7/19 - SIGN ME UP!!!!!!

WHAT'S WRONG WITH THE GOOD OLE U.S. OF A ..... (KEEP READING)

Becoming Illegal (Actual letter from an Iowa resident and sent to his senator)


----------------------------

The Honorable Tom Harkin
731 Hart Senate Office Building
Phone (202) 224 3254
Washington DC, 20510


Dear Senator Harkin,

As a native Iowan and excellent customer of the Internal Revenue Service, I am writing to ask for your assistance. I have contacted the Department of Homeland Security in an effort to determine the process for becoming an illegal alien and they referred me to you.

My primary reason for wishing to change my status from U.S. Citizen to illegal alien stems from the bill which was recently passed by the Senate and for which you voted. If my understanding of this bill's provisions is accurate, as an illegal alien who has been in the United States for five > years, all I need to do to become a citizen is to pay a $2,000 fine and income taxes for three of the last five years. I know a good deal when I see one and I am anxious to get the process started before everyone figures it out.

Simply put, those of us who have been here legally have had to pay taxes every year so I'm excited about the prospect of avoiding two years of taxes in return for paying a $2,000 fine. Is there any way that I can apply to be illegal retroactively?

This would yield an excellent result for me and my family because we paid heavy taxes in 2004 and 2005. Additionally, as an illegal alien I could begin using the local emergency room as my primary health care provider. Once I have stopped paying premiums for medical > insurance, my accountant figures I could save almost $10,000 a year.

Another benefit in gaining illegal status would be that my daughter would receive preferential treatment relative to her law school applications, as well as 'in-state' tuition rates for many colleges throughout the United States for my son.

Lastly, I understand that illegal status would relieve me of the burden of renewing my driver's license and making those burdensome car insurance premiums. This is very important to me given that I still have college age children driving my car.

If you would provide me with an outline of the process to become illegal (retroactively if possible) and copies of the necessary forms, I would be most appreciative. Thank you for your assistance.


Your Loyal Constituent, (I withheld name) Burlington , IA

------------------------------

LOOKS LIKE A GOOD IDEA TO ME TOO.

7/18 - BIG TIME CHEWERS

Had Paul P. his son Ethan, and Paul's cousin aboard today. The plan was for some "SHARKIN" , because this weather system was gonna be out of here and it was supposed to be nice and sunny with 5 knot SW winds or something like that.........NOT!

The Weather Guessers missed this baby by a mile. I arrived at the boat ramp with yesterday's practice in float fishing with four people in the river in the rain as a practice in futility, still fresh in my mind. At sun-up....IT WAS STILL DARK. Not good. As I put the boat in the water I said to another Guide, "this sure does make ya appreciate those nice sunny hot days, doesn't it?"

He replied, "yeah, maybe this will just burn off and get sunny later."

Well, later came and it never got any better. Over cast, rainy, and that predicted 5 knots of SW wind was more like 15 knots. This actually turns out to be a "tropical low pressure system". Not just a few over cast days in a row.

Paul & crew showed up and we took off. We were going SHARKIN'.

Drag peeling, rod bending, arm aching, fishing. All just within a 5 minute ride from the inlet's jetty rocks.

We pulled up to the first shrimp boat, I made a cast, and I.G. - instantaneous gratification!!!!!!

Drag burner, hooked up and running. Yeah gotta love it. I handed the rod to 11 year old Ethan.

I know when I was 11 years old, I would have eaten this up. Because at 45, I still love it!

I should be getting some video from Paul of today's action. And of course I'll post it here.

I only got a few photo's because my camera batteries were going dead.

The seas were a bit nasty, the sky was dark, the wind was blowing, and the big bad Blacktip Sharks were CHEWING.

I think the first 4 or more hook-up were instant hook-ups.

Although we did experience, some wackiness. I'd make a cast behind the shrimp boats, get bit and the whole rig would be gone. (I think it was Flipper messing with me) And reel in a slack line. This could happen one cast after another. I usually keep a nice big float on my line so the 16/0 circle hook and bait doesn't sink and go into the shrimp nets. Plus, isn't everything better on a FLOAT??? I think so, it's a visual bite watching that float go under, as well as being able to follow the bait in the prop wash of the shrimp boat.

But that's sharkin'.....loosing lots of hooks, leaders, line, and floats. It's run and gun, fast and furious. Aching arms and big fish. Makes going trolling for Kingfish seem so damn tame. And although I usually don't keep any of these sharks. If I was too, it would have to be a small one.

Our smallest one today was probably in the 40 pound range up to 100+ pounds, as it can usually be. It was so easy to tell if it was a Big Un'. Because, as Paul' cousin put it, "Dave there's not much line left on the reel!"

This was really fun today. And sure beats a lot of fishing and not a lot of catching. Just wish there were some Tarpon thrown in to the mix behind the shrimp boats. Kind of like the good ole days.

We had one smaller shark today that jumped. But most stayed in the water.

Overall, on a 1/2 day trip we had at least 15 bites and about half that on fish to the boat.

It was a really good morning.

A 200 pound test leader, crimped to a 14/0 - 16/0 circle hook, attached to my 8 foot Biscayne custom rods and Accurate twin drag 870's, are perfect tackle, for the sport of BIG strong fish.

