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Old 05-20-2017, 06:08 AM   #1
seawolf007
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Dry Tortugas Multi day Cost Share June 4-7

I am planning on making a trip out west to the dry tortugas in early june . Im looking for a couple experienced and sincere spearos to share in on costs. Must have gopro or similar video camera to bring as we want lots of footage from the trip! We plan to stay at fort jefferson as base camp and venture out daily for spearing.

shoot me an email as I dont login here every day.

frankbell007@yahoo.com

Kind regards,

Frank Bell
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Old 05-20-2017, 05:18 PM   #2
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Re: Dry Tortugas Multi day Cost Share June 4-7

are you freediving?
most everything around the fort is 100'plus deep
the tortugas bank has been wiped out by the playmate and the ultimate getaway boats- and the top half is a sanctuary.
the area of the bank that is still not sanctaury isnt that big and those scuba guys hit it really hard every single calm day .
the area by the k buoy is really the only shallower area - and its good if you have the two wrecks near to it- but without those- idk.
the last time we had a freediver out there with us capable of shooting fish at 110'(then digging it out of its hole or fighting it) was ryan myers and he would dive down - shoot a fish every dive and then promptly get robbed by reef sharks.
the fort is epic for scuba - and for fishing but you have to be really good divers to freedive it.
The right groupe of guys out there can crush it- but for mortals like me - its mostly a scuba trip.
10 years ago - the tortugas bank at 60'was awesome - but I haven't seen it fishy in years.
Maybe you know an area that I dk of.
I would be surprised to hear that though - as I used to go on commercial spearing trips out there regularly.
I would love to go but I don't have a go pro.
I thought you were going with bob elkin?
he has ALL the numbers in the world out there
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Old 05-21-2017, 08:30 AM   #3
KILLIAN
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Re: Dry Tortugas Multi day Cost Share June 4-7

I shot the Tortugas few years back with Harry and JPC. We crushed the fish around 8ft give or take some. Yes you need to find the better spots but to say the Tortugas is all dead and gone is simply the negative words of a negative person.

Lots of great fish to be found if you venture past the fort just a little.

Good luck Frank. If I could swing the time off I would join you.
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Old 05-23-2017, 07:34 AM   #4
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Re: Dry Tortugas Multi day Cost Share June 4-7

not a negative person- just wondering.
\btw- if you were within 30 miles of the fort and you were in 8ft of water- you were fishing the sanctuary.
there are two areas near the fort that have dive areas shallower than 100ft
the k buoy area and the tortugas bank
the bank whole top half is sanctuary now and the 3 square mile are that is left is getting hit by a couple dive boats who hit it over and over and over.
the last two times i went there- we saw nothing at all.
the k buoy are is pretty good at 50 to 60 ft- but i don't think you could spend more than one day there without just fishing the same spots over and over-
(the area isn't that big)
there are two lesser known wrecks right by there that hold fish- you got those numbers? not many do.
if you are 100 ft plus freedivers with sick bottom time - then the fort is a great trip. also for scuba - it is epic.
but saying this guy is going to shoot fish in 8ft of water= will put him n an imaginary land or the sanctuary.
call me a pessimist if you like but if you think you can fish in 8ft of water by the fort- you are delusional - or an outlaw.

you mentioned going past the fort a little- that is the tortugas bank- i would LOVE to know where you found fish in 8ft of water?
the whole top of it is sanctuary now and the bottom has been getting hit almost daily by ultimate geatway and their 25 divers and the playmate with their dozen or so.
every day they drop all their guys there for their shallow dive- since its the only shallow are nearby.
I know this area better than 99 of the people you will meet - heck - I have thousands of numbers out there.

killian- you are declaring me wrong- yet you are focused on a trip you took years ago - plus you are offering zero information about where this magical land of fish is
since you mentioned "past the fort"that could mean only one thing- the tortugas bank.
you could dive the rolloff of the far side of it- since it runs for miles - it goes from 50 to 60 - down to 90 to 100 - but i was there 3 times and only got one tiny black.
keep in mind - about 7 or 8 years ago - that area was epic! we shot like 15 hogs- some pushing 11 lbs
but it has gotten slammed so many times since then -
if you want to declare me wrong- then pray-tell where the magic land is?
I don't need exact numbers- since I have them all already- just wondering where you could dive shallower than 100 ft and not be in sanctuary or playmates shadow.
maybe you could dive the area right on the line - to the south of the fort- that is 85 to 95 ft- but the vis there has been terrible every time i went (like more than 50 trips for up to 5 days) plus it is maostly hard bottom - without much ledging in that area.
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Old 05-23-2017, 08:07 AM   #5
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Re: Dry Tortugas Multi day Cost Share June 4-7

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Originally Posted by KILLIAN View Post
I shot the Tortugas few years back with Harry and JPC. We crushed the fish around 8ft give or take some. Yes you need to find the better spots but to say the Tortugas is all dead and gone is simply the negative words of a negative person.

Lots of great fish to be found if you venture past the fort just a little.

