The fishing is good, but it's awfully hard to catch a "keeper" unless you
travel quite a way offshore. I did manage to get a 24" gag yesterday about
3 1/2 miles offshore, but that was the first "keeper" gag I caught on my
boat in almost 2 years. I usually stay within 8 miles of shore when I'm on
my boat, but we went out to about 18 miles today. Even out 18-25 miles, you
still only catch one "keeper" per 40 or 50 fish you pull up. Snook have an
even tougher limit. The "slot limit" is 26-34", and the season is closed a
good part of December and January, and from May 1 through August 31st. I've
caught plenty of slot snook in the closed seasons, and plenty of non-slot
snook in the open seasons. It's almost scary how often that happens.

If you're trying to get dinner, it sucks. But at least there are plenty of
fish to catch for "sport". I've turned into one helluva catch 'n release
guy in the 4 years I've lived down here. Now, I no longer base "success" on
whether or not I get a "keeper"...which makes me appreciate hooking a 27"
jack crevalle, 80 lb. tarpon, or 10 pound bonito. You wouldn't want to eat
any of those...but the excitement of hooking one really gets your heart rate
going.

Before you go to Bal Harbour, go to www.floridasportsman.com. Go to the "FS
Fishing Forums" link, click on the "South Florida" section, and see what's
biting. The guys on the FS forums are some of the most knowledgeable
fisherman on the water. In fact, many are guides, and some write articles
for Florida Sportsman. Don't expect to get GPS numbers for honey holes, but
you'll be able to get up-to-the-minute fishing reports...including what's
biting, general location, what kind of bait/lures, and what part of the
tide. If you're polite enough, you might get invited on a member's boat
(just split the gas/bait bill) or even get a few GPS numbers via Instant
Messaging. Just don't bring up the fact you're a liberal Democrat. The
boards are 4 to 1 conservatives to liberals...and most of the liberals seem
to fish from kayaks or land. ;-)


"Harry Krause" wrote in message
...
NOYB wrote:

Went grouper digging on a 43' Torres. Caught about 100 fish. Of those
we
had 2 keeper gags, a keeper red grouper, 3 large spanish macks, and a
mess
of snapper and grunts. Best part of the day was watching the 72 year
old
captain turn the single screw full keel boat around in a canal that was
only
about 65' wide...and then parallel park her next to million dollar
boats.

BTW--the boat didn't have a bow thruster.



"Harry Krause" wrote in message
...
...interesting.

Stopped off in Chesapeake Beach for a look-see (lotsa damage and mess
from Isabel) and was pleased to see virtually everyone is back in
business.

Got invited aboard a spanking new Grady-White 33' Express powered by
two
250 hp Yamaha outboards, and took a ride out into the Bay for about a
half hour. It's an absolutely fabulous fishing machine, with a great
command console, hardtop and cabin, plus a huge, flat cockpit. The
water
was pretty flat, but we did cross a couple of wakes - fast - and the
boat handled them nicely. We were top-ending somewhere in the mid-40's
(mph), which is faster than most of the twin inboard express fishing
boats I've seen.


There's no doubt Florida fishing is some of the best in the world.
Compared to Florida fishing, the fishing in Chesapeake Bay...sucks. The
"big" fish in the Bay, the one almost everyone seems to target, is the
striped bass. Never been one of my favorites. Fortunately, the Atlantic
Ocean via Virginia Beach is only four to five hours away, and the
fishing right around that area is very good. But still not Florida.

Looks like I'll be down in Bal Harbour in February or March for
meetings. Fishing will be on my agenda.



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