14 Nov 2008

Met up with Wyatt, Eric, and Vaughn this morning at Galvez Landing at 0630. These guys were interested in Redfish...Big Redfish. Our first order of business was bait; I caught a dozen Pinfish before we left, but that wouldn't be enough, so we stopped to add a few White Trout to the live-well.

The White Trout bite was excellent! We kept 12 for dinner and 20 for bait. (Of the more than 50 fish we landed in the 45 minutes we stayed) What a blast! With the bait secured, we moved to the Pass to try the deep water Redfish bite.

Score a double header on the first drift! Vaughn and Eric both boat nice Reds and I reach for my camera for the photo op. Turn it on, look through the view finder and see NO MEMORY CARD FOUND blaring on the screen. So much for that idea! Two more drifts produce three Redfish, two of which were in the slot, and a Sail Cat that had to weigh 6 lbs. By now it's 0900 and already it's been a great morning. I suggest we run the Gulf side beach and look for Pompano, the guys agree.

As we're exiting the Pass, Wyatt points out the birds diving near Pickins Point. I look over and see a wave of Bull Redfish pushing a school of Pogies. I turn the boat and head us over. What follows is best summed up by Vaughn, as he's standing there in awe, right after releasing a big red, "WOW! I just saw a thousand fish swimming right at me! That was awesome! I've never seen anything like it." ...Yeah, that's a pretty accurate depiction.

Throwing bucktail jigs and swim baits, we released probably 20 fish in the next hour and fifteen minutes. I even got to catch one, on 8#, that was cool! I just wish I had a memory card. We had fish swimming around the boat numerous times. I don't know how to properly explain what we saw; again, Vaughn's quote can't be beat.


By 1030 we were ready to call it a day, head back, clean fish, and get a nap. Thanks again Wyatt, Eric, and Vaughn, it was a pleasure.



Hey you sitting at the computer. Get out there and FISH!

2008 IFA Redfish Tour Championship

Thursday: Pre-fishing/Anglers meeting

Dusty spent the day in Choctawhatchee Bay, checking on fish and looking for more. He did a great job! The fish I had found were still there and he found another awesome spot loaded with perfect fish. Other places we key on in the Destin-Fort Walton area were also holding fish, so we decided to make the 45+ mile run from Panama City on friday.

Registration began at 1700, followed by the anglers meeting at 1830. When registration closed, 119 teams had qualified and made the drive to fish. We drew boat #24, putting us in the first flight on day one (check-in at 1500) and the last flight on day two (check-in at 1600). (The check-out order is flipped the second day to ensure equal fishing time to all compediters) After the meeting concluded we went back to the boat to finish preparations and get some sleep. Here's an example of the lengths you have to go to make sure everything's ready for game day.

(This is the brother's Maxwell's set-up)

Friday: Day 1

The alarm blared at 0400 and we were out of the parking lot by 0430. Check-out began at 0600 and we didn't want to get stuck behind a hundred other guys at the ramp. Once we checked-out we headed straight for Destin, an hour away. The fishing was almost surreal. We caught 40 or so redfish over the course of the day. Seeing them in schools of 2-10 and nearly every fish that you could get a bait close to, ate it. Probably one of my best fishing days ever, a day Dusty and I will tell stories about for a long time.

Our two fish weren't really BIG, but they were solid 5lb fish. We felt good about what we had, yet we knew it wasn't what we needed. The scale put us at 10.86, somewhere around 20th after the first day. Sweet!


Saturday: Day 2

Todays events were very similar to yesterday with a few exceptions. Extremely dense fog in the ICW between Panama City and Destin caused us to crawl along, adding 30 min to our ride, costing us precious time. Our fish had also changed patterns over night, calling for an adjustment on our part. The bite was much slower than yesterday, where we caught 40 on friday we caught 5 today. We saw plenty of nice reds but getting them to even look at a bait was a chore. Todays two fish weren't quite as nice as yesterdays and we were hoping the bite was as slow for everyone else. We really wanted to stay in the top 25 and recover some of our expenses.

Our fish tipped the scales to 9.78, a little light, but giving us a two day total of 20.64 which was enough to secure us 20th place in the tournament. That felt good, 20th of 119. (It even looks nice written out) You can see full results here



This was the seasons last tournament and I'm ready for a break. I'm also making plans for next season! Thanks for stopping by.

31 Oct - 02 Nov 2008

Friday, Oct 31
I spent today in Destin pre-fishing for the IFA Championship, by myself. A nice day on the water, no one to worry about, didn't have to answer the phone, no kids saying "I want", good fishing, it was HEAVEN! I found the fish I was looking for, putting together a 12.5 lb aggregate, sight fishing East Choctawhatchee Bay. I boated 4 fish and saw probably 20, most of which swam by as I was trying to net other fish, and maneuver the boat, weigh and measure... It was nice fishing by myself, sure, but I never said it was easy! I left Destin around 1330, headed home to fire up the grill for our usual Halloween cookout.

Saturday, Nov 01
As you well know, I've been spending a lot of time out of town lately. I've missed most of my son's soccer games this season, so I wasn't about to miss this one (with only 3 games left) I slept in, hung out on the couch with the kids watching SpongeBob, attended the game (we lost 7-1, our only loss so far this season), then played the good husband. I swallowed my pride, let my wife pick out clothes for me (she said I couldn't wear ANYTHING with a fish on it, not even a belt!), and went for a family photo session at the beach. I didn't talk bout fishing the whole day... well I don't remember it if I did. I'm sure my wife would set this straight if she had my blog password, but it's my blog and I'm going to remember it like I want. When the picture taking was over we dropped off the kids with my parents for the night and spent some quality time by ourselves.

For anyone looking for a family photographer, check out my wife's work at gypsyisle.com I know I might be a little bias, but I think her work is awesome.

Sunday, Nov 02
Dusty, our friend David and I met at 0500 in Gulf Breeze, loaded the truck and were off for Panama City. The boat was in the water a little after 0700 and we were on our flat no later than 0715. The wind was blowing out of the North at around 10kts and the tide was falling. We eased toward the beach, planning on running the bank, got within 200 feet and hit bottom. The wind and tide had taken too much of our water and we just couldn't make it where we needed to.

Plan B... hit a few of our favorite docks. Rolled up to the first one, no bites. The second dock, however, was on fire; we pulled 10 fish off of it, but most of them were too small to help us in the tourney. We peeled off to an adjacent flat that was slightly deeper than our first stop and found 5 perfect fish before moving on to check a few more flats. The water hadn't come in much, but enough for us to find a few fish on one of our preferred flats. In all a great day, we packed it in around 1500 and headed home.

Tournament dates, Nov 7-8 2008

Redfish Cup U.S. Invitational

October 23-25 2008,

Thursday
Capt D.P. and I left Pensacola around 1315 bound for Venice, La. We arrived just before daylight, got the boat in the water, and headed to polish our game plan. Our #1 spot was holding too much dirty water for us to see our quarry so we moved on to check some of the local jetties. We found a few fish, a couple of which were near tournament grade fish and decided to pack it in for the day. Upon getting to the hotel we had to get everything ready for Friday morning. That included rigging tackle, fueling the boat, attending the captains meeting, and getting some sleep.

Friday
Boat inspections began at 0600 and we had a 20 mile drive to make before that, so the alarm blared at 0430. The rods and push pole were loaded and we made our way to the ramp through the 20-30 mph winds and rain engorged clouds...it seemed like it was going to be a long, possibly very wet day. After check-out we had to navigate the Empire Lock out into the main Mississippi River, then take the river south to our chosen rock jetties.

The morning was slow, but, after making several adjustments dodging rain clouds and trying to stay somewhat out of the wind (which was nearly impossible), we found a red hot bite at one of our rock piles. The fishing went from slow to phenomenal in that one 3 mile run. The conditions were well short of perfect with constant 3-5 foot swells and an occasional 7-8 footer, I know neither of us would have taken a charter out into those kinds of seas, but the bite was unreal! One man ran the boat, trying to keep it clear of the rocks, while the other fished, trying to secure our place in next years tournament series. I happened to be up first and caught probably 7 or 8 before the incredibly mean, dirty fighting redfish of South Louisiana got the best of me; and that's how the rotation started. Every 10 or 15 minutes we'd swap spots until the guy on the bow got tired or the guy driving just couldn't stand watching the other any longer. For a solid hour (maybe longer, we kinda lost track of time there for a little while) we caught fish, one cast after another. These fish were so ferocious they did this to my POPPING CORK!!! (That's a new one on the left)


Literally eating the popping cork while another fish was already hooked on the trailing jig, 2 feet away. DP caught one fish that was 40 pounds if he was an ounce...I broke the landing net trying to boat him and Dusty had to use both arms to get the fish off the deck and back into the water. UNBELIEVABLE!!! The clock was running out and we had a 45 mile ride back to the weigh in. We had done well and had two fish, a 27" and a 26 3/4" fish, to take back to the scales.

We made it back to check-in with less than five minutes to spare and a fuel gauge that read barely over "E". On the stage our fish were weighed, totalling 15.04 lbs, putting us in 9th for day one. SWEET! Check it out here DAY 1 RESULTS

Food,Fuel,Shower,Rig Tackle,Sleep,Alarm at 0430...