MORE INFO ON BT SHARKS: http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/Gallery/descript/blacktip/blacktipshark.html


VIDEOS......COMING. SO STAY TUNED!

7/17 - WAKE UP CALL

I got up around 6:50, poured so coffee, sat down and turned on the computer to check emails and visit aluminumalloyboats.com as I always do. And at 7:15 the phone rang......What, who could this be??

It was a guy calling me from the Mayport Princess party boat. And wanted to know if they could go fishing right now. Groggy still, I thought......."what?"

The Party boat turned around because it was too rough to head out 30 miles, I guess. Captain George turned around just outside the jetties, according to Alex on the phone.

I've had some really late notice charter calls lately. But this was unusual. I gave him the details , and he hung up. In this business, 99% of every late notice, usually means you'll never hear from these people again. But 10 minutes later the phone rang again, and it was Alex's dad, James on the phone. They were still on the Mayport Princess party boat pulling up to the dock. I gave him the details, and he booked the charter right then. Surprised ? "Yes, I was."

I told James, I sitting here in my underdrawers, and it would be a few hours, before I could get to the boat ramp. I have zero fuel in the boat and was needing to hit the gas station anyhow today. So I'll see them at 10am at the boat ramp.

I arrived at the gas station, and fuel was $4.10 a gallon.....holy crap! But I usually have to pre-pay because the bank shuts me down at $75 worth, and I needed at least $100 worth or more. So I walked in the gas station. The guy inside said, "Hold on I'm re-pricing the pumps...."

"OH NO", I replied. "How much is it now?" I asked. "we're lowering the price ten cents" he said. "Wow, I got lucky".

I put a pay check in the boats tank and thought to myself, "this could be the start of a good day."

Then I headed to the bait shop. They maybe had 20 dozen "local" but very small live shrimp, so I bought ten dozen. I'm over $150 now, and haven't put the boat in the water yet. So I headed to the boat ramp.

The sky was very dark, it was cloudy and the weather guessers on TV got this one right. 99.99% chance of rain today. And I was looking straight at it. Eastward the sky was black!

9:45am came and went....then 10:00am came and went........then 10:15am. I called James and said "where are you?" They were just around the corner. They left and went all the way back to Ponte Vedre where they were staying to get a few minutes of shut eye. James told me they didn't hit the sack till 2:00am last night!! And they were going on the party boat? On a rough windy, rainy day? They should be glad Capt. George turned around, is what I thought.

So James N. and his son, Nephew, and their friend jumped on board. Since he gave me the heads up on the phone at 7:15am that it was rough at the jetties, and they wanted an inshore trip. That's what where we headed.

Even though I didn't feel really good about the days weather, the tide, and the full moon.

The tide was high this morning and where did I need to go? Further up river. Where for about every eight miles add in an extra hour of high tide.

The guys didn't get anything till the tide turned and started to fall. But that is just about when the wall of blackness hit us and the big rain came down. The river was just a mass of gray-ness as you looked down it.

I worked all the usual places, and the Mangrove Snappers were on the feed bag as usual.

Then the tide really started to ebb and Alex caught a nice Trout. And then another.

That was about it. Four lines working behind the boat and just a couple Trout, and a few 12" or better Mangroves. The rain would stop, then start again. And these guys were soaked, cold and it wasn't like the kind of day I'd choose to be out here.
We started to work our way back to the dock, and by then the weather got nicer.
Because we were "inshore fishing" didn't make the day any better really.
But that's not my "call".
I just go an try.

Summer is for kids....

I do not hardly receive a single inquiry all summer that doesn't include some kids as passengers.
I certainly do not mind, and if the kids are into it, they can really learn something. I enjoy that.

In this business for 12 years, I still don't know what people want. Oops, forget that, yes I do. They want private fishing charters for $100. Well since that will never be the case again. I try my best to figure out what to do, especially when I have kids aboard.

First thing, is what I love as much as anyone, "I.G." . It stands for instantaneous gratification. During the correct season, you've read about when I pull up to a spot, drop anchor and immediately catch a 5 pound Speckled Trout on the first cast. That's I.G.!

Better to be lucky than good, I say. But in all reality it has as much to do with, time of year, time of day, the tide, the area, and bait presentation.

Then there's this time of year, deep summer. Kids off school, and parents looking for fishing charters. Most going with a 1/2 day which is 4 hours. And the kids can range from 5 to 12 years of age.

Number one on the list of what to do is; "how fast can I get these kids into a good sized fish, or into serious action".

Number two is, "will the fishing style take them all day to learn, or is it something I can show everyone on board in a few minutes."

Number three is, "since this time of year means not much notice, I want to not deal with tides or bait stealer's."

And number four is, "keeping travel time to a minimum. Not using and hour and a half of the day to get to where we're fishing, because we don't have that luxury."


We've all heard, "are we there yet, are we there yet........"


Yeah, I know that's a lot of deep thought into "just going fishing", but it's the kind of thoughts that go through my mind not only with the kids, but especially with the kids aboard.

Deep summer as in, RIGHT NOW. It's not the same as November or even April when it comes to the local fishing. But there is plenty to do.

So if you call and have kids that you want to show a good time. Let me take care of it. It's what I do. Be flexible, and go with the flow.

