St Marks 9-15 & 16

Post by **sundown** » September 16th, 2005, 8:35 pm

Got a late start yesterday morning..Gotta remember to turn cell phone off when I go fishing..Customer caught me fore I could turn it off !

Got on the flats after nine and it was slow from the start....I started throwing topwaters and didn't get a rise for an hour...Switched to a swa under a ct and finally caught a decent trout...
I caught maybe 10 from then till 12 but the five I kept were about the best five fish limit I ever caught....Four from 17 to just under 20 and one nearly 25.....Caught the big one on a dropper I had under a jig and grub. Dropper had a number 8 hook and piece of fishbite that I was trying to catch pinfish on .......pinfish was hard to come by too.....

Water smoothed down some and I headed to some bottom I had marked last fall....Started dragging a stretch and wasn't long fore had a 24 inch gag..Caught two more that size or a bit longer and two shorts.....Wind and sea got up and I headed in....

Met Ron Wilson last night...Super nice person.....First forum member I had met....Saw him again this morning out on the flats...

This morning I got out a little earlier...intending to get back to my grouper hole but bout five miles out the wind and sea changed my mind ! I went back inshore and trout fished awhile to ride it out....rough in close....
Caught two short trout in a couple hours and that was it..water calmed down some and I went back outside....
Started trolling about 20 ft and picked up a nice gag right quick..In next hour caught four more including a double....three were shorts.....then it stopped !
Got one more good hit in the next hour and it wasn't a grouper..whatever it was went parallel to the boat pulling drag till it threw the hooks....figure probably a cobia.. the stretch or the leader didnt have any more marks than usual on them....

Bout 2:30 the wind started getting up again so I reeled em in and headed to the hill.....All in all, these were a couple of the best days I've had out of St Marks....

Post by **wevans** » September 16th, 2005, 8:48 pm

Sounds like a hellofa two days ta me

I might of went TO far out trying for them Grouper yesterday

That's some good fishin

Post by **Chalk** » September 16th, 2005, 9:05 pm

Sorry we didn't get to meet up Sundown...Didn't even get to see Ron, we talked several times though....Sounds like you had a good day, trout and grouper....

Post by **sundown** » September 16th, 2005, 9:12 pm

One other thing, I did see quite a few dead fish from probably 20 ft on out..they seemed to be in concentrations instead of all over the place....they were all small though...didn't see any big ones....

dave7 · Post by **dave7** » September 16th, 2005, 9:55 pm

*Stupid questions*

How do you troll for grouper? Do you hold the rod or just leave it in a holder and listen for the drag?

How fast are you going? Is that with the motor or the trolling motor?

Post by **sundown** » September 16th, 2005, 10:03 pm

I have rail mounted rod holders right behind my seat which make it convienent.It would be tough holding the rod for very long pulling a stretch..
I back the drag off some from what I bottom fish with and put the clicker on. So far I've caught a lot more grouper trolling than bottom fishing...
I try to keep my speed between 3 1/2 and 4..this with the big motor..

dave7 · Post by **dave7** » September 16th, 2005, 10:13 pm

Thanks!

Maybe someday it'll be calm enough for me to give it a try.

Is this the kind of lure you're talking about?

catchin1 · Post by **catchin1** » September 16th, 2005, 10:32 pm

Good report Sundown.

You taking trollin rigs, with ya flats fishin, wevans taking trolling rigs with him flatsfishin...geuss I'm gonna have to start totin 1 with mejust in case it looks smooth enuf.

BTW wevans thats a much better pic of The redneck in your sig.

Post by **wevans** » September 17th, 2005, 6:55 am

That's them Dave

I seem to have the best luck with a tiger stripe "mainly Blue"

Thanks catchin, I finally got a decent digital

dave7 · Post by **dave7** » September 17th, 2005, 1:12 pm

Thanks Wevans

I'll look for 'em next time I'm at Wallyworld.

Post by **birddog** » September 17th, 2005, 8:30 pm

Good 2 days Sundown.

Post by **Ron Wilson** » September 18th, 2005, 9:06 am

Looks like your staying with it Friday paid off for you in the end. I ended up with one nice blue, two black sea bass, and about 20+ short trout (Friday). Fished hard Saturday across STM flats, and managed 25+ shorts and two keepers.

It was a pleasure meeting you, if your interested in getting together for trip, let me know and we can set it up.

Ron

Post by **tin can** » September 18th, 2005, 7:22 pm

Don't waster your time trolling for grouper. It don't work. Don't waste your money on those stretch baits. They don't work. There are no grouper out from St. Marks. Trust me on this one.

Good catch, Sundown.