# saturday oriskany BIG GAG!



## PorknBeans (Nov 21, 2007)

got a few buckets of bait at the far bridge rubble and with the calm seas headed to the big o for some AJs...we were able to catch two keepers and lost a few bigger ones to the wreck....but the catch of the day was this big ol gag! reluctantly put him back in the water but he swam off strong. we stopped at Chevron on the way in and AJs were busting up on the surface...we freelined rubies to them but only got one hookup and also got cut off on structure...we couldnt stay for long unfortunately because we had to beat the wind and the setting sun coming in..it was a cold a soaking wet bumpy ride in but another great day on the gulf...we also got a surprise bull red out 12 miles too


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## JoeZ (Sep 30, 2007)

Dang.


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## reely blessed (Oct 23, 2007)

Nice work! You said cold,wet and bumpy ride back. Just curious what size boat you were on. Looks close to 19ft in the picture. I have a 19footer and a little reluctant to travel that far this time of year.


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## bbarton13 (May 4, 2009)

wow looks like a great day, thats a monster gag


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## beeritself (Nov 25, 2010)

Wow Vince, nice work.


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## PorknBeans (Nov 21, 2007)

reely blessed said:


> Nice work! You said cold,wet and bumpy ride back. Just curious what size boat you were on. Looks close to 19ft in the picture. I have a 19footer and a little reluctant to travel that far this time of year.


18' 1' haha


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## submariner (Oct 2, 2007)

Nice fish and great pictures Thanks for posting


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## afogg (Dec 11, 2011)

Stud gag man, maybe one day you will be able to keep em again


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## Shiner (Mar 31, 2008)

PorkNBeans, what size boat do you have? I have a 21' boat and have been questioning if I should go out to the big O.


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## PorknBeans (Nov 21, 2007)

Shiner said:


> PorkNBeans, what size boat do you have? I have a 21' boat and have been questioning if I should go out to the big O.


we have our friend's 18ft palm beach.....we are young and dumb though :thumbsup: if its calm and you have a radio and a reliable motor i would not hesitate...there are big fish there :thumbup:


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## Caddy Yakker (May 21, 2011)

PorknBeans said:


> we have our friend's 18ft palm beach.....we are young and dumb though :thumbsup: if its calm and you have a radio and a reliable motor i would not hesitate...there are big fish there :thumbup:


I've been to the edge several times in a 16' capehorn years ago and I kayak out to the liberty ship. Guess I'm still young and dumb lol.

Great report and nice freaking gag. I thought I was bummed to release a 28 incher I got in the kayak last week.


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## Starlifter (Feb 24, 2011)

I run a 21' center console that has an 8'6" beam with gunwales that are close to 3ft high; also is powered with a Yamaha 150 4-stroke. I easily run out 30-35 miles if it's 1-3ft seas, or 4-6ft+ seas as long as the wave period is long enough the transom doesn't fall off of the waves at a reasonable speed.

I'm not crazy either due to having all the necessary survival gear, a Sea-Tow account, a chartplotter/sounder with NOAA Charts, and a fixed mount VHF that's wired for DSC hooked to a fiberglass antenna that's around 16ft off the water. 

I've been to the Oriskany quite a few times and isn't that bad of a ride to make (about 25mi outside the Pensacola Pass). I just watch the marine forecast for our area, and when out on the water I follow my gut instinct. So, including myself, if your out in seas you don't have the water confidence for then turn around because there's always tomorrow as they say. You would not believe the almost regularity of maydays that I've heard relayed for our area by the Coast Guard over the past 5yrs.


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## Captdroot (Jan 18, 2012)

Starlifter said:


> I run a 21' center console that has an 8'6" beam with gunwales that are close to 3ft high; also is powered with a Yamaha 150 4-stroke. I easily run out 30-35 miles if it's 1-3ft seas, or 4-6ft+ seas as long as the wave period is long enough the transom doesn't fall off of the waves at a reasonable speed.
> 
> I'm not crazy either due to having all the necessary survival gear, a Sea-Tow account, a chartplotter/sounder with NOAA Charts, and a fixed mount VHF that's wired for DSC hooked to a fiberglass antenna that's around 16ft off the water.
> 
> I've been to the Oriskany quite a few times and isn't that bad of a ride to make (about 25mi outside the Pensacola Pass). I just watch the marine forecast for our area, and when out on the water I follow my gut instinct. So, including myself, if your out in seas you don't have the water confidence for then turn around because there's always tomorrow as they say. You would not believe the almost regularity of maydays that I've heard relayed for our area by the Coast Guard over the past 5yrs.


Ditto that. Know your boat, know the weather pattern, along with the forecast. And that gut sounds like some years of collecting some "sea sense". Weather forecasts come out 3-5 times a day, BUT NONE OF THE THEM EVER INCLUDE A CONFIDENCE FACTOR. That comes from watching patterns and collecting information, from as many sources as you can find. Having big balls is just like having a larger boat, then a larger boat, and then a larger boat............ all of this can get you into trouble without exercising some good seamanship.......... just look to the Carnival incident in the Med. Big boat, bad judgement.

Boats never catch fish, fisherman catch fish........ boats can help or hinder, it all depends on who is calling the shots and who's doin the fishin! Hard to catch a nice box of fish with a deck full of idiots, drunks, or chummers. Also hard to solve problems with a crew like that!

What make/model is that 8'- 6" X 21' X 3' with a 150F? Sounds sensible for outside some jetties about any where. Got a Tee top up there?

Good luck and come home safe.


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## Snatch it (Feb 17, 2009)

Cool deal!


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## Starlifter (Feb 24, 2011)

Captdroot,
It's a 2007 Clearwater 2100WI (Walk-In Center Console)

_SPECIFICATIONS
Length: 21' ft 
Beam: 8'6" ft 
Weight: 3500 lbs w/ engine and t-top installed 
Max HP: 200 hp (Running a 2006 Yamaha F150)
Fuel: 85 gallons 
Transom Height: 25" 
Hull Dead Rise: 17° 
Draft: 14-17" 
Max Persons: 8_


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## Pinksnappertrapper (Dec 7, 2007)

afogg said:


> Stud gag man, maybe one day you will be able to keep em again


+ 1 
Congrats on a hell of a gag.


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## Captdroot (Jan 18, 2012)

Starlifter said:


> Captdroot,
> It's a 2007 Clearwater 2100WI (Walk-In Center Console)
> 
> _SPECIFICATIONS
> ...


I like those gunnel and beam numbers. Can ya get to where the fish are on 50-60 gals? Nice fishin rig.


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## Starlifter (Feb 24, 2011)

Wirelessly posted

Captdroot,

At cruising speed, 3500-4000 RPM which runs around 28 knots or so I get roughly 7 miles a gallon. I can run out of Destin and head just pass the Oriskany just over the edge which is about 45 miles, fish different reefs and areas, then head back in 45-50 miles back to Destin and use at the most around 40 gallons.

If I just head out of Destin towards the edge heading SSW about 20 miles, fish out there for several hours and head back in from this general area then I'll only use 20 gallons.

I'm sure it makes a difference, running a Yamaha Saltwater Series Propeller that's 15-1/4" x 15" pitch. Because the boat was propped from the factory originally with a Yamaha Painted Stainless Steel Propeller that was 13-3/4" x 19" pitch, but it didn't have that much of a grab in the water as the Saltwater Series Prop. we're running now. The top speed went from 45mph with the 13-3/4 prop. to 40mph with the 15-1/4" prop. Also, I love me some trim tabs!


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## Captdroot (Jan 18, 2012)

Starlifter said:


> Wirelessly posted
> 
> Captdroot,
> 
> ...


Sounds like this is not your first rodeo. Props can be tricky. That engine mounting height can make a difference to. A fishin buddy bought one of those Cape Craft boats about 2004. It was only 19'6" and not all that was planing surface. The darn thing had a hull with a 2-4 inch rise at the stern (before the the transom). Nice boat, but simply did not have enough planing surface. If it had, say 8-12 degrees deadrise, it would have been OK. It really needed to be about another 3-4' longer to create some planning surface. It was one of those boats that you either went 10 knts or 24kts. Simply no in between. In my forty years of offshore fishin/some of them excursions, I have found that a good way to find new bottom is by running 12-18knts. Granted that slows down the 20-30 mi run, but you don't loose more than 30-40 min each way. That 3000-4000 sounds affordable, too. My days of ass whippins have passed. Slower sounds better than beatin.

Good luck. If ya need a hand sometime, look me up. Destin and some bee liners, porgies suit me fine. I'll hook up the AJ's and black bellies, y'all can have em. Now, a 40lb cobia, I might still be interested in hanging onto him............ depending on the thermometer! 

My thread is listed "Greetings from a new member" about three wks ago.


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## Wild Girl (Jun 24, 2009)

Great catch.


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## CORNBREAD616 (Jan 11, 2012)

Love it Pork and beans. Been out that far a few times with that size boat it was scary but fun. true to the cold wet ride back though. Cant wait for snapper season to open this year, thats a monster.


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