Nov '06

[Deep C]

Yesterday I had a couple elderly gents who in the past have had me take them popmano fishing in the inside. They wanted just some light tackle action and didn't care what it was. Well, I was curious how our population of bait species was near the inlet. I dropped little yellow jigs out behind the skiff and went on a little exploration.
It didn't take long before we had our first bites. Several species of Jacks and runners came on with pretty constant action. Most were released but a few made it to my bait pen. (I'm workin on somethin ). I slid to some of the near inlet buoys and the pace increased. We even had a few small neeters which were fun on the 8lb outfits.
The day was interesting enough to give me an idea for another "101" ... That will follow when I have a few hours to call my own...

Today I jumped on the Deep C and went out to do some testing of different stuff and to see if I could get any better with circle hooks. The radio had a lot of chatter about dolphin and I headed toward where the bite was. I was perhaps a half mile short in a glassy sea. A pod of nice sized mahi piled in . Two guacs and two skippers were nailed and despite dropping back and trying all I could I sucked wind and pulled a zero.
That zilch had me chafed and I switched the spread around. I wanted to really put the time and effort in on billfish and I went to a skipper and guac for the circles and a skipper and swimmer for the "J" side.
I had one bait sliced in half by a hoo. I added a couple day savers and picked at some neeters ranging from about 4lbs down to rediculous...The radio echoed slow everywhere but I kept digging at some of my favorite spots. My Depth finder was not behaving well today so nailing the spots had to be done by working ranges.
It was so slow that I took some time and dialed in some "rocker stoppers" a new set of toys to be used this year when swordin. I am happy to say they really did dampen the roll appreciably and even had enough drag to bring my stern a bit more to the sea so I can squeeze an extra bait in the spread this season. Maybe a mako bait if yall ask nice...

A shade after noon I saw the skipper circle getting tugged on and could see a sail back there swatting it around. Three times it picked it up and three times I failed to find jaw when I came tight. I won't say it was the circles fault though. The fish was just kind of pulling at it and dropping. The fish disappeared...
A few minutes later another fish (maybe the same one?) came up on the swimming "J" and did the same thing . This time I had five weak shots and finally a good one. Still no bow up... I sucked again .
Three more passes on the spot before I saw yet another (or same one?) come back up on a fresh "J" swimmer...This time it was two shots and bingo! A bow up. It was a ***** with all the little skiffs in there. They had seen me pounding the spot and had gathered around trying to get in on the action. Its tough enough fighting a fish alone from an express (running back and forth to the helm) without distractions like them. Today I was using my little speed masters and a couple 25s . This one was on the speed master and 15lb test so harsing wasn't an option. The fish never jumped and the skiffs couldn't see where it was. I had a couple close calls with it almost getting run over but lucked out. Basically it was a dead boat fight. At the end I reeled just abit too much and got the snap stuck in my tip. The fish bolted and popped the leader... I guess that counts as a release...

The buoys near the inlet are a favorite gathering spot...

A cuda gets involved with a "jig rig"...

"Neeters" Come in that Close too!

Often called "runners". Green jacks are common and make great sail baits...

Along the rock piles is another good place...

This one is a genuine blue runner but this one is too big for bait...

Almaco Jacks are alos common but aren't very good for bait...

[Deep C]

