An Epic Fish Tale

I launched the Hotrod shortly after sunrise and headed off in search of juvenile Tarpon. As I idled through the no wake zone I enjoyed my morning thermos of coffee in the crisp cool morning. The weather has been unseasonably warm lately so the 50 degree temperature was a rare treat so far this winter.
As I idled along I saw a large splash off in the distance. At first I thought It was a pelican diving on a baitfish but I looked and there were no pelicans, only a few gulls circling. As I watched I saw a couple more splashes and the gulls started diving as the water erupted into a boiling froth. Jacks! As soon as I exited the idle zone I gunned the motor full throttle and headed towards the commotion. I shut off the motor when I got reasonable close and used the trolling motor to get withing casting range.
I knew the jacks had to be pretty good size because the roving school I have encountered in this area has been running on the large size and from the size of the individual splashes I could tell these were large. I grabbed my rod that I had rigged for tarpon and cast it into the fray. I hooked up almost instantly and my rod bowed over as the fish tried to run. Unfortunatly I had the drag set a little too tight and the 20lb leader snapped. I quickly reeled in the line and grabbed my short dock and mangrove fishing rod. Not even bothering to put a tail on the bare jighead I cast it into the school of boiling jacks and again was hooked up. Unfortunatly my 10lb line was way outclassed and it too broke almost instantly leaving me with a tangled mess when the braid snapped back. I quickly reeled in the line anyway not even bothering to mess with it and grabbed my tarpon rod again. I grabbed another jig I had and quickly tied it on with a loop knot and tossed it out to another ravenous Jack. This time I loosened the drag a bit and let the fish take some line applying drag by feathering the spool with my hand.
As I fought this jack the school turned and was heading right for the boat. I reeled with abandon trying to regain line as the jack followed the school towards me. The jacks looked like a herd of thundering watermelons as they approached the Hotrod. Then they saw me and turned away, my jack leading the school. I tried to palm the spool to slow him but I swear they other jacks had to be pushing him and my line again snapped leaving me fishless rodless.
I decided to head off to my tarpon hole and deal with the jacks later if I could find them again. I arrived at my tarpon hole and rerigged my rods with fresh leader and jigs. While I was doing this the tarpon were rolling all around the boat. Once I was ready I cast to them for nearly two hours with out a single take. I headed back to the dock checking one of the local canals on the way only to find it was nearly dry.
So I continued on my way thinking I was finally skunked for the first time in over 9 months. Then I saw some movement out of the corner of my eye. Birds circling in the distance over a very shallow flat. I didnt see any telltale signs of marauding jacks below but I headed over to investigate anyway. Sure enough first a couple splashes and then the water erupted again. Unfortunately for me they were upwind and I could not get within casting range so I went past them and stopped and waited to see if there for a sign of there location.
I sat for several minutes and decided it was not to be and started to troll back to the channel to head in when I saw a couple jacks hitting bait in the shallow water so I made a couple more casts with the wind at my back but they did not appear to be interested. I drifted a little farther and dropped my anchor to work out a game plan. Suddenly I noticed that the water was getting really rough in a spot that was perfectly calm moments before and it appeared to be heading towards me. I cast as far as I could towards them but they were still out of range so I quickly retrieved my lure and waited as they continued to approach. Then when I thought they were within range I casted again just yards short. So I let the jig sink to the bottom and as soon as the jacks were over it I began to work it back. Fish on! The jack immediately started running as only a jack can taking line by the yard as my drag screamed. For a minute I thought I was outclassed again as nothing I could do seemed to slow this fish at all. Finally after what seemed like 5 minutes the fish slowed down and I began to work it back to the boat. It was easily a hundred yards out. Is I regained line inch by inch the jack began its signature move the wide circle around the boat. It was still over 60 yards away when I noticed it was heading towards a crab buoy. I tried in vain to gain line quicker but to no avail and I could see that the crab buoy was moving against the current. I tried to get the fish off of the buoy line but it was wrapped. I was sure I was going to lose this fish. Fortunately it was exhausted and didnt put up much of a fight. I pulled my anchor and worked my way towards the buoy as quickly as possible as I didnt want the fish to get enough rest to start fighting again. I got to the buoy and could see the fish just below the surface, my line wrapped around the buoy line. I reached in and grabbed the jack by the tail and pulled it into the boat. I cut my leader and snapped a quick photo of the jack, measured it and returned it to the water to be caught again. This jack measured 27 inches to the fork of its tail.

Back In The Proverbial Saddle Again....