Saturday
Saturday morning dawned bright, with lighter winds than Friday (in the 10 mph range). Of course we ran right back to the spot where we caught our fish the day before. There was only one real difference from yesterday; there were two charter boats sitting there, wearing the redfish out! Our hearts sank.

We fished further down the jetty but only caught over-size fish. In a unanimous decision, we headed for another set of jetties a few miles away. Good thing too, watching them catch and release those fish was beginning to make me nauseous. At the next stop we found a few fish in the slot, but overall they were too small to really help us in the tournament. We stayed there until we couldn't stand it any longer and had to return to the previous set of rocks.

The charter guys were leaving when we showed up, time to get to work! Nearly every fish we caught the first 30 minutes was a upgrade. After getting two nice fish in the well we started having trouble finding larger fish that fit into the slot and were bigger than the ones already in the live-well. The clock was running out fast! At 1315 we HAD to leave with what we had, one right at 27" and one just over 26". Two nice fish, sure, but not enough to get us to the 30.5 lbs we figured we'd need to qualify.

Our day two weight was 13.7, added to Fridays 15.04 we had a two day total of 28.74. That left us 1.67 lbs short of the three way tie of 30.41 for the final qualifying slots. Disappointing? Absolutely. Total loss? Absolutely NOT!

We finished in 21st, above quite a few of last years teams and a few familiar faces from Saturday morning TV. That's just how tournament fishing (and fishing in general) goes, one day you can do no wrong, one day you can do no right. We have 12 months to get ready for the next Invitational. To those 20 teams that finished higher...watch out, we're coming for you! Full results can be seen here FINAL RESULTS

Thanks to:
-My wife, I couldn't do any of this without you!
-My kids, for sending me all the fishing luck you could muster.
-The rest of my family and Captain Dusty's family for supporting us throughout all we do, it means the world to us!
-All of our friends who were rooting for us, I think if they based qualifying solely on the size of your cheering section we would win hands down!
-You, for taking time out to read this.

Stay tuned for stories from the upcoming IFA Redfish Tour Championship Nov 7-8.

12 Oct 2008

Todd, Linda, Jack, Jan, and I left the dock at 1600. Out to make the best of the days 15 knot winds, we stuck close to the shoreline, and stayed in protected waters. It turned out to be a great strategy, I guess the fish were trying to make the best of the day too.

We caught 35-40 White Trout and 1 slot Redfish in the 3 hours we had until the sun set. The wind settled and the ride back was beautiful.

Thanks for a great afternoon guys.

10 Oct 2008

Danielle, Edwina, Lisa, and Rita met me for a sunset fishing trip. After I caught some baits, we were on our way to the Pass to turn them into bigger fish. We caught a few short Groupers, 1 oversized Redfish, 1 slot Redfish, 1 Flounder, 1 Mangrove Snapper, 1 17" Red Snapper and we pulled the hook on a few more.

Rita, who professed to be the least "skilled" angler, really showed her stuff, out-catching everyone else.
I had a fanastic time, ladies, and I can't wait until we can do it again!

04 Oct 2008

Capt. D.P. and I, along with Capt. Lance Powers and our friend Kevin left Pensacola at 0030 headed for Venice, La. Other than a blown tire, that we changed like a NASCAR pit crew, the ride over was fairly uneventful even though no one slept.


Pre-fishing for the Oberto Qualifier was today's game and I must say we played rather well. 25 or so Redfish found their way into the net, our two best were good for 15.5lbs. Two solid fish, and we still had a little room for improvement!


The fishing was excellent, along with our Redfish we also caught 4 or 5 Speckled Trout. Aside from being stuck on a mud flat for an hour it was a great day, we even hooked fish while we were stuck! I can't wait to get back over there and do some more prep work! On a sadder note, many of the spots we wanted to check were totally out of water due to a low tide and a north wind. I guess that gives us a real good excuse to go back...soon.


18 days until Tournament Day...and counting!

26-28 Sept 2008

I played camera boat for the Oh Boy! Oberto Redfish Cup this weekend. It was a great experience. I thoroughly enjoyed watching the camera man and the anglers on the other boat, in between catching Speckled Trout after Speckled Trout!!!

Friday I followed 2009 Team Of The Year, Sepe and Bostick, as they fished the Panama City flats looking for Redfish. They managed 10.31 pounds, ending the day in 25th. I however would have finished well in a tournament for the most Speckled Trout. I fooled, and landed, 15 nice Trout. Lost as many as I landed and had numerous fish swipe at the bait or follow it back to the boat but not find a hook. My largest fish weighed in around 4.5 pounds, it was a great morning.

