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Fishing Report for the Florida Panhandle
Capt. Alex Crawford
August 2, 2003
Carrabelle - Saltwater Fishing Report
“We like to eat red snappers!” Those were the very first words spoken, as the party of five serious anglers from Douglasville, GA stepped onboard Topknots for an offshore fishing trip into the wild blue yonder. Immediately locking onto the gentleman’s eyes, I responded with, “ok, cast the bow line.” There was no doubt from the get go that this was a group I call fishermen’s fishermen. The youngest of the bunch handed me a 9/0 Penn Senator spooled with 100 pound braid and quickly asked how big a fish would he have to catch to top the state grouper record. There was an instant camaraderie with the brethren, a pure, unadulterated love of fishing that would be shared for the next 10 hours. I liked this bunch. A red snapper rumble it would be. I punched in a red snapper hole that I had not fished in a few weeks, figuring this would satisfy the expectations that were so articulately stated.
As we exited the West pass, huge schools of Spanish were cutting up pods of pogies and the terns were diving frantically for the scraps. But Spanish were not on the menu today. These fishin’ finatics were in a sea-duced frame of mind. So, we set her nose on south and immersed ourselves in the watery world of the Gulf. Our destination was a limestone rock ledge that I knew would hold double-digit snappers.
Once we arrived on the numbers, it took about ten minutes to find the right show on the color bottom machine. We idled slowly in figure eights until the sonar flashed the big bright blinking message, PARK HERE! The current was running at about 5 knots, diagonally to the wind direction out of the southwest. It took two attempts to get the hook set correctly to allow us to fall back over the fish. Sometimes being off 20 feet is the difference between catching and fishing. Cardinal fishing rule number one is fish where the fish are. We were ready to have some fun on the high seas. Our baits were cigar minnows, squid, Northern mackerel, pogies and cut-baits of jacks and snappers.
These anxious anglers were literally chomping at the bit to get some bait down. And it was not long before they figured out that hook sets are free in life, have as many as you would like. Snappers are appropriately named for their uncanny ability to steal your bait with an almost imperceptible tap on your line. This is not a finesse game. With conventional J hooks, the hook set is aggressive and then, cranking down quickly will put riders in the box. Try to envision the Jimmy Houston/Rowland Martin plastic worm hook set on largemouth bass. Snappers fight you all the way to the gunwale. Keeping the fish coming up, with no slack in the line, is the most successful technique. Erratic pumping and winding will usually result in lost fish.
We had about a dozen or so keepers in the box when it happened. Shark attack! First, the 20 pounders came in on our baits and spoiled a perfectly good snapper bite. Then, the big boys arrived and wanted to play. On three consecutive hook ups, we released three six foot nurse sharks. If you have never had the pleasure, pulling on 100 pound sharks with 15 pound spinners is akin to inflicting physical pain on yourself. If you are lucky, the shark will break off on his own, aka, Palm Beach release. Plus, this will allow you to brag about the 40 pound grouper that you lost after an exhaustive 15 minute battle. What is the old saying about early to bed, early to rise, fish like hell and make up lies.
The sharks left the party after a while, as they always do and the snapper bite returned anew. By 11AM we had a limit of red snappers, including the Captain’s. No problem, we just changed targets. We sent out some minnows on wire off the stern for mackerel. And we reloaded the weapons for triggers. Whatever it takes! Remember the basic rule of fishing. When all else fails, just swim down and command the fish to eat!
The prizes of the day included gag groupers, triggerfish, mackerel, porgies, bluefish, lesser amberjack, pesky sharks, gray snapper and two dozen red snappers to eleven pounds. It is definitely a male thing, we all have learned that it is important to keep score. Judging by the size of the tip, this fun group of anglers would eat and sleep well. Entertain your brain……………..go fish!
Till next tide, tight lines and solid hookups,
Captain Alex Crawford
www.topknots.com
Proud Member Florida Outdoor Writers Association
Proud Member Florida Guides Association
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