Mashes Sands 4-14-2006

Post by **Tom Keels** » April 15th, 2006, 10:02 pm

Andre, Sean and I left Mashes around 8:30. Plan was to hit K tower and the boat molds on the Oar/Wakulla Reef.

Seas were flat and we arrived at K in about 40 minutes. Quickly anchored and donned our gear. I was first in the water and I knew it would be a good day when I could look down and see the barge below. Top to bottom vis is what you call it!

The drawback to such great vis (if there is such a thing) is that the fish can see you coming from 50 feet away so they are a little "shy".

I made a quick survey around the tower since it was my first time there and surmised that my quarry would be the hundreds of sheepshead littering the tower. When Andre got to the tower I already had 2 about 5 pounds each on my stringer. I continued shooting and got 3 more only to have the last one play possum on me until I pulled the spear out of him and he bolted. Took a looksee in the hole in the side of the tower and saw a lone keeper AJ stuck in the tower swimming up and down. He looked like a dog running a fence line looking for a way out. I thought about sticking a line shaft in him and trying to pull him out but I was content to head back to the boat with my catch.

Back on the boat I had 4 sheeps and Andre had 2. I told Sean about the AJ and he just had to go take a look. He ended up getting a shaft in him and almost to the hole when he tore loose.

A quick discussion on the seas and vis lead us to change our plan a bit and head to a ledge not too far away. When we arrived Sean and I dropped down to find we had anchored directly on top of the best part of the ledge. As we descended a school of red snappers (mostly keepers) met us 20 feet off the bottom.

After biting my upper lip and wishing it was the 21st I proceeded to hunt the ledge while Sean stayed and "still hunted" the big part of it. The vis here was a lot worse, but perfect for shooting (hazy 20 feet) and the current was pretty strong. I found a few keeper grouper and gave one a haircut. When I got back to Sean he had a hogfish and a mangrove snapper.

After that it was time for the boat molds. Andre and Sean went down while I babysitted the boat. I watched Sean's bubbles stay in one place the whole time and Andre's travel in a 100 foot circle around the boat. When they got back Andre was high gun with 2 sheeps, 2 mangroves and 2 hogs, while Sean only got 2 fish...

Both fish went 33 inches and around 15 pounds each.

Andre got his personal best hog...

Sean and I went back down on this spot and I quickly shot a decent mangrove on a big piece of structure. As I was stringing him up I looked behind be and the biggest hog I've seen was staring me down.

I turned back around and pretended I didn't see him and continue to string up the mangrove, all the while ever so slightly glancing back to see the hog watching me. I finally got him strung, loaded my gun and slowly turned around and he was gone. I looked and looked for him and never found him.

I continued to look around while a 100 pound Jewfish followed me around like a puppy dog looking for a handout. I passed on shooting any more sheeps, although the swarmed every piece of structure. I finished the dive with the one mangrove. Come to find out Sean had seen and shot my hogfish twice only to have him get off the spear TWICE!

We finished out that spot with Sean getting 2 more hogs and a trigger and 3 brand new anchors and 150 feet of new 1/2 inch braided rope.

We were making our way back to Mashes when I suggested we run by the Rotary reef and let me take a look see since I was the only one with air left. We arrived and I dove in on a big piece of the old bridge. The water was a clear here as I had ever seen it before (close to 20 feet of horizontal vis). I hunted all over seeing the ever present swarm of sheephead and some small gags. I finally what I thought was a keeper gag and let the shaft fly. Got him, but he ended up being about a half inch short on my gun measurement so I tossed him aside and went looking around. When I came back there was a bigger grouper looking at the one I shot. We played a bit of cat and mouse and I ended up getting him while he looked at me. The spear went in under his eye and came out his tail. When I finished stringing him up I looked around and saw a bigger gag sizing me up. I chased him from 1 piece of structure to another in a triangle pattern for about 2 minutes when I finally caught him in no mans land and threw a hail mary at him when he was trying to dash for a hole. Hit him high in the back and he spun like a top until I got to him and strung him up. By that time I was down to about 200 pounds of air so I decided to call it a day. We were back on the trailer at 4:00 pm.

