Saltwater fishing

[Dbllunger]

I'm down at Cape San Blas for the week with family. Bring my boat down every year with me to fish St Joseph bay. Got after it this morning for speckled trout and managed to get a limit already. Caught several other species as well. Saw some big sharks, sea turtle and dolphins. Got this great picture of the dolphins right at sunrise. Man I love this place.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

 

[TNReb]

I'm down at Cape San Blas for the week with family.

Small world... we are at Cape San Blas until Saturday also!

Did some surf fishing yesterday evening, but nothing to write home about!

Keep catching them!

 

[cbhunter]

Made my first trip to there last summer. I definitely will not be my last. Love it there. Nice cooler of fish there.

 

[Dbllunger]

Wow. We're on the bay side and have a dock I tie up my boat to. Fairly close to the tackle store on the Cape

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

 

[RUGER]

That is awesome man.

 

[TNReb]

We are gulf side. Up near the state park entrance.

You are going to get me in trouble. When we were looking at places to stay my wife mentioned a bay side place with a dock and bringing the boat. She asked if our boat could be used in salt water.

I said it could, but I didn't want to fool with it. I wanted to be ocean side for the boys to play anyway.

Now here you are doing exactly what she suggested! Hahaha

Are there places in the bay you can wade and catch fish? We have never been here before and I'm wishing I had brought a regular fishing rod now.

She wants to cook fish one night, but that 10" catfish and 12" shark from yesterday isn't going to feed anyone

 

[Dbllunger]

Yessir there's places in the state park where you can wade and catch fish. I haven't tried it but I see folks down there every year when I launch my boat for the week

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

 

[TNReb]

Yessir there's places in the state park where you can wade and catch fish. I haven't tried it but I see folks down there every year when I launch my boat for the week

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

Thanks. I'll check it out. May have to go buy a cheap rod..

 

[Buzzard Breath]

Looks like great eating right there.

These saltwater reports are killing me. I really need to get down there and do some fishing.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

 

[7mm08]

I was there last week to tarpon fish. My buddy, that I have fished with for 29 years and newly diagnosed with Parkinson's disease landed (to tippet) a #175 Tarpon on a flyrod after a 90 min and two miles out into the bay ride. !!!! Caught it IN Port St Joe bay!! Got a lot of it on GoPro . I had great " shots" at two but one big girl threw the hook on the initial take, and the other I screwed up and trout set instead of strip set! Good times.

A " low tide" such that it is there were folks on the Port St Joe side wading out to fish. It's shallow forever there. I love Beaufort SC but this place is special.


Ps. Those specs look great! One suggestion: we found if you can use say a frozen milk jug of water to keep those fish cool they taste even better. No joke. With water/ice in the cooler it produces all that slime which basically is all the fliuds coming out of the fish. That Yeti will keep them plenty cool.

You did good last year too. Didn't you briefly hook a Tarpon?

 

[TreyB]

We have been going to the Cape for the past 9 years. We stay in the gated community of Hibiscus ( 4-6 private homes ). My all time favorite vacation spot.

 

[Dbllunger]

I was there last week to tarpon fish. My buddy, that I have fished with for 29 years and newly diagnosed with Parkinson's disease landed (to tippet) a #175 Tarpon on a flyrod after a 90 min and two miles out into the bay ride. !!!! Caught it IN Port St Joe bay!! Got a lot of it on GoPro . I had great " shots" at two but one big girl threw the hook on the initial take, and the other I screwed up and trout set instead of strip set! Good times.

A " low tide" such that it is there were folks on the Port St Joe side wading out to fish. It's shallow forever there. I love Beaufort SC but this place is special.


Ps. Those specs look great! One suggestion: we found if you can use say a frozen milk jug of water to keep those fish cool they taste even better. No joke. With water/ice in the cooler it produces all that slime which basically is all the fliuds coming out of the fish. That Yeti will keep them plenty cool.

You did good last year too. Didn't you briefly hook a Tarpon?

It was about 3 years ago when I saw a group of tarpon busting bait on the surface. I threw a 7 inch redfin at them and had one take a swipe but not hook up and several follow it. It was a crazy feeding frenzy. Black tip sharks were mixed in with them as well. Don't know what the heck I would have done if one had hooked up.

Thanks for the suggestion on the ice. I will try that tomorrow.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

 

[TNReb]

Any luck today?

I surf fished a bit at sunset. Ladyfish, about an 8" pompano, and about a 2ft black tip shark. Not much to brag about.

Any idea where to get bull minnows? A buddy told me a spot where he caught a bunch of flounder and such on them last week.

 

[Pilchard]

For your ice discussion— the proper way to do it is to make a saltwater slurry. Take a bag of ice and add a bucket of saltwater to it in the cooler. This is the way to get the best quality food product. The fish will also be much colder and therefore easier to fillet.

 

[WTM]

For your ice discussion— the proper way to do it is to make a saltwater slurry. Take a bag of ice and add a bucket of saltwater to it in the cooler. This is the way to get the best quality food product. The fish will also be much colder and therefore easier to fillet.

works on freshwater fish as well, especially white bass and stripers(if keeping them to eat) and crappie caught in the backwater. seems to pull a lot of the blood out of the flesh.

 

[7mm08]

For your ice discussion— the proper way to do it is to make a saltwater slurry. Take a bag of ice and add a bucket of saltwater to it in the cooler. This is the way to get the best quality food product. The fish will also be much colder and therefore easier to fillet.

Cool idea. It's really all cell biology at work.

 

[Pilchard]

For your ice discussion— the proper way to do it is to make a saltwater slurry. Take a bag of ice and add a bucket of saltwater to it in the cooler. This is the way to get the best quality food product. The fish will also be much colder and therefore easier to fillet.

works on freshwater fish as well, especially white bass and stripers(if keeping them to eat) and crappie caught in the backwater. seems to pull a lot of the blood out of the flesh.