7/14 - 2 boats - lots of teeth

Had Larry R. call me yesterday and he had 6 or 7 people that wanted to go fishing. Can't say that 2pm was a lot of notice. But I got the J-O-B done and called Cappy Randal, (aka: Sea-Daddy), as my second boat that was needed for that many people.

Shocked off my leaning post, Larry pulled in the parking lot about 30 minutes early!!!!

I never get that, especially on a large group charter, where someone inevitable slows down the morning momentum . But it was 6:30am and they were here! I hardly had time to soup down in sunscreen and fix a few rigs. Really, I was shocked.

I took 4 people, and Capt. Randal took just two. We both had Jr. Anglers aboard at 10-11 years old. And my kid was a machine!

We went behind the shrimp boats and tossed baits behind the nets and caught Sharks. At first they were smaller types. And the action was really good, considering not a whole lot has been going on just off the beach with the cool water temps. via a summer thermocline that is upon us once again. PREDICTION: this 75-78 degree water won't leave here till we have a September Tropical storm, Depression, or Hurricane come by. The water should be 80-83 degrees all day long!

Capt. Randall's crew was hooked up instantly, as he pulled up and made a cast to the back of the shrimp boat.

And then it was my crews turn.

This boy was a fishing machine, and I think he went for at least 3-4 in a row!

At first the sharks were around the 30 pound mark. They are fast! Then, we ran to another spot and found four shrimpers working and this area producing exactly what I was looking for.

MEANER - HEAVIER -JUMPING - BLACKTIP SHARKS.

(There's no way for me to get a photo of what we call a "Spinner". Which is really nothing but a Blacktip Shark that flies through the air cork screwing)

The three adults were there, but the boy just kept going and going......

Then we had a few double headers, two on at the same time. Which is always fun. If they stay apart.

The guys had to of caught at least 8-10 of these toothy dudes. And then wanted to go try something else. And there wasn't much else to try at this point. But I ran out to a "bait spot" and jigged up some tiny little cigar minnows. And slow trolled them around for awhile, with no strikes.

So we headed to the dock.

Capt Randall had the same action, and even got some chum from a shrimper. So he didn't have to chase the boats anymore.

The offshore report from a friend wasn't all that great. Cuda's of course, a Bonita, and one King Mackerel.

Ate up with going vertical??

Been searching around for the absolute best photos that can describe "Butterfly Jigging", offshore over the reefs. And low and behold I found what I was looking for and much more.

Even found a really good video that describes the "how to". Even though I could go out and video some how to, I figured what the hell these guys up in N.C. (other charter fisherman) are here for the showing.

Next time I get the kind of client(s) no more than two. (because jigs and stuff cost way too much to take Rookies out there) I hope to be able to bring the Video camera myself.

Maybe, just maybe I can get my buddy Nick to split a trip with me if I don't come up with the right fisherman. "IF" he takes some seasick pills, this time.

Plus, maybe someday we'll get back into serious jigging time with good water temps. Good visibility offshore and not so cold water on the bottom. Spoke to a diver today and he said, "man, you can really feel the thermocline out there." He also said he saw some really nice Flounder!!

Oh, is it Daiwa Pirate, and Lucanus jig time? (bottom fish jigs....Flounder, yes!)

This figure is suppose to be describing

the various ways to jig.

Just vertical in heavier current.

Use heavier jigs for this.

And then 1. casting and working a school of subsurface fish. and then 2. cast and work the entire water column. Lighter jigs, that will flutter as they sink are better for the casting up current of a drifting boat. Always pitch up current.

I don't have any Williamson Abyss jig, or jigs with a side attach point. But I'll get a few just because I want to try this. I think for around here a lighter 5 ounce would work great for this rigging technique.

Don't ever say, you don't benefit from visiting this report blog! I do my homework, and I didn't even want to pass this on, because I wanted to try it first.

http://www.fishgame.com/Handlers/IG.ashx?fp=/Data/Images/Content/Articles/Regular/27421110000711-SALT-RIGS-Lemire.jpg&a=stf&w=400&h=300&pf=true&b=f0eeec

THE ULTIMATE GOAL!!!!

Here's the 14 minute video of how effective a jig can be. And by the end look at what live pogies caught....damn it would be great if "we" had a POGIE around here. Maybe some day we will again.

http://www.wahoonbox.com/videos/BUTTERFLY.wmv

7/9 - Not Hot.

Second day with Chris K. so we met early again and this time did no running around and stayed at the inlet. Just had to check the shrimp boats out and see who was behind them, this time.

With plenty of them dragging just off the North Jetty it was easy to go from boat to boat. So I pull up and the first thing I notice is that not many Dolphins are behind them eating breakfast. Which was unusual. But I pulled up and made a cast over their nets and let a cigar minnow sink.

No takers. Strange. Not really, because my rule of thumb is the more Dolphins the more Sharks. Don't ask me why. But that's a dead give away most of the time. So I kept trying. And had a few swiping type bites. Evidence that these were not the 100 pound Blacktip sharks, we were looking for.

So from behind the boats, we would just drift and have two baits out drifting two. It didn't take long before Chris was on a shark, this way. But immediately I could tell this wasn't a big Blacktip.

