More Groupers in S. FL

[sturgeon]

Everyone,

Once again, here’s a pic for those poor spearos whose dive season is currently on hiatus due to cold weather and for all the other hard core spearos who enjoy seeing pictures of nice fish.

We got lucky this year and had a second run of gags come into the Palm Beach/Jupiter area this past weekend due to a heavy swell that was produced earlier in the week. Saturday we got our limit of 6 gags plus 3 cobia in West Palm and on Monday I went back out up to Jupiter and we managed another load of 6 gags with one breaking the 20 lb mark shot by my good friend Fabricio Bueno. Fabricio also lost a huge cubera snapper on Monday that was upwards of 80+ lbs and might have been able to displace the current World Record but unfortunately as he pulled the trigger on his perfectly lined up head shot, the fish moved and so he was unable to stop the monster from disappearing into a giant cave. Needless to say, not only did he lose the fish but his shaft also.

Monday was a beautiful day and all the usual suspects were around including giant spotted eagle rays, turtles, sharks, humongous jewfish, big amberjacks, tons of cudas, schools of 100's of door sized permit, crevale jacks so thick you couldn't even see out of them to hunt, etc, etc, etc. Air temp was pushing 80 and water temp was 73-74. Vis was top to bottom in 70 ft. And as always, all fish were taken while freediving.

Take care and dive safe!

Scott

 

[donmoore]

Scott,
:wave Where have you been? I thought you deserted us again! Nice to see you have learn the art of politically correct pictures rofl rofl rofl rofl rofl. Just two fish per person!!!

Nice fish, I’m jealous :vangry.
don

 

[rcerdena]

Hello Scott:

very nice fishes and a nice story again!! The pics are always welcomed!!
Sad to hear that your friend lost that big one, but that happens once in a while.

Cheers

Roberto

 

[donmoore]

Hey what’s that at your feet? Is that another fish? Did somebody break the law?

Oh, I know that’s the camera guy’s gag.:duh

You had better crop that picture or someone might get the wrong idea.
don

 

[ivan]

hi

Very nice fish Scott how deep were they

cheers

 

[sturgeon]

Don,

I'm still around, just been busy with work lately. I know what you mean about the picture. I saw the recent one posted about a day with Aquilles and the one Rig put up from his and Anderson's Gulf trip and both pictures have way more fish in them than mine and they also have them laid out like "slabs of meat" but yet nobody says a word about their pictures (BTW, beautiful catches guys!!!). I've come to realize that for some strange reason, I seem to be a huge target to some on this Forum. Not sure why, maybe because I'm an asshole (I hope not though). Either way I don't really care anymore. It's just the way it is and that's that. And yes, that’s the camera man's fish lying at our feet.

Guess what, it looks like I'm going to be able to make it for at least a couple days to the April clinic. I think there's going to be about a half dozen guys doing refreshers at that course (most from DB) so it should be a great time. I'm looking forward to it as I have been diving well lately (90-100+ ft comfortably) and am psyched about attempting a PB under safe and supervised conditions. BTW, I may be applying for a job just outside Austin (Temple). Is there any diving to be had down on the coast? How's the fishing in them 'thar parts? Any vis? Where do you live from there?

Andrew,

Thanks, the fish on Saturday came from 40-60 ft and the fish on Monday came from 60-70 ft. Break any PB depth records lately?

Scott

 

[Murat]

those fishes looks so

Do you have regullar freedive classes there guys?

 

[sturgeon]

Murat,


The Performance Freediving Clinic (PFD) does rounds across the Country (California, Florida, Hawaii, and Rhode Island) and a class is available in each place every 2-3 months. PFD is run by Kirk Krack and has World Record holding instructors including Martin Stepanik and Mandy-Rae Cruishank (sorry Martin and Mandy as I'm sure I probably butchered your names). Here's their website (http://www.performancefreediving.com/).

Scott

 

[frogman]

Nice gags Scott. I guess Fabricio didn't break my Cubera record for your boat . I know he's been looking forward to nailing one of those big suckers.
I will try to make it to the Performance Clinic in April.
Well looks there will be another swell this weekend. Maybe it will bring more groupers in...

Angelos

 

[sturgeon]

Angelos,

We can only hope!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I may try to go out on Sunday but with a swell and 4-6 ft seas I'm not sure the vis will make it worth it.