Saturday I was reassigned with the team of Pope and Buckner, who ended day one with 13.75, in 5th place. We all headed for Panama City and, although the bite was much slower, it was a near repeat of yesterday for me. I caught 12 Trout while following my team at a good pace, solely throwing a suspending hard-bait at sand patches along the flats. I would have preferred to fish the sandy areas slower, but Pope and Buckner fish fast, so I had no choice but to keep up. Fishing fast payed off for the team, they weighed 12.54, putting them into 2nd place going into the final day.

Sunday I was back in Panama City with Pope and Buckner. Again the pattern from yesterday was the ticket for both the team, and myself. The Trout fishing was good and the Redfishing was profitable. Pope and Buckner ended the final day in 2nd place, their best finish this season.

I had a good time, but I hope next year it will be someone else following ME!

Until next time...

23 Sept 2008

I spent this past weekend in Destin at the Fishin Chix Pink Rubber Boots Tournament. My crew consisted of my aunt, Kelly, her daughter Lindsay, co-worker Frankie and Frankie's daughter, Erin. We had a great time, the good fishing and blue skies didn't hurt. Our morning began in search of Redfish. Using live baits on Carolina Rigs, we targeted our fish in 20-30 feet of water, and they responded. First a short Grouper, then another, then the Redfish started. In a matter of 30 min we caught five fish ranging in size from 24 3/4" to 26 15/16", perfect for our needs. We could have sat right there and continued to catch those fish for a good portion of the tide, but the tournament format is multi-species, and that wouldn't have helped our cause.

The target species included Speckled Trout, Redfish, Flounder, Bluefish, Ladyfish, Spanish Mackerel, King Mackerel, Red Snapper and a Mystery Weight.

We trolled the Gulf-side beach with small jigs for Ladyfish, Bluefish, and Spanish but the 20 knot east wind had the surf up and it just wasn't much fun to hang out in for very long. Same technique, different location. A move further into Choctawhatchee Bay and we reset the trollers to the delight of the local Ladyfish. Among those fish were two above average fish that I felt sure would put us in the running in that category. We were pleasantly surprised when a Bluefish and a nice Spanish added to our total in the same area.

By this time the clock is running low, we had to be back at the dock at 1400, and we needed to make a major move to find a Trout or a Flounder. I wanted to make a 10 mile run, but that would have been 10 miles into that nasty 20kt headwind, so we decided to trailer the boat and move over the road instead. The move, while well executed, was unsuccessful and after using every available second we raced to the scales, with mere minutes to spare.

Our final results were as follows: 1st and 3rd place Ladyfish; 2nd place Redfish; 2nd place Spanish Mackerel; and Top Boat Runner-up. What a great finish! In addition to money for 2nd place Top Boat, this earned us a whole heap of prizes. The ladies went home with a couple of nice watches, Costa Del Mar sunglasses, a Shimano rod and reel combo, $1500 in gift certificates, 2 or 3 signed and numbered Guy Harvey prints.

I had such a great time. Nice people, good fishing, great ending!

Thanks, first of all, to my crew, I love you guys, without you I wouldn't have been there at all! I'd also like to thank Claudia and all of the Fishin' Chix for a fantastic event; my awesome uncle, Capt. Wes Rozier, for everything he does for me; and Blazer Boats for a capable, safe boat; none of us ever felt uncomfortable, even in the poor comditions.

And thank you, for reading!

19 Sept 2008

The last six weeks or so have been hectic, and unfortunately my blog has suffered for it. I apologize for the lapse in coverage. Let me get you up to speed.

I participated in the Gulf Power Inshore Tournament benefitting The Ronald McDonald House. We did well, but in a first place only tourney, second place isn't worth much. Literally, the Redfish that bested ours came in with less than 30 seconds left.

In another near miss, during the RFRA inshore slam, we were again bumped (barely off the leaderboard) with little time remaining in the event. Our Flounder did hold up for 3rd in the calcutta.

I've also had the opportunity to fish with some of you recently, and I'm sure you've been showing off those big Redfish we've been catching. And likely telling slightly false renditions of otherwise factual events. It's ok... I've been doing the same thing! Here are a few highlights from recent trips. Ken, Jim (who may look familiar from past posts), Johnny, and Wayne were all visibly excited by their Redfish.









Nancys Gag Grouper put up a fight on 12# tackle but didn't quite make the state minimum of 22", and was released.




This is my sister with the first Redfish aboard her boyfriend's boat. Did you read that? That's right, boyfriend, you read it! Please, don't ask for her number or for me to put a good word in for you, she's got a boyfriend.

