This fella was quite a fight. He was hanging out under a nice shady tree. I noticed the shiner reaaaaally didn't wanna be near a certain spot, and now I know why.
This was one heck of a fight. He got tangled up really good in the weeds and I almost lost him. Patience pays off.
I had a tape but no scale. He was 20" but not as heavy as the birthday bass
Update: I changed the thread title because I may turn this I to my version of benni3 luck thread.
::) Just keep feeding them Shiners ,he`ll get there ......
nice one... that quill would have made a nice stem for the bobber
if you don't want your bait much deeper than 1/2 rod-length,
fixed-float is better than slip-bobber in every way, except casting distance
I know you don't need that much bait finesse for LMB,
but there are tougher days & tougher species
nice fish Jason.
I went to the beach finally after many months this pass weekend, my plan was to try some UL fishing while my wife and 10yo daughter were snorkeling but they convinced me to join them and I never took the fishing rod from the trunk :-\
it was a funny day, tho.
Great job man,,,, ;) i love Florida,,,,,,,,, ;D
Nice one Jason! - john
The best way i have found to keep minnows alive is to get a 1gallon water at the grocery store and freeze it,,,,, ;) that and the bubble donut,,,,,,, ;D
Great weekend for east coast inshore. A keeper redfish, an undersized snook a few mangrove snapper, 2 sail cats and a ladyfish were landed. I kept the red. I lost a 4-5' blacktip shark dockside to a knot failure. And also a probably 4' snook (on the daiwa SS700!!!) After an almost 10 minute fight (that felt like an hour) when I was close to winning. I instinctively palmed the spool like a moron when he got that burst of energy when he was 10 yards from the dock, forgetting I was using 10# braid against that monster. Doesnt count unless you land it.
So I got a few fish, and a few painful lessons. Very productive weekend if you ask me.
But I've said it before and I'll say it again. Ladyfish are hands down the best cut bait in florida. Fun to catch too.
Seriously good day fishing. You said this was the East Coast, how has the bay been lately?
Quote from: ReelFishingProblems on September 27, 2021, 04:43:55 AM
Seriously good day fishing. You said this was the East Coast, how has the bay been lately?
Good question. I haven't salted any braid on the west coast since fathers day. I'm told the bay has cleared up but damage is done. Theres still a persistent patch of red tide off Pinellas county
Got to do a bit of mid-week fishing when I took the day off for an out of town Dr appt.
The jack were running. I landed this hefty fella, but also had a mishap. I saw a pack of them coming and rapidly pulled my shrimp from the other side of the dock and tossed it in front of them. Mid flight the cast felt odd. As it was about to hit the water I saw the line had looped the first guide. But I had no time to address it, the second it hit the water it was snapped up by a big jack. Instantly this 7'6" teramar became a 7'1" rod, and I didn't even land the fish. I'd like to say lessons were learned, but really it seems like a freak occurrence. If I had a half second more to act I'd still have the rod tip and would have landed the fish. Oh well, still got the one, and a few mangrove snapper for the pan.
The question I now ask myself is if I'd done a worse job attaching that guide, would I currently be merely lamenting a lost guide, or would I still have snapped the tip?
Quote from: JasonGotaPenn on October 06, 2021, 01:11:10 PM
The question I now ask myself is if I'd done a worse job attaching that guide, would I currently be merely lamenting a lost guide, or would I still have snapped the tip?
.
Well the line Broke your tip as it was wrapped around the Rod at the smallest end and put the Guide out of Bidness which would have distributed the stress along the linear area and used the other Guides for what they do . Distribute the Stress basically .
Good way to look at it is try taking a plain ol Dead Tree branch and grab the end of it and bend it down it will break off the end .
sorry for your loss but at least with a New end Guide you can still use the Rod as opposed to stepping on the middle of it while it was laying on the dock :o
;D Nope , i have done it with just one wrap of masking tape guides while testing a stick .