The "pull" wasn't the same as a 100 pounder, although it still was a good tug on the line.

Chris had fun practicing on a the heavier tackle and long rods, that it takes to subdue any of these Sharks. The smaller Sharks which I don't really know what kind they were are still not for the light tackle. They have a mouthful of big teeth, are about 4-5' long, run faster than the larger Blacktips. But lack the true meanness, and occasional cork screwing leaps that we're looking for out of the large Sharks.

No heavy sweating today. It was dark, and rather gloomy looking this morning, and cool. Yes, "COOL" in mid July!!

Probably due to the 75 degree water temp rather than what we should have this time of year. Which should be 80-83 degree surface water temps. I can't count how many summers we've had the same thing happen. Summer in N.E. Florida has to be the most unpredictable, finicky time of year. With the lack of summer hot water, we don't have any Pogie schools (bait fish). Which seem to be a huge part of the overall habitat.

If Hurricane "Bertha" maybe came closer to the coast, things maybe could have changed. I like it when these storms skirt us this time of year. The Ocean water seems to be rejuvenated afterwards.

Chris and I found the pattern on these Sharks and found that if we just drifted off the back of the shrimpers, with drifting baits. The Sharks were not up hugging the shrimp boats, like the big blacktips some commonly are.

We went for 5 or 6 hooked up with probably 10 bites overall. I even reeled on one, so to warm up the arm muscles early this morning. Chris learned that when dealing with large fish at boat side and with me doing the leadering and unhooking. It's imperative to stay in the fish fighting position, ready on the rod and reel until the hook is either cut or free of the fish completely.

All sharks are fast and pure muscle, and no matter how small or large can do unpredictable things at boat side.

Afterwards, we went to the inlet and worked a "hunch" I had. Duplicating a situation I had exactly this time last year. We fished the same tide, same place looking for a certain fish species.

Which will remain, "un-named" because I do not care to announce it if my "hunch" was right, till they are in the fish box.

But again, this isn't the same as last year. And as hard as we tried couldn't even get a bite. We couldn't even give a live shrimp away along the jetty rocks, as a matter of fact.

So I know not to go there, that's for sure. Looks like I'll have to continue the pattern of running far up down river to find Float-rigging action. As I have for year and years before. The inlet seems to kick back off in late September in my opinion. But then again, every year is different. But always looking for a late summer day like this one pictured blow is the goal, from now on.

7/8 - I'll keep my promise

Had good ole Chris K. on board with me today, doing a solo trip. We've slayed the winter Sheepshead before, killed the Trout in the summer, caught Kings, almost everything because I have known Chris for at least 10 years, and he's been fishing with me on and off for 10 years.

So, I mentioned to him (and he's read the reports about "butterfly jigging"on the reefs) , instead of inshore fishing we go bend a rod on some of those Amberjacks. He needs his ass handed to him, because he hasn't fished in a long while. So what better way of taking the "Office" out him, than a good tug 'O war with a reef donkey.

The seas were flat with an occasional swell
so let's go see, I thought.

So we pass up the shrimp boats and possible sharks as we head east. Stop at a bait spot and no sooner I jig up a bunch of horn bellied butterfish, and cuss them because they're not big plump Cigar Minnows than a little Cobia swims up to the boat. Maybe 24" long, but what the heck I keep it interested and then drop a banana shaped jig over the side and the mini Cob starts chasing the jig around. But of course doesn't eat it. And didn't eat a horn belly either.

New bait stop......Cigar Minnow central! If ya' like to use 3" skinny little Minnows for kingfishing. I know I don't because my rigs are larger than the bait.

We move on to R.L. reef (Rabbits Liar). My old stomping grounds when I was so into trolling I couldn't see straight. We get there, and there's no bait on the screen of my scope, we try live minnows, and nothing but a small Seabass.

I told Chris we were gonna hop around a lot, till we found the Mother load of Amberjacks. And RL proved to be a really bad move. So off to A.H. (the Amberjack Hole) It's name sake is the fish we want, so why the hell not try it. I go to every high relief piece of structure, Culvert piles, Tugs, a Barge, and still nothing but reef Satan's.....lurking Cuda's. That are so damn smart, they'd never eat a butterfly jig unless it had a King Mackerel attached to the hooks.

Okay, we head for the East Fourteen-Fifteen reef, aka: E.F. Where every reef donkey catch I've made has come from so far. And what do we drive right over??? A stack of baitfish looking like a Christmas tree on my scope, and as I pass over it behind us rises the largest school of A.J.'s I've ever seen. They are just popping the surface, ripping around like mad dogs chasing a rabbit. But they were attacking a school of bait, and in the man time they come over and run around the boat, hundreds of them. Chris and I cast our jigs out and frantically start jigging. They'll chase a jig, the gang up and follow a jig, but we couldn't get one to even strike a jig.

Then as I'm feverishly casting and jigging, I get the line wrapped around the tip of my rod as one hits my jig, I go to give the rod to Chris and get the line off the tip and Whammo....the line breaks and I loose a jig, leader everything. Then the AJ's just disappear.

We keep trying the tops of the big reefs, and Chris snags a Lizard fish, or one actually attempts to eat a 5" long jig. Then, I grabbed a brand new jig rod, that hasn't even been used yet, made two drops to the bottom with it and jigged and as I was jigging and reeling the rod broke in half, just above the top fore grip! Wow, that's an odd spot for a rod to break. This Shimano Trevalla must have been built on a Friday in China! (thank goodness for Shimano warranty)

Man, if it weren't for bad luck we'd have no luck at all.

The chilly thermocline is really in full swing now!!!! Water temps this morning as low as 74, and then as it got hot the best I saw all day was maybe 80 degrees. Keep your jig down long enough then reel it up fast and feel it. They were cool to say the least. Bait pods on the surface.....none. And only one flying fish all day is all I saw. Although there's no lack of non-biting AJ's a EF.

So we try bottom fishing with cigar minnows again, not even a bite. So we move on and drop out some dead cigar minnows and troll.

A BONE! We got a bone thrown to us! Chris catches a nice Kingfish on a dead cigar minnow, only to have it chopped in half by two cuda's below the boat, after a lengthy battle.

So, by now we pretty much know the words to the HEE HAWW, Buck Owens and Roy Clark song.

"gloom despair and agony on me, deep dark depression excessive misery. If it weren't for bad luck we'd have no luck at all....Gloom despair and agony on me......"

So we packed it on in and headed back towards the inlet.

Stopped at the sea buoy and started a slow troll again with the dead cigar minnows....ZIP!

Headed to the inlet and I saw three Shrimp boats still working the Chum Hole area, so I asked Chris, "Wanna see if there's any Sharks present and hungry?" He said, "why not".

But as it turned out, the shrimpers weren't dragging, and one was heading in and one was doing mach 10 due north. Yep, it just wasn't our day.

It was a nice day, no wind, calm seas. But I'd trade rough seas, big winds for loads of fish, any day.

And as I always promise here on this REPORT BLOG....You'll get the good, the bad, and the ugly. Today, was just bad.

So since Chris has been with me all these years. We're gonna do a short day tom arrow (Weds.) with the float-rig rods and live shrimp. I have a hunch about a certain fish I caught this time last year. And they were willing and able. We'll have the perfect tide to hook Chris up on a Black tip shark or two. And then go hunt my hunch.

So stay tuned. Ya' know what Chris and I are hoping for, I'm sure.

7/3 - not at the wheel, just the reel.

Wasn't doing anything today, and my neighbor Tom asked me if I wanted to go "play", on his day off with him offshore on his companies 31' Jupiter center console, with twin 300 horses. And I said, "sure....why not, gives me a chance to butterfly jig some more".

So we leisurely left Jacksonville Marina where the boat is kept at 8am. And headed to the "bait spot". And it was filled with cigar minnows. Jigging them up on the bait catching rigs was so easy. Compared to putting up with those Greenies at the end of the jetties, where it's one greenie to every twenty horn-bellied, Butterfish. That are just a pain in the neck.

Then we took off at mach 10 to East Fourteen (E.F. reef), about 16 miles offshore. I suggested that area, because last week Dale H. and i loaded up on ferocious Amberjacks on the butterfly jig tackle and had us a ball.

BUT....there's always a "BUTT", isn't there? Since last week a thermocline of cold water has enveloped the "party grounds", out to at least 30 miles or so. It's July, and the surface water temp is a cold 76 or so degrees versus the 81-83 degrees it should be. This always happens, right at the top of the summer season.

And the divers are saying it's 68 degrees on the bottom on some spots. This was the reason the big mean Blacktip Sharks vacated the chum hole area off the north jetty and weren't behind the shrimp boats last Sunday. The cold ran them out of there. Although they seemed to be back, so I learned by listening to the VHF radio today from all the "chatty cathy" fishing guides that were there chasing them today. (I only carry a handheld VHF for emergencies. So you won't hear me talking all day, rather than fishing. I wonder what they'd do if they couldn't talk all day long?)

So Tom and I didn't expect much. The only thing I wanted to do is catch a kingfish on a butterfly jig, and a bottomfish....any kind of bottom fish. Tom, he used bait. Live Cigar minnows, and cuttlefish. And I don't have to tell you who caught more fish and bigger fish, do I?

I did. The jigging out fished bait. We both caught Amberjacks, but I had more strikes, and fish.

Tom caught a few Vermillion Snappers, aka: B-liners, trash fish, and one cuda. But besides catching Amberjacks, I also caught a B-liner, and a Seabass on the jig, so there were my bottomfish. And I also caught a Kingfish on a jig too. I like it when I make a prediction or set a goal and it all comes together.

I know this isn't ground shaking stuff here, but as a "rookie jigger", it meant a lot to me. As I said before, this butterfly jigging is as addictive as Float-rig fishing inshore is. I can't get enough of it.

I like it because I used ZERO bait all day, and made no mess of the boat and although my goals were completed, I did have plenty of excitement.

I HAD MY ASS HANDED TO ME TWO TIMES BY REALLY BIG FISH!!!! (Tom, never did on bait.)

And since that's what it's all about. It made my day. Even though I lost another jig to one of the fish, against a wreck. It was all worth it. I absolutely love the TC4 construction, action and durability of those Shimano Trevalla Jigging rods, matched up to my small but super powerful B-197 Accurate twin drag reels. Playing with the tackle, is also part of the fun. Switching jigs, checking actions of the jig, colors, retrieval speeds, everything that goes with it, is part of this game.



