in the area but most were trolling through and two dive boats about 2 miles southwest of our structure. The current was almost non-existent and stayed that way until we left about 1400.
We fished at drift to a steady bite that keep us on our feet until I called a break at noon. After a brief 15 minute lunch I selected a promising looking ledge and we lowered anchor and I opened our second bag of frozen bait. The albert we saved from the day before added bait for our second hook and provided chum to help bring on the feed. Wasn't long before we had a small cobia and then a cow dolphin swim up near the boat. I tossed a stingsilver at both but didn't get too excited about catching either since we were busy digging the rocks. The first good hit came about 10 minutes after we anchored up. No doubt what it was and I was nearly caught off guard and had to double-time getting the drag tightened up before my fish buried itself in a hole. I kept the pressure on as the grouper dove, trying to strip of as much line as it could. Within seconds, I had the drag tight and turned him, and within the next few cranks of the handle, felt confident I had won the first and most important part of this battle. All I needed now was for the hook to stay tight and the fish would be up in short order - my first keeper gag this year.
http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc188/djerhart/PopsGrouper26May08001crop.jpg
http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc188/djerhart/DaveholdingGrouper26May08crop.jpg
http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc188/djerhart/DaveJoshEmmawithGrouper26May08002cr.jpg
Within a half hour I hooked into an even larger (confident it was another grouper) that flat out had it's way with my drag, took line at will as I hurried to crank down the drag as much as time and strength would allow, yet it made it into a hole almost immediately. Then just as quickly, it was out and stripped off drag on two short fast bursts and the hook pulled loose - actually, it straitened out before pulling free. I was thrilled and sick at the same time! No telling what this baby weighted but it started out with a drag setting the other grouper couldn't pull. My vision of the event was that the fish inhaled the bait, dove to a hole, came back out and took off parallel to the bottom to seek better refuge and straightened the hook against the heavy drag. You can bet I'm changing hooks to a stronger one on all my bottom rigs!
Aside from the lone grouper, we caught many BSB, (most too small) a variety of bait snatchers, and kept 2 BSB, 6 eatin' size yellow bass, 2 triggers, and a grunt. Dave lost a few good hits himself (wasn't used to the circle hooks) but he did his part to add some good eatin' fish to the cooler. The ride back in was at a steady and comfortable 21-22 MPH on a following 2-3 foot sea.
http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc188/djerhart/TriggerfishGrunt27May08007resize.jpg
There were other boats in the area but most were trolling through and two dive boats about 2 miles southwest of our structure. The current was almost non-existent and stayed that way until we left about 1400.
We fished at drift to a steady bite that keep us on our feet until I called a break at noon. After a brief 15 minute lunch I selected a promising looking ledge and we lowered anchor and I opened our second bag of frozen bait. The albert we saved from the day before added bait for our second hook and provided chum to help bring on the feed. Wasn't long before we had a small cobia and then a cow dolphin swim up near the boat. I tossed a stingsilver at both but didn't get too excited about catching either since we were busy digging the rocks. The first good hit came about 10 minutes after we anchored up. No doubt what it was and I was nearly caught off guard and had to double-time getting the drag tightened up before my fish buried itself in a hole. I kept the pressure on as the grouper dove, trying to strip of as much line as it could. Within seconds, I had the drag tight and turned him, and within the next few cranks of the handle, felt confident I had won the first and most important part of this battle. All I needed now was for the hook to stay tight and the fish would be up in short order - my first keeper gag this year.
http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc188/djerhart/PopsGrouper26May08001crop.jpg
http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc188/djerhart/DaveholdingGrouper26May08crop.jpg
http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc188/djerhart/DaveJoshEmmawithGrouper26May08002cr.jpg
Within a half hour I hooked into an even larger (confident it was another grouper) that flat out had it's way with my drag, took line at will as I hurried to crank down the drag as much as time and strength would allow, yet it made it into a hole almost immediately. Then just as quickly, it was out and stripped off drag on two short fast bursts and the hook pulled loose - actually, it straitened out before pulling free. I was thrilled and sick at the same time! No telling what this baby weighted but it started out with a drag setting the other grouper couldn't pull. My vision of the event was that the fish inhaled the bait, dove to a hole, came back out and took off parallel to the bottom to seek better refuge and straightened the hook against the heavy drag. You can bet I'm changing hooks to a stronger one on all my bottom rigs!
Aside from the lone grouper, we caught many BSB, (most too small) a variety of bait snatchers, and kept 2 BSB, 6 eatin' size yellow bass, 2 triggers, and a grunt. Dave lost a few good hits himself (wasn't used to the circle hooks) but he did his part to add some good eatin' fish to the cooler. The ride back in was at a steady and comfortable 21-22 MPH on a following 2-3 foot sea.
http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc188/djerhart/TriggerfishGrunt27May08007resize.jpg