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Fishing/Scuba
Page 2
One of my favorite kinds of fishing is trolling. I like going out to my favorite spots offshore and pulling a lure around with the boat for a while and have very good success with it for Grouper, Spanish Mackerel, Kingfish etc. I usually use a planer (pronounced like airplane) to get the lure down to the depth I want it at and a large spoon is my favorite lure to use. The bigger the better. Big bait equals big fish right? Well I was already using the largest size I could find but I wanted to take it up a notch. So I decided to make a larger one, shown in picture above. I used a piece of .080 stainless, split ring with the biggest treblehook I could find at the tackle store and some reflective prizm tape. I put a couple of bends in it to give it some kind of wobble. The first time I used it, I set it out on a number 3 planer for probably less than 30 seconds when WHAM! Hooked up with a 26 inch Gag Grouper hooked in the mouth. I was like WHOA, IT WORKED! Well, when the day starts off like that for me it is usually not a good sign and this was one of those days. Pulling this and some proven store bought lures around we didn't get another bite that morning. However, the times I have used it since then I have caught several more Grouper and a small Kingfish with it.
A well known homemade lure for Spanish Mackerel around here that I have yet to try is nothing more than a piece of a McDonalds straw slipped over a #1 long shank hook, 18 inches of mono leader and a barrel swivel. Here is how it is made: Cut a piece of leader of 25 pound test line, 18 inches long, tie it to a # 1 long shank hook. Measure the straw and cut it at the length of the shank of the hook. Feed the leader line into the straw and pull the straw down over the shank of the hook. Tie the open end of this leader to the barrel swivel. Put an egg sinker and snap swivel on your rod to give weight for casting. The snap swivel will keep the egg sinker from sliding down to the lure and make quick work of changing rigs by snapping to the barrel swivel. It is supposed to work as good or better than any store bought lure when the Macks are around. If you think I am kidding, Google McDonalds straw lure.
Mangrove Snapper. Called "Mangos" by some locals and listed in Sport Fish of Florida as "Gray Snapper". Very good to eat.
Threadfins or in Sport Fish of Florida as Atlantic Thread Herring. Great bait inshore and offshore. Can be caught with cast net or sabiki rig. I catch them several at a time offshore with a sabiki rig. Hayabusa brand #6 with green beads is my favorite sabiki rig for them.
Florida Pompano. I caught this one on a sabiki rig of all things and it is the only one I have caught to date. Some fishermen target them specifically around beaches and bridges using Pompano jigs. Good to eat. I have been told that this fish gets the highest dollar per pound at commercial fish houses. I do not know if that is true or not. It tasted good but there are several Gulf fish that I like better.
Yellow fish that is closest is a Porkfish. I have not caught one on hook and line but I see them often while scuba diving.
King Mackerel or "Kingfish". See how the lateral line runs down the fish lengthwise and dips sharply around the center? The lateral line slopes slowly on a Spanish Mackerel. This is how you determine if it is a Spanish Mackerel or a juvenile Kingfish with spots.
Red Drum or known locally as "Redfish".
Ladyfish. Fun to catch on light tackle. Fast swimmers and they like to jump when hooked. I have never tried nor known anyone that has tried to eat one, they are supposed to be real bony. There is a commercial market for them. I heard this is one of the fish they use for processed fish products like imitation crab.
Gulf Flounder or known locally as "Flounder". Excellent to eat and hard to mistake for any other fish. While they are successfully targeted by a few anglers in the Tampa Bay area, most seem to be caught as a nice surprise while fishing for other fish.
Lizzardfish. Ugly but harmless. Will strike a lure that is a good bit larger than it is. There is an inshore and an offshore species, both are similar.
Toadfish. Probably the ugliest fish in the Gulf but harmless as long as you keep your hands away from its mouth or spines. There are some different species of these but they have the same shape. Difference is in the color pattern.
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