Carrabelle 6/27-6/29 Watch for twisting water.

[Knot Tester]

Took my 80yr old Dad and two friends out on the water for our annual fishing trip. The goal of the trip is to catch and keep as many fish as possible while keeping the dollar count low.

Caught bait everyday at the number 5 marker. Mostly LY's with a few green backs and blue runners. Strangely, nothing ever hit the blues.

The weather was nasty but the water was pretty calm. Raining in spots all over the place but no lightning. Stayed dry for two days, but the third day is a different story.
Water temp 84
Sea's 1-2 with an occasional 4' just to knock you on your butt.

The first day catch
95 White Grunts/Black Seabass/Gray Triggers (Diversity Fishing!)
Lots of big fish pull offs, break offs, and bite offs.
Never landed any.

The second day we got more picky and threw back alot of what we would have kept on the first day. Finally discovered that what was locking us up on the bottom was Red grouper. They sure do pull hard for undersized fish. As soon as they were hooked they would wrap the leader around whatever was down there. You could feel it slide against stuff fraying the line. Tried opening the bail and/or putting it in the rod holder. Sometimes that would work.

Here's the funny thing. We bought regular grouper rigs (big weights -80 lb floro leaders). Every one we bought got bit clean through in the area were we never caught a shark. Had one rod with a steal leader, and all I ever did with that was pull hooks out of grouper mouths without landing them. Do Grouper bite through floro leaders?

Total for the day two:
37 White Grunts/Black Seabass/Gray Triggers
1 26" Grouper (First ever keeper)
2 Sharks (They taste just fine)



The third day was a little more interesting. After catching bait, we headed out to a Black bass hole. Out ran a shower and caught a few. Decided to head offshore to the Yamaha and a few Grouper numbers I got from a cook breakfast. I use a three hook rig when I bottom fish. On one pull up I landed a white grunt/gray trigger/keeper cubera snapper.
Heres a pretty pogy from off the Yamaha


Now's when the fun starts. Along comes a 6' Baracuda following a grunt on the hook. SNAP..half the grunt is gone. We leave the other half in the water and Mr. Cuda comes back and eats the rest..hook included. We set the hook and bam..Mr. Cuda fires up the after burners. Fastest 10 seconds of action I have ever seen. He jumps out of the water, spits out the hook, and flies through the air for 20 feet. Wish I had a picture.

Now I told you we had nasty weather. Saw at least 6 twisters drop out off the sky. We were on the back side, and they were headed away from us. I thought we were safe. oops.



Well, the wind shifted. This one chased us from our spot. The anchor was hung up and we almost tossed it over but got it free just in time to run.



Came back through what felt like a hurricane to my small boat. Had to run the bilge almost non-stop to keep out the rain water.

Stopped in 40' and caught my first ever keeper Red Snapper! Who needs 70' water anyway!

Total for day three:
28 White Grunts/Black Seabass/Gray Triggers
1 Red Snapper
1 Cubera Snapper
4 Sharks released (to tired to clean)
1 10 second Cuda run



Water was smooth at the hotel but you can still see the big storm in the background.





Also ran into 65' water just two miles off dog island. Must be an offshore sink hole. No fish there.
Anyone else found this?

[Sir reel]

Great read KT! Good job of "diversity fish'n" Very nice job of recording the time spent with your pictures. Congrats on the first Grouper.

[Tom Keels]

Good haul. By the way, that's a mangrove snapper not a cubera snapper. Cubera's eat mangroves for breakfast.

[Frank Bradfield]

If you want to catch grouper and be good at it, use 80 to 100 lb line with at least 80 to l00 leader. Florocarbon no matter all good, but i only use it if the water is clear, most of the time save your money and use regular line. Our rods are spooled with 100 Ande. We change leaders regular as they get frayed quickly sometimes after 1 drop, don't be lazy. Use razor sharp hooks, we use gammies # 9's, i prefer to pay for a more quality hook. Use a swivel equal to the task also. 6 to 8 oz lead sinker. 3 to 6 ft leader. New fisherman seem to hang less with shorter leaders. Drop the 3 hook rig on your grouper rods, its a disaster, they will break or pull most of those with little problem. Also you need to make sure your up to par on knot tieing, they will put the max test on your knot. Rod, 5'6 to 6 ft stand up , no longer, the shallow water grouper can man handle a long rod. Then when you distinguish a grouper bite from grunts and others you gotta give each bite like its 20lb + , you have to win the first 5 feet or forget it. If they rock you up let your line slack for a minute or so and then wind and set the hook again as you tighten, you can get a lot of them back like that. Just give the first 5 feet more effort and i think you'll figure out how to catchem . Hope this helps... frank

[Knot Tester]

Good haul. By the way, that's a mangrove snapper not a cubera snapper. Cubera's eat mangroves for breakfast.

It was definitely a cubera. Just a small one. I've caught lots of mangrove out of Sarasota.





Notice in the real fish the taper from the pectoral fin to the snout. In the mangrove it is a flat line to the snout in line with the belly. Also notice the first gill plate flap overlap as in the diagram. I wish I had taken a picture of his mouth open. Really big canines for a small fish!


Frank,
We had 80 lb. on a short stiff rod. That's what landed the keeper. But he had 10 more go to the bottom that we never saw on that rod. By the time you got it out of the rod holder, it was already wrapped in the rocks. If we held the rod...no bite.
I think one fish was out of the water telling the others when to eat!
I only used the 3 hook rig when not after grouper.

[Frank Bradfield]

There is one statement which explains it now, ( by the time you got the rod out of the rodholder ) very low percentage for grouper fishing. Next time when you hit the spot , only drop 1 rod each and man it yourself, leave the rodholders for after the bite slows , stops or your busy with something else. I believe this should help you alot...frank

[Aucilla]

A fun read and pix. And thanks Frank: I learn somethin' every day, and bunches on here.

[pennfish]

The only sure way to distinguish a cubera from a mangrove is by the tooth patch in the roof of ones mouth. The mangrove has a patch shaped like an anchor, the cuberas will be triangle. I landed some mangroves thet looked exactly like that picture of the cubera, fins, curves, color, anal slopes, head slopes, Tooth patch method

[qoutrage]

Nice trip and nice write up, KT. 'Wish I had time to go. 'Definately need to get my priorities in order....

[dstockwell]

Very nice..

[Knot Tester]

The only sure way to distinguish a cubera from a mangrove is by the tooth patch in the roof of ones mouth. The mangrove has a patch shaped like an anchor, the cuberas will be triangle. I landed some mangroves thet looked exactly like that picture of the cubera, fins, curves, color, anal slopes, head slopes, Tooth patch method

I shall yield on the question of ID.
No dentist on board so we didn't opens it's mouth.
No point in butting heads, it was legal either kind.

Gosh, I can't believe nobody has made a comment about the waterspouts! Are you guys just used to them or what?


P.S....it was a cubera

[qoutrage]

You're right, KT. We shoulda mentioned them water spouts. That's pretty cool.
I never saw one before except in pictures and on TV.

[Sea Gurl]

KT

I'll remark on the water spouts - would of scared me to death - would of been thinking 'shark bait' and wishing for terra firma.......

As for the snapper - no comment

Thanks for the report - sounds like fun - cept for them spouts!

Sea Gurl

[bstockwell]

[DWilliams]

Thanks for the pics and report.

We've always called the small snapper mangos, but he looks like the cubera.