Gone Fishing Capt. Larry Blue
The other day, my
mate Randy and I were sitting at the dock on the
boat and decided that a fresh grouper dinner would
taste pretty good. We packed on a bag of ice, some
sardines and squid as well as some fresh live
pinfish. Passing under the Johns Pass Bridge we
headed offshore. About 2 1/2 miles from shore I
slowed the boat to scan the bottom looking for life
on my fish finder. Suddenly on the screen a pile of
what appeared to be fish flashed on the Furuno. My
mate tossed a marker jug over the side of the boat
and I turned to a course to set anchor.
Once the boat swung
into position we dropped our baits to the bottom
with high hopes. It wasn’t very long before the
tap-tap-tap of a fish was felt on the line. A quick
motion of the rod set the hook and the fish was on
his way to the surface. A few more times this was
repeated and in minutes there were just enough
grouper and snapper to make a fairly good meal. No
sense being greedy, we had dinner and left the rest
of the fish there for another day.
When we pulled back
in the slip at Johns Pass Marina, Mike the dock
master, tossed Randy the dock lines to tie off. In
doing so, Mike asked; “Where did you guys get off
to?” Randy said: “Went to get dinner, that’s all.”
What? Dinner?, questioned Mike. Randy opened the
cooler lid to show Mike what dinner would be. Mike
said; “You just left 20 minutes ago!” “Yep!”
This time of the
year grouper migrate near-shore and make for fairly
easy angling. The good thing is that you don’t have
to make the long run offshore to get to them. The
only thing you have to make sure of is that the
storm fronts haven’t made the seas too dirty. Dirty
water fishing might take a little longer than it was
for Randy and myself that day. For those days when
the water is dirty, using a combination of squid and
sardine on the same hook help to give the grouper
something to zone in on. The smell of the bait wafts
in the water column, sort of like the scent of a
wood fire on a windy day. You can’t really see it
but you sure can smell it. The grouper follow the
scent until they find what created it, thankfully
for those trying to catch them.
Since the first of
the year the weather has changed somewhat, in doing
so cooled the water. Hopefully it doesn’t drop down
enough to make the grouper move too far offshore, or
to make them become lethargic because of the colder
temperatures. As long as the water temperature stays
above 52 – 55 the grouper will continue to feed, if
ever so slowly. Once it goes below 50 degrees they
all but shut down completely.
While we still have
favorable conditions I suggest that you take a trip
offshore to experience fishing for the bottom loving
bass of the deep sea. Grouper season closes soon and
will remain closed during February and March.
Join and support:
www.TheFRA.org
and
www.NRA.org
Make certain to
check the rules at:
www.MyFWC.com
concerning the fish you are seeking to take or to
secure a fishing license online.
Good
luck and good fishing, Capt. Larry
Copyright 2009-2010
Logo/editorial, Capt. Larry Blue
Capt. Larry Blue is a full time charter boat
operator and guide, launching from Gators on the
Pass and Johns Pass Marina on Treasure Island. He is
a member of; The Maritime Consortium ,The FRA, The
NRA, The Florida League of Anglers and The Florida
Outdoors Writers Assn. For charter information call
727-397-3773 or cell 727-871-1058
www.CaptainLarryBlueCharters.com
or
www.CaptainLarryBlue.com
