My wife's family was in town, and to avoid spending the entire day with them at Sea World, I (very generously 
) offered to take the boys fishing. After some haggling, a plan was set for the adults to go to the islands with me in the AM, then come back and pick up the kids to fish the bay, then do Sea World in the evening. I knew that was going to be a bit of a hectic cluster of a day, and I didn't entirely get out of Sea World, and I didn't get to spend the day offshore by myself like I wanted to, but hey, sometimes you just have to compromise.
I launched at 4:30 at Shelter just before the crowds got bad, got bait (second in line), and raced back to pick up the guys. Bait was actually excellent. Weather was meh. A bit lumpy for these guys. Water conditions looked great, 66-67 consistently all over, clean water. Hit all the usual spots, plenty of bass and cuda at South Island and Middle Grounds, looked like there should still be yellows around but we didn't see any. I had them slow trolling deans while I drove the boat, and there definitely could have been some missed bites. I just wanted them to catch fish, which they did, and they were stoked. I also got a captain's bonus with a stud calico plucked off the Lighthouse boiler rock with a surface iron (while slow trolling past it). FYI, if you're not fishing a Starman 112, you're missing out. This thing swims like it's on crack. Love this jig.
Fished from 6:30-10:30 and then boogied back to pick up the kids. Lunch went long so we only had about an hour and a half. Ran down to the bridge and made several drifts but only had a few short bites, including a nicely raked halibut bait with one of our leftover sardines. Bummer. As we were leaving my nephew reeled in a croaker that had been on his rod for who knows how long. My kid had been announcing for awhile that he was "smelling a skunk"...... I've taught him well!
Comic Con is weird...
Dropped them off, pulled the boat out solo, ran home like a banshee, flushed the motor, threw my crap inside, met them at Sea World, and then got total bass-shamed in the aquarium under the bat rays. I'm not joking, this sand bass had to be 20 lbs. Pics don't do justice. It was the size of a Sparkletts cooler. I thought it was a weird grouper at first.
Then this weird spotty hybrid that swallowed a football. I don't know what they are feeding these things but it's gotta be radioactive.
Hectic day but it was nice taking the family out and at least I got to see some toad bass, in weird places.
) offered to take the boys fishing. After some haggling, a plan was set for the adults to go to the islands with me in the AM, then come back and pick up the kids to fish the bay, then do Sea World in the evening. I knew that was going to be a bit of a hectic cluster of a day, and I didn't entirely get out of Sea World, and I didn't get to spend the day offshore by myself like I wanted to, but hey, sometimes you just have to compromise.I launched at 4:30 at Shelter just before the crowds got bad, got bait (second in line), and raced back to pick up the guys. Bait was actually excellent. Weather was meh. A bit lumpy for these guys. Water conditions looked great, 66-67 consistently all over, clean water. Hit all the usual spots, plenty of bass and cuda at South Island and Middle Grounds, looked like there should still be yellows around but we didn't see any. I had them slow trolling deans while I drove the boat, and there definitely could have been some missed bites. I just wanted them to catch fish, which they did, and they were stoked. I also got a captain's bonus with a stud calico plucked off the Lighthouse boiler rock with a surface iron (while slow trolling past it). FYI, if you're not fishing a Starman 112, you're missing out. This thing swims like it's on crack. Love this jig.
Fished from 6:30-10:30 and then boogied back to pick up the kids. Lunch went long so we only had about an hour and a half. Ran down to the bridge and made several drifts but only had a few short bites, including a nicely raked halibut bait with one of our leftover sardines. Bummer. As we were leaving my nephew reeled in a croaker that had been on his rod for who knows how long. My kid had been announcing for awhile that he was "smelling a skunk"...... I've taught him well!
Comic Con is weird...
Dropped them off, pulled the boat out solo, ran home like a banshee, flushed the motor, threw my crap inside, met them at Sea World, and then got total bass-shamed in the aquarium under the bat rays. I'm not joking, this sand bass had to be 20 lbs. Pics don't do justice. It was the size of a Sparkletts cooler. I thought it was a weird grouper at first.
Then this weird spotty hybrid that swallowed a football. I don't know what they are feeding these things but it's gotta be radioactive.
Hectic day but it was nice taking the family out and at least I got to see some toad bass, in weird places.