We flew out there in this boat and flew back twice as fast as I go in my boat. But there is a price you pay for speed. And that's how you feel when you get back to the dock. I was tired, wore out, hot, and sunburned, when we got back to the dock. My "soft and slow peddling" out and back from offshore in my boat may make for a longer day. That's what I'm used too....gives ya time to recoup, I think? Then, unlike an "Aluminum alloy boat", we had to wash the boat with soap and a scrub brush, then cart everything back and forth to the truck at the marina. More work than I'm used to doing with my "spray off and go" boat.

But man, was it fun to just sit and ride, and then get on the reel and jig till my arms fell off!

I learned a lot more about jigging, and used many different jigs and techniques. And believe it or not the least expensive oldest style (Norwegian style jig) caught both the bottom fish, and the King Mackerel. So it actually pays to have many jigs and keep playing around with them. And you'll soon learn that all those fancy $22.00 jigs don't catch anymore fish than the old standbys.
(I don't own a single $22 jig...my most expensive one is maybe $9. And the $6.00 ones catch fish great!)

Tom and I had a good day together. I'm glad he asked me to go along.

7/1- Slow, wet start, with big finish.

Had Greg and Will T. aboard. Last year, we fished during the July 4th holiday I think. And it was a zoo of boats and people. They caught lots of fish, right in front of everyone on a spot so over looked it's unbelievable. Because I figured, why make any long run in these crowds. But many of the fish were small. But perfect for then, 5 year old Will.

But at 7am this morning, we certainly didn't have to worry about the crowds! No one was around. And we no sooner left the boat ramp and rounded a bend in the river and the rain came down, chasing us straight back to the boat ramp. Where Greg and 6 yr old Will hid in their vehicle, and I in my safety yellow FroggToggs rain suit stayed in the boat. It pour like hell for about an hour or more. But we still waited it out an extra few minutes to watch the sky clear.

Still wet Greg and Will reloaded into the boat and we took off.

It was the "dark side of the moon", the New Moon. So the tide wasn't excessively high, but boy was it excessively low. So take a wild guess when the fish finally bit????

Only when the tide was about 1/2 low. But that didn't take all that long for the tide to get that low. So we complained.....or at least I did, through the first couple of spots we tried at the high water with out so much as a lost shrimp to a fishes lips. It was looking bleak. But, you have to fish when the fish eat. And that obviously wasn't anywhere on the high tide!

So we stuck with it. And the sky cleared up and the hot humid heat started to pour on as we neared noon. But Greg and Will started catching fish. Or should I say Will caught the fish.


It started out as small Jacks and Mangrove Snappers, and usual summer time bait stealers, while Float-rig fishing. But we ended up with larger Mangroves for the cooler and although there wasn't loads of Trout bites, they were quality fish up to 4 pounds.



Many times when I have the younger kids onboard, all I want is ACTION. And initially had plans to head to the inlet's jetty rocks at first, to see what was going on there. But was glad we stayed in the calm waters of the St. Johns River. We headed back as the day heated up and Will was ready to hit the pool at condo.










-----------
Want to thank everyone who asked about my "best friend" for the last 15 years, My Dusky dog. Since she had a terrible bout with canine geriatric vestibular syndrome.

As we all know, it's a gut wrenching thing to see an innocent animal that you love so much go down hill so fast, with that disease. I have to now get used to having a house not covered in dog hair. But I won't have my best buddy there waiting to greet me when I get home from fishing anymore. It really makes me very sad. Today, she wasn't there at the gate when I came home. And that will be very hard to get used too.

---------------------------------------------------------

6/29 - HUGE CHANGE!

Had Dan Kelly and his two sons out for a day of pulling on big fish. So I hoped.

But like a 6th sense, I just had a funny feeling this morning. It was cooler, which is always welcomed. But just felt different than, last Thursday. If you aren't sweating hard at 8am in the heat, it's just not a typical late June day on the water. Greenies at the rocks, were the usual hunt and peck, to catch them.

So we sped off towards just a few Shrimp boats out dragging on a Sunday morning. There wasn't nearly the dolphins behind them. And I glanced at the water temp and wasn't shocked. Since when I was out on Thursday, the water temp seemed kinda cool. But this morning I actually marked temps ranging from 75-78 degrees. What happened to the warm 80 degree water?

So I pulled up behind a shrimp boat and pitched a dead greenie to where the few Dolphins were diving, as I usually do for the big speedy Blacktip Sharks that I promised Dan and the boys.

Not a single bite. Tried again. No bites. Again, hung the shrimp net! Again, had a small bite that ran and then came off. The sharks were basically G-O-N-E. And the Dolphins weren't even thick.
So back to the big rocks we went. And as the tide changed we jigged up greenies much better now, as they flushed out of the river.

Then off to the Southeast hole area. We arrived and were only one of only two boats there. And on the way ran through water that was 74.5 to 76 degrees. That's kinda cool for the last week in June, I'd think. But bait is everywhere under the surface and just off the bottom. So it can't be all that bad.

