Saturday marked the 2nd Annual Mike Alstott Fishing Tournament, featuring inshore, offshore, ladies and youth divisions. Weather conditions were good, and at 6 a.m. Cap’t. Dick headed west with a boatload of hopeful fishermen.

Our first stop was in around 100′. We anchored over some great looking structure; see for yourself:

We caught a small amberjack, and a few reef fish, when the sharks and barracuda showed up- in force. We caught shark after shark, finally deciding to move. We drifted a spot, hooked and lost a decent amberjack, and headed to a ledge which generally holds grouper.

Our first 30 minutes at the ledge proved very productive. I caught a legal American Red Snapper, and soon the red grouper fired up:

The were nailing live pinfish and frozen sardines with a bit of squid. The biggest came in around 12 pounds:

I caught a decent kingfish, and a big lane snapper to add to the collection. The spot eventually slowed, and we headed for a wreck in about 70′. On the way, we saw diving birds and busting fish. In the depth we were at, blackfin tuna were a possibility, so we stopped and tossed a couple baits out. Bam! No tuna, just bonita. Oh, well.

The final spot was unproductive, so we headed back early, and were on the dock before 4. It was a great day, with a fine crew, and we caught some quality fish.

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