SeaBiscuit "fishin' in the fog" report, Dec. 27, '08

[Jared D]

Good observation Danny. There have been very few reports of ARSs in our area over the past 10 years or so. 10 and more years ago we had "some" fish show up here and there somewhat reliably. Expert opinion was that we fished them out due to their aggressive nature. They do tend to be first to the baits when on a spot.

This year reports of more and more snappers have been coming in and I have seen a couple dozen on my boat compared with one last year and none the 10 years prior. Something is definitely changing.

Jared D who fishes snappers in north Florida, said the fish all of a sudden showed up there after a big storm a few years back. Gradually catch reports have been improving "up the coast" with Georgia and South Carolina having seemingly increasing populations. Perhaps the same fish are expanding their range north. Or perhaps we are experiencing the up swing of a natural cycle as red snappers have been abundant in North Carolina in the past.

One question that merritts research is whether these are genuine American Red Snappers rather than Caribbean red snappers. The differences in the two species are minute and best determined in the laboratory, however, the biologists' consensus is that the gulf of Mexico red snapper population has over the years become exclusively Caribbean red snapper. May be it is those fish (and not the now almost extinct American Red Snapper) that we are seeing an appearance of.

I will try to initiate a grant for the local marine science school to study this. May be they will let me do some "field work"!

SeaBiscuit

You know Biscuit... I didnt realize your populations took a down turn about the time ours took such a heavy upswing. Dont get me wrong, we always had an OK snapper fishery (where you could catch one or two per trip if you knew the bite) but the numbers we see today, and the size of these fish just keep getting better. It really was all of a sudden like you mentioned. After Floyd went through, we started getting major numbers, but most were in the 19 3/4" to 21" range. I can remember any big snapper over 20 pounds being newsworthy in the local rags. Now it seems every weekend that I hear of 5 or 10 snapper over that mark. 30 pounders are becoming more and more regular.

I sure hope you experience the same snapper fishery that we do. The one negative is you wind up spending more time on the snaps, and less chasing those big ol' Gags that we love to see you hoisting. Good to see another great report from ya. I am trying to get out this week myself. My buddy went out on Friday, and had another wide open day. 8 snaps between 9-17 pounds went home, and a trio of 18 pound gags.

[Squid]

I just cut myself and asked for a little ointment...not salt.
Please do share the pics, painful as it may be.
Holwachagot

We broke in the new fire pit last night....it's no Biscuit sized pit (yet) but you have to start somewhere.

Here they are in sequential order.....

Watching the cherry wood burn down...cracking and popping all the way.





Started with 5 pieces of wood---now almost done



Oh ya baby!



A little salt, pepper, and a TINY bit of lemon is all you need



How good does that look?



Miss Squid whipped up one of her famous broccoli casseroles, and some potatoes, onions, peppers, and cheese (wrapped in foil in the oven)....wash it all down with a Coors Light and finish off with a Momma Squid Hershey bar pie .

Do you need a bucket for your drool yet, Geoff??

[Robja]

Good report Nick. I wish we could have caugt some Snappers Saturday. We caught a couple hundred Black bass to get 30 of legal size. From you pics you at least got some clear weather. We were in fog all day.