I ran one greenie on top and the other weighted with a two ounce lead a few feet of the leader. (also know as the down-rigger-less king rig) Yeah, low tech catches them too. Just ask Capt Fred Morrow, he prides himself in low tech. And to tell ya the truth, it's a lot easier, I think.

We slow trolled the exact same area I fished on Monday and Wednesday and had strikes. It took about 30 minutes, but one rig went off.....and it was the down line with the weight on it.

Dan Jr. was on the reel and did a good job of easing the fish to the boat. A snake King. Not huge, but a kingfish none the less, and in my mind....Finally a fish!

As we bled the fish out, cleaned up a bit and put the fish in the fish bag, I looked around and now had 11 other boats in the same area.

I told the guys, in my mind that means that there is now a 11:1 shot at catching that one big King that might come through here. My dad would always do that, count the boats in an area we were approaching as we moved from spot to spot. And figure the odds, especially during a tournament.

So we gave it a few more minutes and went back north and hit the "rip line".

No one around, but then again. No bites, either.

So we ran back to the two remaining shrimp boats, and gave the shark fishing another try.
The water temp in the chum hole was a solid 78 degrees at least. But still caught no sharks behind the shrimp boats.

Then we packed it in for the river and anchored up and dropped greenies on circle hooks inside the south jetty. No sooner one bait was on the bottom, it was getting hit. But no taker. I checked the bait and the head of the greenies was all chewed up, that's all.

We stayed close for maximizing, "baits in the water". And the one fish was it. I really have a feeling the cooler water moved in and pushed the fish and sharks somewhere else. Because I noticed on Thursday that the water seemed cooler even at PG and EF reefs.

Next up for me is Tuesday. A kids trip 1/2 day. With a dad and 6 year old that I had out last year on July 5th or 6th.

6/26 - Bent rods, from start to finish.

Had Dale H. aboard today. And I've been really looking forward to having him too. I had BIG plans for Dale. He fishes all the time, and has done several 2 trips per month with me. And we've covered everything from big fat GATOR Trout at the jetties and way up river, and now since it's the depths of summer it was time to take him out for some brute fishing versus the finesse fishing with a float-rig inshore.

And since Dale is an experienced angler.

I can really step it up a notch, with Dale.

With him on board it gave me the chance to really take some photos, which will help tell the story about our day. We departed the dock before 7am and headed straight through the jetties. Dale recently caught a good sized Cobia on a friend's boat. But I wanted to show him the "man in the other brown suit." Because if he thought that Cob could "pull". Wait till he felt what I had in store, for him.

We ran, straight to a shrimp boat. I grabbed the big tackle, pitched out a bait. And I.G. - instantaneous gratification!!!!

I handed Dale the rod, and he was hooked up.

It was just that simple. Dale was into a Blacktip Shark. Turns out, it was a smaller one than we've had lately. Only around 50-60 pounds. But none the less, super strong!

The fight didn't take as long as the larger 100 pound plus sharks. But we weren't done yet!

And neither was Dale. This fish was just a crack of dawn warm up tug of war. It was a really beautiful morning. And what made it really great is there wasn't a soul around. Just three shrimpers and us.

Then we went for round TWO. And it was as simple as pitching a bait up to the shrimp boat, waiting for the line to come tight. And HANG ON! But this time it was a big Blacktip. And we got the full show. From 100 yards away, the shark would jump and cork screw through the air. I'm not talking half hearted little jumps, but rather 10 feet in the air leaps while twisting too. And this is where you have to keep a super tight line, or the shark will spin up in any slack and break the line. I tried my best to get a photo of a flying shark during that battle. But we all know how slow a digital camera is when trying to catch the action.

After two arm straining battles, Dale was in need of a break. And the second half of our day was to commence. So while 'shakin it out', Dale got a rest while we headed to a close in reef to jig up some live baits. But when we got there, the water temp. seemed low at 78 degrees on the surface. The baits, Spanish Sardines were really tiny and very hard to catch. So we broke out the Butterfly jigging rods and gave vertical jigging a try over a few reefs. And the bites and only hook up was a big Blue Runner. So, we came this far and only caught maybe 5 sardines. So I had a plan. Run out a bit further offshore, get on top of some big structure maybe find better bait, or just work the jigs. So that's what we did.

The Ocean was slick. And even passed a Submarine on the way to the next spot.

Drawing from my experience from years ago when I fished offshore as much as I did inshore. We pulled up to a spot, that should have just what we were looking for, on the butterfly jigs.

And as we tried for live baits, we still came up with none and never really saw much activity on the surface either.

Butterfly jigging or Free style jigging is when you use specialized rods and tackle, and jig flat sided heavy metal lures vertically, imitating a wounded bait fish. It's not easy, and you have to acquire some rhythm and technique. Plus, be able to see on your bottom scope right where the fish are, over a natural or artificial reef. Then send the jig straight to them. Hoping that the most aggressive fish can't stand to see the sight of the lure right in their face. And when hooks up occur. You end up going toe to toe with them on extremely light but unbelievably durable rods, reels, leaders, hooks and line. So to keep the fish out of the structure. And one of the most aggressive schooling fish on a reef is usually an Amberjack! Known for being a fish that schools, chases lures, and is the MULE of the reef. An Amberjack of any size is a blast, unless you hook into a really big one. Many years ago it wasn't uncommon to catch 100 pounders. But over the years of excessive commercial harvest, the fish sizes have dwindled. Today, a really big one seems to be 50-60 pounds off Jacksonville's coast . My personal best is about 5o pounds or so, many years ago. Amberjack's can be teased to the surface, and are curious fish, willing to eat about anything, any time.

