Gulf unsettled after Big Blow of Fri/Sat
Capt. John GiddyUp-Bunch
December 15, 2008
Fort Myers - Saltwater Fishing Report
Sunday taught me a lesson I already knew. Instead of sitting home watching Pro Football players celebrate like they just won the Florida Lottery for making a tackle, I decided to gas up the boat for a charter on Monday (4 Hours from this very writing. It is 0230 and I can't sleep). Anyway, I gas up and head out into the Gulf of Mexico off Sanibel. Grouper Trolling has been producing some fantastic results so I say "what the heck, it beats watching the NFL" and proceed to troll for dinner. At 25FT, the water is cloudy from the previous windy/disrupting weather (including heavy rain). I go to 35Ft. Same cloudy emerald colored water. It looks nice but vis on the bottom is probably 5FT. So me, being as smart as I am, proceed to run Bright Orange and Pink +25 Deep Divers attached to totally invis Yo-Zuri Pink Leader. Perfect plan right. I lit my Partegas Cigar and proceeded to do all the things I know to produce fish. Trust me, I didn't write the book on this style fishing but "I represent" as those NFL players might say.
Now the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. I trolled around the Gulf of Mex for 3 freakin' hours with 1 hit. Not even a short. You name it, I tried it. I went to 40Ft. Same Cloudy water. The only way I can describe it accurately is "filled with a lot of white sand but looks great from a distance." Nothing. 45FT. Nothing. 50FT and running Hydro Magnums of all colors. NOTHING. Not a freakin' thing from 12:15PM to 4:15PM.
So, I pack it in without a single hit in 4HRS of trolling. (After 2 Hours I knew the water was "Too Cloudy" but I was determined to prevail. Have you ever wanted something really bad and no matter how hard you tried it just won't happen. Don't BS me sports fans.... You know what I'm talkin' about. Anyway, on the way back to Redfish Pass I spot a big piece of cardboard. Under it were 3 Tripletail. The only bait I had was a pearl/red DOA 3" shrimp. When I made my cast I had the wind behind me so plenty of distance separated us. I used the rod tip to keep the DOA on the surface and "panicked it" right by them, stopped, did nothing, and then felt GLORY! 1 (14LB) Tripletail all afternoon.
Was it worth? Hell yes! Anything is better than watching those fools aka The NFL. I'd rather catch freakin' nothing and be on the water than watch those NIMRODS on a beautiful Sunday.
Moral of the story. Don't go Grouper Trolling after 2-3 days of high winds and stirred up bottom. It is a giant waste of time and I knew it as soon as I got out there. But one thing is for sure, I ain't gonna lie to ya and tell you I ran the table. 2 beers, 1 cigar, and 1 tripletail in 4HRS. It was the reality of Dec 14, 2008. Anyone who said they scored Grouper trolling on this day is full of more BS than a Christmas Turkey. TAKE IT TO THE BANK! GiddyUp
Fort Myers Fishing Forecast:
As winds decrease, fishing will increase.
Target Species:
Grouper
More Fishing Reports:
