Captain's Report - February 5, 2004
by Capt. Dave Mistretta
The all new 40 Dorado is completed. We have ran about ten trips already with the new gal and, to be quite honest, the boat is OVERWHELMING. I'll have more details on the new Jawstoo soon.
It's been a long winter. Hopefully, this will be the month things start going the right way. The past two weeks, rain, wind and fog have smothered any productive fishing. Warmer days, light winds and water temps slowly rising sounds like a beautiful dream. The bottom line, this month can either be a complete blow out with miserable weather conditions, or February could bring us the start of milder weather. I have witnessed both weather patterns in my 21 years of charter fishing, with February one of the hardest months to judge. It's only a matter of days before springtime action approaches. March always brings plenty of migratory fish our way.
For now, keep those warm clothes close by and remain bottom fishing, since that's about all you can do during this wintry month. Grouper are present on many inshore rocks, but have been severely picked over for the last 4 months. You still can muster up a dinner, but there are other options more rewarding.
In between all the foul weather our 10 and twelve hour trips have been the most productive. About a 50 mile journey should do the trick, with the new 40 Dorado it only takes an hour and a half to run that far.
Offshore spring, wrecks and large peaks, are holding plenty of fish this far out. Amberjack are one of the first fish we target. They are quite easy to catch and their fillets are good if smoked with hard wood. Don't freeze the AJ's meat, because it will taste fishy when thawed. The limit is 1 per person gives anglers plenty of fillets, since the AJ's average about thirty -plus pounds that far out. After your battle with these backbreakers, it's time to go grouper digging.
Plenty of good spots can be discovered while working your way back from a spring or wreck 50 miles out. Recently, I found some good areas for grouper in 120 feet of water. It doesn't take but a few fish to tire an angler out at this depth. Some of the grouper can also be huge, especially the red grouper. Look for the bait stacks that cling to the flat hard bottom. This is normally an indication that a pot hole is beneath the bait school. Some of these pot holes travel for great distances beneath the bottom contour. There is sure to be a few big reds camping out on these under cuts.
If you are lucky enough to find a small ledge at this depth, hold on, because there is some gag grouper down there. The 120 foot spots always hold some bigger gags, so beef up the tackle a bit. One hundred pound leader combined with reels filled with 80 pound monofilament will do the trick. I like to lay the rod onto the gunwale, then crank fast when one of bruisers hits. This takes all the stretch out of the line (which happens to be a lot in 120 feet) and buries the hook almost every time.
Different types of snapper can also be found out this far. Mangrove, lane, American red and some big yellow tail snapper are the four most common. Spanish sardines are a good all around bait, but if you want to try something different, bring some live shrimp along. I assure this tasty bait won't last long before getting devoured. Key West grunts aren't found out this far to pester you, so most likely it will be a snapper that bites.
Occasionally, even a large hog snapper will surprise you and eat a baited hook. Hogfish are normally spear-fished for their delectable table fare, but every once in a while, they'll gobble up a shrimp. Check all the regulations before keeping the different types of snapper. American reds are closed until mid-April, with size regulations varying on each fish. Another reef fish that is often overlooked is a porgy. The gulf offers a variety of these tasty fish. The porgy is a common site in water depth over 100 feet and they are quite willing to eat a chunk of squid.
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