Here goes one heck of a fishing report. There are three combined trips in this report. I had charters from Utah all the way to Chicago. Each trip had it's own unique flavor and they were all very enjoyable.
First on the agenda was Stan, his dad Stan, and good friend Josh, they all hailed from Chicago. These guys wanted meat. They are one fish eating bunch. If we could catch it, they would ask if they could eat it. We started off grouper fishing. I gave out the instructions on the way to the hole and as usual, no one really pays attention when I give them. I anchored up and casted Stan's bait toward the structure. He was immediately slammed. For some reason the grouper came out away from the structure and I actually thought Stan would have a chance in turning the fish away from the cover. Unfortunately for Stan, he got caught up in the shear power of the fish. It railroaded him right into the cover and busted him off with out even breaking a sweat. The fellas were in awe after the demonstration of power they just witnessed. Josh and Stan alternated several times fishing the hole. After 10 breakoffs and 20 plus hits with only one 18 inch grouper landed. We decided to go after some snook action instead.
Fortunately, we were able to find some very hungry Snook. Stan was first to get in on the Snook bite. I tossed his big white bait close to the mangrove shoreline and handed the Cape Fear back to Stan. As I was taking care of Pops and Josh, Stan hooks into a fat linesider. He yells out "I got one," and a nice Snook comes head shaking out of the water. The Snook B-lines for the mangroves and I give Stan the instructions to put his rod tip close to the water to keep the big Snook from busting him off on the mangrove roots. A few minutes later Stan had a very nice 9.5 pound Snook for the grill. His first Snook ever went 9.5 pounds, if only I was so lucky to get such a large snook as that as my first one.
Next, Popa Stan decided to get in on the action. I casted his bait up near the mangrove and told him that spot looked just to good to pass up. Within 2 minutes Stan was getting worked over by a nice 8 pound Snook. The Snook drilled pops right into the mangroves. I knew if I didn't spring into action he would loose that nice fish. I grabbed Stan's rod and put the tip in the water to keep it from breaking us off in the mangroves. Once the fish was clear I handed the rod back to pops so he could finish his battle. When Pops finally managed to get the beautifull linesider to the side of the boat, he was the one completely wore out. We closed out the day with a few more Snook, a great lunch at the Waterfront restaurant, and a wonderful time of fun and fishing.
My next trip was on Friday and my clients were Dan and Lindsey from Utah on vacation. Stan had never experienced fishing the way I do it. I had to work real hard to get bait, but once we finally did the bite was on. The first place I took Dan to was the grouper hole. I tossed his bait to the structure and Bam!! he poped out a nice 19 inch gag grouper on the first cast. I was actually very impressed and thought to myself this guys has his act together. Then it happened, Dan proceded to loose the next 15 fish he hooked up with. These grouper were just anilhilating him. He was simply crushed over and over. He got so frustrated he handed his rod over to his wife Lindsey so he could regain his fishing abilities. Lindsey did great, she did everthing just how I told her and before long she landed a nice 18 inch grouper.
Dan hopped back in the Catbirds' seat looking for some redemption. I believe he was able to put a couple of smaller grouper in the boat but just couldn't get the big ones out from the cover. As the bite slowed we decided to head up into the sound and see if we could get in on some Snook and Trout. We found Snook and even got a couple to eat, but they just aren't easy to catch when you are not used to them and how they fight. Next we hit the Trout and boy are they thick. Nearly ever other cast we would catch one. The were everywhere. We even caught a Ladyfish and a Catfish on jigs which I put in the well for later. The bite soon slowed, so we decided to get a bite at the Waterfront Restaurant. Dan and Lindsey loved it. Once again, a more than satisfied customer of the Waterfront.
With our bellies full and muscles relaxed, Dan was ready for some big fish action. I took Dan to one of my favorite big fish spots. I baited him up with the lone Ladyfish in the well and gave him the instructions on how to drop the bait down. Not 10 seconds after the bait hit the bottom, it was consumed. I saw it happen and yelled for Dan to set the hook. Not two seconds later Dan was finished with his first encounter with one of the monsters of the deep. The only bait I had left to drop down was a Catfish I kept from Trout fishing. We dropped the Catfish in two or three holes without a nibble. The last hole we dropped the bait on was the ticket. Dan dropped the catfish down and something huge ate it. I looked back and Dan was bent over double on the back platform of the boat. Dan held on for all he had and after a couple of minutes of what I am sure, seemed like an eternity to Dan, he was able to finally bring up one huge Snook. This Snook was well over 40 inches, but it didn't have any weight at all in it's tail. The big Snook weighed in at 19 pounds. Dan's first Snook ever went 19 pounds. I told him he didn't deserve it. He just hasn't paid his dues long enough to catch a Snook that big. You can see how proud he was of this fish by the smile on his face in the picture. What a great day it was indeed!!
Finally, we are down to the last trip of the week. I went out with my good friends Nelson and Jason. We caught Ladyfish in the river before going through the miserable mile. When we arrived at the hole, it was rough, windy, with a ripping tide. I dropped my bait down and was just leveled two times in a row. They were huge fish down there. Nelson, Jason, and I proceeded to get broke off and beat up time and time again. However, Jason stepped up to the plate and hit a home run. A home run is probably easier to hit though than catching this monster. We had kidded Jason earlier in the day about only grabbing a smaller Ladyfish in hopes of a Snook eating it instead of a really big fish. He sure showed us though. Jason dropped his bait down and felt the proverbial thump. Jason jostled back and set the hook. His rod bent double and so did he. We saw the rod gain some leverage when Jason pulled so we knew he had a chance. He started pumping and reeling and gained a few more feet back. He almost quit on us but then he got his wits back about him and the next thing we know we have a true monster of the deep right next to the side of the boat. He really did a great job. I am sure it was probably the best fight he has ever had with a fish.
To conclude, fishing was a blast this week. Big fish was the word once again. Sometimes I am just amazed at what some of my customers are able to bring up off the bottom. It is great. Be sure to hurry up and book because all of my days for the next 3 months are nearly gone. Book Now if you can!
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