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

TROLLING SKUNKINGS - 8/14 and 8/23
by Robin

(Sounds like a grammatical nightmare)

FYI - When we go out to fish but come home empty-handed, we call that 'getting skunked' or 'skunking'.

So, last week was a beautiful full moon and many boats went out to see if they could get the mangrove snapper to bite. We were not so ambitious with Jack having come off a tough week at work. We knew that it would be hard to buy a bite in the morning, but we figured eventually the fish would start biting.

In short, here is the report.... churched Sat night, so God did not find it offensive for us to fish on Sunday. In hindsight, maybe God still found that offensive. I can never come home w/ fish on a Sunday. Hmmmm......

Here is our sunrise as we headed over the causeway to the marina. Everything seemed in order.



We had a slight wind-wave in the morning, which smoothed out early afternoon. We started trolling. I had put together this bucket of trolling goodies for Jack to have fast access as he was rigging up the poles.




We went up & down, up & down 8A reef with nothing. We did see one other person land a kingfish, but we were empty-handed. Saw others diving and some bottom fishing. Jack decides to get the other poles out for a little bottom fishing and we came up with only black sea bass. Nothing else was biting and the current was ripping.

We ran over to Democles & Lead wrecks and dropped some live bait down there, too, and NOTHING. I'm telling ya, it was lock-jaw city!! I check the weights and they were warm, so it wasn't like the thermocline was still here.

We came back in because we promised the kids that we'd only be out for a half-day of fishing and then spend time with them the rest of the day. (They had a new birthday toy.)

Yesterday, Jack took a day off of work for a couple of reasons. One of them was that he wanted to run the boat prior to Hurricane Irene coming up the coast and dirtying (sp?) up the waters. We bought a pack of frozen ballyhoo, only using one of them the entire day.

Just out of the inlet, I noticed lots of bait right off the beaches. I suggested to Jack that we troll in that location because where there is bait, there should be predators. He set out 2 silver spoons w/ big hooks.


While I'm driving & photographing bait pods or bait balls, Jack is rigging the ballyhoo and putting some special skirt on it. I'm sure he added a little lipstick & mascara to attract the biggest & best kingfish in the area. At one point, I saw a tarpon roll, barely out of the water. It gave me a lot of hope for a good day, inspite getting out there at 10am (late).



We went past Cocoa Beach and back up to the pier. Bait fish were EVERYWHERE, splashing the top of the water. The birds are having a great feast. Where are the predators?


Our next option was to troll to the buoys. Did that. Then, we pulled in lines and headed out for slightly deeper water. We stopped at 47 ft, approx 8 miles out. Jack put the lines in.



That is his new orange pirate 'rag' to protect his head from sunburn & prevent sweat dripping into his eyes. Love my pirate! As you can see from the photo, the water was blue, clean and FLAT. Can you see the clouds building up, early!!

I became bored with waiting on a knockdown so I went to the front of the boat & took pictures. There were BIG pink jellyfish with big bells and very little stingers. I could see some of them 20 ft down. I took 3 pictures of jellyfish and this one I had to share. The sun reflected perfectly in the glass ocean surface, looking like it was right next to the jelly, deep in the ocean column.



As we puttered around, we came across flying fish and a school of some other baitfish. We circled around a couple times waiting for a hit. Saw a pod of dolphin playing & feeding. I have to blog one day about offshore dolphin behaviors. I've been noticing a pattern.

Anyhow, here are two of them coming by to look at me.



Then, one of them decides he is going to ride the bow for a second. Literally. There was no time to take 2 pictures. He was gone in a flash.



I also took a picture of the school of bait but it is hard to visualize the baitfish. Let me work on the contrast there.

At some point, we decided to troll back westward as the clouds were building. We did call into the marina and they said there was only 1 storm to our south. That's funny........ within 15 minutes, there was this big storm to our north.



Jack felt so awful for me, not catching a fish the past couple trips out. He set what he thought was a sure-fire hit. We ran 2 trolling baits right next to a buoy that had barracuda on it. I watched the lines go right past the buoy and anticipated the zing of the reel, but I got nothing. NOTHING.

We pulled in the lines, put up the side-eisenglas windows and secure all our poles & lures. It was going to be a wet entry at 12:45.



I don't mind rain and that's all this was coming down the buoy line. However, we had a long ride from the rocks to the marina in a no-wake zone. A t-storm was building just west of the marina. Worry from calculating if we would beat lightening to the marina first, burned a good 1,000 calories. Jack nailed the landing at the dock. The brave guys were waiting with a forklift and we all sought shelter.

Jack and I enjoyed a nice lunch at Rusty's - shrimp & flounder baskets. The boys were home, schooling & enjoying their peanut butter & jelly sandwiches. We went back later to the marina to flush the engine with fresh water & secure her down with straps. Hurricane Irene was going to be heading up the coast in less than 48 hrs.

Well, no fish, but the boat ran well. Our engine repair has nearly a 100 hrs on it since the overhaul in January. The new waterpump & throttle/shift cables work beautifully.

I'm sure fishing will get better as these temps decrease & the hurricanes stir the water. It can only get better, right?

God bless,
Robin

Stay safe on shore this week everyone!! Happy Hurricane parties!
Robin