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Joshua Baker
2014-08-14 14:17:45

Ponce Inlet Snapper


Aug 6th- Headed out of Ponce around 6:30 am and much to our surprise the bait was plentiful on the bell buoys heading out of the inlet. Last red bell buoy held an abundant supply of immature blue runners, med-large pinfish, and even the occasional pogie. Sabikis were the weapon of choice and after 6 or 7 full pulls of 5 each we were ready to get down to business. On the trip out bait pods were abundant and having a sabiki rigged with a lighter pyramid weight or even a light torpedo weight proved to be very useful in catching top water baits with out breaking off the weight during long casts. Headed out to the 22 mile range and worked structure around the East 11 area. Remember to have your bottom machine set so you can identify the structure and any drastic changes, a hump or drop of 3-5 feet can sometimes hold strong populations of Snapper and Grouper and often the structure will not stand out and slap you in the face as you watch the bottom machine. As we approached the first spot the Minn-Kota i-pilot was deployed and signal was acquired while we slowly motored in closer to the mark. The first baits of the day were the lively small blue runners, tail hooked with an Owner 7/0 circle hook and sent to the bottom with an 8oz egg sinker. Canyon reels were loaded with 65lb Berkley Big Game Braid and topped off with 10' of 80lb Berkley Pro Spec Mono shock leader. When the bait hits the bottom...HOLD ON!!! By using the braid the ability to feel the bait get nervous just before the strike alerts even the most amateur angler to the fight that is about to go down. With in 10 minutes we were hooked up on the first of 3 25+ lb Red Snapper. Unfortunately for the anglers aboard today the fish were out of season and returned to the deep blue to fight again, however the pictures and sore arms were enough to keep the anglers satisfied and chalk up another successful trip aboard the Seashift. Due to weather conditions we had to head in early after only 2 spots and a total of 6 big red snapper.
0 anglers like this post
Aug 15, 2014 15/08/14
Steve Allen
Very nice. I need to get some salt time soon.
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