On Sunday, December 23, I headed out on the Getaway with a make-up party consisting of Cap’t Dick, Maurice, and his 15 year old son Gabrial. Captain Joe was at the helm, so I knew we were in for a great day offshore.

We left late, around 9, and headed out through the fog. By the time we got to the Tampa shipping channel, the fog was burning off, and the day was looking quite promising. Cap’t Joe made a few throws of the net, and we were loaded up with greenbacks and pinfish. We hit a few channel markers on the way out for good measure, adding sardines and blue runners to the livewell.

The first stop was just off of a wreck in 100′. The amberjack were a little finicky, but we still had a limit of tasty 15 to 20 pound fish in about an hour. Next, we headed for a break- when we anchored up, the fish finder was lit like a Christmas tree!

First up was a healthy 15 poung gag. Then we began hauling in red grouper. Some were pretty nice, in the 10 pound range. After limiting out on the reds, we pulled anchor and made a run of a couple miles to the next spot. Again, a great show of fish.

We proceeded to haul up reds, scamp, and mangos. Action was good, but not the frenzy we were expecting. We soon realized that the full moon was the night before- the fish were full and lazy. Still, we did pretty well.

We had lost a couple of BIG (presumed) gags, when Cap’t Dicks rod bowed over. He battled a huge fish for the next 10 minutes- we were all expecting a 30 pound gag. Alas, it was a 6 foot nurse shark, which was returned unharmed to the deep.

Fishing conditions could not have been more ideal. Water temps were around 70, winds were 5 knots, waves were under a foot, and the air was a pleasant 75. Amazing, considering that Christmas was just a couple days away.

So, here’s the final tally:

• Amberjack
• Red Grouper
• Gag Grouper
• Banded Rudderfish
• American Red Snapper
• Mangrove Snapper
• Scamp Grouper
• Nurse Shark
• Grey Snapper
• Porgy

If you ever have an opportunity to go out on The Getaway with Cap’t Joe- Don’t hesitate. You’ll have a great time. Merry Christmas to all!

 Well… almost made it offshore on Saturday. I showed up at the Merry Pier in St Pete Beach for a little fishing aboard the Miss Pass-A-Grille, only to find out that the 1/2 day trip had been cancelled. So, as I was chatting with the Captain of The Getaway, I found that they were booked on a full day charter- but the fishermen had not arrived. 8:00 a.m. came and went, and by 8:30, the Cap’n said- “Let’s head out”! About that time, though, the tourists showed up, and my plans were quashed.

So, fishing from the Pier, I rounded up the usual suspects- snapper, grouper, flounder, Macks and trash fish. Fun, but nothing noteworthy (although one angler drifting a live pinfish under the dock scored a small snook).

The Getaway returned in the afternoon as the seas were building. They scored a half dozen decent amberjack, some nice mangos, and a lone gag grouper. Not a bad day!

Now that the big cold front has moved through, expect fishing to change- perhaps dramatically. I expect to see sheepshead and whiting begin to show up, and perhaps some larger grouper. There were reports of a few legal size gags caught on the Pier over the last week- perhaps a good omen!

OK, so it was a slow weekend for fishing- the weather was amazing, mid 80’s with plenty of sunshine, so it was great just to get out. On Saturday, I rounded up the usual suspects at the Merry Pier, including small grouper, feisty Spanish mackeral, small snapper and flounder, and an assortment of various trash fish. I had a big pinfish out on the heavy rod for a couple hours, in hopes tha a big cobia might chance by, but no dice. From the rumor department, word was that a 23″ grouper had been caught a couple days before.

When Sunday started out the same, I figured I’d head round to the Pass-A-Grille Jetty just for a change of pace. The jetty was packed, and all of the prime spots were taken. Quite a contrast to Merry Pier, where there’s almost always plenty of elbow room. Anyway, fishing was slow. I caught a couple Mac’s, and I saw some small flounder and one big sheepshead pulled in.

By the way, here’s a tip if you’re going to be fishing in Pass-A-Grill in 2008. Stop by the St Pete Beach Police Department during busines hours and pick up a “B” parking permit.

http://www.stpetebeach.org/police/Permits.asp

“B” permits are valid at all meters within the city.  Both residents and non-residents are eligible to purchase these permits.  They are valid for the calendar year in which they were purchased and are valid at all metered spaces with the EXCEPTION OF THE COUNTY PARK located at 4700 Gulf Blvd.  These decals must be permanently affixed to the vehicles back bumper or rear window.

Ah, another weekend, another plethora of fish. Arriving once again at The Merry Pier on Saturday morning, I found plenty of bait, and plenty of predators. Grouper, snapper, mackeral, flounder and bonita joined the party. But the fish of the day was cobia, with two landed. They were 32″ and 31″, JUST shy of the 33″ minimum. Cobia are hard fighting fish, lots of fun to catch, and great on the grill. Hopefully next weekend there will be some keepers cruising around the pier.