FISHING REPORTS

by Robin

I'm doing some homework on the latest reports, which are far & few between. So, it looks like the mahi mahi are running south through the Gulf Stream. Nice size ones. The only problem is getting the full 26-30 miles out there and finding some nice color change & weedlines. Christmas mahi were caught between 250-380' deep.

A couple weeks ago, there were stories of cobia being on the cutting tables, caught off of Port Canveral waters.

The Pompano are also running from now until March (or so). They love the cold water. I see reports coming out of Playalinda and as far south as Sebastian Inlet for the pomps. Best way to fish them are with clams or sand fleas, but supposedly, they're even hitting dead shrimp in Playalinda. I saw a pic with a pink wiggle jig but our tried & true double-jig usually has a yellow piece on it. I love catching pompano and better yet, love eating them.

The whiting & blue runners are also hitting hard at Playalinda on cut mullet, dead shrimp. If I wasn't prepping tomorrow for Saturday's offshore trip, I'd probably do my best to make it out to the beaches and surf fish for some of these favorites.

Also, the large flounder are being found in Port Canaveral & Sebastian Inlet. They love the incoming/slack tide, eating a live finger mullet. Nice black drum can also be easily caught from the sides of the inlets.

Love winter fishing because many of the fish are coming inshore to us because they are seeking the warmer, shallower waters. That reminds me, I've been seeing really nice pictures of Gag groupers (HUGE) that are being caught in the 90 ft range. I've also seen a few Red Snapper pics that look like their in the 18 lb+ range. It is a big shame that they have to be thrown back. Supposedly, they are said to be overfished, but all reports I'm reading say the fishermen are having to weed through all of them to find 1 or 2 grouper. One fisherman said he threw back one over 26" long. They are taking over the reefs and wrecks. It is such a joke every time I hear somebody say they are overfished. I wish I could take all those people fishing, offshore, and then let me hear their new opinion of what they see, not what they heard.

So, that is my report for the week. Fishing days seem to be sparse in the winter, BUT, the fish are always hungry in the winter. I can't wait to go offshore and see what we can bring home. I need to start praying now!

Happy Fishing!

Robin

God is teasing me. We're looking for a good day to head offshore before the 31st to pick up some deep water fish before the fishery closures for spawning season.
(Pic taken 12/31/2009. Amberjack & 2 red snapper, 1 being a monster)

SUNDAY (Christmas): EAST WINDS 10 TO 15 KNOTS. SEAS 2 TO 3 FEET. CHANCE OF SHOWERS. (it's minimal)

Of course, we will not be fishing on Christmas, but if the seas continue to diminish, I can definitely see us skipping the stores and heading offshore on Monday.

God Bless,
Merry Christmas,

Robin

PICTURES of STORM
by Robin

Wow, I actually got back here in the same day! A miracle.

It was a big front that passed over us when we first got there. Not as intimidating as it looks because I knew that there was no lightening in there. The rain was fairly warm, considering it is December.



However, there was a much bigger storm offshore. Thank goodness we never actually went out that far. Of course, we met a sub exiting the Port. I tell ya, they are coming & going every single time we're on the water.


Happy Fishing!
Robin

NEGLECT
by Robin

I don't think I've ever neglected my blog so much since its inception. In short, I haven't been fishing since August........... until Monday hit. I might as well have gone out in a hurricane since we had small craft advisories. I thought if we stayed close to shore, we could still work some spots by rocks & walls. Nope. The anchor wouldn't hold anywhere we tried. First Choice has such a high profile, we caught every gust of wind. What a mess! We caught NOTHING but a lot of rain on our clothes.

I will have to do my best to come back & post up some pictures of that weather.

The good news is that the weather may be clearing over the weekend. I'd love to get back out there again. Fishing has been slow for everyone, but I did hear one report of cobia a couple weeks back. Flounder are back in season, too. Black sea bass & vermillion are closed for several months for spawning season.

New legislation has been introduced into the Senate about insisting good science back all these closures that we keep fighting. We'll see if it even gets addressed before SAFMC will take another vote December 31st.

God bless! I'm still alive.
Robin

What??? The seas are high AGAIN!!!! I'm in fishing withdrawls.

I think the Captain said it best....