My tournament partner, Capt Dusty Powers, and I have been invited to fish in the Oh Boy! O'Berto Redfish Cup Qualifier in Venice, La, Oct 23-24. This is the only way into the Redfish Cup for 2009, other than finishing in a top position in 2008.

Anyone in Pensacola and the neighboring areas, come see the Redfish Cup Championship this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at the Pensacola seafood festival, downtown Pensacola. These guys are fishing for a $100,000 first prize! It's going to be exciting! I'll be running a camera boat on Sat. and Sun., come down and say hi.

Capt. D.P. and I are also competing in the IFA Championship coming up in early November in Panama City.

The White Trout have started to show up in their normal Fall haunts over the last few weeks. Live shrimp are excellent baits and cut bait will often do the trick, but a 1/4 oz. jighead and a grub or Gulp! bounced along the bottom is hard to beat. Kingfish are also being caught in the bay, slow-trolling live Pogys and Mullet usually yields the best results. Get out there and FISH!

Thanks for stopping by.

20 July 2008

Capt DP, Seth and I went just north into Alabama to do some Bass fishing. We left Pensacola around 1630 on Saturday, arrived at our lake camp at 1845, and got in a half hour of fishing before the sun went down. One lone Bass fell to Seths bait that evening, but the morning bite should be much better, we hoped.

The alarm clock rang at 0515, a quick bite and to the lake! The Bluegill fishing was awesome! I wish I'd taken pictures of some of them, they were huge. I must have caught 15 or more Bluegills over 9" long by myself, Seth and DP were wearing them out too. WOW!

The Bass fishing was notably better than last nights. We boated 7 of the fish that bit, including these two brutes. I lost another one about the same size earlier in the morning...he ate a cricket, on 8 lb, I didn't stand a chance.

18 July 2008 P.M.

Jared, Jenny, Jim, and David had about three hours to kill this evening, I had just the entertainment they were looking for. We left from Shoreline Park at 1700, Redfish bound! Once in the Pass and set up, the catching began.

The Catfish bite was fair, with a few Bluefish thrown in. All of which was rudely interrupted on three seperate occasions by GIANT Redfish. 100% Redfish-of-your-life, giant Redfish! Jim and David both did great jobs with these fish.




What a great way to end the day, or begin the night, however you want to look at it! I hope to see you guys back again next year, Thanks again.

18 July 2008 A.M.

Mike and his family met me at Shoreline Park at 0630 for 6 hours of fishing. We procured a well-full of live Cigar Minnows and headed for a few Snapper holes a few miles from the beach. The fish were home and ready for breakfast. Before the bite slowed we had amassed 4 nice Red Snapper, 2 solid Mangrove Snapper, and a big King that ate the unweighted Cig on the 12lb outfit.



We moved about 4 miles to another spot and again the unweighted Cig gets eaten. Ten minutes into the fight and I'm sure this isn't another Kingfish. When we get color we see a legal...that's right, legal, Amberjack...ON A TROUT ROD!!! How cool is that? Pretty cool if you ask me!



We also boated another King and our biggest Snapper of the day, before moving inshore to try our hand at a Redfish. And thats how we finish the day, with a big Redfish.



A nice box of fish, and home in time for lunch and a nap.



Thanks again guys, it's always a pleasure to fish with you.

13 July 2008

Mike, Lynette, Heather, Eric and I got away from Galvez Landing just before 0630. The morning was beautiful and, with a slow rolling 2' swell in the Gulf, Snapper was on tonights menu!

We swung by the bait boat to fill our well with live Cigar Minnows and headed for a near-shore reef. The current was really running when we arrived, not making the fishing any easier, keeping the baits anywhere near the wreck was a chore. But, as usual, with a little patience and perserverance, we succeeded. After putting 5 nice Red Snapper and one Mangrove Snapper in the box the wind started picking up. None of us were too into taking a beating, so we decided to head it to the Pass.

We got to the Pass and recieved poor news from a few of the other guides working the area. We tried for three drifts or so without a bite, not even a catfish. Of course, by now the wind had subsided so we made the run to the Mass in search of some Mackerel. Well...that didn't work out either. The first bait out got hammered, and we never got another bite. A half hour later I get a call from my Dad, who tells me there are a few Reds being caught in the Pass. Man, I just left there!!!

Can you guess what happens next? That's right. Back to the Pass we went! Good thing too, first drift and BAM!!! Second drift...nothing. Third drift...BAM!!! And so on for four of the biggest Redfish in recent months.




The bite slowed as the clock wound down and we returned to the ramp, ready for a little lunch and a nap.



Thanks again guys, I had a great time.

