Grouper and snapper and ajs... oh my!

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bnz
Fisher
Posts: 38
Joined: Wed Jun 10, 2015 5:47 am
Location: coastal Georgia

Grouper and snapper and ajs... oh my!

Post by bnz »

Had the chance to haul my boat down to Key West and fish with cudaman (Herbert) and mjs799 (Mario). After loading the boat full with all our tackle, 14 different rods and about 7 different coolers (food, drinks, bait, chum, ice) we went west to 1' seas out past the Marquesas. Around 40 miles out we see a big school of something porpoising through the water. As I got closer to it with the boat, thinking it was a pod of dolphin, realize it was too small to be dolphin. Got even closer and this is what we see...

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It was a large school of tarpon with their minds set on getting somewhere. No interest at all in what we through at them. Still very cool nonetheless!


We get to our first mark at some hard bottom and it really did not look to promising on the fishfinder. We decide to drop and for most of the day it was grouper, snapper, and porgies drift after drift.

Herbert with a nice black:

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Me with a porgy:

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Mutton:

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Porgy:

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Mario and I doubling up on muttons:

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We were consistently catching fish on both jigs and bait when Mario hooks into something big a couple of times but ends up getting cut off each time. Thinking he had gotten sharked we stuck with it.

I end up with this scamp:

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And then Herbert hooks into a really nice fish. This one definitely took a while to get up. When we do get color all three of us are blown away! No idea goliath were even out this far!

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Later in the afternoon we decide to hit a couple of different spots. We pull up to the first and this is what my screen looks like:

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Pure jigging paradise! it turned out to be a huge school of amberjack in the 40-60 lb range.


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[url=https://flic.kr/p/28eygQN]Image

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If we weren't already tired from reeling up fish and the extreme heat (if you've ever fished the Keys you know what we were up against) we could have stayed at this spot and caugth aj on every drop the rest of the day. :)

Moving on we continued to pick off fish.

Mario with the sole red snapper of the trip:

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Another nice mutton:

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At night we found some rock piles and decided to anchor up. I put out some special chum that I had made and it ended up drawing in flying fish like I have never seen before. We had this huge school around the boat all night. Probably had two dozen fly into the boat! Instant bait. I know Herbert and Mario were both hit in the head at least once and I had one hit me in the groin!

Continued to catch some muttons and the red grouper bite even turned on for us.

[url=https://flic.kr/p/28eygGw]Image


It was a great trip, as usual, and one I will definitely do again. I know I ended up with a full limit of grouper, and just one shy of a full limit of snapper (even notice the large mangrove in the pic).


[url=https://flic.kr/p/26Y1nbH]Image
[url=https://flic.kr/p/LcJHfw]Image

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STRIZ
KING MACKEREL
Posts: 871
Joined: Wed Mar 12, 2014 2:18 pm
Location: WAY OUT THERE

Re: Grouper and snapper and ajs... oh my!

Post by STRIZ »

What a nice report. Awesome thanks.

Nice to see the rods I built are still on tune with the biggens.

Nice haul guys congrats :cheers: :happyfisherman:
KEEP YOUR HEAD UP HIGH
EVEN WHEN THE NECK IS DIRTY

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fishnfool73
AMBASSADOR to the... BF FORUM
Posts: 8703
Joined: Tue Nov 07, 2006 6:18 am

Re: Grouper and snapper and ajs... oh my!

Post by fishnfool73 »

Great report and some nice pictures. The tarpon thing happens this time of the year out there. FYI Mutton limit is 5 per person now.
Dreaming the dream that one day I can be as good as some of the boatless pros and catch some 12 inch mangrove snapper.

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cudaman
BLACK FIN TUNA
Posts: 4242
Joined: Tue Jul 18, 2006 10:17 pm
Location: South Florida

Re: Grouper and snapper and ajs... oh my!

Post by cudaman »

It was great fishing with with you again Bill. :toast: :toast: :toast: That Goliath and those Amber jacks sure got me tired and those flying fish hits were crazy, LOL


Yeah Ron, it the rod you built are still killing fish :toast: up to 10 muttons in the aggregate of 10 snappers.


Hi Chris, the limit in Federal Waters is different. You get 10 per person.

http://myfwc.com/fishing/saltwater/recr ... /snappers/

http://myfwc.com/fishing/saltwater/recr ... /snappers/

So on our July 12th trip you get 20 per person since we have a bag limit of two days.

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krash
GOLIATH GROUPER
Posts: 1487
Joined: Wed May 31, 2006 10:45 am
Location: Cooper City, Florida

Re: Grouper and snapper and ajs... oh my!

Post by krash »

Nice trip.... them Tarpon are on a mission to get to Tampa this time of year, they are late to the party at Bean Point.
SW, Live to Fish, Have Tackle will travel ... >,)))~> ~~~~

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fishnfool73
AMBASSADOR to the... BF FORUM
Posts: 8703
Joined: Tue Nov 07, 2006 6:18 am

Re: Grouper and snapper and ajs... oh my!

Post by fishnfool73 »

I understand that much Herb but charter boats can show chart plotters and GPS. Good luck with that federal water thing if FWC pulls you over (tommy I am speaking from experience.
Dreaming the dream that one day I can be as good as some of the boatless pros and catch some 12 inch mangrove snapper.

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cudaman
BLACK FIN TUNA
Posts: 4242
Joined: Tue Jul 18, 2006 10:17 pm
Location: South Florida

Re: Grouper and snapper and ajs... oh my!

Post by cudaman »

I know what you mean, but we also had a chart plotter, and two GPS machines :D and yes, they would have definitely given us a hard time.

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Rare
SHARKER
Posts: 2480
Joined: Sat May 03, 2014 3:05 pm

Re: Grouper and snapper and ajs... oh my!

Post by Rare »

That could have been me but....... :P Nice trip and fish, guys! Flying fish this year hitting ya & last year it was gogs hitting me on the head as I slept. (twice)
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Miami_Chris
KING MACKEREL
Posts: 612
Joined: Fri Oct 24, 2008 7:25 am
Location: miiiiiiami

Re: Grouper and snapper and ajs... oh my!

Post by Miami_Chris »

Awesome report and pictures! Even more props for trailering your rig from Georgia! I don’t even like trailering 45 minutes to key largo, I can only imagine from another state!

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