Watch out Middle Grounds...Here we come!
Friday, September 16, the Florida Fisherman is loaded to the brim with fuel, ice., bait, and enough food to feed a small army. 40 anglers anxiously await the beginning of our two day trip to the fabulous Florida middle Grounds. 3:15 P.M., Captain Mark Hubbard fires up those huge 1,1000+ HP Caterpillar diesels, watch out Middle Grounds; here we come.
It takes, depending on how far into the grounds we go, around ten hours to reach our destination. Those trolling were catching bonito & mackerel. Most, anticipating the battles ahead, hit the AC bunks. After all, we will be challenging the monsters of the Middle Grounds from 1:00 A.M. Saturday morning until 9:00 P.M. that evening. That's a lot of fishing time.
5:00 P.M. Friday, the aroma of BBQ chicken wings fills the air, Tammy must be cooking. No one can sleep when Tammy cooks. Great! In no way describes these flavorful morsels. We are stuffed, back to the bunks.
1:00 A.M. Captain Hubbard sounds the alarm, time to catch fish! Gosh those bunks are so comfortable, how can we get up so early? Once again, Tammy to the rescue. The smell of fresh ham & cheese sandwiches sizzling on the grill will wake anyone up. Stuffed again, we are ready for a fight. Problem was, for the most part, the fish were still asleep. Oh! We caught fish, but, by Florida Fisherman standards, it was slow. Beautiful AJ's and mangrove snapper began to hit the deck. Mike Guskay landed some very impressive amber jacks. Vince, our professional mate, loves to gaff, and show off, large AJ's, grouper, and snapper. He & Will saw plenty of action. Bob & Stanley Russell love to catch mangos; they are experts. most of the mangos were, for whatever reason, caught on the port side of the boat. Our two day Federal limit of twenty is hard to reach; however, numerous hard working anglers were able to do so.
Joe Smith loves to catch red grouper; he showed us how. Rod Everett proved that he knew how to catch gags. Sure glad we can keep them.
We were very fortunate to, once again, have the biologist from the FWC on board. They work extremely hard, long hours, collecting real data, data on the water, not from behind the desk.
Saw a big school of bait on the surface. Gosh, what an opportunity. Mostly small bonito were caught. Good opportunity for kings also.
Captain Hubbard's fish finder, typical of the middle Grounds, was lit up all day long.
Oh! I forgot to mention breakfast & lunch. From the menu most of us could not pass up Country sausage, biscuits, and eggs, WoW! Lunch was Tammy special trade mark sandwiches. Then, for dinner, Tammy outdid herself. First, a huge garden fresh salad, then, the best of the best: pot roast, mashed potatoes, carrots, and green beans, all smothered in brown gravy. Once again, we are stuffed.
We ended up with a very impressive catch of mangrove snapper, kings, and magnificent gag and red grouper.
9:00 P.M. Shower & bed time. But first, a piece of the best chocolate cake you have ever tasted.
"Watch out Middle Grounds, here we come," like every weekend during gag season. Is next weekend here yet? Bob Harbison Native Florida Recreational Fisherman
Mike Guskay:
Vince:
Bob & Will, FWC records data:
Vince:
Stanley Russell:
Joe Smith:
Vince:
Rod Everett:
FWC vents an American red snapper:
Excitement:
What a king:
Look at those fish:
Tammy master piece:
It was a good trip:
