Fishing

While it's has been a very mild winter so far here in South Walton, we still get the seasonal winds blowing which keeps most boats from venturing very far offshore most days. If you can wait for the couple of calm days every week and go then, it sure is a great treat to catch not only lots of fish, but big ones too.

I had a crew of locals on "stand by" all last week wanting to go catch Jacks on a calm "easy" day. The forecast was bumpy or rainy most of the week but Saturday looked like the best shot by the weatherman.

I just had to write about a great fishing trip I had on the Dead Fish with Captain Larry, his son William and our friend Marshal. What a day!

I am especially excited to tell the story of this trip because for once in the many years I have fished with Larry, I finally set a record on his boat. I landed a 50 pound amberjack (by the scale) which turned out to be the largest amberjack ever landed on the Dead Fish. Larry's son William went on and on about the fish and I was so proud because it is quite a feat to catch the largest of any fish species on that fishing machine.
 

One of the best things about winter is I get to fish. Summer is great , we catch a bunch of fish but I am busy driving the boat and trying to coach clients on how to catch a big one.

Last week I took the Dead Fish WAY offshore for a fun trip with my son and a couple of buds. After making sure we had enough Triggerfish and Vermillions for everyone to have a fish fry we went BIG fish fishin'.

At least not everything changes. We celebrated the new year at Indian Pass with several friends and fishin' buddies. Great sunsets, lots of oysters and some play fishing time made for a great holiday.

Just another perfect winter sunset...
 

All the good fishermen love a good sunset
 

It was a nice, warm, sunny day right before the new year, Florida weather sure can be great. The little front that came through last night kicked the surf up to much to be able launch today though so it's boat projects today instead of boat driving. I hated canceling a trip on a warm clear December day.

I got to spend most of last week at Indian Pass. Got over there right after a cold front on Tuesday evening. The next day (Wednesday) my wife and my oldest daughter ( the Tripletail Queen) and I braved the cold and went and picked up our limit of oysters. Now, there is no way you can call hoggin' oysters fishing, but boy, do they make for some great dinners, snacks and treats! I have eaten at least a few everyday this past week, and a couple days we pigged out.

We love the snow-white quartz sands of SoWal beaches that squeak when we walk on them with bare feet, the emerald green and turquoise waters of the Gulf; a bay pregnant with fish and oysters; the delta of the Choctawhatchee River; our 18,000 acres of forest, parks and preserves; plus our unique coastal dune lakes that make South Walton one of the most desirable places on earth to live and visit.

But last June, my wife Karen and I promised to take our thirteen-year-old grandson, Nathan, 80 miles east to the old river town of Apalachicola for a day of fishing.

Hard to believe it's been a couple weeks since my last fishin' report. Gag grouper season closed with the surf being to big to be able to fish the last day. I did get one last trip in before it closed with some folks that had a blast. They fished with me two days in a row and we chased totally different fish each day. The first day was Flounder and Jacks and the second we targeted Groupers with lots of bites and a great box of fish.

While a lot of  folks complain about the fall time change ( I admit , dark at 5:00 stinks) it signals the time when all us locals get time to fish and play. The past weekend had some pretty but breezy days that had me canceling charters and some calm days in the middle of the week where I got to take a bunch of the Grayton irregulars fishing and even the Captain (me !) got to get in on the action and fish a bit too.

Well I guess this past cold front makes it officially Fall. That and the fact my bookings have pretty much played out and it is November. I have about half a dozen trips on the books for this month so far. I hate to admit it but for the first time I am actually looking forward to some off time! Do some fishing myself, catch up on my oyster eating, sunset watching and playing like a Floridian at the beach again.