It just happens from time to time ....
that skinny braid we like, has no give & is NOT wind-friendly w/ any kind of slack
excited knee-jerk reactions cause just that: a bit of slack & rod tip moving quickly,
in some weird I-changed-my-mind arc... same as swirling wind
I break at least one rod a year from tip wrap.
now you have a rod for casting more heavy lures ;D ;D
You can fix it, but it will leave a dead spot in the most important part of the rod for casting.
Clean up the broken ends, find two inches of stainless wire that will just fix inside the blank and epoxy it in place. Then, wrap about 2.5 inches with fiberglass or carbon tow (threads from a piece of woven material), then epoxy the fiberglass or carbon. Sand it it into a gradual hump then add another light of epoxy to bring back the gloss.
It will hold well enough to break in a different spot the next time. I'm ashamed that I know this.
why bother re-attaching a short broken tip? ...can't get the same action, anyway
don't know what you'll end up with -- not likely "great", or even "good"
if you want to play, make a tip from whippy solid-glass ice blank, for a shy-bite bank rod
Shimano tried that w/ Voltaeus (poorly) -- YOU could do better
otherwise, just turn it into a shorter, heavier rod, as per Alex
Yeah that tip got itself gone. Otherwise I woulda salvaged the guide as a spare for if one breaks.
It was an extra fast taper 10-20# rod that could launch 2oz 100yds. I now find myself wondering what it'll be like now. It might be too stiff for inshore. I guess I gotta find out.
:) Just put a tip top on and cast it , you may be surprised on how well it still preforms !
I snapped off a brand new rig that wrapped around the tip last week.
Very Frustrating.
Jason - May not be the perfect rod it used to be, but fish it anyway - now it has "street cred". Years from now when you are out fishing if anyone says anything about your "custom" Terramar, now you have a good story to tell. I've been there and understand the heartbreak; in my case a Fenwick and a Garcia Conolon trout rod. The trout rod was beyond saving (boat cleat accident) but the Fenwick, with it's abbreviated tip, still catches fish. And I suspect you can still nail fish just fine with your Terramar- and I am looking forward to the photos and reports! - john
It's ok I happened to have a fuji tip of the right size laying around. Was the wrong size when I bought it. Funny when that happens.
First gar as an adult though, on the SS1300. Ballpark 2' with teeeeth.
I expected more fight. Over in under 30 sec. Still fun though.
Good going. Snout is too short for a longnose gar and it may be too long for an alligator gar. Is that a Florida gar?
I got 1 in Florida and i was so excited,,,, :D but the guide wasn't,,,,, :( he was a x bass pro,,,,,,,, ;D
Quote from: JasonGotaPenn on October 12, 2021, 03:38:01 AMFirst gar as an adult though, on the SS1300. Ballpark 2' with teeeeth.
I expected more fight. Over in under 30 sec. Still fun though.
Yep, they fight like a wet rag. ::)
Quote from: oc1 on October 12, 2021, 05:44:36 AM
Good going. Snout is too short for a longnose gar and it may be too long for an alligator gar. Is that a Florida gar?
I believe it is a Florida
spotted gar. (Edit I was wrong. florida gar and spotted gar are diff species. The FL gar has spots. But the name "florida spotted gar" is gibberish).
He swallowed the hook, I let him keep it. I like my fingers the way they are.
Couldn't sleep last night, turns out I wasn't the only thing still awake. Also apparently it's a rule that the bigger the fish the goofier the face I make taking a pic with it. One of these days I'll finally land a BFT, and I'll probably look like mr Bean holding it.
Great job man,,,,, ;) I don't like to hole fish sideways for a photo because that always seems to be close to there aftco,,,,,, :-[ it just seems wrong somehow,,,,,, ;D
Quote from: JasonGotaPenn on November 10, 2021, 12:50:51 PM
Couldn't sleep last night, turns out I wasn't the only thing still awake. Also apparently it's a rule that the bigger the fish the goodies the face I make taking a pic with it. One of these days I'll finally land a BFT, and I'll probably look like mr Bean holding it.
