Stone
Contributor
Date: 21 May 05 (ECRA Fishing/Spearfishing Tournament)
Wx: Clear, winds N 10-15 kts early, 70F in the morning, high 80F
Seas: Less than 2 ft inshore, but there was a 3 to 4 ft swell out of the SW offshore
Temp: 74F on the top. Still 68F on the bottom (135 ft)
I loaded most of the gear on the boat the night before. We left the house at 0430, and left the dock a little after 0500. Lightning was over Destin while it was still dark.
As the sun rose, we could see the storm front. After clearing the Pass and determining the swell and wind conditions, we headed SSW.
Dive One: Deborah. For the first time ever, we beat the fishing boats to a site. First anchor drop didnt catch, so we pulled it and tried again. Strong North wind against a 3-4 ft SW swell made for a rocking boat and difficult gear-up and entry. There was a fairly strong surface current, so we increased the tag line to about 150 ft. The Deborah is upside down, so there is no superstructure to hold fish. If the AJs dont come to visit, then you have to look for fish with your belly in the sand which is at 135 ft. Vis was about 30 ft. We never pulled the trigger.
Dive Two: Angelina. We made the dive a little over an hour after the Deborah. I didnt see any fish in the superstructure, so I went to the sand again (135 ft). Shot one red snapper, but had to call the dive when I went into Deco (Candy went into Deco a minute later). Had a beautiful spotted dolphin visit us on the surface, and on the way to the next site, I saw what looked like a squadron of turtles just under the surface.
Dive Three: FWB-Butler-Brown Barge. After Deco diving, we needed to move inshore for some shallower dives. Drove by the Destin Liberty Ship (boat parking lot) and over to the Reefex Tank area. There were boats on all the tanks, too. We ran over to the FWB barge just as a boat moved out of the area. The barge has moved and I will post the numbers in the ECRA members forum. The top of the barge used to be fairly intact, but many of the deck plates and side plates were disintegrated by Ivan. Candy saw a Goliath Grouper. . . probably the reason for no fish on the barge.
Dive Four: The boats in the Reefex area had departed, so we went to the tank we had first tried to dive. Vis was about 20 ft. I shot a grouper. Candy shot some triggers, a nice black snapper, and a flounder. Unfortunately, Candys shaft got wedged in the tank. We spent the surface interval attaching another shaft and lanyard to her gun.
Dive Five: We didnt have much time to look for another site before the tournament weigh-in, so we stayed on the tank for our last dive. We got skunked.
Epilogue: We made it to the weigh-in at AJs with 15 minutes to spare. The fish fry and awards ceremony was a lot of fun. Candys flounder earned her first place in the lady spearfisher division (she was also the only lady spearfisher). I picked up second place in the Gag Grouper and Red Snapper spearfishing categories.
We motored back home through a one-foot chop on the bay, but the moon was almost full and the vis was good (Im still glad I have radar). At one point I saw a shrimp boat dead ahead, but I could only see his stern light, so I thought I was following him. As I got closer, I could see that I was approaching him from his port, so I maneuvered around him. Turns out, his port lights were not working.
We made home port about 10 pm and called it a night.
Here is a link to pictures of the Event: Emerald Coast Reef Association (ECRA) Fishing/Spearfishing Tournament
Here is my 2nd place gag grouper:
Wx: Clear, winds N 10-15 kts early, 70F in the morning, high 80F
Seas: Less than 2 ft inshore, but there was a 3 to 4 ft swell out of the SW offshore
Temp: 74F on the top. Still 68F on the bottom (135 ft)
I loaded most of the gear on the boat the night before. We left the house at 0430, and left the dock a little after 0500. Lightning was over Destin while it was still dark.
As the sun rose, we could see the storm front. After clearing the Pass and determining the swell and wind conditions, we headed SSW.
Dive One: Deborah. For the first time ever, we beat the fishing boats to a site. First anchor drop didnt catch, so we pulled it and tried again. Strong North wind against a 3-4 ft SW swell made for a rocking boat and difficult gear-up and entry. There was a fairly strong surface current, so we increased the tag line to about 150 ft. The Deborah is upside down, so there is no superstructure to hold fish. If the AJs dont come to visit, then you have to look for fish with your belly in the sand which is at 135 ft. Vis was about 30 ft. We never pulled the trigger.
Dive Two: Angelina. We made the dive a little over an hour after the Deborah. I didnt see any fish in the superstructure, so I went to the sand again (135 ft). Shot one red snapper, but had to call the dive when I went into Deco (Candy went into Deco a minute later). Had a beautiful spotted dolphin visit us on the surface, and on the way to the next site, I saw what looked like a squadron of turtles just under the surface.
Dive Three: FWB-Butler-Brown Barge. After Deco diving, we needed to move inshore for some shallower dives. Drove by the Destin Liberty Ship (boat parking lot) and over to the Reefex Tank area. There were boats on all the tanks, too. We ran over to the FWB barge just as a boat moved out of the area. The barge has moved and I will post the numbers in the ECRA members forum. The top of the barge used to be fairly intact, but many of the deck plates and side plates were disintegrated by Ivan. Candy saw a Goliath Grouper. . . probably the reason for no fish on the barge.
Dive Four: The boats in the Reefex area had departed, so we went to the tank we had first tried to dive. Vis was about 20 ft. I shot a grouper. Candy shot some triggers, a nice black snapper, and a flounder. Unfortunately, Candys shaft got wedged in the tank. We spent the surface interval attaching another shaft and lanyard to her gun.
Dive Five: We didnt have much time to look for another site before the tournament weigh-in, so we stayed on the tank for our last dive. We got skunked.
Epilogue: We made it to the weigh-in at AJs with 15 minutes to spare. The fish fry and awards ceremony was a lot of fun. Candys flounder earned her first place in the lady spearfisher division (she was also the only lady spearfisher). I picked up second place in the Gag Grouper and Red Snapper spearfishing categories.
We motored back home through a one-foot chop on the bay, but the moon was almost full and the vis was good (Im still glad I have radar). At one point I saw a shrimp boat dead ahead, but I could only see his stern light, so I thought I was following him. As I got closer, I could see that I was approaching him from his port, so I maneuvered around him. Turns out, his port lights were not working.
We made home port about 10 pm and called it a night.
Here is a link to pictures of the Event: Emerald Coast Reef Association (ECRA) Fishing/Spearfishing Tournament
Here is my 2nd place gag grouper:
