Hang On Boys, It's Gonna Blow !
Capt. Larry Pentel
April 13, 2009
Destin - Saltwater Fishing Report
And Blow, and Blow. I know it's Spring and the natural order of things has it blustery some days but this is getting old. The fronts keep coming and the surf stays up. It's been a good year to be skinny guy with a surfboard! While we have had some beautiful spring days the surf has only let me get off the beach twice since my last report. The good news is the fish have moved in close with all this weather and are stacked up like the shelves at a Wal- Mart.
Wednesday morning was slick calm, light North wind and a little cool at daylight. By 8:15 I was shedding clothes even though we were running out at 20 knots. I had a crew of folks who had never been and spent the first part of the trip teaching 'em the circle hook technique. They figured it out and boated some fine red snappers that we released and a few groupers that we kept. The snappers are so thick it's hard to grouper fish. We kept running bigger and bigger baits to give the groupers a chance to eat but usually just caught bigger and bigger snappers. If the current regulations stay in place they may soon be the only species in the Gulf after they out eat everything else ! My folks were having such a good time the dad asked if we could fish a little longer about 2 1/2 hours into our trip. Naturally I said sure and with a little more time available I ran out another couple miles to where I thoght the vermilion's should be in the spring. Sure enough I guessed right and my folks started catching some fine snappers that uncle would let us keep. B-liners ,(vermilion snappers) may not get as big as Reds but when you can find a school of 'em in the 2# range you can pile in a box full of fantastic eating. I have always said that for any recipe other than grilling I'd rather have a vermilion than a red. When we hit the beach at 1:15 and hung the fish one of my 14 year old anglers counted the fish that were still in the box (ran out of nails on the board) and said they had boxed 48. With all the fish we threw back I guess they had landed around 250 fish on a 5 hour trip!
Just what the board would hold !
They're Everywhere!
And Big Too!
One That beat out the Snappers to a Bait
It got rough for a couple days again but yesterday morning looked to have a small window of calm water. I had a crew that wanted to go but still make Easter morning service. I picked 'em up on the beach at 7 AM with their church clothes in plastic bags; we ran out about 3 miles, caught a bunch, and I dropped em' back on the beach at 9:40 so they could make 10 am church at Seaside ! Just about a perfect morning! If we could have landed the cobia that pulled off under the boat it would have been that once in a lifetime , everything come together day. As it was it was pretty darn great. Lots more fine red snappers released, a 20# grouper in the box and we found a school of big B-liners in 70 feet of water just 3 miles from the truck. And yet another fish fry for Easter Sunday!
A Hurry Up and Catch 'Em Quick Trip!
The front coming thru today has most of the nasty weather North of the coast. The bad thing about this is the rivers had just started to drop a little . The bays were clearing some and the last couple days had the trout and reds trying to feed again and the spanish starting into the bays. If we get another deluge to the river basins the inside fishing will be put back on hold for at least a week. It won't hurt the Gulf fishing and once the seas lay down Wed. maybe, and for sure by Thurs., we'll be back at 'em.
The boats going out the Passes have done well with the cobia on the sunny days. I have not been able to target 'em at all this month with all the surf. When we hit the beach yesterday AM from bottom fishing the Wesley brothers, 2 other Grayton Captains, were headed out on Jody Wesleys boat to look for cobia. They had cancelled their charters do to the increasing wind and seas predicted but took a pounding and found 3 cobia, boating 2 by early afternoon. If we can get a break in the weather for a few days the fishing out front should just be phenomenal.
Sharpen your hooks-Pretty weather's a comin'!
capt Larry Pentel
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