# Pre-Thanksgiving ~ Offshore Destin



## reelfinatical (Sep 30, 2007)

*(1) Monday, 11/16/09: *

Spent 1/2 of Nov back in NC visiting our families, got to fish with my Father in Lawwhile we were up there (always cool fishing with him!),& didn't get to fish back here on ourboat until the middle of November. 

<SPAN class=postbody hasbox="2">I checked Reefcast & Supermap charts to see what was going on lately and made a plan. We left Joe's around 7:30am, heading offshore to bottom drop. It was cloudy and a bit cool, got 26 miles to the 200' depth wreck to jig, & seas were 1' and built to 2'. I pulled up 1 AJ off it! That's it! The boat near us wasn't doing so hot either. Crazy... Oh the AJ I caught was the first fish using my new Saltist 30 that my Uncle Ronnie gave me when we were up in Carolina Beach. (He's a cool fishin'dude too!). 

We left there and went 7 miles further to a natural bottom area which got us a mixed bag of bottom species and some smoker KINGS on vertical jigs! Biggest was 25-28#s off a blue & silverflat side.









Came in around 1pm to another natural bottom area, seas were FLAT nearer shore. We caught over a dozen Red Snapper in the 6 - 10lb range, a couple Red Grouper, Mingos, more Kings on jigs, and a nice Grouper that got everything but its lip ripped off by FLIPPER! Mean ass. THe only thing Scott had on his hook was the Groupers lips!!!










<SPAN class=postbody hasbox="2">









<SPAN class=postbody hasbox="2">




































<SPAN class=postbody hasbox="2">*(2) Tuesday, 11/24/09*

<SPAN class=postbody hasbox="2">Started out today going 25 miles SW from the Pass. The beach was calm by the NE winds but the further from shore we got the nastier the seas got. It got to like a 2' slop with winds around 10 knots. Some 3s here and there. Turning back into the seas was another story, with the winds blowing the splash right into your face (sucks we couldn't roll the front curtain down - it was in need of a wash, but we DID have our side curtains up)!... 

<SPAN class=postbody hasbox="2">Anyway, we caught a messload of Triggers & Mingos. Red Snapper showed themselves in full force too. We tried weeding thru them with BIG live baits but nope, they ate them before a Grouper could! I caught some undersize AJs using live tomtates. Scott caught a 2-feet-long Star Pufferfish (had to Google for an ID..what y'all think?..is that right?). Two Red Grouper came up later in the day on the same rocky bottom area. Today was mostly Trigger Trigger Trigger Trigger, some big, some not so big. 

<SPAN class=postbody hasbox="2">Winds had died in the late afternoon, seas calmed a tad, and the ride back was quite pleasant. Back on the hill by 5pm. <SPAN class=postbody hasbox="2">


Enjoyin my hot White Choc Caramel coffee on the ride out:











The slop, of course the pics don't do it much justice:


----------



## lobsterman (Sep 30, 2007)

Awesome pics.


----------



## DoubleD (Oct 2, 2007)

Great report and pics as always!


----------



## capt mike (Oct 3, 2007)

I was out there off Orange Beach and the word you used "slop" was as close as anybody could accurately describe what met us about 3 miles off the beach in a 25 footer! We decided that common sense was the better part of valor and went to Waffle House!!!! That is a huge Puffer!! We fished yesterday and released 4 snapper over 20 lbs. off my private reefs and yes big baits are good but a grouper doesn't have a chance to get it with snapper that size all over the wreck! Great post!!!!


----------



## dailysaw (Jan 22, 2008)

nice!! :clap


----------



## tailfisher (Oct 7, 2007)

see george you need to get out of retirement and plan a trip


----------



## lobsterman (Sep 30, 2007)

Tailfisher that is funny. I could always hitch a ride with the Reel Finatical crew.


----------



## tailfisher (Oct 7, 2007)

see if you can hook us both up .


----------



## reelfinatical (Sep 30, 2007)

Wehave an open boat most days with just the 2 of us.  Fish mostly during the week & avoid weekends until off-season. Always cool to have good company, we don't always catch the biggest fish but we have fun at it!! Might be a weekbefore we get out again tho, seen today that one of the motorshasthe mysterious oil leaksloooowly streamingdown off it again, even after Ships Chandler replaced some seals a couple months ago. Gladthey're still under warranty is all i gotta say! =D


----------



## Eastern Tackle (Jul 6, 2009)

Pretty work on the fish! That puffer is cool.


----------



## The LaJess II (Oct 3, 2007)

Good report Amanda. That is the biggest blow fish I have ever seen. Good grief.


----------



## Private Pilot (Oct 3, 2007)

Very nice pics. Well done on the kings!!:clap


----------

