Pensacola Inshore Fishing Reports from Capt. Josh Rozier of White Knuckle Inshore Charters

IFA Venice, La 6/13/2009

2009-06-18T16:50:00.006-05:00

Wednesday 6/10

Captain Dusty left Pensacola at 2300 on Tuesday night headed to Ft Meyers, Fl to pick up our new tournament boat. He arrived around 0900 on Wednesday, took the boat for a test run, loaded it back on the trailer, and headed directly back home. He arrived at my house around 1900 and dropped the boat off so I could take it to Georges Marine Electronics for Jerry to install the new Raymarine A70 on Thursday.

Thursday 6/11

I dropped the boat off at George's at 0700 and headed to continue our prep work. Around 1200 Jerry called to say the boat as ready. Now that's service! Once I got the boat home I finished a few minor details onboard and loaded the equipment I had at the house. I waited for the family to get home, we ate dinner, I hung out with the kids, put them to bed, kissed the wife goodbye and left for Captain DP's house. By 2200 we were west bound on I-10, getting pumped up about the new boat and the pressing tournament.

Friday 6/12 (pre-fishing)

We pulled into Venice an hour or so before daylight, loaded the rods, double checked our equipment, launched the boat, and pulled away from the ramp just after sunrise. We made a bee line to our #1 spot to check on our fish.

This particular place is very shallow, forcing us to stop short and use the trolling motor to take us the remaining 1/8 of a mile. Things were looking up, the dirty water was just beginning to give way to cleaner water and we were starting to see signs of life.

That's about the time the brand new, right out of the box, trolling motor started making a light clicking noise. Dusty tried to turn it off so we could find the noise.....the motor kept right on turning. No matter how you moved the speed control the motor continued to turn at a constant speed, this was not good. We unplugged the trolling motor, opened up the top, and all the wiring looked good. We plugged it back in, same thing.

After our head scratching abated Dusty grabbed the tool bag and commenced opening up the foot of the motor. Upon further inspection we found the source of our problems. The ground wire coming into the foot had somehow been grabbed by the motor itself, destroying the wire and shorting out the control board. Trolling motor officially fried!

This put big damper on our plans. It took us almost an hour to push the boat back into deep enough water to run in. From there we headed for the jetties at one of the passes where we had done well before. There were a few guide boats at the jetty when we showed up, and everyone was catching fish.

We joined right in. Our best two fish added up to 13.5 pounds, probably not enough to place in the tournament, but not bad without a trolling motor, and in just a couple of hours of fishing. But, granted the elite competition, the fact was, that without the trolling motor, our chances of even placing in this tournament were virtually nil.

By 1300 it was time to get back, clean up, rig tackle, eat something, attend the captains meeting, and get some sleep.

Saturday 6/13 Game Day

0400 finds the alarm clock VERY angry, screaming at the top of it's lungs. I couldn't listen to it a second more, and got up. By 0430 we were on our way to the ramp for the 0530 checkout.

We had drawn boat number 14, putting us in the first flight (0530 check-out, 1500 check-in). Once away from the dock we headed straight for the jetties. The new Lake & Bay is FAST! We were the first to arrive at the jetty, beating the guide boats by a half an hour or more.

The bite was way off from yesterday. I broke the ice with a 5 pound Speckled Trout; my biggest Louisiana Trout to date. It was cool and all, but it wasn't a Redfish, and we needed Redfish. Dusty caught a nice Redfish, about 5.5 pounds, and the guides began showing up. Yesterday they stayed at the jetty for hours, today they spent maybe 20 min, caught very few fish, and left. Not a good sign for us, not at all.

We had few choices, pretty much this jetty or the other one, so we continued to plug away with what we had. We caught a few Reds, but upgrading was nearly impossible. By 1130 we had covered every rock at the jetty and decided to move up-river, fishing our way back to the dock.

Diligence is supposed to pay off, right? Maybe, just maybe, if we would have had more time to be diligent, it might have paid off, but there's only so much time in a tournament. We had two fish in the livewell, better than some, but we knew that they weren't going to be big enough to make the board.

Back at the scales, standing in line with teams that had run 40 miles up river and fished in 12" of water, our fish looked even smaller. Our grand total of 11.94 pounds was dwarfed by the leaders 17.7 pound aggregate, but we still felt good doing what we did, under the circumstances. That's tournament fishing. Stuff breaks, boats get stuck in the mud, fuel is mis-managed; you can only push through, try to fix what you can.....and fish real hard.

These things are slippery!

It's been a real busy past couple of weeks...

2009-06-18T16:41:00.003-05:00

...and my reports have suffered for it, I must admit.

I'd like to take the opportunity to thank everyone for fishing with me. If it wasn't for you, I'd have little to report.

And thanks to all of you for continuing to check in on me.

The fishing (and the weather) has been really good lately. The King Mackerel and big Spanish Mackerel are cruising the Gulf just a few miles off the beach. Large Speckled Trout are still hanging out on the grassflats that dominate our inshore waters. Red Snapper season is officially open and bag limits are filling up fast. The Bull Redfish bite has been slow, as usual this time of year, but a few continue to be caught. Ladyfish, Bluefish, and Blue Runners are covering the beach-front and the kids have been having a great time catching them. Now is a great time to get out there and treat yourself with a day on the water or take your family fishing and share a memorable experience.

June 13 will find Captain Dusty and I in Venice, Louisiana for the IFA event held at Venice Marina. Wish us luck! With limited days to pre-fish we'll need all the luck we can muster.

In other news: My son's soccer team finished their final tournament on May 23rd first in their age group. They were 8-0-1 during regular season play; only giving up 4 goals the entire season! And they owned the post season tournament, finishing 3-0. We're real proud of our Rockets! The best U-8 team in the league!

Thanks for stopping by
Capt. Josh

Another piece of art by Breeze Fabricators

2009-05-22T19:48:00.005-05:00

Tim Scallan and his crew at Breeze Fabricators have done it again. This is the casting platform/ladder tower I picked up just before the Outcast Inshore Slam. Some of you got a chance to see it at the captains meeting, for those that didn't, here are a few pics.

The view from the new office

If you can think it up, Tim and his guys can build it... give him a call at
(850) 554-6172

17 May 2009

2009-05-21T22:45:00.003-05:00

I met Tom and Chris at Shoreline park at 0730 for a few hours of rod bending action. We were headed for the Pass until the big bad black cloud hanging over us started to leak. I pulled up the radar trying to get an idea where the storm was going. It seemed to be heading east down the beach, leaving just enough room to the north to get around.

We got a little wet on the way, mostly at a sprinkle, but we made it to the Pass none the less. The Catfish immediately began biting. We caught a few of them, Tom relaxing at the easy fight the kitty cats put up, then his rod was nearly ripped out of his half hearted hold! That's what we're looking for!

A few minutes into the fight I knew it was a BIG Redfish. I wondered aloud if Tom had ever caught a fish as long as his leg. Then I asked Tom what his inseam measurement was, his first response was nothing more than a funny look, then he answered, 32". He agreed that a fish over 32" would literally be as long as his leg. This is what he brought to the net.

Toms fish measured 37 1/2", the next time he gets asked if he's ever caught a fish as long as his leg, he can proudly profess, "Yes, I certainly have!"

After releasing Tom's trophy the rain once again began to fall and the skies grew darker. We considered calling it a morning. Chris and Tom said they didn't mind a little rain as long as the lightning stayed away, so we pressed on. Try as we did, we couldn't find a matching Redfish for Chris. The Redfish were abandoned in favor of whatever the birds down the beach were diving on. Once we got close Tom and Chris began firing 1/4 oz. bucktail jigs into the fray. The 10# line on their rods started screaming and Ladyfish erupted into the air. We stayed on the Ladyfish ,mixed with Blue Runners, for the remainder of our time. The guys had a blast!

Dolphins were swimming around the boat, birds diving, fish eating everything thrown their way, if you can't have fun with that, you just can't have fun.

Thanks again Tom and Chris, you guys were great, I look forward to doing it again.

Outcast Inshore Slam; May 16 2009

2009-05-18T21:02:00.010-05:00

0400 and the alarm clock is screaming at me! I only hit the snooze button twice before dragging myself out of bed. Capt Dusty, Tim and I were meeting at Day Break Marina at 0500 and I had to get moving. By 0545 we were loaded up and ready for the 0600 shotgun start.Once the go call was made we were off and running, 48 boats fanning out from Bayou Chico, what a sight.

The first order of business was a good Speckled Trout. We made the 10 minute run to our Trout spot, set the anchor, and began tossing out Croakers. The bite was astounding! Within 20 minutes we had upgraded our Trout probably five times and within an hour we had two Trout in the box that tipped the scales at over 6 lbs! As for how many Speckled Trout we caught and released, I wish we would have kept count. I feel confident saying we released 5 fish over 5 lbs, 10 over 4 lbs, and a number of 2 and 3 lb fish. Undoubtedly the best bite of big Speckled Trout that I have ever been blessed to witness and am honored to participate in.

Another tournament boat was fishing within 100 yards of us; when they found out the quality of fish we'd caught they couldn't believe we had not moved on in search of a Redfish or Flounder. We were going to sit right there until the bite was over, not willing to give up that spot until it ended. Big Trout had been caught with fair regularity lately, fish up to 8.5 lbs, that was the wildcard in this situation. We weren't sure that 6 lbs would be enough. They did, however, have a valid point. The Trout alone was not going to win the tournament no matter how big it was; we needed two other fish to go with it. The bite had begun to slow, it was almost time to leave. Tim kept fishing for Trout as Dusty and I got everything ready for Redfish. Once our prep work was complete we let most of our Croakers go on the Trout hole, consider it an offering of thanks to the fish, then pointed the bow at the Redfish hole and punched the throttle.

Ten minutes later we arrive at our Redfish spot. On my second cast I hook up with a brute. This fish put up an enormous fight, putting that Shimano combo through it's paces. Dusty's first look at the fish produces my favorite of his phrases. It goes something like, "Damn! He's over, definitely over, probably 27 1/2, 28. Man! If he makes, he's a winner." Upon completion of his phrase he nets the fish, pulls it in the boat, lays the net down, and goes back to fishing, leaving me to tend to my fish.

I got the hook out and put my fish on the measuring stick, 27 on the nose, I was shocked! This fish looked big, to big to fit in the slot. I flipped him over, measured him again, and called to Dusty. He peeked over the leaning post at my huge smile and said, "You're kidding." Nope, not kidding. On the hand scale he weighed 8lbs 2oz. WOW! At that moment we erupted with excitement! This was surreal. We immediately headed to our Flounder spot.

Five minutes later we arrive. Dusty was posted on the bow with his favorite Shimano Sustain and a Gulp! 4" Shrimp on a 1/4 oz jighead. His only job was to fish, our job was to keep him fishing. His first two casts went untouched, his third cast got eaten by a 16" Flounder. We couldn't believe it! We had a solid weight and the reports we were getting told of only one really big Trout. We felt good but still wanted to improve our Flounder so we kept right on fishing. Less than an hour later I put the net under another of Dusty's fish, one that measured 21" and weighed a little over 3.5 lbs. We unanimously agreed to leave our spot and head for another of the Flounder holes on our list. It's not worth letting someone find our Flounder spot to try to upgrade a fish like that.

Five minutes later we eased into our next stop. We caught 3 more 2+lb fish in 15 minutes or so. At one point we all looked at each other and decided it might be best to regain our composure. We pulled away and took a breather. Again all the fish were measured and weighed. Our calculations came out to 17.5 lbs, WHAT?!?!?! We weighed them all again. Then the scale was questioned. I pulled out 15 oz of leads and hung it from the scale, it read 15 oz. The scale was right on. We really had 17.5 lbs. That's a new tournament record! It was 0845. Unbelievable!

What to do now? No matter what, we wanted to get closer to the dock, just in case we had problems. We began idling toward Day Break Marina. Capt. Corey Maxwell saw us and called. His brother, Ryan, asked what we were doing, "It's 9 o'clock, what ya'll already won the tournament and just messing around?". He didn't believe us when we told him.

We decided to head for a place in north Pensacola Bay that historically holds Trout, Flounder, and Redfish but had not been productive for us during pre-fishing. That held true, we never caught another Flounder or Redfish the rest of the day. We did, however, stumble onto a hot bite of big Speckled Trout a little after noon. We caught around 2 dozen more Trout before we ran out of bait. We released 6 fish over 5 lbs, 8-10 in the 4 lb range, the rest of the Trout were in the 2-4 lb range, our smallest fish was 19 1/2". The only thing that kept this from being the best bite of Big Trout I have ever seen was the bite we were on first thing in the morning! What a day!!!

Our bait supply ran out around 1330. We pointed the bow towards the scales and started idling again. We couldn't stop smiling and reminiscing about the Trout bite we had just left 10 minutes ago. Again we weighed and measured all of our big fish, put our two big Trout on the balance beam, and rechecked our math. Then we began honestly spreading the word.

At 1440 we were tied up at Day Break Marina, waiting for the scales to open at 1500. Once the tournament guys were ready we brought our fish out. The Redfish got weighed first, 7.9 lbs. The Trout came next, 6.15 lbs, bringing our tally to 14.05. Then the Flounder, 3.65. For a grand total and new tournament record of 17.7 lbs. WOW! Now to wait for the next three hours for the scales to close.

We took the opportunity to take pictures with our fish and all of our Shimano equipment, then pulled the boat, flushed the motor and cleaned everything up. Other teams began showing up to weigh in and reports kept coming from the rest of the field. One of those reports was that J.R.'s team had added a nice Redfish to his big Speckled Trout, but he still needed a Flounder to complete the slam. There was time left for him to connect with that much needed Flounder and reports of his progress stopped coming in. As the sun was drifting low on the horizon J.R.'s boat rounded the corner and the tension built. They tied up to the dock, Trout hanging out of the cooler, and told us that no matter what they tried they couldn't come up with the Flounder.

It was official, we had won! A full 4 lbs separating us from the second place team. Our final tally was 1st Place Aggregate, 1st Place Redfish, 1st Place Flounder, and 2 nd Place Speckled Trout, an awesome finish! The tournament committee convened to figure out all of the pay-outs before announcing the winning totals. When they were done awards were handed out and prize moneys were announced. We pocketed $15,375.50 in cash and a brand new 2009 Blazer Bay 1960 rigged with a 115 Yamaha outboard, valued at $27,495, bringing our grand total to just under $43,000. What a day! Unbelievable!

A big thanks to my teammates, you guys kick major a**! Thanks to our sponsors: Georges Marine Electronics, Breeze Fabricators, Johnson Castnets, and JustFishTournaments.com; for helping us chase our dreams. Thanks to Outcast Hunting and Fishing, Day Break Marina, and Blazer Boats for putting on a great event. And of course to you, the readers, for taking the time to read this really long post.

Last years tournament report can be seen here Outcast Inshore Slam 2008

Mothers Day 2009

2009-05-12T21:06:00.009-05:00

Sunday marked our annual Mothers Day fishing trip. My parents, my wife, and I met up this morning for a few quality hours of fishing. We started today in the same spot our slot sized Redfish came from yesterday. Boy what a difference a day makes! Yesterday it was a fish every cast, today we couldn't buy a bite. After an hour or so of trying we decided to move on to the Pass in search of Bull Reds. With the family on board the fish didn't stand a chance. Everyone on board boated a Redfish, the largest one pushing 40".

We caught the Redfish, a Sheepshead and a Soapfish before heading into the Gulf for Pompano. The beach was loaded with Cow-nose Rays, we must have seen 100 or more, but the Pompano were proving elusive. We found school after school of Ladyfish chasing baits just inside the second sandbar and we had a field day with them. In the midst of all this a school of Jack Crevalle, 200+ fish, came roaring by. A quick flip into them with a jig produced an immediate hook up. We fought the Jack all he way to the boat before another burst of speed parted our line. The morning was wearing on and our bellies began rumbling. We scheduled a Mothers Day lunch at the Oar House and headed there to meet my sister and my kids.

My parents decided to go for a round of golf after lunch, so my wife and kids rode the boat back to the ramp. As soon as my son was inboard he opened the livewell, found the 4 shrimp remaining, and asked if we could stop and use them on the way home. How could I refuse such a request?

A quick stop in the Pass produced fish for both Cameron and I (his fish was twice the size of mine). We got our picture made, released our fish and continued on to the house for naps and relaxation.

Thanks to my Mom, just for being my Mom, and thanks to my wife for bearing me children and putting up with all of my crap. I love you guys. It was awesome to spend the day fishing together.

Fishin' Chix Orange Beach 2009

2009-05-12T20:55:00.004-05:00

Kelly, Katie, Frankie, and Erin met me this morning at 0600. We were sitting on our grass flat when the official tournament start time of 0630 rolled around. The morning started off slow for us. The Trout didn't want to cooperate and after about an hour of diligent effort we decided to move on in search of a Redfish.

It didn't take us long to find success, even if all of our fish were over the slot limit. Frankie and Erin were even able to complete a double; making for a real Mother/Daughter moment.

Another move produced slot sized Redfish for everyone. All together we caught around a dozen Redfish. Once they were caught we moved on in search of Ladyfish, Bluefish, and Spanish Mackerel. We trolled the deep edges of the grass flats for a mile or more with just one bite from a nice Speckled Trout. He went into the box along side our Redfish. The trolling continued for the remainder of our allotted time (all anglers had to be in line at Lulu's by 1400) without success.

The fishing was slow for us today, but the company could not have been better. My ladies went to the scales with three Redfish and a Trout. None of our fish were big enough to stay on the leader board, but if the winners were based on total amount of fun had during the fishing day we would have had a great shot at winning.

Thanks again Kelly, Katie, Frankie and Erin for another great Fishin' Chix event, I had a blast! See you guys in Destin!

The Panama Trip

2009-05-06T16:38:00.013-05:00

Day 1: Tuesday April 28

Randy and I pulled away from his house at 0100 en route to Louis Armstrong Airport in New Orleans. Our flight was scheduled to leave at 0600 bound for Houston, Tx to connect with our flight south to Panama at 0900. Bad weather in Houston held us up in New Orleans, we arrived five minutes after our connection was scheduled to depart. Lucky for us the Panama flight was behind by literally five minutes. We ran off of one plane, out the gate, around to the next gate, into the second plane, sat down, buckled our belts and immediately began taxiing down the runway. A real close call, there are only two flights to Panama per day, one at 0900 and the next one at 2100, thank god we made it!

