Whatcha catchn’?

[SwampDonkey]

Are they like a white fish for taste, meat? Have never seen or eaten any here, caveman. I'm sure they taste good, just different fish. Everyone, no matter where they are at likes good stuff.

[caveman]

I caught a good-sized flounder that did not make the picture.  It has about the whitest flesh of any fish I've seen and a flakey, almost sweet taste.  The snappers have firm, white meat but have a little red near the skin.  They do not have a strong taste but are not quite as mild as flounder.  We blackened snapper last night and tonight.  Tomorrow, I may fry some battered in cornmeal.

We caught some mackerel also but the one we kept is in the freezer.  My five-year-old grandson wants to catch a shark.  Mackerel is a very good shark bait.  If he can catch a 3-4' bonnet head or blacktip, he'll be on cloud nine.

[YellowHammer]

A one minute video of our latest trip to the gulf for red snapper.

https://youtube.com/shorts/6Dyws2zAAFA?feature=share

[Andries]

Loved that video YH!
Ocean, boats, fishing and a very happy Martha. 
You're working hard and Livin' the dream. 

[SwampDonkey]

Looks like a great time on the water. 

[YellowHammer]

We had a ball.  One of those very rare trips where the weather was beautiful every day, the boat was working great, the fish were biting hard, and I had people in the boat who would let me scout and leave average fish to find bigger fish without getting bored.

When I take people out, I sometimes have to act like a charter captain because the passengers want to be fishing, and as long as I can get them on fish, any fish, they are happy.  I like to fish bass style, and that means hit hole after hole after hole to learn the hot patterns and then come back and milk run and whack and stack the whoppers. 

This trip, the Gulf Stream current was running funky, and there was a better current 10 miles in vs 20 miles out, and it meant the fishing was better in close.  However, it also meant I had to scout to find spots the locals weren't hammering which means if I got on a spot that had only decent fish it meant leaving for greener pastures, cranking the engines and and scouting for another spot.  Which means looking and not fishing.  However, when I would find the hidden spot, we would rack up, and better yet on lures.  Specifically, I realized that some of the county concrete piles and fish attractors in about 70 feet of water had been moved by the hurricanes a couple years ago about 1/4 mile west of where they were supposed to be.  So the people who used to fish them couldn't find them, and once I patterned their movement, I was about to locate unfished spots, time after time.  The people with me were experienced to know what I doing and we did better day after day as I found more and more "lost" and unfished spots loaded with snappers, amberjacks and all kinds of stuff. 

It was a fun one.  I love my ocean fishing.    

[Andries]

Well, that story just goes to prove what I've always thought about you, Robert.
You've got that crafty, fishy smell about you.
Not sure I could come up with a bigger compliment.

[YellowHammer]

Thanks!  It was fun coming back to the dock and listening to the other boats complain how bad the fishing was offshore, (they had not figured out the good current rip near shore) how they had caught nothing but short fish, and how they were having to go 30 miles offshore.  Then they would ask how far out we caught ours?  30 miles, 40?  Cuba?  I'd put on my redneck persona on and say "Nope I could see the Home Depot sign up on the "bank" from where we were catching".  

[JD Guy]

@YellowHammer Great story and better results. Your "location information" reminded me of folks asking where we successfully duck hunted. Our response was always "Broad River". Of course we didn't say "THE Broad River" as there is a actual river by that name

We weren't lying but not entirely truthful  because we weren't hunting that river at all!

[Otis1]

A few years ago we were out on a popular chain of lakes in northern Wisconsin. We were going slow through a channel when some tourists asked me where the fish were at. 

I looked directly at them, then down at the water, and then directly back at them, pointed and said "Down there".

I don't think they appreciated my answer

[SawyerTed]

Some fish Emily caught this year.   She has been top rod this year!  I've been happy seeing her success.  





That's a 9 pound 9 ounce Speckled Trout/Spotted Sea Trout. 

[SwampDonkey]

That trout looks closer to 16 lbs, I think the scales is broke.
Nice fishes. 