the smile size increase proportionally to fish size
wait till you catch a 40#YT or 25# leopard grouper in shallow waters (pretty similar to Gag grouper of florida)
Quote from: steelfish on November 11, 2021, 01:37:55 AM
Quote from: JasonGotaPenn on November 10, 2021, 12:50:51 PM
Couldn't sleep last night, turns out I wasn't the only thing still awake. Also apparently it's a rule that the bigger the fish the goodies the face I make taking a pic with it. One of these days I'll finally land a BFT, and I'll probably look like mr Bean holding it.
the smile size increase proportionally to fish size
wait till you catch a 40#YT or 25# leopard grouper in shallow waters (pretty similar to Gag grouper of florida)
autocorrect kills me, twas supposed to say "goofier" not "goodies"
I've caught a few underside gags around here, they're always a party. They come closer to shore in the winter. And ive learned a few spots to target goliaths from shore. I'm ready this year.
Quote from: Benni3 on November 11, 2021, 01:08:57 AM
Great job man,,,,, ;) I don't like to hole fish sideways for a photo because that always seems to be close to there aftco,,,,,, :-[ it just seems wrong somehow,,,,,, ;D
In general where and how I hold a fish depends on the size and quantity of teeth. But also if I'm not planning to keep a fish, I try to release them without touching them any more than absolutely necessary. Often, including this time, i can let them go without touching them at all. Just pliers on the hook.
This was a weird catch. Right by the boat ramp as I was coming in on the 'yak (lesson here kids don't pull up the trolling bait til you have to). Just over 24" but surprisingly skinny. Not much of a fight for the size. Still fun. Still a gorgeous day on the water.
hey, fish + tapeworm... that counts as a double ;)
Great day fishing today. In fact possibly my best of 2022 yet. The weather was beautiful, and for some reason there were baby fish in the river of more species than I've ever seen in one place. Baby jack, Spanish mackerel, kingfish, reds, sailors delight, sheepshead, and a few others I couldn't identify. and a ton of little 2" snapper. It was super cool to see. There was also an osprey hanging around, as well as a ton of other birds. And an amazing long-play sunset on the way home. Very picturesque day.
I caught 4 snapper of which 3 were keeper size, a baby snook, and a personal record sheepshead. I lost some big fights (including one slot snook) to structure but that's what I get for only bringing light tackle.
its nice to get out of the workshop every now and then.
Sheepshead are my favorite white meat. Clean them with an electric filet knife
Great job 👏
Been a while. I realized I hadn't just stopped off at the lake on my way home in a while. Figured I had 20 min to spare today and went for it. This was a lot of fun on my budget BFS build.
Lots of nice fishiest over a year!
You ever try to fix that broken rod? You can nearly always turn one like that in to a useful rod again if you have the time. Get another piece of a rod somewhere that will fit over it would be the easiest but other ways as well.
Quote from: Cor on November 12, 2022, 04:02:37 AMLots of nice fishiest over a year!
You ever try to fix that broken rod? You can nearly always turn one like that in to a useful rod again if you have the time. Get another piece of a rod somewhere that will fit over it would be the easiest but other ways as well.
Honestly I just went out and got the same blank and more cork and pulled the hardware from the busted one. I know I did a good job attaching the reel seat because there's no way I could remove it to reuse it.
Quote from: JasonGotaProblem on November 12, 2022, 04:25:54 AMQuote from: Cor on November 12, 2022, 04:02:37 AMLots of nice fishiest over a year!
You ever try to fix that broken rod? You can nearly always turn one like that in to a useful rod again if you have the time. Get another piece of a rod somewhere that will fit over it would be the easiest but other ways as well.
Honestly I just went out and got the same blank and more cork and pulled the hardware from the busted one. I know I did a good job attaching the reel seat because there's no way I could remove it to reuse it.
Fix reel seat with hotmelt glue, I don't think I have ever had one come loose, but if it does you just warm it up turn or move back in to position and let cool.....DONE!
Other benefit is you can always remove it an use again unless damaged, or move it a bit forward/backward on the blank should you wish to do so.
Mate gave me a broken rod, with new winch and guides, was impossible to remove seat and re use.
Proud dad moment! First slot red!
instant cell phone wallpaper!!
awesome
Nice fish !!!!!
