Freaking Fantastic Day of Fishing & Pier Picnic

[ChileRelleno 7,071]

Wow, what a day on the pier!



Nathaniel and I made a day of it, up at 0330am, at J&M at 0500am.
Pick up some shrimp and odds-n-ends , talk to John G. and checked the smoker, John's BBQ was looking & smelling great.
John showed Nate and I some custom rods being built, and a few other things of interest, chit chat and browse the aisles.
I love mornings at J&M.

To the pier at 0600, we encountered Mr. Roby going up the ramp and said "G'morning".
Those Specks better have said their prayers cause the Devil was coming their way with a smile on his face.

No wind, the water was like a lake and it was beautifully clear.
As the sun rose and lit it up, one could see the bar, the troughs/holes and deeper water going out with gem like clarity.
Looked like the freaking Bahamas almost, just gorgeous.
Lots of bait, some pods of Cownose rays cruising, dolphins, birds of all sorts and more.
Just an incredible morning to enjoy God's handiwork.

Get on and immediately see Spanish coming over the rail at the T, stopped and killed a few.
Make it to the Octi and it is practically a Chew Down, the action was hot-n-fast for awhile.
And that was the name of the game till after lunch, 10 minutes of madness about every 10-20 minutes as schools of Spaniards passed through and hit all manner of jigs, bubbles and live shrimp.
2-4#s was the norm, with plenty of 4-6# Axe Handles mixed in and few big'uns going 7-8#.
A couple of Bulls Reds were caught too.

Still early in the AM, I was working a gold Gotcha on the Octi when my line whipped tight and my drag screamed... People were like "King?!?!"
Then a majestic Tarpon tore through the surface, jumping high and shaking his head trying to dislodge the Gotcha.
I hollered "ONE!" and it was as exciting as fishing gets.
He jumped again, "TWO!" I yelled as the drag kept screaming, ripping the 12# mono of my little Penn 5500SS.
Well on my way to being spooled I tried futilely to slow him cranking up the drag.
"THREE!" and POP! went my line and the silver demon crashed back into the water, and he jumped at least once more trying to shake my jig loose.
What an experience, three jumps on a huge Tarpon... If I hadn't caught another fish all day I would've still been thrilled with the day.

The day continued on to lunch and the Pier Picnic got under way with a Blessing given in eerie silence for a pier so crowded with people.
The food... The food was awesome and a great buffet it was. Domestic and wild hog BBQ was the main course, Chilis, hotdogs, salads-n-sides of all sorts, desserts and drinks abounded. No one went away hungry. Late comers kept it going for a few hours and people kept grazing.
The camaraderie was really nice, everyone was happy and stuffed. Met so many people, put faces to names & nicks.
Very nice indeed.






The Rangers made their rounds with a thorough random checks of licenses during lunch, I bet half the people fishing were checked.

The wind finally picked up from the SW, but no Kings appeared.
There was a shortish Cobe landed, mixed reports on it's legality.
Another was caught later in the day, 28# IIRC.
Several more seen, and a few even hooked up but lost.

Saw four or five nice Reds come over the rail on the Octi, heard about and/or saw a few Flounder, Pomps and Specks in the shallows.
One Pomp was a real hoss, had to be pushing 4#.

The day progressed for Nate and I with more Spanish till they pretty much shutdown in the hours after lunch.
I landed a nice Red on a free swimming live LY and Nate got some Blues and Spades.
Twenty +/- Spanish, a Red, Blue and Spades in our cooler.
We finally called it a day 14.5 hours after stepping on the pier and our cooler was much heavier.
We'll be eating very well over the next week.

Again, a beautiful and bountiful day, a great picnic with hordes of familiar faces, new acquaintances and happy people.
What more could one ask for? KINGS! Bring'em on.

Edited May 8, 2016 by ChileRelleno

[HB of CJ 1,263]

Wow and thank you.  You are living the best days of your life!

[Spacehog 2,218]

You always have the best fish stories....and pics to prove they aren't just stories! Glad you and Nathaniel had an outstanding day my friend.

[ChileRelleno 7,071]

You always have the best fish stories....and pics to prove they aren't just stories! Glad you and Nathaniel had an outstanding day my friend.

LOL...  I don't post all my reports of getting skunked. 

[David Mark 2,452]

Chile,

The wife and I are moving to FLA this year. The plan is Hernando County on the west coast just above Tampa.

 

Hope to get an nice 16 to 18 foot skiff and start to learn the Gulf.

 

I want to fish with you my friend!

[Sim_Player 1,939]

I thought the environment was destroyed?

 

That's all I've heard my whole life.

 

Looking good buddy!

 

Great memories!

[YOT 3,743]

 

You always have the best fish stories....and pics to prove they aren't just stories! Glad you and Nathaniel had an outstanding day my friend.

LOL...  I don't post all my reports of getting skunked. 

 

 

Getting skunked fishing trumps sitting on a prison wall for 16 hours. jusayn.

[JC GoF 70]

Chile,

The wife and I are moving to FLA this year. The plan is Hernando County on the west coast just above Tampa.

 

Hope to get an nice 16 to 18 foot skiff and start to learn the Gulf.

 

I want to fish with you my friend!

 

 

There is great flats fishing there and even better just north or as far north as the barge canal.  

[ChileRelleno 7,071]

Chile,

The wife and I are moving to FLA this year. The plan is Hernando County on the west coast just above Tampa.

 

Hope to get an nice 16 to 18 foot skiff and start to learn the Gulf.

 

I want to fish with you my friend!

Great fishing down there both fresh and salt. And that is Snook territory, hell yeah.

[David Mark 2,452]

We are both psyched! Been watching all the fishing shows - Bass2Billfish, Into the Blue, Flats Class and so on.

 

Been a Bass fisherman all my life so I'm happy about the freshwater action also.

 

Hope to find a boat that I can set up for both.

[jerry52 893]

We are both psyched! Been watching all the fishing shows - Bass2Billfish, Into the Blue, Flats Class and so on.

 

Been a Bass fisherman all my life so I'm happy about the freshwater action also.

 

Hope to find a boat that I can set up for both.

Rent a few for a day out to see what you like and welcome to Florida.

[David Mark 2,452]

 

We are both psyched! Been watching all the fishing shows - Bass2Billfish, Into the Blue, Flats Class and so on.

 

Been a Bass fisherman all my life so I'm happy about the freshwater action also.

 

Hope to find a boat that I can set up for both.

Rent a few for a day out to see what you like and welcome to Florida.

 

Thanks Jerry! That's a fine idea. Might also hire a guide for a few outings. I have a lot to learn about salt water. Going to need to find a new range to join as well.