With Jerms and Duckcommander leaving Charleston for a few weeks, we decided to set up a last minute bottom trip and see what we could do. Left Wappoo Cut at daybreak and got a livewell full of four inch menhadden and headed out to 90’ of water. Bounced around a little bit and finally found some decent areas holding fish. Triggers and knothead seabass were the norm for most of the day with a few keeper beeliners in the mix. After an hour or so, we started pulling keeper ARSs in on chicken rigs and dead bait so we actually left that spot to go find one that wasn’t covered up in snapper. That and the AJs were thick at that spot too.
Drove a few miles to the next spot in a little deeper water, 120’. Same suspects there with a few grouper mixed in. Duckcommander put several rockhinds and a nice gag in the boat on dead bait while Jerms on the other side of the boat proceeded to take us to school on the butterfly jig by putting several stud seabass as well as two nice scamps in the boat, one which was 29".
Ended the day up with about a dozen triggers, 30 or so seabass, four nice grouper, and some great fishing stories to tell later on.
Water temperature was between 87 and 88 all day with not a breath of wind offshore. It was one of those rare days where we were actually hoping for a little light breeze. A slow lazy swell kept us company the whole day and provided a soft fast ride home. Could have been WOT pretty much all day; that’s saying a lot for my little 23’ boat. Anyways, glad we got out and got some of our favorite groceries to take home. Fresh grouper and triggerfish for dinner; you can’t beat that. It was a hot day, but a beautiful one.
Man, you are wearing that “daymaker” spot out, aren’t you?!?!?!
Just so there are no hard feelings, I left the rest of the bait we didn’t use, in your livewell. That way you won’t have to go find bait next trip. I’m lookin out for ya Bo!
man, those r some really nice looking fish. they taste better than they look though. glad to see you guy’s had a good day out there. just make another bottom offshoreman feels good to know that the fish is stll out there.
I love those gloves. $2 or something at Walmart and I can stick my hand down a grouper or snapper’s mouth and not shred my delicate baby soft skin. It keeps Skinnee happy, so I keep the $2 gloves on when handling most of these fish. Plus, after two infections in my fingers (on both hands) a couple of years ago, I’d rather look like a wuss than have to deal with ointments and swelling and puss coming out of my fingertips.
I can also run the bait knife down the middle of it and not cut the gloves and they give me great traction.