Fabricio thought he was going to get that fish and then it moved, he said he didn't know why he took the shot once it wasn't perfect anymore but he said he just couldn't control himself (I guess his 'killer' instinct took over). Oh well, I'm sure it was a valuable learning expirence for him (don't take a shot at a monster fish in structure unless you're 99.9% sure you're going to stone it).



Scott

 

[rigdvr]

Scott, leave a couple for me! Looks like I'll be down that way late in March. Nice work, good fish. What was the size on the cobia?

Dont worry, Im an asshole too If you go to Texas and get into hunting these platforms you'll never want to go back to the reefs again! The only problen is our weather constraints in the N. Gulf and the long run to the hunting grounds.

 

[donmoore]

Scott,
Temple is about 4½ hrs away from me in Corpus Christi. The nearest coast would be the Galveston area about 3½ hrs away. Definitely not as close as you would probably like. I have a friend in Austin, well actually he is somewhere in the Gulf right now. He took a 3-month trip on sail boat down to Mexico and borrowed my EPIRB. He is going to moorage his boat here when he gets back. There is another couple in Austin who are into freediving and are waiting for invite from me, so you there would be some people you could split some expense to get here with.

There are some lakes in the Austin area, but the fish are not good eating compared to what you’re used to. Like Rig said, the diving in the Gulf at the rigs is very good. I don’t have too much to compare it too, but people who have dived other places are usually shocked at the number of fish we have. But the down side is also what Rig mentioned - the weather. Its tough to plan ahead. You have to be flexible and watch the forecast.

Personally I wouldn’t take a job in Austin unless the pay was really good. Too many people and too far from the ocean! But if you do, I promise we will have some memory filled trips. This is the year we are getting a yellow fin tuna at the SPARRS. The new boat is finally working right with mid 30-knot cruise and a 500-mile range. Those tunas don’t have a chance!
don

 

[sturgeon]

Rig & Don,

Thanks for the info. You guys are tempting me with all that talk of so many fish!

Rig,

The cobias were small (right at legal). If you're coming over in March, don't worry there'll still be some fish around. Especially, if you're going to the Keys. The big black groupers and mutton snappers move into the shallower water during that time of year to spawn and you can really knock 'em dead. I don't dive the Keys much so don't really have much advice or spots to pass on to you. But I do know that people slay the groupers in depths from 25-45 ft the time of year you're talking about.

Good luck and you know we expect pictures!!!!!!!!!!!!

Scott

 

[Bill]

"both pictures have way more fish in them than mine and they also have them laid out like "slabs of meat" but yet nobody says a word about their pictures (BTW, beautiful catches guys!!!)."
I think your picture looked way more better, Scott.
Aloha
Bill

 

[Amphibious]

Great fish scott!


I have deleted three posts. the instigator has been warned, there is no room for that kind of BS on this board. anyone has a problem with that they can send me a PM. Thanks.

 

[ahoyhoy239]

very impressive catches scott. i think it is about time to wipe the drool off my keyboard now:yack :hmm .in my opinion i have not seen any pictures on this forum that pass the limit. i figure that to go out spearfishing in mediocre weather, it should at least require 2 divers in the water and someone to drive then a switch so if that was the case then no harm done

 

[Oldsarge]

You go, Amphibious! Free speech does in no way condone boorishness and bad manners. I know some other boards that could a stricter adherance to good etiquette!

 

[Rafael Palmerio]

I have deleted this post. this is not the thread nor forum for the topics expressed. please don't make me have to do it again.

 

[stevevidar]

Great fish Scott!!!

 

[Paul Kotik]

FISH STORIES

Those images look Photoshop-ed (tm) to many. I find it surprising, and quite suspect, that these so-called spearos up there in Jupiter don't invite Deeper Blue's Freedive Editor, who, as everyone knows, residesjust outside Lauderdale. to cover one of these purported spearfishing outings.

Is it that these people have something to hide ? If so, what ?

Seems to me that if all this were on the up-and-up, on the straight -and narrow, and not on the sly or under-the-table, it would be normal practice to inform the Deeper Blue Freedive Editor of any upcoming spearfishing outings of this sort and extend and invitation to the Deeper Blue Spearfishing Editor to come along.

That way, the rising skepticism among DB readers could be put to rest. Plus, the Deeper Blue Freedive Editor could take some of these fish back down to his house and document their authenticity. Scientifically.



Paul Kotik
Deeper Blue Freedive Editor