End of fishing season - final report.

We got an early start this morning, filled with anticipation and looking forward to ending our fishing season in Stuart on a positive note with many fish to bring home.

Given the direction the winds had been blowing, our plan was to go north. We saw several boats, a few birds and bait fish breaking the surface. But after about 20 minutes of trying, they just didn't want to bite. We heard a local charter captain say he found bait to the south. So we changed direction. Sure enough, there was plenty of bait and we were able to beat the rush of other boats. We were successful in getting a dozen or so sardines, fortunately before a barracuda took our rig/weight and then headed out.

We drifted for a bit with some of the live bait and before we knew it, a fish hit! Frank had a tough one on his hands. And a little while later when he got the fish to the boat, we could see that it was only a bonita. Fun for the charter captains and their customers because they provide a little fight, but not worth us keeping it.

We stuck with our original plan and headed deep. We came across a few weeds and drifted for a few hours. No luck. And the chatter on the radio was minimal too.

Then came the afternoon storms. The black clouds and sheets of rain seemed to be heading our way. So, we pulled in the lines, battened down the hatches and made our way toward the Inlet. Wouldn't you know, not a drop of rain all the way back to the condo nor at any time during the rest of the afternoon.

All in all, it was a good season. Not as much fish-catching as there was last year, but then again, it

was pretty slow for others around here. We got the boat rigged the way Captain Frank wanted, we got our "system" down (from set-up to clean-up) and we did catch a few keepers and sails along the way!

Now, we pack things up and head to NC to spend time with family, friends and work towards decreasing our golf scores.

Thanks for joining us on this leg of our adventure. Stay tuned for updates!

Terrific Tuesday!

Today was another fishing day and we were excited to be out on the water again. The weather was nice and the seas were calm.

We started the morning catching bait as soon as we got out of the inlet. There were several boats a little farther north, but we found the fish right away and didn't have to go very far. With the live well loaded with fat feisty greenies, we headed to a little deeper water (50 feet).

We got things ready and put a few of the baits out. We didn't have to wait very long before Frank had to get to work reeling. After a few minutes (probably seemed longer), Frank got the fish to the boat and we could see it was long and silvery. We thought it was a kingfish, but after some consideration, determined it was a barracuda! So, we got things cleaned up, more baits out and started to drift again. It wasn't too much longer when the rod started singing and Frank had to get to work again reeling in a fish. This time it was a bonita. Fun fight, but not good for more than strip bait.



The 'magic time' today was around 12:30. And by then we were in about 100 feet of water, drifting north. Shortly after 'calling' the fish, Frank yells for me to look at the back and our baits. Sure enough a big sailfish showed up and was very interested in our bait. Things started happening so fast that I wasn't able to get a picture or movie of the sailfish batting at the bait and tossing it in the air with its bill! It was a BIG fish and Frank was ready for whatever it wanted to bring. He jumped a few times, would come close to the boat, then zip away, but Frank reeled him back closer to the boat and tried to get him to jump a few more times. The sailfish was absolutely beautiful and very cooperative. We aren't ones to pull a sailfish out of the water, but he posed for numerous pictures. We think it was at least 6 feet long (not including the bill)! After 25-30 minutes, lots of back and forth, turning the boat and reeling, reeling, reeling, Frank got him to the boat in preparation to release him. As all of this was happening, another sailfish appeared to check out what was happening. We tossed out another bait, but no luck. After hanging around there a little while longer, we did catch another bonita.





We still had a few baits left and Frank saw a big splash. So out we went. We found a nice slick area with lots of weeds. This time, the baits were named: Nate (for the little fish that went off exploring) and Chris (for the little fish that stuck close to the boat). After 30-40 minutes of drifting around, we decided to call it a day and pack it in.

No dolphin (mahi mahi), but we had a terrific day! Glad we decided not to head in around noon-ish today. :)

Congratulations on your big sailfish, Frank! Here are a few movies to enjoy!

Finally a fishing report...and Happy Father's Day!

The morning started off as most of them do when we're going fishing. Lots of enthusiasm and preparation. We thought it a bit odd not seeing many boats on the river as we made our way to the Inlet, but when we got there, we could see many of them were waiting for the squall to pass. Fortunately, the rain wasn't terribly bad and the wait wasn't too long.

From the reports yesterday, we heard there was bait right off the Inlet. Sure enough, there was and we weren't the only boat there. We picked up a dozen or so greenies and off we went. We also heard the past few days that people were catching sailfish in 60-70 feet of water. Without a big neon sign flashing "FISH HERE", we picked a spot and got a couple of baits out.

The excitement started right away! We saw a sailfish free jump not to far from us and in a few minutes, he spied our bait and went after it! Frank got the hook set (to make sure we didn't lose the fish) and handed the rod over. We saw him jump another time or two, but then he stayed under for a while. After reeling for what seemed like forever, he started getting closer to the boat where we could see him. But he was pretty sneaky and kept trying to go under the boat. We finally got him close enough and Frank was ready to release him when he broke free. Our guess was that he was about 40-50 pounds and around 5 feet long. Everything went so smooth. What fun and what a team! (Tried posting the movie, but guess it was too long.) This was my first sailfish!

We put out another bait or two and went back over the spot where we caught the sailfish. Unfortunately the only thing we caught that time was a couple of ramora (worthless pesky fish!).
We decided to venture out a little deeper and found a very attractive slick with lots of weeds in it. (And a pair of mating green turtles.) We tried everything (trolling, chumming, drifting) but nothing was interested.

Chatter on the radio was all about sailfish today. Late in the afternoon we heard someone mention catching a dolphin, but that was it. As we were drifting with the last of our live bait, we saw a large sailfish free jumping! We adjusted our location, but he must have had a something else in mind and we didn't see him again.

All of our patience and effort paid off! Even though it was only one fish, we finally caught a sailfish! In keeping with tradition of 'first sailfish catches', Frank wanted to throw me overboard (while at sea or at the dock), but since we didn't have a boat ladder and I didn't want to get in the yucky canal water, he settled for spraying me with the hose when we got back to the Fish Camp. :o)

All in all, it was a great day and I hope was a nice Father's Day for Frank.

Not much news to report.

Our travels over the past 2 weeks have taken us from Stuart, to Tampa, to Tallahassee, ultimately arriving in Boone.

We've had a very productive week getting the house opened, cleaned and a few things fixed to prepare for the summer invasion. The weather has been beautiful! Cooler (ok, COLD) temps in the morning, warming up pleasantly in the afternoon and cooling down in the evening. I've taken advantage of water aerobic classes and gotten my butt kicked, but it's all for the better. I even had a chance to play 9 holes with the Ladies Group. Plus we were able to catch up with Toby & Bob over dinner at the Club and try out the new menu by the new chef. (Yummy!)

Frank did a great job coordinating and supervising all the work that was being done around the house.

Today we met Rick & Joanne in Asheville for lunch. It was nice to catch up with them as they get ready for Tim & Megan's wedding at the end of the month. And since we were so close to the BMW store and our favorite sales guy, Frank treated himself to test driving a few toys. :o)