EXPLORING NEW SMYRNA BEACH
by Robin

I can' believe that we have lived here for nearly a decade and have not visited this beach!!! Shame on us!!!

First things we noticed is how much it resembles Key West. I can see why people love to visit here. They have beautiful old houses, small gift shops, art galleries and lots of good eateries.



They had many shops. This one caught our attention quickly. I have to say that I even brought home a little gift for my own "Robin's nest".

I love all the quaint shops with beach signs. The one about composting caught this gardener's attention.



As we walked further east, we saw this artist painting a HUGE underwater mural. I have to say that this is one of the best muralist I've seen around the area. He actually got the faces of the marine life in perfect proportions. I'll blog more on that later.



We walked a little futher and then.... we caught a glimpse of the beach. I loved this arch over the road. You can drive on the beach, too! Jack loved that part of it.



We went into Breakers for lunch. Here are my mateys. There is not a bad seat in the entire restaurant. Every seat lines the glass walls so you get a view from north to south of New Smyrna Beach's beaches (Did I say that right?)




So, here is my view as I sit in my stool. Oh..... the gentle breeze that blew perfect temps on my face. No humidity. No heat. But, it wasn't cool either. I seriously needed a hammock.



I cannot believe how close to the beach we were sitting. It was high tide, but it makes me wonder how far the water rises during hurricane water surges.


Not long after I was relaxed for a nap, food was served. Breakers is known for their award-winning burgers. They did have a veggie-garden burger for me, but who wants soy & carrots when you can have ahi tuna?? Not me.



You can better believe it that this was absolutely delicious. Jack bragged on his burger on the way home, too.

It was a quick drive home. We promised each other that we would be back to visit & explore this area more. NSB is also home to Ponce (de Leon) Inlet, which is another good inlet to fish out of. Trust me, we are seriously considering hauling the boat up that way for double-dipping on the cobia fall run.

Happy Fishing & exploring!
Robin

FIRST CHOICE IS BACK HOME!!! (Grand applause!!!)
by Robin



As Jack said, "We have 'been there and done that' with the marina life. I can see where it would be very appealing to live out on your boat, in a marina, during good weather; however, having it stored in a shipyard wasn't working as much as we hoped it would.

I don't regret going to a marina for the spring mahi run, but by the end of summer, when the days were long, we began to regret not getting to stay out much longer. We're both very independant people and wanted to not live according to the hours of the guy who runs the forklift. (kwim?)

(see our new brakes??)


Plus, Jack didn't realize how much he was going to miss tinkering on her in the evening or on unfishable weekends. There were many things he would have seen about if we had had shade, a accessibility to tools and didn't have to make such a drive to the port. It was time to bring her home and do some winter maintenance

First, we made sure we had everything in working order. Second, we built the 3rd driveway for storage (see earlier post).

Then, after getting her home, we bought 30 ft of light PVC pipe and made a bit of a 'rib' or frame for keeping the tarp high. This was to keep the rain from making puddles, or pools, in the low parts of the boat.


Then, it took all 4 of us of pulling on this tarp to get it to cover the boat. Wow, it was much heavier than I expected.



The tarp is more than just an umbrella for the boat. It will keep the dead oak leaves from falling into the boat & littering it with debris between fishing trips. It will take some work, but not much once we get into the routine on how best to get it up there.

Happy Fishing. Maybe we can go next weekend, weather permitting.
Robin

WE BE HAVIN' A STORM!!!
by Robin

The seas are 14 ft today and still at 7 ft by Monday. I don't think we'll be bringing the boat out fishing mateys. We'll be doing good just to get her onto the trailer and back home. Time to bring her home from the marina for the winter.



Time to cook & watch football!!
Robin

NEW DRIVEWAY!!! (for the boat)
by Robin

It's amazing what you can do when inspiration & cash come together at the same time. We were *going* to run errands when we went past a lumber yard. They had just the right size & selection of railroad ties. Ordered and delivered about 3 hrs later.


They slide them right off of the flatbed.


Jack did most of the laying for the ties. I couldn't even begin to get one lifted.


On the way home from the lumber store, totally ditching our other errands, we side-tracked to the local mulch & gravel store. Ordered 5 cubic yards of granite, which was delivered about 30 minutes after the railroad ties. God gave us impeccable timing.