11 July 2008

Joe, his sons Schyler and Spencer, along with their friends, Andy and Caleb hopped onboard at Shoreline Park at 0630. A quick stop at the bait boat, and we were at the Massachusets and fishing in no time. Although the conditions could have been better, it was a little bumpy, Spencer still scored first with a nice Spanish Mackerel.


The bite was slow, we caught a Remora, and put a few miles on our baits. Then it happened... one of the rods began dumping line...a lot of line. Andy stepped up to do battle, and he was doing a great job. We were gaining our line back and everything was good.
One of the boys piped up with "Hey, LOOK, there's a Dolphin!!!"
Immediately I begin my no,no,no,no, chant...(I have a pretty good idea of what's coming)
Andy goes,"Hey, he stopped fighting."
I'll bet he did...we just made one dolphins day.
This is what we came up with.


The sea conditions were deteriorating and the dolphins were everywhere, we decided to take it into the Pass and try to find the Redfish. These boys had the touch for this, doubling up on the first drop. The pictures speak for themselves.




The last bite of the day, a shared catch by Schyler and Andy, turned out not to be a fish at all...



What an awesome morning! These guys were so easy to fish with (and a lot of fun to mess with) thanks again, I'm looking forward to next time.

07 July 2008

I met Johnna and Stan for an afternoon trip out of Galvez at 1700. It was a georgeous afternoon and the catfish bite was ON! Among all the catfish, we also found a nice flounder for dinner and this grouper that was a half an inch shy of the state minimum 22", along with a few other shorter grouper and snapper.


Our three hours ran up just before sunset, which was made even better by the dolphins swimming by. It was a wonderful afternoon with great people. No matter what was or wasn't biting, the FISHING was great, even if the catching was slow.

Thanks again, Johnna and Stan, I hope we get the chance to do it again.

04 July 2008 Pensacola International

We left out a little after midnight on Thursday on the Buy The Yard, my Dad, Gary the owner and his son Kevin, Brian and Bill all headed for the Middle Of Nowhere, Gulf Of Mexico.

 Fridays sunrise found us around 60 miles offshore with beautiful conditions, light winds and seas less than 2ft. The baits were deployed and it wasn't long before one of our reels was screaming. Brian got the rod to the chair and began battling the fish. 10 minutes or so later we had our first fish of the weekend boatside. I grabbed the leader and Bill sunk the gaff home in a nice Yellowfin Tuna. High fives all around and the baits are reset for round two.

We were seeing tunas all around but they weren't interested in our offerings. Activity was everywhere, there were whales swimming all around the boat, tunas busting the surface, birds working over bait. You couldn't ask for a better scenario. The fish, however, must have missed the memo about eating our baits. We spend the majority of the rest of Friday covering water and not getting bites. 

Just before sundown we got a flurry of strikes but were unable to get a hook to stick. We stopped at our overnight swordfishing grounds to shower, eat, and get some sleep, preparing for another full day of fishing on Saturday. We set out the Swordfish rigs, ate a great surf and turf dinner of steak and shrimp, cleaned up, watched the squid, flying fish and baby dolphinfish swimming around the boat, and everyone prepped for bed. By the time we had settled down it was pushing midnight, I managed a really nice nap earlier in the afternoon, so I took the first watch.


I started getting things ready for the next morning, rigging baits and checking tackle, cleaning up the cockpit and looking up at all the stars. Around 0215 the 130# class rod got hit, took about 6 ft of line and stopped. I got to the rod and let the fish start making off with the bait, the drag lever went to strike and I started winding, and that big rod started bending. 

As the clicker clicked away, I made my first attempt to rouse the troops, I screamed "FISH, FISH, FISH!!!"

This did not phase either Bill, nor my Dad, both of whom were asleep no more than 12 feet away in the OPEN bridge. 

"I'M HOOKED UP AND NEED HELLLLLPP!!!" 

Again, no response. 

"YOU SORRY (deleted for the sake of underage readers) GET UP AND HELP MEEEEEE!"

This WAS responded to, first by Bill with a mighty "huh?", followed shortly by my Dad with, "whaaaaaat?"

"I HAVE A FISH ON, GET DOWN HERE!"

I get back "OH!!!", in stereo.

By now I am standing on deck trying to tame a 130 with nothing more than a bear hug and knock knees while an angry fish pulls in the other direction. I wish I had a picture of that, I had to look ridiculous. As the half-asleep cavalry nears the battlefield, stretching and yawning, I can see the light, he's not far away now! There's really no time to get into the chair so I wound the light to the rod tip, standing there like some contorted stork in a tug of war with an ox. Bill grabbed the leader and pulled the fish boatside. We get our first good look...SWORDFISH!!! Sweet! I get the rod back in the holder and rush over to help Bill. As the most alert person on board (everyone else has made it out by now) I'm the logical choice to deal with this fish. I reach out, grab the fishes bill, make sure all of my crew is out of the way, and hoist my prize into the boat. What am awesome feeling, I was stoked! 

