Fishing the Elbow before Isaac:
Three P.M. Friday, August 24, seas are calm, skies are clear. Madeira Beach is being enjoyed by hundreds:
How about some real excitement?
Well! We have a mission to accomplish. Elbow, here we come.
Joe goes over every little detail:
We will be fishing the Elbow before Isaac. Will the wrath of this monster help or hurt us? Who knows? Sure feels good knowing we have that big old Cat, Florida Fisherman, under us. We are confident, and so very hungry. Chef Tammy to the rescue with cheese meat-ball sandwiches. Good in no way describes this masterpiece.
Mister Matt Corita is fishing next to me. Matt is using 30 # test spinning tackle for mangrove snapper. Hold on! That's no mango. The brute is pulling like a freight train. Somehow Matt manages to turn the battling fish and head him towards the surface. OH No! Down he goes again. Matt tightens down the drag as much as this light tackle will allow. This must be a grouper. Once again Matt is able to keep the mighty fish from reaching his home. Boy! 160' sure is a long way up. Then we see color. Hurry! the gaff, get the gaff. What a prize.
Matt is on a roll:
Captain Brian, Captain Mark Hubbard is off today, is so proud of us:
Now that's a nice king:
Not a bad start:
Really glad gag season is open:
Mister James Horne, Clearwater, Florida, is thrilled:
Here comes another gag:
Mister Sung Yi, (L) Jacksonville, Beach Florida, and his son, Gene Yi, love to catch gags:
Now there is another nice gag grouper:
Batter dipped fish. Tammy you are a dream come true:
Nap time. We sure do appreciate those air conditioned bunks. Note the cover & sweater. They are a must even during the middle of the day:
The fishing is really slow, but we are still catching fish:
Mrs. Kara Mcclure, our first mate, Will's wife, sure knows how to fish.
It's rough but that 72' cat gives us a steady platform from which to fish:
Will, you can be proud of this woman, this wife. Gag # 2:
Even a king fish. What a woman. Will, you had better hold on to her; she is a real winner:
Dinner time, Chef Tammy time. Let's start with a green garden fresh salad. I will have ranch dressing:
Then the masterpiece! Black beans and yellow rice with chicken. Hold on, what kind of seasoning has Tammy come up with now? That's different! Don't tell anyone her secret ingredients. To Mojo Sauce Tammy adds fresh garlic & onions. Only fresh is good enough for Tammy:
During the heat of the day the fishing has been really slow. hopefully we will have a good evening bite. now that looks good:
Mister Chris Wright could not get away from the American red snapper:
We quickly vent and release all fish we cannot keep. See you next year.
Fishing the Elbow before Isaac was slower than what we have become accustomed to, however, we still had a nice catch.
Kara (L), Captain Brian, Kara's husband Will, and Joe. What a team!
Matt had one heck of a day. Man! That AJ is heavy, hope he wins the jackpot:
Too bad kings are not in the jack pot.
Matt walks away with jack pot money:
And the snapper money winner:
Now there is some big gags. Hold on! They are not in the jack pot. Next time!
And the grouper winner:
Fishing the Elbow before Isaac was not as productive as fishing has been for us. By the middle of the week thirty foot waves are due to hit the Grounds & Elbow. The fish will leave their 'pot holes' and be pinned against ledges, they will be more concentrated and easier to find. For the next few weeks fishing should be fantastic. We did not do well on the AJ's this weekend. We will be looking for the biggest pin fish we can find. Big pins mean big AJ's. Come next weekend the fish will be in smaller areas and hungry. And, to make things even better, the full of the moon is August 31, 9:57 A.M. We will be fishing the day after the full moon. Mangrove snapper should be on fire. Eleven spots are still open on the Florida Fisherman. Spot # 4 on the stern is still available, won't be for long. Even some downstairs AC bunks nave not been taken. We need all the help we can get.
Bob Harbison
Florida Outdoor Writers Association
