Florida 44 hour full moon snapper trip and much more

[harbison]

    
Most consider mangrove snapper fishing to be at its very best during the full moon periods of the month. Last month the Florida Fisherman ll, out of Hubbard's Marina,  fished three days after the full moon. We limited out on AJ's (two day limit) and the mangos were on fire:

The full moon for March is 3/5/15 @ 1:06 P.M. We will be fishing one day after the full of the moon.
Friday, ten A.M., Join us as we find out together if the mangrove snapper are hungry. We are ready. Let's go fishing! Open wide John's Pass Bridge; we are on a mission:

One thing about the John's Pass area there is always somewhere to fish & fish to catch. The sheepshead are going wild under the bridge:

See you Sunday morning:

Will, how is the best way to catch the elusive mangrove snapper?

Sounds good!   Let's feast on a Tammy special hot off the grill meat ball sandwich with melted cheese and hit our bunks. After all, we will be fishing all of Friday night, and all day Saturday. We simply must be at our best.
Friday evening, Mr. Tony Baker leads the way:

Mr Ralph Stephens, fishing out of spot # 59, shows us how it's done:

Boy! These things are nice:

Mr. Jay Lehman decides to try a live pin fish. Hold on! This thing is really fighting. It's bigger than a mango. Nice job!

The morning mango bite has been slower than expected, Never-the-less, the catch is looking good. Let's ice them down. Come Sunday morning they will be in perfect shape; ice cold & fresh...the best of the best:


Mr. Lehman is anxious to try a 'NEWKID-BALL' jig in deep water. Will it work?  You had better believe it. Jay did really well with this jig on both mangrove snapper and scamp grouper. Looks like it's a real winner:


We have been challenging the monsters of the deep for a long time. We are starved. Tammy, what's for lunch? How does a pressed, hot off the grill, Cuban sound? Wow! Even our many Northern friends are amazed. 'You crackers sure know how to eat!' We have nothing like that:


OK! The mangos have slowed down; let's go AJ hunting. But first we have to figure out how to get away from the 'endangered' American reds:

Now that's more like it. Mr. John Martin:


Long time professional mate on the Florida, Mr. Kyle Gallagher, is proud to display one of three tuna. Talk about trophies:

Mr Matthew Correa, fishing out of St. Pete, Florida, is determined to catch AJ's on a jig. Let's try a red jig first. It works!



Wonder if they would hit a green jig? Well!

The AJ's are not playing any games; neither are we. Let's stack & ice them down:


Mr. Ricky Hernandez, fishing out of spot # 57, loves to fight the big boys. Big red grouper and over sized porgies have no chance against this master:


If it swims Mr. Eddie Sumrall can catch it. Ed caught this beautiful black fin tuna while trolling between stops. Mr. Sumrall often catches huge king fish,  bonito and  wahoo while trolling. Last year we even caught a marlin while headed for another ledge.

It's now late Saturday evening. Chef Tammy has our attention. The aroma coming from her galley is enough to build anyone's anticipation. Jersey Girl has done it again. First we introduced our Northern friends to the best Cuban's in the universe; and now, in their honor, authentic 'Yankee' pot roast. Red potatoes, carrots, and the most tender, flavorful, roast beef imaginable...What a way to end our epic adventure!

We are stuffed, I mean 'stuffed to the gill.' Those four inch thick foam bunks are calling our names. Take us home Captain John, home to beautiful Madeira Beach.
Now that was one quick night. Let's collect our fish, check out the jack pot winners, and, until we once again challenge the monsters of the deep, call it a day, and night.
The fishing was a little slow by our standards. Never-the-less, we ended up with a very respectable catch of:
200 mangrove snapper
200 vermilion snapper
25 scamp grouper
20 red grouper
18 Amber jack
3 tuna
Mr. Jay Lehman (L), and cousin, Mr. Ian Jones, are all smiles. Is there really any wonder why?


In the money winning:
AJ:  26 pounds
Snapper: 6.7 pounds
Red Grouper: 11 pounds. Sorry! No porgy jack pot



Many of my friends on the boat keep asking me when I am going hog hunting again. As soon as possible. It's been way too long since I have seen a huge boar hog standing under my feeder:

Be sure to check out the short action packed video of our trio. Click on the Youtube link.
 

Bob Harbison  Florida Outdoor Writers Association

[njbob49]

Thanks for another great report and pictures Bob.  I see that the people fishing had sweat shirts on.  Did it get down to 60 degrees?  LOL 

We have survived another NJ winter and hopefully soon the water will warm up to do some fishing.  The only problem is the government is telling us that everything we fish for we have gone over the quota last year.  BS 

Thanks again for sharing and good luck on your wild boar hunting.

Tight Lines,
Bob G   

[Hunter 2]

Great report Bob. Thankyou

[harbison]

    Know what you mean about the Government regulations.  We are all in the same boat. NOAA's number one target fish in the Gulf of Mexico is the American red snapper. We in Florida, as well as all four Gulf states, can do this on a very regular basis:



Problem is NOAA can 'prove' that red snapper are in such bad shape that every year the season is shorter & shorter. Last years Florida Federal season was 9 days.  At least they cannot take too much more away from us. What is left to take?
HOGS: Haven't been in awhile. It's really getting too hot for hunting in Florida. Every day is over 80 degrees. Hope to make another trip before it gets really hot. I miss this:


60 degrees:  We see that a few times during the last of Winter. In fact, it actually got down to the high forties in Central Florida during January & February. We will not see another Arctic Blast like that again until next January.
I shot this last Friday afternoon as we were headed off shore. It was 80+ degrees. But, to us, the water is still a little cool; it's now 78. Never fear! It will be warmer very soon:
       
Best to all of our NJ friends.   Bob H.

[Reel McCoy]

 

[Luna Sea 5]