# 6-7-22 Trip



## Boat-Dude (Sep 24, 2011)

Well we got an early start and loaded up the boat and headed out (got tired of waiting for the next day will be better syndrome, lol). Got to the Mass and picked up some Ly's and small hardtails, didn't want any big baits, we were going after some Almaco's. It was a bumpy slow ride out but we made it to some fed public spots and and started getting hit right off, My better half loved her new rod and reel and was pulling in the Almaco's pretty good and a good size Mangrove. We moved around on the same spot and started picking up some Mingo's. We loaded up in a few hours and started heading back. We were out about 15 miles and didn't see any weed lines but tons of grass just outside the pass. Saw some flying fish on the way back in so I put a cup on just in case. All in all it was a great day and put some food in the freezer.

*Water Clarity* = Dirty in the Bay, greenish at the Mass, offshore clean green water
*Bait *= Ly's, small hardtails, at the Mass.
*Water Depth* = 90 to 110
*Offshore current* = Low
*Area* = Fed Waters
*Water Temp* = 83°F
*Moon* = Half Moon


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## wwalkeriv (Jan 31, 2020)

Thanks for the report. Very jealous up here in Auburn.


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## jwilson1978 (Mar 23, 2021)

Boat-Dude said:


> Well we got an early start and loaded up the boat and headed out (got tired of waiting for the next day will be better syndrome, lol). Got to the Mass and picked up some Ly's and small hardtails, didn't want any big baits, we were going after some Almaco's. It was a bumpy slow ride out but we made it to some fed public spots and and started getting hit right off, My better half loved her new rod and reel and was pulling in the Almaco's pretty good and a good size Mangrove. We moved around on the same spot and started picking up some Mingo's. We loaded up in a few hours and started heading back. We were out about 15 miles and didn't see any weed lines but tons of grass just outside the pass. Saw some flying fish on the way back in so I put a cup on just in case. All in all it was a great day and put some food in the freezer.
> 
> *Water Clarity* = Dirty in the Bay, greenish at the Mass, offshore clean green water
> *Bait *= Ly's, small hardtails, at the Mass.
> ...


Yessss! Lol great report as always you need to fish more need more reports


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## Lipz (Mar 19, 2013)

Some really good eating, your reports are always the best. Thanks for the report dude!


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## JoeyWelch (Sep 25, 2009)

Get em Charlie!!!


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## Xpac (Jun 22, 2011)

Nice work dude! Some good looking groves.


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## straightshooter (11 mo ago)

I have read on here about getting bait at the mass. I have never tried this, usually buy frozen squid and cigar minnows. catch a few pin fish on squid at the landing. How do you catch the bait at the mass? Not a newbee to the gulf just never caught bait other than pinfish.


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## Boardfeet (Sep 27, 2007)

straightshooter said:


> I have read on here about getting bait at the mass. I have never tried this, usually buy frozen squid and cigar minnows. catch a few pin fish on squid at the landing. How do you catch the bait at the mass? Not a newbee to the gulf just never caught bait other than pinfish.


Fluorocarbon sabiki rig.


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## Boat-Dude (Sep 24, 2011)

What boardfeet said, Fluorocarbon sabiki rigs work the best. I get mine from Gulf Breeze Bait and Tackle they have the Hayabusa 4 Hage Aurora Sabiki but you can get the standard cheapo's at Walmart for a little over a buck. I make a 100lbs small loop (crimped) with a 2oz sinker on the end so I can put the loop on my reel handle, plus it makes it easier to close the snap swivel on the bottom of the sabiki. You really need to a weight no less then a 2oz because most cigar minnows will over power and tangle up the sabiki if the weight on the bottom is to light. On bigget thread fins baits I will use a 3oz.


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## SurfRidr (Apr 24, 2012)

Sabiki's as noted. Sometimes if they're being picky, tipping the hooks with tiny pieces of squid can help.

Nice box of fish, Boatdude! Sounds like a good trip! Tell me more about targeting almaco's I don't know that I have caught any of those yet - I'm still learning this offshore thing!


