It's Snapper Time!

[YellowHammer]

They opened up Red Snapper season and we took off last week to load the freezer, or that was the plan.  Plus I wanted to try out some new "super tech" tackle that is about as heavy as a bass outfit, but will haul in Moby Dick, as opposed to the old school heavy saltwater rods and reels. 

We fished the week, the boat worked great, the tackle worked great, to the point that my brother adopted one of my two super combos for the entire trip!  Even fighting and hauling in a 15 lb snapper with less trouble than his old tackle.

We limited out every day but one, most fish were 4 to 10 lbs, and the biggest problem was getting enough ice, because it was hot. 

The tides were real high and low, so there was a major offshore current tripping, nearly 2.5 mph, which is stupid fast, but the GPS system and computerized digital independent steering on the boat was able to help me keep it locked on a spot so I could fish. Look Ma, no hands!  It did kind of freak my Sister in Law out when we exited the harbor, she asked where were were going, I said 22 miles, selected a waypoint on the screen, hit "navigate" and the boat hands off, throttled up, adjusted the trim tabs for best fuel economy, held course, throttled down when we got to the fishing spot, and locked us in on top of it, in 120 feet of water.  I was otherwise occupied eating some Pringles and drinking a Gatorade, and enjoying the ride.

Here are some pics, the guy in the front is my BIL, and he is a true catfisherman, you can tell.  He showed up with a "secret" bait, rotten shrimp dipped in liver.  His favorite catfish bait.  Needless to say, the little bitty snapper were keeping him busy, while I told him to out on a decent sized bait, like what is in the bucket.  Big snapper like big meat, and they attack it like a shark with an attitude problem.

We got checked by the wardens, 30 miles out, no problems, and were plagued by porpoise and sharks, getting free lunch stealing the fish as we reeled the snapper up.  So we would have to move to get away from them, or if the Flippers (porpoise) tried following us, we would drive by another boat and "brush them off to the other boat."  It's kind of an old school trick to the other boats, but hey, Flipper has to eat, too.  Just not my fish!

Anyway, this is our rig parked at a Rest Stop on the way home as well as some of the weather we were dodging.   

[YellowHammer]

More pictures 

[Jeff]

I think the one time I went salt water fishing, I caught one and had to let it go. Boy was I bummed.

[WV Sawmiller]

Jeff,

   You have me beat. The last time I went fishing off-shore was on a trip with my wife's high school band seniors. I think we went about 50 miles off-shore at the NC/SC line and fished about half a day. When we got done I gave my squid (bait) back to the skipper. I couldn't even get the crabs to eat it off.

[tule peak timber]

These pics are dated but they are my fish. Loran A, then "C" for navigation and not much creature comforts. GPS was just on the horizon and limits and regulations were much more lax than they are today. I pursued red fish with a vengeance from the Gulf of Alaska to Central America to some note. 90% of fisherman catch 10% of the documented landings. 10 % of fishermen catch 90 % of the fish. A different world today. Limiting on an opening is pretty nice, kudos.

[YellowHammer]

Fishing off most 6 pack charters is a total waste of time, as you guys mention.  In my experience, the bait that gets stolen is your money.  Small boat charter or private fishing is a whole different ball game. 

This is our 4th saltwater boat, and it's pretty new, I'm still working on learning it. This is my first with digital independent steering, where the engines serve as stern thrusters and can turn independent of each other, and shift in and out of forward and reverse, via the control computer.  It even has a joystick, I can pull up to a dock, move the joystick sideways, one engine will shift into forward, the other into reverse, and I can crab sideways.  I've got many, several thousand hours of "captain" time, because at one point I wanted to get a professional captains ticket, years ago, so I can do all these maneuvers by hand, in my sleep, but it's cool to go high tech, too.   

The depth finder technology is amazing, I've got two different transducers that can shoot both forward and sideways at several different frequencies, tuned for surveying bottom, fish, or bait fish, and my twin computer displays show three dimensional bottom detail, mapped from space satellites.  A WW2 submarine destroyer would not have 1/10 of today's recreational boat sonar capability.  My boat position is accurate to within 3 feet, anywhere in the world, and when baited line are going down, I can see the bait, the weight, and sometimes, even the fishing line on the display. 

The tackle we are shifting to is stupid high drag offshore tuna caliber, but weigh about as much as bass tackle, but have disk drag systems like the calipers disk brakes in cars and trucks.

The rods are new technology also, they are designed with new carbon fiber X wrap, so are crazy lightweight, but are designed to stop Great Trevalky, off the Great Barrier Reef, arguably one of the hardest fighting fish in the ocean.  We fish lures are well as bait, and although the rods look small, they are designed to flex all the way up into the grip, for maximum pressure.  What is surprising are these types of outfits have more "power" beating fish and fighting than our old school heavy saltwater pool stick rods and reels. Of course, we are using braided spectra super line, from Japan, incredibly thin but strong.  We have to turn the drags down on strike, or if we get a surprise hit, we will get dragged across the deck! 

This kind of fishing is best described as "combat fishing" because of the intensity of the strikes and fights. When everything is dialed in, and on the right spots, the hits are fast and furious, and most people give out pretty quick, they just look at me, say they've had enough, and sit down!  Of course, that has never happened to me!  I love this stuff. I've had a good day when I've caught enough that my hands are cramping up on the boat steering wheel for the steam home.

As you say, 10% of the anglers catch 90% of the fish.  With all this tech, fishing can still be difficult, the guy a couple boat slips down was struggling catching limits of big fish, even though I tried help him.  He went out 43 miles one day, and caught one keeper. Ouch! We finally figured out his problem, he was baiting his hook wrong, he was hooking his live bait through the lips, and we had moved to the hooking them in the eye socket, and it made all the difference between success or failure.  That little thing.  Saltwater fish are choppers, they like to cut baits in half, from the rear, like a shark biting someone on the leg.  So when he was hooking his crappie sized live bait through the lips, a big snapper would chomp and shake its head, and rip the bait completely off the hook and be gone.  When a big live bait is hooked through the eye sockets, basically into the skull, a big snapper will chomp and shake and rip the bait in half, and will circle back for the rest, which has a the big 7/0 hook in it.  Just that little bit of understanding fish behavior had him limit out the last day.  He was as happy as could be. 





 

[thecfarm]

Whatever you do, you get the best out of it!!!

[customsawyer]

Looks like a great trip. 

[YellowHammer]

This is a video of the tackle we have switched to from the standard ocean style pool cue that is the norm for saltwater fishing.  I have both the bottom rods and casting rods styles in this video and few hours of fighting fish like this on the water is a blast.

This video also shows why it's called "combat" fishing, and how much effort it takes to bring in these critters. 

I love bass fishing, but it is such more civilized, more technical, this is just a whole different game.

[Machinebuilder]

Nice fishing trip.

Thanks for explaining the tech involved with your boat.
I know people around here using the liveview sonar and have seen screen shots of it, WOW

My limited saltwater experience is not that awesome. The halibut charter was the best but due to lack of knowledge was the wrong time and lack of planning on my part.
I think those charters do their best to put customers on fish, but not big fish.

[Jeff]

The fishing trip I was on was a party boat. Grunts were plentiful, and some other ugly looking creatures.