St. Marks 7/05/05 (Tuesday)

Post by **mjsigns** » July 6th, 2005, 9:47 pm

Put the boat in at the lighthouse with my wife and son at 7:00 am. Live shrimp were sold out during the holiday. First stop for some pinfish at the bird rack yielded only 1 sand trout and some fish that looked like a pompano (both released). The water was stained brown and a warm 87.5 degrees. We gave up and headed west toward some clearer water. The ride and the water was incredibly smooth with almost no wind. Went down past Grey Mare and set a drift in 6â€™ of water and began jigging. I guess the fish were on vacation also. Lots of bites and nibbles but no takers. After a second drift without any fish, the sun began to bear down and the bimini went up. We headed out to the area near Peters Rock. The Fish finder lit up with fish both large and small. I found a good spot and put the anchor down. There were huge schools of tiny baitfish everywhere around the boat seeking the shade. At times the small fish would peck at the surface and it sounded like rain all around the boat. I spotted a large sea turtle swimming in the area under the boat. The water visibility was almost 10â€™, and a steamy surface temp of 89.6 degrees. The sea was alive with action, every once in a while there would be a tremendous crash and boil among the baitfish. I saw a dolphin come completely out of the water and splash down 100 yards from the boat. Mother nature was certainly putting on a show for us. We put lines out 2- jigs, 1 jug under a CT. All baits were tipped with frozen shrimp. My son Travis landed the first fish 15â€

dave7 · Post by **dave7** » July 6th, 2005, 10:25 pm

Great report and good pics. That is a good shark too.

With the weather looking iffy for the weekend, you're lucky to get out when you can!

Post by **mjsigns** » July 6th, 2005, 10:32 pm

Dave- I took the whole week off, I really needed a break from work, it's been really nutty

But it is great to spend this time fishing and boating, especially when you have the calm smooth flats all to yourself.

I am planning on an afternoon trip to St. Marks tomorrow because the weekend could be terrible.

MJ

dave7 · Post by **dave7** » July 6th, 2005, 11:16 pm

After some field work this morning, I'm surprised that you had the water to yourself. I was working down near Keaton Beach and the water was packed with scallopers - both powerboaters, airboaters and kayakers. Don't know if they were having any luck or not. I would hope so considering the stiff breeze they were fighting...

Good luck tomorrow - Maybe the weather and work will hold off so I can make a run down there on Friday.

Sea Gurl · Post by **Sea Gurl** » July 7th, 2005, 8:50 am

Boy looks like his dad! Great pics as always - they really make a difference. Water looks really clear when you were snorkling - too bad there's no scallops there this year:(

Looks like you had a wonderful family time

And caught some decent fish too!

WTG

Sea Gurl

BTY did you turn back east after heading west to clearer water and going past grey mare?

Post by **mjsigns** » July 8th, 2005, 9:32 am

Thursday St- Marks-

Took the whole family to St Marks Thursday. It was so windy, I decided to stick around the lighthouse and wait for the wind to subside, but it never died off. The water was full of grass and floating grass mats. Fished a few holes in front of the LH and picked up one keeper, and 4 shorts, and one that could have been a keeper spit the hook out at boat-side. The bite subsided about 4pm so we headed over to those rocks marked with the PVC pipe. Me and the kids snorkeled around the rocks and saw bunches of pinfish, black spots, 1 mangrove snapper, 1 baby sheephead and a few large crabs. On the way back to the hill we stopped at another spot in front of the lighthouse and knada bite even though the fish-finder showed lots of fish in spots. Back at the house at 9:00pm. It felt great just to be out there again this time with the whole family.

Post by **Aucilla** » July 8th, 2005, 10:52 am

Man! What a great day of fishin' and fun y'all had Tuesday. And thanks for the info.

I just gots to do more swimmin' off the 13'er. Looks like fun, and literally cool!

BKTomblin Jr · Post by **BKTomblin Jr** » July 8th, 2005, 7:48 pm

WTG fella's.....
I think this weekends

(which is mess-in up my plans) Im just keepin an eye on this storm . "....and this too will pass" I guess its time to organize my stuff .

The last time I went out (a few weeks ago now), tha Man paid me a call, & he was lookin hard for something. Fortunitly everthing made the drill....except he gave me a warning for "No Throw-pillow" ???

After all these years of my fishin, Ive never owned a throw pillow. Ive got a dozen or so of life jackets, so I just figured

well ya'll all buckel-up everything

EddieJoe · Post by **EddieJoe** » July 8th, 2005, 8:03 pm

Mako wrote:WTG fella's.....
I think this weekends (which is mess-in up my plans) Im just keepin an eye on this storm . "....and this too will pass" I guess its time to organize my stuff .

The last time I went out (a few weeks ago now), tha Man paid me a call, & he was lookin hard for something. Fortunitly everthing made the drill....except he gave me a warning for "No Throw-pillow" ??? After all these years of my fishin, Ive never owned a throw pillow. Ive got a dozen or so of life jackets, so I just figured

well ya'll all buckel-up everything

Mako:

That is a requirement for any boat over 16', I believe. It actually is a "throwable life preserver", which can be a life ring or square cushion preserver. Nothing new, but is a common omission that can cause the man to ticket you. Get one and strap it to the console. It makes a nice soft cushion for someone to sit on and/or it can be put out in the water on a line for kids or folks to use to support them when tired and swimming. They do not count, however, toward your PFD requirement.

EJ