Few more.
Including a 32" snook caught by my uncle at the beach despite the 4' very surf-able waves. I didn't get any action at the beach other than 1 hit that dragged down the rod holder sending my spheros into the breaking waves and sand while I was filleting the snook. Lost the fish but recovered the rod and reel. It was well greased so there's not a major sense of urgency, but servicing that will be my project tonight.
I finally got to get some braid salty. Not much success, conditions werent great but I had the day off, and that's the most important condition. The highlight was I almost took down a 3-4' tarpon on my CT-converted abu 5500C3 running 15# braid. That was such a crazy fight! He almost spooled me, I saw arbor. Got him close, and he rallied and almost spooled me a second time, with drag down tight. But I got his head turned and got him to within 40' of shore before he snapped my 15# braid on a jump... Which was when I got to see what I lost.
That now qualifies as my most fun lost fish. That fight was at least 10 minutes and the first time I've ever had a hot side plate. The reel was not due for service, but I'm gonna crack it open and see what that fish did to my drags.
Quote from: JasonGotaProblem on February 25, 2023, 08:59:57 PMProud dad moment! First slot red!
THE BEST memory in the world right there!!
I hit the Florida inshore grand slam today. Snook, redfish, spotted trout, and mangrove snapper. But the minor league version because all were too small to keep.
it looks like a great day amigo, congrats
More small snook a few trout, sail cats, and mangrove snapper today.
This boy got catch of the day. Way to make dad proud.
It's supposed to start raining tomorrow morning so I'm just setting my alarm for my normal work wake up time to see if i can get a few hours in. Still got some bait left.
Jason you have been on a tear lately! Great to see! And no shame in catching shorts as long as they are released responsibly and healthy like anyone on the forum would do - its good action! Keep it coming! - john
Today was a good day. I gotta figure out why my phone isnt saving pics but a few more undersize snook, trout, small reds, a keeper snapper, and an over slot red that I lost lifting out of the water.
I also fought a probably 80-100# ray for about 15 minutes on my 4000 spheros. Finally got him dockside and he broke me off as I tried to get him up to dehook.
I also lost a few slot snook near structure because some of my rods were running 10 braid.
That 2500 stradic seen in some of the fish pics was Keith's reel that he said he used a lot when he lived on the water. He also said he wished he got a chance to fish the Indian river. Well I guess this is the next best thing. And Im not superstitious but it seemed like every time i was thinking about that while holding that rod, a fish hit. So there's that.
Looks like you having great fun, keep it up and enjoy.
Yeah. There's something special about variety. Good pictures, keep 'em commin. Fishing vicariously through others for now...
More pics. I reinforced a lesson I already knew with that ray: dont trust others to take good pics of your fish. You cant tell from the pic that this fella looked to be dang near 3' across.
Also I realize that all this adds up pretty well. Most my fishing trips over here had been a bust. Last time i was here 5 months ago I marvelled at how many baby specimens of fish i saw. This time i caught a bunch of small fish.
This tracks pretty logically with how the lagoon went to (12yo rule) but started recovering late last year. Seeing all those baby fish suggested a recovery had begun. Catching a bunch of small fish confirmed it's continuing to recover. Let's hope to see big fish in there again sooner or later.
Also photographed, a very large spotted gar, I've never seen one in this salty brackish river before. I threw my bait too close to him and spooked him, but not before snapping a pic.
it looks like a pretty healthy lagoon, definitely a place to test your UL gear
Bite was slow today. But it fired up enough for my dad to get a snook on the first time I've talked him into joining me since I was a kid.
Nice!!!!! - john
cool, the best of that is you found another fishing partner
time to build more rods
Jason,
Is that a Calcutta 250 in your hand?
I need to learn up on my Florida species before my trip.
Wish my boy was still that size, enjoy it while you can.
They grow up and it ends too soon.
Steve
Looks like fun.
That is indeed a calcutta 250 in hand. But since you've last held it it's gotten carbon drags ceramic bearings and a mag brake.
Gonna try to get my son involved today for the 3-generation edition.
Nice!
