8/24/11 Florida Keys Backcountry Report, big sawfish!

[syxx]

Capt. Rick Stanczyk has still been picking up a handful of half day trips short notice and getting some good action in on his islamorada backcountry fishing trips! We headed out this A.M. in search of some table fare and the mangrove snapper bite in the bay has been pretty good! We headed out to the west and anchored in an area where there has been plenty. We chummed up a few small ballyhoos and netted a few of those. Cutting them in half made perfect baits for the hungry mangs, also a few small ladyfish worked almost as well cut in small chunks. After we had enough of that we headed back towards Islamorada to try to bend the big rods. We ended up jumping a small tarpon. Then after putting the last couple pieces we hooked a double header. One was a nice 30 lb cuda that skyrocketted all around the boat. The other was some kind of monster hugged on the bottm! We got the cuda in and released him and then proceeded to fight the other. After a 15 minute battle we pulled up this huge sea monster!

Capt. Rick Stanczyk
305-747-6903
rick@seethefloridakeys.net
Keys Fishing Charters

[Defiant]

Nice report