Our speckled trout (brook trout) are fresh water, except a race that has one different gene, where they go to sea and return to spawn. That trout can be born with others who are normal brook trout from the same spawn. Nature is fascinating. ;) That fact has given rise to the term, 'sea run trout'. Which are bigger trout usually. Although I have caught fresh water ones 10 lbs, but in remote hard to get at regions, or reserved water, or near no fishing zones. Brook trout tend to grow a deep belly and not long length like salmon. My favorite ones to eat are the 6-12" ones, fried in butter. They are more typical size of our small creeks.

[JJ]

Last weekend was my son's birthday and I buy him a new 8.5' trolling rod.
Went out to break it in, and he caught a nice landlocked right away on it



He then followed this up with a monster White Perch, largest I have ever seen in my life -and I have caught 1000's of WP...

I thought it was a contender for NH state record




The NH state record is 17.2" and 3lb 11.5oz  from Lake Winnipesaukee caught Dec 29, 1986..

His White Perch was 17.5" (with tail pinch) and weighed 2.5lb on the Hanaford fish counter scale.
That state WP record must have eaten one of Ray's   to weigh that much more being a little shorter..


Oh well, he is getting it mounted anyway, cause its a MONSTER!


oh, we did catch a nice bass too on the DownRigger..


What did I catch -Of course a fish with whiskers 

[SawyerTed]

My cousins Sam and Larry with blue catfish we've been catching on Lake Marion, SC. 





So far we've caught mostly 15-20 pound fish.  Ther have been a few bigger but no really big ones yet.

We are fishing with blueback herring and perch for bait.   Not many bites during the day with evenings producing the most.  

[Magicman]

The bigger the bait, the bigger the fish.  By far, Goldfish is the best bait here.

[JJ]

Like the fish tank goldfish MM?

     JJ

[jb616]

The bigger the bait, the bigger the fish.  By far, Goldfish is the best bait here.

I don't believe that is legal in Michigan because they might get free and become an invasive species...evidenced by fisherman catching 3 to 5 pounders each year.

[JJ]

yeh, same here.   the IFW has sterilized ponds to eliminate gold fish and pleco that were released from fish tanks.  I think the penalty will be extreme if found with these fish in your bait bucket.

[Magicman]

Put dat 3-5 lb Goldfish on da hook and     

[SawyerTed]

A few blue cats from Santee.   We've caught more than the guides I know here.   2-5 each day. Most are 15 +/- pounds.  

[caveman]

I last fished on Saturday.  The water was below 50 degrees, which is tough for bass fishing in central Florida.  My guest caught four during the morning trip and missed a few.  The bass were giving up on live shiners.  

The afternoon trip, with the same guy, was a bit better.  I lost track of how many fish he caught, but it was probably eight or 10 with several misses.

Tomorrow, we are taking a cooperate group fishing and shooting clays.  There will be four guides taking two-hour trips at 8 and 10.  I'll have four or five on my boat.  We will have a planning session at 6:30 tomorrow morning to figure out where we will all fish.  The warmer weather this week should make for better fishing, but this place will humble a man.  Every time I think I have it figured out, stuff changes.  I have been fortunate to have guests catch fish on every trip I've taken, but I know my day is coming.

We will have 37 folks on the clays course at one time tomorrow afternoon.  This will be a lot for our infrastructure (we only have four functioning golf carts at the course).  They may get to stroll on a beautiful winter day.

I've not eaten catfish in a long time.  Those you have are welcome at my table.  I've been saving dead shiners occasionally to use to catch some of the abundant channel cats that we have in the pits.  I just have to get time to use them.

[SawyerTed]

Caught a 2 man limit of the big guys yesterday...



Each fisherman can keep 2 32" long or longer blue catfish per day.  

Glad to be home now.  

[Old Greenhorn]

Must be cool down your way Ted, you got on big boy pants AND a hooded sweatshirt. How do you stand it?

[SawyerTed]

Must be cool down your way Ted, you got on big boy pants AND a hooded sweatshirt. How do you stand it?

It WAS cool!  Stood it the same way anybody does, layers, heated vest and battery powered hand warmers.   

Water temp was 42-46 degrees with a bit of breeze.  Air temps were 30's in the am and low 50s in the pm until Thursday, low 60's. 

[fluidpowerpro]

The suckers ( Redhorse ) are runnin on the Nemadji river.