Touchdown in Panama was around 1300. As we're walking off the plane Randy asks me how we're supposed to find our host, Mitch Jones. I tell Randy that I have no idea, he said he'd be there when we got there and that's all I had to go on. We walk through the door at the terminal and I turn to Randy and ask if he thinks it's going to be a problem finding Mitch. As soon as he looks up he says "I guess not"; staring at the only 6'2" white guy with long blond hair that we saw the whole time we were there. Randy and I break out into laughter; Mitch joins right in.

Within minutes it's like hanging out with someone we've known our whole lives. Mitch is a very easy going guy, he smiles constantly, has a great sense of humor and is fun to fish with. He'd fit right in, here in Pensacola. Randy and I both knew we had found the perfect guy to take us fishing.

Mitch took us to the big marina in Panama City to let us check everything out and to wait for our chef, Jenny. We ended up staying at the marina bar for dinner and drinks then heading to the lodge. The Panama Pursuit Lodge sits on a point jutting out into Lake Gatun at Nuevo Providencia, a small town an hour north of Panama City and 20 miles south of Colon. The place is gorgeous! The house is 3000+ sq.ft. 3 bed/ 3 bath with a 20ft vaulted ceiling in the great room, nice bathrooms w/ whirlpool tubs, tile throughout, leather sofa, fully stocked bar, big screen TV (we never turned it on), and a great front porch to sit on (more our speed).

Day 2: Wednesday April 29

I woke to the smell of omelets and sausage, the fisherman's alarm clock. Served with a bowl of fresh mangoes and hot coffee it was exactly what we needed for the long day ahead. Once our bellies are full we're in the boat and underway. Lake Gatun is the most stump filled waterway I have ever been on. Everywhere you look there's a stump; if you don't see a stump, there's probably one there; if you're sure there are no stumps, hold on...one will come out of nowhere and smack the bottom of the boat.

I started the day throwing a top water chug bug, the bait Mitch says catches most of his big fish. He did not tell me that often the top water bait would turn the Peacocks on and the next thing they saw they'd eat. Randy figured it out soon enough though. We moved a few times, working rocky points, deep water tree stands, and moss flats, and every time we moved it was the same scenario. I cast and cast and Randy catches and catches.

Prime bait or not, today was not my day, Randy showed me up pretty bad. From the back of the boat he boated somewhere around 50 fish, he hooked a Tarpon in the 100+lb class on 20# tackle, caught fish back to back to back, and generally made me look like a complete novice. I did manage to catch 4 fish during the course of the day. And really, if we HAD to survive, 4 fish would be plenty to feed us...right?!? I shook my head and vowed revenge on the fish before the week was out, and secretly hoped I'd get a chance to show Randy up before we had to go home.

Upon returning to the lodge we found Chef Jenny plating up dinner. Etouffee was on the menu and it was delicious! Jenny's particular recipe was an action packed variety of seafoods. Peacock Bass, shrimp, lobster, and squid simmered in a sauce made with the freshest organically grown vegetables. Served with coconut rice and the ever present bowl of fresh sliced mangoes, followed by fresh banana nut bread for dessert. After dinner we relaxed on the porch sharing stories, sipping whiskey, and smoking cigars; no phone service, no email, nothing but the evening breeze and the sounds of the rain forest, heavenly.

Day 3: Thursday April 30

Today dawned early, but still to the smell of eggs and sausage. Game on! Randy and I weren't messing around today. Neither were the fish.

My day started with a bang, literally. The Snook hit the red and white Rapala like a ton of bricks! Ten minutes later I caught another one. Sweet! We also caught a few Peacocks before the wind picked up and we decided to move to some protected coves. In the slick calm water, sheltered from the wind by the jungle, we found loads of feisty fish, readily willing to take a bait. This was similar to conditions that Randy and I are familiar with, and we excelled. Fish of every variety came into the boat by every means we had to catch them; spinning tackle, baitcasters, and fly rods, all of our tackle got a work out today!

Peacock Bass on the left, Jaguar Capote on the right.
Oscar
Our tally for the day was an even 100 fish. This included Peacocks, Snook, Jaguar Capote, Oscars, Viejas (local Bluegill), and Dogfish. What a day! We returned to the lodge just as dark was coming on, as we walked inside Chef Jenny told us to get cleaned up, dinner would be served as soon as we were ready.

Jenny had prepared fillet Mignon with mushroom gravy, something that looked like mashed potatoes (it was a local root vegetable that was even better than regular potatoes), and added a fruit arrangement as our centerpiece. All this followed be a nice cool fresh mango and grape jello made for a grand meal. Again the porch was the focal point of our evening; a scene of fishing tales and roaring laughter.

Day 4: Friday May 1

After breakfast we were off again. Randy was bent on seeing some monkeys. We had heard plenty of them, seemingly right on top of us, but had yet to actually lay an eye on one. Mitch assured us that where we were going today, was absolutely loaded with monkeys, surely we'd see some. We fished for a few hours, well Randy fished...I caught. Today was to be my day, almost the exact opposite of Wednesday. By the end of the day I was some where around 45 fish for the day and Randy had...well...much fewer, I'll leave it there.;)

We saw monkeys around mid morning, high up in the tallest tree around. So high up they looked like ants, but we saw them! I was glad to have a lens on my camera that could zoom in far enough to get a recognizable picture.

Around noon we headed back to the lodge for lunch and siesta time. Chef Jenny had Snook Cor Don Bleu waiting for us. It was sooo good, so good I can't think of words that would do that meal justice. Afterwards we lazed around for a couple of hours; just enjoying the scenery, relaxing.

We fished the afternoon away searching for a big fish. I guess the stars were misaligned for us; we couldn't find a fish better than 3.5 lbs. Not a bad fish, especially given how hard they pull! But boy did we want see how hard a 5+lb fish could pull. Dinner tonight consisted of chicken breasts and shrimp with fresh avocado salad and fruit, finished with chocolate pudding cake. I cannot express enough how good the food was.

Mitch really wanted us to catch a big Peacock and offered us a few more hours of fishing time before we flew out the following day. We jumped at the opportunity and went to bed a little earlier than we had the past few nights. Saturday was going to be a long day.

Day 5: Saturday May 2

Our final morning was beautiful. The Peacocks didn't cooperate like we wanted but the other local fauna was everywhere. We saw monkeys, a Three Towed Sloth, Toucans, Parrots, these gorgeous golden winged birds, all kinds of stuff that I had no idea what it was, but it was cool!

Three Toed Sloth

Our flight out was scheduled for 1400, Mitch suggested we leave the lodge no later than 1030 to make sure we had enough time to go through the checkpoints.

He was right! I got hung up by airport security because of my pliers, they were 1/4" too long for my particular security agent. It seemed to me to be the only lane in which people were having problems, just my luck. I was the very last one on the plane, but I didn't lose my pliers.

In Houston it was Randy's turn for a run in with the dreaded U.S. Customs. The stuff he had purchased in Panama had been put into my bag when I had to check it to keep my pliers. The Customs Agent gave Randy fits for about 30 minutes before letting him leave, nothing but wasted time. We stepped over to grab a cup of coffee, turned to go to our gate and were told we couldn't pass with our drinks. We could see another coffee shop on the other side of the security guard. When we asked, we were told that we could buy another cup of coffee on the other side of the checkpoint, but we could not proceed with the ones still steaming from the shop 20 feet away!

Touchdown in New Orleans was at 2230, only a three hour ride to the house...yay! I dropped Randy off a little after 0200 on Sunday morning and was home myself 20 minutes later. Ten minutes later I was passed out in the bed, exhausted.

What a trip! Randy and I had a fantastic time. For a full gallery of pictures click here. If you'd like to go down, visit with Mitch and check out the great fishing Lake Gatun has to offer, give him a call at (011) 507 6688-5587, or an E-Mail at panamapursuit@hotmail.com. Be patient, although Panama isn't in the dark ages, communication is a little slower there than here in the States, but the solitude is one of the best parts of the trip.

14 Apr 2009

2009-04-16T23:43:00.005-05:00

Tennis champion Nick Taylor called me on Monday. He had managed to make time in his tournament schedule for a fishing trip this afternoon. I had the pleasure of fishing with Nick last year, what an inspiring guy. For those of you who haven't heard of him, check out the report for our last trip, and be sure to watch the linked video here.

We immediately headed for the Pass and anchored up along the jetties. Nick struck first, boating a nice Sheepshead. A few casts later his reel starts screaming! This had to be the Redfish Nick was after. Once he initial run was over Nick began to gain line then the fish turned it around on him and dove under the boat. This move forced us to get off of the anchor and drift down-current with the fish steadily headed for the Gulf.

The fight lasted about 20 minutes, Nick working for every inch of line he could get, only to have it torn off the spool on yet another run. It was a close race, but the fish gave up before Nick did. Nicks prized Redfish was 28 3/4" long, his biggest fish to date! Awesome job Nick, congratulations.

While all this was happening, Bill, Nick's dad, hooks up with a nice fish. As it neared the surface in the off colored water my first thought was Flounder. Bill got it closer and closer and my "Flounder" mysteriously transformed into a Stingray, the oddball catch of the afternoon.

We relocated, got settled and hooked four Redfish, back to back. And back to back the all came unhooked. Lousy luck. The fifth fish was evidently less lucky than we were and Bill was on with another Bull Redfish. We got the fish boat-side just as the light was falling. As the fish swam away we headed back to the ramp. Nick had an even bigger day ahead of himself on Wednesday at the tournament.

Thanks again Nick and Bill, it was a pleasure fishing with you guys again. I hope next years schedule works out as well!

11 Apr 2009

2009-04-11T21:35:00.004-05:00

Dennis, Julia, Sean, and Daniel were ready to go the moment I got to Shoreline Park this morning. We immediately headed for the Pass with hopes of finding a good spot. There were very few boats around when we arrived and the anchor set right on the first drop. Sweet! Deploy the Shrimp...and wait. Although it felt like forever before someones drag started screaming, not more than 5 minutes had passed.

I cannot explain the feeling when the first fish of the day is in the net, it's smiles and high fives all around, camera shutters are clicking...success!!!

After that, it was all fun and games, and boy did we have fun. The fish bit steadily all morning and we caught a variety of species. Redfish, Black Drum, Sheepsheads, a Porcupine Puffer, and a Pigfish all found themselves flopping around on deck at some time during the morning.

The time between bites was spent laughing, joking, and generally "carrying on", as my Grandmother would say. It was a riot, I felt like I'd been fishing with these guys for years. I commend Dennis and his wife for doing a great job with their kids. We'll get you out next time, Mrs C.

All together we caught 7 Sheepsheads, 3 Black Drum, 2 Redfish, 1 Pigfish, 1 Porcupine Puffer, some lost fishing line, and Sean repeatedly attempted, to no avail, to catch the rock on the bottom of the pass. I give him full credit for his effort.

Thank you guys again for fishing with me today. It was a fantastic morning! I can't wait to do it again!

Thanks very much to the readers for stopping by...but really, get away from the computer and wet a line, if you have a kid, take them along, have a good time, laugh, catch a fish, then call and give me a report!

06 Apr 2009

2009-04-06T16:47:00.003-05:00

Met up with Dean, Matthew, and Lauren this morning at 0730. Although the wind was howling at 20+ knots, our particular fishing spot was protected from the strongest of the winds. Upon arrival I deployed the anchor and the catching began. On our very first cast Matthew bowed up with a nice Redfish. Game on!

Matthews Red was just a little over-sized;

so he took the honor of releasing his fish.
Lauren followed him up with a nice Black Drum of her own.(I'd have a pic, but I had to hold her fish for her picture...she was not touching it) Then the Sheepsheads started. The bite was nice and steady all morning and we took advantage of it.

We boated 11 Sheepsheads, 1 Redfish, 1 Mangrove Snapper, 1 Bluefish and 1 Black Drum. An excellent morning, despite the seemingly poor conditions.

Thanks again Dean, Lauren, and Matthew for a great, if chilly, morning. I hope we can do it again sometime.

04 Apr 2009

2009-04-04T23:02:00.006-05:00

My friend Howard, and a few of his friends, Joe, James, and Wayne, joined me for a morning of trying to catch dinner. These guys were fired up to, as Wayne says, "dry off" some Sheepsheads, and give them a formal introduction to the frying pan! We went directly to the jetty, anchored just off the rocks, and began pitching baits. We were soon rewarded with bent rods.

James added this nice Black Drum to the well (top);
Joe answered with one of his own

James, not to be outdone, closes the book with this perfect slot sized Redfish. Nice job James! You think he's proud of that one?

Howard was too busy fishing to have a picture taken, nothing was about to slow him down! By the time I would get a fish off of his line, he'd already have it baited and ready to go back down. He and Wayne both added fish to the box, bringing the cooler count to 6 Sheepsheads, 5 Black Drum, 2 Redfish, and 2 Mangrove Snapper...excellent morning!

Thanks again Howard, Joe, James, and Wayne, I can't wait to do it again.

And, as always, thanks to the readers for their time.

03 April 2009

2009-04-03T20:07:00.002-05:00

I picked up Pat, Matt, and Dan at their condo this morning at 0700. The bay water has been inundated with freshwater over the past week due the the large amount of rain; turning it a dark coffee color brown. The rain water, coupled with nearly a week of South winds at 20+ knots, had the bay system filled with an extra foot of water. It sure made the Sheepsheads tough to catch. Our first attempts went unrewarded, hooks came back empty, or pulled free from the fish we did fool.

There is somewhat of an art to hooking Sheepsheads, they're able to pilfer bait in seconds, often before you even have a chance to feel them. Using a live shrimp, you may get tap,tap,tap,...a fourth tap if you're lucky (or the shrimp is really big). But, if you miss that window, your fishing rod has gone from "tool" to "accessory".

We "accessorized" quite a bit to start, some guys even seemed to prefer that; instead of using the rod for our intended purpose...didn't they Dan? ;P

Once we anchored over some shallow water rubble, rubble that had an appetite for hooks, we began catching a few fish; and doing battle with lots of rocks! A later move proved even more productive (with fewer snags), bringing our tally to 7 nice Sheepies in the 3-4 pound range, along with a few juvenile Gag Grouper and small Mangrove Snapper and a lone Catfish (yes, I'll admit to catching it), making for a nice mornings catch. The guys wanted to keep a few for lunch so 3 fish went into the live well, en route to the plate.

Thanks again Matt, Dan, and "The Barracuda Man" Pat, I had a great time, hope to see you again in the summer!

Capt Josh

Thanks for stopping by!

22 Mar 2009

2009-03-23T14:36:00.005-05:00

Matthew, Dave, Clannan, and Ryan met me at Galvez Landing this morning at 0700. The Sheepshead bite has been getting better every day and these boys wanted their shot.

Today's conditions could have been better, winds east at 10-15 knots, incoming tide, sea state: choppy to rough. But we can't let a little thing like adverse conditions get in our way. With the tide opposing the current, our weights had to be greatly increased to reach the bottom. Three ounces of lead was needed, instead of the normal half to one ounce leads. I kept the boat stern to the wind and stayed in reverse most of the morning to hold position over our aggressive quarry. The catching was slow to start, it took us a while to get everything right, but once we figured it out the catching was non-stop.

In 2 1/2 hours we went through 6 dozen live baits (shrimp and crabs) resulting in boating 18-20 nice Sheepsheads in the 4-8lb range and two 6-8lb Black Drum.

Great morning guys!!! I can't wait to do it again.

21 Mar 2009

2009-03-23T14:22:00.003-05:00

Captain Dusty called me around 0730, his charter for the day had come down with the flu and weren't able to go. My day was open as well, so we decided to go look for some Redfish for a couple of hours. The 15 knot East wind left us few options as to where we could fish, but we found a leeward beach and set up shop. We were trying out a new bait this morning, with poor results. Our first 6 fish grabbed our bait, and immediately spit it out! After that I couldn't take it anymore and switched over to a 3" Gulp! Shrimp in New Penny color. Dusty followed my lead and the next three attempts ended successfully, one small Red and two 4.5 lb fish!

After adding two Flounder to our daily catch, we packed it in and headed for home. We both have charters tomorrow we need to get ready for.

Another excellent time with Capt. Dusty.

Thanks for stopping by!

07 March 2009

2009-03-08T21:54:00.008-05:00

Terry, Roger and I left out of Navy Point at 0700. This was Roger's first time seeing the salt water and he was all grins from the moment we left the dock. He pointed excitedly at the pod of dolphin coming up for air near the boat with that look of wonder and amazement. I can't get enough of seeing that look on people's faces. The weather could not have been better; sun shining, 72 degrees, winds SE@5-10, nice.

Sheepheads were today's preferred target, and we found them! The first stop yielded a good mark of fish on the bottom machine but few bites. We landed an undersized Scamp and this juvenile Red Snapper.

Our second stop was LOADED with fish. The rapidly depleting number of shrimp in the well was a sure sign they were biting. The empty hooks coming back to the boat was a sure sign that Terry and Roger needed more practice! We still had plenty of baits in the tank when Roger found the touch and boated his first Sheepshead.

Hooks struck home in a dozen Sheepies. We collectively fed another 3 dozen without incident. Our remaining time we spent searching for a big fish, deep dropping in the pass. Roger hooked into a random invincible sea monster that took him into a rock and set up camp. As to what he had, I don't know, but my prime suspect is the 15+ lb Gag Grouper caught and released in the area recently.

The wind was picking up as we made our way back to the ramp, perfect timing.(By 1300 the SSE wind had grown to a steady 20mph) Thanks again for a great day guys. I hope to see you back next time you're in town.

I'm Here, I'm Here

2009-02-24T10:05:00.006-06:00

So, it's been quite some time since I've sat down to do this. This has been one long, cold winter. A winter best spent with the most important people... the family; and mine has kept me busy.