I was the first to hook up, and quickly figured out the rhythm the fish were wanting my jig to do, so to stimulate viscous attacks from atop the reef. The first hook up was really big, and this fish was handing my my butt on a silver platter! After several heated minutes, the hook pulled. But I was ADDICTED INSTANTLY! I knew I would be. And I have dreamed about this moment. I had made a pretty big investment in Jigging rods, jigs, hooks, and leaders over this last winter. And today I was finally using what I invested hundreds of dollars in. And it was down right exciting as hell! This was like hooking up the Blacktip sharks like we did this morning, over a reef and on much, much lighter tackle, which makes it so fun! But I would have loved to see what I hooked.

I of course now figured out what kinda of jigging action the fish preferred. And then it was Dale's turn for a complete knock-down drag out battle. Which ended in a broke leader and lost jig, too.

They say, watch out! Because the biggest and meanest and most aggressive are the first fish to strike, when the jig goes down for the first time over a reef. And Dale and I soon learned that. Holy smokes we got "schooled".

But after a very quick learning curve, we started hooking up Amberjack's left and right. And man was it fun. I was so happy. You may have read in prior reports about how "into" this I could be, if I could just find the day to get out there and do it. Well, today was the day. And I was so glad to share it with Dale.

Besides the "AJ's" we had Barracuda's lurking under the boat, along with Spadefish, and Remora's (shark suckers). The Cuda's are there because they are smart. They know hooked fish will show up at boats. And like the Pelican's, Seagulls, Herron's and Egrets back at the boat ramp. Have learned boats mean a free meal. Or at least like to wrap their jaws with those snaggly teeth around a fishes tail at boat side. Dale and I had numerous double hook-ups on AJ's so one cuda got the taste of an AJ at least. But later met his demise, via my gaff hook as he thought it was safe to go for a second bite. But not really. Because I free-gaffed that dude, right at the side of the boat. It thought it was sneaky, but not nearly as sneaky as Capt Dave is.

We whooped up on these Amberjacks, in the 31" range. Hooking and loosing, becoming entangled with fish crossing each other. It was pure mayhem for several hours. When you get back to back on hook ups like we were the size of the AJ's wasn't a concern. They weren't the big ones of yesteryear. But provided plenty of action. Dale and I both think we might of had some Grouper or Snapper hooked up. Because we both lost several fish when jigging just off the bottom, and only got them when concentrating our efforts just off the bottom. All the AJ's came between 10-30 feet below the boat. We were also hoping for a possible King Mackerel, and made casts out away from the boat, to cover as much water column in hopes of snagging a king. But it never happened.

The bite seemed to just stop around 2pm, so we packed it in and headed back to the dock to clean fish.

With arms and backs sore. With a really good feeling of accomplishment. This is the kind of ache, that makes anglers happy!

And this is the kind of trip I don't mind doing when I have one person who has shown me that he has what it takes to last through bent rod after bent rod. The kind of trip you usually see on a cable TV fishing show. It was one heck of a great day.

----------------------------------------------

But I got home and cleaned up the boat and put all the tackle away. Had my dog, Dusky out in the yard with me, like I always do. And when I was done we both went inside to have a cold drink and make something to eat


But as Dusky came inside, I could tell something was wrong with her. She was disoriented, and wasn't acting her spunky self. Spunky, for a 15 year old dog, I mean. I took some of the Amberjack, sliced it into thin pieces and her and I went to the back porch so I could make some Blackened fish, to add to my usual "big" salad, for dinner. When she was in the back yard with me, she just didn't seem right. So after I was done, I called for her to come back inside the house with me. And she acted as if she couldn't see. And was falling over. I quickly picked her up and laid her in the kitchen.


She was shaking and her eyes were twitching with her neck all bent to her side. I thought she had a stroke. I called my dad for help and he and mom came over. We rushed her to the emergency Vet clinic, and they were so busy being after hours that we sat for 4 hours in the car, waiting to see the doctor....reminds of a human emergency room! The place was so busy, we were shocked. Dad and I sat with her in the car, hoping she was going to make it


We got there at 6pm and by almost 10pm we finally took her in to see the doctor. The Vet told us she had Canine geriatric vestibular syndrome, basically called "old Dog" vestibular disease.

Which is cause by a lesion in either the brain or inner ear. And within 72 hrs and up to a week, the dog will return to normal, with maybe only a slight head tilt still present. We arrived home at nearly mid-night. I was so tired, but so upset I couldn't sleep. But Dusky slept through the night, not being able to get up and move.


As I am doing this report, I go check on her every couple minutes. If she doesn't return to normal with the help of a prescription in a week. Then comes the decision, that will hurt me the worst.


It was one hell of a day. With a terrible finish.


It's been just me and her for so long. And she's such a great dog, that's even named after a Shark.

This is going to be a long hard week!