# 4-9 [One Last Hoorah]



## ThaFish (Feb 27, 2013)

*The Report: *
I had to get all four of my wisdom teeth removed in Panama City Beach this morning, so fishing is kind of out of the question for the next couple days or so. Nathan (THE Mogan Man) & Jeff came to visit from Ft. Walton Beach last night, so when they asked me if I wanted to hit Sykes for a little while, I had no choice but to say yes! We headed out there around 10PM. As soon as we got to the first hot light, Nathan spotted a cruiser & called his shot. Evidently his placement was perfect, because he was hooked up within a couple seconds! The scrappy little 28.5'' redfish gave him a nice battle, but after getting some photos I was itching to get on one for myself. I hooked up on my second cast with a healthy 37'' bull. Although she was no monster, the fight was insane due to the fact that as soon as I hooked her in the light strip on the west side, she ran straight at me & all the way out on the east side of the bridge. Nathan & I were both leaning over the side for the next five or so minutes trying to figure out which way she was going, & finally he got a good shot at scooping her up & took it. Donnie, Ant, Krissy, & Ant's sister showed up shortly afterwards, & Caleb, his girlfriend, & Taylor showed up about fifteen minutes after that. I hooked into & landed a FAT 40.5'' bull right as Caleb got there, & he hooked into a super chunky 37.5'' bull on his second cast. By a little after midnight Johnny had showed up at Sykes, ready to pick me up to take me to Panama City Beach so that I could wake up at 6 to go the dreaded dentist. Glad I got "my fix" in before being bedridden for the weekend, & even more happy that I finally got to do some fishing & spend part of the day with one of my best buds!

*What Were We Using?*
Vortex Shad in both the Kamikaze & the Purple Haze colors both did their job of enticing the sight-fished cruising bulls for Nathan & I. Since most of the fish were holding within 3' of the surface last night, the key was to throw 6'-8' in front of whatever fish you were targeting, rip it once or twice to get their attention, then kill the lure. Unfortunately most of the fish were only interested in "nosing" the bait, & many weren't even interested at all. We threw on dozens & dozens of reds in order to hook into the ones that we did. Persistence pays off! 

*Tally for the Night: *

*Donnie:* Nada
*Ant:* Met the skunk (for the 7,013th time)
*Caleb:* FAT 37.5'' bull
*Me:* 37'' bull & a MONSTER 40.5'' bull
*Nathan:* 28.5'' redfish
*Jeff:* Zilch
*Taylor: * Zippo

Tight lines everyone.


----------



## ThaFish (Feb 27, 2013)

Nathan just got way too many great shots of my 40.5'' beast, so I had to throw another one in!


----------



## MoganMan (Feb 24, 2013)

Glad we could hang out for a few hours last night man! Wish you would have come to the range though! And thanks for making me look good, I was proud of that first cast of the night. I hooked into another red that was probably in the 37 inch range but he straightened my jig at the bridge.


----------



## fla_scout (Sep 28, 2007)

Great report as always. Thanks for posting them!!!


----------



## Jason (Oct 2, 2007)

Another well done night, now heal up and get back out there!!!


----------



## ThaFish (Feb 27, 2013)

Jason said:


> Another well done night, now heal up and get back out there!!!


Should be fishing again on Sunday night! I'm so ready to hook into another bull on the fly rod!!


----------



## hunterb4 (Apr 12, 2015)

*Stronger Combo for Macks*

Hi, I'm new here. My interest is mackerel fishing off the beach at Panama City. I was into it yesterday (Saturday to midday) and the swift appearance of macks off Sandy Point brought on a number of cutoffs, primarily I think because the fish are running larger and clip lines with their tails, beyond the length of the leaders or by other fish in the feeding frenzy. 

Would Power Pro 12 and 30-pound leaders with crimp sleeves of aluminum 
solve cutoff problems? You need distant casting of small silver spoons (wedges work great) but end tackle that will stand the abuse. Any better combos than I ask about?

Thanks,

hunterb4


----------



## ThaFish (Feb 27, 2013)

hunterb4 said:


> Hi, I'm new here. My interest is mackerel fishing off the beach at Panama City. I was into it yesterday (Saturday to midday) and the swift appearance of macks off Sandy Point brought on a number of cutoffs, primarily I think because the fish are running larger and clip lines with their tails, beyond the length of the leaders or by other fish in the feeding frenzy.
> 
> Would Power Pro 12 and 30-pound leaders with crimp sleeves of aluminum
> solve cutoff problems? You need distant casting of small silver spoons (wedges work great) but end tackle that will stand the abuse. Any better combos than I ask about?
> ...


I actually don't use wire when I fish Spanish. What I would suggest doing is using an Albright Knot to tie 3' or so of 50 or 60 lb. flouro/mono to your braid, then tie a snap swivel to the flouro/mono, & then put your spoon on the swivel. The ONLY time I ever use a snap swivel is with a spoon, because it eliminates line twist & also gives the spoon a lot more fluttering action. The long, heavy flouro/mono leader should solve your break-off problem bud, that's the rig I've always used. :thumbup:


----------



## hunterb4 (Apr 12, 2015)

Sounds like a strong combo. Will do it. Many thanks.

hunterb4


----------



## ThaFish (Feb 27, 2013)

hunterb4 said:


> Sounds like a strong combo. Will do it. Many thanks.
> 
> hunterb4


Not a problem man, let me know how it works out for you!


----------

