Author Topic: Hot during the cold of December (Read 4426 times)

harbison · « **on:** December 11, 2011, 03:21:36 PM »

Full moon time once again. That means snapper go crazy at night, at least we hope so.
Will the Florida Middle Grounds be hot during the cold of December? Who knows?
The thirty or so anglers and crew of the Florida Fisherman, Hubbard's Marina, sure hope so. The Florida is ready, and so are we. Let's go!
Before we depart, Vince, our first mate, goes over safety procedures with us. This is required by the Coast Guard. Vince sure explains things well. Some of us like to use live pin fish for AJ's. The Florida has individual live wells. Mister Leo Smith, a regular, sure hopes those little critters attract big AJ's. Leo was a marine; he does not play games; he is,"First in battle!" That is the AJ battle. Bet here is that this marine wins. We are very fortunate to have two highly motivated, skilled, FWC biologist, Butch & Jon, going with us. They collect actual on the water data. Current, accurate data is available. We on the Florida know it; we see it collected. These men never stop. They are on the go constantly. What a pleasure to have them, as we often do, with us.
As we leave we are inspired by the miles of white sandy Florida beaches. Why would anyone want to live anyplace else? We have not only sun bleached beaches, but the Florida Middle Grounds, some of the best fishing in the world. We will be fishing deep into the very heart of the Grounds. But first, how about a good old Southern BBQ pork sandwich before hitting that comfortable bunk. After all, just thinking about all the fish we will be catching makes us hungry and tired. That bunk sure looks inviting. Good night!
One A.M. Saturday morning, Captain Mark Hubbard slows down those two huge Caterpillar diesels. Time to attack the tricky mangrove snapper, sometimes called bait thieves. Those little rascals were, as predicted, hungry and tricky. However, we immediately began catching some real beauties, not too fast, but steady. Young Master Hubbard, Captain Mark's son, was with us. He, as did many of us, had a very respectful stringer of mangos even before the sun decided to "Try" to make an appearance. Actually, we saw very little sun shine the entire day. In addition, it was pretty darn rough all day long. That big old catamaran, the Florida Fisherman, was really appreciated. It took everything in stride. Boy! is this fun. On the Grounds, even the porgies grow big. Joe, our professional mate, sometimes cannot believe the size of the porgies we are catching.
Catching all those fish sure makes one hungry; Tammy to the rescue. Her breakfast sandwiches are tops.
We are having a little problem. Those "Near extinct" gags, American red snapper, and the way over-fished AJ's, do not know they are in such bad shape. They simply will not let us alone. Poor Mister Todd Conard, I felt so sorry for him, they would not leave him alone. Not only did he catch gags, but also, before he was finished, eight amber jacks. Todd was in fishing spot number twenty, next to me. Over & over those fighting machines were pinning this poor man to the rail of the Florida. What a problem! Joe, our fine young mate, loves to show off our gags & AJ's. He really likes this stuff, and it shows.
Captain Hubbard decided to visit one of the many wrecks that call the Florida Middle Grounds home. All of a sudden the Florida's fish finder lit up, AJ's were literally stacked up under the boat. Our marine, Mister Leo Smith, put those pin fish to work. This marine gave no quarters. Even the mighty amber jack fell to his persistent endeavor; they met their match. Boy did we keep our mates, Vince & Joe busy. They know how to gaff fish; we gave them plenty of practice. Ever see an almaco jack? Now that is a different fish. No telling what the Florida Middle Grounds will turn up next. Not only was this wreck loaded with over-grown AJ's, but also American red snapper of all sizes. I saw mango size ARS clear up to monsters. Mister Cliff Vandenbusch, along with Bill Gahan, and Larry Kidd, just to name a few, really put a good old Southern hurting on those beautiful red fighting machines. Hard to believe they too are in such danger.
We kept our FWC professionals, Butch & Jon, busy day & night. Until you have seen how hard these dedicated biologist work, you would not believe anyone could possibly do what they do. How can they keep it up? They worked from way before sun-up, to after dark, virtually non stop. It is easy to tell they really care! Butch & Jon tagged & vented over 180 fish on this one trip alone. Many gags, American reds, and red grouper were tagged. Can't help but wonder where they will show up next. These men need all the help they can get. The best way we can help is to, as soon as possible, report any fish we catch with a tag in it. The number to call is on the tag. The FWC rewards us with a very nice "T" shirt for every tag reported. What a win, win situation for one and all.
The good peoples of New Jersey are very interested in Florida Fishing, in our Middle Grounds. A forum in the Garden State offered to send me a N J "T" shirt if I would wear it & take a picture with our great catch. No problem! Tammy, our resident chef on the Florida is a transplant from the great State of New Jersey. Naturally, I could not resist having her pose with me. Thank you New Jersey! Sure would like to hear about some of your fishing. Ever catch a cod?
Well, as all good things must come to an end, we must say so-long to the fabulous Florida Middle Grounds. Isn't it time to go back again? Surely it must be!
Will the Florida Middle Grounds be hot during the cold of December? Who knows? We do!
Hope you enjoy these pictures of our trip as much as I enjoy taking & sharing them: Bob H.

First Mate,Vince, goes over CG Regulations: