MHC Redfish - 5-16-09

[Eel]

Went out Friday night about 2:30 in search of a trout. Should have watched the radar, but I didn't want to wake anybody up, so .... away we went. At 3 AM in started raining. At 6 AM it stopped. Had maybe one blowup in 3 hours in the rain.

The rain stopped, the sun came up, and we went looking for a school of drum that stage on a flat on a dropping tide. Found the school, but they were in skinny water, so we poled to them. Picked off 4 on SheDogs and Top Dog Jrs. I would have smiled for my pic, but I was wet and tired.

http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e188/Mal_Pais/P2170027_3.jpg

http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e188/Mal_Pais/P2170025_3.jpg

Went out this morning before the wind picked up and found some willing fish in a cove. Caught 2 small guys (and the ubiquitous bluefish), then went looking for a school of fish. Found them in the same spot as yesterday, but they were in the skinny again, and with the wind starting to blow, we weren't going to get to them. Watched the school munch on some baitfish in inches of water, backs out of the water, and oblivious to anything going on around them. Neither one of us had wading shoes in the boat (and there were too many rays for my comfort), so we left them and headed back home.

[Gary13]

Nice catch Eel *thumbsup*. I was out Friday but drew a blank. I couldn't have gotten a fish with dynamite *laughing*

[Dave]

Now that's some hard earned fish right there Eel... and once again, you fellas made the best of it. Another fine report and most important, glad to hear you're "staying" on the fish! *Cheers*

Dave

[Eel]

Thanks, guys. I'm looking for a big speck to enter in the Challenge. Hopefully I can get one later this week if the wind ever stops blowing. Can't wait until the doldrums of June and the wide open topwater trout bite that always comes with it.

I think I'm going to try my luck at a flounder this weekend. For the record, I have no clue how to catch a flounder. :) But a wise man gave me some tips, so hopefully I can replicate his technique and find some success.

[Dave]

Good luck Eel. I'm hoping the wind lays a little so I can get after a cobia before the early run ends.*017*

Dave

[Eel]

1stSgt, I just got through rigging up for a cobia (I hope). I've got an Ambassadeur 6500 c3 on a 7' rod (rated for 15-30#). The reel is loaded with 20# mono with a top shot of 20# braid (I had about 100 yds left on a spool, so I topped off my rig with it) and 5' of 50# leader. Never caught a cobia before, but I want to give it a try this weekend.

Is my tackle adequate, in your opinion?

[Dave]

1stSgt, I just got through rigging up for a cobia (I hope). I've got an Ambassadeur 6500 c3 on a 7' rod (rated for 15-30#). The reel is loaded with 20# mono with a top shot of 20# braid (I had about 100 yds left on a spool, so I topped off my rig with it) and 5' of 50# leader. Never caught a cobia before, but I want to give it a try this weekend.

Is my tackle adequate, in your opinion?

Eel, I'm not familiar with the 6500 c3, and it's drag capacity, but 20# line is a little light for cobia, IMO. I would like to see at least 30# line on a reel capable of spooling a minimum of 200 yards and a drag approaching 20 lbs. Having said that, if you can keep the fish away from buoys and structure, you will eventually bring the fish boatside to gaff. A cobia much over legal size will pretty much have his will on the 20# main line, with the light drag that weight line will require. OTOH, if you can manage it, that fish will most likely be wore down by the time you're able to get it along side the boat, which is a good thing... cobia can cause some serious damage to the lower limbs of fisherman and boat gear if put aboard while still green.

I'll be using a pair of Fin-nor 16L's this weekend, spooled with 50# braid. These are relatively small reels but they have a very smooth, max drag of 34 lbs! That's a lot of drag capacity, considering the Penn 113H (4/0 @ 20 lbs max drag) and Penn 114H (6/0 @ 22 lbs max drag) are the standard boat rods on headboats and used by many offshore tuna fisherman.

I have a pair of Pflueger G50 Contenders (3/0 class reels) on 20-80 lb rods, spooled with 50# Power Pro, that I would be happy to lend you for cobia fishing this weekend. These are fairly new rigs that I've used a couple of times for offshore trolling and bottom fishing... should be good cobia rigs.

Dave

[Eel]

Thanks for the offer.

I don't know how much time I'll spend trying, considering all the inshore holes will probably be a little crowded. Plus, I don't know if my ADD will allow me to sit and wait with live bait on the bottom. If I do get fortunate enough to hook one, I'm hoping to remain patient and finesse him with the lighter tackle since I don't have a gaff (I'm a redfish guy) :).

Looks like I'm bringing a knife to a gunfight.