On The Water

[vharrison]

Get out on the water and tell us your tales!

[MasterBlaster]

Man I wanna parasail someday!!!

[Monkeypuzzle]

Don't waste you money Butch. I retrieve canopies for a drop zone 3 miles from my house in Florida and will get you a free tandem jump. I never charge the gal that owns the bizz, I get one tandem jump for one retrieval. She will ride on your back while you fly bro.

[MasterBlaster]

:/:

[vharrison]

Clearly I was outfishing John...that is untill he caught this!

[vharrison]

And then this. This one had to go back, it was 1 inch to short. UGH.

[MasterBlaster]

What is that white belt John is sporting?

[vharrison]

All in all a great day of fishing. 8 Hogs, 7 Porgy's, 2 Yellowtail and of course Mr. Mutton!

[vharrison]

What is that white belt John is sporting?

A fishing belt? I don't know what they call them, but he was fishing with a big rod that is easier to manuver with the belt.

[MasterBlaster]

Ya'll get to have all the fun!

[JamesTX]

Doesn't your husband worry about skin damage from all the sun? My dad grew up on a farm and has to have his skin checked twice a year They've already cut one carcinoma out.

[MasterBlaster]

LOL!

I get the stuff burned off all the time.

[vharrison]

I do believe we will be getting out on the water today. No wind means a smooth ride out to the reef! These are from our last trip, I caught a Parrot fish, first time ever! Usually, you see these guys when you are snorkling. Oh, and I caught a keeper grouper also! That parrot fish put up quite a fight!

[MasterBlaster]

I bet that Parrotfish is a scourge to the coral!

[vharrison]

Yep, he is! I love his eye shadow!!

[TC3]

Gigi, that grouper looks really nice. Do you grill it ? Yummm !!!
You & John have a wonderful life. I know you both work hard for it. Very cool.
Keep posting pix. This is one of my favorite threads. It's like therapy for my wintry blahs.

[OTGBOSTON]

^ what she said!:D

[vharrison]

Gigi, that grouper looks really nice. Do you grill it ? Yummm !!!
You & John have a wonderful life. I know you both work hard for it. Very cool.
Keep posting pix. This is one of my favorite threads. It's like therapy for my wintry blahs.

Thanks Tc! I thanked the Lord on the way in today! John grilled it, fried it, broiled it, he had it a bunch of different ways.

I didn't take the camera today, but have some old shots of where we went today, after catching a few yellowtails. Water temp at the island was 78, so I held my breath and jumped in. Palmer had a big time as he always does, jumping through the water.

[MasterBlaster]

Notice there's never any pics of Gigi? :P

[Paul B]

maybe she is invisible!

[vharrison]

Or, she knows how to crop herself out of a picture! :D

[Paul B]

or her man doesnt know how to work a camera! :P

[OTGBOSTON]

Palmer was little in that pic.

[MasterBlaster]

Yea, I saw the reef eel that was closing in on him.

[Frans]

Gigi, are their any critters buried in the sand which can sting you with their poisonous stingers in Florida?

[vharrison]

Frans, not that I know of, but I will go with Brian's idea of not giving an absolute no.

[Skwerl]

Gigi, in the Mosquito Lagoon/ IRL region the stingrays are quite common. They aren't aggressive but will sting you if you step on them. Therefore it is common for people wading in the shallow waters to do 'The Stingray Shuffle', dragging their feet through the sand in order to kick up any stingrays instead of stepping on them.

[vharrison]

Oh yeah, they do that on the west coast also! Forgot about those critters!

[Frans]

what about those puffer fish things? Got any of those?

[vharrison]

what about those puffer fish things? Got any of those?

Sure, but they don't bury themselves in the sand that I know of.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pufferfish

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/explorations/02sab/logs/aug15/media/puffer_600.jpg&imgrefurl=http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/explorations/02sab/logs/aug15/media/puffer.html&h=510&w=600&sz=70&tbnid=4AukYea4Qj3h7M:&tbnh=115&tbnw=135&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dpuffer%2Bfish%26um%3D1&start=2&sa=X&oi=images&ct=image&cd=2

[squisher]

Puffers are harmless aren't they? A friend of mine just came back from Cabo and had underwater pics of him holding them while scuba diving. He said even the pointy ones weren't actually sharp.

[Skwerl]

They don't bite, but they are highly toxic. Read Gigi's Wiki link. ;)

[squisher]

Lol I'll have to let that meat head know, he did have gloves on though.:lol:

[vharrison]

Puffers are harmless aren't they?

When we first moved here, we lived right on the Gulf of Mexico and were in the water snorkeling almost every day. There was a pair of puffer fish that hung out around our dock, very cool fish. They seemed to be mates. Puffer's only display the thorns when threatened, kind of like us humans. :D

[TC3]

Gig, as far as I know John Pennecamp is the only underwater State Park, no ?
I sure do wonder why they don't have underwater State / National Parks in the Keys ? Or are there ???
Unbeatable snorkelling.

[Frans]

Gig, as far as I know John Pennecamp is the only underwater State Park, no ?
I sure do wonder why they don't have underwater State / National Parks in the Keys ? Or are there ???
Unbeatable snorkelling.

Every time I have gone to the Hawaiian islands, the 'main' areas for snorkeling have been thrashed by the ignorant uncaring tourists.

I have developed the mindset of working with the local folks, getting to know them, and then I get to see the better untouched places.
I try to do this wherever I go.

[OTGBOSTON]

Unbeatable snorkelling.


Bonaire N.A., unbeatable snorkling/diving. They have had marine preservation laws since the 60's and it shows. The Keys are good but that whole coral bleaching thingy has taken its toll.

[TC3]

Bonaire N.A., unbeatable snorkling/diving. They have had marine preservation laws since the 60's and it shows. The Keys are good but that whole coral bleaching thingy has taken its toll.

Expand on that ? I am unfamiliar ?

[OTGBOSTON]

http://www.infobonaire.com/captdon/publish.html Check this out for a brief summary. Also google Captain Don Stewart, and Captain Don's habitat.

I had the pleasure of spending a lot of time with this guy when I was a high school biology geek. He's the man. A real modern day pirate.

for more on coral bleaching http://www.science.org.au/nova/076/076key.htm

[vharrison]

Gig, as far as I know John Pennecamp is the only underwater State Park, no ?
I sure do wonder why they don't have underwater State / National Parks in the Keys ? Or are there ???
Unbeatable snorkelling.
TC, John Pennecamp is in the keys, Key Largo. There is an underwater park in St. John, US Virgin Island also.

[sotc]

Oh yeah, they do that on the west coast also!

we do?

[vharrison]

we do?

West Coast of Florida! :lol: :lol: Sorry, I should have stated that! Ft.Myers area, actually all along that coast has sandbars close to shore and it is a good idea to do the stingray shuffle. Great way to find sandollars also!

[TC3]

We took the kids on vacation to Tampa & there were stingrays everywhere in the water. It wasn't a problem. They really do their best to avoid people. Yeah, shuffling is a good idea !

[sotc]

oh, haha you do have 2 coast down there:D

[vharrison]

Check this out, a 1000 lb Hammerhead Shark caught of Palm Beach in Florida.:\:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,335510,00.html

[OTGBOSTON]

That is really cool, too bad it died:cry:

[sotc]

massive! do they not taste good? i cant figure out why he isnt filling freezers

[vharrison]

This happened right off Marathon. RIP
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,340009,00.html

[Burnham]

Sounds like a freak accident, too bad.

[vharrison]

Really, what are the odds of that happening?

[MasterBlaster]

Wow! :\:

[vharrison]

From the reports we are hearing down here, it was the impact of her falling on the hard surface of the boat that killed her, not the barb of the stingray.

[OTGBOSTON]

Messed up way to go..

A co-worker just returned from a trip to FLA. He was fishing with some friends in kayaks. One of them said to him "Hey Jon, theres a dolphin right behind you!" well it wasn't a dolphin, it was an 8ft bull shark after his stringer!:\:

[vharrison]

Greg, I have heard of that happening. Scarey stuff!

[vharrison]

We got out today, and did see dolphins. John and Jeff snorkeled for a long time, looking to shoot some fish. No luck though. Water temp was 74 on the reef, still too cold for me!

[MasterBlaster]

I like your diver down floating gizmo.

[Frans]

Water temp was 74 on the reef, still too cold for me!

You baby! :)

[brendonv]

I've never saw water so clear in my life yet....some day.

[sotc]

I've never saw water so clear in my life yet....some day.

me to, other than a pool:)

[TC3]

We got out today, and did see dolphins. John and Jeff snorkeled for a long time, looking to shoot some fish. No luck though. Water temp was 74 on the reef, still too cold for me!

Just dreamy for me !!! Glad you had a good time, Gigi ! I lived in Homestead (before "Andrew") on a freshwater lake & did some really nice spear fishing there. Otherwise, we took our li'l fishin' boat out on the bay in the evenings & caught mangoes for dinner !!!

[mryb]

I've never saw water so clear in my life yet....some day.

You have clear water by you. You just don't have the white sand to make a light background. Off a dock at Portland ME I've seen down 20' plus & in Halifax NS I've seen a big light colored starfish down about 25' plus again. Crystal clear water up there...Rick

[vharrison]

Just dreamy for me !!! Glad you had a good time, Gigi ! I lived in Homestead (before "Andrew") on a freshwater lake & did some really nice spear fishing there. Otherwise, we took our li'l fishin' boat out on the bay in the evenings & caught mangoes for dinner !!!

:lol: Silly gurl, you picked the mangoes and caught mangroves, snapper that is! There are a lot of mango fields in Homestead, shoot all over Dade County.

[vharrison]

You have clear water by you. You just don't have the white sand to make a light background. Off a dock at Portland ME I've seen down 20' plus & in Halifax NS I've seen a big light colored starfish down about 25' plus again. Crystal clear water up there...Rick

Rick, we do have the white sand, the lighter patches of green is where the sand is and the darker areas are the reef. :) Way in the back ground, you can see Sombrero Beach.

[OTGBOSTON]

I've never saw water so clear in my life yet....some day.


Book a trip, don't wait! Fly to Miami or West Palm and drive to Key West. If you leave right now you can still catch spring break!8)

Cool pic Gigi, wish I could've made it to Fla this year:cry:

Oh well, leaving for the D.R. in 26 days (not that I'm counting)

[stehansen]

I've never saw water so clear in my life yet....some day.

The ocean here in SF or Santa Cruz is cold, kind of murky and smells like rotten seaweed.

[Frans]

The ocean here in SF or Santa Cruz is cold, kind of murky and smells like rotten seaweed.

BUT has a much greater variety of sea life than any tropical area!

[sotc]

Book a trip, don't wait! you can still catch spring break!8)



good advice for a fella brendans age:D

[OTGBOSTON]

good advice for a fella brendans age:D


don't tell my wife!:/:

[stehansen]

BUT has a much greater variety of sea life than any tropical area!

I know that cold water for makes for a productive fishing grounds but I'm just saying that "our" ocean isn't all that people friendly IIMO. I love listening to, and watching the surf, espically if it is big. Other than that I'm kind of a big ocean sissy.

[OTGBOSTON]

I love listening to, and watching the surf, espically if it is big. Other than that I'm kind of a big ocean sissy.

