lets talk about mini season

[gruntking]

the first night i went out my boat broke down so i ended motoring home on my trolling motor

so i went out everynight didnt do as good as i wanted to but my boat did manage to bring in 44 bugs we cam close to a 3 person limit but we fell short by 3

so yeah lets see how yall did

[krash]

By boat out of Port E... South. We use a Brownie, 4 person crew, 2 divers at a time.. Day 1 we hit a limit but it was work out just after sunrise back at the dock at 2:30 even with a mandatory random courtesy safety check by BSO right in the middle of the inlet on the way in.. out again day 2 around same time, stopped about 1:30 with 38, had to work harder, again back at the dock by 2:30.





Biggest Bug caught day 2...

[Poseidon10/31]

Nice, didn't go this year. Waiting for commercial season to open.

[gruntking]

Nice, didn't go this year. Waiting for commercial season to open.

you didnt by chance hook up with a skinny little cuban guy named bryan or something has a 17ft bow rider with a 70 yami ?

[baseball4life702]

This was day 1 for us 40... Day two was horrible only 3... Between both days we probably threw back 100 shorts I guess they just didn't have the time to grow where I was... Saw lots of grouper on the bottom though
We have a brownie too but it's in need of a new compressor but really I only use it over 30-40 feet.

[gruntking]

nice guys

[krash]

We have a brownie too but it's in need of a new compressor but really I only use it over 30-40 feet.

Between us we have 3.. I have a 4 person version my second one, my buddy (boat owner) has 2 both 2 person, hes also been through 2 others.. I bet we are the only guys out there that carry a spare pump, a couple spare regulators, and 2 each of those Brownies plastic connectoers.
I remember 20 years ago we had about the only one out there, ol Briggs and Straton motor with a gast oil-less compressor, now more than half the guys we see out there have them... when I used to dive the keys we just snorkeled. Now up in broward its a different ball game, lots of swimming along the bottom and we work 18 to 35 feet. With the full moon they hole up if you don't go down and look in every hole or under every head you would not have seen them.

A guy we know went bully-netting and limited out Wed. at 48, but only got 34 nite 2, my nephews who trailer their boat down form Tampa to the keys, they have a condo ocean side in lower Key Largo struggled and only got 9 each day.

[baseball4life702]

We always do day 1 in the bay and day 2 out on the ocean. Our bay is basically a honey hole in itself, got all of ours out of there. I was hoping the moon would do it but The ocean was bare for us dove a ton of heads and patch reefs and only one small rock had 3 shorties the rest big stuff were empty except for a lot of sharks and grouper. Didn't go very deep 15-20ft as we had good luck in there last year but just wasn't the same. Was also in the keys I think this year they either didn't crawl as far yet or not enough spawn time... Also we didn't cover as much groin had 4 kids on the boat instead of regular dive crew so it was amateur hour I basically got majority of them myself. I would use the brownie too anywhere north of key biscayne it's just different diving imo ours is old too I honk also a Briggs and Stratton that's why it's on it's last leg . I marked a lot of nice fishing spots though and gonna make a mixed dive fishing trip when regular season opens.

[Green Tide]

I didn't do real good on the bugs but I got one hell of a crab, you should have seen the permit that ate him

[Leadslinger]

Mmm damn that'd make a helluva crab cake

[kblue]

One day, I caught some big cousins of bugs...

king crab.jpg

[Poseidon10/31]

Nice, didn't go this year. Waiting for commercial season to open.

you didnt by chance hook up with a skinny little cuban guy named bryan or something has a 17ft bow rider with a 70 yami ?

Na, not me.

[cvstrat]

I don't get to do cool poop like that anymore. Fishing in GA is basically dropping live herring for stocked schoolie stripers. poop's sad. The next time I see a lobster I'm going to punch in in the face.

[gruntking]

i freaking dare you to punch one in the face

[lasthope]

Good thing I turned down that Job at Marietta PD then also I second gk in daring you to punch it in the face lol.

[STRIZ]

I didn't do real good on the bugs but I got one hell of a crab, you should have seen the permit that ate him

Diesel Permit huh John

LMFAO

Great pic

[Green Tide]

The crowds are showing up for mini season. The impatience has gotton out of hand in upper metacumbe and now both lanes are closed from an accident. Must be in the two lane area below the high school

[Kingofthesea]

That can't be a real pic

[krash]

I'm ready, dive gear checked out, dive pump checked out, boat fueled up and batteries charged... crew assigned positions, and gps numbers verified.

[Kingofthesea]

Joey.......the honey in the pic with the bug........is that ONE another mail order? Definitely a better site than the last one you used IMO

[baseball4life702]

Yep getting the fishing and diving gear ready now, driving down Tuesday night and back in Miami Thursday night for dinner.

[gruntking]

If any of you guys have extra tails to spare, feel free to PM me $$$
And yes of course you are licensed to sell them...wink

from what ive heard from a couple guys i know that sell fish they say it $10 the lb whole condition but hey im just a simple fishermen

[crashmister]

Probably saw 40 boats on the way out of the keys this weekend. Used to fish stone crab and lobster commercially in the keys back in the late 70s. Still can't stand either. Only thing worse than crawfish was Stoney's. They could take a finger if you weren't carefull.

[krash]

Beautiful today, here's hoping for this weather to hold for the next 2 days.

It's all about the hunt and catch, not the price of what you could buy tails for in the market. Same reason people fish and hunt.
we been doing it since before there was a sport/mini season... Now there are so many traps out during the regular season there are just many places where divers, used to dive and just don't have a chance anymore without being to close for comfort to the traps.

Its a shame mini-season has become what it is, there are way to many inexperienced and inconsiderate boaters and divers out there. Most likely someone will die or get seriously hurt by a dive emergency, health emergency, separated from their dive buddies, or run over by a careless boat operator. Every year we have people begging to go that have no business out there, just hoping for an easy share of the catch.

[snapperfanatic18]

I used to do all that crap back in da day..now, ill just wait well after the mini season is over and just bullynet em..not worth the hassle on those 2 days anymore..

[bluesea]

I used to do all that crap back in da day..now, ill just wait well after the mini season is over and just bullynet em..not worth the hassle on those 2 days anymore..

I completely agreed with you.
Is too crazy out there.

[gruntking]

Well Paulie feel free to call me man I would love to have you serenade me with that beautiful voice 3057257020


But hey on a brighter note I limited last night 36 by 3am

[krash]

48 today, 4 people but a long day of hard diving.

[Green Tide]

All talk and no pics makes Jack a dull boy.
All talk and no pics makes Jack a dull boy.
All talk and no pics makes Jack a dull boy.
All talk and no pics makes Jack a dull boy.
All talk and no pics makes Jack a dull boy.
All talk and no pics makes Jack a dull boy.
All talk and no pics makes Jack a dull boy.

[gruntking]

did another 3 person limit im done with the lobster for a lil while