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Upper Gulfcoast This is the area for spearfishermen in Panama City, Destin/Ft. Walton, Pensacola, Alabama, Miss., and Louisiana. |
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05-25-2010, 02:00 PM | #1 |
Gulf Breeze
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Gulf Breeze
Posts: 1,260
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Huntin'
Mad Matt made it home from the Navy where he's just finished up the Nuclear power school (congrats to Matt)
So with a week home and as a "reward" for working hard and finishing I had agreed we'd dive our fool brains out last week and that's 'xactly what we did! Mon: Headed out in search of a "for real" 45+ pound gag I'd found just a week before the season opened. I had found a runover and caught a 20+# gag so it peaked my interest to dive it....wish I hadn't have now 'cause at that time the bigger gag just swam up to me as if to say...."Hey dude, isn't it GREAT that grouper season is closed!" I could've killed him with a polegun! Well fast forward to last Monday and ...he's GONE! we did manage one gag there about 20# (may have been the hook and liner that I'd caught just before the season opened but I don't think so. The wreck was sick thick with decent AJ's so everyone popped their whopping one ranging from 20-35# vis was an incredible 80+ on the bottom and the temp was 69F at 145 feet. We head North lookin' for somethin' good..anywhere and found another 3 gags diving "unknown ruovers" and one Red Grouper that was quite large for a red..probably 14-18 pound range. We grabbed 3 or 4 shovelnose during the course of the day and shot a dozen or so triggerfish. Three of us total on the boat, Me, Mad Matt and Saltwater Dave. Seas where a bit bumpy 2 ft but no trouble. Wed Day 2: Headed back to the same general area to check another unknown I'd found earlier in 160 ft range. turned out to be an old mini schoolbus with only the seats and frame still in tact shot a couple of small gags there and went BACK to the large grouper wreck hoping the big-boy was home....OH...AND to recover a dive light AND polespear that I'd dropped the day before.....DANG...At my present rate within 2 years I won't need to carry a divelight...I'll have one on EACH wreck I ever intend to dive! Nothing was home..no light....no polespear..and worst...the big-boy....I guess he's been caught! OH we did smell and see "light sweet crude" ....headed East to Panama City...so look out that way guys.. and we got buzzed by a twin engine private plane who circled us two full revs at a very low, slow altitude! we headed North again looking for more new stuff and found 3 more gags plus one more Red Grouper for an exact total of two days before....4 gags and 1 red plus we got the obligatory limit of "wormys" (AJ) the highlight of that day (for me) was pulling 12 bugs off of a little tire pile...and then that danged showoff SW Dave had to go and pull 15 off the NEXT spot....showoff! we ended that day with 39 total bugs. Friday, Day 3 went Friday with some of Matt's local friends and they wanted fish for a fishfry so you guessed it we went BACK to the AJ wreck...I guess we'd thinned them 'cause we only caught two keepers on R&R and I shot one about 30# We headed North again looking for anything on H&L but nothing played...except snapper...imagine THAT shocker huh? We dove a couple more dives and got about a dozen bugs so we ended the day with 3 Wormys, a dozen trigger, and a dozen bugs again the seas were about 2-3 max with no oil to report that day Sunday Day 4 Oil Slick calm...no punn intended took just me, Mad Matt and his lil Sister we hit a couple of new runovers that turned out to be natural bottom got a few bugs but nothing notable and Ana got to see a large Spiney..she tried to grab it but found out real quick it wasn't as easy as it looked. we then dove a Miltary tank where Ana shot her first fish, a 14 inch black snapper (or whatever you want to call it) we went back to more natural bottom and saw TONS of A.R.S. but nothing else of note. Sunday also turned out to be a late start due to a failed starter in the NEW truck (new to me but used) AND a danged 9/16" BOLT right through the tread of my left rear trailer tire.. waters starting to warm up! Snapper day....errrrr I mean SEASON is right around the corner.... I sure hope with that "lengthy" season and "huge" limits we don't completely devistate the stocks in one year! took some video of our dive for the big boy and if I can figure out how to upload it I will |
05-25-2010, 02:32 PM | #2 |
Registered User
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Gulf Breeze, Florida
Posts: 78
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Re: Huntin'
I had a good time last week Bill. Thanks for letting me tag along. Keeping an eye on the Wx lets get out again soon.
Last edited by NaClH2ODave; 05-25-2010 at 02:49 PM. Reason: had to reset router |
05-25-2010, 07:51 PM | #3 |
Registered User
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Milton, FL
Posts: 126
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Re: Huntin'
Good goin Bill. Good job putting them on the fish as always. Already missing the emerald waters and white sands of home. Soon, I'll wet my gills up here in Charleston. Got to go after them huge spineys they have up here. I am talking the size of an AL 80 tank. They are huge.
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05-25-2010, 08:28 PM | #4 | |
Gulf Breeze
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Gulf Breeze
Posts: 1,260
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Re: Huntin'
Hey Jon
we got big ones here too! just gotta know where to go look! I hope to have some pics of them for ya come opening day of spiney season in July we had a great time last week but I sure was bummed that the big boy was gone! Quote:
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05-25-2010, 09:28 PM | #5 |
Registered User
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Re: Huntin'
man bill, you sure done alot of typing on that post.was you a school teacher in your other life great job on the fish huge shovel
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05-25-2010, 09:33 PM | #6 |
yes-yes
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Playa Jaco, Costa Rica
Posts: 2,560
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Re: Huntin'
Mutant triggers.
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05-26-2010, 11:19 AM | #7 | |
Registered User
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Milton, FL
Posts: 126
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Re: Huntin'
Quote:
That's the great thing about here and the spineys. No closed season. At least yet. |
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