# Offshore 7-23-10



## Kim (Aug 5, 2008)

My best friend Tim and myself decided to take a cruise through the dreaded closed Federal Waters to see what it was looking like out there. About ten miles South of the East Pass the water was a clean green. By the time we got out to the edge it had turned a nice clean green/blue. I think if we had gone another 15-20 miles South we may have found pretty blue waters. Anyway, at the edge we turned East and headed towards Panama City. We turned back North West about 8 miles out of P City and headed to a bottom spot in State Waters to catch our last two Red Snapper of the season.

We left the dock around 7 AM, out the Pass 15 minutes later and out over the edge about 9. The seas were 1-2 rollers perfect for trolling. I have to admit that I may have wiped a tear or two from my eyes because I haven't seen so many thick schools of fliers in years. Lots of bait fish scattered all over the place and the Bonito were busting all over them. Lots of scattered weeds, some small weed lines with patches that looked promising. By the time we got back to Destin the winds and storms had kicked up and turned it into a 1 - 3 short chop.

I forgot to mention that we didn't see any oil slicks, no tar balls, no sheen on the water, no smell of crude oil and no dead fish floating.

I still have hopes that NOAA will open Federal Waters to fishing now that the BP cap seems to be holding. August - October are our hottest fishing months offshore and judging by what we saw out there this year will be no different if we can get out there. If not, the fish that come back next year will be bigger and fatter for sure.


----------



## Realtor (Oct 1, 2007)

Great post Kim! i have been looking for a report when someone see it with their own eyes! Thanks, we are hittin it this up coming weekend, the seas even look like they will be nice.


----------



## JoeyWelch (Sep 25, 2009)

Thanks for the report Kim. It's good to hear something positive for a change. Maybe the sky's not falling afterall.
Congrat's on the fish too.


----------



## destincabo (Nov 4, 2007)

Kim, I'm with ya on hopes for August, September and October. Thanks for letting us know what you saw out there. Hopefully someone with NOAA will clear it for us to be able to get back out there.


----------



## Aqua Therapy (Jul 25, 2010)

That is great to hear. You hope for the best, but you really don't know until we get reports like this or see it first hand. I am itchen to get out!


----------



## Eastern Tackle (Jul 6, 2009)

Thanks for the real time report. It won't be long now till its all a distant memory.


----------



## cobe killer (Apr 13, 2008)

It was beautiful out there on the 18th. Flyers and bobo's just like you said. No signs of oil or sheen and we went a loooong way out too. No cobalt water but pretty blue,blue green.full of life every where we went.they need to go see for themselves and open the waters up at least s. Of destin. Nough said.


----------



## destincabo (Nov 4, 2007)

Kim
did you all catch any flak from the feds for being out in the closed area? Do they even have boats out there looking?


----------



## Gulflady (Jun 19, 2010)

Great report, thanks for sharing!!! :thumbup::thumbup:


----------



## Naby (Jan 18, 2009)

I'm hoping that they'll open federal waters soon also. One of the reasons I was excited to move this way from PC was to be closer to deep water. Now that I'm here I can't go.


----------



## Kim (Aug 5, 2008)

You can go out into the closed areas but you just can't fish.


----------