Then, you give everybody a shovel, including the neighbor kids. You have to promise them cash these days. They don't work for free anymore. Of course, be careful of the lightening. (photo-edited)



A couple/few hours later, it is all done!! I kept telling Jack that I totally get it why the Duggar family has 17 kids. Many hands make light work!




And that is our new space for the boat when it comes home in 2 days. We can't wait to have her back home. I am so happy to see what was a bit of an eye-sore of weeds & dirt become such an important piece of real estate.

Happy Fishing if you can get out with all this wind & spotty showers.
Robin

BRAKES!!
by Robin

One of our weekends in September was spent putting new brakes on our towing vehicle (suburban). This is such a puzzle to me, but it makes an excellent project for Jack and our eldest to do together.



Mechanical talents run on both sides of our families so it is best to give the gift of fixing 'broke stuff' to your kids. If you're gonna own stuff, it's gonna break on you. LOL



The same weekend, we also had new brakes put on the boat trailer before we bring the boat home. They had seized up while sitting in the side yard for 6 months.


Have a blessed weekend,
Robin

10/3/11 - OFFSHORE
by Robin

Well, it's that time of year when the temps are cooling off, the tropical winds & hurricanes are lessening and we can start back with fishing.

Jack took a couple coworkers out fishing. The plan, originally, was to dive for fish. However, NOAA didn't give them good feelings, so they decided to leave the tanks home and bring poles instead.

They trolled most the morning. Put lines out at 90 ft depth and continued east. They came across a large sargassum weed mat going north/south at a depth of 135 ft. Jack said he trolled that for close to 10 miles without a single fish in the box. He did get some knock-downs and baits torn. Later, he brought 3 barracuda to the boat & released them. But, that didn't seem to pan out, so they continued trolling eastward.

Jack says the ocean was gorgeous. Nice, gentle rolling waves with a long period between sets. Still nothing in the box.

One of his friends brings along a set of numbers to do some 'bottom-dropping' for fish off the bottom. The first place produced many large chocolate chip porgy. I believe Jack said it was like 13-ish, but they lost count. They kept the biggest to take home for dinner.

(Btw, I googled "Chocolate Chip Porgy" to find a picture for you and the only link that popped was MY blog from back in 2009... Bottom fishing - CC Porgies )

The guys came into the marina, just as they were closing. They cleaned fish and so I have no pictures for you. I'm trying to procure some from one of the coworkers, but I'm not sure what I'll get. No telling w/ a boat full of guys.

Tuesday, Jack's family rolled into town and we were glad to serve them a fresh Porgy fish fry for dinner. They were so delicious, I had to restrain myself.

I absolutely can't wait to get back out on the water next weekend. It's been about 6 wks for me.

Happy Fishing!!
Robin

MIM's MULLET FESTIVAL
by Robin

Had such a good time traveling over to Mim's for their 3rd Annual Mullet Festival. If you're confused if I'm talking about the fish or the hair-do, let me explain. It's called that because the mullet fish make their run each fall. They harvest about 3,000 lbs of mullet for this festival. You can get it fried, smoked or in a dip. However, since a lot of people's minds go to straight to the 80's hair style, the designers combined the two into this funny logo.



First thing we notice was that there were many antique cars there, as well as kid jumpy houses.



On the corner was/is an old-fashioned church house. We popped in there and saw our friend, Micah, playing drums.



Secondly, we turned the corner and came up on a couple of my friends who combined their efforts and sold trendy clothing & fashionable folk jewelry under one tent. My one friend, Kricket, teaches violin, banjo, fiddle and other string intruments to the local homeschoolers. We came up on her giving a little warm-up. My other friend, Debbie, has a son that plays fiddle and guitar. Our sons are good friends, having been through my Civics class together.



I let them all catch-up on their summer & talk music while I snapped a few other funny shots.




I have no idea why the church donation bucket has a seat & lid.




I also had no idea why there was a white tiger for us to stare at. He was so HOT. Supposedly, there were 3 Siberian tigers on a farm, up the road, from where we were. She gave me a conservation talk but in my mind, I was freaking out thinking about what happens if a tiger escapes. (I watch too much tv.) I actually dreamed, er... nightmare, last night that I heard a tiger growl from within my garage.

We had a quick glimpse of Miss Mim's Mullet Festival going to her post inside.




