FISH FLASH: Rain or shine, fishing goes on
This week has been a roller coaster ride of weather.
Wednesday was a rough day on the water with boats dodging lightning and thunderstorms, followed by a sun beatdown on Thursday.
That’s the way it goes this time of year in Florida, one minute the black clouds roll in and the next they roll back and the sun shines down. But rain or shine, the fish keep hitting the docks.
Capt. Don Dineen and his group from Mississippi on the Sure Lure got their share of red snapper on Wednesday as did the group from Tennessee aboard the Double Time with Capt. Tim Adams.
Oklahoma and Nebraska anglers teamed up on the Game On with Capt. Eric Thrasher pulled in red snapper and a couple of black snapper.
Erik Stenzel of Missouri had one of the biggest red snapper of the day. He landed a 20-plus pounder while fishing aboard the Silver Lining with Capt. Joe Quaranto. He and his buddies brought in the limit of snapper, a few black snapper and bonito.
Georgia anglers on the Reel Legend with Capt. Tyler Short hauled in a mixed bag of red snapper, grouper, king mackerel, Almaco Jack and some mingo.
“There was a lot of fire in those clouds,” Short said, noting they dodged storms all morning.
Not only were the clouds angry, but so were the mackerel. The deckhand aboard the Reel Legend showed me where he got grazed on the leg by the mackerel’s teeth while it flopped around on the deck.
Georgia anglers on the No Alibi with Capt. Chris Schofield pulled in a limit of red snapper and a couple of black snapper.
Capt. Ken Bolden on the Just-B-Cause and his fishermen on Wednesday got their red snapper and a lone mahi mahi.
A couple from Atlanta on the Stelluna with Catp. Judah Barbee hauled in their limit of red snapper on Wednesday.
“It was interesting,” Barbee said while dark clouds loomed overhead at the docks. “It blew up on us quick ... but we made it work.”
Georgia anglers on the Lucky Lina with Capt. Steve Lathi pulled in red snapper, black snapper and white snapper.
The Destination with Capt. Stan Phillips at the helm came in with a rack full of red snapper.
Texas anglers on the Windwalker II with Capt. Bernie LeFebvre reeled in three king mackerel, red snapper and black snapper.
Capt. Phillip Blackburn and his group aboard the Backdown 2 had a good haul of red snapper. They had two that weighed in at nearly 23 pounds and 24 pounds for the Summer Slam fishing tournament at the Boathouse.
Capt. Curt Gwin on the Only Way and his fishermen got their red snapper, as well as three red grouper and three scamp.
“There was a lot of lightning out their ... we were dodging storms,” Gwin said. He made mention of even seeing a water spout.
Capt. Michael King on the Hiliner came in a bit early on Wednesday, but they still managed to reel in red snapper, black snapper, white snapper and mingo.
“We cut it a little short to stay safe,” King said.
Rain or shine, the fishing goes on. Just hop on the roller coaster and be ready with a rain coat or sun screen.
See you at the docks.
