# Ohhh Marlin Day!!! 09/22



## Jason (Oct 2, 2007)

Our youth pastor is moving so I told him I had to take him on a trip before he moved... Picked him up about 0530 and he asked if I checked the conditions. What? Nahhhhhhhh I'm going fishing regardless!!! hahaha He said NOAA said 1-2's so I told him to add 2 to their report... I wasn't wrong! It was rough and I felt kinda weird since all the boats I saw headed out were the big sport fishers. It was a long trip but finally got to "the spot"... We were marking fish all over the water column but couldn't get anything to bite. Justin jigged a good size BoBo that was chased by a large shark but managed to get him in... 



While we were sitting there, a sport fisher was coming from the south and looked like it was gonna run me over... about 20 yards he turned and put himself right in front of me... I yelled at him he had about 20 more yards if he needed to get closer!!! Ohhhh well......


While sitting there I looked out and saw something big coming toward the boat... It didn't look like a shark and the closer it got the more my jaw dropped!!! A largish Blue Marlin came within a foot from the boat and turned sideways all lit up!!! I was in AWE... Every fin was neon blue and it was BEAUTIFUL!!! I yelled at Justin about it and I think he thought I was smoking crack... Then he saw it.... That joker stayed circling the boat fer about 5 minutes all lit up... I threw a live hard tail and he turned on it then went the other way... I was thinking my old Penn 700 wouldn't have a chance!!! hahaha Although it would be a fun story!!! 



After a while we headed to some other spots and marked fish EVERYWHERE and put everything down (live bait/frozen bait/squid/cut bait) only got a few trash fish, mingo and a red snapper. Wore out the trolling motor and killed the batteries so we were off the water by about 1700. Kind of a busted trip but seeing the marlin was well worth it ifin we didn't catch ANYTHING!!!


The fish with the weird tail (tail like a sea bass but different color) is what????


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## dsaito (Feb 3, 2014)

Your seabass is a rock fish. Jacks and groupers love em


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## JoeyWelch (Sep 25, 2009)

Never know what your gonna see out there.


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## Jason (Oct 2, 2007)

dsaito said:


> Your seabass is a rock fish. Jacks and groupers love em



Rock sea bass...finally saw some other pics of it! Reckon I will save em fer bait next time... We caught some ruby red lips and used them too...


Anyone ever have any luck with lizard fish fer bait? I caught a few of them little jokers too!


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## Boboe (Feb 4, 2013)

Your mystery fish is a "Bank Sea Bass." Rock Sea Bass are similar, but have a skinnier appearance and little tassles on the dorsal spines. Both of these guys are really good eating if you can get them big enough to be worth cleaning. As others said, they make great bait too.



Lizardfish and snakefish are both very good baits. Everything eats them. Big snappers love them up off the bottom. Live, dead, doesn't matter. It's one of the finest baits you can get, if you can get it.


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## Solace (Apr 23, 2009)

I agree great bait for big snapper, also the largest king mackerel I have ever caught!


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