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Grouper
 
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The morning began greeting my crew at Shoreline with great anticipation of putting these guys on fish. My crew would be Alex age 15, his chaperon Greg and my fishing buddy Chris. We stopped in the pass and Chris hands Alex and Greg a bait rod and in no time the livewell was over flowing with menhaden and hardtails. Once the livewell was full, we were on our way to approx. 90 feet of water..After a well placed anchor by Chris, it didn’t take long for Alex to land one of many red snapper. While the crew continues to pull ARS off the bottom, I tossed out a menhaden on a free line and it gets slammed. Alex takes the pole and has his hands full with what will be the biggest RS of the day. Snapper hits the deck and Alex is all smiles. Alex continues pulling snapper off the bottom when the free line goes off again and Alex lands a nice Mangrove Snapper. Back out goes the free line and Alex is hooked up again with the winning Mangrove at 8.1 lbs. Alex, you da man! Alex then mentions he would like to catch a king so Chis & I considered trolling a bit when the free line goes off again. WOW!!! Alex is a fishwhisper as a nice king has Alex bowed up. The king slaps the deck and he is all smiles and noticeably exhausted..Toss out the free line again and instantly the line gets hit by another king...Alex is now begging for a break.lol Meanwhile, Greg has been doubled up with a couple of bobo’s and is heat exhausted himself while Chris lands a juvenile Cobia. It’s time for a snack and a cooling off period as the heat is in full force. We all took a dip and cooled down a bit and after, Chris took time to teach Alex a few rigging knots. With a cooler full of fish, we all agreed we were done for the day so we met up with BT and his crew for a little break at Ft McRae. We all enjoyed another cool dip and a sandwich from BT's party house and then it was time to head for the weigh-in where it was confirmed Alex's Mangrove Snapper would go uncontested. After the weigh-in Navysnooker (John) and Chris decided to teach Alex how to clean fish as Alex watched with full attention. Chris and John even got him to try a little fresh mangrove snapper cheek. We made our way back to Shoreline, where John met us with a surprise for Alex. He gave Alex a Bait runner 3500 on an All-Star rod and a pair of Calcutta sunglasses. Not a bad ending to a great day. Our crew is loaded up and ready to go! 
Alex's first snapper of the day! 
And a nice one at that! way to go Alex... 
Alex is bowed up once again! 
Alex's first Mangrove! Nice.. 
Chris with his surprise for the day... 
Alex bowed up with 8.1 lbs monster Mangrove 
Nice Alex, Well done sir! 
Greg - who's got who here? them Bobo's are fun on spinning uh? 
Alex adds another Snapper while Greg is occupied with his Bobo..Another good one Alex! 
Alex gets his wish....King on! 
Sweet! 
I got King! 
Time to cool off, someone watch for sharks please...LOL 
Greg can't resist the fun! 
After a cool down Chris shows Alex and Greg a few knots that'll come in handy while fishing with his new combo compliments of John (Navy Snooker) 
Alex shows off his catch to BT's crew just before a splash at Ft McCrae. 
Lane and Mitch aborad the playin House 
This is by far my favorite photo of the day! 
John (Navy Snooker) teaches Alex the technique of cleaning fish. Also, Alex without hesitation eats the raw mangrove cheek offered by John as Alex's grandmother looks on...Yuck!!! LOL 
All I can say is WOW! Nothing like fishing the Bill Hargreaves Tournament! See Ya Next Year! Jimmy
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Trigger
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Nice work guys ! 
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Grouper
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| Great story, great pics, great job period! What a pretty pair of Black snappers. It is really neat when you can pull quality fish like that in the midst of a lot of boats. You are cutting quite a swath thru the Gulf of Mexico. Sure enjoy your reports.
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Snapper
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I HAVE TO ADMIT I WAS VERY IMPRESSED BY THE YOUNG MAN... HIS WILLINGNESS TO LEARN SPARKED MY INTEREST TO TEACH HIM ALL I COULD...AFTER LEARNING OF THE YOUNG MAN'S HARDSHIPS AND HIS DESIRE TO OVERCOME ADVERSITY, I DECIDED A NICE GIFT WAS IN ORDER... JIMMY AND CHRIS KEPT TELLING ME ABOUT HOW HOOKED THIS KID WAS ON FISHING... SO I LEFT THE WEIGH-IN AND TOLD JIMMY TO STALL THE KID FOR A BIT WHILE I GOT HIM A LITTLE SOMETHING TO REMEMBER US BY... I HAULED BUTT TO MY HOUSE AND PICKED UP ONE OF MY FAVORITE RIGS (A SHIMANO BAIT-RUNNER 3500 ON A SWEET ALL-STAR MEDIUM-HEAVY ROD) AND A PAIR OF CALCUTTA POLARIZED SHADES COURTESY OF HOT-SPOTS BAIT & TACKLE... SO THE BOYS MADE THEIR RUN BACK TO SHORELINE, AND I MUST SAY THE YOUNG FELLA WAS VERY SURPRISED TO SEE ME... I CALLED HIM OVER TO MY TRUCK AND CONGRATULATED HIM ON HIS GREAT FISHING DAY... BEFORE SHAKING HIS HAND I MENTIONED I HAD SOMETHING FOR HIM... HE GOT SLIGHTLY TEARY-EYED WHEN I HANDED HIM A VERY NICE ROD & REEL COMBO WITH A PAIR OF SWEET SHADES AND THE NEWEST COPY OF THE SALTWATER FISHING REGULATIONS... I TOLD HIM THAT NO MATTER WHAT LIFE THROWS AT YOU, YOU HAVE TO GET UP AND FACE THE NEW DAY KNOWING THAT YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN YOUR OWN LIFE... I AM CONFIDENT THAT HE WILL TAKE FISHING AS AN OUTLET FROM NOW ON INSTEAD THE BAD INFLUENCES HE FACES ON A DAILY BASIS... I'M GLAD THAT TEAM "LOST-BOUND TRAIN" MADE A CONSIDERABLE DIFFERENCE IN A YOUNG MAN'S LIFE.. AND I'M PROUD TO SAY THAT WE HAVE THE MOST KIND-HEARTED CAPTAIN AROUND THESE PARTS... I'LL ALWAYS BE PROUD TO SERVE ON YOUR CREW JIMMY!!!
