DATE: 28 Nov 2007, 10:07 am / MOOD: Full of life

Grouper bite has been good, I don't guess it is going to get cold this winter. I can't complain I suppose. Is nobody else fishing?

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DATE: 01 Jul 2007, 7:35 am / MOOD: Happy

Headed out to the Skyway around 4am on 06/29/2007, Stephanie and I loaded up on a bait and patiently awaited the tide change. Right at sun up the tide starts to pull in, and the bite turned on. We landed 5 grouper and missed a couple nice ones. The picture posted of the grouper I am holding was 23" I almost threw her back because I thought she was about 20" but when I measered she was exactly 23". She was alot smaller than the ones I have been catching. I lost a 25" plus gag on top of the water and caught numerous 20 inchers.

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DATE: 14 Jun 2007, 4:43 pm / MOOD: Happy

Uncle James and I met up at the south pier around 3pm and caught about 40 pin fish. We then hit up a few of our favorite markers. I landed a 23" fish not long after sending the bait down. The tide switched so we moved over to another great spot and I land another grouper measuring at exactly 22". We sharked fish for a while but no takers. we then decide to move and I popped a 17 incher at around 12am. Uncle James caught 3 more keepers at sunrise, the largest being 25". Overall we took 5 keepers that night and morning. I headed back out the next afternoon and caught 5 more grouper all being undersized. The largest fish was 20".

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DATE: 14 Jun 2007, 4:38 pm / MOOD: Happy

Many fish caught, arrived at the south pier around 5:00 to prepare and catch bait from grouper and snook. I went to a few of my favorite markers and got nothing, we then moved to another marker and I caught a 17" grouper and a estimated 50 to 70lb goliath. Pictures can be found in the gallery. We finish up grouper fishing and headed to my snook hole. We landed 4 snook and then decided to go snapper fishing. Jeff and I caught our limit of snapper. I called it a night.

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DATE: 30 May 2007, 12:31 am / MOOD: Full of life

So Stephanie and I arrive at the south pier around 6pm and meet up with Jason Shawn and Bill, Jason and Shawn soon left after we arrived, they had been there early and caught a couple snapper. I meet with Bill at the end of the pier and we catch a few pin fish, we stop at a grouper marker and fish for about 10 minutes. Has anyone ever caught a 400lb grey grouper? They swim pretty fast. After we feed our baits to the dolphins we move to the shallows were we anticipated a fun night. Tarpon and cobia was what we were after. I slowly let back my JUMBO shrimp and soon get a big thump, I hear quite a few guys tell me that the Shimano Torium 30 won’t have enough torque for grouper and the gear ratio is too high.

Well we landed a 70lb plus goliath on the torium and it handled it pretty well. Is that a big enough grouper to prove itself? Well I get the fish to the surface at first thinking it was a tarpon and was wondering why it hadn't jumped. I was pretty tired so Bill helped escort the fish to the rocks were he also fought the fish. Thanks Bill! We both get in the water for a few photos, Bill revives the fish and sends him on his way. Stephanie has to work early so we called it a night shortly after. I will be back tomorrow to beach another poon. Until next time. Goodnight!

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DATE: 30 May 2007, 12:20 am / MOOD: Full of life

Ok, so my report is a little late from last week, I do apologize Stephanie and I arrived at the North pier around 5pm, we started fishing for what would be shark bait. I drifted away to fish for pompano and got one hook up with a nice pomp but not long after he got away. Jason and Shawn soon arrived; the sun was starting to descend. The ladyfish bite really turned on and between Jason and I, we probably caught 60 plus ladyfish. So we get the largest shrimp we can find and we are waiting for complete darkness to site cast to the silver king. Pucky arrives at around 8:00 and ready to fish. Jason sends out a lady on the 12/0, we had no larger baits so we had to do what we had to do. Pucky balloons his bait and so do I. The 12/0 starts to rip, Jason then runs to the rod and waits; there was an eerie silence that filled the air. All of a sudden the rod starts to rip again and Jason sets the hook to what seem like a beast.

 

Well he was a beast but a 3 foot beast  (No hard feeling sleepy) I had my heart set on landing a tarpon that evening. So I get the rod ready, 100lb fluorocarbon leader and set out on a mission. I reach in the bait bucket to get the largest shrimp I can find. I get to my tarpon wonderland and all I could see were hungry feeding tarpon. I fling the shrimp 10 yards in front of the first one I see sitting perpendicular to the bridge and as the shrimp passes BAM! He nails it fish on, one jump and he spits the hook. The adrenaline is flowing like you wouldn't believe, I run and get the next largest shrimp and send him on his way, the tarpon inhales him but I prematurely set the hook and he got the shrimp. Third one is always a charm, I see the largest tarpon of the night and didn't think I would hook up as I told Pucky "watch me hook this one" I get the thump and yell "Fish on" the battle rages on, 5 minutes, 10 minutes, under the bridge jumps and more jumps, 20 minutes pass, as I think the fish is subdued he makes one more run to the pylon, I lock it down and pull him out.

