Offshore Seafood Buffet—Apalachicola, July 13, 2024

[John21:6]

Yesterday, July 13, was an offshore seafood buffet—for the SHARKS. We hooked a huge variety of fish, but it seemed like the sharks took every other one from our lines.

After launching the boat at Apalachicola, we loaded the livewell mostly with cigar minnows that we caught in 60-70’ with Sabiki rigs. Then with light winds, calm seas, and friends ready to explore, we headed deep. We didn’t stop until we were in about 220’.

At the first spot, I caught a scamp, the second one ever. With its mouth closed and its tail pinched, it measured just over 16”. Thinking that it was almost an inch short, I vented it and tossed it back.


I found my regulations after that and realized that I had just released a primo legal fish. No problem—I was going to catch more. I hooked two other fish on the spot that felt just like the scamp until the big tug on the line about halfway to the boat. Sharked! The rig I was using was a homemade chicken rig composed of two 2/0 circle hooks and 50 lb. fluorocarbon leader with an 8 oz. bank sinker on the bottom. I use this same rig for vermilion, triggerfish, and lane snapper.

The other guys on the boat were targeting red snapper and playing tug-of-war with sharks, too. It was time to try another spot.


We bounced from spot to spot until we found hungry red snapper in 240’. A few made it into the cooler. The bite slowed and it was time to start fishing our way back to the boat ramp. Some of my old spots produced the fish we needed to catch our limit of red snapper. The fish hit both live cigar minnows and frozen LYs that had been cut in half, but it seemed like the LYs were more productive. We also caught two surprise fish, a short bigeye (looks like it’s a radioactive shade of red) and a 19” yellowtail snapper. Overall, it was a great day on the water with good friends, but I am so sore from fighting sharks and from having to make a special trip to the tackle shop to replace all the hooks and sinkers I lost.




Here's our haul for the day—two bonito, one almaco jack, one vermilion, one yellowtail snapper, one red porgy, one short bigeye, three mangrove snapper, and eight red snapper.



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[Hit-n-Miss]

Nice haul. Do you eat bonito? Didn't think you could.

[Red Beard]

Nice! Thanks for sharing

[doomtrpr_z71]

I hate when I do that too, so I have got now where I double check all of them now. Scamp for sure, too. Bonita is tuna lol so why wouldn't you eat it

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[FTReelty]

Small Bluefin tuna!

[John21:6]

Nice haul. Do you eat bonito? Didn't think you could.

The plan with the bonito was to cut them up for bait and freeze them for a future trip. However, we found someone who eats them and we gave the fish away. Both of the fish had been bled, one had its gills cut and the other took a gaff to the head. I hear that bleeding bonito makes them taste less terrible.

[boomhauer]

If you bleed bonito well… cut gills and troll them in the water, they are as good fresh as any local YF from the market….
Only raw or sear…. If you like tuna that way , you’ll love them.
We target them now between dive spots