http://photobucket.com/CelestialCrabFishing
Thanks to some early planning and our buddy Larry
we were able to secure the River Dogs beautiful hacienda for our base of operation this last weekend of snapper season; since the boat was still at Wefing’s for yet more ethanol reconditioning, I left work Thursday at lunch to pick her up and haul her back to Lanark/Carrabelle to prep for the weekend. This was the big weekend for the regular Celestial Crab crew with our wonderful friend Buster (and lovely bride Sandy) coming down from St Mary’s, GA to join us in some snapper catching. Due to the abbreviated season this was the first and only snapper trip of the year for him and we certainly wanted to make the best of it by fishing Friday and Saturday. Celeste couldn’t make it down until Friday evening so I invited Big Bend Gyrene out with the boys Friday and he graciously joined me EARLY to help load and launch and then for some bait catching and test running of the boat after being in the shop for 15 days. We were stuck near shore while doing the bait thing waiting for Larry and Buster to arrive from Valdosta later in the morning.
BBG was great help and we had a blast out at our bait hole catching everything from pin fish to Squid, the boys called when the got to the house in Carrabelle and we headed back to the dock to pick them up problem was the boat didn’t want to go past 4500 RPM on the way back in and I really wasn’t happy after having spent quite a deal of time and money at the shop.
Fiddling around with some fuel lines and filters at the dock while loading just made me a CRABBY captain and I hate being such when my buddy’s are in such good moods to be on the water and I can’t think straight I’m so upset, they helped lighten the mood by catching some fish for me and allowing me to even catch a big snapper, but some more offshore incidents and poor running of the boat really had me mixed up in my head and didn’t make for an overall great captain that day and I’m sorry to my gracious crew. But as they say, this too shall pass and just as the storms rolled in and out of the area so did my crabby mood and the poor luck.
Have to take time here to thank FWC officer Will Raker, AGAIN for his professionalism and concern for our well being, Will had boarded the Celestial Crab back in December while Celeste and me were fishing over the Christmas holidays and was very friendly, courteous and efficient in a safety/license check and they even allowed us to keep trolling while doing so. He thought he recognized the boat and me and stopped to see how we were doing (as the motor covers were off at the dock). These guys get a bad rap sometimes, but they have always been very helpful toward Celeste and me on the Celestial Crab, Thanks guys!
OK on to the fishing, skirmish two 7/16!
Saturday morning it was raining pretty well, but looked like it would clear so Larry, Buster and I spent the time playing with fuel issues and getting trim tabs back to operational. With the weather break and motors given some attention we re-launched nearing 11:00 AM Saturday this time with the Celestial one in BBG’s place. After some Ice and ONE pinfish from our trap; which we ran to at nearly 32 MPH YEAH!, we baited up again on our bait hole with Sabiki’s and everyone had fun catching pins, cigars, hard tails, green backs and even another squid. We had some baits that looked like leatherjackets a real nasty bait that will poke your hand bad if you grab it the wrong way, but somehow one or two made it to the live well and Celeste actually caught and released a keeper Gag grouper with one at our first stop; I didn’t think anything ate them! Leave it up to Celeste to prove us all wrong!
Motors were running better and my mood was improving after the keeper gag release and some nice sea bass hit the ice. But we weren’t there for sea bass or closed season grouper and continued south for deeper waters, after passing the 70 ft mark I had to slow down and stop running to give the fuel issues a break and to keep my wits I stopped at an unknown number in my path to the 90 ft range and let the crew drop while I rested the motors. Well it didn’t take long and Celeste was grunting in a big fish and next thing you know we have a 24 inch snapper in the ice box; shortly thereafter Buster bows up on a good fish and ads a 22 in red grouper! WOW we thought what a rest stop
We continue on to the deep stuff knowing we don’t have much time left in the rising tide and wanted to get there before it turned. After making a quick look at the chart plotter I made the decision to fish a group of numbers slightly east of where I normally snapper fish and it didn’t take long to realize how good that decision was. After two big sea bass hit the decks I doubted my choice though, but my dear bride changed that with one noise! gER rrnt, and I look over to see the broom stick she fishes with BENT, “oh boy” I said “guys she has a good one” and after hearing her giggling at the 70 and 50ft depths because of the tell tale snapper fight she was enduring I finally see the color we were looking for and up pops a big RED snapper. Just as I am netting the fish I hear my other two anglers yell “fish on” and Larry and Buster are bent; we measure Celeste’s real quick as the other two are battling there unseen foes, I box the 22 in fish Celeste caught and look to see what the boys have coming up.
Two more big snapper and we now have 4 in the box over 22 inches. As it were I barely could get the boat back onto the spot before all three were hooked up again and I now have 7 of the 8 keepers were allowed and still nothing under 22 inches. Finally, Buster hooks up with our final fish and all he wants is to beat Celeste’s 24 inches from the first spot, but manages a tie with a just 24” fish! The high fives round and we all look at each other in disbelief because it was done, limited out in 30 minutes and nothing left to do but go hit my red grouper numbers for a chance a another one of those.
Long story short I think we did hook and lose a good red grouper, but after releasing half a dozen more big snapper and a kicker big trigger and vermillion we called it a day as rain surrounded us and we new it was run and not get wet or fish in the rain, so we tucked under the hard top and headed north with RED filling the box. MAN did this Captain have a wonderful feeling the whole way home not minding the rain or the hour ride in one bit!
Hats off to my GREAT crew and MANY thanks to friends and forum buddies; both aboard and on the hill curious to how we were fairing on the water, my mechanic Jeremy, the folks in Carrabelle at C-quarters, Staff and Chef’s at The Pit Stop restaurant, River Dog and BlueH20Fisherman and of course to the one who makes it all possible and to his creation; my rib, Celeste.
Crab out… see link at top for pictures