I thought EVERYBODY out there surfed!;)

[Frans]

I know that cold water for makes for a productive fishing grounds but I'm just saying that "our" ocean isn't all that people friendly IIMO. I love listening to, and watching the surf, espically if it is big. Other than that I'm kind of a big ocean sissy.

I am very carefull! the north coast can be or is a killer...

[stehansen]

I am very carefull! the north coast can be or is a killer...

No surfing here. Here is a picture of a boat I used to own. It was a 19 1/2 ft. Malibu Skier I think it was a 1995 or so. 350 chevy motor, would pull up 6 skiers.

[vharrison]

BUT has a much greater variety of sea life than any tropical area!

Hummm, I am not so sure of that Frans. What makes you say that?

[Frans]

My Marine biology scientist friend told me.

Check it out, tell me if he is correct.

As he told me, the variety of plant and sea life is greater in colder waters than in tropical waters


--Just talked to my friend and he corrected me.

He said colder water has LESS variety but MORE of it
Tropical waters have MORE variety but less of it

[vharrison]

Interesting, I am no marine biologist, so I appreciate the information. Thanks Frans.

[MasterBlaster]

I am no marine biologist,


Wait! I thought you told me... :what:

































































:P:P:P

[stehansen]

You're thinking of George Castanza.:)

[MasterBlaster]

Hahahaha.

[Frans]

You're thinking of George Castanza.:)

:thumbup:

[stehansen]

I am very carefull! the north coast can be or is a killer...

The son of our local blacksmith here was taken out by a big wave while surf fishing in the North Coast back in the 80's. They never found the body.

[vharrison]

I am hoping to get out on the water today. John has 5 more minutes to sleep, then he is in for an ambush!

[Paul B]

I am hoping to get out on the water today. John has 5 more minutes to sleep, then he is in for an ambush!


:D :surprise::love4:

[Chisel Tooth]

Did ya get ta play on da water Gigi?

[MasterBlaster]

I bet a nickle she did!

[Chisel Tooth]

I'm pretty sure she was going to go with or without John. :lol:

[vharrison]

Oh, what a day! Started on the reef and John caught a nice hog fish, I caught a grouper that was to small to keep...20 inches was to small:whine: Blacks have to be 24 inches. :whine:
Then, we spotted the dolphin on the way to the island. Finally, I have some pictures to share. It is just such a joy to see them in the wild.
Chisel, you owe MB a nickel!! :lol:

[Chisel Tooth]

Chisel, you owe MB a nickel!! :lol:
I'll buy him a beer instead. :P
Glad ya had a good day.

[OTGBOSTON]

Thanks for posting those Gigi! I like the one of John and Palmer on the sandbar. I can almost feel that pic!:big-love:

[Frans]

Poor guy is smiling! I guess your 'ambush' waking him up didn't make him grumpy :)

[vharrison]

Frans, Palmer is so cute. He gets up with me, we shut the bedroom door so not to bother John, then around 8:30 he will go sit by the door and look at me....almost like he is asking me is it time yet? I tell him no, 30 more minutes.
Sunday morning, John actually got up just at ambush time, opened the door and there was Palmer waiting on him.

[Frans]

You've got John trained!

[vharrison]

:lol:

[vharrison]

With John working, my folks, myself and my brother went out on a party boat today. My brother got a 25 inch grouper and my dad caught some yellowtail.

[Paul B]

cool. 8)

[Frans]

Oh Man... I just love Yellowtail!

Damm, now my mouth is watering thinking of chowing down on that fish!

[stehansen]

I'm not seeing you in the picture V.:)

[vharrison]

I'm not seeing you in the picture V.:)

:D

We are heading out to the reef this morning, hoping to catch em up.

[MasterBlaster]

Don't forget the sunscreen!

[OTGBOSTON]

and don't forget the camera.:)

[vharrison]

Father's Day's catch! Jeff shot these two out on a reef off Coco Plum.

[vharrison]

The Mahi Mahi are running and we are going out to catch them!

[RIVERRAT]

The Mahi Mahi are running and we are going out to catch them! PIcs PLEASE!!

[vharrison]

No fish, hence no pictures. It was a little to rough to troll off shore, so we sat on the reef and did not catch anything but grunts. We threw them back.

[RIVERRAT]

Well just dang it all ready!

[vharrison]

Ugh, we are not allowed to keep this fish, it is protected. John caught it today, only thing worth keeping and we couldn't. It is a Jewfish and belongs to the Grouper family.

[Paul B]

whoa! big fish! Couldnt you just keep him on the hook, drive the boat back to shore and tell the fish warden he followed you home :D

[Mr. Sir]

Too bad, that would have made some nice filets.

[vharrison]

Too bad, that would have made some nice filets.

I know, it would have fed your whole family and some of the kids friends! The Jewfish has been protected a long time, so long alot of people think it is time to lift the restrictions.

[Mr. Sir]

My wife came home from Publix last night with about 3 pounds of "fresh perch filets". Having grown up on a lake, I was dubious. "But the kid at the store said its a delicious, delicate fish like tilapia." I said OK I'll try it, maybe I was just spoiled eating fresh rainbow trout for the first 25 years of my life. Unfortunately, my skepticism was justified. :barf: :thumbdown:

[vharrison]

My wife came home from Publix last night with about 3 pounds of "fresh perch filets". Having grown up on a lake, I was dubious. "But the kid at the store said its a delicious, delicate fish like tilapia." I said OK I'll try it, maybe I was just spoiled eating fresh rainbow trout for the first 25 years of my life. Unfortunately, my skepticism was justified. :barf: :thumbdown:

:) Hey, her heart was in the right place, right? The only Rainbow Trout I have ever caught was at a place in NC, where you paid to fish from the shore. If I remember correctly, we used corn for bait, and did not keep the fish, just released them.
Perch, is that a local fish? I think it is, isn't it? I am pretty sure my mom loved catching that fish.