Glad it found a good home.
That's probably the first time it's been used in many years.
Should I put spicks on my hood full mad max,,, ;) I'm getting difficult out looks,,,,,,,let what my future say,,,,,,, ;D
The next
Completely sensible.
I really love Florida,,,,, ;) and the fishing there is fantastic it is the best place on the east coast,,,,,, ;D
This weekend saw a slot red and another enormous ray. This time landed but not photographed. I had bryan's kit in a steel geared jigmaster with the drag cranked all the way down and he could still run. Great way to test a new rod build.
I don't find stingrays to be photo-worthy. But it was still quite a fight.
Redfish have to win the best dressed award for the drum family. Nice catch. And show some love to the mud marlin too.
"SPIKES" should go on your wheels, Benni.😁.
Forgot to post this guy. I didn't realize the state record for a sail cat was 27" this guy looked to be bigger than that. Fella was strong as an ox and about as heavy. If I realized I had a record contender I would have kept him.
Note the bigfoot-sighting level of pic quality to back up that claim. Yeah I don't think I'm convincing anyone. Oh well.
Oh, and that sunset.
Reviving this thread.
This weekend my company did a huge party at a hotel on st pete beach. I wasnt sure if I would get to fish but I packed a rod and grabbed a dozen shrimp on the way over. Just in case.
Well I found my moment. My son was swimming in the heated pool playing with the other kids, my daughter asleep in her stroller, and my wife curled up in a lounge chair with a book. Time to wander off.
After I grabbed my gear i only had about an hour at the water, and it was low tide. Water was about 65° and nobody was swimming. Waves were almost non-existent but the water was clear enough that i could see the structure of the bottom. So I picked a good spot from my vantage point up by the dunes. 40 minutes in, nothing but stolen bait with no noticeable action. So I take a look around and see that I missed by about 50'.
So I cast over to the "correct" spot, and within 5 seconds of having a shrimp in the water I had a fish on the line. From there it took me about 20 minutes to burn thru the rest of the shrimp, bites as soon as it touched down. 6 ladyfish landed, one close to 24" the rest around 16-20" all jumped and fought like crazy. Ladyfish are fun on light tackle.
I had no cooler, and the room didn't have a fridge or freezer, or i would have definitely kept them for future cut bait. There's no better cut bait locally. Everything loves ladyfish.
Great fun overall.
Very good Jason, thanks for showing us, cheers Don.
Ladyfish are a blast! :fish
I do still fish sometimes.
Quote from: JasonGotaProblem on June 07, 2024, 12:46:11 AMI do still fish sometimes.
More than I do Jason, I haven't even bought a fishing license yet...
But I'll be force to in August if something doesn't come up sooner! :d
My friend also sent me the "hold it out" pic that he insisted I take, and I'm posting g it in case you thought the one above was that. I thought he big enough on his own.
There are some fish I like to catch and also like to eat .Lady fish is fun to catch and also good to eat ,very easy to clean .Most fisherman throw back them but if just slide them in haft ,get a spoon scrap from head to tail all the meat come out and bone stay in skin . Make good fish cake and the best is your hand won't smell fishy at all
Quote from: quang tran on June 07, 2024, 06:07:53 PMThere are some fish I like to catch and also like to eat .Lady fish is fun to catch and also good to eat ,very easy to clean .Most fisherman throw back them but if just slide them in haft ,get a spoon scrap from head to tail all the meat come out and bone stay in skin . Make good fish cake and the best is your hand won't smell fishy at all
That's how they prepare bonefish here. It's a sore point with me because I consider bonefish sacred and should be released.
They have one technique where they beat the whole gutted fish with a rolling pen. Then cut off the tail and use the rolling pen to squirt the deboned meat out through the tail like a tube of toothpaste.
I love Bonefish, quite the challenge. Up North in Hanalei Bay near that famous historical pier, it's a nursery area for 'em. People catch lots juveniles on squid chunks. Maybe that's why they seem so rare here. Maui had some plentiful, sizable ones, but there were hard to get bit on and hard still, to land. It was a big ego rush when I finally landed one.
