Dog Island Offshore 11-13-09

[EddieJoe]

This time last year the gags were inshore big time, so I had been looking for a weather window for almost two weeks. Today looked possible, although NOAA bumped the forecast up to 10-15k, which was wrong, thankfully. Slid the Mechele into the Lanark basin about 6:30a.m., and I was the first boat in the lot. While I was tying off two more came in, and the weather seemed pretty good. Wind about 10k out of the North, temp. 50, skies clear, tide pretty low, but not so low I couldn't get out.

Plan was to troll along the 45' line, which isn't far offshore and normally holds fish. Seas were running 1-2', not bad at all. Dropped the stretches down, and trolled for 45 minutes with not a nibble. Decided to bottom fish, and drifted one number. It was loaded up with sea bass, and usually when a spot has lots of sea bass it holds no grouper. Went a half mile to another good spot, and anchored up. Also caught sea bass there, but decided to just move around a bit and see what I could do. In a few minutes I had a nice strike, and a 24" gag came over the rail. It was the first legal gag I have caught in a while. Also caught three of the endangered red snapper, all of them were legal, and all were released unharmed. I'll have to catch some I can keep at Southern Seafood, I suppose. Such is federal fishery management.

Dropped a whole boston mack down, and got slammed before I hit the bottom. Fish was taking line, and felt like a good un. After a nice fight, a 14 lb gag joined the smaller one in the box. At this point it was 9:30 a.m., and I had two gags in the box, and seven sea bass. Already at the limit on gags. Decided to keep fishing, and caught three just undersized red grouper, a few more bass, and lost a big something on a small live tomtate.

At 11:30 I headed in. By that time, it was almost flat, with just a light NW breeze. Cleaned up and headed back to Tally.

Tally was two gags: one 24", one 14 lbs (weighed on the boga), 10 sea bass. I finally have some fresh fish to feed my family when my son visits this weekend.

A nice day.
EJ

[carramar]

Thank you for the first encouraging grouper report in a long time!

[fish finder]

Thanks for the report EJ. Glad you got'em! I've always enjoyed occasionally making a solo trip and checking new areas.

[qoutrage]

WTGEJ.