We took advantage of a little weather window yesterday and did the bouy run. Saw several fish on a red can. They chased the pink hogy but refused inches from the bait. They chased the white hogy but again refused inches shy of the bite. We threw chug bugs, puglisi flies, homemade poppers, Spro bucktails, Sebile plugs, butterfly jigs, gulp eels, and those buggers kept turning away just shy of the bite. until…
HOGY FLOUNDER!!!
This was also after we pulled away for a few minutes to regroup. I think they were tired of seeing our offerings. The big one (53") bit and the smaller two followed her to the boat but we stayed focused on landing the big girl. The little guys (still keepers for sure) left as soon as we gaffed the fish.
The Barracuda were quick to move in once we returned to the bouy.
Sorry to say we pulled the last cobia off the bouys for the year, They’re all gone now… don’t even bother looking, just send it out deep.
Oddly I found a few little spots while cleaning the fish that baffled me. These things looked like small decaying leaves and were between the membrane that surrounds the organ cavity and the rib cage, not in the meat or in the stomach. Anyone seen these before?
The stomach was completely full of crabs and only crabs. The little spider looking offshore crabs. I think I got a reaction bite rather than a hunger bite.
Go stock up on Hogy Flounders.
Never again for me! That fish broke my wrist, 3 ribs and did a couple thousand dollars of damage to the boat. It tore off the engine box and wrecked the ladder to the bridge, where 5 people were perched watching a fish kicking my butt. No, thank you. But I got her and won my $100 bet.