The heat has continued to bake my brain, the sun keeps lighting my hair, sea water temperature went up one degree (89 F) and afternoon thunder storms are occurring earlier in the day which means the dog days of summer are on us. Plan your scalloping and fishing adventures for the first part of the morning in order to beat the heat and impending thunder storms. And don't forget to bring extra water. Scallops are plentiful, so are the boats on the grass flats. Everyone is coming in with a cooler of shellfish, which makes me wonder just how many scallops there are laying in the grass? I'm glad there are so many because they taste great! They can make a glutton out of you. "Oh, I'll just have a few more" is heard often across my table. I don't remember too many occasions where I ate leftover scallops for lunch, matter of fact, I don't remember any time that I have had leftovers.
Offshore fishing was fast and furious for those targeting pink mount grunts. If you can count to five after the bait hits the bottom then there is no more bait on your hook. Thursday we filled a cooler with the tasty reef fish. We converted five pounds of squid into 100 pounds of fish in short order. We were using light tackle so it made the fight more exciting.
I began taking friends fishing decades before starting a charter business and I still enjoy it as much today as I did those many years back. This week a friend, Dave Bass came up to Steinhatchee with his daughter, Megan. Joining us was Capt. Little John Bow and Ken Prichard, more friends the merrier. A no pressure afternoon fishing trip was the plan. We stopped off the number one marker and picked up some pin fish then proceeded offshore to drift for a few grouper. The bite was a little slow, but we managed a couple good fish for dinner and Megan kept busy pulling up grunts, porgies and squirrel fish. A wreck was close to the area we were fishing and I asked if he'd like to tangle with something large like an amberjack, cobia or jewfish that might be hanging out. "Sure, let's go for it" Dave said. We anchored up and I began chumming with chunks of sardines before free lining a pin fish and putting down a butterflied squirrel fish. Dave was holding the bottom rod when 'it' hit. When a five and a half foot boat rod doubles over, I get excited as a kid at Christmas. Everyone cleared the extra poles out of the way as Dave grunted and groaned on the pole. In a couple of long minutes. the line swam up through the water column. Megan yelled "shark". Close call, it was a large, modified, flat-headed, brown shark, better known as a cobia. It swam from one side of the boat to the next. The longer it was in the water the more likely something awful might happen and it would escape. On the other hand, I've gaffed a green cobia and it cost a couple hundred bucks to repair the damaged GPS, rods, reels and tackle. I waited as long as a I could before going for the gaff. Little John was in charge of slamming the lid on the cooler once I swung the fish aboard. We had the best game plan until... as the fishes head crossed the gunnel the gaff snapped spilling a wild one on to the deck. Fish blood from stem to stern. Mayhem. Little John and I managed to pin the cobia in the corner of the deck using the cooler as a retaining wall. In a few minutes the fish settled down and we collectively got her in the cooler. High fives and a few quick Kodak moments preceded a happy ride back to shore. I gave Dave the broken gaff to spark memories for years to come. Friends and fishing are one fine combination. Take a friend fishing as soon as you can. Thanks for reading and have a great week.
