A unique website dedicated to fishing information from Florida's Northern Big Bend. This includes the area from the Econfina River west to the Apalachicola River
Use this area to post offshore fishing reports from the area. Please try to include relevant information such as:
Location, date, time, water conditions, weather conditions, baits, techniques, species caught, etc.
Thought I had to to family stuff, but my daughter's softball game was cancelled and my oldest duaghter and I went for it. Trolled about 25 miles SW of Ocklocknee Bay.
Used Capt. Jay's advice to troll about 5 to 5 1/2 mpg with Stretch 30s. Boy did they go deep! Twice we hung up on some structure in 50 feet of water and I lost one lure.
Only on fish caught, but it was a nice one. Dami reeled for 10 minutes to bring in a 31 1/2 inch 15 1/2 poung gag. That was a great fight and a good fish.
Best thing though (and something that I'm sure I'll appreciate more as she gets older) was an uninterrupted afternoon with just her. No phones, no stereos, no friends at the mall. Just me and her.
As they say......priceless.
When the water reaches the upper level, follow the rats. - Claude Swanson, F.D.R.'s Secretary of the Navy
Hey D-TOX,
If you hungup in 50ft you must have been using some braided line in order to get that deep. If so, that's good news, because that means that the stretchs will work on out to 65 ft. Generally, I can troll in 50 ft with 30lb mainline and not ever hang up. They should run about 40 ft at 5 mph. It sounds like you were in the right area but we have quickly gone from the "trolling time" to the "live bait" time. I'll bet you marked some good bottom but the grouper are hungry for the live bait. Usually it is a more gradual turn from one to the other but this year it seems to have happened quite quickly.
I do envy you in the fact that you got to spend a day on the water with your daughter, being that I have two of my own just now getting to the age where thay can handle going offshore. They love eating the grouper but haven't been offshore with me yet. I'm looking forward to watching them catch their first grouper:)
Next time out, watch your bottom machine and drop some live bait on the first thing that catches your eye and I think you'll be rewarded. If the water is clear, I wouldn't be surprised if you caught some hungry grouper in 35 ft on out with live bait right now.
P.S. One of these days you're going to have to get me out on the "CAT" of yours!
Ya Gotta Love It,
Capt. Jay
Thought I had to to family stuff, but my daughter's softball game was cancelled and my oldest duaghter and I went for it. Trolled about 25 miles SW of Ocklocknee Bay.
Used Capt. Jay's advice to troll about 5 to 5 1/2 mpg with Stretch 30s. Boy did they go deep! Twice we hung up on some structure in 50 feet of water and I lost one lure.
Only on fish caught, but it was a nice one. Dami reeled for 10 minutes to bring in a 31 1/2 inch 15 1/2 poung gag. That was a great fight and a good fish.
Best thing though (and something that I'm sure I'll appreciate more as she gets older) was an uninterrupted afternoon with just her. No phones, no stereos, no friends at the mall. Just me and her.
As they say......priceless.
When the water reaches the upper level, follow the rats. - Claude Swanson, F.D.R.'s Secretary of the Navy