My son finally had his reconstructive ear surgery in early December. He had a hole in his eardrum resulting from numerous inner ear infections when he was a toddler. Our surgeon, Dr. Todd, put a skin graft over the hole during the 4 hour long ordeal. I'm thrilled to report that the surgery was succesful and my son is doing really well. The poor guy hasn't been allowed to get in a swimming pool, play in the sprinklers, or even take a bath longer than a few minutes. Any water intrusion in that ear would postpone the surgery... again. Thankfully, now this summer is shaping up to be a normal one! Swimming lessons, sprinklers, hosing him down while we wash mom's car...it's gonna be awesome!!!

If you're having ear, nose, or throat problems call Dr. Donald Todd at Sacred Heart Hospital. The guy is the best around and really takes his time with each patient- rare in today's world!

Then, on January 12, 2009 my niece, Aubrey Margaret Seeman, was born. Aubrey was diagnosed with Trisomy-18, also known as Edwards Syndrome, during my sister's second trimester. Unlike Down syndrome, which also is caused by a chromosomal defect, the developmental issues caused by Trisomy 18 are associated with medical complications that are more potentially life-threatening in the early months and years of life. 50% of babies who are carried to term will be stillborn. 1 of 3000 pregnancies are affected.

We felt blessed to have Aubrey with us for 2 days. She returned to her heavenly home on January 14. We got to sing Happy Birthday to her twice. Here is a link to Aubrey's Legacy page at the Trisomy-18 Foundation.
If you've never heard of Edwards (I hadn't until my sister told me) good for you. If you have first hand experience, I'm sorry. If you'd like more info here's a link to the Trisomy-18 Foundation.

My wife's photography business is doing well and I've been doing all I can to support her. Check out her newest work at www.gypsyisle.com/blog. Not only does spring start the fishing season, it's also wedding season, so we're both starting to get busy.

In fishing related news, I was recently invited on a Peacock Bass fishing trip to Panama (the country- not the city!)... That'll burn up a week in early April... I'm so excited! Three days of non-stop fishing with Randy, one of my high school friends, and a beautiful house right on Lake Gatun... SWEET!!! This has been a dream of mine for a long time. And my wonderful wife is even going to let me borrow some top-notch gear, so hopefully I'll bring back some award-wining pictures (aka eye-candy) to throw up on my blog.

The local Tournament season kicks off March 21 with the Grassflats Classic in Destin and the Outcast Inshore Slam and IFA events to follow. The weather's warming up, gas prices are down, time to get up from in front of your computer and GO FISH!!!

Capt. Josh

14 Nov 2008

2008-11-14T17:24:00.004-06:00

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

2008-11-09T20:32:00.001-06:00

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

2008-11-03T23:23:00.003-06:00

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

2008-10-27T17:22:00.004-05:00

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

2008-10-13T21:30:00.002-05:00

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

2008-10-13T21:29:00.004-05:00

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

2008-10-06T18:37:00.007-05:00

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

2008-10-06T17:42:00.002-05:00

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

2008-09-15T17:29:00.015-05:00

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

2008-08-03T16:07:00.009-05:00

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

2008-07-20T21:46:00.005-05:00

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.

2008-07-20T21:01:00.005-05:00

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.

2008-07-20T20:59:00.006-05:00

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

2008-07-14T07:50:00.002-05:00

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

2008-07-14T07:46:00.004-05:00

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

2008-07-09T00:12:00.004-05:00

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

2008-07-08T15:14:00.005-05:00

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

2008-07-01T08:10:00.005-05:00

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

2008-06-16T09:52:00.005-05:00

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

2008-06-16T09:51:00.006-05:00

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

2008-06-07T16:53:00.006-05:00

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

2008-06-01T20:47:00.002-05:00

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

2008-05-31T16:54:00.005-05:00

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.

23-24 May 2008 "The Memorial Weekend Marathon"

2008-05-25T23:57:00.009-05:00

David, Stephanie, Steve, and Jan met me at Shoreline Park at 1400 for an afternoon trip in celebration of Steve's birthday. We wanted to get Steve hooked up with a big Redfish, so we headed for the Pass. We were immediately rewarded with bent rods!

The Catfish weren't holding anything back. They were devouring everything we put down. Not what we were looking for, but I think these guys would have had a great time regardless of the species. We boated probably close to a dozen Catfish before moving on in search of redder pastures. Steve didn't know it yet but the sun was about to shine down on him.

David started us off with a nice, if little, Scamp. Then he followed it up with a 12" Gag Grouper...and the clouds parted from over Steve's head. He hooks up big, and catches his first Flounder of the day.

Dinner is served!
A few minutes later Steve connects with another, bigger Flounder. David answers with a small Red Grouper. That gives Dave the three most common Grouper species we catch; Scamp, Gag, and Red Grouper. Again, Steve finds an even bigger Flounder, his best of the trip.

A few Catfish come across our baits among the Flounders and Groupers, keeping everything lively. Somewhere in between all this, the beer cooler ran empty, and the bladders got topped off. The ladies gave me this kinda coy look and asked exactly how far away a "civilized" bathroom was. I reassured them it wasn't far and began heading that way. When everyone was finished using "real" potties, we ended the trip tossing jigs at a couple of docks. Then returned to the ramp, cleaned fish and said our good-byes.

Thanks again David, Stephanie, Steve, and Jan, I had a really good time.

I went home, tidied the boat and waited for Shawn to get home. She had a wedding to photograph this afternoon, and got home just after I finished. It was around 2100 when I arbitrarily mention that I ought to go flip some shrimp under the dock lights and catch some Speckled Trout.

She looks at me and says, "If you want to go right now, I'll go."

Now honestly, how many wives do you know that would say that? Man, my wife kicks ass! Of course, I totally agree, and reload all the stuff I'd just taken out of the boat. By 2200 we're nearing the ramp, ready to go.

We hit probably 6 docks before we found one with fish that wanted to cooperate. We saw fish at nearly every dock, but many of them had seen at least one other fisherman already tonight, if not more. We each caught a couple fish before the wind forced us to move on. A few more docks and we stumble upon an awesome Trout bite. We stayed right there for what turned out to be a LOT longer than it felt. I guess time really does fly when you're catching Trout.

All told, we boated close to 2 dozen Speckled Trout, all of them at least 18" and included 4 over 20", and 5-6 Ladyfish. We released everything we caught. When it dawned on me to look at the clock it was 0200. I was supposed to meet Capt. D.P. at 0530 at Navy Point to go throw top-waters for the early morning Trout bite. Looks like sleep isn't on tonight's menu!

After pulling the boat and getting back to the house I saw that the clock had crept to nearly 0245. Shawn went inside and crashed, worn out from following a bride around for 8 hours, then catching Trout 'til her arms were exhausted. In my nocturnal mind washing the boat was the obvious conclusion to going fishing, so I began at 0300.

I cannot believe, looking back, that I did this!

I finished up 30 min. or so later and, in the bright 0330 light of the street lamp, the boat shone beautifully... I'm not willing to admit what it looked like the next afternoon.

I spent the next little while rigging for the next mornings outing. Capt DP was having problems with his trolling motor, so I needed to pull mine off to take with us. I took a shower, changed my clothes, and hopped in the truck. Continuing my escapade, I rolled the boat to the pump and refueled. The traffic was amazingly light and the bill was not so amazingly heavy at $3.82/gal. As I was pulling away from the pump, the brightest light I've ever seen, blinded me for a few seconds.

When my vision returned I saw It was coming from the sign in front of the Waffle House! Shining like a beacon in the pre-dawn hours, it was so enticing that my willpower shut down, I gave into an All-Star Special. I must say... it was excellent! I stopped back by the house to drop off the boat and couldn't keep myself from calling DP, even though it was 0500. He didn't answer. Didn't answer when I called 2 min. later either.

0505 my phone rings, DP, he's on his way to the ramp. I told him I'd see him there, and he better hurry, the sun wasn't going to stop rising just for us! 0530 and I'm back underway, for the third time, 15.5 hours after it started.

My insomnia was rewarded on my very first cast. This nice Trout nailed my Rapala Skitterwalk (Baby Trout pattern).

Dusty commented that I just successfully did the first cast jinx, nice job. I laugh it off and continue casting, and casting, and casting. We moved twice, and got a few big blow ups, before I broke the streak with a smaller fish. We saw a few more nice fish moving across the flat, but couldn't get another one to commit to our baits. 1015 and it's a unanimous decision to head back to the dock.

Captain Dusty dropped me off at my truck. I was ready to get home, in bed anyway. Luckily, when I got there, Shawn was up and getting ready to take the kids shopping for a few hours. I told you she was awesome! I slept most of the afternoon away, but it was worth it!

18 or so hours of fishing/cleaning/fishing/cleaning/fueling/eating/fishing:
-Caught well over 20 nice Trout, a couple nice Flounder, some Ladyfish, Groupers, and a few Pinfish.
-I got to meet 4 great people, ones I'm really looking forward to fishing with again.
-I spent some great quality time with my wife, something we don't get as much time to do anymore. Teaching her a new technique, and watching her be successful. I'm one of a fortunate few to have a wife that enjoys fishing with me.
-And I got to fish with one of my favorite partners on a gorgeous May morning.

What a horrible life I lead.

Thanks to everyone for participating in my little marathon, it's not something I'll soon forget...or probably repeat.

22 May 2008

2008-05-23T20:56:00.002-05:00

I picked Cam up early and took him to try to catch some croakers. We launched at Navy Point and ran around to our fishin' hole, anchored up and baited our hooks. We caught a Pinfish, a Pigfish, and a Croaker. Then Cam yells "Daddy, I got one!" I looked over and saw his 10lb outfit straining with the fish. He pulled up 2 nice White Trout. Thats about the time the bait fishing stopped. I caught a Ladyfish next, then another. We hooked a few more White Trout and Ladyfish, we couldn't get through them down to the baits we wanted.

The sky was getting dark with clouds. It looked like the rain was coming. We'd had a blast sharing sodas and fishing time, and both of us were getting a little hungry. We decided to head for home, and a hot meal.

I need to do stuff like this more often...you can't take a kid fishing too much.

17 May 2008 Outcast Inshore Slam Tournament

2008-05-19T00:00:00.002-05:00

That annoying alarm blared at 0400. Reluctantly, I got up. We were meeting at Day Break Marina at 0500 and if I closed my eyes again I'd likely sleep 'til noon. Everything had been readied the night before, all that was left was to load the rods into the boat and grab the bait. By 0530 we were ready and waiting for the 0600 shotgun start.

As soon as the tournament committee let us go we were racing to our first spot, looking for a Speckled Trout. We fished hard, moved around a few times, and Tim finally connected with our only Trout of the day. He ended up tipping the scales at 3.25 lbs. Another 15-20 min. passed trying to catch a bigger one; I finally hooked up with a nice, if unexpected, Flounder. That's 2/3 of our slam! He wasn't a big fish, but it WAS a Flounder. Immediately we picked up, we HAD to find a redfish.

The Redfishing was slow, but within an hour we'd caught eight, all oversize by 1.5"-11". Our biggest fish was 38.5 inches. I was the lucky one on the Redfish hole and boated a fish that was a hair under 27", perfect. A 7 lb Red to go with a 3.25lb trout and a 1 lb Flounder, that's 11+ lbs. We've got a shot winning this thing!

A bigger Flounder would be the clutch fish. The mission had come down to this. We moved around, caught a few fish at one spot, improving with each fish in the net. The bite slowed. We moved again and kept right on catching; Captain DP put 7 fish in the boat with 8 casts. Our final Flounder, which we estimated at 2.5+lbs, hit the ice and DP put the throttle on the dash.

We're in the 12lb range now and felt we had a better chance of improving our Trout. We went back to doing what we started the day with. The bigger Trout never showed. As the clock neared 1730 it was time for us to pack it in and head for the scales. We felt pretty good about our chances, but we knew Tim's brother had a few nice fish of his own.

When our fish got weighed we were in the lead with a 12.5lb aggregate, including a (then first place) 6.9lb Redfish, a 3.25lb Trout, and a 2.35lb Flounder. As the evening progressed we got bumped by Capt. Chad Pruitt and crew, with 13.65lbs, and again by Tim's brother, Chris, whose crew won with 14.6lbs. We finished in third for the aggregate and second in the Redfish division. Whoo hoo! What a day of fishing!

Thanks to our sponsor, Georges Marine Electronics, and to Outcast, Blazer Boats, Day Break Marina, and all the other sponsors for putting on a great event.

16 May 2008

2008-05-18T23:59:00.003-05:00

T Land, Captain DP, and I met at the ramp at 0600 to do some prefishing and bait catching. We knew there was some bad weather on the way, so we were going to launch, prefish/catch bait, trailer the boat and sit out the rain, then relaunch at another location to catch a different variety of bait.

That's pretty much what we did, with the exception that we never made it back to the truck before the monsoon came. We got caught in driving rain, less than 100 yds of visability, with winds in the neighborhood of 50 kts and lightning popping all around us. It was hairy there for a few minutes, but Captain DP got us through the worst of it. He had his boat handling skills put to the test in these conditions, and passed with ease.

Once the rain slowed a bit we got back to the bait catching. T Land and I threw our nets over and over, successful on most of our attempts, and made relatively short work of the job. All in all we had 7 dozen Bull Minnows, 8 dozen Finger Mullet, and a few dozen Pinfish when we made it back to the ramp... soaking wet, and laughing about it. We made our move and found 2 dozen nice Croakers to round out our bait tank.

The afternoon was wearing on, and with the Captain's Meeting at 1830, we elected to head in so there would be time to clean up before we needed to be at Day Break Marina. The Captain's Meeting was nice, most of the local teams from last weekend's IFA event were there, and the food was excellent. We are all looking forward to putting these baits to good use tomorrow.

10 May 2008 IFA Panama City

2008-05-14T15:30:00.009-05:00

I apologize for the delay in the report, I've been worn out from this past week.

On Monday May 5th my grandmother Mary W. Pinney passed away at the age of 89. I sure am going to miss her.

The funeral was scheduled for Friday at 1300. Capt. DP and I were supposed to leave for Panama City (PC) early on Friday morning to pre-fish for Saturdays tournament. Obviously I wasn't going to make that. So DP came by my house at 0330 friday and picked up the Pier Pressure headed for PC. We decided he'd take the boat and fish Friday and I'd meet him as soon as I could.

I made good time after the service and arrived in PC around 1800. DP had found some fish and things looked good for us. The captain's meeting went well and we all headed back to the condo. We were sharing a condo with like 4 or 5 other teams and had an absolute blast! The fishing stories lasted way too far into the night and it finally got quiet enough to go to sleep sometime after midnight.

Tournament day dawned early, I know because I was up, waiting for it. We'd drawn numbers for departing order the night before, wouldn't you know it, we were set to leave dead last. Our run was considerably shorter than most teams and we were fishing long before many of them were halfway to their destinations. DP and I stayed at our first stop for the majority of the day. The fishing was great, especially for non-target species. We caught baby Groupers, Snappers, Bluefish, Blue Runners and a Flounder. Four Redfish also made their way into our boat along with the rest of the fishies. Three of them were oversize 27.5", 28", and 28.5". The other fish, however, was the tournament fish everyone wishes for, about 1/16-1/32 of an inch under 27. We were ecstatic, after measuring it three times the fish went into the well, high fives and all. Our fish was floating upside down in the well due to the air in its air bladder, it wouldn't have survived 6 hours in the well like that, so I vented the fish and he was happy as a lark for the rest of the day. Our good friends at the FWC showed up about an hour later to say good morning, asked us about the tournament, took a look at our fish, told us good luck, and went on about their business.

The day was wearing on and our second fish hadn't shown up, so we moved to another spot DP had found the day before. No luck. Another spot. No luck. Another spot, where we SAW a Redfish. Again, no luck. The spot we started the day at was the closest to the dock so we decided to close out the day like it began. Not long after re-arrival, just before the clock ran out, my rod bent and the reel sang a beautiful little tune. A grin split my face wide open. There he is!!!. Then my line began racing for the surface, and erupted from the water, attatched to a Manta Ray. I actually got it to the boat and removed the hook for the release. Only a few grains of sand remained in our tournament hourglass, we HAD to get to the check-in, NOW.

We pulled up with less than a minute to spare, grabbed our fish out of the well, and headed for the measuring board. Most of the guys we stayed with were standing around the board. As our fish came out of the bag they all smiled, telling us what a nice fish it was. The official measuring guy (bump-man) laid it on the board, flipped the fish over, flipped it again then gave me this real sorrowful look and says "I'm real sorry but, he's over."...WHAT?!?!?!? you're @#^^%$#@ kidding me!!! Capt Matt was standing there and noted that that was the closest fish he's seen in a competition. I looked for myself and sure enough, by literally a hair, the fish WAS over.

This was a case of a fish "relaxing" in the livewell. A fish just caught will be shorter than after he's been in the well for a while and calms down. Of course this minute amount isn't usually a problem; a fish doesn't get a chance to relax in the cooler. But if you're in a tournament, trying to squeeze out every bit of length possible, it's the difference between the "big fish" of the tourney and being DQ'd.

It was disappointing, sure, but what could we do? Captain DP and I chalked it up to rookie mistakes, one's we'll never make again. We'll be back again in Navarre, PC is already behind us, and we're looking forward to the rest of our tournament season.

Thanks for stopping by,

Capt. Josh

03 May 2008

2008-05-03T21:58:00.004-05:00

I haven't seen Stuart and Larry in a couple of years. Stuart's been living in Europe, making these trips harder to schedule. Luckily, his daughter is graduating from the University of Alabama, and it provided him just enough time to get some fishing in with Larry while he's back.

We were in the water and underway from Galvez by 0630. Bad weather was on its way so our first stop was as close as possible to the ramp. The tide was nearly still but we managed to coax a few fish into cooperating. Larry was the first to strike with a trophy sized Pinfish, which he followed up with another, even bigger Pinfish. Working our way UP the food chain, next came the Bluefish. We boated a few Blues and a couple more Pinfish, lost nearly every bait we sent to the bottom, and checked the weather again. It seemed our weather window was going to remain open until around 1000 and we elected to make the run to the Pass.

