Stinky's Bait Shack is busy planning for their first annual Stinky's Beach to Bay, Grand Slam Fishing Tournament coming up Oct. 4 through Nov 15, 2014. To kick off the tournament, Stinky's Oyster Festival will be held next door at Stinky's Fish Camp on October 4 from 12:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
While the water temp may still be 87, you can tell that the seasons are starting to change. The weather pattern is moving into Fall and all the finny critters are starting to gang up and do the big feed before the winter migration in a couple months when it cools down.
There has been a lot of bait right off the beach the past 10 days and a big push of clear gulf water in close as well. That combination always means the pelagics will be in close and this time is no exception.
Ah yes, it's after the Labor Day holiday and our little slice of the earth is back to almost paradise again. The beach is about empty, there are no lines at the grocery or restaurants and the only boats fishing off Grayton are the couple that launched from there.
We have had clear water and pretty clear skies since I came back from Indian Pass. A little bit of surf this weekend kept everyone from fishing a couple trips but you could not have asked for a finer day than this morning. The beach is always at it's best after most of the vacationers are gone!
After being gone for almost a month I got back to Seagrove Beach, and weather permitting, back to fishing off Grayton tomorrow. My annual pilgrimage to Indian Pass is over and it's back to bottom fishing and filling up the box.
Today was my last day in the Grayton/Seagrove area for a bit. I'm off first thing in the AM to Indian Pass to chase Tarpons & Tripletails for about a month. While I'm sure I'll miss the "guarantee" of a full box off Grayton, I sure am looking forward to tangling with critters that weigh more than I do! No traffic and an empty beach at sunset is sounding pretty good after a busy summer here too.
Whooo, we got squalled out today and I took two naps totaling four hours of well-needed "catch up" sleep this morning. I was still on the beach at 4:45 with the boat but was back home by 6 a.m. I just ran a quick count and I have run 32 days in a row totaling 54 different trips in that time. A new all time record for this old (tired) fishhead.
Angler Steve Brown and Team Reel Worthless combined with the Reel Fuelish crew to land the biggest—and only—blue marlin of the 2014 Emerald Coast Blue Marlin Classic, held at Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort June 18-22.
The 594.9-pound fish was worth an ECBC record payout of $498,450. Reel Worthless swept the marlin division, top crew, and all but one of the optional jackpot entries to claim the biggest share of the overall $1.68 million in prize money.
As I mentioned last report, this time of year I take lots of folks that have been fishing with me for many years. All the folks in the pics below have been coming every June for many years, some of 'em for over 15 years. While the weather does not cooperate every year for all of 'em it seems the fish always do when we get to go!
These guys come with a big group and book 5 or 6 days in a row. They got some Big Red Snappers on this trip.
Nestled between the Gulf of Mexico and St. Andrews Bay, Shell Island reflects the push and pull of the delicate coastal ecosystem. White sand blankets the shoreline and gives way to tall pines, scrub bushes, and moss-draped oaks of St. Andrews State Park. A lone cabin sits high on stilts, clinging to life until the next hurricane. Life there is Florida as nature intended.
Whew! I have been running hard this past week taking advantage of calm seas and beautiful beach weather. I have run two trips a day for the past eight days and my anglers have all had a blast with great catches even on the short trips. Red Snapper have been the primary target with a King or three added on most trips.
