A few from Saturday.....
 

First off, sorry for the pic quality, I forgot my digicam and we used my phone. :roll:



We tooled around and James breaks the skunk with the first fish...I nice little goat. (Sheepshead)




We pecked off a few more sheeps and then James got a little drum.
http://www.forumpictureprocessor.com...mesaltered.jpg


No sheepie pics sorry. We got busy and forgot. :P



Not long after I got the one and only trout of the day.
http://www.forumpictureprocessor.com...032506_003.jpg

James then hooked a sheepshead of EPIC proportions...at least judging by the fight... :shock:




Uhh James, that aint no sheepshead. ::)
http://www.forumpictureprocessor.com...s/james2_2.jpg

This one was 33" and he caught and released another one just like it on his next cast. 8)

His largest to date he said. 8)





I hooked up with one of the trains shortly after those two. 8)
This one went 35"

http://www.forumpictureprocessor.com...032506_012.jpg


Thats about it guys. I had to get back to the beachhouse. I had a contractor there doing some repairs. I hate I missed the weigh in but my wife was sick with a sick baby and I rushed on home to help her out. I then caught it and spent the whole day sunday in bed. :? Still not feeling to good today. :(

Re: A few from Saturday.....
 

Looks Great!! we not going to be fishing hard here for another 2 months :'(

Re: A few from Saturday.....
 

Looks like fun Stink.

I'm leaving for a week long hiatus on April 12th. Headed down South check out Murrell's Inlet which is south of Myrtle Beach. This is an annual trip for me and my family.

Re: A few from Saturday.....
 

Good luck Blue!!!! ;D

Re: A few from Saturday.....
 

Thanks Stink. I might try to get on out around 20 - 30 miles if its nice enough. There's artificial reefs at 3 miles, 10 miles, 25 miles and then 30 miles.

I might skip 3, hit 10, move on to 25, then on to 30 to round things out. Then back in by lunch ;D

The 25 is 70 - 90ft, the 30 is 90 - 110ft. Both are supposed to hold snappers and groupers. Maybe I can lure one out? Depends on if I can get enough bait. What depth do you catch those big snappers down there?

Re: A few from Saturday.....
 

Looks like a GREAT day of fishin', Stink-Man!!! Good Reds!!!...

BR, iffn ya'll can find some good Live-Bottom in 90-110' you stand a good chance of hookin' up w/ grouper-snapper combo...that deep, be ready to get 'em up quick or you'll never see 'em...frozen squid or cigar minnows w/4-8 oz lead will do well, but of course live-bait is usually TOPS!!...

Take along pleanty of anchor rope and a strong young ''rode-assistant'' ;D....and those small black ''sea-bass'' are some of the TASTIEST critters o' the sea...perfect for those who practice "fillet & release" ;D ;D ;D...

Did I ever tell you, "You a DAWG" ;D ;D ;)

Re: A few from Saturday.....
 

I catch good snapper here at 55' at the beginning of season and then they move out to more like 70-100'. The fall brings em back in to 55-70 again around the end of oct-nov. Season is out Nov. again though.

Of course the deeper water 150+ holds the giants more consistantly, but I catch 15-20lbs fairly regularly in water 100 or less. Especially early and late in the season.

Another tip....if you can get out on a pretty night with a full or close to full moon DO IT! Fish with heavy gear and BIG pieces of cutbait. I like a whole bluefish fillet. Big snappa cant resist em. My theory is that the little ones come over and start pecking at the big chunk of fish and it pisses the biguns off. They then move in and swaller it up!!! :o

This method (especially at night) has bagged me more big snapper than anything else.

My best snapper trip ever was last oct. done this way during a full moon. It was me and two other buddies. We were throwing back 10-12 pounders to make room for the gooduns. 8)

Good luck!!!! *;D

Re: A few from Saturday.....
 

RAP I know just the bait shop to pick up some of the frozen stuff BUT here is the cool part - the first morning its going to be me and the bro-in law and our wives. We'll probably hang close and do some "fluking" ;) along with throwing some artificials at the rocks in the inlet.

I'm hoping we can make some time to do some inshore trolling for blues (if they're there) and some light bottom action for some pinfish. I want to avoid buying the big stuff if possible. Now as far as minnows go, I'll buy about 3 or 4 dozen mud minnows for $3 a dozen for the fluke as I don't believe the finger mullet or pogies will be thick yet. Those will even keep over night in the baitwell if not completely used. If I can catch some mullet that'll be a bonus.

THEN, the next day its on. It will be me, the bro-inlaw, & friends Chad and Corey. Hoping to get a good night's sleep and get up early that morning.

Stink, I've been reading about the live bait/dead bait thing and I've seen where others have employed that same tactic of using large dead bait, let the little guys peck and then the big one comes and cleans house :) I'm stoked to try it out. The pinfish are usually easy pickins right next to the jetties in 30ft of water. I drop a double bottom rig with small hooks down and can normally fill my baitwell up within 15 - 30 minutes. All about the size of your hand.

