The recent weather window
- Prof. Salt
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The recent weather window
The weather window was short and bumpy, but it was enough to get us offshore and into the fish! Tod and I jumped through last week's brief window and discovered that even with the strong breeze, water was clear and fish were thick around structure. I managed a limit of snapper, with three of them caught on ...wait for it ...a Bomber Windcheater. No joke. Within four feet of the surface!
We didn't locate any kingfish, but the jacks were thick and ran 32-37 inches, and I even managed a very fat strawberry grouper that hit my little chrome spoon as it bounced off the bottom. Tod landed a 39" cobia, and we both caught some big spanish macks before we headed back in. I made the mistake of trolling the Windcheater on the way back to the beach and caught three more jacks and another big spanish. My fish-laden kayak was really sluggish in the surf (the breakers had grown from just under three feet when we launched and were now running around 4 feet. With 80 lbs of fish up front, the kayak submarined the nose up to my knees on the face of a big wave that surprised me at the third bar, and it took all my strength to back-paddle and pull the nose back up without hitting bottom. I DO NOT want to pole vault in my good kayak, thank you very much.
Now we're stuck watching the wind blow again (can someone pass the tartar sauce?), but I can assure you that when the wind lets up that plenty of fish will be there waiting for us.
PS - Yes, there will be video, but with all the wind noise I'm still looking for suitable music.
We didn't locate any kingfish, but the jacks were thick and ran 32-37 inches, and I even managed a very fat strawberry grouper that hit my little chrome spoon as it bounced off the bottom. Tod landed a 39" cobia, and we both caught some big spanish macks before we headed back in. I made the mistake of trolling the Windcheater on the way back to the beach and caught three more jacks and another big spanish. My fish-laden kayak was really sluggish in the surf (the breakers had grown from just under three feet when we launched and were now running around 4 feet. With 80 lbs of fish up front, the kayak submarined the nose up to my knees on the face of a big wave that surprised me at the third bar, and it took all my strength to back-paddle and pull the nose back up without hitting bottom. I DO NOT want to pole vault in my good kayak, thank you very much.
Now we're stuck watching the wind blow again (can someone pass the tartar sauce?), but I can assure you that when the wind lets up that plenty of fish will be there waiting for us.
PS - Yes, there will be video, but with all the wind noise I'm still looking for suitable music.
- kickingback
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Re: The recent weather window
Awesome! Glad you caught a mess of fine fish Prof! Cool pics! Thanks for sharing!
Re: The recent weather window
Just curious professor do you use a fish finder? Don't remember if you have used one before .
GREAT CATCH!
GREAT CATCH!
- Heatstroke
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Re: The recent weather window
Awesome.
- Prof. Salt
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Re: The recent weather window
I was slow to adopt electronics, and usually just tried to use what I had learned about the fish to locate them. This season I bought a Raymarine Dragonfly 4 pro and it cuts down the time needed to locate the fish, identify what they are and then get baits to them pretty quickly. It feels like cheating sometimes, but I'm okay with that!bigtrout wrote:Just curious professor do you use a fish finder? Don't remember if you have used one before .
GREAT CATCH!
It also helps me confirm the distances I paddle. It turns out I was pretty good with just estimating distances, but I was never sure until now.
I even bought a vhf radio so I can call friends or the Coasties if needed.
- kickingback
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Re: The recent weather window
You've been fishing offshore all this time without a VHF radio?!?! You are a kayaking God Prof......LOL
Re: The recent weather window
Looks good. Those are some big jacks.
- Poseidon01
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Re: The recent weather window
Nice!! Waiting for the video now...
- Boomy
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Re: RE: Re: The recent weather window
Woohoo, no more phone relays with Tod while fighting six foot swells!Prof. Salt wrote: .
I even bought a vhf radio so I can call friends or the Coasties if needed.
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Re: The recent weather window
You eat those Jacks?
- LOOKN4REDS
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Re: The recent weather window
A sure sign that spring is here. The Red Buds bloom and the Prof puts a big catch on the beach. Thanks for the post looking forward to the video.
- Prof. Salt
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Re: The recent weather window
No I don't but Rocky gives me store credit for them and then sells them to the shark guys. A "Roy's Bait and Tackle debit card". What could be better than that?Chingadera wrote:You eat those Jacks?
Re: The recent weather window
I made it out that weekend too, got 3 jacks (39", 36", & 34" ) and a cobia that was too small to keep (33"). Had a double hookup on the jacks that tangle my line in the rudder and broke my rod, I landed one of them.
- Prof. Salt
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Re: The recent weather window
Nice jacks! Sorry to hear about the double trouble, but I know very well that it can be a handful. Still, it's exciting when two big fish are trying to pull you in two different directions.
Re: The recent weather window
Hoow far out were you????
Re: The recent weather window
Is the Jacks-for-store-credit at Roys open to the public or is it just a special deal only for the Professor ?
- Prof. Salt
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Re: The recent weather window
Stop by and ask them because honestly I don't know. When I come by and their freezers are full I'm Stuck with them but they usually move them as fast as I can bring them in.
- rattlesnake68
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Re: The recent weather window
I saw the pictures before I read your post and I was thinking, dang I bet that was a hard paddle with all that added weight. Looking forward to the video. I sure wish I could take advantage of those windows. I'm just too far away from saltwater, so I'll have to enjoy your great stories.
Re: The recent weather window
Glad you were able to find them. I heartened by a limit of snapper. I think the near shore snapper bite will keep getting better as long as we have structure to fish. Did they follow the lure up or just dart from under the kayak?
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- Prof. Salt
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Re: The recent weather window
I was trolling when the snappers hi the shallow divert. Evidently the school was working all the way to the surface chasing bait, and I got lucky having a lure there at the right moment. I made several passes with ribbons running deep, looking for cobia, and got snapper that way too. Good snapper will eat whole ribbons, but it can get expensive because they'll eat a lot of them.