Sometimes, it is just not your day…but then something comes along and everything changes. Today was just such a day.
I had been watching Captain Ben Chancey on YouTube for a few years. His ChewOnThis Saltwater fishing show inspired me to book a charter with him to fish for goliath grouper. Unfortunately, the conditions were not right for the day and we went inshore fishing instead. We did give the goliath grouper a solid try but the tide was just not right.
We started the morning at 9am sharp and it was a short ride until we were trying to make bait. The first cast net attempt yielded a keeper size Spanish mackerel in the net. It would make good grouper bait for sure. We were after greenback herring and coulnd’t find any. In fact, we spent about 1 hours looking for bait on this tough day. We tried any channel markers, beach areas and even bridge supports. At the end, we only had a few herring in the well. The tide was at peak low and there was no current so the bait was hard to find. Ben saw that I was getting really antsy to fish so he said we could try some bridge areas for goliath grouper even though the tide was bad. On the first drop at one of the best spots, we had a solid take but by the time the reel was engaged and the line was reeled in tight, the fish dropped the bait with the slightest resistance.
We fished around the same bridge support covering all sides and didn’t get a hit. We tried some more around several other support structures and found no biters. After about 1 hour of trying, Ben suggested that we try fishing on the flats to wait for the tide to swing.
He set us up with a 3” white twister tail and instructed us to fish along the edges of the grass beds where hungry fish were waiting. It didn’t take long for Kazu to hook up to a little spotted seatrout. Unfortunately, the fish got off close to the boat. I followed suit with a sand weakfish and it was a new species.
8” sand weakfish (Cynoscion arenarius)
A couple of spotted seatrout later, I hooked into another new species! This was one I have been looking for revenge.
12” Ladyfish (Elops saurus)
More spotted seatrout later, I hooked into a little jack crevalle. Finally confirmed catch! At this size, it makes perfect bait for the little goliaths
13” crevalle jack (Caranx hippos)
After I’ve caught about a dozen spotted seatrout to 12” and Kazu losing a few of them, Ben said the tide was starting to change. We made some more bait by the bridge and it was much easier now. I was basically controlling the boat while Ben cast his cast his cast net. Kazu was busy transferring bait into the livewell. It was a teamwork to fill the wells but we got it done within 20 minutes.
Ben said there was a reef 2-3 miles off the beach that no one knows and we should try there. On the way, he spotted some cownose ray that would make perfect goliath grouper bait. We had one snagged (that’s how Ben catches them for bait) but it came off shortly after it was hooked.
We anchored on the reef and started freelining the greenback herring. On a heavy spinning rod, Ben tossed out the head of the Spanish mackerel and it was hit within 5 minutes. I took the rod out of the rod holder and had a real drag running on the line. We were not sure what it was, but it made some fast runs and eventually it went into some structures and was stuck. I was tugging and tugging trying to get it off the structure to no avail. Finally, Ben said to leave the rod in the holder and if the fish decided to come out, we’ll be ready for it.
While I was struggling to pull the fish out of the structure, Kazu hooked up and he was playing a decent fish on a medium-light spinning rod with 20lb braid. The fish eventually went into the reef and snapped him off. A little later, Kazu hooked up again and with a lot of tugging, pulling and reeling, and some help from Ben, a decent gag grouper was landed. Kazu didn’t count that fish since he didn’t fight the fish all on his own.
While we were soaking more bait and busting off more fish, Ben took out the goliath grouper rod and put the jack crevalle on bottom. Not too long later, I heard the clicker on the rod went and took the rod since I was closest. There was a decent fish on the line and everyone was thinking goliath grouper the entire time since it was pulling like no tomorrow. We finally had the fish came up and it was a little discouraging to see a 12lb gag grouper on the other end. Yeah, it was a big grouper, but we were really hoping for a goliath.
I did smile for the picture since it was still the biggest non-goliath grouper that Ben had put into the boat this year.
I had another good fish on the light rod and it was another arm tiring fight with a smaller gag grouper. It was only 4-5lbs so we released it without a picture. I also managed to lose a Spanish mackerel which will haunt me for a while (this was the second one I lost after losing one in Georgia in 2009).
For a brief few seconds, the fish that was in the structure came out and I fought it some more. However, it quickly found structure again and this time Ben broke off the fish. Oh well, you win some, you lose some.
Eventually, we ran out of goliath grouper bait
That was it got the goliath fishing. Our day was also running to a close with an hour left. Ben suggested that we check out some mangrove areas to see if anyone was home. We made some more bait and took off to the mangroves.
