DAY ONE (9/13/2008)
It’s time to shut down the red snapper because we killed the last 3 monsters on the planet. It was pretty obvious that when we dropped into a school of cigar minnows that were being ambushed by big red snapper and big gags that it was going to be a good dive. Really cool to see them feeding so aggressively like that! At first I just saw big black spots and thought they were rocks, but then I noticed that the big black objects were darting after minnows and causing a rucus. Also triggers the size of dinner plates and throw in a 9lb spade into the mix. But it was the red snapper that were the most impressive. They were HUGE! We got 2 spear diving and one on Rod and Reel by my 63 year old father. Didn’t get to weigh them, but I’ve seen a 22lb snapper before and these were MUCH bigger! 2 that were 34" and 1 was 35". Stuck my head up in a hole to see if I could see one and didn’t even see the 7’ shark that swam out behind my neck. That probably would have ruined my day. Saw about 10-15 legal scamps, but with the big gags and snapper around, they didn’t look interesting. Ended the day with 5 big lobsters 6-8lbs, 3 red snapper 34-35", 1 red snapper 24", 7 gags (2 kept on R&R and they released a smaller 8th) and 4 scamps. Also, should mention that that a 6/0 senator blew up on one of the fishermen and sent the reel free spinning into a nasty backlash. We hand-lined the fish up from 110’ with no gloves and he fought the whole way up. Fish was a nice one, probably around 18#.
DAY TWO (9/14/2008)
Had to get home early today so we only had time for 2 quick dives. Ended up with 5 gags, 1 red grouper, 1 hogfish, 6 slippers, 3 spineys. Saw 4 more really nice sized spineys but let them go because I didn’t feel like messing with them on day 2 in a row of diving. Also caught a glimpse of a really big bodied shark. Couldn’t tell what it was, but I was fighting a grouper at the time and said little prayers in my head that he wasn’t interested in the battle. It’s really unnerving to b
Wish these pictures did them justice, but they usually don’t:
Nice shooting. Seems like more and more of these elusive, rare, practically instict species are popping up. Must be a breeding cycle. I’m sure there won’t be one killed next year.
Stephen Goldfinch
“Sleep When You’re Dead!”
…Crabman
Looks like a good day… How deep did you get the big snapper??
That’s a reel nice weekend,Skinnee.I heard you talking to Slayride about the handlining and such on Sat.I would rather eat the small scamps than the lg reds and gags btw.
“Women should be obscene and not heard.”
Nice haul. Those are some great snappers.
Mark
Mako 262 Twin Yammaha F200s
Yeah, but do you consider a dog to be a filthy animal? I wouldn’t go so far as to call a dog filthy but they’re definitely dirty. But, a dog’s got personality. Personality goes a long way.
“Life’s tough…It’s even tougher if you’re stupid” John Wayne
Comon’ skinee…we know better then that. There are no big snapper down there, just ask Goat…those must be some old pics you dug out of the archives…
I wonder how many of those boys it would take to fill up a tailgate?
Great day and report SJ!
Gator Killer.
He took the bait like a bonnethead on a day old crab…
2005 236 Sailfish
225 Yamaha 4-stroke
man those are nice fish!!!have you seen this happen alot with 6/0 sen?
quote:
Originally posted by blackangus
man those are nice fish!!!have you seen this happen alot with 6/0 sen?
Negative. This reel probably hasn't been serviced in 20 years.
Ok I’m ready this time…so when we going?
“No tail like Split Tail…”
quote:
Originally posted by whardee
What was the vis?
Saturday:
1rst dive - 10-12'
2nd dive - 20-25'
3rd dive - 15-20'
Sunday: 2 dives 40+
No signs of the summer thermocline. I think it has gone, but still a little milkyness to the water.
Nice fish! Funny how this has been such a great year for ARS. What’s a slipper?
Skinn, what type of tip do you use? I shoot a 48 special,ab biller with a tip that has two prongs that flare out. a lot of fish that are larger then 15 lbs. pull off unless you get that shot that stuns them & you can get them wrassled down quick. i just ordered speed loaders and thinking about a diff tip. we also saw tons of reds in 85’,shot a few on the drop but there were so many large gags on the bottom , they were hard to pass up. would like to hook up before the weather gets to cold if your interested, its hard to find reliable people to go dive!after 21 years as a hard hat diver, I dont find cold water diving as fun as it once was. we are headed down to Pt. St. Lucy in 2 weeks for some bugs before it gets to late. Shoot me a e-mail earahill@bellsouth.net
If it got any better I couldn’t stand it.
Bug Catcher, the trick to not get them to pull of is the stone shot!!! The trick to fish, ducks, doves, etc is to shoot them right in the face!
Who do you normally dive with? Let’s team up sometime.
Skinn,my son is 29 & my daughter is 25, both have a lot of ex. my new son in law is new but has a few 85’dives under his belt. I have a few others i can call but they are not dependable. we may try to go this weekend if the wind will lay down.708-9785
If it got any better I couldn’t stand it.