[Mr. Sir]

Oh, absolutely! She thought it would be a wonderful treat. But I had to be honest with her, (or she might serve it again someday). Its just too fishy flavored. If that makes sense.

We used to catch them all the time. They were frisky little buggers on the hook, but we never ate them.

[Paul B]

I am aiming to get me some rainbows in a week or so when we take off to a lake for a four day weekend ;)

a little butter, a frying pan and a fork, thanks, thats all I need! :D

[Frans]

make sure you cook it well, Paul. Dont want to get intestinal worms. Round worms can be about 70 inches long!

http://www.intestinalworms.net/

[Paul B]

yikes! I shall be sure to cook em up good if I catch any! :)

If I dont make it back from the weekend I will be sure to will you my echo top handle saw Frans!
Its barely used!
:P





:D

[OTGBOSTON]

The Jewfish has been protected a long time, so long alot of people think it is time to lift the restrictions.

aren't they calling them 'goliath grouper' now.......;) more pc I guess

[vharrison]

aren't they calling them 'goliath grouper' now.......;) more pc I guess

Yes, yes, yes. Goliath Grouper...........can hardly bring myself to call them that.

[MasterBlaster]

Maybe you need to goliath down! :P

[OTGBOSTON]

Maybe you need to goliath down! :P

to a guppy......;)

[Cobleskill]

Perch up north here are good. We go ice fishing for them.

[vharrison]

Today is the start of Mini Lobster Season, a 2 day event that brings alot of folks down into the keys looking for lobster. I am going to get payroll in, then John and I are heading out to look for bugs, as we call them. It is going to be a zoo on the water!

[OTGBOSTON]

Cool Gigi! get some pics!

no claws on then suckas huh?

Ours are called lobstas;)

[Frans]

Gigi: Today is the start of Mini Lobster Season

DO NOT eat the tamales (sp), toxic to humans, but eaten nontheless.

[sotc]

http://www.fresnobeehive.com/archives/upload/2006/12/tamales.jpg
:?:

[MasterBlaster]

I've never ate a good one of those in my life.

[sotc]

really? i love homemade ones.

[hmm]

The tomalley is the soft, green substance found in the body cavity of the lobster. It functions as the liver and pancreas, and much like the liver of other animals, the lobster's tomalley is the natural filter for contaminants. Test results have shown that the tomalley can accumulate contaminants found in the environment. Although not widely consumed, tomalley is considered by some to be a delicacy.


from - http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/ahc-asc/media/advisories-avis/_2008/2008_70-eng.php

chew wisely

[MasterBlaster]

Today is the start of Mini Lobster Season, a 2 day event that brings alot of folks down into the keys looking for lobster. I am going to get payroll in, then John and I are heading out to look for bugs, as we call them. It is going to be a zoo on the water!


So did pirates keelhaul ya'll whore whut??? :what:

[Frans]

Yea, did you get any lobster? I know they swim very fast so ya gotta sneak up on 'em

[vharrison]

We did not get one lobster. :whine: We covered 43 miles, dove on lots of holes, they were just all short.

[MasterBlaster]

I bet they were hiding out in the tall holes! :P

[TC3]

Ours are called lobstas;)

LMAO !!!

[sotc]

and ours are dungees

[RIVERRAT]

My favorite feeesh:)

[MasterBlaster]

A TreeCatfish, very rare.

[Rotax Robert]

A TreeCatfish, very rare.


And extremely difficult to catch from a boat in the water.

[Skwerl]

All my years working in trees and I hardly ever see those. They must be nocturnal.

[Banned by Squirrels]

Sort of like the mountain Walrus's...

[RIVERRAT]

All my years working in trees and I hardly ever see those. They must be nocturnal.
They eat sleeping Skwerls:lol:

[GASoline71]

Working an evening shift tonight then headed down to my parent's place. Dad and I are goin' fishin' in the mornin'... I'll make sure I bring the camera...

See you guys in a couple of days... :)

Gary

[MasterBlaster]

Have fun!

[OTGBOSTON]

Post pics!!

I haven't been fishing but once this summer:(

[vharrison]

We won't be getting on the water this weekend. The boat is in the shop with a blown power head. Lucky for us, it is still under warranty. Warranty is up in December.

[Drella]

Man I wanna parasail someday!!!

I was thinking the same thing until this. Happened a few years after we moved here from Ohio. The captain of the boat just happens to be the 50+ national champion road cyclist...

Article taken from a blog. Tried looking for the original news story but couldn't find it...
__________________________________________________ _______________

Posted on Friday, April 09, 2004 2:35:01 AM by Cincinatus' Wife

MADEIRA BEACH - As they craned their necks upward, a small group of tourists noticed something was wrong with the two teenage girls parasailing together Thursday afternoon. The girls were drifting 200 to 250 feet in the air - not over the Gulf of Mexico as they should have been, but over the beach. And they were headed inland. Then the same group, made up mainly of Midwesterners, noticed the line that had connected the pair to a boat was dragging along the surface of the Gulf.

It had snapped.

Some heard the girls scream.

Jon Shoemaker, a 34-year- old husband and father from Ohio who works for a pharmaceutical company, dove into the water to grab the 5/16-inch Kevlar line.

So did Mark Wiltz, 38, a salesman from Ada, Mich., also vacationing with his family.

Drew Corell, 34, a sales manager from Grand Rapids, Mich., grabbed the 11,700- pound-test line, too. So did Corell's brother-in-law, Rick Otte, 37, a high school teacher, also from Grand Rapids. One other man might have, also, the men said.

But try as they might, they said, they realized - in waist- deep water - that alone they would not be able to keep the pair of Atlanta 16-year-olds from drifting away.

The wind was too strong. The line was slipping through their hands, searing their palms, and they were being dragged. One wondered aloud whether the end of the line was about to slip through their hands, too.

That's when it happened, witnesses said: Beachgoers got up off their towels or beach chairs or started pouring out of nearby hotels and condominiums. They went to the line, too, jumping up to grab the part ascending into the sky or pushing down on the stretches of rope closer to the men in the water.

Eventually, anywhere from 50 to 100 people were either pulling down on the rope or making sure children weren't getting trampled in the tug-of- war, witnesses said.

The rescuers finally pulled the girls to safety.

One of the girls was praying as her feet gently touched the sand behind Madeira Norte, a condominium at 13000 Gulf Blvd.; the other was crying, witnesses said. Everyone burst into applause.

The girls were identified by authorities as Chelsea Elizabeth Waddell and Theresa Marie Blanford.

``The rope just snapped and we just kind of whiplashed,'' Waddell told freelance photojournalist Eamon Kneeshaw. ``We were on top of a bunch of buildings and streets and roads. It was really freaky.'' Blanford said they were ``really scared.''

They should have been. In 1990, George E. Myers, 28, of New York City died in a parasailing accident on Sand Key in Clearwater during which he was slammed into a seawall, construction equipment and parked cars. In 2001, a Kentucky woman and her teenage daughter fell 250 feet to their deaths at Fort Myers Beach when their seating harness broke.

The Coast Guard is investigating Thursday's incident.

The two Atlanta girls were customers of Get Wet Parasail, one of a handful of parasailing operations along the boardwalk at Johns Pass, which connects the Intracoastal Waterway and the Gulf.

Mark Yeager, manager of Get Wet, said the wind had dwindled to nearly nothing Thursday, so it was decided that a larger chute should be used. The girls were kept aloft by such a chute when the wind picked up dramatically, Yeager said. The line immediately snapped taut, and the girls were being pulled ashore by the wind, Yeager said.

The captain of the boat to which the girls were attached decided to turn around and head toward shore in a maneuver designed to help slacken the rope, but then the line snapped, Yeager said.

[GASoline71]

Well... we didn't get to go fishin'. Some other stuff came up... maybe next time. :)

Gary

[vharrison]

We got out on the water yesterday, hired a guide. What a day, John snorkled 2 different "blue holes", shot 2 lobster (hahahaha, yes you can shoot them in the Bahama's), a grouper and I caught a yellow tail on hook and line. From there, we went to a deserted island and cooked the catch and feasted!

[vharrison]

In the second to last shot, you can see a band from Gustav. Here are a couple more shots.

[vharrison]

I like this shot of Capt. Phil and John.

[woodworkingboy]

Wow, you go native, girl! Lobster :P

[Frans]

Gigi, what did you have to eat on that island? I remember you posting you didn't like fish, so...Bring your own provisions?

And by the way, that island looks good from where I am, think I'll go down there and build a shack and live there. :)

[vharrison]

We took some mac and cheese from a local restuarant, the guide sent a fruit salad and guava jelly sammiches!

[Husky385]

Post pics!!

I haven't been fishing but once this summer:(

I have

[vharrison]

Husky, what kind of fish are they?

[Frans]

Husky, what kind of fish are they?

Stinky refrigerator fish 8):P

[Husky385]

Atlantic Mackerel V, we had a good hour or so 56 fish in all, they were caught on lures, fish weighed up to 2lb...

Most excellent on the barby! imo one of the best eating fish you can get, I gave a load away to my elderly neighbors and friends, they are best eaten on the day... So they never really got time to stink the fridge out, but Frans is right if left too long I'd have been in trouble...:|:

[vharrison]

Mackerel are fun to catch, put up a fun fight!

[Frans]

My buddy who usually brings me fish has been slacking 'cause his boat is broken :(

LIke you said, nothing like fresh caught fish. Never had fresh mackerel

[OTGBOSTON]

No fish, but its water...

This is the beach at my in-laws vacation house "down tha Cape". Neighborhood association beach and dock, its pretty cool:)

[vharrison]

Nice!

[woodworkingboy]

That's a coincidence...I had mackerel just tonight at a nearby sushi restaurant. Usually they just don't eat mackerel raw, they put it briefly in some kind of vinegar marinade I believe, then eat it raw. Pretty oily fish.

[vharrison]

We got out today, just did some drift fishing in about 110 feet of water, over the Thunderbolt Wreck. We caught 6 decent sized Yellowtail Snapper, didn't even need to measure them. Sorry, no pics.

Then we went to a favorite swimming spot. Water temp is down to 78, so I won't be back in till next summer. Brrrr to cold.

[Skwerl]

Sounds like fun, Gigi. :)

So, when are you gonna tell us the story about your new avatar picture? Looks like Palmer was piloting a helicopter or something. :lol:

[MasterBlaster]

I found that and gave it to her, lol.

[Skwerl]

I took my boat out today, first time I've had it on the water since a year ago August. The 60 Yamaha runs pretty good as long as I don't run it wide open, only an occasional slight miss when coming off an idle. But when I run it wide open for several minutes it gets loud and rattley, sounds like crap. I'd love to replace it with a 90 hp Yamaha but I don't use it enough or have the money to waste on anything like that. More likely I might end up throwing a set of rings in it sometime and seeing if that will bring my compression back up a little.

