- 2012 Tampa Tribune Outdoor Expo, 2012 Frank Seargent show
- Cool deal, only 24 hours.. Lightroom 3 the best software for photographers was $249 now $69
- Yamaha Iphone App
- IF4, International Fly Fishing Film Tour, a special Saltwater Cut for us here in Florida.
- Very Cool trick try this it works awesome.
- Dragon Fly paddle boards in South Carolina Show this weekend.
- Real truth about SOPA
- Natural Laws
- Clay Dyer, can’t help but to be inspired by this guy
- Invisible to the Naked eye water proofing you iphone
Jay Riordan
24 Hours in Bimini
I got a call from a friend asking if I wanted to fly over to Bimini and fish a couple of days, then help take the boat back to Fort Lauderdale. The plan seemed simple, a little trolling for wahoo, some deep dropping for queen snappers, and maybe a little chumming for yellowtails. The only thing we couldn’t control was the weather. We knew a front was coming, and the trip may have to be cut short by a day or two, but I didn’t really care. Any reason to spend a little time on the other side of the gulf stream sounded good to me.
We arrived in Bimini about noonish on Friday and decided to drag some high-speed lures for an hour or so. No bites, the only thing that was being put in the boat was a little rain here and there. Without a reason to fight the elements we opted to head for the house and take a little lunch break and get ready for some afternoon yellowtailing. A few hours later we headed out of the channel and quickly noticed the wind had picked up and the seas were a little bigger. The guys on the boat were arguing about the size’ “They look 2-4″, “No, those are 3-5′s”, I just say they were, “hold on to the tower or rail or risk getting thrown out of the boat size”. Needless to say, when your yellowtail jig heads are skipping on the surface, the current is way too strong to fish for snappers. That would be the end of fishing for day 1.
Saturday morning didn’t look much better. The seas were still big and the forecast was calling for 9-11 foot seas in the stream. The wind was going to pick up and blow harder on Sunday and Monday. There would be no taking the boat back so we charted a plane to fly us out in the afternoon. As we sat on the couch looking out over the water we could see the front way off in the distance and the water was nothing but whitecaps. I suggested we go give it one last chance, heck we all had foul weather gear and the fish were already wet, what would they care. Besides, we had three hours before we were going to get on the plane. We grabbed four trolling rods and off we went. It didn’t take long before we had a double hook up. After a short fight we had wahoo in the boat and we headed for the house.
As I sit here and type this it almost feels like I never left my home, like it was all a dream. Maybe it’s due to the lack of sleep or the removal from the daily grind. Whatever it is, it puts a smile on my face. I was able to spend time with old friends and meet some new ones. Had some great food, good laughs, and shot a few photos along the way. That’s what makes life good!
Soul Food
With the 2011 gag grouper season coming to a close I kept checking the weather just hoping for a window of opportunity. Prevailing 15 knot winds and 3′ seas seemed to be the norm for every weekend the last couple of months. My hopes of getting out one last time were fading as fast as the weekend was passing. On Sunday morning I slept in late, rolled out of bed and poured a cup of coffee. Half awake I sipped on my coffee and browsed through the usual weather sites. Could this be right, was I still dreaming? There it was, a window of opportunity in the afternoon. It was a small window, but a window none the less, and I was taking it!
I made a couple of calls and assembled a crew. The plan was simple; meet at the marina around noon, go catch bait, run out and get a limit of gags, and be back home before dark. Sounds simple, but truthfully I was flying blind. I had not taken the boat out since mid September so I didn’t have a clue where the gags would be. I had a good idea where to find them but with the the short afternoon it didn’t lend much in the way for error.
After heading down the Anclote river we stopped near the island to catch bait. An hour later we had just enough bait to fish for a couple of hours. I pointed the boat west and ran to about 60′ and stopped on some hard bottom. Instantly the screen lit up like a Christmas tree, the oh so familiar site of gags suspended off the bottom got my heart racing. In about 30 minutes we had our ten gags on ice and proceeded to play catch and release until the rest of the bait was gone.
I pointed the boat towards home and realized that sometimes it isn’t about what you catch for dinner, sometimes its the things you catch that can’t be ingested. The cool breeze blowing through your shirt. The warm sun tanning your face. The unsolicited smile for a picture. The laughter with friends. The stories of the big one that got away. Those things will stay in your memory longer than any fish dinner will stay in your stomach. That is my type of soul food!
XFish Suf
This past weekend I came across something interesting that caught my eye. It appears that Vern Tokarczyk, the founder of Xfishsuf, has been clever enough to create a paddle board geared towards fisherman. I was very impressed with the amount of thought he had put in making the paddle board functional and comfortable. I always liked the idea of being able to stand up while fishing the shallows but several hours of standing and balancing would be murder on the body, thus the incorporation of a seat was a brilliant idea. It also allows 360 degree fishability, unlike a kayak. He also designed a compartment forward of the seat that could be used for storage or even recessed for a cooler. For the fisherman with bad knees or shoulders, or just too lazy to paddle, they have the option to pick a model and have it outfitted with a trolling motor. I also like the way the paddle board sits low in the water, therefore making it easy to grab a rail and climb in without much fear of tipping the entire thing over.
