God Blessed Us with a Beautiful/Bountiful Day

[ChileRelleno 7,067]

We went down to Gulf Shore to the Gulf State Pier to do some fishing, we were blessed with a beautiful & bountiful day.

Arrived around 0530, walking out we saw Harley and some other ol'timer regulars working the Specks/Flounder.

Seemed the fish were cooperating at least a little bit as we did see Specks come over the rail.

 

Got to the Octi (Octagon shaped end of the pier) and it was packed with people.

Arrived just in time to see the end of a relatively hot but short lived Spanish & King bite, it was cut off by the arrival of a 'Running of the Bulls'.

Acres of Bull Reds feeding on the surface, always an awe inspiring site.

Madness & chaos ensued as every other rod bent and drags whined, the laughter was great, little mind paid to the few expletives.

The early crowd was pretty thick and thick with Googans, the usual ballet of people dancing over, under and around was not very graceful.

A few hard feelings, but most were OK... A few were just better off having their lines cut, one who annoyed me had his cut.

Heck over the course of the day, I cut my own line a few times just to extricate myself from some basket weaving 101 classes, and got super lucky getting a Yozuri loose out of a horrible mess of lines before losing it.

There were three 'Running of the Bulls' in the AM, and most of the Googans left shortly afterwards.

My son and I each put one in our cooler.

 

The rest of the morning/afternoon was sporadic Kings/Spanish macks and even a few scattered Flounder.

We went to the shallows to drown shrimp in hopes of Pomps or Specks, all to no avail, we kept entertained with the Ladyfish... Oh yay.

Watching the cruising sharks swim around the people in the surf, it both worried and enthralled the touristas.

It was entertaining, heard the usual sunburned tourist say "I'm never swimming at the beach again!"  and I told her "Lady,they were all around you, ignorance was bliss, you're not on the menu."

 

Ate some lunch then wandered back out to the Octi and settled in to a rhythm of abusing LYs and Hardtails.

Landed my first unsharked King.  Yep, I've caught Kings on the pier before, but every one has been taxed by the gray suits inn some manner, this one was untouched.

Thus ends a very long streak of my feeding the bastards.  Jeff B. gaffed it for me, thanks Jeff.

Throughout the late afternoon it was flurries of Spanish, including some studs, a King here and there with some regularity, Crevalle Jacks would come through and make a few happy for awhile and a few schools of Blues.

Sharks were few and far between, I don't remember anyone getting sharked and maybe just a few hooked up.

Schools of large Spades would not sit still long enough to fish them, exasperating, they were always on the move and fast... Bummer.

 

Come evening mixed schools Jacks & Reds provided semi controlled insanity.

At least this time there were more regulars than Googans and it was fairly smooth and coordinated.

The sound of laughter & happy shouts were punctuated with the thud of fish hitting the deck.

More Spanish & a few more Kings.

 

With my cooler packed full of two each Kings and Reds, a fat Jack, a few Spaniards & Blues, a single small Spade and a nice ray, we called it a day.

Thank you Lord for a beautiful & bountiful day.

 

Edited May 24, 2015 by ChileRelleno

[ChileRelleno 7,067]

The Jack, Spanish, Hardtails, Ray and King heads are going to be shark bait for a trip on June 4th, 5th, and 6th.

Looking forward to that, I'm trying to best that 11.5' Great Hammer I landed last year.

[Spacehog 2,218]

You suck Chile. I was building trellises and laying pine straw all day yesterday...didn't even have the wife around to say "good job honey" when I was done!

 

It looks like it picked back up as the tide rolled out. Those are really some nice reds. Didn't realize they were that big without the perspective. Congratulations on a very blessed and productive day. Looking forward to fishing with you very soon.

[David Mark 2,452]

Damn Chile. You are a fish magnet sir!

[Redrum4u 125]

You eat the yellow jacks? Heard people say they're good I've heard people say they're bad eating? Tons of fun regardless.

Cut the tail for any reason?

Edited May 24, 2015 by Redrum4u

[ChileRelleno 7,067]

You eat the yellow jacks? Heard people say they're good I've heard people say they're bad eating? Tons of fun regardless.

Cut the tail for any reason?

To bleed it and fit it in the cooler with the top closed.

Yes, we ate part of it, depends on how you prep & prepare it.

It is a firm and pleasantly fishy tasting fish, tonight was simple, salted the outside, skillet just starting to smoke and cooked it well done with a hard, crunchy sear on it.

Some do it Ruby Rare like a tuna rolled in spice & Sesame seeds, some smoke it, I've a Filipino fiend who cooks them in soy sauce and curry.

My wife & FiL had never had it, they liked it.

 

Tonight my son tried a Hardtail aka Blue Runner for the first time, I grilled it on the BBQ with olive oil & salt, he was 50/50 on it.

