Saturday, July 2, 2016

7/1 - The Atlantic Ocean

"some day when I grow up. I will be a Gulf of Mexico, coastal Angler!"


Today, was a total nightmare!  I had one guy aboard the Jettywolf. A young guy who I thought was a "tad salty".

I was WRONG!

The plan was to go to my favorite set of offshore ledges (favorite because they've produced and are close)

BUT. When I was down to about 4 knots, and was getting passed by the Majesty "party boat". I turned around.

It was so sloppy and rough with really nice 4 footers breaking every once in awhile, as we made it 5 miles offshore. While listening on the radio to the party boat Captain complaining about the state of the seas off our coast all summer long. He was doing nothing but repeating EXACTLY what I have said all summer myself.

- Not a single glass calm day so far this summer.
-Remember when JULY meant calm seas?
-This isn't good for anyone (the Ocean today)
-"don't bother coming out here, unless you want to take a beating"

And just think, the party boat is what? 70 feet long???

We turned around at 5 miles, after sucking too much fuel, getting soaked, and dropping off a few "comers' that came over the side of the Jettywolf!
And it's a whopping 7:45am.  The day before was calm, what happened over night?

So I turned around.

The plan was to catch some Cuda's, maybe a Kingfish, and drop out a "wicked Tuna rigged" chunk of bloody Bonita on a balloon for a REAL Shark.

I turned around, and went to the "OLD" Spoil Area.

Yep, no one ever pays that area any mind, anymore.

Do you know that that are is only 30 feet deep, and is surrounded by 50+ feet of water? It's a huge hump from all the dumping of sand out there.  It used to be a great area. I would catch big Spanish Macs out there. Football Bonita's, a Kingfish every once in awhile. And the area has yielded it's share of summer Sailfish and giant Sharks, for many people.

We got there and it was a lot calmer. But my one crew member was down for the count, sea sick.
And after a futile attempt at setting up a big Shark bait, and waiting. He needed "land" or at least to get much closer to it.

The day was a disaster, and one long boat ride in rough seas. So he finally came back to life and caught a few Sharks (small ones) behind a Shrimp boat.

Moral of this story;  "You're fishing inshore, the Jetties, or the beach." aboard the Jettywolf.

"I'm not doing this again"