Trip to the keys.. Feb. 2nd-3rd.

A friend of mine who does boat fishing from school proposed that we made a trip to the keys since Thursday was an early release and Friday was no school. We spent Wednesday night acquiring shark bait and we were practically all set after school on Thursday. We had some delays but we were able to hit the keys around the beginning of dark. We started out at seven mile bridge and did some snapper/tarpon/shark fishing. There were some lemons messing with the bait but ultimately the nurses bullied their way to our hooks. We ended up with 2 8-9ft specimens and cut the line. We were fishing next to a very good fisherman that was targeting snappers that night. After watching him pull up a 25 inch mangrove I set up some snapper riggings and gave it a shot. Right away I landed a 16in snapper and later on Max landed a 18 incher, his biggest ever.

This was my monster bait: a carcass from a 40lb blackfin tuna. Never got hit though.

My 16incher

Max's 18incher

I was flustered from the nurse sharks so I decided that we should move to a different part of the bridge. I set up shark baits cautiously as I knew we were in between two bridges, so I only put down the big guns. A 7-8ft hammerhead came and toyed with Max's wahoo carcass but never committed to the hooks. By this time it was late so we decided to get some rest.

Next morning we got up and attmepted to catch some bait to fish around. We got some sandperch and grunts and things and went around. I lost a nice grouper and Max lost a nice tarpon. We were both around the shark baits I had floating when one of them went off and we found out it was a blacktip so we shot some video. Two were around as were 2 cudas one of which was pushing 50lbs, truly a super cuda, it attempted to bully the 2 blacktips and steal the bluefish on my hooks but the blacktips were just too fast.

A pic of the blacktip hot on our bait.

Here is the video that wasn't that amazing, but you can see the tipper on the bottom shredding the bait.

This video it was on the surface and is better quality

look at the size of that starfish!!! there were a couple of them around that day.

here is out cooler of fish.

Here are some fine specimens including species on the right which in latin is pedus tegumentum Etnies

On our way towards leaving I found a school of huge jacks ranging from 5-20lbs. The first one I hooked was 20lbs and made quick work of me under the bridge. Then I landed 2 around 8 and 10lbs and lost a 12lber trying to flip it over.

We went to long key hoping to catch the tide but we were delayed and missed most of it. I noticed some goliath groupers swimming around so I put down a bait for them and Max hooked up but it spit the hooks. Then He hooked up to a nurse and we left to meet up with JD Hammer and my mom. They were shrimping on channel 2 where we also met up with some Dania and lakeworth pier fishermen.

The shrimps ran and JD let us use some for bait, Max got his first tarpon and I dehooked it and made sure it swam off strong.

He was overexcited.

He shortly calmed down.