I'm not sure if this is Miss Mim's Dad or if he won the trophy for having the best mullet wig that day. Hmmmm?




There was Mullet cornhole toss.




Mostly, the boys kept me entertained because they combined efforts and put a "band" together, on the spot.




They actually took in several $$ in tips. They were very good on a couple songs, but that's all they knew. They will have to learn a few more before the next festival.


About 1pm, the kids were more into the music than eating but I was starving. I didn't know which plate I would like, so I got one of each. 1 fried and 1 smoked.



I didn't even have a chance to decide and my youngest took the fried plate for himself. I guess it is good that the smoked mullet was pretty decent. I had had BAD mullet, years past, at another festival on the Gulf Coast and was convinced it was food that only 3rd world country people enjoyed. I stand corrected. If you stick with the thick shoulder meat, watch for bones and stay away from the stomach area, it is actually pretty good. Not much different than Jack's smoked kingfish. My friend Kricket's husband makes a very good dip out of smoked mullet.

Anyhow, during the heat of the day, I moved the kids under the shade of an old oak tree. They earned more money there. People are so kind and generous to children. It brings out the tender hearts to many folks that we would never otherwise connect with.


Thursday, the boys will attend their first official bluegrass practice session. If they do well, you will see them at the Barberville Jamboree in November.

God bless & Happy Fishing!

TRAILER REPAIRS
by Robin

As you may or may not recall, in January, we had a fender-bender on the way to the docks for fishing. All that was fixed in short order and thankfully, nobody was hurt.



But, a couple months later, Jack moved our boat over to the marina because it was nearly cobia & mahi mahi season for fishing.



We had originally thought we would keep it there 2 months and bring her home, but as it turned out, we enjoyed not having to haul it around. I enjoyed not having to load and unload her at the ramps. We ended up keeping it there through the summer.

However, lately, we've been thinking about bringing her home for the winter. She needs some minor projects done on her. Jack hopes to add many LED lights. I want to sand & revarnish some of the teak that is beginning to silver again. It is hard to drag all your tools over to the marina. Plus, the marina's hours are shortening for the season and we decided we'd like to fish those rocks in the evening more often. So, it became an obvious & easy decision for us to bring First Choice home.

Now..... we have had a trailer sitting on the side of the yard for several months. Jack pulled it out but all 4 wheels were seized up. Actually, the brakes were, causing the wheels not to roll. Salt-water had taken it's toll on the metal.

Jack put part of it in the garage. He changed out those white slide sticks (see photo) to another material that will help the boat glide up and down those wooden bunks. Then, he began trying to unlock those wheels. We got 2 unlocked pretty fast. The back two.... not as easily. The disk brakes shattered and splintered on the floor.

Long story (that I will probably not get all the names & parts right) short, Jack sent the trailer the next day over to Bob K's Marine Supply & Trailer repair. It took him a few hours and a blow torch to do the job! (Link to Bob K's store ) Thank you Bob K!!

I am so glad that Jack didn't have to do that job. He could have, but instead, he focused his energy on doing front & back brakes on our suburban. Thank you sweetie (Jack) for my new brakes.

So, now we're running safely and ready to pick up the boat in October. Yeah!!

Other than that, it's been raining, storming or hurricanes passing by the past 30 days of no fishing. This is very typical for the late summer. Fishing should be getting better with each passing month. We're also waiting on the fall cobia & mahi migration runs.

We also got a smoker for making smoked kingfish meat and other yummy stuff in the fall/winter.

God bless America and Happy Fishing,
Robin

ROMANCE in the AIR
by Robin

It can't always be about fishing, right? Some nights, it is about setting the mood with a little 40's swing music. Dancing around in low light. Mesquite smoking some mahi caught in the spring.



Enjoying a fantastic meal with the family and then, taking your love for a late night swim in the pool.



It sure is a good way to beat the heat when the fish aren't biting.

God bless,
Robin

IRENE
by Robin



I had to take the morning off to grab a few photos of the waves after the weatherman said they were 9 ft high.



Well, they weren't exactly 9 ft, but 5-6 ft which is still wonderful for the surfers.



The beaches were closed, but that didn't stop a lot of folks.





We had such a great 20 minutes, diverting from our errands.



Our prayers go out to those who are in the path of Hurricane Irene.
Robin