We finished the day with
3 grouper to 15 pounds
1 aj at 15 pounds
4 hogs to 6 pounds
3 mangroves
8 sheepshead
1 trigger

Stellar day of diving for all of us.

Thanks to Andre and Sean for another great trip.

Post by **Chalk** » April 15th, 2006, 10:15 pm

Sweet trip for sure.....

Post by **Bakertize** » April 16th, 2006, 9:32 am

great DAY sling'n steel

nice HOG fish too!
now I'm really jones'n to blow some bubbles and shoot fish.
? did u see any door mat flounder on the rotary

Post by GC » April 17th, 2006, 8:09 am

Nice trip!

Post by **Sir reel** » April 17th, 2006, 8:34 am

Sure enjoyed the report. I don't know if my heart could stand seeing that many fish at one time

Good job to all your party!

Knot Tester · Post by **Knot Tester** » April 17th, 2006, 11:00 am

One of these times, you have got to take a camera down with you.

Even if it's a cheap disposable. Us air breathers would like to see the underwater world.

I always wondered what you did with if you shot a short. Seems like a waste to kill a fish and have to leave it.

Post by **Tom Keels** » April 17th, 2006, 11:12 am

Knot Tester wrote:One of these times, you have got to take a camera down with you. Even if it's a cheap disposable. Us air breathers would like to see the underwater world.

I always wondered what you did with if you shot a short. Seems like a waste to kill a fish and have to leave it.

Problem with cheap cameras is they really are that...cheap. Either they won't stand up to depth or they take really crappy pictures. Sean has a nice camera but is having some memory card issues with it so he didn't bring it. The problem I have is you can either spear or photograph, its hard to do both. Guess which one I'd rather do.

As for shooting short fish. Yes it sucks that there is no such thing as catch and release, but you have to realize that in one trip of trout fishing how many of those fish die from being hooked deep or mishandling vs shooting one short fish and having one short fish die.

Judging size underwater can be a tricky thing. I know better to shoot a fish that is short but size is relative so its hard to tell sometimes. I can say for a fact that I kill many more short fish hook and lining than I do spearing.

Carpe Piscem · Post by **Carpe Piscem** » April 17th, 2006, 5:26 pm

Tom,

Thanks for the report. Over the years I've enjoyed the website immensely and gained great information from the members; not to mention several laughs. I still have DBPlug's "Cobia Trip" report from a couple of years ago saved.

I am curious to understand what you have learned about the condition of the sea floor and the fish population from your diving trips. Specifically, what if any changes have you seen as a result of the red tide and our past storms? Do you see greater build ups of algae, less live coral, reduction/increase in certain baitfish, changes in the quantity/health of predator fish including grouper/snapper/sharks? The lack of black sea bass during an early April trip still has me puzzled.

Lastly, I often see hogfish taken by spear gun as you did, but have not read a report where they were caught hook/line. I have never caught one, but understand they are great table fare. Are they rare for our area? Is there a particular bait they prefer?

Thanks

Post by **Frank Bradfield** » April 17th, 2006, 7:42 pm

Anchor sale in the future ?

Post by **Tom Keels** » April 17th, 2006, 10:50 pm

No but I tell you what....

Lets both go to the K tower with a bag and pick up all the lead weights and jig heads and never buy any again. There is a solid ton of lead on that thing.

Carpe

I could speak at length about all those subjects. However I type all day long and couldn't possibly say all I want to say in a post. I leave with some short and sweet answers.

Red tide: Has had a dramatic effect on the fish populations out of St. Marks and to a lesser extent Carrabelle. There are just no fish on some spots that should be covered. When I say no fish I mean no significant quantity of reef fish, invertabrates or apex predators.

Hog fish: They are caught on hook and line very rarely and mostly by accident. They are/were highly abundant off St. Marks and Carrabelle on structure deeper than 25 feet. Live bottom holds the most but the biggest ones I've seen come off artificial bottom.

I have heard that if you want to target them you can just broccoli spears and asparagus as bait. An old wise captain once told me that so take it how you like. I prefer 60" of spring steel myself.