  

I then drag him to the rocks were I got photos and properly dehooked and revived the fish. He swam off into the dark cloudy water. Jason and Shawn finally call it a night and me and pucky were grouper hungry. So we load up and go down the way to catch some pin fish for the infamous grouper, we catch a couple dozen and head to the south pier to one of our honey holes. Marker number ###3, you thought I was going to tell you huh? Well we fish at this marker for about 20 minutes and Pucky gets rocked. I get a hit and then I am rocked. I let out a little line and the grouper is free, I start reeling like a mad man, probably looked pretty amateurish from a distance but I had to do what I had to do to get him out of the rocks. Apparently the grouper was attached to someone’s power pro that they had cut because they were to week to break it. I finally can see my grouper surface at about 20 yards. Every time I would pull the fish would come out of the water. So I gave it a few good yanks and the braid cut through my monofilament line. That was pretty much the trip in a nutshell.

 

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DATE: 04 May 2007, 8:15 am / MOOD: Happy

I arrived at the Skyway around noon on Wednesday, first to get there. Pucky quickly arrived shortly after. I threw the net and got a bunch of small greenbacks. We then moved and tried to sabiki up some pinfish with no luck, the local guys are selling off all of the pinfish, and they are almost non existent it seems. Bill arrives with about 2 dozen pinfish form the north side and we are back in business. The tide is slowly shifting to go out and Lihn and Hoang then arrive with a bucket full of mullet.

I am thinking the conditions, the tide, winds etc... Are perfect for grouper. We then decide to split up and fish different rock piles. Lihn, Hoang and I get to our rock pile and within 10 minutes Hoang gets a hookup but it breaks him off.40 minutes later Hoang is on another fish, this time it just gets off. Something takes off with my mullet just to kill it and leave a bunch of holes in him ;) Mackerel were eating squirrel fish and pinfish, very weird. Overall it was a great day but no keepers for me.

 

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DATE: 30 Apr 2007, 4:01 pm / MOOD: Happy

Fishing is probably one of the most popular forms of recreation in the world. You can find people of all ages and gender, from all walks of life, enjoying the sport from shore and from boats. The equipment used in fishing, or tackle as it is called by fishermen, is relatively uncomplicated. All you really need to start fishing is a rod, a reel, fishing line, hooks and lures. The cheap equipment and abundance of fishing spots all over the world make it easy for anyone to fish. For others, it can be another source of food; for many, it's a chance to go out into the outdoors and spend time alone or with like-minded friends.

Fishing, or angling, can be enjoyed either in fresh water or salt water. When you fish in streams, lakes, rivers, and ponds, then you're going freshwater fishing. You can catch trout, bass, and several other species this way. On the other hand, saltwater fishing takes place in oceans, estuaries, and tidal rivers. The fish you can catch here are typically bigger than the usual ones you can catch while freshwater fishing. These include tuna, snappers, marlin, sailfish, and tarpon. You've probably heard about spin fishing, bait fishing, and fly fishing. These are the most common types of angling used both in salt water and fresh water fishing. But what exactly are the differences between these three?

Bait fishing means using live or dead bait to catch fish, plain and simple. When a fisherman goes bait fishing, the bait is placed on a hook and then cast into the water, where the bait sinks. Now, depending on the type of fish, the fisherman may then let the bait sink to the bottom of the water, jig the bait up and down to attract fishes by the movement, or reel the bait in to attract fish swimming near the surface of the water.

Spin fishing uses metal or plastic lures to entice and catch fish. These lures spin as the fisherman reels in the line. Fishermen using this technique always pay close attention to the speed by which they reel in the lure, as well as the depth, or how deep is the lure in the water. These actions, along with the spinning of the lure, are necessary to imitate the movements of common game fish prey. When a fish bites the moving lure, it usually hooks itself, and then all the fisherman needs to do is to reel it in and land it with either a net or a gaff. Lighter fishing rods are used for smaller fish, and bigger rods are reserved for larger ones.

Fly fishing is generally considered the most difficult method. A typical fly fishing rod weighs less than the rods used for spin and bait fishing, and longer, too. This type of fishing uses feathered lures particularly created to resemble the appearance of insects or small fish. In casting, the fisherman whisks the rod forward then back with only the forearm. The line is then cast into a specific spot in the water with a sharp and smooth flick of the wrist. Depending on the type of fly, it can then float or sink in the water. What makes fly fishing so difficult is the smooth, precise movement necessary to introduce the fly into the water as naturally as possible.

The spring and autumn seasons are generally considered the best for game fishing, since these are when the fish are most active. Fish can still be caught during summer and winter, although the fish are usually a bit more sluggish and less inclined to chase lures or bait. Water temperatures also play an important part in deciding the best time to fish, since different types of fish are active at different temperatures. If their natural prey is around, you can also expect game fish to be more active.

fishingjoe.com

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