Anyway, it was a little chilly and breezy but not bad. My buddy Mike and I ran up the St John's river from Sanford (Lake Monroe) almost all the way to Lake George and back. We had lunch at one of the marinas along the way, fished a little and mostly counted gators sunning themselves on the banks. We spotted about 35-40 gators, one turkey and two deer.

According to my GPS, my boat currently runs 31 mph at WOT with two men and gear. I could easily get 35 with a better prop and less weight.

[Paul B]

Cool RJS, I thought you were much more active on the water, too much work?

[woodworkingboy]

Nice pics Skwerl, but the out of focus ones make me a little seasick. Looks like gator heaven.

[Skwerl]

Sorry, I had to zoom in and crop those in order to see the deer.

[vharrison]

Fun times Brian! Looks like you saw as many gators as you would have if you had been on alligator alley.

[squisher]

Damn! Alligators everywhere, uhhh I dunno about that. Do people get attacked often down there?

[Newfie]

Years ago I went canoeing in the Everglades. It's kind of unnerving when the gators swim under you and bump the bottom of the canoe.

[MasterBlaster]

You gotta rap em in the head to make em stop doing that.

[Newfie]

Yup.

[woodworkingboy]

You gotta rap em in the head to make em stop doing that.

That can be said for a lot of bothersome humans too.

[vharrison]

Damn! Alligators everywhere, uhhh I dunno about that. Do people get attacked often down there?

Nah, doesn't happen often. You hear of them getting dogs more often than people.

[Skwerl]

My buddy Mike bought an old POS $900 boat earlier this summer. It's an old 16' bowrider with a 70 Johnson. Well the 70 took a dump on him last week so he replaced it with a 115 Johnson that he had bought off a tree customer last year. He tinkered with it for a week and we took it for a ride yesterday and that little boat HAULS ASS!!! :D It's about the size of my boat with almost twice the power. I didn't bring my gps to get the speed, but I'm guessing it was well over 45 mph. He was concerned about the extra weight and the back end of the boat sitting too low in the water but it wasn't bad. We tried to splash the wake over the stern by stopping quick but the boat stayed dry. It was a successful run. 8)

[Dave Shepard]

A friend of mine put some huge motor on a little boat. Apparently the first time he really got on it, it stood up too far and filled itself full of water. Glad I wasn't around for that one.

[woodworkingboy]

A friend of mine had a drag boat with a big chevy engine, the thing could haul azz...used it for skiing too. It sat very low in the water. He was stopped once and a big wake came over the stern and the boat sank. They hired someone to raise it up off the lake bed. They were always rebuilding it anyway, so it didn't much matter.

[stehansen]

Cool place Brian. How far is that from your house?

[Skwerl]

Where we launch on Lake Monroe is about 10 miles from here, then we usually cruise north from there. The St. John's River meanders back and forth across Florida and dumps into the Atlantic near Jacksonville. It's one of the few rivers in the world that flows north.

[Underwor]

Red River of the North flows north from the Dakotas to Hudsons Bay. Like you say, an oddity

[Stumper]

Must have been the day for it. My buddy Randy and I usually make our last mountain lake trip on Veterans day... But the weather was lousy and I was sick so we didn't go. The weather has been so warm and the snowline has retreated back up over 11,000 feet so we decided that we would try it today. We drove up to Ohaver lake at 9200 feet. It was about 90% iced over but there was some open water. The little bowl the lake nestles in was echoing with Weird groans from the ice. Eerie and interesting. We spent 3 hours in the tubes finning around, smoking cigars and catching fish in the bright cold sunshine.
You don't have to be crazy for this type of fishing but it probably helps.

[CurSedVoyce]

Crazy. That was my thought on ice fishing in MA.. But I sure caught some nice trout ;) Who wudda thunk it on the cape.

[stehansen]

Sounds incredible to me Stumper.

[Paul B]

The little bowl the lake nestles in was echoing with Weird groans from the ice. Eerie and interesting. We spent 3 hours in the tubes finning around, smoking cigars and catching fish in the bright cold sunshine.
You don't have to be crazy for this type of fishing but it probably helps.

Thats awesome J, I can close my eyes and picture a couple bearded grizzlers floating around in innertubes puffing stogies, telling stories and waiting for fishies to bite. Its a cool vision, one of those few times in a lifetime views. :D

[Skwerl]

Heck, I went with Justin to fish in the mountains in June and it was frikkin' cold! You're insane to go swimming around in ice water in November.
:|:

[OTGBOSTON]

Crazy. That was my thought on ice fishing in MA.. But I sure caught some nice trout ;) Who wudda thunk it on the cape.

lots of good fishing on the Cape. The freshwater kind is a well kept secret...:/:

[Che]

Hard to believe all those alligators!! I guess jumping out of the boat for an impromptu swim is out of the question?

[Burnham]

Aw, gators are no hassle. Much, anyway.

I've swum with 'em plenty of times...but I stay out of the water if I see one over 12 feet.

[Underwor]

I hear the ice is just about thick enough to get on walking, it will be about another month before they start to drive on it again. Early ice is usually the best fishing. I may have to try in a week or so. We need a few -20 degree nights to drive that ice down about a foot or two. If it gets up to 3 feet, I may take the motorhome and try an overnight fishing trip to one of the area lakes. I have seen D-6 Cats on them before in winter.

[Newfie]

Aw, gators are no hassle. Much, anyway.

I've swum with 'em plenty of times...but I stay out of the water if I see one over 12 feet.

I was never really concerned by the ones you could see. It was the ones on the bottom or amongst the mangroves that freaked me out.