One of my good friends Apollobeach Sam loaned me a 15hp motor he had laying around in his garage. I had to do some modifications to my fuel line to get it to fit the motor and I had to do some modifications to my jack plate since this motor was slightly different than my 25hp yamaha it is temporarily replacing.
I also lowered the jack plate all the way since I dont think Ill be doing much backcountry skinnywater fishing until I get my motor replaced. The 15hp still pushes the Hotrod about 20mph per my handheld GPS. Good enough for the time being anyway.
I went scouting last Friday with a buddy on his Carolina Skiff J14 and we stumbled upon a school of rolling juvenile Tarpon! We managed to jump 5 of them tossing 1/8 oz jigs with rubber tails.
I went back on Sunday with my daughter Emily but there was so much boat traffic I could not get them to bite. I saw a couple rolling but that's all.
This morning I went out there by myself on the Hotrod and tossed a few jigs at them again and hooked up with another but cant seem to get the hook set on them. I had quite a suprise though I hooked what I thought was another. I could tell it was a big fish but it never jumped. Turns out it was a big Jack. It measured 30 inches to the fork in its tail. I think it was one of the biggest jacks I have ever landed.
I cant wait to get back after those little tarpon... (Little...relative to an adult tarpon... the fish I jumped today was easily 36 inches long...)

Waiting for Insurance Companies and Wade Fishing.

Well, I have not been fishing since the accident on Dec 26th because I wanted to stay home in case the insurance company needed to contact me and I didnt want to miss a call to cause even 1 minute of delay of getting the Hotrod back in action.

Finally I was about to give in to my impulses and scheduled a fishing trip for today with one of my fishing buddies, Capt Greg... (Man, I sure got a bunch of buddies that are captains huh?) ...when I finally got the call I have been waiting for. The appraiser wanted to come check out the Hotrod Gheenoe...the next morning... between 10 am and Noon.

So I had to cancel my trip with Capt Greg (darnit) but I called another buddy of mine (who is not a captain...) and asked if he wanted to go wade fishing around Simmons Park. He said sure so we met at 7 am and launched our boatless selves and had a great time catching nice slot trout and small ladyfish on artificials for about an hour until he hooked himself in the thumb on one of the treble hooks in his lure. Unfortunately, his crimped down barb wasnt as crimped down as he thought it was though. He was stuck pretty good. He couldnt decide on whether he should yank it out or push it through and cut it out. It went right into the very center of the pad of his thumb too. So I volunteered to help him remove the hook. I grabbed it gently with a pair of pliers and said "On a count of three... One... Two..." YANK! "Three" He said he never even felt it. That pretty much ended the fishing for the day though. He said that the fish probably felt sorry for him and didnt want him to hook himself again.

So I made it home about 5 minutes after 10 and was worried that the insurance guy had come and left already.... but as I expected, He showed up promptly at 11:30. (I could have fished for another whole hour and a half... grrr.)

He took a couple pictures of the motor, a couple pictures of the Hotrod Gheenoe, took some notes, asked a few questions and said "Thanks. I'll file this report tomorrow and you should hear something soon." I said, "Wait a minute, I have a couple questions for you." "What do you think? and what is gonna happen?"
Basically he said that he would file the report. He thinks that the motor is totalled and he needs to get an estimate on the glass repair work on the Hotrod, if it is too much he would probably total it too. (It's barely scratched for crying out loud....) He said I would most likely get a check for the market value of my motor and the same for the hull if it is totalled. And they would come and get them... No F'in Way are they gonna take my Hotrod! The can have the motor but the hotrod stays. It can be fixed. The other thing is, I said how do they determine fair market value? He said that they have books and charts etc that list those things. I said what if fair market value isnt enough to replace my engine? I told him first of all it is very difficult to find a used 25hp Yamaha 2 stroke for sale and a short shaft like the one on the hotrod is even more difficult to find. (and more expensive too...) He said "Them's the breaks..."

Oh Hell No, I dont think so... In fact I think Im getting a stiff neck... and my spleen hurts...

Stay tuned...

A Recent Discussion...

One of the fishing forums I frequent had a very heated discussion between two well established fishing guides with well over 40 years of guiding experience between the two of them, and two popular up and coming guides.
Apparently, the old timers took offense at the other guides sharing information on the forums with other fishermen about areas where they were catching keeper size grouper inshore. They younger guides said that they were looking to fill a niche by offering their clients the opportunity to not only catch the normal Spotted Seatrout, Redfish and Snook but also to catch grouper, usually only available by going many miles offshore. They are also trying to help out recreational anglers because they feel that that is what guides should do.
The old timers said that by sharing too much information with recreational anglers the young guides would ruin the fishery by causing too much pressure on the area. They also claimed that they have known about the area for decades and that the young guides had not discovered anything new.
Anyway, from there it turned into a free for all, not so much between the guides but from the illustrious members of the peanut gallery, choosing sides and bashing the guides that held a differing opinion from their own. Ultimately the thread was deleted and that was the end of that discussion.

Now for my take.