We measured the fish as just shy of the Federal minimum of 47" (from the tip of the lower jaw to the fork of the tail) so back in the water he went. High fives and more yawns and they were all ready to go back to bed... and I was wired! I re-set the baits and stayed up for the rest of the night, waiting for the reels to sound again. It didn't seem very long before the eastern sky began to lighten. I pulled the baits, one of which was cut off, and readied all the rods to start trolling.  

By 0500 most everyone was up, the engines were started and baits were set. Most of Saturday was uneventful...especially for me, I held on until around 0815 before I checked out for my nap...'til 1300. Later in the afternoon a nice Dolphin pounced on the long line, followed by a Wahoo about 45 minutes later. 1700 and we needed to go to make the scales with a little time left over, just in case. 

Although none of our fish were huge, our 56.2 lb Tuna held on to First place!!

What a great weekend!!! Thanks a ton to everyone, I had the BEST time. Thanks Gary, for the invite, and for giving my Dad and I a chance to get back out there together. If anyone needs flooring, go see Gary at Gene's Floor Covering 4021 W. Navy Blvd. Pensacola (850) 456-3360

This past week has been overwhelming. My wife's been out of town, kids in town, had some minor boat issues, fishing trips, tournaments, ...I could go on and on. Needless to say I've been behind on everything and I apologize for taking so long getting these pics posted. Here are highlights from this past weeks fishing adventures.

15 Jun 2008

I arrived at Galvez Landing at 0620 to find it full of emergency vehicles, including Life Flight. The helicopter was taking off as I tried to turn into the parking lot. The emergengy crews were really nice and moved the ambulance and the fire truck to let me through as soon as the scene was safe. Ben, his son Kevin, Jim and Bob showed up a few minutes later, as the fire engine was leaving, wondering what was going on. I gave them a brief recap, launched the boat, and we were underway, only a few minutes late.

First order of business...get bait. I'd set traps on friday for todays trip, and picked them up this morning (for a total of 3 dozen or so nice Pinfish). We proceeded out of the pass and headed straight for the bait boat to get some live Cigar Minnows.

Around this time Jim asks "Is this a dolphin cruise or are we going to fish?"
I respond "When we're ready, we'll fish, and what, you don't like dolphins?"

I've fished with Ben and Jim a lot, and were constantly messing with each other...all in good fun. Check out some of our other adventures 11/17/07,7/20/07,05/27/07

We run from the bait boat to the Sea Bouy and I set out 2 live Cigs. I barely had time to get the 2nd rod in the holder when the first bait got eaten. Kevin was hooked into a nice King on 12lb, and was loving every minute of it. I proudly announce that the dolphin cruise portion of the morning was over and now the fishing would commence.

We continued slow trolling livies for a little over an hour; toward the nearshore public reef we were fishing yesterday. We boated one more nice King, pulled the hooks on 2 more, and had a few baits mangled. The action slowed so we polished of the remaining miles running. Once we got to our spot we baited up with Pinfish and fired away. Kevin was the first to connect, with a nice Amberjack (on a Trout rod).



Baits were lost, a few fish made it to the wreck, we got another AJ to the boat, then Bob had a tug-of-war with the fish of the day, or should I say dinner of the night. A beautiful 10lb Gag Grouper.


A nice Lane Snapper was added to our tally just as the wind was picking up from the NE and the clock was winding down...it was time to go.

Back at the ramp I cleaned fish and we said good-bye, until next time (which for Ben and I is this comming Friday)

Thanks again guys, there's never a dull moment around you.

14 Jun 2008 Fishin' Chix PRB Pensacola

I picked up Bette, Amanda, Sandra, and Jan at the Atlas Oyster Bar at 0600. My friend Randy was running late and he had the bait I'd caught yesterday. To facilitate getting my bait Capt. D.P. and I split Randy's group between us and took them to him. We met up in the middle of the bay and traded people for bait, then were on our way.

Redfish were our first target. We approached our dock, both me and DP, and began tossing live shrimp. No Redfish. DP's crew hooked and lost a nice Ladyfish and Jan put us on the board with a Flounder. We moved around, fishing a half a dozen different piers, with nothing but Pinfish to show for it. The weather was deteriorating to the north, but it was all moving to the west, away from us. We decided to head out for a King before the weather got too bad and we couldn't make it out there. At least we'd have a little while to fish til we needed to get back inshore and away from the t-storms.