Larry joked about a "trash can slam" so I told them we'd go try to catch some catfish, for a nice addition. It didn't take us but a minute to accomplish our goal. Catfish began pouring over the rail; we laughed and laughed. Moving around rewarded us with a nice 3lb Flounder, our best fish of the day. Other catches included a small Scamp, and a Blue Runner. The wind started to pick up, the front was closing in, fast. Heading toward the ramp was the wise decision and, ultimately, the one we made.

We hit a few docks on in Big Lagoon with limited success...meaning we caught more Pinfish and missed a few decent bites. Another look at the radar sent us running for the ramp, we only had minutes to spare. Just as I hooked the boat to the trailer, the first clap of thunder sounded. The guys didn't want the Flounder so we weren't forced to stand in the ever increasing rain any longer than to make our salutations, and joke about how much more time would pass before we could go again.

Thanks again Stuart and Larry, I had a great time as usual.

27 Apr 2008

2008-04-29T12:28:00.007-05:00

I met Lee at Shoreline park for a few hours of fishing. I was a few minutes late, I just couldn't pry myself from the bed after the last few days. My first stop was a dock that I'd heard was holding a few reds. As we approched we noticed another boat was already working the pier. We slid over to the next dock an pitched a few shrimp with no results.

The other boat was having trouble with the wind. They didn't have a trolling motor and were both trying to fish at the same time, all the while the wind was pushing them into the dock. Thay'd get blown in, start their engine, and back out, only to get blown in again. We watched them boat two nice slot fish. I told Lee we needed to get in there before all the fish got spooked. I eased over so we could pitch over there as well and gave the guys some friendly advice. If only one person fished at a time, while the other kept the boat away from the pier. Our same baits got thrown in there a few times without losing as much as a leg. We decided we'd come back later, after the fish had a chance to rest.

We drifted a nearby grass flat and caught a white trout and a small grouper. Peeled over to another pier where the mangrove snapper were hungry. A few snappers and a small grouper later we picked up and ran to the Pass, in search of the bull red that Lee was after. In the Pass I see my good friend Capt Lance Powers, I give him a call for a report. He proceeds to tell me about the abundance of catfish today. Catfish...yeah!!! Well catfish it's gonna be.

We caught small snappers and groupers, not a catfish...or a redfish in sight. I made it my top priority to find a catfish! It took me a few drifts to do it but we finally caught one. Then it happened... Lees rod took a turn towards the bottom and the drag started pouring line off the spool. Oh yeah, that's him. Lees grin split wide open, this is what he was after.

The fish put up a good fight, but Lee wore him down and I lipped him with the Boga.

Our friend the wind awoke from it's short nap, on the wrong side of the bed. The bay was starting to turn white We made another drift and hooked another fish that got us in the rocks and missed a couple more. The wind continued to increase so we headed back towards our original dock and the ramp. Relocated back to a now deserted pier, we had no problems fishing it at will. Empty hook after empty hook kept returning to the boat and both the bait supply and the time were running out. Lee had put his rod away when I hooked up. A 20" Redfish was my reward. Lee picked his rod back up and we finished giving away the rest of our bait. We couldn't get another hook to find strike home.

We were back I the ramp a little after 1100. Having released all of our fish, the clean up was quick. Lee and I parted ways; me headed home for a nap and Lee trailering his boat to central Florida for more fishing.

Thanks again, Lee, I had a great time. And yes, next time we'll take your boat.

26 Apr 2008 Fishin' Chix Orange Beach

2008-04-29T12:24:00.005-05:00

The alarm sounded way too early this morning. I'd set it for a little after 0300 figuring on fighting with the snooze at least a few times. It went off and I woke up, no laying back down after hitting that blessed snooze button, oh no, not today. The boat was pretty well ready to go, just put the rods in and leave. I got a big head start on everyone else. The morning drive to the ramp wasn't that long yesterday, at 0600, no one was on the road at 0400. What would have been close to an hour drive lasted about 40 min. I was in the water (avoiding the rocks this time) and sitting at Lulu's by 0515, boy was it quiet! The rest of the guides arrived within the next 30 min or so and we all began loading our anglers on board. Two of my ladies were running a little behind ( I think their make-up took a little longer than expected...you MUST look your best while you fish! Didn't your mother tell you that?); it was 0615 when we got underway.

Yesterday's fishing in Mobile Bay, for me, wasn't enough to get me to go back today; especially given the wind and what the run back across the bay would be like. I turned the boat east and headed for home turf. Our first stop was an open grass flat, known to hold most of the seven eligible target species. The flat was barren, we didn't see anything more than pinfish, and only a few of those at that. I figured I'd go to the easternmost reaches of today's territory and work my way back towards the weigh in. To the Pass!

Once we got to the pass and began fishing the phone started ringing. most everyone had made it to their first stop and we were all reporting to each other what was going on. The general consensus was...NOTHING. From Fort Morgan to Garcon Point very few people had found fish, and fewer had found legal, eligible fish. We were putting a hurting on the catfish in the pass. The ladies were having a blast just having Mimosas and a bent rod. A few drifts and a bunch of catfish was all it took to get me to move again. Our best opportunity of the day was presented shortly after our arrival; in the form of a Flounder around 3 lbs, that came off the hook before we could get him close enough to net. We pummeled the area with baited hooks for a while, hoping for a second chance that didn't happen.

Our next move was to the Barrs bridge for a flounder or maybe a redfish. We got located and the catching began. A Pinfish and a few small mangrove snappers fell for our shrimp. Margaret lost bait after bait to an unknown thief; somewhere around the 10th bait, she connected! It turned out to be our best fish of the day, a nice Sheepshead. Unfortunately not a target species, but that didn't matter to Margaret, she was all smiles. Rhonda had mentioned the pier at her home in Bear Point held some nice trout, so we made that our next stop.

The ladies wanted to use the restroom. We tied to the dock, they headed for the house, and found it locked. Some miscommunication led to locked doors with the keys still inside. It took them 15 min and a few neighbors to get in. Everyone did their business and without so much as a bite we made our way to Perdido Pass to finish out our time. Perdido pass was as productive as everywhere else we'd been. As our clock wound down we made our way back to Lulu's.

Back at the weigh in the ladyfish division was completely empty. Since we didn't have any target fish to weigh the ladies decided they'd wrap our Sheepshead in a pink feather boa, and tried to pass it off as a ladyfish. Although it got a lot of laughs, they still refused to give us credit for a ladyfish!

All in all a great event. We raised some money for Hospice, I met some wonderful people, and we had a lot of fun, which is what it's about anyway. Thanks again to my crew for making it such a memorable day and thanks to Claudia, Capt Wes, Elise, Natalie, and all those involved for all the work you do to make this happen.

I hope to see more of you at the Pensacola tournament in June! Come out and support these ladies and their cause.

25 Apr 2008

2008-04-29T12:21:00.002-05:00

It was the end of Dad's week off; he'd been Cobia fishing two days, Bream fishing in Alabama one day, and hadn't made the slightest dent in his honey-do list. So I, being the good son I try to be, talked him into playing hookie for just one more day to help me scout for the following days Fishin' Chix Tournament. He not so reluctantly agreed, but said he couldn't be too late, that list was piling up! We decided to drive seperate vehicles so I could drop him off and continue fishing.

I got to my parents house around 0655, went in, made my good-mornings, and told Dad I was going to stop at Gray's B&T for some live shrimp and I'd meet him there. The drive to Gulf Shores wasn't too bad that early, and we were at the ramp and in the water by 0700. As I was trying to tie up the boat, I found, the hard way of course, that there were sporadic rocks on the bottom near the pier. Oh well, nothing that Accu-Prop can't fix.

Our first stop was a point in Bon Secour, We made one drift, got one blow up, and decided we need to go fish the bay before the wind started blowing any harder. By this time it was SE @ 15kts. There was an oyster reef a few miles from where we were, so we headed for that. Again, one drift and the wind increases to 20+kts. The SE shore is looking better and better, nice and calm; we shoot over there. Again, one drift, but this time the trolling motor wires get caught on the mount and get pulled out of the plug. Great! Perfect!... I get out the tools, and in about 5 min have us back up and running.

The wind hasn't let up, by now we're only a quick run to the Shellbank Reef. Off we go again! Persistence pays and we found three nice trout out on the reef, wind or not! Then my phone rings... Claudia, head Fishin' Chik, is having an interview with FOX News, and was hoping to have a boat and tackle to use for the shoot. I wasn't far away and the honey-do's were looming so we decided to call it a morning and started cruising in.

At the mouth of the ICW into Mobile Bay there's a place called Sailboat Bay. It's a nice little canal with lots of boat slips, neither Dad nor I could resist at least a fast run through there pitching shrimp. It took us maybe 15 min to cover 70% of the canal. We caught one small Speck and a Croaker: Dad did have one good hit that broke his line.

I dropped Dad off at the ramp, met Claudia, and waited for the camera crew to arrive. I had a good lunch at Lulu's and after the better part of an hour waiting, I left Clauida with a couple of rods and reels for props and began the journey home for a nap; tomorrow morning would come EARLY!

20 Apr 2008

2008-04-21T08:46:00.010-05:00

Nick Taylor is a World Champion tennis player, he plays from a wheel chair. Check out this video of him...unbelievable!!!

Nick contacted me earlier in the week for a trip today. He is in town for a tennis tournament and didn't want to miss an opportunity for some saltwater action. Nick, his dad, Bill, and I met at Galvez at 1500; after a small production to get Nick comfortably into the boat, we were off.

We headed for the pass in hopes of finding a Redfish and maybe some Sheepshead. Upon arriving we found ourselves in a ripping current and blowing wind. These conditions aren't exactly perfect for what we were trying to do. The leads just would not hit bottom for more than a second or two before the current would whisk them away. This was not going to work.

Plan B: We'll troll the inside beach for the Spanish and Bluefish that Capt Wes has been catching. A couple of jigs and a lipped plug are deployed and the trolling begins.

A half hour or so creeped by without a bite. I kept a constant eye on the tide, waiting for it to subside enough to go back and fish the Pass. We finished our trolling run down Pickens beach, no fish to show for it. The tide had slowed a bit so we headed back to the Pass, intent on finishing our afternoon trying for big fish, no matter the outcome.

Plan A, take 2: Once we relocated (again) back to our original location we found slightly better conditions. The current had slowed just enough for us to have a shot at some action. With a little extra boat handling and a fair bit of luck, we succeeded. The catfish couldn't stand it anymore and began biting. We caught a few kitty cats, then Nicks rod took a turn towards the bottom. Watching him fight that fish was awesome. I know it wasn't easy, but he hung on, grunting and groaning, and boated our first Sheepshead of the day!

We kept plugging away at it and pulled another Sheepie and a few more catfish then decided to polish out our time seeking a redfish. We drifted a few times over my favorite redfish spot and came up empty each drift. I had just enough time to check another of my better spots. Within minutes of starting our last drift Bills rod started singing. The battle lasted for 15 minutes, the tide taking us well out the Pass, when the fish finally gave up we were rewarded with this LARGE specimen of a redfish.

Tipping the Boga-Grip at 26 lbs, that is one impressive fish.

A couple of pictures and a quick release later we packed it up and headed for the ramp. Back at the ramp we found it much more difficult to get Nick out of the boat. I called my dad who, along with my uncle, helped me get him back properly in his chair.

Thanks again Nick and Bill for a great afternoon!

Side Note: Just because you're not able to do everything doesn't mean you can't fish!

13 Apr 2008

2008-04-13T19:55:00.007-05:00

Met Mark, Sarah, Kilian, Jay, and Brianna at Shoreline Park at 0700. The morning was beautiful as we made the run across the bay. Once to the Pass, the poking around began. I searched high and low and finally got a mark of fish to drop down on. I made the first drop, showing everyone how to use the tackle, and immediately hooked up. It turned out to be a catfish, but one drop one fish...that's a good start!

We continued this pattern of looking around, finding a mark of fish, and dropping to them. The bite was tough, but with diligence, hard work, ...and a lot of driving around, we put together a nice mess of fish. Ten or so Sheepshead fell victim to our offerings, we kept 7 to eat. Three Redfish also responded in course, along with half a dozen Catfish. Here are some highlights of todays catching.

Brianna Stood up on the bow, all quiet, and every time I looked up she was hooked up!

Here's a Family portrait!

A great time was had by all. Jay had a flight home to catch, and Kilian was ready for a nap (so was I); so we returned to Shoreline just after 1100, cleaned our fish, and said our good-byes.

Thanks again Mark, Sarah, Jay, Brianna, and Kilian for a great morning. I look forward to seeing you all again.

11 Apr 2008

2008-04-12T16:13:00.005-05:00

Today's trip included Maxwell, Belinda, Winston, Jack, and Luke. We left Galvez @ 0715 headed to find the Sheepshead. Upon arriving to the Pass we're greeted with a sparse mark on the bottom machine, so I begin searching around for the best concentration of fish. Everywhere I looked, the same absymal sounding returned. I found the best mark I could and we fired away at them; and they answered back.

First one catfish comes over the side, then another, then another. Well, not exactly what I was looking for. I reposition a few more times with nearly the same results each time. Then, as my hopes of a nice Sheepie are almost dashed, Winston connects with a fish that begins to take line; and continues taking it. A few minutes pass before I'm sure it's not a Sheepshead on the other end. Winston is rewarded for his efforts with our catch of the day, a 17lb Redfish.

The Pass was a little choppy, and after rolling around in it for a while, Luke began not feeling well. We picked up and ran into the lagoon to try our hand at flipping shrimp around some docks. The usual suspects, Trout and Reds, were few and far between. A couple of baits got quickly wrapped around pilings and the Pinfish made quick work of nearly every shrimp we threw. A nice little Gag Grouper did make it to the boat, and we let Luke finish out the day catching those wiley little Pinfish!

The fishing was tough, but we had a great time sharing the morning and watching the kids catch fish, be it Catfish, Redfish, Grouper, or Pinfish.

Thanks again to all of you for making the morning so enjoyable.

04 Apr 2008

2008-04-05T13:07:00.000-05:00

Capt Wes and I met our group of 11 at Gray's B&T at 0600. Captains Dusty Powers and Steve Jones were standing-by at the ramps for us. We had decided to split the group into two, 6 came with me to meet Capt. D.P. at Galvez. The other 5 went with Capt. Wes to meet Capt. Steve at Herron Bayou.

Capt D.P. and I split our 6 and headed for the pass for the Sheepshead bite.

I had Rob, Steve, and "W" (or Dub) on board, these guys were experienced, and , with the exception of Rob (who was having a tough time keeping the fish on the hook), we began catching fish immediately. Actually Dub and Steve started us off with a double hook-up! It was soon apparent that they were hung together, then we realized they had found the greediest Sheepie around...take a look.

Here's Steve and Dub with their shared first fish of the day!

We POUNDED the Sheepies for the next, oh, 5 dozen baits. It took him a little while to get it right, but Rob connected right along with everyone else.

As the livewell got less "live", I began pinching the shrimp into multiple pieces to keep the catching going. When their comming up four at a time, it's hard not to go through bait in a hurry.

I had to take the picture, so you can't see my fish on the deck! It wasn't just Sheepshead, we also caught 2 Scamp, 3 Sand Perch, a Pigfish, and a handful of Catfish.

Our baits stretched until the time finally caught us and we settled in for the quick run back to the ramp. D.P. and I cleaned up the few fish that were kept for dinner, and sent the guys to go trade war stories with the rest of the group.

Thanks again Rob, Steve, and Dub, that was a blast!

29 Mar 2008

2008-03-30T14:52:00.000-05:00

Fished with Capt D.P. this morning for a little fun fishing. We Trout fished first thing. Had a few awesome blow-ups, missed a few and pulled the hooks on one really nice fish...oh well, no pressure today! They were short striking, when they'd do more than just follow behind it, but watching those fish follow and push the bait out of the water was enough for us (we eat that stuff up). We made a run across the bay, in the fog, and pulled up to another of our favorite Trout flats. 30-40 casts later without a bite we notice a bunch of commotion in the deeper water.

A school of nice Spanish was tearing up the rain minnows. We must of watched this go on for 2 or 3 minutes, until we just couldn't stand it anymore and changed or attention from the Trout to the Mackerel. Having Spanish chase down a walking dog on top is one of the most exciting things to see. These fish were HOT. It only took me a few casts before my soft plastic bait was torn to shreds. We got a few fish close enough to have to handle them. The Spanish moved on, and so did we.

Ran to the Pass and Sheepshead fished for an hour or so. We went through 2 1/2 dozen baits, released a dozen fish or more Then headed back to the ramp...we both had to get home before sleeping on our couches was our only option.

Thanks again, D.P.

Oh and Timmy, if you read this, you really missed out on this one!

28 Mar 2008

2008-03-30T14:24:00.000-05:00

Chris, Kari, Cody, Claire and I left Galvez @ 0720. Todays quarry was again the Sheepshead; but the fish had other plans for us. We arrived at our first rock pile and we were greated by my first school of Spanish Mackerel of the year. Even though we were fishing mono leaders we still got two fish in the boat. Here's Kari showing her fish.

Not long after the Spanish departed Claire hooked into todays wierdest fish, the Porcupine Pufferfish.

We tried and tried to get a Sheepshead to bite. Capt Wes was next to us and managed to coax a few sheepies into his boat, it just didn't happen for us there. Cody found the answer to the failing sheepies, a big flounder. This fish was 4 lbs with the mouth of a fish twice that size! Congrats Cody, fish like that don't come around very often.

What a difference the camera angle can make!!!

We made a short run to the next "Sheepshead Hole", and didn't catch any there either! Instead Chris connected with this Redfish; I guess you can't complain about the Sheepies when you're finding fish like this.

A few small Groupers and a Pigfish found their way to our baits as well and it was time for another move. I slid us over to yet another bit of structure and finally we scored on our target species. Kari and Cody both landed nice fish to round out our morning.

Thanks again Chris, Kari, Cody, and Claire, you were great, I look forward to seeing you again next year.

22 Mar 2008

2008-03-23T23:39:00.000-05:00

The day started off bleak, I got stood up at the ramp. It's rare, but it happens. I went home on an awesome fishing day and commenced my domestic chores, not happy about it, but oh well, it's got to get done. Around 1300, I got a call from Adam, looking for an afternoon charter. I dropped the laundry like a bad habit and got my stuff together in time to realize my wife was gone and the kids were home! A quick call back to Adam to ask for a short extension until she got home. When she walked in the door, I almost knocked her over going out! Adam and his wife, Barby, met me at Shoreline at @ 1500, and off we went.

