Beyond S Tower
Moderators: bman, Chalk, Tom Keels
Beyond S Tower
Yesterday, about 5 am, we started the day with a prayer to the one who made the fish and made it possible to chase them with boats. Then we headed to Carrabelle.
With light winds and calm seas, we were going further than I had taken the boat before. We were going to see what we could find beyond S Tower. I had no numbers. Just a feeling that based on my study of the charts that we might find some fish. Nonetheless, I was fearing the whole way out that we would burn a ton of gas and have little or nothing to show for it.
As we got within 3 miles of as far as I wanted to go, we slowed the boat down and carefully watched the sonar. Strangely, we didn’t see any of the snapper trees that I would have expected. The bottom was flat with little or no sign of fish. Then we see a little 2 ft. blip of fish and structure. We stopped to fish and caught nothing. Not a single bite.
Moving along another half mile, we saw more signs of hard rocky bottom and fish. It’s time to try again. As soon as the baits hit the bottom, we we’re getting bites. It wasn’t long before one of my friends was straining to hold his rod as he reeled in a large red grouper.
One of the other guys grabs the landing net. The fish, at least 15 lbs, barely fits. As the fish is being lifted out of the water, the hoop of the net breaks from the shaft. We now have a very short handled net, but it still works.
Within 20 minutes on that same spot, we were starting to run out of room in our 150 quart fish bag cooler. The drinks we were trying to keep cold had to come out. After another 10 minutes, we had our limit of red grouper. On the way in, we added three lane snapper and two mangrove snapper to our catch.
All of our red grouper were caught on live bait—pinfish, pigfish, or sand perch. The rigs we used were 8 oz. knocker rigs or three-way swivel rigs with 8/0 hooks. We used chicken rigs with 2/0 hooks baited with fresh never frozen shrimp (from the seafood market) for the mangroves and lanes.
What a great day with friends.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
With light winds and calm seas, we were going further than I had taken the boat before. We were going to see what we could find beyond S Tower. I had no numbers. Just a feeling that based on my study of the charts that we might find some fish. Nonetheless, I was fearing the whole way out that we would burn a ton of gas and have little or nothing to show for it.
As we got within 3 miles of as far as I wanted to go, we slowed the boat down and carefully watched the sonar. Strangely, we didn’t see any of the snapper trees that I would have expected. The bottom was flat with little or no sign of fish. Then we see a little 2 ft. blip of fish and structure. We stopped to fish and caught nothing. Not a single bite.
Moving along another half mile, we saw more signs of hard rocky bottom and fish. It’s time to try again. As soon as the baits hit the bottom, we we’re getting bites. It wasn’t long before one of my friends was straining to hold his rod as he reeled in a large red grouper.
One of the other guys grabs the landing net. The fish, at least 15 lbs, barely fits. As the fish is being lifted out of the water, the hoop of the net breaks from the shaft. We now have a very short handled net, but it still works.
Within 20 minutes on that same spot, we were starting to run out of room in our 150 quart fish bag cooler. The drinks we were trying to keep cold had to come out. After another 10 minutes, we had our limit of red grouper. On the way in, we added three lane snapper and two mangrove snapper to our catch.
All of our red grouper were caught on live bait—pinfish, pigfish, or sand perch. The rigs we used were 8 oz. knocker rigs or three-way swivel rigs with 8/0 hooks. We used chicken rigs with 2/0 hooks baited with fresh never frozen shrimp (from the seafood market) for the mangroves and lanes.
What a great day with friends.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Last edited by John21:6 on June 11th, 2023, 3:25 pm, edited 3 times in total.
Re: Beyond S Tower
Always a good day when you can make it back to the hill safe with groceries on ice.
- fishinfool
- Site Sponsor
- Posts: 3105
- Joined: June 17th, 2009, 8:58 pm
Re: Beyond S Tower
Thanks, Red Beard.Red Beard wrote:Always a good day when you can make it back to the hill safe with groceries on ice.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Re: Beyond S Tower
Thanks for the report
Re: Beyond S Tower
nice catch !
I'm surprised there wasn't any snapper where you caught the grouper. just curious, how far from shore and how deep it was out there ?
guessing over 100ft?
I'm surprised there wasn't any snapper where you caught the grouper. just curious, how far from shore and how deep it was out there ?
guessing over 100ft?
-
- Posts: 103
- Joined: December 15th, 2019, 10:49 am
Re: Beyond S Tower
Nice. Congratulations on your success and new adventure.
Re: Beyond S Tower
Thanks, I just hope my post encourages others to post their stories as well. I would really love to hear stories from snapper season. When snapper are out of season, I can’t avoid them. When they are legal to keep, they seem to disappear.slow motion wrote: ↑June 16th, 2023, 12:59 pm Nice. Congratulations on your success and new adventure.
-
- Posts: 103
- Joined: December 15th, 2019, 10:49 am
Re: Beyond S Tower
I haven't had much to post. Issues with my boat. I've been chasing gremlins all year. Strictly inshore for me anyway with my little skiff.
-
- Site Sponsor
- Posts: 105
- Joined: February 24th, 2007, 10:19 am
- Location: Oak Lawn Illinois
Re: Beyond S Tower
Very nice