My best action shot of the pier, but got no fishing photos cause I go out in the yak. And yeah, there's several "no jumping" signs on the pier.
I've seen bonefish (oio) in the grocery store for about four bucks per pound. I figure a fishing guide can earn about two to five hundred bucks putting a client on one bonefish. For local fanatics they are priceless. There's something wrong with the fisheries management.
$
There is a small, little known bonefish fishery in San Diego Bay, the specific species is Cortez Bonefish. People do fly fish for them. - john
We went to the Mote Marine aquarium in Sarasota yesterday and on the way up stopped at Coquina beach to fish for a bit. The beach is right next to an inlet and the outgoing tide was really ripping. So I tied on some 1oz weights in Carolina rig fashion and threw shrimp at the bridge for an hour with my son. I only had 1 dozen shrimp so it wasn't gonna be a long day anyway.
Got 2 mangrove snapper (both keepers) and a pompano (1" too small).
No pics but it's always nice to put some meat in the fridge. It's always funny to me how excited the tourists get to see someone pull up fish. And my 19mo daughter said bye bye to the fish as they went into the cooler.
Ok I said no pics. Maybe an after pic.
Some smaller snapper on the smoker.
Got out yesterday for my birthday. I did my yearly skyway pilgrimage. Wasnt super active. I told the lady at the bait shop on my way there that there's no such thing as an OK skyway day it's either a good day or you get skunked. Well I was proven wrong. I had an OK day. A few small bait fish on pieces of shrimp, a grunt, and a snapper, and a baby gag grouper. That baby grouper was a ton of fun on the little calcutta.
A friend came and joined me for the last 2hrs, which was nice. but prior to that, it was also nice to have a bit of solitude for a little while. Best of both worlds.
I wish we had a bridge like that on Baja, I have seen few videos of that bridge as well as others from FLorida and looks like a good place to fish
that baby grouper looks a lot like our leopard groupers, they are bull fighters
I've said before that a baby grouper is IMO the pound-for-pound champion for hardest fight, at least locally. From the resistance felt, I thought I'd see a 20" snapper come up. But I've caught them before so it was no real surprise when I saw this lil 10" fella reach the surface.
Its a shame skyway is an hour and a half away. If I lived closer I'd be there a lot more often.
Weird 2 days at the beach. Not a nibble. Million 2" finger mullet in the water. Even the crabs are full. Always nice to sit at the beach and relax.
I said in January my 2024 fishing resolution was to try to fish with some forum members this year. Well I just pulled off #2 going night time surf fishing with super chill user by the name of WolframM while he is in on vacation near my home town on the east coast.
I'd love to post pics but nothing stayed on the hook long enough to make it to shore.
Fun evening though.
Earlier in the day I fought something strong enough to straighten a 4/0 circle hook. Probably another big ray from the way it fought.
My son showed us how it's done. They call us "anglers" I sometimes think that refers to the well chosen camera angles. That plus a very bendy rod made this fish look enormous
Great day at the beach. Few quiet hours by myself is more welcome right now than I can ever begin to explain.
Not to mention the sharks. 3 bonnets and one I think was a lemon shark. All but one on the little Calcutta very close to shore. So much fun. And that Newell 220 casts like a freaking machine. It landed another bonnet about the size as the one below, but much quicker. I love it every bit as much as I thought I would.
nice !
congrats for sharing
After meeting a really absurdly short deadline on a project my boss told me last week that I sure do look tired. He suggested that if the plans went in on time (yesterday) then I should take a day off and go fishing.
I did 3.5 months worth of work in 2 months, and let's be honest I did it well. He's right on both counts though. I am tired. and I should, and will, take today off to fish. Wish me luck.
A pinfish was kind enough to show up in my last 10 minutes of the 6hrs of fishing to prevent it from being a complete skunking. Didn't see anyone else at the 3 spots I tried pulling up anything either. Heavy forg didn't burn off til noon. It just wasn't an active day. Oh well still relaxing.
Were did you fish , upper Tampa bay ?