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## Boat-Dude (Sep 24, 2011)

SurfRidr said:


> Sabiki's as noted. Sometimes if they're being picky, tipping the hooks with tiny pieces of squid can help.
> 
> Nice box of fish, Boatdude! Sounds like a good trip! Tell me more about targeting almaco's I don't know that I have caught any of those yet - I'm still learning this offshore thing!


Ohh I am still learning as well, I'm new to this offshore stuff. With Almacos I use smaller baits (2" to 3" Ly's) so not to attract AJ's. 30# fluro with a #3 circle, smallest tackle you can get away with, same for Mangroves. I will start near to top and drop down little at a time, they don't play with it like Mangroves, they hit.


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## straightshooter (11 mo ago)

Thank you for the replies. I will try it next time I head out.


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## Trble Make-rr (Sep 30, 2007)

I tied our own rigs using small gold hooks and 6lb fluorocarbo. Bought spool of line, sinkers and hooks to save money.


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## Boat-Dude (Sep 24, 2011)

Trble Make-rr said:


> I tied our own rigs using small gold hooks and 6lb fluorocarbo. Bought spool of line, sinkers and hooks to save money.


I use to make them as well, they sell those tiny gold hooks at GBB&T, I made them a lot when I was fishing the pier. I would tip them with tiny pieces of lime green rubber grub worms.


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## jwilson1978 (Mar 23, 2021)

Trble Make-rr said:


> I tied our own rigs using small gold hooks and 6lb fluorocarbo. Bought spool of line, sinkers and hooks to save money.


I do all mine from sabiki's ,chicken rigs to deep drop rigs. It's like reloading you can't buy what you want. And you can put quality stuff together. no shity clips/swivels or hooks that straighten out no china made line that is rotten. .


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## jwilson1978 (Mar 23, 2021)

Boat-Dude said:


> I use to make them as well, they sell those tiny gold hooks at GBB&T, I made them a lot when I was fishing the pier. I would tip them with tiny pieces of lime green rubber grub worms.


(Pro-tec) makes every color under the rainbow + about 800 different powder coat colors easy to use and you can make any hook or hard bait/jig any color you want. To hell with those weak ass china made gold hooks.


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## GROUPERKING (Sep 28, 2011)

Way to go Dude !


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## Catchemall (May 8, 2018)

Great fish and an outstanding report! I used to look at almacos as just another jack but changed my mind after trying one a few years back. They are very underrated and an excellent fish all the way around. The mangos and mingos are about as good as it gets. Sounds like you've got a pretty good fisherwoman there Dude.


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## Boat-Dude (Sep 24, 2011)

Thanks, I was really trying to fill the freezer, I ran out of fish a month ago. We had a good time, I can't let that gas to to waste it cost to much. I was blessed with a great wife, she throws a net, catches bait, makes up her own rigs....


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## Robalo-lee-202-EX (7 mo ago)

so im new to this fi


Boat-Dude said:


> Well we got an early start and loaded up the boat and headed out (got tired of waiting for the next day will be better syndrome, lol). Got to the Mass and picked up some Ly's and small hardtails, didn't want any big baits, we were going after some Almaco's. It was a bumpy slow ride out but we made it to some fed public spots and and started getting hit right off, My better half loved her new rod and reel and was pulling in the Almaco's pretty good and a good size Mangrove. We moved around on the same spot and started picking up some Mingo's. We loaded up in a few hours and started heading back. We were out about 15 miles and didn't see any weed lines but tons of grass just outside the pass. Saw some flying fish on the way back in so I put a cup on just in case. All in all it was a great day and put some food in the freezer.
> 
> *Water Clarity* = Dirty in the Bay, greenish at the Mass, offshore clean green water
> *Bait *= Ly's, small hardtails, at the Mass.
> ...


*im new to this fishing away from rivers, when you so the Mass are you talking bout the USS Massachusetts ?*


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## LY-zer (Jan 16, 2019)

yes


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## SurfRidr (Apr 24, 2012)

A lot of folks around the Mass are trying to catch live bait.