The bite was again very light, and the Sheepshead made fools of us. After nearly an hour of losing bait after bait and boating a small Grouper and a couple of Pigfish I decided that maybe we needed a different target species. We switched tactics and sought redder pastures. The bite didn't improve much, at first. Then Adams rod, loaded with 12lb, bent hard. The fish neared the surface and it was RED, too red! As the 5lb snapper cleared the rail, Adam exclaimed "Woohoo! We got dinner!". Me: "Well..."
Adam: "What's it not big enough?"
Me: "Oh he's plenty big..."
Adam: "So?"
Me: "'bout three weeks outta season"
Adam: "You're kidding!"
Me: "Wish I was."
We got a nice pic and sent the fish on his way.

Once Adam recovered from his broken heart we reset and it was Barby's turn. I wasn't sure at first if she was hung or not, then line just started pouring off the spool. Definitely NOT hung! Barby did a great job up against such a tough fish and 15 min later a huge redfish comes out from under the boat. Adam is floored and again announces "Great job hon, you got us dinner!"
Me: "Well..."
Adam: "What is it this time?"
Me: "You're really not going to like this"
Adam: "What?"
Me: "He's too big"
Adam: "What do you mean TOO BIG?"

I explained our slot regulations, took a couple of pics of Barby with her trophy Redfish, vented the fish and returned it to fight again another day.

The sun had faded beyond the horizon and we followed the stars home shortly after.

Thanks again Adam and Barby for turning my day around and sharing the sunset fun.

21 Mar 2008

2008-03-21T21:21:00.000-05:00

Dan and his son, Nathaniel, pulled into the parking lot at Gray's B&T at 0700; and pulled back out behind me at 0705, headed for Galvez Landing. The livewell was full of fiddlers and shrimp and we were bound for the Pass. As we approach the North Cut I notice three guys waving at me from the island, appearing in distress. I slid over to them and they asked if I could give them a ride back to Sherman Cove. Well I couldn't just leave them there, they had under estimated last nights cold, having only one sleeping bag between them, and were hungry. When I asked how they had gotten over there in the first place, they tell me they bummed a ride over! ...You did what? OoooK.I dropped them off and got a good laugh as we resumed our original plan.

We round the bend into the pass and are greeted by a constantly increasing East wind. The anchors set and the fishing begins, and empty hooks start coming back. The bites are sporadic and the hooks aren't hooking. So I pulled the anchor and repositioned, and did it again 15 min. later, and finally I get it right.

Nathaniel Puts a nice fish in the boat almost instantly. Then the bait losing started again. The bite continued to be constant but slow and extremely light. Over the course of a couple hours we managed to pour through 7-9 dozen assorted baits. We were repaid for our offerings with 5 more Sheepsheads, and this nice 7lb Black Drum, Dans best fish of the day. His other catches included a Porcupine Pufferfish.

Nathaniel was the show-off today, putting most of the fish in the well. I succeeded in getting rocked about 100,000 times and losing my only fish on the way up! After we had gone through all of our live baits and most of the dead stuff, we packed it in and made the run back to Galvez. We got the boat back on the trailer and pulled the fish out of the livewell. The guys admired their catch then Dan told me they only needed 2 Sheepies and the Drum for dinner and offered me the rest of the fish. I really appreciated him letting me have the other four to do with as I pleased, so I turned, to the surprise of on-lookers, and threw them back! Thanks Dan for showing sportsmanship and conservation!

15 Mar 2008

2008-03-16T18:14:00.000-05:00

Here's a great example of the accuracy of the weatherman. I've been talking with Quinn and Greg for the past week about a trip today, the weatherman was calling for a SW wind at 20-30kts, and we were worried we'd have to cancel. Well, once again the weatherman shows his true colors and we awoke to a southerly breeze at around 7kts, perfect (except for the fog). I can deal with a little fog much better than a wind SW @20-30.

Along with Greg and Quinn came Cameron and Tyler, 0730 and we're underway into the fog and in pursuit of fish. We made our way back to yesterdays rock pile armed with Fiddler Crabs and more Sand Fleas. The bite wasn't any faster than yesterday, but with patience we got a slow (but consistent) bite going.

Quinn scored with this slot Redfish.

Cameron quickly followed with a Black Drum.

Seven Sheepsheads also fell to our offerings along with another Black Drum. As the clock was winding down we decided to check on another of my favorite Sheepshead holes. Although there were loads of fish covering the rock pile, most weren't interested in feeding. We pulled one more nice fish before heading for the dock.

Thanks again guys for a great morning.

14 Mar 2008

2008-03-16T17:28:00.000-05:00

I met Capt Dusty Powers and his brother Capt Buddy Powers at Galvez landing @0800. The bad weather had finally passed, allowing us to pick up our crew for the day, a group of 12 guys here for a bachelor party. My crew consisted of Ryan (self professed non-fisherperson), Seth, Paul and Kenny. Once everyone was loaded and ready we headed for the Pass in search of bent rods. Sheepshead, Redfish, and Black Drum were the target species for the day.

The bite was extremely slow so we all split up to find a consistent bite. After an hour or so of moving spot to spot with a bite here, bite there and only a couple of Catfish to account for the dwindling bait supply, Capt Dusty found a decent bite that we all exploited. We got our three boats anchored near the rock pile and commenced pitching shrimp, talking smack, and catching fish. We all got a few Sheepies and Black Drum and the bite switched off as suddenly as it had switched on. Dusty and Buddy decided to once again go on the hunt for a bite.

My guys had discovered the beer in the cooler and were content to sit right there for a little while and enjoy a cold one, what a great choice that turned out to be. Half an hour had passed with very few lost baits when I opened my cooler and pulled out the few Sand Fleas I'd caught the day before. Immediately upon changing baits the bite turned back on! Ryan put this nice Pompano (one of two we caught) in the boat.

I placed calls to the other two captains, calling them back over. Before they could get back we'd loaded the livewell with 6 Sheepsheads, another Pompano and 4 Black Drum. Here's Seth and Kenny with two nice Drum, each tipping the scales at nearly 7lbs.

The cavalry arrived just in time to catch the end of this bite, a few more bent rods before the clock caught up with us. On the way back we all got stopped by the FWC who checked our fish and our paperwork and sent us on our way. We appreciate these guys being out here protecting our resources.

Once back at the dock we got all the guys together for a group shot, made our salutations, got an invite for a fried fish dinner and headed back to the ramp to finish our post-fishing chores.

Thanks again Ryan, Seth, Kenny, and Paul for a hilarious day on the water. And a special thanks to Jay for setting this whole thing up.

09 Mar 2008

2008-03-16T17:11:00.000-05:00

I met Capt Dusty Powers, Tim Land and Joe Z to hunt the elusive Speckled Trout. We launched the boat and headed for some canals to flip some live shrimp around the docks. The fishing was difficult due to the wind, but with a little patience and determination, we found what we were after.

Here's Timmy with a nice 17.5" fish.

We also found a few small Redfish and a couple of sting rays in the canals before deciding to move on. We made the run to The Pass to find Drum of any variety. It was immediate success. We caught half a dozen Redfish (4 in the slot) and one Black Drum to round out our day before heading back to the ramp. An awesome day to share with good friends. Thanks alot guys.

12 Dec 2007

2007-12-13T16:41:00.000-06:00

My good friend Chirs is in town from Tennessee and we decided to spend a few hours bending rods while he's here. It took us some time to finally sync our schedules and find the time to go, but we did it. We left out of 17th street at 1600 and fished until around 1815. The Three Mile Bridge is currently LOADED with nice White Trout and we capitalized on it. During the beautiful sunset we caught around 30 fish and had a great time telling each other stories of the times since we last saw each other.

11 Dec 2007

2007-12-13T16:40:00.002-06:00

I called my sister to see if she wanted to fish this afternoon, and she jumped at the opportunity. We caught 4 reds, 3 slot fish and one just over. Not bad for the whopping hour and a half we fished(from dock to dock). This was Kappie's best fish.

09 Dec 2007

2007-12-13T16:40:00.001-06:00

My wife, son and I headed out for a morning of family fishing this morning. We were on the search for redfish ...and we found them! A great time was had by all. Here are some of our highlights.

17 Nov 2007

2007-11-17T22:33:00.000-06:00

Well my regulars Ben and Jim are back again for another, laugh a minute, fishing trip. 0630 at Galvez and we're off to catch some white trout. Once on location the catching began. We were looking for smaller fish to use for bait, and finding them.

A dozen trout in the well and a few more for the frying pan into the day and my phone rings. It's my friend Mike, who tells me about a school of reds moving down the beach, just a short run away. We quickly pick up and haul over there just in time to get set up on the school, they were moving FAST. With seconds to go before the school over-took us we fired or lures into them. Ben immediately hooks up, then as quickly as they came, they were gone. Ben's fish makes a blistering run while Jim and I are dumbfounded that we only hooked one fish out of a school of 50 or better. As we loudly voice our opinion of the situation, Ben's line goes slack! All of those fish, swimming away, and three fishermen standing there in awe at the run of misfortune.

We decide to head for the Pass, trying to chase down the good luck. Thankfully we found bucket-fulls of luck in the Pass. The first drop of our first drift turned into a double hook-up for both Ben and Jim.

This is the standard expression on every trip with these guys!!!

Nearly every subsequent drift produced fish of one description or another. We even completed a triple (2 reds and a Drum; wish I could have been in the picture). Our live-well of shrimp went dry and the Reds continued to eat the small, live, White Trout we had to offer.

We caught a total of 9 Redfish (2 in the slot), 2 Black Drum, a couple of catfish and a small School Master Snapper.

Thanks Ben and Jim, I'll see you guys at New Years.

16 Nov 2007

2007-11-17T22:22:00.000-06:00

I met Mr. Beck, his daughter, Donna, and her boyfriend, Mike at 1600 for a sunset/ early evening trip. It was straight for the Pass to find the redfish.

We started drifting and within 10 minutes Donna was hooked up. She was so excited; and so was her Dad.

I know seeing the look on her face was the whole reason he wanted to take her.

The rest of our drifts were unproductive so we settled onto the anchor to soak some baits. Forty five minutes on anchor was worth no more than 2 catfish; time to move. The Reds didn't want to cooperate, and Mike wanted Donna to try some lure fishing, so off to the Trout hole. As has been usual (fortunately) when we pulled up the fish started biting...and didn't stop until we left. 50 or more white trout fell victim to our offerings over the hour we fished there.

By 1930 it had gotten plenty enough cold for us and we packed it in and headed for home.

Thanks again, Mr. Beck, Donna, and Mike, I hope we get to do it again soon.

Capt. Josh

11 Nov 2007 Reds/ King

2007-11-12T11:36:00.000-06:00

Most of last nights crew (Me, Dad, Roby, and Scoot) along with Cam, got up this morning for a little rod and reel fishing. We met at 0700, bound for the White Trout Hole.

Once we got set and started fishing, the catching began. We really just wanted enough Trout to use for King bait, so we were keeping only the smaller ones for bait (and a few of the biggest ones for lunch). In all I guess we kept 12-15 out of the 30 or so we caught. After 45 min of the white trout we were ready to try our luck for the Reds and Kings.

We got in the gulf and found it fishable, barely. East-southeast winds at 15 kts and about a 2-3ft swell. We kept the run short (around a mile) and set out two Trout to find us some bigger fish. 30 min pass and the rod on the down-rigger starts screaming. Roby grabs it...and the second rod sounds into chorus. Cam gets the second fish and the fight begins.

Roby is 5 min in to his battle and the line goes slack, he reels in to find a single solitary redfish scale on one of his hooks! You can't catch them all. Cam is still doing an outstanding job on his fish, and 10 more minutes pass. Dad looks at me and says, "Most kids his age would've given up five minutes ago!" Yeah well...not this kid. A solid 20 min into the fight we finally get a look at Cam's fish, a nice king. I guess seeing that fish really motivated Cam and in a few more minutes we had him in the boat.

Time to reset. Minutes later both rods again sound in unison. Scoot's up this time, and Roby picks up the other rod for a little retribution. This time the fish stay attached and we land two BIG Redfish.

Reset again and the wait ensues...30 minutes pass...45...60... not a bite?!?!? The sea state continues to degrade and we decide to call it a day/morning, whatever. Back to the ramp by 1115, load the boat and return to the parent's house to clean the fish (last nights and today's).

Thanks, guys, for a great morning, I'm glad we could do it.

10 Nov 2007 Flounder

2007-11-12T10:40:00.000-06:00

Met up with my Dad, Uncle Roby, Dad's good friend Rodney, and Scoot at 1700 at Dad's house. To the ramp and underway by 1715; I got in the boat with Rodney and everyone else got in dads boat. We ran straight to Pickens Beach and split up.

Rodney and I found a nice stretch of beach without any competition and began the hunt! It was maybe 50 yards down that we found our first fish. We worked Pickens for the next 2 1/2 hours, producing fish every 15-20 min. Final tally was 16 between Rodney and I. We had 4 really nice fish, one of which, our biggest of the night, was around 6lbs.

Dad, Roby and Scoot also had success with a total of seven fish for their efforts. All in all a great night 23 fish between 5 fishermen, and home by 2100.

04 Nov 2007

2007-11-05T17:57:00.001-06:00

With no customers calling for today I invited my sister (Andrea) and brother-in-law(Aaron) to join myself, my wife(Shawn) and our son(Cameron) for a morning of fishing. We met at GLYC, along with my Dad (who brought Cam from his weekly sleep-over at the grandparents' house, at 0615. Once the boat was floated and loaded we made the short run to the White Trout hole.

Within minutes the catching began. We stayed there for an hour and a half and must have boated 50 or so trout. It was a fish bite that I'm sure my brother-in-law and sister have never before experienced. If we would have gone home right then, it would have been a very successful outing by most anyone's standards, but we pressed on (me vowing to find bigger fish). I spent ten minutes throwing the net to catch some small pinfish to take to the Pass.

We made the run to the Navy turn basin and made a drift for Kings using a few of our White Trout as bait. No luck there, so back to the Pass for a drift with our pinfish in hopes of finding a Bull Red.(For the Dyslexic, it's a fish, not an energy drink)The first drift was a success! Shawn, connects with her first redfish, and it's a brute, 38". Our next drift and my lil' sis hooks into about a 7lb sail cat!

We decide to spend the rest of our time trying to find the reds in the Gulf. We ran down the beach in search of birds; it wasn't long before we found them. The birds were working over a school of small Spanish Mackerel, of which my son caught one, and we moved on.

About a mile further down the beach I saw a nice king sky-rocket so I pulled it back and set out two White Trout to slow troll. Five minutes later and the 12lb rod starts SCREAMING. It was so fast I think it spooked Aaron; who stood there looking at the rod as if it had just come alive. He grabbed it and the fight was on! Five minutes later we had a 20lb king at the boat. We didn't want to kill the fish, so instead of putting the steel to it, I tried to get the fish close enough to grab for a quick pic before release. Unfortunately the hook pulled before I could get a hold of the fish.

We reset and ten more minutes of trolling produced Cameron's first King. He did an excellent job and I really wanted a pic of him with this fish, it was longer then he is tall...literally. But again, I didn't want to kill this fish, and before I could boat him, the hook pulled. this fish was every bit of 25lbs plus.

Right as Cam was bringing his fish boat-side I looked up to see the Redfish turning the water white with froth as they mercilessly pummelled the bait. As soon as Cam's fish was gone we headed that way, still trolling our White Trout. As we neared the crazed school, BOTH of the White Trout get eaten. I turn towards the reels and see one of Pensacola Fishing's greatest sights... the water behind the boat had turned completely RED. There must have been dozens of big Reds SWIMMING ALONG WITH THE BOAT. I start yelling for everyone to get baits in the water. Aaron's first in, and first on, immediately followed by everyone else. By the time I realize what we've done, we have FIVE fish on. Big props here to my son, who at six, handles a fishing rod with expertise. He moves around the boat, following his fish, pumping and winding like a little pro. What a proud father am I.

We caught 8 Reds total before I realize that it's now 1145 and we're supposed to be providing the fish for our lunch at 1230...time to go. We got back to the ramp, loaded the boat and shot over to my parents house. Once there we cleaned the few White trout we'd kept for lunch, Dad fired up the fryer, Mom added the grits, beans and Cole slaw and we all enjoyed an exceptional meal.

Here's to great fishing, fresh fish lunches, and a family that I can share the experience with. I love you guys.

Capt. Josh

UPDATE from 21 Oct 2007

2007-10-29T23:41:00.000-05:00

The show will air this Sat. 3 Nov. at 1730 on BLAB TV

28 Oct 2007

2007-10-29T10:34:00.000-05:00

I fished this morning with Mike, his wife Kent, and their good friends John and Marcia. I picked them up at their home on Perdido Bay at 0800 and, with the cool morning temps and the NNE wind at 15 kts, made a quick dash into Big Lagoon.

The White Trout bite has been good lately, and it was great for us today! From the moment we arrived at our destination, until we left, our rods were bent. We were using a 1/4 oz grub head with any number of baits attached, mostly GULP!s and D.O.A. tails.

Along with the White Trout, we caught a couple of Small Blue Fish,and Kent caught 4 or 5 baby Barracuda! We kept having big Bluefish, 5-7lbs, biting our fish in half. No matter what we tried we could not get them to eat any bait all the way to the hook. One bite on the back half of a bait and that was it.

During the course of an hour and a half we probably caught between 75 and 100 White Trout, 12 ended up in the cooler. Everyone caught plenty of fish and a good time was had by all. Finally someone mentioned home and grilled trout for lunch. Mike said, with a big grin on his face, "Just one more and we'll go."

I took them home, cleaned their fish and they had the grill fired up by 1215. What an awesome morning!

Thanks again to Mike, Kent, John and Marcia for today. I hope to see you soon.

21 Oct 2007

2007-10-23T11:42:00.000-05:00

I got a call from Claudia last night, wanting to get some footage for Fishin Chix T.V. I'd love to tell you all about it but I don't want to give anything away.