Quote from: JasonGotaProblem on February 05, 2025, 02:20:33 PMA pinfish was kind enough to show up in my last 10 minutes of the 6hrs of fishing to prevent it from being a complete skunking. Didn't see anyone else at the 3 spots I tried pulling up anything either. Heavy forg didn't burn off til noon. It just wasn't an active day. Oh well still relaxing.
still sounds 3x better than my regular day
Quote from: oldmanjoe on February 05, 2025, 11:39:07 PMWere did you fish , upper Tampa bay ?
Honeymoon island and then the Dunedin causeway. No complaints. Nobody at my office caught any fish that day either.
Had to get out sooner or later. Not even a nibble at the beach.
Great job,,, ;) he is getting the big one's,,,, ;D
Nice job pops!! You should frame that picture of your boy holding the rod on the dock. Nice composition with the city skyline, clouds, the bird soaring over him. That's a great shot
I had to zoom in on his reel,I have an older shimano sienna,
Great reel for the price.Now lets talk so about blackened redfish now :fish
Glad you both caught something!
Excellent! "Daaaad, when can we go fishing again?!
nice job Jason, his smile just tells how much he was enjoying the day
New redfish PR. ...smallest. few others but nothing really remarkable. .lost something enormous trying to fish under a heavily barnacled dock with 10# braid.
And my son is really getting the redfish dialed in too. He saw me walking down to the dock in the morning and didn't even bother to change out of his pajamas he just grabbed his rod and ran after me. I'm feeling like I'm succeeding.
Great 4th of July morning on the water before the downpour started. Lots and lots of bites.
That's awesome! Glad they were biting for you guys.
Got out on the lake for about an hour and a half before lightning sent me back to the dock. Got one gar and one bass. Neither picture was as cool to me as this one.
Great but brief bit of time by myself on the water. I'm remodeling my kitchen and it's been a lot. My wife and kids are at her parents house this week. I had to get out at least once. Also finally got something yesterday on my smallest and most expensive rig
Looks beautiful Jason and a good day out. You made the right call - there are no second chances with lightning (unless you are Lee Trevino, and most of y'alls too young to know who he is.. - john
That's a first class outfit for sure.
I am old enough to remember Mr. Trevino...Thats a post card Jason!
Looks like glass,good topwater day?
That combo & fish are the best!
Jason, dad and I have the boat hauled out a Nature coast marina in Hernando Beach if you want to stop by one day this week and say hi!
Fished at the beach in Indialantic FL for an hour Saturday night and another 2 hours Sunday morning.
Ever feel like you hooked onto a submarine? I hooked something that took off like a freight train and just snapped my line (braid/leader interface, I think) like it never even noticed me as soon as I tried to thumb the spool to put the brakes on.
I also got what I'm pretty sure is a porgy, a few small grunts, and a sheepshead.
I've never seen a porgy near shore nor heard of it. Though I haven't heard everything yet so that's not conclusive. My theory is that they moved closer to shore in response to the tropical storm that was passing by, and maybe the freight train was some other reef dweller that I was not prepared to face 30' from shore. but that doesn't make sense either I'd imagine choppy surf is the last place a reef resident would wanna be.
The mysteries of the surf. Did I identify this correctly? Was that a porgy?
Great day on the water today. Very peaceful, considering how much time I spent fighting. Forgot to bring any heavy tackle so it was all on light stuff. Nothing but whiting the whole time. Threw back twice as many as I kept.
Nice catch Jason and good eats. Is that Ft DeSota Park?
In some Southern cultures, whiting are considered the best-eating fish of all. Firm and succulent and they can be fried whole so it's quick and easy..
Pretty darn good smoked, too.
Quote from: wideopenoutdoors on July 13, 2025, 02:44:20 PMJason, dad and I have the boat hauled out a Nature coast marina in Hernando Beach if you want to stop by one day this week and say hi!
Not sure how I missed this.
Quote from: Midway Tommy on January 03, 2026, 06:53:45 AMPretty darn good smoked, too.
I smoked them last night. I'm gonna make some fish dip today. Maybe one day I'll quantify and write down my recipe, it's quite good.