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## Boat-Dude (Sep 24, 2011)

SurfRidr said:


> A lot of folks around the Mass are trying to catch live bait.


Were they successful? Or did they chase the bait pods around and around?


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## SurfRidr (Apr 24, 2012)

Boat-Dude said:


> Were they successful? Or did they chase the bait pods around and around?


I saw a pretty good number of boats around the Mass and around the bouys, especially the last two, but not a lot of bait being caught and very sparse on sonar. We got 2 hard tails and an LY, but after an hour we didn't have any cigars or spanish sardines, and I decided to just use some grunts when we inevitably would catch some and I moved on... but we got a late start due to circumstances and wasn't out there looking for bait till like 7am, so we might have just missed it, dunno. We didn't turn out to need it; no big fish but we got a limit of 18-20' inchers using salt cured shrimp, squid, and cut chunks of fresh ruby reds. 

Wife wants to go tomorrow but doesn't want to get up real early, so we may skip the live bait entirely tomorrow and just go fish.  I'd like to try to get a limit before it gets real hot, especially since the 9 year old wants to come and I know his tolerance for discomfort.


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## Boat-Dude (Sep 24, 2011)

You showed up at the right time. Look for the tide, if its low tide when at the mass the baits will be out farther then the mass, in low tide you will see boats piled up at the number 1 buoy or the tide lines. During high tide you will see the mass loaded up with bait and the tide lines in the pass and baits will also be piled up at ft pickens pier. You need a number 4 ot 6 sabiki, if you get the dollar ones at walmart get the red and green mix. Use a 2oz weight, so if you tree up sigs they will not tangle it up because they over power the weight if it's smaller then 2oz. The KEY is bait hates noise, I hear people banging leads on their deck and that spooks the baits like people chasing them around like herding cats. Find the general area they keep poping up and hold in that area drop the ipilot and turn the engine off and be patient. You will see them move in and out of your bottom machine. Most people are so impatient they leave after 10 minutes because they see a school and rush over the cast and they go to the bottom and pop up in another place. 

I have been to the mass where most boats leave and the bait comes to the top and stays there and I load up fast. Still and quiet gets the bait. Good luck.


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## SurfRidr (Apr 24, 2012)

Boat-Dude said:


> You showed up at the right time. Look for the tide, if its low tide when at the mass the baits will be out farther then the mass, in low tide you will see boats piled up at the number 1 buoy or the tide lines. During high tide you will see the mass loaded up with bait and the tide lines in the pass and baits will also be piled up at ft pickens pier. You need a number 4 ot 6 sabiki, if you get the dollar ones at walmart get the red and green mix. Use a 2oz weight, so if you tree up sigs they will not tangle it up because they over power the weight if it's smaller then 2oz. The KEY is bait hates noise, I hear people banging leads on their deck and that spooks the baits like people chasing them around like herding cats. Find the general area they keep poping up and hold in that area drop the ipilot and turn the engine off and be patient. You will see them move in and out of your bottom machine. Most people are so impatient they leave after 10 minutes because they see a school and rush over the cast and they go to the bottom and pop up in another place.
> 
> I have been to the mass where most boats leave and the bait comes to the top and stays there and I load up fast. Still and quiet gets the bait. Good luck.


Thanks Boat-Dude those are helpful tips, I'll try to pay attention to more of the details. I did see a lot of boats on the tide line north of Pickens, but watched a bit ... saw more people pulling up trolling motors than pulling up bait so we kept moving. Usually I run across schools on the way out to where i'm going to be fishing, but when that happened this time my sabiki had been torn up by the hard tails - I had lost all but one hook on the Hayabusa I had tied on- and by then I was ready to just go fish so I didn't re-tie and try to get some out of the school. 

Tomorrow I'm going to try to have everything loaded and ready to go so when the wife gets up and is ready we can just go. It's about 50 minutes from where I live just south of Milton to the pass, but it's only maybe 10 minutes difference (if that) from trailering and launching at Mahogany Mill.... and I have no desire to be involved in the chit-show that is Mahogany opening weekend of red snapper!


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