Went out Saturday morning at 7:30am 12/01/07. I took out a friend Dr. B. for the first time in my boat.  We were planning to go out to some wrecks within 10 miles of shore to try our luck with groupers. Neither of us had ever caught a legal grouper yet.  The reports that morning said the seas were going to be 2 to 3 foot. I don’t think so!!! - maybe in the bay!!!!  We started going thru the pass to look for bait around the buoys.   The wind was stiff out of the East and the seas were 5 foot + and some seemed to be closer to 7 or 8 feet. We saw lots of Cape Horn boats going out and a lot of other boats coming back in, that there told me something I’m not sure what, but I think a lot of folks with Cape Horns have confidence in their rigs in bigger seas or we’re all a little f#@*ing crazy!!!  After a little bit of roller coasting up and down the waves in my 19’, we decided that it probably wouldn’t be that great catching groupers in the Gulf anyways. We did a 180 and headed back thru the buoys, we were going so slow we decided to troll a couple stretch 25’s. I’ve never caught anything trolling yet, but within a few minutes we caught Dr.B’s first King Mack. Blood in the boat – it was already a great day!!!  We trolled to Fort Mcrae, and decided to anchor up on the N. side of the wall and we caught a bunch of bluefish. We kept a couple and after we had enough fun with the blues we wanted something bigger.  We trolled again with the stretch 25’s past Fort Pickens and to the Coast Guard station with no luck. It started getting to be about 1:30p and we started heading slowly to Navy Point looking for schools of reds or diving birds.  About 2 minutes after turning north I saw a big lump on the Garmin 545s. We turned around to check it out and sure enough the lump was holding fish. Game on!!!  We drifted some cigs on bottom past the lump and bingo!!! We pulled up the first grouper for the boat and the both of us.  We were both excited, giving the “High Five and dancing the Grouper Jive”. We drifted past our new little honey hole a few more times with no additional hookups, it was about slack tide so we headed in to Navy Point, took a few pics and promised to try it again. It was a great day and I can’t wait to try it again.

Dr. B with his first grouper and a first for the boat!!!

Dr. B with a pic of his first King Mackeral.

Thats me (Christopher) I couldn't resist the photo op with the first grouper from my boat.

That's my son Brandon (B-Dawg) he couldn't resist the photo op either (we're related)

B-Dawg posing with the King to match the graphics on the boat.

 

"GONE FISHIN' TOO"           

19' Cape Horn
Yamaha 200 HPDI                                                                                                 
Pensacola,FL                                                                                                                             
kniejac@hotmail.com

><((((º>`·.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸.·´¯`·...¸><((((º>  Christopher Knieja ><((((º>`·.¸.·´¯`·.¸.·´¯`·..¸><(((º>         

                                                             850-261-9409

New member to the PRFA http://www.fishpensacola.net 

New member to the RFRA  http://www.reeffishra.com        

"Just trying to make it"

"It's easy to grin, when your ship comes in, And you've got the stock market beat.

But the man worthwhile, is the man who can smile, When his shorts are too tight in the seat!"

Judge Smails- Caddyshack