As The Temps Cool the Bite Heats Up

The temperature has started cooling down and the days are getting noticeable shorter. The bite continues to heat up as the fish get their "fill up for winter" feed into gear. The triggers are getting a little more consistent, as are the Kings, the Scamp bite remains hot and the Vermillion snapper are piled up on lots of inshore rocks.

There seems to have been a movement of Jacks up in shore recently, both lesser (Amberines) and greater (AJs). The Flounders have not shown up yet but there have been a few cobia starting the return trip back South.

The shorter days have everything starting to change to fall mode including me, yesterday was my last day of running 2 trips a day until spring 2015. There just isn't enough daylight now to catch bait for 2 trips, run the trips, clean the fish, get the boat home, clean it and get the tackle ready for the next day. While I'm sure I'll have some folks disappointed that I can't run an afternoon trip it will make the mornings trips that much better!

Here are a few pics from the past week... it ain't a fish tale if you can back it up with pictures!

I am proud and honored to be the "birthday boat" again today. This young man asked his folks if he could fish with me again for his 8th birthday present.

He tore 'em up, catching over half our limit of Vermillions and Amberines this morning (more fish in the box). He had a few greater jacks on as well and landed a 28 incher but got out horse powered by the BIG ones.

The young man at the far right caught that Cobia, the biggest King and the Scamps on a 40 pound light tackle rig as well as a large share of our limit of Vermillions. He had the hot hand and gave all the adults a fishing lesson.

These folks had fun 3 hour afternoon trip and got to keep a pile of fish including 4 Scamps. I think the most exciting catch for 'em was the critter below though.

Take a Pic and Let the big one go.

Three Locals with a part of Great 4 hour catch. They asked for Scamps, Triggers, Snappers, Jacks and King...all the boxes got checked!

These guys not only got a limit of Triggers but 5 Kings, Scamps and a pile of Snappers too.

These fellows fished with me 2 days in a row. A 4 hour the first day and a 3 hour the second day. This was the "smaller" catch from the 2nd day....but with the BIG fish that got 'em the first day.

A pair of regulars with a couple buddies from Atlanta. They wanted groupers and Kings on a blowy, north wind morning trip. I asked 'em if Scamps would be Okay and got a very vocal "YES"!

Another regular with his family along. Another great 1/2 day with plenty more fish in the box.

Fishing is back in the political arena again (still?) with the Gulf Fishery Council voting to ram sector separation and catch shares down our throats this past week.

While the only folks that want it are the few that think they will make millions off the Red snapper stock they will "own" and the vast majority of the fishing public against private ownership of a public resource it seems to be inevitable at this point.

For all my regulars who love to fish for Red Snapper I am trying my best to make it work. I have done the horrible thing of buying another boat and will put my Federal Reef Permit on that boat. I'll keep the "Dead Fish" for fishing most of the time and for State Red Snapper season, then run the other boat further offshore to fed waters when the State season is closed and I have folks that have to have Red Snapper.

I really wasn't wanting the project of putting a boat together this winter but you got to keep up with what the liberals are forcing us to adapt to or quit fishing I guess. Who'd a thought they would "socialize" fishing ? More details (and boat pics) as things move along.