The Xfish company is located in Sarasota so hopefully myself or Sammy can make a trip down there and get one wet and see how middle aged clumsy guys fare on them.
New G-Loomis Microfiber Shirt Review
Last week I was able to get a couple of the new G-Loomis microfiber shirts to try out. These are a little different than any other microfiber currently on the market since they have a vented back to help keep you extra cool. They are very comfortable and come in any color you want, as long as you want black or white. I would guess that most fisherman would opt for the white shirts due to the black just being too hot to wear most of the year. No matter what color you decide on, they both look great. Now you can look stylish on the water or around town, without looking like you’re wearing a fishing shirt.
At first, I was worried about the white getting extremely dirty and the stains not coming out in the washing machine. However, after a long day of fishing offshore, and getting covered in blood, I let the shirt sit overnight and washed it the following day. After just one wash the shirt looked just like it did when I got it new. With that being said, look for these shirts to be hitting your local tackle stores soon, but don’t expect them to stay there too long.
Playing with the Pets
I don’t know how it happened but somehow Mother Nature blessed me with a few nice weather days on my days off. Wanting to take full advantage of the situation, the plan was to drop some pinfish traps then make a run out to some deeper water the next day. I got a call from my friend, Capt. Jimmy Bennett, and he suggested we use his flats boat to deploy the traps then go target some snook and tarpon along the beach. Finding the snook was easy, almost too easy, however getting them to bite was the challenge. I have to say it’s a little frustrating seeing probably close to 100 snook and only a handful decide they wanted to chew. The tarpon were just as bad, lock jaw and running for their lives. Maybe they didn’t like the jet skis buzzing around them.
The next day we made a run out to some deeper water to play with the amberjacks, or my “pets” as I like to call them. They were much more cooperative and photogenic. No huge fish, just up to about 30lbs or so and I’m still kicking myself for forgetting to bring the fly rod. Using the live pinfish as chummers brought the jacks right to the boat and they stayed there for hours. The only thing that got them skittish was a big barracuda that decided to crash the party and get any easy meal.
Five Fingers
For the past couple of months I had the opportunity to try out a pair of Vibram Five Finger shoes. At first glance, I thought they looked cool, however I wasn’t really sure what made them so much better than the typical boat shoe or flip-flop that many of us wear when on the water. After doing a little research, I discovered the idea behind the design. Quite simply they were supposed to be better for your feet, and reduce lower body injury, when performing physical activity.
With a little intrigue and curiosity, coupled with a slight dose of doubt, I decided try out the KSO model. The KSO (keeps stuff out) was designed for water activities in mind. It quickly has become a favorite for kayakers, fisherman, jet skiers, and surfers.
The first couple of times I wore the shoes it took a little getting used to. First thing I noticed was the lack of cushioning, but I guess that was why they are referred to as “barefoot” shoes. I soon grew to love the lack of cushioning since I could feel just about anything I was walking on but at the same time not exposing myself to the hazards of actually going barefoot; no worries of stepping on broken glass or scalding hot pavement. The KSO was designed with a non-marking water-siped sole to help grip on both wet and dry surfaces. They might just be the perfect shoe for wading or walking on a wet and slippery jetty. The shoes literally fit your feet like a glove and are extremely lightweight. They are quick to dry and easy to clean. In fact you can just pitch them in the washing machine at the end of the day and leave them out to dry.
My overall impression is that these shoes are simply awesome. Find a dealer near you and try on a pair, you won’t regret it.
2011 Destin Cobia Fishing, part 2
Traditionally, late April in northwest Florida signals the best time to target cobia. Not only are the fish migrating in large quantities, but it is usually when the biggest fish pass through the area on their way to Louisiana to spawn. On any given day an angler could find a single fish, pairs, triples, or “wads” of four to twenty plus fish swimming down the beach. For some lucky boats, they might even be fortunate enough to find that elusive “slob”, a fish over a hundred pounds.
The crew of the HEBE was kind enough to invite me back to fish so I surprised them with some breathe like a fish shirts. On my last trip the crew really liked the shirts but since they aren’t sold in the local area they were hesitant to buy them online in fear of getting the wrong size. Funny thing is that microfiber shirts and Buff type face masks aren’t widely known of yet in the Panhandle. I saw far too many sun baked arms and faces.
The wind forecast was perfect, southeast winds and swells every day. Typically those conditions push the fish along the surface allowing the fish to surf along with the waves, therefore expending less energy and covering more ground. The only thing that wasn’t working in our favor was the early morning fog followed by partly cloudy skies. At times the conditions were tough, sometimes downright miserable with the glare on the water. However, we fished hard and were rewarded with some great days of fishing. We caught a few fish pushing 60lbs but never came across that monster fish that would get the heart racing. The biggest wad we saw was about 20 fish. After catching the biggest out of the group we left the rest alone to find some bigger fish. Over the four days we released over a dozen fish before someone on the boat found the cobia tags. Too bad, that would have been some great data to provide to gulf coast research laboratory.
The sharpie modified Hogy.
