SW FL-Bonita Beach: 30-pound Permit & Goliaths to 425 pounds!

:cool:Following a few days off the drinking water, with large winds and seas persisting into mid-week, I obtained back again offshore on Friday morning, 5/20, with long-time client Casey Miller. This time, Casey was in town for a marriage ceremony, and he invited the groom and pals to fish with us. The group, consisting of ( in addition to Casey) groom, Scott Smith and pals Jeff Jorth, Travis Blazer, Joel Clausen and Jeremy Vaught, had no curiosity in trying to keep fish, but they had a whole lot of interest in wrestling with some huge fish, and that we did! We headed out about fourteen miles and fished in 45 feet, over some rocky bottom. We started out making use of reside shrimp, and these obtained us three Spanish mackerel to 24 inches, five keeper-sized lane snapper to 14 inches, a 13-inch pompano, seven crevalle jacks, and two cobia, a single thirty inches and the other 45 inches and about 20 lbs. We released the cobia and stored the Spanish, a couple of jacks and a few of lanes to use for bait for considerably greater issues to arrive. The group obtained to wrestle with five goliath grouper, ranging in fat from 40 lbs to about 400 lbs. The largest one particular of these fully straightened a twelve/ hook, and virtually pulled two of us out of the boat! We shot some pics and video and launched all.

Saturday early morning, I fished with Sean Flora, T.J. Taylor, age twelve, T.J’s grandpa, Jessie Hernandez, and Steve Mitchell. It was kind of a déjà vous with Friday’s excursion since this group was also in city for a wedding and we fished in the identical spots, fourteen miles west of New Pass. Once once again, we hooked up with the goliaths, utilizing crevalle jack, Spanish mackerel, and blue runners for bait, and we released 5 of people to 425 pounds. As if that wasn’t sufficient of a workout for the boys, they also caught a 40-inch, thirty-pound allow and a 36-inch cobia, equally of these on shrimp, the allow eating a free of charge-lined shrimp that we had out for mackerel. We also launched gag and red grouper shorts, Spanish mackerel, and tiny mangrove snapper.

Thursday, five/26, I fished with Bob Granger, in central Estero Bay. Our approach was to catch redfish and anything but catfish. We started out out at a modest stage, with the tide flowing into it, baited with stay shrimp. We caught two good 18-inch reds and two sheepshead to 14 inches. Shifting on to the following spot, we hooked up with two a lot more 18-inch reds, one particular tiny mangrove snapper, and the odd porcupine puffer, then a catfish–time to transfer on! Hitting a single much more spot on the way back again in, we managed another 18-inch red, creating the total redfish count 5, along with a 14-inch trout.
Bob &amp Katie Sawyer, Katie’s mom, Ann, and Ann’s husband, Mike, fished central Estero Bay with me Friday early morning. We caught two keeper sheepshead, each 13 ½ inches, a 13-inch sand bream, and a 24-inch black drum (which we launched.) We released 3 redfish to 17 ½ inches, two crevalle jacks, and two 17-inch snook.
Saturday early morning, I fished Estero Bay once again, this time with lengthy-time consumers, Steve Spitzer and Jalissa Reever. Steve and Jalissa have fished offshore with me just before, and made a decision to attempt the backwaters this trip. We caught a good selection of fish on reside shrimp, like a 16-inch keeper trout, a 19-inch keeper sheepshead, a keeper redfish at 18 inches, and an eleven-inch keeper mangrove snapper. We released a 24-inch Spanish mackerel, numerous crevalle jacks, a stingray and a 3-foot lengthy bonnet-shark.

The photos proven are of angler Casey Miller, with a thirty-inch cobia, caught on shrimp and released, on a latest offshore excursion, as effectively as a 425-lb goliath grouper he reeled up for a photo.

And, verify out our goliath grouper journey video clip right here:
http://youtube.com/see?v=7IwFm88U7Rk