THERE IS PLENTY OF ROOM FOR ALL OF GOD'S CREATURES...... RIGHT NEXT TO THE MASHED POTATOES!!!!I am... the anti-PETA
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White Marlin
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Snapper
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BLUFFMAN, I'D HAVE TO SAY I CAN'T TAKE ALL OF THE CREDIT... IT WAS A "LOST-BOUND TRAIN" TEAM EFFORT.. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE KIND WORDS SIR. WE ALL HAVE IT IN US, SOME JUST NEED TO REACH A BIT DEEPER TO FIND IT...
THERE IS PLENTY OF ROOM FOR ALL OF GOD'S CREATURES...... RIGHT NEXT TO THE MASHED POTATOES!!!!I am... the anti-PETA
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White Marlin
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Grouper
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NavySnooker (6/22/2009)
I HAVE TO ADMIT I WAS VERY IMPRESSED BY THE YOUNG MAN... HIS WILLINGNESS TO LEARN SPARKED MY INTEREST TO TEACH HIM ALL I COULD...AFTER LEARNING OF THE YOUNG MAN'S HARDSHIPS AND HIS DESIRE TO OVERCOME ADVERSITY, I DECIDED A NICE GIFT WAS IN ORDER... JIMMY AND CHRIS KEPT TELLING ME ABOUT HOW HOOKED THIS KID WAS ON FISHING... SO I LEFT THE WEIGH-IN AND TOLD JIMMY TO STALL THE KID FOR A BIT WHILE I GOT HIM A LITTLE SOMETHING TO REMEMBER US BY... I HAULED BUTT TO MY HOUSE AND PICKED UP ONE OF MY FAVORITE RIGS (A SHIMANO BAIT-RUNNER 3500 ON A SWEET ALL-STAR MEDIUM-HEAVY ROD) AND A PAIR OF CALCUTTA POLARIZED SHADES COURTESY OF HOT-SPOTS BAIT & TACKLE... SO THE BOYS MADE THEIR RUN BACK TO SHORELINE, AND I MUST SAY THE YOUNG FELLA WAS VERY SURPRISED TO SEE ME... I CALLED HIM OVER TO MY TRUCK AND CONGRATULATED HIM ON HIS GREAT FISHING DAY... BEFORE SHAKING HIS HAND I MENTIONED I HAD SOMETHING FOR HIM... HE GOT SLIGHTLY TEARY-EYED WHEN I HANDED HIM A VERY NICE ROD & REEL COMBO WITH A PAIR OF SWEET SHADES AND THE NEWEST COPY OF THE SALTWATER FISHING REGULATIONS... I TOLD HIM THAT NO MATTER WHAT LIFE THROWS AT YOU, YOU HAVE TO GET UP AND FACE THE NEW DAY KNOWING THAT YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN YOUR OWN LIFE... I AM CONFIDENT THAT HE WILL TAKE FISHING AS AN OUTLET FROM NOW ON INSTEAD THE BAD INFLUENCES HE FACES ON A DAILY BASIS... I'M GLAD THAT TEAM "LOST-BOUND TRAIN" MADE A CONSIDERABLE DIFFERENCE IN A YOUNG MAN'S LIFE.. AND I'M PROUD TO SAY THAT WE HAVE THE MOST KIND-HEARTED CAPTAIN AROUND THESE PARTS... I'LL ALWAYS BE PROUD TO SERVE ON YOUR CREW JIMMY!!!John, You definitely iced the cake on top of a great day when you presented yourself upon our landing... Alex spotted you from from a distance as we were pulling up and said with excitement "that's John from the weigh in" and i said "that's John and he wants to talk to you"...with a puzzled look Alex leaps onto the pier while his mother (who jumped onboard for the ride back to Shoreline after the weigh-in) looked very puzzled. I explained to Alex's mother what your intentions were and she immediately teared up as well...It was all I could do to not show my emotions as I knew what your great gift was going mean to Alex and his family. No doubt what you did is to be commended and agree with Bluffman and I thank you for it brother.. Jimmy
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Grouper
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You fishermen made it happen for this young fisherman! You have made a very favorable impression and are role models for those like him. When you hear some of these young peoples stories, you cannot help but be moved. May God bless you. Tom
Tom
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Snapper
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ok, so i'll take a little credit... i only wish that i had more time here in pensacola so that i could be a mentor to this kid... i think that my experiences in the navy and life in general could be of much use to this kid... plus, i'd like to take him fishing and teach him what i know...Lord knows the kid wouldn't have time to get himself in trouble... again, i thank you gentlemen for the kind words and hope that my actions can be an example to others in the following hargreaves tourneys and life in general...
