Today was Day #2 for my Group
We had a great day a few days ago. Our “target” species was Sailfish and we got one out of 2 to the boat. So, today, on Day #2, we decided to go for more “action” and hopefully some ” Contntental Shelf Groceries”, (in other words, fish to take home). I decided to anchor and try to catch some live ballyhoo. They can be very effective, both offshore and on the Reef. When fishing with Live bait, you have to troll very slowly or you will kill the bait. Even one engine at idle speed is usually too fast. Fortunately, I have trolling valves on my Transmissions. A trolling valve allows the propellers to turn slower than at idle speed
When fishing with Live bait,
you have to troll very slowly or you will kill the bait. Even one engine at idle speed is usually too fast. Fortunately, I have trolling valves on my Transmissions. A trolling valve allows the propellers to turn slower than at idle speed. At normal Idle speed, my boat will do between 4-6 knots depending on wind direction. That is too fast for most live bait. I like to go 2-2.5 knots when using live ballyhoo. They last a long time,(or at least until they get eaten), at that speed and stay lively!
After catching our bait we started trolling down the reef and the bites were pretty good. We got a fair number of Yellow Tail Snapper, a “keeper” Mutton snapper, and some Cero Mackerel. I moved out a little deeper and we hooked some bigger fish. We caught and released a small, (15lb) Amberjack and caught and kept another one that was about 25 lbs.
Nice Amberjack
The best fish of the day was a very nice Black Grouper
You can see the video of the Black Grouper and the Amberjack being caught on Youtube. Today turned out well, that made 2 good days with one more to go. Looking forward to day #3 with these folks!