After a few real pretty days I am back on the hill today, Saturday, July 29th with a little blow from a summer cold (?) front.
The Gulf is just rough enough for it not to be fun and the forecast is for nice again tomorrow so it's a short break. The folks I had to cancel on Saturday morning got rained out a few weeks ago though so for them it's been a bad run of weather.
On the east side of South Walton just east of Inlet Beach, turn off Highway 98 and through the gate of Camp Helen State Park and be amazed how fast you go from freeway frenzy to total tranquility.
I know, it's been awhile since I sat down and did a report but the Gulf has been calm, the fish have been biting and I have been steady runnin' every day. This afternoon we had a bunch of thunderstorms pop up that made me cancel my PM trip so I am trying to catch up some.
We have been limiting out on Red Snappers on the Fridays , Saturdays and Sundays they are open. While most are "regular size" I have had some folks catch a few downright BIG Un's the past couple weeks.
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The big news in the ongoing political football of Red Snapper management (and fishing) is that the State of Florida just changed the rules in the middle of the game.
Red Snapper are the main item on just about everybody's fishing list this time of the year.
We are catching a few Groupers, Kings, Vermillions, Mahi, etc., but the main target and desire for most of my anglers are those coveted big Red Snaps. While there do not seem to be a record number of Red Snappers around there have been more than a few really nice ones and some that by any standards are just plain big.
The long awaited steady opening of Red Snappers finally came Saturday and there were lots caught.
Some pretty darn big ones too! Now if we can just get this weather to realize it's Summer time and it's supposed to be calm we'll have it all.
Prior to yesterday we have been catching lots of Vermillions along with Kings and Mahi as our target species with great catches of them as well.
The weather the past couple weeks has been more like what March should be than May.
We have had a lot of windy days with the breeze mainly out of the West rather than East as usual for this time of year. When it's been pretty it's been perfect but the opening weekend of Red Snapper season was anything but perfect.
Only a couple Grayton boats tried to fish on Saturday. Captain Mike of "Trigger Happy" went out and told me the next morning he felt like he had gone 10 rounds in the ring with Mike Tyson. It was rough!
Come on down to the river on May 13 from 10am to 4pm for the first ever Choctawhatchee River Fest at Morrison Springs, presented by Riverway South
Nature lovers of all ages will enjoy a variety of fun and educational activities throughout the day in celebration of our magnificent river. Take a dip in the cool spring waters, throw a line and hook a fish by the riverside, hop aboard for a boat ride and experience nature's glory.
Well, after a short break for some knee surgery and recoup time I am back on the water fishing hard again.
I had to take a a break for a little over a week and missed a couple days of cobia season. That usually wouldn't have mattered much but the cobia have seemed to have pulled a disappearing act since I got back on the boat.
