Port Canaveral Offshore 02-014-11
Capt. Henry Hauch
February 20, 2011
Port Canaveral - Saltwater Fishing Report
HUNDREDS and HUNDREDS of Fish CAUGHT ............... BUT......... all except a handfull of them were either
RED or BLACK!!!!!! This trip was taking a couple guys
from the cold country out to do some fishing on the
reef. 8A was our spot for the day. We started at my
favorite break in the ridge line, which usually keeps
fish moving through from the low side. This trip however
the bottom current was a little different, and the
setup did not work as good. All we were getting was
Black Sea Bass, lots of them, and nice sized. Using "Chicken"rigs with 2-hooks, we usually
pulled 2 up at a time.
The big problem is that Sea Bass are quickly becomming
so abundant that catching anything else is very
difficult. Our target specis on the reef this trip was
trigger, and we know they are there, but before the
bait reach's the bottom, a Sea Bass is on! I cannot
imagine the Black Sea Bass population without harvest
being allowed. they already dominate the ocean floor.
We finally pulled anchor to drift different parts of
the ridge, and about everywhere we went, same thing
......Sea Bass. You would think Grunts would be the
nuscience fish, but every once in a while we would
catch one, and it was actually a nice change from
the Bass.
We finally hit a spot where Trigger was found, but
Sea Bass rapidly took over, then the Red Snapper
started comming up. These were not as big as we were
finding here a couple days ago, but keeper sized fish
were caught. I kept working a line on a light tackle
spin setup to give the guys some fight, and a nice
sized ARS finally beat the Sea Bass to it for some drag
peeling.
As we were ready to head in, with sea's nearly flat,
and winds calm, 2 Cobia were seen cruising, so we
drifted towards them. A bait was offered, and they
took a look, but headed to the bottom, not to be seen
again. Water temp at 8A was 65deg when we first arrived,
and hit 67 by the time we left. Still a little cool.
We did see a few Manta's putting on an aerial display,
and a Sailfish do likewise. There was a lot of small bait
in the area ('fry' sized), so it was bound to gain a few followers.
With Sea Bass and Red Snapper closed, Vermillion Snapper
and Shallow water Groupers closed for seasonal closures,
Deep Water Groupers closed beyond 240', what is left for
us to take home for dinner? In a month or so the waters
will warm, and Pelagics will show, but the fishery
managers are already scheming to make drastic changes
to that, despite NO DATA to support any overfishing at
current limits! At least our boat has the speed to move
around from site to site to try to find something we can
keep.
So, We will Catch all We Can, and Keep What We are
Allowed, and hope that someone in the Government Grows
a Brain! CBS news coverage of NOAA's coruption, and
new legislation that will stop its anti-fishing policies
may be a fisrt sign of some hope for Anglers.
Captain Henry
ACME Ventures llc
http://www.acme-ventures-fishing.com/
321-794-7955
602 Glen Cheek Dr., Cape Canaveral Fl.
Deep Sea Fishing Charters Port Canaveral
"wile e Coyote"
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