So look for the episode airing on BLAB T.V.

I haven't recieved the airing times/dates but I'll post them as soon as I find out.

14 Oct 2007

2007-10-15T11:26:00.000-05:00

I met one of the Fishin' Chix, Jackie, and her husband Fred, at Galvez at 0630 and headed into Big Lagoon in search of Specks and Reds. As we rounded the corner of Big Lagoon state park we were slapped in the face by a stiff east wind at 10-15. Our first drift netted us just 1 blow up and our following two drifts netted us absolutely nothing.

A quick run to the next flat and we score with a small flounder and a few baits cut in half, probably small bluefish. Our next move brings us away from the Specks and to an area that's been holding WhiteTrout. These fish have been pretty reliable for the past 10 days or so. Well... not today. It took us almost a half a dozen wind blown drifts to catch just 4 fish. The bite was definitely off.

We moved again, this time to a dock that has had reds, flounder and snapper on it lately. A few small snappers fell victim to our offerings along with two big croakers. We burned through 3 dozen shrimp in a hurry, losing most of them to pinfish. Never did we see a flounder or redfish.

Still looking for any kind of bite, we made the run back to fish Old River. Near the end of our first drift there we finally encountered our target quarry the Speckled Trout. I think the only trout around for miles! Our time was running short so we hit one last spot on Interrarity Point. But after another 15 min without a bite we decided to call it a day.

Although the fishing was slow, I know it could have been worse...we could have gotten skunked!

Thanks again Jackie and Fred, you guys made an otherwise slow and boring day very enjoyable. I look forward to our next outing together.

Capt Josh

13 Oct 2007

2007-10-13T22:38:00.000-05:00

After rescheduling from last weekends endless wind, I met up with Dave and his dad Charlie this morning at 0600 in Bayou Texar. We began the morning catching Menhaden, the baits sure weren't very cooperative. But after 45 min and a little help from a friendly fisherman( who had crushed the baits with one well placed throw and had plenty of baits to spare), we were on our way to the 3-Mile Bridge.

The bay was slightly choppy with a 6-9 kt NE wind, perfect conditions to fly a kite! And fly the kite we did. Our spread consisted of 5 baits: 2 suspended from the kite, 2 flat lines, and one bait deep on the down-rigger. 10 min in to our drift the 12lb outfit on the flat line starts singing! Dave grabs the rod and here we go on our first King of the day. Dave quickly subdued the fish and as he got the fish within gaff range we realized that this was actually the biggest Spanish Mackerel that either of us has ever caught, 8 lbs!

We get reset and again, 10 min or so later, the other flat line starts screaming. This battle ends with a 15 lb King shaking around in the ice. The moment the fish hit the ice the flat line gets hit again. This was to be the first of 4 small sharks we caught in the next 30 min, all of them around the 2-3 ft range. Then we got to watch a small mackerel chase one of the kite baits around for about 5 min. The fish just kept chasing the bait, then swimming off then back again to chase some more, then swim away, then back again. It was neat just to get to watch a predator pursuing his quarry.

We finally decided to pick up and run to Navy Point and try our luck there. As the lines were being brought in the small 12lb rod, spooled w/20# power pro, starts really dumping line, what seems like a BIG king. Dave does an excellent job of fighting the beast and manages to bring the fish boat-side in under 10 min. Only when we see the fish it's not the 30+ lb King we were hoping for, but a 40-45lb Black Tip Shark. The shark made several more runs and we got him back to the boat 2 more times before he finally wore through the leader. On that note we hurried along to the base.

We continued drifting once we got to the base, and got the bite we'd been talking about all day. This King got airborne , big time!!! Right on the kite bait, no more than 80 feet from the boat! It was awesome! Another 15lb fish for the grill. Shortly after, the down rigger produced our last bite of the day, resulting in a cut off. Time to head home for some lunch and a nap!

We returned to Bayou Texar around 1130, took a few quick pics and cleaned our catch. Dave had a few nice fillets he'd already picked out for the grill and was itching to go home and get them started.

Thanks again Dave and Charlie, I had a great time, can't wait to do it again!

Capt Josh

PBGFC Inshore 29 Sept 2007

2007-10-01T09:57:00.000-05:00

The alarm clock sounded at 0345. Man that's early! I drove to my parents house to pick up my dad, our friend "Scoot", and my boat, that I'd left the night before in preparation for today. We got to the ramp and were in the water by 0445. Lines in at 0500 and the fishing begins.we started by flipping live shrimp under the dock lights until the sun came up. This resulted in 6 or so small Specks and 1 underside redfish. Once the sun was up we moved and began dropping shrimp in a little deeper water that got us into big pinfish and a couple of missed bigger bites. From there it was onto the grass flats where we found our biggest Trout of the day at around 2 lbs.

Another move and, while looking for a redfish, we got into some really nice Mangrove Snapper and a bonus Scamp. Not our target species, but great in the grease anyway. Four snappers later we made a short run and found our flounder, we caught three, all about the same size. Lacking only our redfish for the slam we dedicated the remainder of our time in search of a fish that was as elusive as affordable health care. Well, I pay through the nose for insurance and couldn't find a redfish either! We did manage to find a Spanish mackerel that was around 4.5lbs but no matter how hard we tried we couldn't turn him into a redfish!

In all it was a great day, spent with good people. The target fish didn't exactly cooperate, but we had a lot of fun... which is the important part anyway! Thanks Dad and Scoot, and yes we're on for next year!!

02 September 2007

2007-09-06T12:59:00.000-05:00

I received a call from Brian at 1000 this morning for a birthday fishing trip for his wife, Michelle. We decided to meet at noon at Galvez. After a few navigational problems we met; and departed the pier just before 1300. My plan was to look for redfish in the Pass and maybe find a few snappers in the process.

We were fortunate to catch the last of the falling tide and the action was immediate. Thankfully Michelle was with us, she was the only one who was able to hook and land enough good fish for a nice dinner. She caught all three of our keeper Mangrove Snappers, one of which was 15 inches. The overall bite was great; plenty of bent rods to go around! We landed more catfish than I can remember, along with three sharks up to 3 feet long a short Red Snapper and one nice Bluefish that we released in lieu of snapper for dinner.

While the redfish never cooperated we had an outstanding time. Even being fortunate enough to witness a school of jack crevalle laying waste to a school of mullet just inside the pass. No matter what we threw into this swarm of fish, nothing could break their attention away from the fleeing mullet. Although we didn't hook one, they put on a great show for us!

Thanks again Brian and Michelle for sharing the afternoon with me, I hope we get the opportunity to do it again someday soon.

The Captain finally takes the plunge

2007-08-12T20:56:00.000-05:00

Well, its taken some time, actually quite a few years, but my long standing fiancee and I finally got married. We had a small ceremony at Johnsons Beach, followed by a great party at my parents house.

Our entertainment was provided by " The Black Elvis", Mr Michael Burnett, who was fantastic! I swear, if you closed your eyes, you'd swear HE'S "The King". Everyone enjoyed the southern seafood buffet with steamed shrimp and fried fish, complete with grits and beans.

We both had a wonderful time. Getting to see our families and friends all at once was terrific. Thank you to everyone; specifically our parents for helping us put this whole thing together and tend to the kids.

After spending our wedding night in a luxurious condo over-looking Big Lagoon we woke early the next morning and grabbed our bags for 5 fun filled, kid free, nights in St. John, USVI.

The honeymoon was action packed. We searched for Blue Marlin for 10 hours one day. Trolling teasers, ready to pitch a bait back to a hungry Blue..and didn't see a thing! Oh well, that's fishing!The bite had slowed over the previous few days and more than just our boat came home empty handed. Still, we had a great time; and I got to take a nap on-board, something I've missed for a very long time. Thanks again Capt. Don and Capt. Kevin.

One day we decided to take a cab to some of the local ruins..and found that most people "just walk" after all it's "not that far". Beware, in the islands, the term "not that far" has an entirely different meaning than it does to most of us non-long-distance-runners here on the mainland. We walked probably 2 miles , mostly downhill, at a pretty steep angle, to reach the ruins.

There we found a sign showing other ruins ahead another .25 miles; we figure , ok it'll be just around the bend...let's go see. Immediately we notice how beautiful the water was and elected to snorkel for a while. The first part of the swim was spectacular, huge amounts of life flourish around these beach-side reefs. The second part of the swim was directly against the 2 knot current, we got back to the beach and were on our way to being tired.

We took a break, ate an orange and had some water. Well it's not far now, surely, before we find those ruins. Sure enough, it was just around the bend and, what felt like straight up, for .24 miles. So we see these ruins, the one remaining room, and are ready to go back and see the first set of ruins.

These ruins at Annaberg were really cool. The skeleton of the wind mill, used for extracting the sugar from the cane, was built using many coral blocks along with the native rock and was stunning. There, in the center of the ruins, covered in brilliant red flowers, stood the largest Mimosa tree I'd ever seen. The scenery was gorgeous, over-looking the British VI to the north. We spent the better part of an hour walking around and taking pictures. Finally it's time for the walk, 2 mi, UP-HILL this time, back to the camp ground at Maho Bay.

Along the way we ran into Lance, an employee at Maho, who is from nearby Fort Walton Beach (small world) and we shared company on the walk back. It wasn't long into our journey back before Shawn and I were huffing and puffing at the climb. We must have stopped 6 or 8 times before we reached the bottom of the really steep section, and looked lovingly into one anothers eyes and told each other how much we really didn't think we were going to make it!

Fortune smiled on us and from around the corner appears a Jeep, ... A JEEP!, A JEEP! I think it was the forlorn look on our faces that actually made the driver stop. Whatever it was, he stopped and offered us a ride, finding his Jeep full before he could even finish his offer! Once back at the room we took quick showers and collapsed.

Later that evening we attended a glass blowing demonstration, offered twice a week at Maho Bay. The demo was awesome. Those guys stayed busy making intricate and colorful bowls, plates and vases, all from recycled glass used at the camp.

We spent a lot of time snorkeling around the bay and watching wildlife from our second story balcony. We had Iguanas walk by in the trees and birds that stayed around constantly, waiting for you to walk away from your food so they could swoop in for a bite.

The whole trip was excellent, we loved every minute of it, even the hikes.

Thank you again to everyone that was involved in this with us.

Capt. Josh

I've heard from numerous people that if they would have known, they would have come. I apologize to anyone who was not notified. We put this whole thing together in less than 2 weeks and weren't able to notify everyone that we would have liked to.

Maho Bay: http://www.maho.org/

Capt. Don "Blue Fin II": http://www.bluefin2.com/

Michael Burnett, "Black Evlis" : 2917 Selma St. Pensacola, Florida 32507 #(850) 456-5045

St. John USVI: http://www.usvitourism.vi/en/stjohn/sj_Home.html

21 July 2007

2007-07-22T22:28:00.000-05:00

Met David, Skylar, Samantha, and Tatianna at Galvez at 0600. It's hard for me to believe that a whole year has passed since I saw these guys last! My objective for today was to prove to Skylar (the "fisherman" of the bunch) that the girls could fish just as good as he could. Boy did I ever drive that home today.

We first stopped for Pinfish to turn into Redfish, then proceeded to the Pass, where we found a serious lack of current. With the neap tide yesterday the fishing should have been on fire, but without current you can just about hang it up. We made a few drifts with no success and finally decided to spend our time chasing Kings instead.

After getting bait we ran to the Sea Buoy and began a drift for the kings. I was just about to put the kite up when my phone rang, it was Capt. D.P. His first words were, "Get back in here". Dusty was a little behind me this morning, he stopped to trout fish Big Lagoon. By the time he got to the Pass the current had started moving and sure enough the fish were biting.

I struggled to make the decision to run the 3.5 miles BACK to where I was unsuccessful just a half hour ago. It looked so good out there at the buoy, but I have great faith in Dusty's abilities and his advice. So I pulled in our lines and made the run, I'm glad that I did. It took us just a few minutes to find the reds and Samantha was the first to put a hook in one.

After a great battle, we landed Samanthas fish, a nice 28 1/2" red that we released. A few drifts later and it was Tatiannas turn to feel the power that these fish pull with. When all the grunts, groans and strains were over Tatianna held up her fish for a photo. Notice how I haven't mentioned Skylar yet??? Well he was having some troubles getting a bite. So after Samantha caught another fish, this time a catfish, we decided to go back after the kings and give Skylar another opportunity to redeem himself.

We drifted and slow-trolled to no avail, 40 min had passed without a single knock-down. I picked up and ran to a close snapper hole in hopes of finding a few kings hanging out over the reef. Upon arriving we noticed Flipper putting on a heck of a show, jumping around and slapping the water with its tail.

Although the Dolphin exhibit was great, it sure put a damper on the fishing. After slow-trolling around the wreck several times, we finally got a bite and Skylar jumped at the chance for his redemption. The drag sounded and the rod bent, Skylar had the fish coming his way and ... the hook pulled. What a day this kid is having!!! Upon further inspection it seems that he was foul-hooked into a Snapper and it just didn't hold long enough. A couple more circles around and again another bite, this time Skylar hangs on to him and boats a nice King for the grill.

On that note we head for the ramp and all the boat traffic along the way. With the Blue Angles show today the boats were out in force and the ride back to the ramp was a little bumpier than usual. We returned and cleaned our catch, shook hands and said our good-byes ... until next year.

Thank you again David, Skylar, Samantha and Tatianna for a wonderful morning.

Capt Josh

20 July 2007

2007-07-22T15:54:00.000-05:00

I met Ben, Jim, Sandy, and Carlton at Galvez at 0600 for a morning of Kingfishing. We first stopped for some Pinfish, then headed for the Pass to try the reds. The tide was neap and without any current the bite was non-existent. A short run to the bait boat for some live Cigar Minnows and off to the Sea Buoy.

Once we stopped by the buoy, I put the kite up and set out two flat lines. As I was attempting to get the down-rigger set, disaster struck. I finished getting everything ready to deploy the 'rigger and stood up... right into a hook that quickly found it's way into the top of my ear, to the barb. It took several minutes to assess the problem and attempt to remove the hook. Thankfully I had a few Docs on board who weren't freaked out at the sight of my blood, and with their help, and a good pair of pliers, we safely removed the hook and went right on fishing.

The bite was slow, but we still managed to boat a few nice fish, like this one that Carlton caught.

As the morning wore on the wind died and I was forced to take the kite down before it came down by itself. At that point we began slow-trolling our way back towards the Pass. Our time was drawing to a close and the boat traffic was increasing dramatically. I asked the fish gods for just one more fish ( a nice 20 pounder would do!), and was prepared to give it another 20 min or so to happen.

A 40' boat passed us just about the same time that the 12lb spinning outfit started screaming out line... and I mean SCREAMING. Jim grabbed the rod and held on with everything he had. He looked over to me and asked as seriously as humanly possible "Are you sure I'm not caught on that boat ?!?" I told him that I was as sure as could be!

The initial run was around 200 yards and it took a long time to put it all back on the reel. The fight lasted about 25-30 min before we finally got a look at what had eaten our live cigar minnow. A BIG King. Another 10 min passed before we could subdue this monster and introduce him to the gaff. We boated the fish to high fives all around and shouts of congratulations to and from everyone. I attempted to get a weight with the Boga Grip, but my 30lb model immediately bottomed out. The big scale was brought out and we got a reading of 35 lbs, what a fish on a 12lb outfit!!! Congrats Jim on a job well done.

We unanimously agreed that that fish would be hard to top, so we set off for the ramp.

Thanks again Ben, Jim, Sandy, And Carlton for a seriously adventurous morning (nothing I haven't come to expect from this bunch).

Capt. Josh

15 July 2007

2007-07-18T09:28:00.000-05:00

Met Dave and Brian at Shoreline at 0600 and to the Pass we went. Our first twenty minutes or so were fairly uneventful except for watching the show as Capt D.P. slayed them right next to us. A little further adjusting and we started catching too.

Dave hooked the first one and that's when I reached for my camera... and realized I'd left it at home! Oh well, no pics for today! We caught a total of five Redfish before deciding to do something else. Three of those fish were 15-20lbs and the other two were in the slot.

A stop at the bait boat and a run to the snapper hole and the fishing resumed amid red snappers, small ones. We must have thrown back 8 before landing one big enough, but that fish was 7-8lbs. Dave and I really wanted Brian to catch a King and the ones that had been hanging around this wreck for the past week just weren't here today. Another move was in order. We trolled live baits around three different wrecks before the weather and the time both forced us home, without our Kingfish. Although the Kings evaded us the day was a success, a FUN one.

Thank you Dave and Brian, I look forward to fishing with you again.

14 July 2007 Fishin' Chix PRB Orange Beach

2007-07-16T11:24:00.000-05:00

The alarm clock went off at 0400, time for another Fishin Chix adventure. I launched the boat and arrived at The Wharf in Orange Beach, Al at 0520. By 0545 Roxanne, Allyson, and Sara were on board awaiting the go signal from Capt Wes. 0600 and were off, a quick stop to get the freshest of live shrimp straight out of the net (Thanks Chris!!), and straight to the trout flat.

Our drift across the grass flat yielded no strikes, bites, or looks, so to the pass we went. Finding the right fish on tournament day is never easy. The legal size reds were nowhere to be found today, by anybody, save the one boat that brought back both of the tourneys legal fish (Congrats Alissa and Bruce). But we did find SOME redfish, just not ones small enough by tournament rules. The first of these fish was quite a battle for Allyson; lasting 35 min and torturing the rest of us with laughter (to the point our cheeks hurt!).

As the fish neared the boat I noticed that it was tail-wrapped; and upon further inspection we found that Allyson had NOT hooked the fish. Rather she had lassoed the fish by the tail, the hook never stuck in the fish!!! And again the boat explodes in laughter.

Sara was up next and looked like a pro on the bow with a BIG bend in the rod. She had taken some lessons from Allysons fiasco and hooked her fish in the mouth, the proper way. 10 min later she had her fish boat side.

I pulled up one last time and again Sara hooks another big bull which we land and release. With the reds not working like we needed them to we decide to change gears and try for a King Mackerel. To the bait boat !!