[Skwerl]

You're a braver man than I, Burnham. No way on God's green earth am I going swimming in that river with all those gators. Like Mike said, the ones on the surface or up on the bank aren't any problem. But when they see you coming, they dive and wait for you on the bottom. :O

[Burnham]

Maybe just more foolish, Brian. Of course, when I was living and working in south Florida it was more than 30 years ago. Alligators were still federally listed as threatened, and although there were plenty of them, most were in the younger generation of the recovering population and a big one would have been 10 feet. Those critters have mostly been eating and growing ever since, and the number and overall average size of big gators has really grown.

It's amazing the difference between the sizes of a 8-9 foot gator and a 12 footer...way more than just length...they begin to really put on girth at about 10 feet, and a 14 footer will look like a battleship.

Like anything else, once you get used to working with them they don't intimidate as much. I had a summer job with Florida Game and Fish as a teenager...I captured and relocated many a gator from residential developments back in the mid 1970's.

[Bermy]

Ok, I'm new here...
Mr. Bermie was a commercial fisherman so its not really fair...I spent a year fishing commercial with him before getting back to the plant stuff! Now we just fish for ourselves.

Picture one is a nice catch of:
puddingwife - the blue ones - best salted then boiled with potatoes, eggs, avodado and bananas (Sunday morning breakfast)
coney, barber - red - pan fried or baked
a slangdang - the long skinny one - pan fried
mackerel - really a 'little tunny' - breaded and pan fried or stuffed and baked
a nice jack - pan fried
a nice monkey rockfish - oh, so many ways to eat it!
Bottom fishing the edge two miles out

Picture two is a decent size wahoo...yes that's the rod in front..he likes light tackle. Trolling the edge, about two miles out...120'

[MasterBlaster]

Nice!

[Newfie]

Do you catch those commercially with rod & reel or do they do some sort of trawl or line fishing?

[Bermy]

Picture two - the wahoo

[CurSedVoyce]

Nice wahoo.. Not only fun to catch ... but fun to say when ya did ... WAHOOOOOOOOOOO !
:D

[MasterBlaster]

Awesome avatar!

[Bermy]

Do you catch those commercially with rod & reel or do they do some sort of trawl or line fishing?

Everything commercial and recreational is either rod and reel or handline on the edge. That lot is just a few hours poking on the edge, trolling for the mackerel and wahoo with a Rapalla or Yo-zuri lure, then change the rig and drop down to the bottom for the rest.

Nets and pots are illegal here, except one or two fisherman who are allowed to net jacks, and bait fishermen, there are only a couple of those too.
Pots are only legal for lobster season and they are issued by the Fisheries department to a limited number of fishermen who get a permit by a lottery. At the end of the season the pots are returned to the gov't for storage.

Pots/traps were banned in the early 90's when the grouper fishery collapsed, and the by catch was mainly parrotfish. Parrotfish are essential for the health of the reef, they graze algae and in so doing scrape the coral/rock substrate, they poop sand, and leave nice little clean spots of rock for new coral polyps to settle out onto. With so many parrotfish and other grazers being caught our reef was being overwhelmed with algae. It is no longer the case, the stocks are well into recovery and we have some of the healthiest reef anywhere in the world now!

Bermuda regularly wins the global marlin tournaments with the largest blue marlins getting caught here, we beat Florida, Bahamas and Hawaii!!:P

[Newfie]

cool stuff. thanks.:)

[Bermy]

Awesome avatar!

Could be!!!

[OTGBOSTON]

Picture two is a decent size wahoo...yes that's the rod in front..he likes light tackle

Kind of an understatement!!!:lol:

[vharrison]

Bermy, nice to know your husband is a guide. If we ever make it to your island, we will look yall up. We love to fish on vacation!

I am just back from fishing, we caught a mess of grunts, one yellowtail and one other fish that tastes like grouper, I forget the name. The camera I have at home is giving me a fit, so no pictures.

Brian, did you get out on the water?

[Skwerl]

Never broke 70 today, I stayed inside. :whine:

[Underwor]

I would have stayed inside too. That sounds just way to hot to be out in the sun. Watch out for heat stroke.
I think it broke 10 here today. The water is just about hard enough to get out on.

[Underwor]

Well, got on the water this week. Ice is about 1.5' thick. Had a good day today, 2 sunfish, about 1/2 # each, and a 7# Northern. Here is a photo of the fish and my ice house. the house felt good today, since the temp was right around 0F. My son is getting the framework and axle put together for an 8 x 12' icehouse, with a wood stove for heat. We will be able to take the grand daughters fishing then. May have it done by next week.

Enjoy the pictures.

[vharrison]

Nice catch! Do ya'll fish in the summer?

[sotc]

they cant walk on the lake then!!

[Underwor]

We do fish in summer, just seem to have more time in winter. And we do walk on water up here. Doesn't everyone???

[vharrison]

We have been doing some fishing here lately. The mangrove snapper are hot out in the bay. The first shot was from a trip we took with my folks, then yesterday John and I got our limit.

[Skwerl]

Last week I took the boat out and ended up going as far as Lake George, which is about 45-50 miles up the river from where I launched at Lake Monroe. I ended up buying fuel along the way in order to make it back, and buying fuel on the water is fairly expensive (about $3.50 per gallon). Today I decided to make the run again, but I started earlier and brought extra fuel with me. My boat holds 12 gallons and I brought 2 six gallon cans. My plan was to run until I ran out of fuel then refill and head home. I was on the water from about 9am until about 5:30pm. According to my gps the ramp is 16 miles from my house and my turnaround spot was 84 miles from my house, so that's 68 miles each way.

