Dive4Blood
10-07-2002, 08:11 AM
Check out my report at http://floridasportsman.zeroforum.com/zerothread?id=13469. Great conditions, shootable vis, good crew, shootable vis, and 1000+ pounds of fish. Did I mention shootable vis? The Middlegrounds has ALWAYS had good vis in my years of diving there. Lots of FS Forum and Spearboard members aboard, pull yourself away from the keyboard guys, let's get on the Jolly Rogers 2 and sling mad steel!
quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For the maiden voyage of the Jolly Rogers 2 out of Steinhatchee, a crack team of subsea slayers from all over the state were assembled including Shooter Dan, Brad B, Interlude, Reef Raider, and Dabull Trouble. What follows are the highlights of another classic Middlegrounds weekend.
Left Steinhatchee Friday afternoon in one foot seas which proved to be the roughest of the trip. Just before sunset we stopped at a ledge 30 miles out in 60' which I checked out freediving for vis and fish. Confirming 10' of the former and lots of the latter, Capt. Jim Z and Interlude strapped on tanks, and headed for the bottom.It was dark when they surfaced each with 14 3-5 pound hogs. Proceeding onward another 45 miles we reached our first stop in the very northern reaches of the MG. A very nice mango bite ensued with gags and kingfish thrown in.
Saturday morning I hit the water with team one, and lo and behold, we have vis!!! Granted below average for the Grounds, but a very shootable 40' nontheless. Our first ledge was loaded, and I managed to nab 6 gags between 8-15 lbs., a couple hogs, and some mangos. The day continued equally productive on all dives as we worked our way south. This bottom structure in the northern MG generally consists of smaller breaks and large expanses of hard bottom in relatively shallow water 85'-100'. After our four dives we anhored up in the evening for yet another fishing marathon. Unfortunately two hours of sleep the night before, beer, lasagna dinner, and being right at our mango limit for the trip pretty much sapped everyone's motivation. Before passing out to the longest night of sleep I've had in the MG, Dabull Trouble caught a 30# blackfin tuna, and a few nice kings were taken on flatlines.
Sunday provided plenty of tales, I'll tell mine, and I'm sure some others will be posted soon. On my first dive of the day we hit a classic MG ledge with a 100' top dropping down to 130'. Hitting the bottom I blasted the first thing I saw, an average size mango, with my freeshaft to get the fish going. As I strung it up, a pod of big aj's started swarming the deep side of the ledge. Reef Raider put one down ASAP while I loaded up the lineshaft of my Rhino gun. I picked the biggest one swimming in the sand at 130' and let fly as I rocketed down. The shaft went through the top of the head, and stoned it instantly. With 34% nitrox at 130', I swam back to the ledge top quickly pulling up the dead load of aj on my line below me. As I'm stringing this guy up, a large male hog swims right in front of me! My line shaft is sitting on ledge with the line wrapped up in fire coral so I unclipped my line leaving the shaft there, and go chasing the hog with the freeshaft. He was swimming away fast from me so I angled the shot, and fortunately hit his lateral line, lights out. Swimming back, I see my lineshaft has disappeared. After 10 minutes of searching I find it in a deep crack in the side of the ledge where apparently it had gotten knocked into with all the commotion. No sooner that I'm ready for more shooting, a 6' reef shark starts buzzing around. Having had enough excitement for one dive, I ascend and subsequently weigh in a 46# aj and 15# hog.
Next week FS Forum member Mad Dog Bite and his posse of South Florida steel slingers are on the Jolly Rogers. Looks like Brad B, Reef Raider, and possibly Dabull Trouble are going to hit the Grounds again in November. Let me know if want to join the festivities, we have room.
Let's get some of those pictures posted!!!
quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For the maiden voyage of the Jolly Rogers 2 out of Steinhatchee, a crack team of subsea slayers from all over the state were assembled including Shooter Dan, Brad B, Interlude, Reef Raider, and Dabull Trouble. What follows are the highlights of another classic Middlegrounds weekend.
Left Steinhatchee Friday afternoon in one foot seas which proved to be the roughest of the trip. Just before sunset we stopped at a ledge 30 miles out in 60' which I checked out freediving for vis and fish. Confirming 10' of the former and lots of the latter, Capt. Jim Z and Interlude strapped on tanks, and headed for the bottom.It was dark when they surfaced each with 14 3-5 pound hogs. Proceeding onward another 45 miles we reached our first stop in the very northern reaches of the MG. A very nice mango bite ensued with gags and kingfish thrown in.
Saturday morning I hit the water with team one, and lo and behold, we have vis!!! Granted below average for the Grounds, but a very shootable 40' nontheless. Our first ledge was loaded, and I managed to nab 6 gags between 8-15 lbs., a couple hogs, and some mangos. The day continued equally productive on all dives as we worked our way south. This bottom structure in the northern MG generally consists of smaller breaks and large expanses of hard bottom in relatively shallow water 85'-100'. After our four dives we anhored up in the evening for yet another fishing marathon. Unfortunately two hours of sleep the night before, beer, lasagna dinner, and being right at our mango limit for the trip pretty much sapped everyone's motivation. Before passing out to the longest night of sleep I've had in the MG, Dabull Trouble caught a 30# blackfin tuna, and a few nice kings were taken on flatlines.
Sunday provided plenty of tales, I'll tell mine, and I'm sure some others will be posted soon. On my first dive of the day we hit a classic MG ledge with a 100' top dropping down to 130'. Hitting the bottom I blasted the first thing I saw, an average size mango, with my freeshaft to get the fish going. As I strung it up, a pod of big aj's started swarming the deep side of the ledge. Reef Raider put one down ASAP while I loaded up the lineshaft of my Rhino gun. I picked the biggest one swimming in the sand at 130' and let fly as I rocketed down. The shaft went through the top of the head, and stoned it instantly. With 34% nitrox at 130', I swam back to the ledge top quickly pulling up the dead load of aj on my line below me. As I'm stringing this guy up, a large male hog swims right in front of me! My line shaft is sitting on ledge with the line wrapped up in fire coral so I unclipped my line leaving the shaft there, and go chasing the hog with the freeshaft. He was swimming away fast from me so I angled the shot, and fortunately hit his lateral line, lights out. Swimming back, I see my lineshaft has disappeared. After 10 minutes of searching I find it in a deep crack in the side of the ledge where apparently it had gotten knocked into with all the commotion. No sooner that I'm ready for more shooting, a 6' reef shark starts buzzing around. Having had enough excitement for one dive, I ascend and subsequently weigh in a 46# aj and 15# hog.
Next week FS Forum member Mad Dog Bite and his posse of South Florida steel slingers are on the Jolly Rogers. Looks like Brad B, Reef Raider, and possibly Dabull Trouble are going to hit the Grounds again in November. Let me know if want to join the festivities, we have room.
Let's get some of those pictures posted!!!