Fish Caught: Sheepshead, Mangrove Snapper, Skate/Ray

High Tide: 7:00 PM 1.75 FT Low Tide: 11:55 AM 0.75 FT Wind: 10-20 SW Air Temp: 57/86 Water Temp: 74 Clarity: murky

Our friends from Connecticut, Tom and Arlene, are here in Florida to get a little relief from the long winter they endured up north. They're staying with Tom's Mom and Dad and during a wonderful lasagna dinner last night we met Tom's brother Robin and his wife Patty who are also on vacation from New York. We had a wonderful evening and planned to go out fishing the next morning, so Tom & Arlene and Robin & Patty where knocking on our door a little before 10:00 AM Sunday morning. We decided to catch the low slack to incoming tide at the El Jobean bridge to see if the snook would be feeding so we went straight out there. It was much nicer day than the last time Tom and Arlene were with us and anchoring at the bridge was a simple matter. I had 4 dozen shrimp and half a dozen pass crabs from the El Jobean Bait & Tackle Shop and we started throwing them and a Gulp white swimming mullet at the bridge. It was slow at first on the outgoing tide but as the tide turned in we saw a little more action. Arlene was the first to land a fish, the 10 inch mangrove snapper you see in the photo. Tom was holding it while trying to stay out of the photo because Arlene didn't want to touch it. A seasoned fisherwomen knows how to bait hooks and remove fish with little more than a flash of a smile, while keeping her hands completely unsoiled. I had a monster hit on my Gulp in the open water between the bridge and the boat, after giving it some thought I suspect it was a shark because the line was cut cleanly off. When the tide turned in I tried the pass crabs and on my second cast, the crab was right up near the bridge with a small sinker when something that felt large picked it up and took off. I gave it a few seconds, tightened the line and set the hook. I had a nice sized fish on, I was fairly certain I had the snook I'd come here for. But I could also tell it was near or in the encrusted cement bridge piling and in just about 5 seconds the line cut. I fished the rest of the crabs with no luck. Tom caught a fish I'd never heard of before, a toadfish. I don't know why but he knew the name and I Googled it just to be sure. Here's a link to Wikipedia's Toadfish page. Its an ugly looking fish which we threw back. It was slow at the bridge so we moved back to the canal. Tom got a 10 inch mangrove snapper and a stingray but mostly we just fed the tiny snappers. Karen was feeding some huge blue crabs and we tried to get them into the net but they were too quick for us. We tried a couple spots in the canal but it was a slow fishing day. I think Monday or Tuesday would be the day to go out with a front coming down for Tuesday afternoon. But I have to get back to work so get out there if you can and let me know if my prediction is right. About 3:30 we headed back home, a few of the snowbirds sporting bright red patches of skin. We all shared the 2 mangrove snappers for supper, but had to supplement it with burgers and salads and wine and beer. But I think a good time was had by all, I know it was a fun day for me and we'll look forward to Tom, Arlene, Robin and Patty coming back next year. Oh, and we ended the evening by standing in the yard and watching the space shuttle launch. It was kind of an anticlimax and it wasn't long after that I gave in to the long day and was sound asleep on the couch.

Labels: Mangrove Snapper, Sheepshead, Skate/Ray