I looked out the window and the trees were not swaying all over. On that note I gathered my lead, lightstcks, green light, hand held vhf+GPS, a half dozen squidlies, and even a neeter. My "A" team gear was aboard the Deep C, rigged and ready for the season fom my passengers. I decided to use a "B" team set from the collection in the garage...
I jumped aboard the skiff and left at 4 o'clock. There was a foot high head chop so I just took it easy on my ride out. No pounding and going nuts just a nice steady ride. Along the way I enjoyed the bluebird weather and a couple PBJ samwiches...
I set up at one of my most productive set up points and shut her down. 3.2 knots due north coupled with a slight rip had me feeling goo about my spot. A couple guys blew on by me farther south and out but I liked my spot.
It got dark and at about 6:45 the 100' bait started running off... I fed and bowed up on a hard fish. He ran about fifty yards and came up. I could see the light stick up top and I closed the gap as it ran forward... I was thinking a big pup or barely legal. I couldn't see the fish off the bow when I grabbed the leader but I soon found out it was a biggun!
I had set the rod in a console holder when I went for the leader. The rod was twisted and laid over sideways when I got back to it. I took too cranks and the damn reel seat busted!
Basically I just held the reel and did the best I could without twisting. The fight lasted about fifteen more minutes before the hook pulled...
One rig down I was left with three which would be plenty.
The spread reset it was a long wait before the mid bait went down. I bowed up and could feel the fish trying to motor. It lacked the horse power though to burn the fifty wide drag. The wind was perking good so I had set that bait about 200 yards out to get 200 feet down. So that was the distance I had to work the critter back to the boat. Alas it was a pup of maybe 20lbs... Hooked fair in the lower jaw made for a healthy happy release.
I was resetting and the 100' bait went back off. By the time I got there though it was gone. I replaced that shreded squid with a fresh one and set it back out.
Seconds later another knock at the door on the mid one that never came tight. Running low on squids I set out the neeter and made that the new high bait and sank the 100' one down to around 200' .
During that lull in the action I just laid on the deck and looked at all the stars. I sat up to see that a flying fish had been drawn to the green light and I kind of considered him a pet...
The mid bait got slammed hard and bowed itself up and that was the end of my relationship with the flyer... It was a fair fish that could get some drag off me and make a pretty good show. Cross the stern and up the side it went. I was hoping for another big boy but it turned out to be jst a very frisky almost legal fish. I had to look hard at him. Too close to gaff and release and too many boys with the blue lights prowling near the inlet to risk bringing a short home.
I decided to bill it and measure. The rod went in the holder and I had just finished putting on my gloves when it shook its head and tossed my hook back at me...
With only one squid and the neeter left I had to make a choice. The wind was perfect for a straight shot run home and that was the option I took. 2-5 on swordies is a night I'll take any time. With as rough as it has been it was great to just get out and the fish were a blessed bonus!

[Deep C]

Day two the sea was greeasy calm...

Better when bowed up ... Finally... Note: Shot taken from helm... I'm alone.



I felt like "Jer" with this one...

[Deep C]

When you're alone... Its dark out there


Swords Don't photo well in the dark...Buy flyers like "My pet" sure glow pretty...



I was left with five rigs that looked just like this!



Something is wrong with this picture! Damn cheap reel seats...

[Jer]

I felt like "Jer" with this one...

I would be very happy to catch a fish that big!

[Deep C]

Do you read every single thread?????

[Jer]

Do you read every single thread?????

I don't read all the posts, but I click in almost all the threads. I said almost since it's not 100% of the threads, but very very close to that. I miss threads every now and then.

Did you enjoy catching that fish? I enjoyed catching my 4 catfish

[Deep C]

I had some paperwork issues this morn and so I was late getting to the dump for another shot.
My little C- Gull braved the ice conditions of the morn and slid into the briny. There was a low fog between the waves as 79 degree water kissed the 46 degree air. I skipped the live bait catching and launched circle hooked baits I had rigged yesterday. The skiff is nice in certain conditions and this was one of them. I was able to work the troughs for east west movement then head down sea to counter the current.
Another factor that makes the skiff nice in the wind is very low slung riggers and the ability to run nakeds without weight. I had a lone mahi slide in first and despite a very lengthy dropback he wasn't there when I went to set up.
I slid back south and took her deeper on the next passand bingo, there was mr sail slapping my flat!
I dropped long and bowed up. The little speed master IV was unloading line at a smooth pace just like clock work. The fish ran straight up the trough and I turned its way. As I was passing the outfit under the rigger on my way to the bow, the rigger went down with a second fish. I just tossed that reel in gear and hoped for the best. The fish wasn't there. The fish I had hooked made a fatal mistake and did a down sea cut. He was mine in scant minutes. The circle was so planted in the corner I couldn't get it out. So "snip" it was. Thats ok, I don't feel any "bond" with my circles yet...
Those little speedmasters are just plain sweet... They hold oodles of line and weigh just ounces. My tld 20's will be spending a lot of time on the bench this season as soon as I get another couple of the quick ones...
I wanted to slide back north to where I got the first bite but a couple bone jarring thumps and icy spray held me to my original game. On an inshore leg in the trough the right flat took off. I dropped and came tight. Things went slack and I could see no hook... Cuda...
Another four or five in and outs had me back to where I had scored before and like a champ a pair raised in the riggers. Then a third joined in moving between them. The first one ate and I did the painful long drop. Came tight and the circle stuck .
The other two kind of pushed each other around while deciding to try the tidbit. Finally one comitted. I dropped with one hand but forgot I was using circles and tried to strike. That was a waste of time and bait. I went back to fighting the one I had hung. This one was a wet ride up sea for about ten or twelve minutes. I will say circles do stay stuck as the only way I could get that one back was with a blowtorch, hydraulic cutters, and a couple pounds of C4... Again the fish was set free with an eagle claw lip piercing...
I was soaked to the bone and freezing my jock off so I called it a successful couple hours and pointed her at the beach. A final dousing of spray from a passing Hatteras and I was in.
The nicest thing about living here is that I can get out , fish, catch and get back with enough time to do stuff. I skirted a couple dozen lures, drilled sanded and started polishing another 100 or so, then dug through my private stock to choose some for white marlin straight lure trolling next tourney season... Got home, twisted six mako rigs, and rebuilt two of my bigger shimanos... The TLD 50 is notorious for bad bearings and that was its issue. The beast master was just an annual tear down and put back together deal.
So that was my day...

