BIG BARRACUDA!

This is the second time we have seen this barracuda in our canal.  It is BIG!  Has to be close to four feet long and 24-28 inches around.  I wish I would have had some thing rigged up to toss at it.  I bet it would have been an amazing fight.

Charter day!

So I decided I needed to tangle with some bigger fish.  I booked a charter with Captain Shane Smith.  Even though I learned just how poor a fly fisherman I am I really had an awesome day out in the back country with Capt. Shane.  He spent a couple hours in the morning poling me around a flat littered with tarpon.  I mean it was just filthy with fish.  I however could not put a fly in front of them.  At one point we had two schools moving toward each other and I still couldn't get the fly in the right place.  Shane was awesome though.  He never gave up trying to get me a shot.  I wish I could have hooked one just to make him feel better.  We moved on to another flat that was holding a couple really skittish permit and some very willing jacks following a ray.  First cast to the back of the ray produced a very fun jack crevalle.

We moved around a bit chasing barracuda, jacks and other hard pullers.  We took a break from sight fishing and tossed some jigs for sea trout.  After slaying a ton of trout the bite turned off and Shane decided to pull anchor and drift for a bit.  We hit a few schools of big ladyfish and scooped up a couple to use as bait.  Anyone who gets upset at catching ladyfish needs to give their head a shake.  These fish are almost too much fun.  The aerial displays are epic and if like me you are able to hook a big one they put up one hell of a fight.

After lunch we headed back to some flats we visited earlier trying to find some sharks or barracuda.  Shane cut up the ladyfish and dropped them over the side.  I waited patiently for a visit from the man in the gray suit.  Well he must have called in sick.  We found some decent sized barracuda at our next stop but none would commit to eating my lure.  So many follows.  Those cuda have some serious commitment issues.

One more move and finally the man in the gray suit shows up, and he brought friends.  I toss a piece of cut ladyfish and miss slightly behind.  The jacks following the shark didn't seem to mind, good thing too.  Once the jacks started on the ladyfish the shark quickly took notice.  It was one of the greatest takes I've ever seen.  The shark was looking right at me and opened wide and bit down hard.  I never would have thought a fish could be so much fun.  Wow those buggers pull hard, run and head shake with the best.  In the end it ended up at about five feet long.  

A picture and a quick release and I had a smile that lasted all the way back to the ramp.

Inshore Mutton

More species that should be offshore in deep water.  This 15+" mutton snapper came up and said hello. Just a bit short of the 16" minimum.

Mr. Goliath, you are next!

That's right I'm coming for you!

Grouper, grouper, grouper!!!

Yes I finally got him!

Eat at Jack's? Eat hat jack? EAT THAT JACK?

Opps I miss typed that. Yes I said it.  Eat that jack.  Most people consider the Jack Crevalle to be an unpalatable trash fish but I read recently that they are good table fare.  I've been catching quite a few of them lately in the evenings and had been tempted to keep one.  I got my chance the other night when I gut hooked one.  Rather than waste the fish I quickly bled it and put it on ice.  Later that evening I filleted it.  I was very impressed with how white and firm the meat was, not to mention how much meat was on this rather small specimen.

I fried it up last night along with some snapper we had caught.  I am very pleased to say it was very good.  White, flaky and mild.  Had I slipped it into the pile of snapper fillets I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have been able to tell you which was which.

When I filleted it I removed most of the darker red meat since this is where the pin bones reside.  I would have no issue keeping another.  I need to find some larger ones now to see if the same holds true of bigger fish.

Next time you catch a Jack think twice before tossing it back.  When bled and iced quickly after catching they really are quite tasty.

Here fishy, fishy

Just a couple quick shots from under our dock.  The little ones are glass minnows.  The others are mangrove, schoolmaster and yellowtail snapper.  

Big surprises in little water.

Last night my family and I were fishing off the dock for snapper.  I've been haunted by a black grouper that has been stealing fish off our lines.  I was looking under the dock to see if it was around when I saw something out of the ordinary.  It was a Goliath grouper.  Just a juvenile but it had to be close to 60 pounds and three feet long.  I managed to get it to eat a dead pinfish but failed on the hook set.  Hopefully it will come back and give me another try.

Today we went out and the girls were fishing when a 30 or so inch Barracuda came and tried to grab the fish my oldest was reeling in.  That was a very surprising sight, and a little scary.  We were snorkeling in the canal just a couple days ago.  I've rigged up my heaviest rod with 50 pound braid and 66 pound steel wire.  I'm ready for anything!

Full house, Jacks over ladies

It was a calm with overcast skies last night, perfect weather for jack fishing.  While most people consider jacks and ladyfish nothing but trash, on appropriate tackle they they are extremely fun.  Jacks travel in schools so when you catch one you can be almost certain that there are others.  Many people say that pound for pound the Jack Crevalle is the hardest fighting fish in the water.  I won't deny it.

Last night I landed three small jacks and a pair of very aerial ladyfish.  All were caught on live shrimp free-lined into the slow current.  Weather permitting I'll be back out there tonight.  Hopefully with a few more shrimp!

A day on the flats

I got out for a couple hours this afternoon on the flat in Lower Sugarloaf Sound.  It is a very beautiful place.  I had a blast catching small barracuda on the fly.  The wind was nice and calm and the cudas were hungry.  They were all small and not a great challenge on a 7wt but boy do they put on a show.  I'll be dragging my 5wt along next time :D

Mr. Grouper, I'm coming for you!

There is a large grouper hanging out under our boat lift.  He is tormenting me by taking my bait when I am on a very light rod.  I've gotten him to eat once on a heavy rod but he still cut me off on the structure.  I think I've got him figured out now.  I spooled up 50 lbs braid on my rod and moved up to 60 lbs leader.  Tonight Mr. Grouper I will invite you to dinner.

Flat calm flat

Woke up this morning and was greeted with this

I'm going fishing now :D

Vicious predators of the canals...

well they could be if you were a fish. 

I caught these over the past couple days.