After some telephone recon we head for a local wreck that the Kings have been inhabiting these last few weeks. It only took us minutes to get the first bite, but 20 min or so to hook one. Roxanne landed this one, our first King of the day, on about our 5th bite.

Running out of time I quickly reset and within 15 min we had put two more Kings in the boat. One of them a nice 10.5lb fish that was just out of contention for third place. It was lines out at 1100 per tournament rules and a beautiful ride back to The Wharf for food, drinks, and awards.

Thank you so much ladies for my best Fishin Chix event yet. Sara , Roxanne and Allyson you guys were awesome!!

And thank you very much, Claudia, Capt. Wes and all the Fishin Chix crew that makes these tournaments possible and thanks to Covenant Hospice for all the work they do, we are glad to help raise money in any way we can.

Capt Josh

13 July 2007

2007-07-14T18:49:00.000-05:00

I met John, Jon, Cal, and Zack at Galvez at 0600 for a 5hr excursion. Our first stop was for bait; and after a couple of throws with the net we had what we needed and proceeded to the Pass. When we got there we found boiling current and loads of jellyfish, not condusive for fishing. On to plan "B", Mackerel.

A short stop at the bait boat, and a couple dozen Cigar Minnows later, we were on to the Sea Buoy. We set up a drift with five live baits; One on the downrigger at 35', two flatlines to the windward side, and two more on the kite. Fifteen minutes into the drift we get our first King Mackerel, a nice fish in the 7lb range, off the downrigger. Another 10 min pass and John sees a fish messing with the far kite bait. He grabs everyones attention just in time for us all to watch in awe as an8-10lb fish sky-rockets 15 feet out of the water after the Cig hanging from the kite. Immediately, the closer kite bait gets eaten and Cal fights this fish to the boat.

The wind began to die so we decided to go try our luck with the Snapper. Our first spot produced the best with all three of our legal Reds and the nice Schoolmaster. Then, on our last stop of the day, John sees two fish swimming by the boat, Barracuda. They ate three or four baits before a hook finally found its mark and Zack brought him boatside for a quick photo op and a release.

Thanks again John, Jon, Cal and Zack for joining me today, it was great.

Capt. Josh

06 July 2007

2007-07-08T18:20:00.000-05:00

I met Brent at Shoreline Park at 0600 and we headed for the pinfish trap. We met Capt D.P. at the trap and traded him some pinfish for some live shrimp. Our next stop was the Pass in search of the Redfish. When we got there we found a neap tide and jellyfish galore!!! One drift was enough to send us packing for our next spot.

A quick stop at the bait boat for a few live Cigar Minnows and on to the Sea Buoy. Three lines were set, two on the surface and one on the down-rigger. The bite was slow here as well, but we did find two nice Kings before moving on to the Snapper hole. At one of our many public wrecks we caught a few short snapper; and peering at the bottom machine I noticed a wad of big fish just 20 feet down. A live Cig on a 12lb spinning outfit produced our largest King of the day at around 17lbs.

We moved a few more times, marking fish at each location, few of which wanted to bite, and most those few put our 12 and 20lb tackle to the test, and it failed. At our final stop of the day we boated a nice Lane Snapper and a Mangrove Snapper to go with it. All Brent wanted to take home, just enough for a meal.

Thanks again Brent, I enjoyed our time together today.

05 July 2007

2007-07-05T21:32:00.000-05:00

0600 and I'm shaking hands with Dani, Sam, and Robert, all eager to get underway and fishing.

Our first stop is to set the Pinfish trap to do its job while we Trout fish. Well, the trap did it's job, but the Trout didn't do theirs. So after loading the Pinfish we head for the Pass and start Redfishing. It only took two drifts for Sam to catch this one, just oversize.

The very next drift Dani hooks into a nice Red but pulls the hooks before we could get a good look at it. The bite was slow so we decided to head for the Mackerel grounds. I called Capt Corey Maxwell for a report. Corey said that the Mackerel bite was slow for him this morning, and that he had some baits if we needed them ...we did.

After getting the baits from Corey we made a bee-line for the #1 Buoy. We quickly set up a slow troll pattern of live Cigar Minnows. 30 min or so had passed with out a bite, although we could see people around us catching fish. I stopped trolling a started just drifting and the fish started biting. It seemed like they preferred a drifted bait opposed to a trolled one?!? (same baits). We concluded the morning with 4 nice King Mackerel, the biggest being 17lbs.

Thank you again Dani, Sam , Robert, and Gary for making this happen today, I had a great time.

30 June 2007

2007-07-05T21:15:00.000-05:00

I met Harris and John at 0530 at Heron Bayou. I had been getting good reports about the mouth of Perdido River and and surrounding areas; so we fished Perdido Bay..and I strongly stress FISHED !!! The fishing was HORRIBLE, the worst day I've seen all year. There were more Dolphins chasing Mullet than I can ever remember seeing in North Perdido Bay. I think that had a lot to do with the fish bite, which was non- existent. Harris pointed out the full moon still glaring at us from just above the horizon. Whatever the cause, it wasn't great.We did, however, manage not to get skunked when Harris boated a Largemouth Bass.

All in all a pretty poor morning, but that's how it happens sometimes. You can't be a hero EVERYDAY!

I got home to a rambunctious 5 year old, begging to go fishing. I relented, and hauled the boat to Galvez for a short trip with Shawn and Cam.

We ran to the Pass and I caught one oversize red while Cam caught a nice Ladyfish and a shell (don't ask me how). Then we headed back to the ramp, back to pick the baby up and on to the house. By the time I got the boat cleaned and things re-stowed I was exhausted..what a long day.

29 June 2007

2007-06-29T19:01:00.000-05:00

I met Lloyd, Robin, and their two sons, Alex and Blake this morning at 0600. We departed Galvez Ramp, on the search for Trout. Our first stop held a few fish, we caught three (two shorts and this fish of Blake's).

The bite was slow and timid so we moved to catch some pinfish for the Pass. Got our baits and made one more drift that proved futile; on to the Pass.

The bite was slow here too, but Alex found a legal Grouper to add to our Trout. I ran into Capt Matt and Capt Chris who told us that the mackerel bite was slow as well; and that's where we were headed next !!! Oh well... we went anyway.

Sure enough the bite was so slow as not to be a bite at all. We trolled for 30 min. with one hit and a barely scarred bait. Snapper fishing it was ...

On our way we passed a baby Sea Turtle, no bigger than a dinner plate, unfortunately the little booger wouldn't stay still long enough for a pic. We got located on a nice public wreck just 5.5 miles from the Pass. The Snapper bite there was good, just all a bunch of shorts. We did boat a really nice Mangrove (black) Snapper that was just over 6lbs. A nice fish to end the morning and begin the scenic ride back to the dock.

Thank you again Lloyd, Robin, Alex, and Blake for a fun morning. I hope we get to do it again sometime.

26 June 2007

2007-06-28T18:49:00.000-05:00

Met Jim , his son, Jeff and Jeff's two kids, Taylor and Seth at Shoreline Park at 0600. Jim lives here and Jeff has brought his family to visit for the week, along with their boat. Today's agenda included showing Jeff some things he could do with his family the rest of the week.

I began by showing them a few places that they could Trout fish early in the morning, then we headed to the Pass where I showed them how to drift for Redfish. It was a few drifts before both Taylor and Seth were hooked up to a double. Seths, a nice grouper, Taylors, a redfish, in the form of a 7lb, 27" beauty.

Satisfied that they could do this themselves, we went to the bait boat for a big scoop of live cigar minnows. We baited our lines as we neared the sea buoy and set out three swimmers to find us a King Mackerel. A school of Bonito rose to the surface yards away, and after several unsuccessful attempts, Jeff lands a hefty fish. Then came the mackerel! We caught seven over the course of an hour and a half or so, all on 12lb tackle! The kids did a great job handling the speeding fish.

With little time left for us to fish we decided to hit a public snapper hole just a couple of miles away. We arrived to find Capt Tony already anchored there; so we fished as close as comfortable for both boats. Tony said that the bite had slowed considerably, but we still managed to lose a few baits. Even put a nice snapper in the box to finish out the trip ... well almost!!!

En route to the pass, just around the sea buoy, the propeller hub decided it was tired of holding on and just let go! I was able to maintain a top speed of 7.5 mph ( better than zero ). Needless to say, it was a looong ride back to Shoreline. We arrived back at the pier about an hour and 45 later than we intended, cleaned our catch, and said our salutations. Jeff was excited about the rest of the week, and the kids were ready for a nap!

Thanks again Jim, Jeff, Taylor, and Seth.

P.S. I heard from Jim, he told me that Jeff, his wife and the kids caught a couple Redfish on their own on Thursday! Congratulations, Jeff, nice job!!!

24 June 2007

2007-06-25T22:18:00.000-05:00

This morning I met with Jack, his father, "Pops", and nephew, Tyler, for a four hour charter I had given for auction. It's taken Jack and I months and months to finally put this trip together; and it couldn't have turned out better!

0600, left Navy Point ramp headed for the pinfish trap in Big Lagoon. Picked up the trap and just had to make a drift, just one, over a flat for Trout. One drift later and it was to the Pass for us. I was hoping to find the upper slot Redfish like I have been lately...we never caught one.

However, we did manage to find 4 hungry Red Snapper in the pass. One was short by 1/4", but the other three were the kind you don't find often. The smallest of those was 5lbs and the largest tipped the Boga Grip just over 8lbs (on 12lb tackle)!!!

With three Snaps in the box we decided to try our hand at the mackerel. We stopped by the bait boat and loaded up with a few dozen baits then turned south for the sea bouy. Once we got to the bouy we started trolling three live baits, two on the surface and one on the downrigger. I just barely got the downrigger set the first time and it got hit! Missed the fish, but it got us excited. Over the next 30-40 min. we put three nice Mackerel in the ice to go with our Snapper. And must have missed or pulled the hooks on at least 7 more fish.

Our time had expired and we made the fast run home; already reliving the mornings events. This will be a trip none of us will soon, if ever, forget. We pulled into the pier at 1010, cleaned our catch, and parted ways, for a time.

Cooler count:
3 Red Snapper
3 Mackerel

Thank you Jack, Pops, and Tyler, for a wonderful morning, I'm glad to have gotten to share it with you.

23 June 2007

2007-06-24T21:20:00.000-05:00

The alarm clock sounded at an EARLY 0400. The race to get ahead of the tournament boats vying for parking at Shoreline Park was afoot! I left the house around 0430, scheduled to meet Jeff, T.R., and Christine at 0515. I got a good jump on almost everybody and found the perfect parking spot! Loaded everyone on board and was away from the pier just before 0530, en route to Big Lagoon.

We had an hour or so of tournament free flat to ourselves and utilized the time as best we could. Jeff landed this 3lb fish and soon after T. R. pulled the hook on another fish that size at the boat. They weren't able to take any fish home so all T.R. missed out on was a picture.

I noticed that Christine was at the height of fishing fashion with her Tommy Hilfiger shoes and I just had to snap a picture and have a laugh.

Seriously ladies, these kinds of footwear pose a BIG hazard aboard the boat. These shoes roll-over easily on a rocking boat and can potentially injure an ankle or a behind, and most definitely your pride. Your guide always appreciates the proper shoes on board. Sandals are fine but thinner soles than these are necessary; closed toe shoes are ALWAYS best. I understand the emotional burden of fishing in ugly shoes, but your experience will be better if you are properly equipped, head to toes.

ONTO THE FISHING...

After catching our trout we proceeded to the Pass in search of Redfish. We were in the middle of our first drift when Capt. Matt and Capt. Chris whistled at us, pointing towards the center of the pass.We sped over, hooks baited, the lines were loosed, and Jeff immediately gets a BIG bite on a live crab and is just as immediately cut off. Just then Matt yells "TARPON, TARPON!!" I looked over towards the beach in time to see a school of 100+ Tarpon rolling just yards from shore! We chased those fish for over two miles, westerly, down the beach throwing EVERYTHING we had at them to no avail. Pinfish, Crabs, Threadfin Herring, Jigs, Spoons, Plugs, Shrimp, nothing even got their attention. After about 200 casts we turned around, happy to have gotten the chance to see such large (lady)fish schooling down the beach.

We made a short run offshore on the slick surface of the Gulf of Mexico in search of a couple snappers. We found a few at our very first stop, including a Lane Snapper that was almost 5lbs. Jeff managed to shorten a rod on a mystery fish and we all missed a few really good bites. The ride back to the ramp was as nice as anyone could have asked for.

Thank you Jeff, T.R., and Christine for a great morning

22 June 2007

2007-06-22T22:10:00.000-05:00

I met Garland and his step-son Shane at Galvez Landing at 0600 for a Speckled Trout/ Redfish trip.

We started our morning in Big Lagoon, working over the deep grass with soft plastic jerk-baits and top water poppers. The first stop of the morning produced one nice 17" Trout and a couple more throw-backs. After a few drifts we motored over to pick up the bait trap; and after loading 15-18 Pinfish into the well we were off to try our luck around some area docks, with slow results. We threw back a fish or two and made the quick run to the area that held the big Trout I caught with the boys last weekend.

In the middle of our second drift it happened again. Shane's morning had been slow, Garland releasing most of the small fish earlier. Shane had been pretty quiet all day and even a WELL bent rod didn't part his lips. I looked up to see him white knuckled onto the rod. "Looks like a better fish", I told him and he quickly agreed. Once I got sight of the fish I was floored, another nearly 4lb Trout! We boated the fish with high fives all around, it tipping the scale at 3.75lbs.

One more drift and we decided to try for our redfish so to the Pass we went.

In the middle of our second drift in the Pass and its FISH ON!! Again Shane hooks the fish and doesn't say a word until we notice him, silently struggling to tame the running fish. Shane subdued a perfect 6+lb slot Red that we added to the live well.

Our time ended for the morning, we ran back to the ramp , cleaned our fish and said our fair-wells until our next opportunity to fish together comes around.

Thank you Garland and Shane, I had a great time cutting up with you two. I can't remember the last time that I laughed for 5 straight hours!!!

17 June 2007 Fathers Day

2007-06-18T17:46:00.001-05:00

Yesterday I promised Cam we could go fishing, just him and I.

Fathers Day dinner was scheduled for 1830; so Cam and I decided to go over a little early and head out into the pond to catch some Bass and Bluegill before dinner. Cam fishes the near shore of the pond pretty much every time he gets out of the car at my parents house. He's done extremely well catching Bluegill, Bass, and the occasional turtle (all by himself). So today was a treat for him, actually getting to go out in the "lake".

We arrived, got the boat loaded and had our lines in by 1715. Fifty feet down the bank and our first Bass was on, our largest fish of the afternoon! Easing along the banks casting plastic worms and fly fishing popping bugs, we racked up a nice mess of fish in the time we had to work with. Cam caught a small bass of his own (much smaller than the 4lb one he caught last weekend); and we shared the 7-8 bluegill that we caught on fly. Finally Uncle Aaron was sent to drive around the pond and tell us dinner was ready.

We fished our way back to the house, just the two of us, father and son, on Fathers Day; exactly the way I wanted to see the sun dip below the trees.

Back at the house we created quite a stir as everyone, mom and sister, aunts and uncle, grand-parents, and even Cams great-grand-mother came out to admire our catch. We pulled the fish out, one by one, and let everyone take a look and let the baby feel the "fiss", as she puts it. As we removed them from the bucket and took a quick pic, we released them into the smaller portion of the pond behind my parents house.

The kids got a kick out of seeing the fish swim out of my hands, all of us leaning way out to see the little fiss off.

Inside for a great BBQ rib dinner with enough food to put you on the couch for the rest of the night!!! It cannot get any better than this!

16 June 2007

2007-06-17T21:31:00.000-05:00

Met Kurt, his brother, Sam, and Adam at Galvez ramp at 0615. We spoke last night regarding what these three wanted to target today. I told them of my adventure yesterday, and plugged the snapper fishing. That's when they told me that they had fished with Capt. Bobby Walker the day before and weren't really interested in another snapper trip; they wanted to try the Speckled Trout fishing.

My trout fishing lately has consisted of mostly short fish and those have been far between, so I suggested that we could fish trout early, then ease out of the Pass and fish for Redfish and Mackerel. We settled on this plan and were headed for the grass flats of Big Lagoon.

Our first drift produced some nice blow-ups and swirls but no hook-ups. Still, I was glad to see some fish hanging around and somewhat interested in feeding. We switched some baits around and in the next three drifts we boated two nice 16-17" trout. We missed quite a few fish during that time and pulled the hook on a couple more...I'm ecstatic by now, morning's looking up.

I had set a pinfish trap the night before in preparation for today. Once the tide slowed at our first stop, and the fish slowed with it, we made the short run to pick up the trap. With 2 dozen 2-3" "Pinners" in the well we shot over to another section of grass to try it again. The deeper grass seemed to be the spot; and Kurt found a hungry 4lb trout lounging in 6-8' of water. Wow, that's officially the BIGGEST Speck to be caught on the new boat!!! Needless to say, I'm thrilled. Adam and Sam also found trout in the deep grass; Adams a nice 16"er and Sams an 8"dink.

In what seemed like an hour, the clock had sped to 0930. I told the guys if they wanted to try big Redfish on light tackle we'd have to leave soon. All but Kurt agreed (he wanted another shot at a big Trout), and off to the Pass we went.

The Redfishing in the Pass has been slowing for a few weeks now but today it was right on time! We baited our lines and on the first drop, Adam, hooks a perfect 26 3/4" fish...love it when a plan comes together! On three successive drifts we hooked and boated three more Bull Reds (all over 30"). Just after that the clock caught up with us, and it was time for me to return the boys to their truck for the long haul back to Montgomery.

Cooler Count: 4 Speckled Trout, 1 Redfish

(Kurt, Adam, and Sam with part of the days catch)

What a successful day with great guys,

Thanks again, Kurt , Sam, and Adam for a morning I won't soon forget.

Capt Josh

15 June 2007

2007-06-17T15:16:00.000-05:00

I decided late last night to fish today, do a little scouting and check a few snapper holes. The weather forecast looked perfect; so I started making a few phone calls to find someone to go. I called all my usual suspects and got the usual answers (I gotta work, wish you'd a called an hour ago, my brothers-wife's-sisters-nephew might want to) Between all this and getting to boat ready, it got late real quick. At around 2330, I decided I'd take my lifelong friends Me and Myself, and off to bed I went.