He liked his grilled Spadefish much better, a favorite of his.

[ChileRelleno 7,067]

Damn Chile. You are a fish magnet sir!

Now lets not forget that I don't post pics all the times I go out and get skunked or just have a few not so picture worthy fish.

And a couple of those fish were other people's trash, like the ray and the Bluefish.

[patriot 7,197]

I'm glad you had a good time, Chile, but I don't understand most of what you said. I don't fish. I hunt.

Edited May 25, 2015 by patriot

[siminov 164]

You get some nice fish down there! I get alot of brook trout up here in the mountains which is good cause it takes a few to make a meal. The really nice part of backcountry fishing is I have the whole place to myself. I used to fish the piers on the gulf in Florida and have to say you're a very patient man, lol! Thanks for your posts.

 

Here's a smaller brookie that went back.

[ChileRelleno 7,067]

I'm glad you had a good time, Chile, but I don't understand most of what you said. I don't fish. I hunt.

Specks: Speckled Trout, great fight and food

Flounder: Character in the movie Animal House. Also a very desirable species of flat fish.

Running of the Bulls: When a school of large Red Drum moves through, they eat everything in the water, they'll hit an old flip flop if you put a hook on it.

Googan(s): People who think they know how to fish, or think they know everything but really are ignorant. Don't know how to move around with others to keep lines untangled.

Will not listen to people who do know whats going on.

Dancing/Ballet:  The movement of people working to follow fish along the rail and stay untangled from others.

Basket Weaving 101: What happens when more than three people getting hopelessly tangled together.

Jacks: Crevalle Jack, a species of Jack reknown for it's fighting prowess. OK for sushi or cooking, good bait for sharks.

King & Spanish Macks: Two highly desirable mackerel species, desired for fight and table fare.

Pomp:  Pompano, awesome fight & eating

Ladyfish: Fun fight, poor food quality

LY: Short for Alewive, actually a Scaled Sardine, a species used for bait

Hardtail: Blue Runner, commonly used for bait, ho-hum eating, fun fight on ultra light gear

Blues: Bluefish, great fight on light gear, under rated as food, considered trash by many. Good bait for sharks.

Spade: Spadefish, great fight, highly under rated table fare. 

[patriot 7,197]

 

I'm glad you had a good time, Chile, but I don't understand most of what you said. I don't fish. I hunt.

Specks: Speckled Trout, great fight and food

Flounder: Character in the movie Animal House. Also a very desirable species of flat fish.

Running of the Bulls: When a school of large Red Drum moves through, they eat everything in the water, they'll hit an old flip flop if you put a hook on it.

Googan(s): People who think they know how to fish, or think they know everything but really are ignorant. Don't know how to move around with others to keep lines untangled.

Will not listen to people who do know whats going on.

Dancing/Ballet:  The movement of people working to follow fish along the rail and stay untangled from others.

Basket Weaving 101: What happens when more than three people getting hopelessly tangled together.

Jacks: Crevalle Jack, a species of Jack reknown for it's fighting prowess. OK for sushi or cooking, good bait for sharks.

King & Spanish Macks: Two highly desirable mackerel species, desired for fight and table fare.

Pomp:  Pompano, awesome fight & eating

Ladyfish: Fun fight, poor food quality

LY: Short for Alewive, actually a Scaled Sardine, a species used for bait

Hardtail: Blue Runner, commonly used for bait, ho-hum eating, fun fight on ultra light gear

Blues: Bluefish, great fight on light gear, under rated as food, considered trash by many. Good bait for sharks.

Spade: Spadefish, great fight, highly under rated table fare. 

 

Thanks for the class.

 

I never could get used to the taste of fish.

 

Now, venison, bison, or elk? That's another story.

[ChileRelleno 7,067]

 

 

Now, venison, bison, or elk? That's another story.

 

I hunt too, and I'm with ya on the above four legged critters being delectable.

I have a few to add to that list, e.g. feral hogs, a fat young sow.

[patriot 7,197]

 

 

 

Now, venison, bison, or elk? That's another story.

 

I hunt too, and I'm with ya on the above four legged critters being delectable.

I have a few to add to that list, e.g. feral hogs, a fat young sow.

 

Never had one. My buddy and I were going to go hunt some in Bedford County, PA, but never did. I was going to use a '95 Marlin with 330gr Hornady hollow points @ ~2000FPS. It's light, and quick, with LOTS of THUMP.

 

I'd like to try red stag sometime too. That's supposed to be even better than elk!

Edited May 25, 2015 by patriot

[Deadeye 325]

Nice day of fishing.

[Capt Nemo 882]

My only fish is what I can shoot with a bow or spear.  Can't stand waiting for them to bite!  Gotta stalk em, and shoot em! 

 

Real fun is punching through 3 carp with one arrow!  200# dacron really whines in the water with 3 carp running on it!