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Report for Destin, Florida - Nearshore
Capt. Larry Pentel
November 10, 2002
Destin - Saltwater Fishing Report
Snapper season is over and it went out with a bang. Lots of limit catches the last week with most of the fish being a good grade. Almost like mother nature moved some fish around just to make it easy at the end.
Not like there is nothing else to catch. The trigger fish have shown up in real good numbers in close and are of a better size than during the summer. Even the wrecks a 1/2 mile off the beach are stacking 'em in.
The grouper bite continues to be excellent. I don't know where all these fish came from. Everybody from Carrabelle to Pensacola is reporting record numbers of groupers. We're just fortunate off grayton to have 'em closer in than anybody else. Yesterdays 4 hr had me taking a couple from Tennessee that had fished with me the week before to fill the freezer with snapper and trigger. This trip they wanted shots at big grouper. "Quality, not quantity". As always I try to oblige my customers and we went at 'em. The weatherman was wrong again and coditions were not the best but my 2 anglers hung in there. Our first stop put 4 nice keeper Black grouper in the boat, over a dozen "just" shorts and a bunch of throw back (now)Red Snapper. We also lost a couple bigger grouper to the bottom. The weather was deteriorating so I ran down the beach to fish closer to the truck in case we needed a rapid exit. The rock I picked had become the home for some big fish. The good news was the fish were hot, the bad news was my folks were out gunned. Of all the bites missed, fish in the rock, etc. one was very memorable. My male angler was fishing a 6/0 loaded with 125# and a stout solid glass rod. Usually enough to muscle anything out of 70 ft. of water. When the big bite came my angler did everything right except wind. The grouper kept barkin' drag and trying to find a hole in the rock big enough to dive in. I realized help was needed so I dropped down to the rail and started handlining the fish up 6 inches at a time. My angler's got the drag beat down and he's trying to wind up any slack I get. We get the fish probably 15 feet up, the boats drifted away from the rock and I feel we've a chance when the fish tries to run again just as we come down on a swell. The heavy mono started to slice my hand and I dumped the line, warning my angler 1st. The angler battles on again for maybe a minute and the line finally gives. My guy's face is so red I'm afraid he'll drop, his wifes beat from her groupers battles and I'm kinda sore myself. We went and caught a dozen triggers and made it to the truck just before the rain started coming down. I think they must have enjoyed it tho- they booked 3 trips for next year at this time.
capt. larry Pentel
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