# Pensacola Trolling



## Spooky II (Aug 4, 2009)

Started from the launch on the south end of 3MB and started trolling in front of the base around sunrise. By the time I got to the lighthouse I had a 26" Gag and a 21" gag. Unfortunately, as I was putting the shorter one back in the drink, he suddenly got active and jerked the lip grips out of my hand. I wasn't upset about losing the grips, but watching him swim down with those stuck in his mouth was sad. He probably didn't last long down there. After getting going again, I got outside the pass and landed a 28" king, a spanish, a bonita that fought like a mad man, and lost several more. All in all a great day, minus the Gag incident. Put 1 gag and the King in the freezer.

On a side note, I tried trolling around 5-5.5 mph this time and seemed to do much better than in the past when doing 3.5-4. It seemed a little fast to me, but wanted to give it a try. As the water starts cooling down, do ya'll slow down as well, or stay pretty constant regardless of water temp?

1st pic was before I gave away the grips (lesson learned). :banghead



















New pair of grips, and I understand why they have a wrist strap.










DP

:usaflag


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## wld1985 (Oct 2, 2007)

Nice catch.. What'd you troll with?


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## Spooky II (Aug 4, 2009)

I don't know the name of it, but picked it up in Gulf Breeze. It was expensive, but worked well. It was a lead slab about 6 inches long and 3 inches high, with 5 holes in the top for tying into with varied action. It had a thin real-fish looking cover on it, which started to shred after 4 or 5 fish. My plan was to keep it and repaint with model paint, but it got cut off (80 lb mono leader) by something towards the end of the day. I'll definitely be getting another and will take a pic. 

:usaflag


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## JoeZ (Sep 30, 2007)

Sounds like a Braid Runner.


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## Spooky II (Aug 4, 2009)

Braid Runneris the one. I had a silver/blue, and in the water, it looked pretty good. I also had a green/yellow stretch 25 which saw no action all day. Typically I would use the white/red stretch, but mine was in pretty bad shape.

:usaflag


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## specslayer (Oct 9, 2007)

the grouper bite in the bay is on fire we've caught 3 in our last 3 tries


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## todd in the bay (Oct 3, 2007)

Love those gags myself. But all we got were some kings and boneeters.










Fee'el the Stretch!


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## JonnyT (Dec 2, 2007)

Nice fish! I take it you were on the north side of the bay near the base. I have pretty good luck on the opposite side as well, trolling with the tide and against it are two different things - I up the throttle a little when I'm going with the tide to get the lures down and running well. Against a good tide, I usually idle.


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## Chris Phillips (Oct 1, 2007)

I've always wondered if Braid Runners or Yo-Zuri Bonitas would work in the bay... Nice catch!


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## Spooky II (Aug 4, 2009)

I was on the North side. I've had pretty good luck on that side for Reds and nothing on the South side, guess it's just timing. As for the Braid Runner, it's the first time I've spent that much on a lure, but judging from one morning, it worked pretty darn good. Maybe I would have done just as good on a red/white stretch, but oh well.

:usaflag


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## Dylan (Apr 15, 2008)

> *Chris Phillips (9/28/2009)*I've always wondered if Braid Runners or Yo-Zuri Bonitas would work in the bay... Nice catch!




I bet a Menhaden pattern would be the ticket!


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## JonnyT (Dec 2, 2007)

Any crank-type, large lure that dives 20-40' will get the job done. Patterns don't seem to matter much, though I tend to stick with silver, gold or yellow (bright colors). I caught a 15" grouper on a fire-tiger Stretch-30 once. The lure was about an inch longer than the fish!


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