Also I make my own Sabiki rigs with long shank gold hooks. I tie a 3 oz. sinker to the bottom of some 15 - 20lb line and about six hooks above it spaced about 8 inches apart. Before the hooks are tied on, I put little pieces of coffee stir straws (the white with red stripe) and put about a one inch section over the shank of each hook. When jigged in the water it looks just like a school of glass minnows. I've caught EVERYTHING on it including shark, trout (speck and weak), greenbacks, butterfish, pinfish, black bass, spadefish, whiting, spanish (5 keepers at once :o), blues, that's all I can think of. Next one I make I'll post a pic ;)

I'm excited, if you can't tell ;D

Re: A few from Saturday.....
 

Yeah I dont go offshore without some live pinfish or croakers...didnt mean to rule that out.

You use circles hooks too? Circle hooks are the bomb!!!

Re: A few from Saturday.....
 

I HATE CIRCLE HOOKS...there, I said it ::)...just wind, don't SET!!....Just the old redneck in me, I guess, but I like SETTIN' 'EM!! ;D ;D ;D...

Sorry Stinky...some of the fishermen I respect most love circles, but I haven't gotten over the KICK of settin' a hook ;)...

Re: A few from Saturday.....
 

I've used circles for surf fishing reds and stripers as well as fresh water striper fishing. I like them (sorry RAP!). Not having to set the hook is less work for my lazy @ss!

Re: A few from Saturday.....
 

I understand, we are all different (some more than others). but its ok for you to be wrong too IMHO. :D

I like em cause you loose less fish and you get a nice corner of the mouth hookset 95% of the time. Its better on the undersized fish and unwanted species that get released. I think circle hooks are one of the best conservation moves as of late. *8)

Re: A few from Saturday.....
 

Yeah, Stink, you're right about the consevation aspect of 'em...sometimes I feel like I'm bein' dragged into the future kickin' & screamin'...but I'll tell ya, I thought circles would be solution to stripers bein' gut-hooked when we're cut-bait fishin' so I tried 'em...I SWEAR every fish we caught was gut-hooked... ???...they don't work w/rod-holders...only when you can feel 'em and start windin'...that's my experience w/'em anyway...

Re: A few from Saturday.....
 

In my limited use of circle hooks I've never gut hooked a fish. Heck, with regular hooks I hardly ever gut hook a fish ???

I try to gut hook flounder intentionally ;D Gives me that peace of mind while reeling.

Use whatever works IMO.

Re: A few from Saturday.....
 

It must be the type of fish...maybe stripers just swaller it up no matter what! ;D


I catch MOST of my snapper and AJs from the rod holders. I drop em down and sit back and watch. The tip twitches..I sit :D....it wiggles....I sit 8)......I jerks.....I sit 8)......I bends 8).....I sit ::)...the tip of the 50# class rod touches the water.......I ease on back there and reel up dinner. ;D


They call me ICEMAN, cause I stay cool in the heat of battle.... 8)




Oh I forgot to mention I am going next Saturday the 8th to fish with a buddy in Decatur Al. He fishes (Wheeler Dam I think?) and catches some HOGS! He also says a bad day there is less than 20 or 30 fish.


I have always heard strippers fight super hard. I even had a friend that says he think LB4LB harder than Amberjack. I dont know about all that but we will see. ::)

I have never caught one at all. I cant wait!! 8)

Re: A few from Saturday.....
 

Good luck on the stripers ICEMAN 8) They do fight hard. I've never caught an AJ but I know those 6 - 10 lb stripers have amazing striking power! The big ones aint nothing to snub either. But I think you put a 30lb striper next to a 30lb AJ, I think the AJ would put him to shame. I say that having never caught an AJ of course ??? :-/

That 25lb king I caught last year I never touched the rod til it stopped screaming. I had about 100 ft of line left! My buddy was yelling, "He's going to spool you!" I didn't even flinch ;) I knew better than to pull the hook cause luckily I read up on it. Otherwise I'd have put the ol Bill Dance on him and never known what I had ::)

Matter of fact, what convinced me not to touch the rod was this article I read where this captain that does king charters will hit you in the head with an egg sinker if you even think about touching the rod too soon ;D 8)

I love the internet :)

Re: A few from Saturday.....
 

I LOVE striper-fishin', but an AJ will outpull a ol' linesides lb4lb til it DROWN & go DOWN!!...except Wahoo, I can't think of anything that WOULD outpull an AJ...self-limiting; you can't HANDLE but one a day!!... ::)...

Re: A few from Saturday.....
 

Well IMHO there aint no harder fightin fish than an AJ. Cept maybe a tuner, but I aint caught them so I dont know. They fight like you are hooked up to a pissed off Volkswagon. Even the 25-30lb Ajs require 80+lb gear when caught in 100' of water or less. If not they always tend to get into the wreck/reef or rig in my experience.

My standard go to AJ rod is a Penn 6/0 on a Penn 80# tuner stick with 80lb line. If they are smaller I might use my TLD 25 with 50#.


On the kings, as a rule, they bore me. I have caught so many while bottom fishing in past years that I hardly fish for em now unless I have someone onboard that has never caught any. I think the 25-30#ers fight better than the 40-50+ ones. I dont know why, but I have caught a few around 45 and they have a decent initial run and then just kinda come back to the boat for gaff. *::) The average sized ones (25-30) seem to have more zip to me, not sure why but they do.

But yeah when the smoker reel starts screamin I just chillax till is over. 8)



What do yall fish for kings with up that way?
Big Silver Eels is by far the best bait around here IMO. 8)