As usual, we picked up the boat at Martin Marine and launched the boat at the Carrabelle River. With red grouper out of season, we decided to fish our known red snapper spots and not go as far offshore. Our first spot was the Helicopter hole, a spot that consistently produced good-sized red snapper two years ago, but nothing last year. When we reached the Helicopter hole, the sonar lit up with fish. Was this a red snapper tree?
We dropped baits down, live baits, frozen LYs, and squid. Those of us using bigger baits, couldn’t get a bite, but the guy using a chicken rig baited with small pieces of squid was catching lane snapper. When I reviewed the video from the underwater camera after getting home, it explained what we saw on the sonar and why we were not catching red snapper. The video showed millions of tomtates, schools of cigar minnows, and a few lane snapper here and there. Not a single red snapper or grouper could be found on the video. Here are some still images of what it looked like on the bottom at the Helicopter hole.
Tomtates
Cigar minnows
Because the mission was to catch big fish, we went out a little further to the LoserJ hole, which I wrote about not too long ago. While on that spot, we put four red snapper in the cooler along with two mangrove snapper. The biggest red snapper was 32” long. We also released several small red snapper.
Here is what it looks like on the bottom at the LoserJ hole:
When the bite died down and we felt like we were getting overheated, we decided to head back in the direction of the boat ramp, but with a stop at the Helicopter hole. A mile or so short of the Helicopter hole, we see a spike of fish on the sonar. This time, we feel pretty certain that it’s a snapper tree, not another bait pile. Once we put our baits down, it wasn’t long before we caught our last two snapper. One of these snapper hit a small piece of squid on a chicken rig with 2/0 circle hooks that was intended for lane snapper.
Here is the trophy picture of our red snapper haul:
What worked:
It worked out for us to catch bait, pinfish and sandperch, in about 60’ of water. My live well pump has gone bad. With a bad live well pump, it seems to work to catch bait offshore instead of in the flats. Offshore bait is either hardier or seems to benefit more from the high-speed pickup for the live well.
Using 50 lb. fluorocarbon leader on chicken rigs for small fish in deeper water seems to work. It might ensure you bring in the big fish that eats your little bait. They say, “elephants eat peanuts.”
SiriusXM Marine weather worked. Yesterday, there were a good number of scattered storm cells offshore. By using satellite weather, we were able to verify that storms had moved on, making it safe for us to head a little further out.
What didn’t work:
Three minute looping videos on the underwater camera don’t work so well. This trip, I set the underwater camera to take 3 minute looping videos. These videos, take up too much data and make it more difficult when you want to text them to your friends.
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