It does as long as you submerge them alive. The internal organs pull blood into the vitals to survive.

I've never really fished freshwater but am trying to figure things out here in TN. It's easy when you can just grab sea water.... I can't imagine bringing salt on the boat to do this locally... maybe though.

 

[WTM]

For your ice discussion— the proper way to do it is to make a saltwater slurry. Take a bag of ice and add a bucket of saltwater to it in the cooler. This is the way to get the best quality food product. The fish will also be much colder and therefore easier to fillet.

works on freshwater fish as well, especially white bass and stripers(if keeping them to eat) and crappie caught in the backwater. seems to pull a lot of the blood out of the flesh.

It does as long as you submerge them alive. The internal organs pull blood into the vitals to survive.

I've never really fished freshwater but am trying to figure things out here in TN. It's easy when you can just grab sea water.... I can't imagine bringing salt on the boat to do this locally... maybe though.

i only use a small amount of sea salt in the live well to keep them alive until im done fishing then i just dump a cooler full of ice in the live well after im done and while they are still alive.

 

[Dbllunger]

Any luck today?

I surf fished a bit at sunset. Ladyfish, about an 8" pompano, and about a 2ft black tip shark. Not much to brag about.

Any idea where to get bull minnows? A buddy told me a spot where he caught a bunch of flounder and such on them last week.

Yes. A fishing buddy from Murfreesboro came down and is fishing with me for the next few days in the mornings. We both managed limits today on specks plus a bonus flounder. Lot's of short specks. A few sharks but all small ones.

As far as bull minnows, I have been catching them in a minnow trap baited with a chicken drumsticks. Freeline them in sandy areas on the edge of grass beds.

Here is some of today's catch.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

 

[7mm08]

Ahhh the old mummichog. Reds can't resist those either! Nice specks

 

[TNReb]

Not bad!

I went up by the boat ramp at the state park this evening, like you mentioned. It was low tide and really really shallow. I waded out a pretty good way in a few directions, but no luck. I gave up quickly and just let the boys chase crabs and such.

Got 3 dozen bull minnows from Bluewater Outriggers and 2/3rds were dead before I got back here.

 

[Dbllunger]

Not bad!

I went up by the boat ramp at the state park this evening, like you mentioned. It was low tide and really really shallow. I waded out a pretty good way in a few directions, but no luck. I gave up quickly and just let the boys chase crabs and such.

Got 3 dozen bull minnows from Bluewater Outriggers and 2/3rds were dead before I got back here.

Did you check at Presnell's. I'm pretty sure they sell live bait as well and much closer.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

 

[TNReb]

Not bad!

I went up by the boat ramp at the state park this evening, like you mentioned. It was low tide and really really shallow. I waded out a pretty good way in a few directions, but no luck. I gave up quickly and just let the boys chase crabs and such.

Got 3 dozen bull minnows from Bluewater Outriggers and 2/3rds were dead before I got back here.

Did you check at Presnell's. I'm pretty sure they sell live bait as well and much closer.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

Didn't check. We took the boys up to Panama City today so I just stopped in Bluewater on the way back.

Is y'all's water pressure horrible? We can barely shower!

 

[Dbllunger]

LoL.... definitely not going to blow you away but not bad.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

 

[TNReb]

LoL.... definitely not going to blow you away but not bad.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

Apparently the water company is having problems. Ours was fine the first day we were here, but now it's just a trickle at best. They were hoping it would be resolved by today.

 

[TNReb]

Aaaand we basically have no usable water now. We have a trickle downstairs in the kitchen, but the 2nd and 3rd floors (where the baths/showers are) have zero water.

Barely enough of a trickle in the kitchen downstairs to brush your teeth. Washing clothes/dishes or taking a shower is out of the question.

Water company says it could be another 24 hours like this. They said the north end of the cape has it the worst. I believe it.

 

[cbhunter]

Aaaand we basically have no usable water now. We have a trickle downstairs in the kitchen, but the 2nd and 3rd floors (where the baths/showers are) have zero water.

Barely enough of a trickle in the kitchen downstairs to brush your teeth. Washing clothes/dishes or taking a shower is out of the question.

Water company says it could be another 24 hours like this. They said the north end of the cape has it the worst. I believe it.

Man that sucks. I stayed close to the exact area you speak of last year. Looks like MAYBE you could talk them into giving you a discounted rate for when you get ready to come back or even a partial refund. It would be worth asking for sure.

 

[TNReb]

Aaaand we basically have no usable water now. We have a trickle downstairs in the kitchen, but the 2nd and 3rd floors (where the baths/showers are) have zero water.

Barely enough of a trickle in the kitchen downstairs to brush your teeth. Washing clothes/dishes or taking a shower is out of the question.

Water company says it could be another 24 hours like this. They said the north end of the cape has it the worst. I believe it.

Man that sucks. I stayed close to the exact area you speak of last year. Looks like MAYBE you could talk them into giving you a discounted rate for when you get ready to come back or even a partial refund. It would be worth asking for sure.

Already asked. Unfortunately it's the water company's issue. It's no fault of the owners of our place, so I didn't really fuss too much.

 

[cowhunter71]

For your ice discussion— the proper way to do it is to make a saltwater slurry. Take a bag of ice and add a bucket of saltwater to it in the cooler. This is the way to get the best quality food product. The fish will also be much colder and therefore easier to fillet.

Coming from a commercial fishing family, i sure do miss the saltwater. Grew up fishing offshore,as well as inshore, off Palm Beach, Broward, Dade, and Monroe counties. These Rockfish are helping to fill the void though