Weather: hot/humid overcast with rain showers
Water temp:88-90
Clarity: super clear
Nancy and I wanted to run Nan Z out to 24 and troll for some kings and hit a grouper hole or two before it got super hot. Headed out at low tide early. Figure the incoming tide would be the ticket for the day.
Stopped out at 2 flat and picked up some pinnys and caught a few blues on a BPS jerkbait painted in the clown pattern with a yellow belly. They were fun, but threw blood all over the boat.
Wind wasn't letting up, but we decided to make the run to 24 since the clouds were parting. Got to the bouy and didn't see any birds or bait just seas that made the Nan Z bob like a cork on the water. Decided to head out to the barge. Found bait but the seas were so rough we could only make one troll and decide to head to Ochlockonee Shoals for calmer water and trout fishing.
Caught a bunch of trout, brought home a nice 16" sandwich (fried in butter and panko, YUM!). Also caught some blues on jerkbaits, one was the biggest I have caught here in the Gulf, maybe 3 lbs.
Fished our way back in. Stopped at Rotary Reef on the way in, got over a rock pile with the live pinfish and dropped down, Nancy immediately got broke off and I dropped down and ditto! Probly a big ol' grouper. Couldn't get hooked up again, so decided to do the cobia run back to the dock.
Stopped at the 2 marker and lobbed the cork and pinfish about 10 times with no results.
Headed to the tripod which has been hot for the summer. Nancy lobbed her pinfish in there and it slowly took off. She set the hook, but came up empty. I could see her bait moving around in the pilings and upon closer inspection could see it was still in a triple tail's mouth. He was trying to digest it. It was a nice one too! We haven't got one of those to the boat, so we were disappointed to see it keep swimming around the pilings trying to swallow our pinfish.
Rebaited and threw out again, Nancy started yelling cobia! Her cork was right by the boat and I looked down at a BIG cobia. It swirled around her pinfish but never hooked up. She casted again and we could see the pinfish swimming around and around trying to avoid being dinner. The cobia kept coming up and swirling on the pinny, but never ate.
Finally, the last cast, the pinfish barely got in the water and the cork took off. Nancy set the hook and it was on again! The power run, the maneuvering of the boat, and the screaming of the Penn's drag as the cobia headed back to the tripod. This time he won, as the Ugly Stick whipped back to it's normal position, unbent.
We headed back to the hill as a light rain began to fall. As I let Nancy off to back the boat in, another nice boat came in and the guy's wife was waiting at the ramp to back his trailer in and pick up him and his boat. We pulled out at the same time. As I got out of my boat, I told the older fellow how nice his boat looked.
He said "Captain I saw something I've never seen a few minutes ago". Assuming I was gonna hear something about fishing or the bad weather that was coming in, I listened intently. He said "I just saw two ladies back boat trailers in at the same time! Chics rule!" he said with a thumbs up and a big smile.
Now that's funny, I don't care who you are!
