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Eduardo meets Squirt!

Capt. Charles Damiens
August 5, 2008
Gulfport - Saltwater Fishing Report

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of chartering Keith and Jonathon McCombs. This father and son team had wanted a shark trip! The original plan was they were going to stay on the coast for the weekend and fish Monday before returning home to Hattiesburg. Well Tropical Storm Eduardo put a small damper on their trip, but the duo wanted to go fishing anyway.

The morning radar showed a few feeder bands out at Chandelier, but no major rain events to prevent a days fishing in our area. Just the wind would be the major player for the day. I met the two at the D'Iberville ramp and after filling our live well with shrimp from David's Bait Shop, we were on our way. It was blowing a little but Jonathon still had his heart set on shark. So we set out to see what was in store. After experiencing some 3-4 footers immediately after entering the channel at the northwest tip of Deer Island, the two were willing to wait it out with some near shore fishing.

We fished one of the inshore reefs and quickly found that this would be the day for Juveniles! Right off the bat, a small Rat Red, followed by a small Flounder, Lady Fish, Jack Crevalle, Gray Snapper, Speckle Trout, Ground Mullet, and Croaker were filling the waiting time for the little front on the horizon to pass. Catching wasn't the problem, catching legal length fish seemed to be eluding us.

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The best local destinations for shark are the west tip of Petite Bois, the east and west tip of Horn and Ship, as well as numerous locations at Cat Island. But on a day like this those destinations were not to be, for many reasons, with comfort for the passengers being number one. The southeast tip of Deer Island can be another great close in shark destination. But with the strong winds out of the east, and the water stacking up on the muddy shallows (Mississippi Lump) it would be rough and uncomfortable.

Our front finally passed, and the wind lay down as much as it was going to for the day. We cranked up and were on our way to the Katrina Reef. We were still in 2-3 footers, but playing with the trim and throttle were tuned in for cruising at 24 knots and a comfortable ride. We were soon anchored with Penn 330's baited and in the water thanks to the Ground Mullet and Croakers that had previously volunteered for the job. After a half dozen line screaming runs and solid pole bending attempts at setting the hook, it just was not going to be the day of "The Shark"

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Back inshore and many passes at multiple locations, we put in a good eight hour effort for a fishing day. Oh, don't get this report wrong this Father-Son duo caught fish. The total catch for the day was 2 monster Sail Cats, 14 Speckle Trout, 4 Redfish, 10 Flounder, 5 Ground Mullet, 4 Lady Fish, 6 Jack Crevalle, 3 Gray Snapper and innumerable Croakers and Hard Head Catfish. The problem was size for only 1 Speck and 1 Flounder made the cut.

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A good time was had by all and we picked with Jonathon by telling him that in 20 years he would tell the story of Him and his dad fishing in a hurricane. "Yea it was 8 foot seas and 90 mile per hour winds, but we limited out on everything when the Eye of the Hurricane was passing", or something like that as fishing tales tend to grow and mature with age.

But last, this is no fishing story, talk about memory makers and bonding events of a life time. While fishing for "Shark", one of those line screaming pole bending events indeed was a "Sea Creature". At first we shouted "Shark" due to the circular swirl we all saw. Then it was "No Sting Ray", followed by the classic fishing saying "What in the heck is that?" Then it surfaced and at once we all knew "Oh No! It is a Sea Turtle!" We went into rescue mode, everyone taking a part. The turtle was landed in the net, and gently placed on the deck. I held the turtle behind the neck and opened its mouth while Keith removed the hook out of the lower jaw. Just like that we were done. But events like this need to be recorded, because they do not happen everyday (Thank God!). So we broke out the camera and documented the celebration of the hook removal and the release. Just like that "Squirt" was on his way. Now that is a memory that will last a life time.

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Take a kid fishing and build some memories of your own. The truth is often more unbelievable than fish stories. Give us a call and we will book a memory building trip for you.

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Near Shore Fishing the Mississippi Gulf Coast Waters. Targeting Speckled Trout, Redfish, Flounders, and more. Very reasonable rates for 1-4 passengers. Novice as well as experienced anglers welcome. If you are on our beautiful Gulf Coast for a visit, or a local looking to learn the area, give me a call and I'll book your Trip.

Contact Info:

Hooked Charters, LLC
12270 Fishermans Trail
Gulfport, MS 39503
Phone: 228-669-0418
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