THERE IS PLENTY OF ROOM FOR ALL OF GOD'S CREATURES...... RIGHT NEXT TO THE MASHED POTATOES!!!!I am... the anti-PETA
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Trigger
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excellent trip and post guys!
*****************Team Recess Brad "The charm of fishing is that it is the pursuit of what is elusive but attainable, a perpetual series of occasions for hope." ~John Buchan
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Sailfish
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Cigar Minnow
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I enjoyed every minute of this trip! I didn't catch a keeper all day. I probably was more excited about that big MANGROVE..... than Alex was. I hope to do the same thing again next year. Alex is going to be a heck of a fisherman if he keeps it up. We didn't mention this, but we had so much fun that when we were still awake at 130 in the morning. Jimmy, John, and I decided to get up at 430 and go. (Report in offshore). Jimmy thanks for letting me be a part of this trip and thanks to John for coming to the weigh-in and for giving Alex his gift.
Chris
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Trigger
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Incredible....Thanks for the post and the memories you guys help made for others less fortunate. You will forever be blessed!!!
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White Marlin
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Man great posts! Navy Snooker and Jjam, you guys should come down to the oval office on Thursday.....I'll buy you both a beer and would love to talk fishing with you Snooker. As for JJam........I guess he's okay too.
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>-
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- A few of my fishing pictures
- http://www.forumpictureprocessor.com/gallery.asp?gallery=1159
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Snapper
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I'LL BE THERE RAY!!! JIMMY AND I ARE CHOMPING AT THE BIT FOR THURSDAY TO COME AROUND... GIT'R'DUN!!!!!
THERE IS PLENTY OF ROOM FOR ALL OF GOD'S CREATURES...... RIGHT NEXT TO THE MASHED POTATOES!!!!I am... the anti-PETA
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Sailfish
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Grouper
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Tightsnatch (6/23/2009)
I enjoyed every minute of this trip! I didn't catch a keeper all day. I probably was more excited about that big MANGROVE..... than Alex was. I hope to do the same thing again next year. Alex is going to be a heck of a fisherman if he keeps it up. We didn't mention this, but we had so much fun that when we were still awake at 130 in the morning. Jimmy, John, and I decided to get up at 430 and go. (Report in offshore). Jimmy thanks for letting me be a part of this trip and thanks to John for coming to the weigh-in and for giving Alex his gift. Chris, I concur enjoying every minute of the trip and I owe you a great thank you for being apart of this day sharing your knowlege and no doubt the love you have for these special kids. Hope you can be on board my raft next year brother! Jimmy
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Snapper
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reat job guys! Someone needs to save this post for next year, it would fire people up for the tournament.
QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ"If you only remember one thing that I say, remember this... don't fish where there aint no fish" Capt. Fred Morrow Please do not support any of the captains or vessels on the list below. They support the SOS plan and I believe they intend to lie to you and steal from you so that they can stay fat and happy.
http://saveoursector.com/supporters/supporters_full.aspx
If you agree with the above, please copy and paste this and add it to your signature as well.
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Snapper
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very much agreed, skipper... nothing like the feeling of making someone's day, much less year!!! hope to see more porple follow in our footsteps next year... i know if i'm not on deployment overseas, i'll be there for sure!!!
THERE IS PLENTY OF ROOM FOR ALL OF GOD'S CREATURES...... RIGHT NEXT TO THE MASHED POTATOES!!!!I am... the anti-PETA
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Mingo
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To ALL the Captains who donated their time ..........THANK YOU
Once one does this Tourney with the kids , one can not help but do it again. This was my 3rd year and I will be back for a 4th , Thanks Tom [ AKA , Oldflathead ] for asking me 3 years ago if I wanted to take a Kid Fishing.
Lets see if we can make it even BIGGER next year.
Lesterwww.aluminumalloyboats.com Got Alloy , Got wood
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Sailfish
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Great post, good job Jimmy and crew making this happen. The best way to get a kid hooked on fishing is to put them on some good fish and you did that.
___________________________________________________________________ Dan’s Satellites “Legendary Service Since 1988” 20ft Bayliner Trophy Cuddy w/150 Yamaha 4-Stroke
MMSI# 338069659 Some of my Pic's
http://www.forumpictureprocessor.com/gallery.asp?gallery=1175
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White Marlin
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White Marlin
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| Yes, As long as I can make it.. I will do it again next year... It was fun times ont he water, with the kids...
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