Good luck Frank. If I could swing the time off I would join you.
I said the tortugas was dead and gone? did you read my post? are you dyslexic?
i never said it had no fish - only that is is deep and you need to be 100 ft freedivers with sick bottom time - or scuba guys
if you disagree then you either havent been out there in years
or you are 100ft freedivers (like harry and maybe jpc?)
or you are scuba
or you were fishing the sanctuary
ask gr tarr - he dives 100ft and he kills it out there
8ft of water huh? you are either delusonal or you meant 80ft?
80ft is deep enough to do the area south of the fort - right on the sanctuary line. maybe you can find vis there - (i never could)- plus it is mostly 85 to 95 ft-(back to my original point)
take a look at a chart- you will see (providing you understand the boundary lines(not easy)
the depths of the water and the boundary lines are factual
my opinion of the tortugas bank is based on 14 years of trips there with 2 years spent shooting commercial out there
i HAVE had good trips there years ago also- but lets hear from someone who has been there in the last couple years and done well
that's my point
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Old 05-23-2017, 08:18 AM   #6
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Re: Dry Tortugas Multi day Cost Share June 4-7

Sorry for the late response. Typo. I meant 80ft + yes I dive between 80-100ft without issue. My phone doubts that and always autocorrects my words. Yes 85ft-95ft bottom and the vis was not good in that area so yes perhaps you are speaking of that exact area. Many backs around but we only landed a handful that trip. African pomps, dog snapper, hogs, aj, etc. We did hit those 2 wrecks you speak of that sit in over 100ft of water. The vis sucked and Harry and I literally swam into the bottom as a result.

I have caught 80 grouper in a day out there in less than 20 ft of water fishing with the Hammer. We loaded Muttons , blacks and reds up catching 2-3 grouper at the same time with different anglers.

Sad to hear that commercial pressure has ruined most of the area. All for a fish sandwich sold in delaware.
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Old 05-23-2017, 08:31 AM   #7
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Re: Dry Tortugas Multi day Cost Share June 4-7

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Originally Posted by KILLIAN View Post
Sorry for the late response. Typo. I meant 80ft + yes I dive between 80-100ft without issue. My phone doubts that and always autocorrects my words. Yes 85ft-95ft bottom and the vis was not good in that area so yes perhaps you are speaking of that exact area. Many backs around but we only landed a handful that trip. African pomps, dog snapper, hogs, aj, etc. We did hit those 2 wrecks you speak of that sit in over 100ft of water. The vis sucked and Harry and I literally swam into the bottom as a result.

I have caught 80 grouper in a day out there in less than 20 ft of water fishing with the Hammer. We loaded Muttons , blacks and reds up catching 2-3 grouper at the same time with different anglers.

Sad to hear that commercial pressure has ruined most of the area. All for a fish sandwich sold in delaware.
its not the commercial guys who did it
its the playmate and the ultimate getaway boats (playmate holds like 12 divers and the getaway holds 20 atleast- all scuba spearing)
since the bank is the only dive that is shallower than 90 ft around there- they take the entire boat and drop them there every single day for the second or third dive
so they ruined the tortugas bank- NOT the whole fort area
so ists not a fish sandwich in delaware- its the full box freezers in naples and west palm and pennsyltucky
like i said originally- if you dive 100ft - then you are good- since you can dive all over
i have super secret spots in 110 that are ridiculous! 100's of them
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Old 05-23-2017, 09:55 AM   #8
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Re: Dry Tortugas Multi day Cost Share June 4-7

I feel like I don't consider the areas you describe as beat up as you do but I just like being out there and camping as much as the fish. Most of the spots we dive are South or on/around the bank. I'd say we average 85'. The trip Killian was with us we hit some spots from 80 - 100'.

We hit the shallow stuff too and do pick up nice fish but I agree you have to drift forever sometimes on the bank. It is not covered in fish by any means. If you can't dive and get grouper out at 80' out there than you may not have the most fun trip. If you are scuba and/or fishing on top of freediving and can enjoy what the Fort offers outside just fish than you will have a blast.

I'm still learning spots out there and have came across some epic numbers in the past 2 years just by finding them on my own. Never dove commercially so don't have the privilege of getting numbers from many other people. I've dove the K buoy area a good amount and don't have those wrecks. I'd love to though, maybe i'll drive around looking next time I get out there.
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Old 05-24-2017, 12:36 PM   #9
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Re: Dry Tortugas Multi day Cost Share June 4-7

Thanks for the Replies. Ive got this trip squared away at this point it seems. Thanks for the Interest.
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Old 05-30-2017, 08:23 AM   #10
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Re: Dry Tortugas Multi day Cost Share June 4-7

The gulf has gotten to be as beat up or more than the tortugas. We use to go up into the gulf off Naples/Ft Meyers from the keys. It broke my heart to see party boats on the springs and wrecks limiting out on permit. Nothing there now but Jewfish and nurse sharks. I expect the tortugas will end the same.
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Old 05-30-2017, 01:20 PM   #11
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Re: Dry Tortugas Multi day Cost Share June 4-7

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The gulf has gotten to be as beat up or more than the tortugas. We use to go up into the gulf off Naples/Ft Meyers from the keys. It broke my heart to see party boats on the springs and wrecks limiting out on permit. Nothing there now but Jewfish and nurse sharks. I expect the tortugas will end the same.
You must be in the wrong area...There are so many fish in SWFL
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Old 05-31-2017, 06:23 AM   #12
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Re: Dry Tortugas Multi day Cost Share June 4-7

I have plenty of places with fish but the ones I started going to 25-30 years ago that are well known get hammered by head boats out of Naples and Ft Meyers. I'm having to run further to little spots my shrimp boat buddies have given me. It's getting close in distance to.make Bahamas trips cheaper. My son and I love multi-day trips where we can cover a lot of ground but for just the 2 of us taking a 40' boat on that kind of trip is a waste. We spend about $1500 on a 4-5 day trip. That's why it's almost worth going to the Bahams
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