I need Jeff to come detail my boat for me. I gave it a bath about a year and a half ago. :|:

Here's a short video clip taken while I was crossing Lake George (camera in one hand, steering wheel in the other). It was windy and there was about a 2'-3' chop. I was running about 28-30 mph according to the gps. Yes, I was catching air between the waves. :D

<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/l8DaE0atnoY&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/l8DaE0atnoY&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

I only got a couple pictures. Here's a gator and turtle sharing a log, and one of the speed limit signs posted all up and down the river. There's several 'slow, minimum wake' zones as well as some 'idle speed, no wake' zones. Mostly near bridges and marinas, I guess manatees don't swim in the rest of the river. :roll:

[vharrison]

It is just nice to be on the water, isn't it? Don't worry about the manatee's, they are down here now. We saw three on our way out of the canal last in the last week or so. It was blowing to hard for us to get out today, spent the day in the yard.

[vharrison]

I will be fishin for sharks this weekend, gearing up for a shark tournament next weekend.

http://www.7milemarina.net/Marathon_Sharkathon_2009.html

[MasterBlaster]

Send me some jaws! :rockon:

[vharrison]

It is an all release tournament, can't kill em or keep em.

[MasterBlaster]

Just keep the jaws!


:lol:

[Burnham]

I came across a cd of some pics we took during our last visit to Big Island, HI this past weekend as I was loading photos onto our new digital picture frame. Though a few would be fun to share.

[MasterBlaster]

Check those abs.

[Burnham]

A few more.

[Burnham]

Check those abs.

Hey, this isn't the BMI thread, cut a fat ol' man some slack.
:lol:

[rumination]

Great pictures, Burnham. They're making me nostalgic for Hawaii...

[Skwerl]

I wish I was in that good of shape, Burnham. Great pictures, looks like you both had a blast. :)

[CurSedVoyce]

Nice pics Burnam. Looks like a great time. I do so miss diving with the fish :)

[Burnham]

Here's some from this weekend. Weather has turned awesome, and we put the canoe on the river...actually a dammed segment of the Clackamas. A real gorge, lovely.

Jasper likes to ride in the canoe...though mostly he sleeps. He does look over the gunnel at the geese and ducks, sorta curious.

[stehansen]

Beautiful Burnham.

[CurSedVoyce]

Very pretty river and country Burnam... Looks a real nice day :D

[lumberjack]

Canadian hen sitting on her nest on the isle in our lake. I'd like to get closer than 100ish yards away, but that'd mean getting on the water and I don't want too on topic for the thread.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v639/10mmsheepdog/DSC05596.jpg

[MasterBlaster]

Awesome tee shirt, B!

[Burnham]

Thought you might like that, Butch :).

[MasterBlaster]

The important thing is YOU like it! :rockon:

[Burnham]

Oh, I do...I like the TreeHouse quite a bit, my friend.

[MasterBlaster]

It's the pills I put in the water. :/:

[Burnham]

Knew it had to be something besides the collection of characters.

[vharrison]

John and I are fishing a shark tournament with one of our climbers and his son ( the young climber ) this weekend. We are getting so excited. http://floridasportfishing.com/magazine/product-reviews/press-releases/inaugural-7-mile-marina-marathon-sharkathon-shark-tournament-offers-exciting-fishing.html

Our arsenal will include 2 cases of chum, a gallon of menhaden oil and a liter of sheep blood. :\: We are getting together tonight for tacos and rigging. Captains meeting tomorrow night and fishing Saturday. Mike and his son live to fish and are especially good at shark fishing. We practiced last weekend and got some shirts to mark the occasion.

[MasterBlaster]

Cool! Pack your life vest! :rockon:

[Skwerl]

How many shirts did you have made up? :/:

[vharrison]

How many shirts did you have made up? :/:

:/:

[woodworkingboy]

Stay away from the shark when you get it into the boat. Happy hunting!

[vharrison]

No worries on that front, the shark will stay in the water, it is an all release tournament.

[OTGBOSTON]

Sweet shirts Gigi!

Around here we mix sand with blood/oil, it helps carry the scent down...:/:

good luck!

[vharrison]

That is a good idea, we will be using an IV drip bag. :O

[stehansen]

Those shirts are really cool.

[vharrison]

6:30am and I off to the bait store...fishing that shark tournament and need some chum. Wish us luck!

[pantheraba]

That is a good idea, we will be using an IV drip bag. :O

You're nuts...but it's gotta be fun. Have a great day. :)

[vharrison]

Well, we did not win, heck the only fin I saw all day was a dolphin at the end of the day. We did have fun though.
We were very excited to hear who did win. An 18 year old licenced Captain, who's dad is a friend of ours. His dad is the most excellent mate on The Main Attraction, http://www.mainattraction.org/ which is the boat we fished on for the Mothers Day tournament last year. So, kudos to the young man that won it. Some great fishing stories told on the dock last night.

[MasterBlaster]

Do you fish out in the middle of the ocean? I never caught anything like that, only around some structure like an oil rig.

[vharrison]

No, the wind was blowing 30 knots, seas offshore were 6-7. I think everyone fished in the bay or at one of the bridges. We started out at some islands beyond the 7 mile bridge, stayed there till about 11 then were heading to the Bahia Honda bridge (where all the winning sharks were caught) and saw the hump of the 7 mile bridge and decided not to run down to Bahia Honda, but try it there. We would have missed the bite at the Bahia Honda anyway, it shut off at 11 am.

When we were at the islands, we could see another boat that was in the tournament. He caught the most sharks that day, just not the ones with the most point value.

[woodworkingboy]

Shark makes some excellent eating, specially if you don't know it's shark.

[Skwerl]

I got the shirt today Gigi. Thank you very much! :D

[top hopper]

Nice boat Brian! What kind is it? Is your trolling motor a 12 or 24 volt? The all white ones are made for salt water right?


Nice shirts Virginia!

[top hopper]

I finally got out over the weekend, man what a LONG winter. No new pics, but a few from last year.