A Day of 'Firsts' - Offshore - Tuesday 12/30

Misn 1 · 01-02-2009, 02:20 PM

Being relatively new to offshore fishing on my own, there have been several ?firsts? for me. On this day, Tuesday 12/30, I had several ?firsts? all in one trip. I live in <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com

ffice:smarttags" /><st1:State w:st="on">Mississippi</st1:State> and fish out of <st1

lace w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Orange</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Beach</st1:PlaceType></st1

lace>, so I have to plan my trips a little in advance. My wife and I had planned to go out on Tuesday and maybe Wednesday since the seas were calming down. At 11:00pm Monday evening, she decided that she really didn?t want to get up early (4am) and make the 3.5 hour drive to <st1

lace w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Orange</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Beach</st1:PlaceType></st1

lace>. I said ?OK? and went to check the forecast one more time before bed. When I came back to the bedroom she asked me what I was gonna do. I told her that I was going fishing even if I had to go alone. She was worried about me going alone, and worried about me launching and recovering the boat. I have a 23? <st1

lace w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Cobia</st1:City> <st1:State w:st="on">WA</st1:State></st1

lace> and haven?t put in or taken out by myself. After arriving at <st1

lace w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Orange</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Beach</st1:PlaceType></st1

lace>, I visited several tackle shops, took advantage of several sales and went and picked up the boat. Here?s where the ?firsts? started;<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com

ffice

ffice" /><o

></o

><UL style="MARGIN-TOP: 0in" type=disc><LI class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in">I launched the boat by myself.</LI><LI class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in">I headed out to the GOM by myself.</LI><LI class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in">I decided to go to several ?new? spots to fish them for the ?first? time.</LI><LI class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in">About 14 miles out, I saw a pod of dolphins, so I went over to them to take some pictures (to make the wife jealous of course)?must?ve been over 50 of the I arrived at the fishing spot about 20 miles out, there was another boat about 400 feet away.</LI><LI class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in">I set the anchor by myself.</LI><LI class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .5in">I had some frozen bait, but decided I would do some jigging ?first?.</LI><LI class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .5in">Dropped down a speed jig, and hooked into something on the 2nd retrieve up?my ?first? AJ. Only 22 inches, but still my ?first? AJ and the ?first? time I tried this jigging thing.</LI><LI class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .5in">I loaded up another rod with frozen bait and dropped it down while I continued jigging. I caught several more AJs in the 22 to 24 inch range?man, was I stoked!!!</LI><LI class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .5in">Tied on a Bucktail jig and dropped it down. Bam, the fight was on?my first Bonito. Man, these fish can fight.</LI><LI class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .5in">Dropped the Bucktail back down. Bam! Oh-oh! Line was peeling from my reel. Could this be my first legal AJ? After a couple minutes of tug-a-war, the line went slack. Oh well?that?s fishing.</LI><LI class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .5in">I tied on another speed jig and caught a couple of those endangered Red Snapper on the jigs.</LI><LI class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .5in">While all of this was going on, I caught several Red Snapper on frozen bait. I was hoping for a couple of stupid Grouper (wish I?d had some live bait).</LI><LI class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .5in">The other boat left, so I decided to drift a little. Did I mention how flat the seas were getting? Dropped down the jig again and let it lay on the bottom for a few seconds. Bam?this felt pretty good too. Pulled in my ?first? Red fish?27 ½ inches. Released him and dropped the jig down again. Same thing, except this Red was 27 inches even. Release him also.</LI>[/list]<o

></o

>Man, I was so stoked I could?ve beat up King Kong with a hickory switch! But it?s 4:45pm and I gotta go. The GOM was almost completely flat now, so I knew I could make it back pretty quick. I didn?t mention that Flipper was cruising from boat to boat in search of a free meal. All in all, I didn?t have a single fish to clean, but I wasn?t mad. I had memories of several more ?firsts?!<o

></o

>Total catch; 5 Amberjacks, 1 Bonito, 7 Endangered Red Snappers, 2 Reds, 3 unknown break-offs.<o

></o

>

true-king · 01-02-2009, 02:26 PM

Congrats on the firsts! It was a really calm day out there tuesday.

reelhappy · 01-02-2009, 02:27 PM

welcome to offshore fishing now you are hook! awesome ! glad you had a great time! it's even more fun with company. keep posting pics look great. thanks for sharing.

scot

hebegb · 01-02-2009, 02:47 PM

Nice!

reminds me of the first (and only) time I tried dragging 3 lines up the beach ALONE....hit a large school of jacks and reds and total chaos ensued!

Landed 1 outta 3 and lost a lot of line....fun times!

Matt Mcleod · 01-02-2009, 03:08 PM

Very nice report, sounds like you had a blast. As you knowhaving a great trip has nothing to do with how many fish you clean.

pacsman · 01-02-2009, 03:52 PM

Nice report and great pictures.

still flippen · 01-02-2009, 03:55 PM

Nice trip and report. Like anything else the more you do it the better you get. Glad you where rewarded for your efforts:usaflag

karma · 01-02-2009, 05:04 PM

I would say your on the road to big keeper fish! Already learning the art of successfully jigging! A nice big live bait about hand size or bigger will get your first BIG legal! Congrats again on your trip.

jjam · 01-02-2009, 05:20 PM

Sounds like you have come a long way in just over a year of tackling the GOM...I agree with the other poster you're well on your way to landing the big ones..

Good Luck Jeff, give me a shout next time last minute or not and I'll try to meet you for a fun day on the water...

Jimmy

lobsterman · 01-02-2009, 05:44 PM

It is always great to be out on the water, but it is also better if you have someone to share the adventure with. Maybe your wife will go next time.

01-02-2009, 02:20 PM	#1
Misn 1 Senior Member Snapper Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 444	A Day of 'Firsts' - Offshore - Tuesday 12/30 <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Being relatively new to offshore fishing on my own, there have been several ?firsts? for me. On this day, Tuesday 12/30, I had several ?firsts? all in one trip. I live in <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comffice:smarttags" /><st1:State w:st="on">Mississippi</st1:State> and fish out of <st1lace w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Orange</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Beach</st1:PlaceType></st1lace>, so I have to plan my trips a little in advance. My wife and I had planned to go out on Tuesday and maybe Wednesday since the seas were calming down. At 11:00pm Monday evening, she decided that she really didn?t want to get up early (4am) and make the 3.5 hour drive to <st1lace w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Orange</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Beach</st1:PlaceType></st1lace>. I said ?OK? and went to check the forecast one more time before bed. When I came back to the bedroom she asked me what I was gonna do. I told her that I was going fishing even if I had to go alone. She was worried about me going alone, and worried about me launching and recovering the boat. I have a 23? <st1lace w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Cobia</st1:City> <st1:State w:st="on">WA</st1:State></st1lace> and haven?t put in or taken out by myself. After arriving at <st1lace w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Orange</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Beach</st1:PlaceType></st1lace>, I visited several tackle shops, took advantage of several sales and went and picked up the boat. Here?s where the ?firsts? started;<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><o></o><UL style="MARGIN-TOP: 0in" type=disc><LI class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in">I launched the boat by myself.</LI><LI class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in">I headed out to the GOM by myself.</LI><LI class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in">I decided to go to several ?new? spots to fish them for the ?first? time.</LI><LI class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in">About 14 miles out, I saw a pod of dolphins, so I went over to them to take some pictures (to make the wife jealous of course)?must?ve been over 50 of the I arrived at the fishing spot about 20 miles out, there was another boat about 400 feet away.</LI><LI class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in">I set the anchor by myself.</LI><LI class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .5in">I had some frozen bait, but decided I would do some jigging ?first?.</LI><LI class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .5in">Dropped down a speed jig, and hooked into something on the 2<SUP>nd</SUP> retrieve up?my ?first? AJ. Only 22 inches, but still my ?first? AJ and the ?first? time I tried this jigging thing.</LI><LI class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .5in">I loaded up another rod with frozen bait and dropped it down while I continued jigging. I caught several more AJs in the 22 to 24 inch range?man, was I stoked!!!</LI><LI class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .5in">Tied on a Bucktail jig and dropped it down. Bam, the fight was on?my first Bonito. Man, these fish can fight.</LI><LI class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .5in">Dropped the Bucktail back down. Bam! Oh-oh! Line was peeling from my reel. Could this be my first legal AJ? After a couple minutes of tug-a-war, the line went slack. Oh well?that?s fishing.</LI><LI class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .5in">I tied on another speed jig and caught a couple of those endangered Red Snapper on the jigs.</LI><LI class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .5in">While all of this was going on, I caught several Red Snapper on frozen bait. I was hoping for a couple of stupid Grouper (wish I?d had some live bait).</LI><LI class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .5in">The other boat left, so I decided to drift a little. Did I mention how flat the seas were getting? Dropped down the jig again and let it lay on the bottom for a few seconds. Bam?this felt pretty good too. Pulled in my ?first? Red fish?27 ½ inches. Released him and dropped the jig down again. Same thing, except this Red was 27 inches even. Release him also.</LI>[/list]<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o></o><P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Man, I was so stoked I could?ve beat up King Kong with a hickory switch! But it?s 4:45pm and I gotta go. The GOM was almost completely flat now, so I knew I could make it back pretty quick. I didn?t mention that Flipper was cruising from boat to boat in search of a free meal. All in all, I didn?t have a single fish to clean, but I wasn?t mad. I had memories of several more ?firsts?!<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o></o><P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Total catch; 5 Amberjacks, 1 Bonito, 7 Endangered Red Snappers, 2 Reds, 3 unknown break-offs.<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o></o><P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">

