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2-5-2013 Florida Feb Fish!

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  • 2-5-2013 Florida Feb Fish!

    This was a makeup trip for my Dad and I since he was sick that last time that we tried to get on the night snapper fishing trip from Fort Myers Beach Florida. We were booked for two. I decided to bring one of three spinning rods that I bought in Florida a few years ago and stored at my parents. My father must wanted to use the boat provided deep sea rods. The trip was planned from 6pm to 1am through Captain Tony's Fishing Adventures http://www.capttonys.com . The price was $70 per person. It included all of your bait and tackle. I believed that we would fish in 50 to 60 feet of water. The weather was great, clear skies, with temperatures of 80 during the day and 60 degrees at night and very little wind. The water was calm with 1 foot chops.

    We were running a little late so we did not get to the correct marina until 5:40pm. There was not much time to spare. After paying and boarding, the boat took off on time. The ride out to the fishing ground would be 1.75 hours. We had 22 anglers on the boat. The boat was big and comfortable. Plenty of seating since it was a 90 foot boat. It even had a working galley where the chef was making steak and cheese, hotdog's and hamburgers. The bait that we used was squid and steaked up sardines. I had brought some squid from Bass Proshop so I can use the tentacle heads on my hook. That seemed to work well in catching the fish. Nothing was really biting the sardines on that night. The tackle that was provided was a four ounce weight on a double hook rigged mono line. We started catching fish within the first 10 minutes of our first stop. My dad and I ended up catching 31 fish. I caught a mangrove snapper, porgies, a lane snapper, several gray snappers, several fish the size of a gray perch, and two groupers between my father and myself that had to be released since grouper season was closed. They were between 19 to 22 inches in length. Fishing at night is great since you do not need a hat or sun block. The night was alive with a lot of animals. We saw a dolphin jumping in the wake of the boat. We saw a dozen eels swimming along the surface chasing our lines. We saw a giant sea turtle, pelicans, and schools of bait fish swimming just below the surface of the water. After 11:15pm, we began to head back to the dock. We arrived at and got off the boat by 1:30am. This was a good captain, since he chose to move to other locations if the fish were not biting or they were too small. I believe we moved four time. He did not sit over the same wreck. I will definitely go on the night fishing trip again. I did notice that the guys who were catching more frequently and catching larger snappers were using a two or three ounce egg sinker in a fish finder rig configuration. I will have to try that next time.
    Attached Files

  • #2
    awesome time to be down there. thanks for posting this up. cheers!
    What you give, you become.

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    • #3
      Nice going! I can't wait to fish FL this summer!
      <insert witty comment here>

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      • #4
        That sounds like a fun trip with some good catching. You are definitely adding to your 2013 species list. In photo 5, it looks like a machete sticking out of the bucket. Is that a new technique for cleaning fish?
        John Veil
        Annapolis
        Native Watercraft Manta Ray 11, Falcon 11

        Author - "Fishing in the Comfort Zone" , "Fishing Road Trip - 2019", "My Fishing Life: Two Years to Remember", and "The Way I Like to Fish -- A Kayak Angler's Guide to Shallow Water, Light Tackle Fishing"

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        • #5
          It is a small machete. Since we are from the islands, my father sometimes uses it to split a fish head open to make fish soup or broth.

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          • #6
            Nice job Martin. I hope to make it back to Florida soon.
            Jim

            Hobie Outback
            TKAA member
            Chesapeake Bay Kayak Anglers inc.

            Everyone should believe in something... I believe I'll go fishing.

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            • #7
              Great pictures Martin- Bottom fishing is one of my favorite things to do in the Gulf of Mexico- snapper, grouper, trigger fish, porgy- tasty, tasty fish-

              I'm headed down to Orlando the 20-28th of the month- got a trip booked in Mosquito Lagoon sight casting for reds-
              "Lady Luck" 2016 Red Hibiscus Hobie Outback, Lowrance Hook2-7TS
              2018 Seagrass Green Hobie Compass, Humminbird 798 ci HD SI
              "Wet Dream" 2011 yellow Ocean Prowler 13
              Charter member of Tonkin Gulf Yacht Club

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              • #8
                Nice work...I will be doing some of that in 3 weeks time, on the east coast.

                That yellowtail snapper is making me wish I was down there now.

                What island is home for you?

                Ernie

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                • #9
                  Grenada is my island. Known as the Island of Spice in the Carribean.

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                  • #10
                    I want to visit...I was born in Cuba, the Pearl of the Caribbean.

                    Ernie

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                    • #11
                      thanks for the write up and pics!
                      sigpic

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                      • #12
                        WTG!! I never knew your folks live in FL! Why hasn't a M&G been scheduled down there yet!! Nice catchin!

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