For the past 3 years I have been trying to line up a trip with the infamous Bug Catcher. Finally the stars aligned and thanks to our mutual buddy It’ll Do. We set this past Saturday as the big day. Early in the week the forecast was snotty. 15 to 20 out of the north…
Mid week I get the following text…
Made a quick call to Bully and it was on!
In the mean time the forecast changed from questionable to beautiful.
Met at the dock and loaded up. 12 tanks, 4 sets of gear, 5 men, 2 kids, ice, and fishing gear. We were off but now before Realfish01 whips out the hot breakfast burritos.
I could tell this was going to be a good day. Them boys know how to cook!
Ocean was beautiful, I let the kids have my bean bag and I made my self comfortable on the floor and took a nice cat nap.
Made it out to the first spot in no time.
Did some fishing to check out the spot and Little Freeman had the hot hand!
Caught some nice trigger, sea bass, bliners, etc. Bout that time the rod doubles over and after digging into a rock we where hung. Bug Catcher and Bully used some of their pro bottom techniques and before you know it the fish is free and pulling hard. Little Freeman worked him to the top.
Big GAG!!
The divers could not stand it any longer and suited up!
Nice stuff there. Making lobster cakes with the lobster from last weekend so I’ll let you know how they turn out. Plenty of backfin meat on those old bugs.
Rob Harding
236 Sailfish 250 4s Yam
Charleston diving http://www.charlestondiving.com (Fish not Biting? Try a fast presentation of spring steel)</font id=“green”>
Rob Harding
236 Sailfish 250 4s Yam
Charleston diving http://www.charlestondiving.com (Fish not Biting? Try a fast presentation of spring steel)</font id=“green”>
A Great day with wonderful food and crew. My first time on a Freeman and it did not disappoint.
I am still waiting to see a 60’ viz day. The 10’ to 15’ days are what follows me every time I put on the tanks.
A couple of additional points, we dove a spot in 90’ that was absolutely LOADED with 10" to 18" gags. If that’s what is an indication of what’s to come, I can not wait. Also, on another dive, we were covered up by 60 to 80 lb AJs. They would not leave us alone the entire 30 min dive. S4G and i had to constantly push them out the way. If someone wants a few huge AJs, let me know.
A couple of additional points, we dove a spot in 90’ that was absolutely LOADED with 10" to 18" gags. If that’s what is an indication of what’s to come, I can not wait.
Nice. And we didn't even need to shut down the entire fishery! Go figure! Those are 6 months- 1 year old fish that should be ripe for the taking next year.
Note that most of the LEGAL gags we see in 100’ are 2-6 years old.
We had the typical entourage of black sea bass follow us around. Actually almost shot a couple due to their size. There are some STUD sea bass down there. Hard to believe the government thinks SC has some kind of shortage.
Set the trap boys, we going to pass through them again!!
S4G has threatened me for years to get me on “The Magic Carpet Ride”. I can not think of a better description for the ride on this fantastic boat. Billy Freeman has created a truly magical boat! I have been on most everything that floats from an aircraft carrier to sailing canoes and Kayaks that my father built and everything in between and the ride at 50+on this boat was smoother then any airplane I have been on. The craftsmanship is superior to any boat I have been on,I do not recall a screw or fastener visible anywhere. Billy is a very knowledgeable and personable fisherman to boot!(not that the rest of the crew isn’t) We took him out to show him what some knowledgeable divers could do. We didn’t find the 60’viz we had the week before and the fish didn’t cooperate for the show. The crew was great and the food edible. At least if the fish don’t bite, we can! Had a ball and the most impressive thing all day were Billy’s kids. They hung in there all day and never complained. We got in way after dark and they were still in a great mood!
Got some good eats in the end and made some new friends, which is whats it’s all about. Now I just need Realfish01 or It’ll Do to purchase one of these to get me through the golden years!
