Back to Merry Pier – Finally!
I have spent most of the summer in Arizona. Not many fish there, but plenty of rattlesnakes. I finally got to spend a little time fishing in Pass-A-Grille this weekend, and the fishing was GOOD! Plenty of small snapper, with a few keepers mixed in. There were a few flounder around, but they were way too small. But the grouper were there! After I lost a monster on Saturday, I returned Sunday determined to catch it. I landed a 15″ red grouper using frozen sardines, then a 21 and 1/2″ that was safely released. Then came the BIG hit – this fish was taking drag, and I had the drag way tight. 80 lb test braid, 80 lb test leader, and a 7/0 circle hook – and I was glad I was rigged heavy. The fish still managed to rock me up, and 15 minutes later, it wouldn’t budge. In desperation, I tried the old trick of strumming on the line like a banjo string. Sure enough, after a minute or so the fish bolted, and the fight was back on. Thanks to skillful net work from my friend Joe, I landed a 29″ gag grouper – my biggest so far from Merry Pier!