It took 30 min to get enough baits to Kingfish with. Then we ran straight for one of our nearshore public reefs. A dive boat was already anchored but the crew was sitting on deck having lunch. We'd have a little while before they got in the water, so we had to make the most of it. Two Cigs went over and minutes later Amanda was hooked up with the fish of her life. A 10lb Amberjack on 12lb tackle put up one heck of a fight, but Amanda persisted, and after a few minutes we subdued the beast. Amanda was so excited!!


We reset the baits and upon one full circle of the wreck one of the reels starts to sing that sweetest of songs...Kingfish!!! Bette was on the rod and what a great job she did! We landed our King and struck out for the beach in search of Ladyfish, Bluefish, and Spanish Mackerel. Once to the beach, white jigs and Gotcha's were deployed, and we began trolling. It wasn't long and Sandra was on with a BIG Ladyfish. That's when the dolphins showed up, all the women got excited and I got upset. I raised my voice at the dolphin, and got funny looks from the chix. They didn't realize that the dolphin was, at the moment, EATING our tournament fish!!!

Sandra pulled in her Ladyfish head, all that was left after the dolphin was done with it. We did manage to pull 4 Ladyfish in before they could get eaten. A quick move to the other side of the pass produced our one Spanish of the day.

About this time my Dad calls to tell me that I need to get off the water. I told him that all that stuff was moving west and we'd be fine where we were. He says that its turned and is heading directly for us! Sure enough, here it comes.

We ran back into the bay and down towards Gulf Breeze hoping to fish a little while longer. By the time we got to the breeze the wall of water was rapidly approaching. It was 1230 or so and we figured the smart move was to head back to the dock, and that's what we did.

Our fish looked good on the leaderboard, for the time they stayed there. Our last fish on the board, Jan's Flounder, got bumped by one of the last boats to get back. Oh well...maybe next time. We all had a great time, got a free shower, and made it back safely.

Thanks again ladies, looking forward to the next one.

07 June 2008

I met Capt. DP and Jerry (from George's Marine Electronics) at Shoreline Park at 0500 for a morning of Trout fishing. We decided we'd head east and hit some docks near Navarre, nothing but artificials on todays menu.

The catching wasn't red hot, quite a few fish swatted at our baits but wouldn't commit, we pulled the hooks on a couple more. A few fish, however, did find their way into the net; by 0900 we had caught 4 Specks (2 legal fish and 2 shorts), 2 Redfish, and a Flounder.

A small electrical difficulty cost a half hour or so to resolve and we elected to head it back to the ramp; stopping to check a select few more docks on the way. On our last stop: Capt. DP got run into the pilings, I got hung up like 3 or 4 times, Jerry caught a short grouper, and my wife called me and placed a pick up order for lunch. We all had wives to get home to and afternoons full of family time. It was just after 1100 when the boat bumped up to the dock.

Thanks again D.P., for another successful morning, it was a pleasure to fish with you guys.

01 June 2008

Cindy and I have been trying to get a trip set up for months now. Her Mom just had back surgery a few months ago, putting a damper on our fishing for a little while, and is finally in good enough shape to take on some fish!

We met at Shoreline Park at 0630, launched the boat, and got underway before the crowd showed up at the ramp.

We started the day looking for a Trout around some piers. Never a Trout did we find, but we did locate some Mangrove Snappers that were hungry. Unfortunately, all the Snappers we caught (6 or so) were just shy of the 10" minimum set by the state. A quick run to another of my favorite docks, that's been holding slot Reds. 4 casts, 3 bites, 2 Redfish, 1 broken leader.

Once we got our Reds in the boat, we decided to mix things up a bit. I haven't gotten on a Spadefish bite since last summer. I've recently gotten a few reports of them around so I headed to see if the reports were true. Indeed they were and, even with the poor water clarity at our spot, we hooked 4 and landed 2. With dinner in the well, and the sun rapidly rising, we returned to Shoreline Park. After 20 minutes of waiting to tie the boat up and another 20 min to get the truck to the ramp I got the boat loaded and cleaned our catch.


Thanks again Cindy, I had a great morning.

You guys keep an ear out for Cindy (MY 107.3 in the mornings)

30 May 2008

I met Jordan and the guys from APX alarms at 0600 at Navy Point. We headed straight for open water. Snapper was on todays menu, and we wasted no time getting to our mission. Nearshore, mostly public, reefs were our targets. Four stops was all it took to make up a nice box of fish.


The cooler included:
12 Lane Snapper
5 Porgys
3 Mangrove Snapper
1 Red Snapper
1 Scamp

The guys had to be at work by 1230, I'm sure they didn't have much time to spare. Thanks again, fellas, I had a great time.