Fishing Report

[~~Snakeman~~]

Most of you guys have seen this if you've checked e-mail, but I figured I'd post it for any whose e-addresses I do not have. ~~Greg~~

The weather may be cold & nasty almost everywhere else in the States, but February opened up in Sofla beautifully. We had a slight cool breeze, with seas in the two foot range. We had the light jackets off before the trip was over.

Last week, John told me he'd like to buy four slots on today's trip so that we all had plenty of room, so this trip was John & his wife Janis, Jimmy Lee, & Greg. We stopped on the way out to meet a bait boat & buy a half dozen livies, blue runners & goggle-eyes.

We headed straight out & stopped in about a hundred forty feet of water for our first drift. Jason & Mike got the kite deployed while we bottom fished. The first live bait out was a blue runner, the second a goggle-eye.

I told Janis early on that her assignment for the day was to out-fish her husband. She followed instructions very well, doing better with the bottom fishing than all of us. She wound up with a nice five pound mutton snapper, a large graysbie grouper, and a vermilion snapper, among others. Jimmy Lee caught a nice four pound porgy, John & I each caught a vermiion snapper. Okay, so the bottom fishing was not all that productive. Actually, I lost a lot of baits to fish. If I had managed to hook everything that bit, I'd have done real well.

The baits hadn't been swimming around more than about fifteen minutes when the blue runner got smashed by a sailfish. John took the rod & settled in on the stern for a battle. All the rest of the lines came in so we could back down on the fish. It did not jump, but did most of its fighting down deep. After a while, I asked John if he he needed help, & he told me to stay close, passing the rod to me a couple of minutes later. I finally got the fish up for a picture with John & a release. We found out why the fish fought so hard. It was tail wrapped for at least part of the fight. Any of you who have pulled a fish in backwards can imagine how difficult that is with a sailfish measuring 59" from the point of the bottom jaw to the fork of the tail.

A little while later, after getting the live baits re-deployed, both baits got eaten by sailfish. Janis didn't want to fight one, so Jimmy Lee got the first rod & I the second. This is the second time in less than a month he & I have had double-header sailfish. This time, we both brought them in for photos & release. Mine jumped at least a half dozen times. Both fish were over five feet, excluding the bill. Pictures are attached below.

The next deep-sea adventure for us aboard the Mad Son will be next Friday morning. ~~Greg~~

http://www.madsonfishing.com/images/madson_sailfish_003.jpg

http://www.madsonfishing.com/images/madson_sailfish_005.jpg

http://www.madsonfishing.com/images/madson_sailfish_008.jpg

http://www.madsonfishing.com/images/madson_sailfish_010.jpg

[Mont]

oh how I wish I was back in Florida. Dammmm.

[~~Snakeman~~]

Gimme a week or two notice, & I'll have you aboard any time, Monty. Figure sails are available all winter, the colder & rougher the better, usually, but they're out there all winter.

~~Greg~~

[Zane]

Color me green warm calm seas and big sails. I think that is called heaven. Count me in next winter Snake:D :D

[DanS/FL]

Don't get all worked up about sailfishing, It's not all it's cracked up to be. Just because you hook into one of those beauty's, it gets all lit up. It flips its self up in the air, you forget to set the hook, reel or even think straight. Then you finally get it on the reel and it's jumping, diving and your heart goes, WHAP~~WHAP. Your thinking , please don't thro the hook, please, please. If you don't get off I'll quit drinking, honest. Then he dives straight down, then turns and heads straight up towards you, all of a sudden you have lots of slack and you say to your self, please be on there, if your still there I'll give up chasing women. Honest!!!!!
After about what seems like hours you get the beautiful thing to the boat, get a few pics, high 5 everybody then release it to make the day for someone else.
You get back to the dock, have a few cold ones while you watch the pretty girls in their thongs go strolling by and say, Hell I didn't really make those promises did I.
As Monty says, been there, done that, Dan
:D~~~~~~~~;)

[Zane]

Dan, I've gotten sails and done all those things you stated:D The only thing I missed was watch the pretty girls in their thongs go strolling by and say, Hell I didn't really make those promises did I.
That's what I think I'd like about Florida:)

[Bryan/BC]

Dan---- YOU BADDDD!:eek:

[Joe/GA]

You get back to the dock, have a few cold ones while you watch the pretty girls in their thongs go strolling by and say, Hell I didn't really make those promises did I.
As Monty says, been there, done that, Dan
:D~~~~~~~~;)

This seems to be a major issue here on this board. We have a bunch of young guys trapped in old guys bodies! :D Except me, of course!! I'm still a youngin'. :p

[DanS/FL]

I'm still a youngun, in fact everybody tells me I'm in my second childhood. :rolleyes:. Not yet to the Depends stage.:eek: I thought I'd put that in there before Howard did.~~~~` Dan ~~~~

[Bryan/BC]

Howard wears Depends????? :eek: Oh-- I misread it..:p

[Howard/Jax]

Bryan.... I still wear the tights and Rubber shorts that Bruce Wayne gave me. I could have been Robin the Boy wonder. But, I did not want anyone to wonder.:D

[Joe/GA]

Bryan.... I still wear the tights and Rubber shorts

Whoa Howard! That's a vision that I didn't need!:eek: :p

Dan, I knew you were a youngun. It's just the other guys that are old, right?! :D