[Deep C]

Got down this afternoon and got right to work. The weather never broke out of the sixties and the wind was screaming west. My inside flats were windswept so I tried a couple near shore ones. The tide was wrong and the water cold. No bones to be found and only one small bonnethead shark to be seen. The tide was right earlier for tarpon in our creek but the lights i like to work were burnt out. Still we jumped one small one and picked a mix of goggle eyes and look downs on live shrimp. I have a couple shark baits set right now but so far no action

Swung to straight north, still cold and now had flats both ocean and bay side too blown to work. Wound up catching grunts and small snappers tucked back in the mangroves this morn. Came in early to get out of the cold. Yesterday there was a good snap of sails offshore. I don't have a very hearty group but maybe tomorrow.
Happy Gobble Gobble to all...

We took a second shot to the mangroves with some more kids for a continued pick of small snappers, grunts and lookdowns. Then it was back to castle Deep Keys for the bird feast. Just as we sat down the wind dropped out all the way. We scarfed grimmace proportions of bird and cranberries and half a dozen types of carbs then jumped in the skiff for a quick push over the flats.
It was glassy smooth for a nice half mile push. So glassy that if it moved and rippled the surface you could see it. Unfortunately the bones are cold shy and just weren't up top. Still it was a wonderful push. When I get back to Palm Beach I'll toss up shots of just how smooth and beautiful it was...

The wind was back up northwest. The current was headed out and that set our chum away from the patch reefs. Bait was terribly hard.The same northwest had the water dirty on the edge and even thr triggerfish pushed out.
They were brutal and our short supply of bait forced us to keep the baits close to pull them away from the triggers. When that happens your spread is too tight to cover water properly. I could feel fish hanging long and when we slid the baits back we drew a blackfin before the toothy ones closed back in. We tried a bit farther out and they left us alone but the fish were holed up tight on the change.
One pass in we raised a pair of sails and the triggers swarmed. Both fish zeroed in on one bait while the other baits just got mauked. Finally we had one eat of the pair and got it into the air.
A guy trolling near us didn't see we were on the fish and he turned cutting us off .
A couple kings cut us off after that and finally we drilled another sail. So it was one for two and a lone blackfin to call our own.
Back at the dock I could see athat my neighbor had crushed a nice mix of bottom fish. A couple muttons, yellowtails, hogfish and even a grouper rack were clearly visible under the cleaning table

The wind came up warmer from the northeast. Bait were still tough on the outgoing. they kind of hung up wind but I managed to blister em good on one shot. Three dozen in the well woud give ample cushiong. The blue water was pushed back in but not much current.
I slid shallow and deep and we had a couple big blackfins pile on us near the 210 wreck. They missed the baits a few times each. Hooked baits screw their timing up so they mis a lot. Still it was neat watching them hop on us over and over until finally eating. One we missed and the other we had almost to the leader before a big ugly bull shark decided he wanted him worse than us...
I cussed but it was over in a blink. The head was even taken in the one bite crunch...
About 11:00 I dsw frigates and slid over. Small mahi supplied action and we decked three. I reset looking for more but it was sails that raised.Lost count of how many but there were a bunch. We put three in the air and kept two stuck. Got them released and gave another 10 minutes until it was time to get back in and get them back to the airport. My other guy I fish down there has a messed up leg so we didn't do the afternoon or tomorrow.
Instead I headed back to Palm Beach and heavy rain that I hope clears for tomorrow...
All in all it was not a bad trip... But good to be home for some real numbers I hope...

[Deep C]

This morning was bad... Bad enough to sit in the inlet and turn around for home.

I grabbed the light outfits, chum and shrimp... Then the rain came. Justy was not meant to be...