Finally made it offshore with friends/clients Peter, Tim and Matt on the Getaway. Red tide was evident to about 7 miles out, and our bait stops yielded very little- the few blue runners we caught quickly died in the livewell. At least we had a good supply of pinfish.

First drop was about 40 miles due west of Pass-A-Grille. A banded rudderfish was quickly followed by a short red grouper. The Captain opted to move further out. Next stop was at 115 feet. We fired down some small pins, and were rewarded with instant hookups.

For the next 60 minutes, we hauled in a mix of American Red Snapper and Red Grouper. Next, gags joined the fray. A ramora showed up, and I hooked a nice bonita that ran underneath the boat. Why? ‘Cause there was a shark on his tail. After throwing back what was left of the bonita, the bite slowed down considerable- but never really stopped.

 By mid-afternoon, we were out of live bait and headed back to the Merry Pier. The final tally- 4 ARS, 3 Red Grouper, 8 Scamp, 1 Gag, 2 Yellowtail (nice one’s, too!), 1 Mango, a couple Vermillion Snapper, 1 rudderfish, and a triggerfish. Plenty for a Sunday fish fry for the Bucs game.

 All in all, an excellent trip, and I would be more than happy to go out with the crew again!

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