The old timers are concerned that the area will become a parking lot from all the recreational boaters fishing the area for grouper and eventually they will deplete the resource. They also take offense that the younger guides are, in their opinion, using their fishing reports as a vehicle for marketing their guide operations. And they are also concerned that by providing too much information to recreational anglers that they will possibly lose business due to the fact that if people can find out where to fish for free on the Internet, then they will not require a guide.

The young guides are trying to expand their services by offering a wider selection of fishing opportunities to their clientele. They are also trying to help out recreational anglers. They dont think that they are harming the resource or the business of the other guides, because even if the give out the locations that still doesnt mean that the other anglers will know the proper techniques or when to use them. I know for a fact there is more involved in catching fish than having a boat and a livewell full of bait and tend to agree with them. On multiple occasions I have went fishing with guides and went back to the same locations without catching fish on my own. I have taken other anglers fishing and they have told me that they tried to fish those same areas with no or limited success.

The guiding profession is very competitive, and I can see where both sides have valid points. As more and more people move to Florida, fishing pressure can only increase. I can see opportunities for guides to get more business but I can also see where the competition will increase as more anglers become guides. I think the successful guide will be the one who can stay on top of the fish as they move around due to seasonal changes, weather, and increased fishing pressure. The days of the secret honey hole are coming to an end, if they arent over already.

My First Fishing Rant...

Why is it that some people just cant go without stirring up controversy? It seems that when someone asks a question about fishing, or makes a fishing report on a fishing forum, instead of just answering a question or congratulating someone for a job well done there is always someone who has to make a negative comment. Then to make matters worse, another person has to come to the defense of the original poster or disagree with the negative commentor and the next thing you know, you have a full blown cat 5 shit storm.
It seems like when talking fishing there are a couple topics that just cannot be discussed on a fishing forum without evolving into big arguments. Bait vs. Lures and kayaks vs. motor craft are two such topics, much akin to religion and politics in their volatility. These are kind of understandable since they both involve different techniques used by different groups of anglers.

Bait vs. Artificial:
Now a wise angler would think that such discussions should be productive in teaching different approaches to the ultimate goal of catching fish. Sadly this just does not seem to be the case. Someone will always toss a proverbial turd in the punchbowl with some inflammatory remark about bait users not having enough skill to fool a fish with a hunk of steel and plastic. In many cases there could be some truth to this, but I would be willing to bet that the person making the comment started out fishing with bait until they were shown how to use lures. I think it all boils down to one of two things, either the person making the demeaning comments just wants to look like a big shot because they now can catch a fish using a lure, or they are jealous that they aren't catching as many fish as the angler using bait. Both cases most likely the result of an inflated ego.

Kayaks vs. Motor Craft:
This should be another subject full of opportunities to educate. The stealth and shallow water capabilities of a kayak are very powerful tools for fishing in the backwaters and shallow flats areas of Tampa Bay. It has become a very popular and economic way to fish. In addition to these capabilities, it also is very environment friendly as there are no propellers to tear up grass, and no oil or gas to leak out and pollute the environment.
Boating has been popular in Tampa Bay since the beginning. A multitude of boat designs have evolved over the years for specialized fishing from gheenoes, jon boats and small skiffs, to Bay boats and offshore boats for making long runs into the gulf to fish the deep water for grouper and migrating pelagics like kingfish and dolphin.
The argument here once again boils down to egos clashing.

In my opinion everyone seems to think that their particular way to fish is the best way. I tend to believe that an angler is going to try to fish using the most effective technique and equipment at their disposal to provide the most productive results possible. I have seen guys fishing in a cheap jon boat just tearing up the fish while anglers in expensive flats boats decked out with every gadget one could imagine did not catch near the numbers or quality of fish.

My opinion is that the best way to fish is whatever works. If the fish are eating live bait then I am going to use live bait, if they are hitting artificials I will use artificials. If they are hitting hot dogs or chicken liver, well, you get the point.

Unfortunately there is another type of discussion that turns ugly quick too. That is the one where some one has to come in and try to start an argument because they just feel like being an ass. They might bring up a tired old worn out subject and insert it into a pleasant discussion where it doesn't belong in the first place either because they are just an ass, or in an attempt to liven things up in a negative way. This is called being a troll. Trolls are on every Internet forum there is, covering any and every subject conceivable. Why? My money is on the ego thing again. Maybe they need more attention. Maybe they need to start a blog...

Fishing Forums on the Internet can be a good tool for gathering information about fishing a specific area or targetting specific fish. They are also a good place to share comraderie with other anglers and have fun talking about fishing and other things. The best way to keep them fun is to keep things light and your ego in check. As for dealing with trolls, that is tough, as a good troll is very skilled in getting everyone riled up, and that is their sole intention. Your best bet is to let them run their course without responding. It can be very difficult but eventually they will go away. As much as I hate to say it though, it can provide some very entertaining reading though as those with less resolve will try to argue with the troll, but then again, some people like soap operas.

Until next time. Go Fish