01-02-2009, 02:26 PM	#2
true-king Senior Member Sailfish Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Pensa-hassee Posts: 2,027	RE: A Day of 'Firsts' - Offshore - Tuesday 12/30 Congrats on the firsts! It was a really calm day out there tuesday.

01-02-2009, 02:27 PM	#3
reelhappy Senior Member Grouper Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 1,108	RE: A Day of 'Firsts' - Offshore - Tuesday 12/30 welcome to offshore fishing now you are hook! awesome ! glad you had a great time! it's even more fun with company. keep posting pics look great. thanks for sharing. scot

01-02-2009, 02:47 PM	#4
hebegb Senior Member Sailfish Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Pace Posts: 1,643	RE: A Day of 'Firsts' - Offshore - Tuesday 12/30 Nice! reminds me of the first (and only) time I tried dragging 3 lines up the beach ALONE....hit a large school of jacks and reds and total chaos ensued! Landed 1 outta 3 and lost a lot of line....fun times!

01-02-2009, 03:08 PM	#5
Matt Mcleod Senior Member Grouper Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 931	RE: A Day of 'Firsts' - Offshore - Tuesday 12/30 Very nice report, sounds like you had a blast. As you knowhaving a great trip has nothing to do with how many fish you clean. __________________ Captain Matt Mcleod www.hotspotscharters.com www.hotspotstackle.com

01-02-2009, 03:52 PM	#6
pacsman Senior Member Trigger Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Pensacola Posts: 200	RE: A Day of 'Firsts' - Offshore - Tuesday 12/30 Nice report and great pictures.

01-02-2009, 03:55 PM	#7
still flippen Senior Member Trigger Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Santa Rosa Beach, fl Posts: 271	RE: A Day of 'Firsts' - Offshore - Tuesday 12/30 Nice trip and report. Like anything else the more you do it the better you get. Glad you where rewarded for your efforts:usaflag __________________

01-02-2009, 05:04 PM	#8
karma Senior Member Trigger Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 306	RE: A Day of 'Firsts' - Offshore - Tuesday 12/30 I would say your on the road to big keeper fish! Already learning the art of successfully jigging! A nice big live bait about hand size or bigger will get your first BIG legal! Congrats again on your trip.

01-02-2009, 05:20 PM	#9
jjam Senior Member Sailfish Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 1,358	RE: A Day of 'Firsts' - Offshore - Tuesday 12/30 Sounds like you have come a long way in just over a year of tackling the GOM...I agree with the other poster you're well on your way to landing the big ones.. Good Luck Jeff, give me a shout next time last minute or not and I'll try to meet you for a fun day on the water... Jimmy

01-02-2009, 05:44 PM	#10
lobsterman Jiggin Finatic Blue Marlin Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Okaloosa Posts: 5,623	RE: A Day of 'Firsts' - Offshore - Tuesday 12/30 It is always great to be out on the water, but it is also better if you have someone to share the adventure with. Maybe your wife will go next time. __________________ AKA Jiggin Junkie II Chronicles 7:14 Randy's Canvas & Marine Vinyls 850-279-4140 850-855-5314 cell Custom Awnings - Repairs Boat Cushions - Curtains and more

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