# Fantastic Day Fishing on the GSP Pier, and a Picnic



## ChileRelleno (Jul 7, 2012)

Wow, what a day on the pier!










Nathaniel and I made a day of it, up at 0330am, at J&M at 0500am.
Pick up some shrimp and odds-n-ends , talk to John G. and checked the smoker, John's BBQ was looking & smelling great.
John showed Nate and I some custom rods being built, and a few other things of interest, chit chat and browse the aisles.
I love mornings at J&M.

To the pier at 0600, we encountered Mr. Roby going up the ramp and said "G'morning".
Those Specks better have said their prayers cause the Devil was coming their way with a smile on his face.

No wind, the water was like a lake and it was beautifully clear.
As the sun rose and lit it up, one could see the bar, the troughs/holes and deeper water going out with gem like clarity.
Looked like the freaking Bahamas almost, just gorgeous.
Lots of bait, some pods of Cownose rays cruising, dolphins, birds of all sorts and more.
Just an incredible morning to enjoy God's handiwork.

Get on and immediately see Spanish coming over the rail at the T, stopped and killed a few.
Make it to the Octi and it is practically a Chew Down, the action was hot-n-fast for awhile.
And that was the name of the game till after lunch, 10 minutes of madness about every 10-20 minutes as schools of Spaniards passed through and hit all manner of jigs, bubbles and live shrimp.
2-4#s was the norm, with plenty of 4-6# Axe Handles mixed in and few big'uns going 7-8#.
A couple of Bulls Reds were caught too.

Still early in the AM, I was working a gold Gotcha on the Octi when my line whipped tight and my drag screamed... People were like "King?!?!"
Then a majestic Tarpon tore through the surface, jumping high and shaking his head trying to dislodge the Gotcha.
I hollered "ONE!" and it was as exciting as fishing gets.
He jumped again, "TWO!" I yelled as the drag kept screaming, ripping the 12# mono of my little Penn 5500SS.
Well on my way to being spooled I tried futilely to slow him cranking up the drag.
"THREE!" and POP! went my line and the silver demon crashed back into the water, and he jumped at least once more trying to shake my jig loose.
What an experience, three jumps on a huge Tarpon... If I hadn't caught another fish all day I would've still been thrilled with the day.










The day continued on to lunch and the Pier Picnic got under way with a Blessing given in eerie silence for a pier so crowded with people.
The food... The food was awesome and a great buffet it was. Domestic and wild hog BBQ was the main course, Chilis, hotdogs, salads-n-sides of all sorts, desserts and drinks abounded. No one went away hungry. Late comers kept it going for a few hours and people kept grazing.
The camaraderie was really nice, everyone was happy and stuffed. Met so many people, put faces to names & nicks.
Very nice indeed.



























The Rangers made their rounds with a thorough random checks of licenses during lunch, I bet half the people fishing were checked.

The wind finally picked up from the SW, but no Kings appeared.
There was a shortish Cobe landed, mixed reports on it's legality.
Another was caught later in the day, 28# IIRC.
Several more seen, and a few even hooked up but lost.

Saw four or five nice Reds come over the rail on the Octi, heard about and/or saw a few Flounder, Pomps and Specks in the shallows.
One Pomp was a real hoss, had to be pushing 4#.

The day progressed for Nate and I with more Spanish till they pretty much shutdown in the hours after lunch.
I landed a nice Red on a free swimming live LY and Nate got some Blues and Spades.
Twenty +/- Spanish, a Red, Blue and Spades in our cooler.
We finally called it a day 14.5 hours after stepping on the pier and our cooler was much heavier.
We'll be eating very well over the next week.

Again, a beautiful and bountiful day, a great picnic with hordes of familiar faces, new acquaintances and happy people.
What more could one ask for? KINGS! Bring'em on.


----------



## Mac1528 (Mar 24, 2012)

Sounds like a great day CR. Thanks for the super report and for sharing the pics.


----------



## captken (Feb 24, 2008)

*Great report of great action.*

I spent several days on the GS Pier in the early 70's. I probably caught the first Cobia caught off the pier long before it opened. 84# ain't too shabby. I was by myself in a driving rain storm. Had to jump off the pier with my rod and had to open my bail to keep from getting dragged away. 

Man it is a long way from the pier to the water. I'd love to be young again.


----------



## ChileRelleno (Jul 7, 2012)

Spanish prepped for the broiler.



My kids hate fish.



Money shot.



Spades, before & after.





Dessert, homemade apple/caramel crisps


----------



## Mac1528 (Mar 24, 2012)

Ok, I see the yellow peppers and onion, what's the seasoning? Baked or broiled?


----------



## ChileRelleno (Jul 7, 2012)

Spanish, olive oil, Sea salt, Cajun spice, onions & Bell pepper.
Broil on high, 4" from elements till flaking goodness.

Spades, olive oil and butter, Sea salt & black pepper.
Wrap in foil and broil on high, 10 minutes per side.


----------



## Mac1528 (Mar 24, 2012)

Mmmmm!! Sounds & looks good. Hope y'all enjoyed. Thanks.


----------



## nmadel (Mar 11, 2014)

Great post! Thanks for sharing


----------



## SteveCal (Jun 21, 2014)

This has got to be the absolute best post of all time.:thumbup:


----------



## still flippen (Oct 6, 2007)

Fine day all around!! That is how to live! :thumbup:


----------



## olegator (Dec 6, 2014)

Great post....great pics!


----------



## squirrel (Mar 19, 2012)

wow, looks like you did very well. Enjoyed the tips/pics on cooking. I"ll be trying that spanish recipe later this week.


----------



## olvart (Dec 25, 2014)

Wow,
Great Pics,great day!!!
Congrats & thanks for the post.


----------