The alarm went off around 0545 (snooze), 0600(snooze), 0615(snooze),0630(snooze), 0645...all right, all right all ready!!! Up I got, jumped into the truck and to the ramp by 0715.

Headed for the Gulf, I stopped to get some livies in the Pass, and took the 8 mile ride to the snapper hole in about 12.5 minutes. My first two stops were short snapper, but the next three were holding good numbers of Snappers and Triggerfish. I was using my normal inshore tackle for these fish (12lb-20lb combos) with live threadfin herring and cut squid. I lost a LOT of fish to the wreck, but I had a blast, and the one's that I landed were that much more rewarding.

Cooler count for the day:
2 legal snapper
1 triggerfish
6 or so hours of peace and quiet

10 June 2007

2007-06-12T17:11:00.001-05:00

Dad called for Cam at around 0545, man was that early! He asked if Cam would like to join him for a Grandfather/ Grandson morning of fishing with Dad's lifelong friend Terry and his grandson. Cam was rarin' to go by the time dad showed; they hopped in the truck and were off!

I had a nice morning just hangin' around the house with my girls, lazing on the couch finishing a few chores. I ran to the store for life's staples (bread, milk, and eggs) and arrived home to a calamity.

Dad answers MY door with a big wide grin and asks me to accompany himn to his cooler. Boy was I in for a surprize!! Crammed into Dad's little playmate cooler was this 6lb slab of Tripletail; which my 5yr old son hooked and landed all on his own on 12lb tackle.

How awesome is that?!?!?!?

Out comes Cam hootin' and hollerin' and jumping up and down, "SeewhatIcaught?!?SeewhatIcaught?!?allbymyself?!?" After I got him to calm down, and slow down, I finally got the whole story from him. How Paw-Paw threw the bait out and handed him the rod. Then how he jigged the shrimp. Then how he let him eat it. Then how he set the hook. Then how he fought the fish. Then how Mr. Terry netted the fish. Then how they all high-fived.

Man, he was so excited, and so was I. I'm so proud of that little dude!

Look out fish, Cam's commin'

09 June 2007

2007-06-10T13:16:00.000-05:00

I got a call from Capt. Dusty Powers (D.P.) last night asking if I wanted to join him and our good friend Tim Land for an adventure today. I graciously accepted and we decided to sleep in just a little and that Capt. D.P. would call me when he left the house in the morning. Well ... my phone rang at around 0830 and after stopping for fuel and bait we met at the ramp a little after 0915. We launched Capt. D.P.'s beautiful 24' Shearwater, a boat I have been fortunate to fish on a few times before, and were underway.

Our first stop was minutes from the ramp. We eased along some docks, pitching GLUP shrimp on jigs, and boated two nice (but short) Redfish. We really wanted to scout today, so we left to check some other "fishy" areas. The shrimp in the well were big enough to put on the grill so all we needed was a few Pinfish and Bull Minnows to top off the well. We made a quick stop at one of our bait holes and within 6 throws of the net Tim had managed 5-6 dozen baits. To the Gulf for us!!

One quick drop on an inshore reef netted two Ladyfish and a short Gag Grouper. South-bound again. We fished pretty hard in the gulf, checking wreck after wreck to find the ones that held the best/most fish. On many spots our baits were inundated with green algae; and a few we looked for we just could not find. The days equipment consisted of 10#-17# tackle, perfect for lots of fun and a few lost fish. We caught a bunch of short Red Snapper (and a few legal ones too!!!), Two nice Lane Snappers, some Triggerfish, a Remora or two, and Tim lost what was probably a BIG Grouper on 15lb tackle. Tim pulled this fish out of the structure twice, but after getting in a third time the fish refused to come back out.

The clouds over the beach began to get very dark and a thunder clap or two told us it was time to get home.

Dusty and I remarked all day on how nice it was not having to do all the things we usually have to for our customers; such as bait other peoples hooks, re-rig other peoples lines, and worry that the fish won't cooperate. As Capt. D. P. and Tim drove away I realized that the nicest thing I didn't have to do all day was CLEAN THE BOAT.

This was a great day with great friends. Thank you D. P. and T Land for an awesome trip. I hope we can do it again soon (especially if i don't have to clean the boat again!!!)

02 June 2007 Fishin' Chix PRB Pensacola

2007-06-05T18:56:00.000-05:00

Pink Rubber Boots Pensacola 2007

The alarm sounded much earlier than normal this morning, 0400. We were scheduled to meet our fisherWOMEN between 0530-0545. After arriving at The Fish House (our host for this tourney), Carla, Jennifer, Cindy, and Jackie load their gear on board and prepared for today's adventure.

Once everyone of the 80+ anglers had found their boats and were ready Capt. Wes gave us the go ahead and we began making our way into Pensacola Bay for the 5 hour tourney.

Our first stop was the west side of Gulf Breeze, where Mom and I found fish on Friday. Yesterdays east wind, which had prevailed for the previous week, was replaced this morning with a stiff northerly breeze. None of the spots from yesterday would be the same today. Our first drift yielded no results, and our second saw Carla frantically trying to get the fish following her bait to eat it, without success. Knowing the chances were slim for repeating the bites from the day before we decided to move on in search of more "friendly" fish.

Next stop, Quietwater Beach. Although I didn't scout over here earlier in the week this particular flat is a favorite of mine (and a few other people by the looks of it). It didn't take us long to locate the feeding masses of Bluefish and Ladyfish in the area. Every one of my anglers boated a tournament fish on the first drift!! So we continued to drift the flat repeatedly looking for the elusive Speckled Trout. I asked (very nicely) for 1 ... just 1 legal Trout. The next cast and Jackie bows up on a nice fish, one that's fighting different from the rest, and I smile. "There's the Trout.", I tell them. Minutes later the head and shoulders of a 3+ pound trout break the waters surface feet from the boat, the fish shakes it's head and ...you guessed it...out comes the hook. Disappointed, I turn to Jackie to compliment her on a great job, nothing she could have done, just works out that way sometimes.

Another drift or two (clock ticking non-stop) and we decide to change tactics and hunt for our flounder. Off we go to the spot I got a report on yesterday. Pulled up, set the anchor, and tossed out 4 beautiful, live bull minnows.

Once again it wasn't long until the shrieking giggle erupts to the arch of a bent rod. I'm excited, maybe this won't take long and we can move on. Then, up from the bottom comes what is not a Flounder, but a Sea Robin. Super cool looking fish with little hand-like fins it uses to "walk" over the bottom in search of food to scavenge. None of the girls had seen one before so I took a few minutes to show the fish to them before releasing it.

The Flounder that were here yesterday just didn't stick around long enough for our tournament so we moved off to try improving our Bluefish and Ladyfish. I made my way to the place Mom and I really got into them on Friday. Upon arriving I noticed something much different today... no birds, no bait, and no fish. It wasn't 15 min and we were off to try something new.

Towards the pass we went. Once in the lee of NAS Pensacola we slowed and I showed the women one of my "go to " places that I can ALMOST always find fish. We baited up and dropped our offering to the depths. Jackie hooks up immediately and lands the smallest shark I've ever put on this boat!

Moments after resetting we boat a small gag grouper, then we have a few chaotic minutes as everyone starts hooking up with Ladyfish. The chaos subsides and we again reset our drift. This time it's Carla's turn, and she brings up our one and only Flounder of the day! I told her that she was my hero and that we only have a few minutes left to fish, so get back to it!

Those final minutes didn't improve our catch. I managed to clear the deck and have everything stowed by time for lines out and we made a beeline for the scales.

We arrived back at The Fish House way before the 1215 deadline and prepared to weigh our catch. After all was said and done, and all of our fish were knocked from the leader board (missing 3rd place Flounder by .05lb, about 3/4 of an ounce) we settled in for the festivities of the after party.
The fish weighing done and the trophies handed out I headed for the ramp, then the house to finish my days work and spend some time with my family.

I had a great day hanging out with these FISHIN' CHIX and I guarantee you if there was a prize for the most fun had on board....we would have won hands down!!!

Big thanks to Carla, Jennifer, Cindy, and Jackie for today. I couldn't have hand picked a better crew. And big thanks to the Fishin' Chix for letting me be a continuing part of this, and other of their events (Thanks Claudia)

Until next time,

Capt Josh

01 June 2007 A day with my Mom!

2007-06-01T19:42:00.000-05:00

My Mom and I met at my house at 0600 to do some scouting for the Fishin' Chix, Pink Rubber Boots Tournament tomorrow. We launched the boat at Navy Point ramp in search of the 7 target species; Speckled Trout, Redfish, Flounder, Ladyfish, Bluefish, Spanish Mackerel, and King Mackerel.

We began with the Speckled Trout; casting soft plastic baits along rocky shorelines and open grass flats. Our first stop yielded no results, but our second stop was successful. I managed to catch a Trout that had to be a solid 10"-11". Unfortunately a solid 4" under the legal size limit. Not another Trout all morning after that though. While we were Trout fishing we had other opportunities at target species, seeing many schools of Ladyfish, Bluefish, and Spanish feeding a hundred yards or so further from shore.

Just a quick adjustment to the trolling motor and we were in casting range of these fish. We released a Spanish and a Bluefish or two in the short but exciting flurries of activity. After pulling the trolling motor and preparing to move on I noticed three men in a boat drifting just south of us. These men were making one hell of a racket, hooting and hollering with every twitch of a bait or movement of water behind it. All this commotion and excitement could only mean one thing...Capt Wes was in that boat!!!

As we eased within hearing distance it was obvious that they were having the time of their lives hooking Ladyfish only to have them jump and spit the hook, only to have another fish striking at it as soon as the first one was off. Wes and I exchanged pleasantries and the mornings findings then Mom and I pulled away with them still laughing over bent rods.

We moved in search of our target fish a few more times; never stopping without at least a bite and usually with a boated fish or two. Each stop consisted of covering a grass flat or pier for a drift or two, getting some bites and leaving the fish alone to wait till morning. I ran into a good friend of mine later who told a tale of Flounder at one of our favorite holes, so I elected not to pressure them any more today. I had been doing alright with the Redfish as you may have read previously, so I checked that off the list. Our final stop was to locate bigger Ladyfish and Bluefish.

The boat coasted towards Pickens Beach on the bay-side, and the fish erupted from all directions! There were pods of fish throwing white water everywhere and scores of birds diving among them. I saw one school that must have had 200+ fish in it. We casted and moved and casted and moved and by the end had released nearly a dozen nice Ladys and Blues.

I know I was supposed to leave the fish alone; find them and wait til morning, but we couldn't help ourselves. Mom and I had so much fun catching those fish at the end. If it hadn't slowed down and I came to my senses I really don't know how long we would have stayed there catching them. We stowed our equipment and were pulling into the ramp by 1130.

I dropped Mom off with a big hug and turned around to catch bait for tomorrows Tourney. Within 40 min I had caught around 9 dozen baits, cut my toe open on an oyster shell, returned to the ramp, loaded the boat and headed for the drug store for first aid supplies for the toe.

All in all a most successful and utterly awesome (mildly painful) day spent with my Mom, how great is that!!

28 May 2007

2007-06-01T19:25:00.000-05:00

Met Mitch and his son David for a morning of father/son bonding over a little fishing. And thank God for the bonding, because there sure wasn't a lot of fishing to be had today!!

We started our morning getting live bait for the Redfish. Hoping to continue yesterdays success, we went to the Pass. The only real difference from yesterday was the wind...and LOTS of it!! We started our first drift and quickly landed two Catfish. I noticed a lot of algae comming up on our lines, much more than earlier in the week. It's usually a good indicator that you're keeping the bait near bottom, to come up with a little algae every now and then. But this was every drop! This slowed the fishing considerably, but I still felt confident that if we put our time in we would be rewarded with a nice Redfish. Well, by this time the sea state was starting to get to Mitch, and I really didn't want him to get sick, so we elected to return to Big Lagoon and try our luck trout fishing.

Being a holiday weekend the boats and jet skis were out in force. Running all over the flats and just generally making a day of poor conditions even worse. We gave it a valiant effort. At one time David asked me if I really was going to keep fishing until we put another fish in the boat. I told him he was darn tootin' I was going to stay!!!!!! Well, 30-45 min later Mitch, David and I all agreed that maybe it was time to hang it up and head for home, and we did.

The fishing was horrible, but the company was wonderful! I had such a great time hanging out with these guys today. We laughed and joked and carried on all morning. Pulling up to the ramp we exchanged handshakes, smiles and laughs and swore that next time'll be our day!

27 May 2007

2007-05-30T18:09:00.000-05:00

Well I guess everyone has those days, every now and then, that just don't start off well. Today was my day.

I woke to the home telephone ringing at 0615; about 15 min after I was supposed to meet my clients this morning. I answer the phone with, "I'm so sorry Ben, I'm on my way ". Thankfully, I prep the boat the night before each fishing trip. So off I go with a necessary stop at Grays Tackle for shrimp ahead of me. I arrive at Grays to find them sold out! On to the ramp!! No real issues at the ramp, except a flurry of apologies from me and wise-cracks from my clients Ben, Jim, James and Phil. I fished with Ben and Jim before (a very successful January trip with White Trout, Redfish, and Black Drum) but it was my first time meeting James and Phil.

We were headed to the Pass in search of Redfish. Using the same techniques that have been working so well the past few weeks, it wasn't long before rods began to bend. A hand-full of catfish caught and Ben hooks our first Red of the day; this 28" fish that we released.

Over the course of our drifts we hooked into some huge fish! James hooked one that tore line off the reel, and just as suddenly as it began, the fish spit the bait. James' hook point had gotten back into the bait, rendering the hook useless. Ben, again, managed to boat a legal (26 3/4") Red that went into the live well for dinner.

Late in the morning we were paid a visit by another of our ocean dwelling friends, the Green Sea Turtle. The turtle hung around our fishing area for a few minutes, resting on the surface and getting a few breaths of fresh air, before diving again. These turtles are always a welcome sight, a creature at home in the endless open ocean, returning to the beach to breed and continue it's species.

We retruned to the pier around 1200, cleaned our fish and discussed our favorite recipes for Redfish. We all shook hands and, amid another round of wise-cracks about who'd be late next time, said good-bye; vowing to fish together again as soon as their vacation time (and wives) allowed.

19 May 2007 P.M.

2007-05-22T19:33:00.000-05:00

After a quick bite to eat and a rinse of the boat I met David, Suzy, Heidi, and Kevin at 1330. As we made our way down the Intracoastal Waterway towards Pensacola Pass we encountered the Dragon Boat Races, taking place at a near-by marina. It was cool to see all the people on this rather small canoe, one drummer on the bow hammering out a cadence for the oarsmen to follow. We all enjoyed seeing them rowing for all they were worth, working in unison for a common goal. We slowly motored past until all was clear, put the fuel to her and made our way to the fish!

As I slowed down in the pass Heidi said that the ride itself was worth the price of admission ...boy was she in for a big surprise!!! It only took me a few minutes and I was back on the fish without a minute to spare. The rising tide was almost finished; I knew that when the tide stopped, the fish would too. Five minutes into the first drift and ...FISH ON!

Following a short fight, in the boat comes a nice size catfish. Then another, then Suzy's rod doubles over and I smile, "That's no catfish." Suzy had her hands full, but it wasn't anything she couldn't handle and, showing great technique she was able to subdue our first Redfish. This fish ws the perfect slot size fish at 26 7/8" and into the box he went.

I repositioned the boat several more times, always with a different outcome. Once it's Redfish, then it's Catfish, or Bluefish ... or bottom. David put's the next Red in the boat, but this one is slightly larger than slot size at 15lbs.

A dozen or so drifts and about as much fun as possible in an afternoon later, the tide finally slowed. It's relentless rampage into the bay was over for the day. The bites dwindle as our time expired; finishing with a total of three Redfish and countless Catfish and Bluefish. Off we were for another breathtaking boat ride through scenic Big Lagoon. We returned to the pier, cleaned our fish and parted ways with big smiles and hearty handshakes, vowing to get together again for another memorable day at sea.

19 May 2007 A.M.

2007-05-21T16:57:00.000-05:00

There's nothing I like more than to take kids fishing. Getting a kid on the water, watching their face light up as the boat gets up on plane, man it makes me smile just thinking about it. Today was one of those days...

Met Rocky, Clint, Matt , Randy, and Jake at 0600; for a morning of fishing we will all remember.

We started our day fishing the grass flats in Big Lagoon for the elusive Speckled (Spotted) Sea Trout. We found the Bluefish first, and after putting one in the boat and being cut off two other times, we got our Trout strike and our second; both on live shrimp under a cork. Unfortunately, we weren't able to make the most of those opportunities for Trout. However, the next stretch of water proved successful for Jake, with a Jr. trout for our Jr. fisherman.

The wind began to pick up, so we decided to head to the Pass and try our luck with the Redfish and Flounder. On the way we stopped so I could throw the cast-net for some Pinfish and Bull Minnows to use for bait. We arrive at the Pass at @ 0800, to a bunch of boats fishing the local inshore tournament. Keeping our distance from the tournament guys, we begin dropping shrimp and minnows to the bottom, on Carolina rigs. Within minutes we're hooked up with none other than the feline of the fish world.....the Catfish. Although they're not as good to eat as their freshwater cousins, it was a lot of fun catching them. After Jake weeded through a dozen or so cats we finally catch a target species, a nice Flounder.

Another short move and the catching really began. Drifting over some bottom structure gave us our first Redfish of the day , a fish that measured well over the 27" slot maximum. Here are Randy and his son Jake with the brute.

It wasn't long before we all began hooking into LARGE Redfish. Rocky and Jake double teamed one fish, and Matt finally was able to keep one on the hook long enough to get a pic with it. Shoot, even the Captain got to catch one!!!

The end of our time brought a tally of:
8 Redfish
1 Flounder
1 Speckled Trout
1 Scamp
6 or so Bluefish
More Catfish than I can remember

All in all this was a great time, shared with really good people, who know how to have a good time. I hope to get to share another day with these folks in the future