First Time Bottom Fishing 8/17

Saltwater Offshore Reports
1

Decided to try some bottom fishing for the first time on Sunday so we headed out to the subway cars by Commanche reef. We got a later start than anticipated but found some good bottom stucture and anchored (first time using the reef anchor) and had lines in the water by 8:45. It wasn’t 10 seconds until the first strike and I pulled up the first of many b-liners. We caught probably 15 b-liners with 8 keepers. We also caught what I believe to be a good size yellowtail snapper - see the picture and correct me if I’m wrong. We also caught alot of smaller fish that I didn’t know what they were. They were all 8 inches or less so they were released. Final catch of the day was a moray eel that wrapped himself up in my leader which took about 20 minutes to get untangled. We were about to move again to another spot when the motor took a minute or so to crank and we got spooked and decided to head back in. All in all a good day on the water and a success for my first try at bottom fishing.

Calm Day on the Water

B-Liners

Yellowtail Snapper?

What is this?

Moray

2002 Key West 2220 CC
2002 Mercury 200 EFI Saltwater

2

Nice post. I am jealous that I coudn’t go last weekend. It looks like a lake out there. Nice first trip.

I’m sure I’ll be corrected if I am wrong but your “yellowtail snapper” look to me like a juvenile AJ.

GW 205
F200 Yam

3

yellow tail snap = Reef Donkey

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEGXQqC-58E

4
quote:
Originally posted by sshaarda

Nice post. I am jealous that I coudn’t go last weekend. It looks like a lake out there. Nice first trip.

I’m sure I’ll be corrected if I am wrong but your “yellowtail snapper” look to me like a juvenile AJ.

GW 205
F200 Yam

Yep, baby AJ :smiley:

5

Ok upon further inspection it does look like an Amberjack. Could it be a Lesser AJ or is it in fact a juvenile Greater AJ? It was caught on the bottom.

2002 Key West 2220 CC
2002 Mercury 200 EFI Saltwater

6

The other one is a kilp, or sand bass. Not good for much.

My numbers are so secret even the fish don’t know where they are…

7

Greater AJ. Minimum size 28" fork length! What did he taste like?

GW 205
F200 Yam

8
quote:
Originally posted by sshaarda

Greater AJ. Minimum size 28" fork length! What did he taste like?

GW 205
F200 Yam

I’m not gonna step into that pile of ****. I haven’t eaten anything yet. At the time I thought it was a yellowtail snapper…minimum 12" TL. I’m still honing my Fish ID skills.

We released it…

2002 Key West 2220 CC
2002 Mercury 200 EFI Saltwater

9

white tip on lower lobe of tail= Banded Rudderfish

check the fish id pages at the right

<-------------------------

10
quote:
Originally posted by A2Z

white tip on lower lobe of tail= Banded Rudderfish

check the fish id pages at the right

<-------------------------

fish id is on the left

<------------------------- = left
-------------------------> = right

11
quote:
Originally posted by A2Z

white tip on lower lobe of tail= Banded Rudderfish

check the fish id pages at the right

<-------------------------

We have a winner!

Purpose One Charters
www.purposeonecharters.com
purposeone@comcast.net

12

Look at the head. Curved, not flat.

GW 205
F200 Yam

13
quote:
Originally posted by edisto-fisher

You were on some good hard bottom when you hooked the eel. You were drifting off it when the sand perch was hooked. When you catch eels make sure you note that spot on the chart plotter, like I said they indicate good productive hard bottom.

Nice 1st trip.

Thanks for the tip. The eel and perches where caught in two completely different spots. I didn’t mark the spot where I caught the eel but will keep that in mind in the future. I guess seeing an eel isn’t as bad as I thought.

2002 Key West 2220 CC
2002 Mercury 200 EFI Saltwater

14
quote:
Originally posted by dixiedeerslaya
quote:
Originally posted by A2Z

white tip on lower lobe of tail= Banded Rudderfish

check the fish id pages at the right

<-------------------------

fish id is on the left

<------------------------- = left
-------------------------> = right

oops…umm, I type behind my back??

15

and i reccomend cutting eels off you dont wanna be bitten by one. Theyr nasty critters on a hook.

strip…strip…FISH ON!

16
quote:
Originally posted by flyfishn

and i reccomend cutting eels off you dont wanna be bitten by one. Theyr nasty critters on a hook.

strip…strip…FISH ON!

Yeah they are nasty. I wanted to salvage what terminal tackle I could so I took the time to untangle it…he was too busy biting the 10 oz. sinker to bother with me.

2002 Key West 2220 CC
2002 Mercury 200 EFI Saltwater