Report for Destin, Florida - Nearshore

Capt. Larry Pentel
September 16, 2003
Destin - Saltwater Fishing Report

The weather has been wonderful the past few days with the forecast sounding like a chamber of commerce ad for the next week. It's a shame it took till fall to get to summer.

Fishing has been great. We have still been limiting out on Snappers on even the 4 hour trips with a few bonus fish thrown in. The kings had been kind of slow for a while up till yesterday when a lot of luck caught up with us at once. I had a 4 hour with 2 couples and we were pickin' along catchin snaps when the "bonus" pole started screaming straight astern at a rather alarming speed. I grabbed the rod- handed it to the person closest to me and yelled at everybody else to wind up as I brought up the rod I swapped. Slammed the motor into reverse and was proud to learn I can back down at 10 knots and not swamp the boat. The speed was just enough to stop the line from completely dumping off the reel the 90 lb. gal I had handed off to was holding. I got a harness on her, all the other lines in the boat and the boat spun around. This gal did everything just right and brought the big king to the boat without any of the usual calamities that befall "novice" anglers and big fish. When I gafffed the fish to swing it in it hit the deck and didn't flop twice- she had wore it slap out. The king wieghed 46# on my hand scales and measured 64 inches- 2 inches more than the angler who caught it. She went on to catch a 12# Red Snapper latter in the trip and I over heard her( and her friend) tell thier husbands on the way in that they were NEVER going to be left on the hill again when a saltwater fishing trip was in the works.

I ran a a 6 hour with 3 regulars last week and had the time to chase something besides just snappers. We came back with a limit of snapper but also had 6 nice black groupers and a red group. Shows they are there just have to run a little further to get to 'em.

The bait has finally showed up thick on the beach and I've seen a few whiting in the (flat) surf the past couple days. I imagine that the Pompano should start to show on the next cold front and the flounder on the one after that.

Capt. Larry Pentel

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