As Ben tossed out a few herring to chum the areas, a few of them were engulfed with good explosions. It looked like there were some fish in the area. While Ben helped Kazu and I tossed out a couple of herring close to the mangroves. After a minute or so, we would need to cast them into the mangroves again when the bait ran out into deeper water. It was on one of these casts while Ben was casting for Kazu that I lobbed my herring tight into the mangrove roots. I saw my bait ran out of the mangrove in a hurry and felt it came alive…then it got engulfed! There was a good fish pulling on the other end and it was a battle to keep the fish out of the mangrove. At one point, the fish ran into the roots and I had to keep the rod tip in the water to keep the line angle low. Ben really coached me well and we were able to keep the fish on the line and out of the snags.
Close to the boat, the fish jumped a few times and I thought I was going to lose it. It never felt so good to grabbed the fish with both my hands and lifted it into the boat. It was the second largest snook this year for Ben…just a hair smaller than the biggest fish of the year. Ben said this fish was about 23” long.
23” common snook (Centropomus undecimalis)
We fished the same shoreline some more and it was a little while later that Kazu hooked a very nice spotted seatrout. As I was lifting the fish into the boat (we had no net or boga grip in the boat), the hook just tore out. It was at least 20”+. Kazu didn’t mind, but I have to live with the guilt of losing it.
Sorry Kazu.
Finally, it was 5pm and it was time to return to the dock. Ben lives on the water and all he had to do was to put his boat into the boat elevator and it was all done. At the dock, Ben kept us fishing by showing us how to fish on his dock for the snook. Kazu was freelining a herring for a while. I saw some mangrove snappers around the dock so I tossed out a small herring to try for them. It was frustrating catching these snappers since their smaller mouths were too small to swallow the herring and the circle hook. Ben gave me a smaller octopus hook and I put on a chunk of herring. With some persistence and patience, I finally hooked a mangrove snapper and landed one onto my list
9” grey snapper (Lutjanus griseus) aka mangrove snapper
Before we left, I took a picture with Ben. Ben was as genuine as he was on TV. When I save up money again, I’m going to do a proper goliath grouper trip with Ben
At 6pm, we were on the road again. This time, I’ll be staying with my uncle at Coral Springs while Kazu has a few days to fish around Fort Lauderdale.
April 9, 2011
It was a long day previous so I slept in until 8am. My cousin had a piano recital in the morning and piano lesson in the afternoon, or my uncle and I had most of the day together. Following a late breakfast, my uncle took me to the Everglades. He lives just behind the Sawgrass Parkway and his neighbourhood was just across the highway from the Everglades.
I was really disappointed with myself for not obtaining a freshwater license earlier. I didn’t have my license so this was only a scouting trip. As luck would have it, there was a pair of cobra snakehead in shallow water. It looked like they were in the middle of courtship. A little bit further, I saw a couple of Florida gar. Behind the water control gate, there were bowfin swimming around. All three fish mentioned were my prime freshwater targets. Of course, I don’t have my license.
So my uncle said we’ll go to BassProShops to get my license. On the way, we stopped at a great aquarium supply store. There was three nice display tanks. One was filled with some local saltwater inshore species, one was filled with African cichlids and the last one had three big moral eels, a small blacktip shark and a small lemon shark. It was cool just watching them hang out.
At BSP in Fort Lauderdale, we grabbed a couple of hot dogs for lunch before stepping in. I got my license, grabbed a few terminal tackle for my cousin to use and a dozen nightcralwers. We got home just in time as my cousin got home.
My cousin Bosco is turning 11. My uncle and Bosco had tried to fish the Everglades before but didn’t catch anything. It was my mission to get them started catching some fish.
We went back to the spot I scouted out earlier. Unfortunately, the cobra snakeheads had left
Oh well, at least it’ll let me concentrate on my cousin. 
I rigged him up with a small bobber, a splitshot and a #8 hook. It was a little strange that he didn’t get bit quickly. We had to move around a little until we found some willing fish. My cousin, being new to fishing, was rather slow on the draw and missed a number of hits. Finally, one fish took the hook deep and he pulled up a bluegill.
Like anyone new to fishing, he dropped the poor fish a few times before we could get his picture taken
It was really a scratch bite even for sunfish. We moved to a spot where I saw the bowfin earlier. Unfortunately for me, someone had already caught and kept the two bowfin
Again, it gave me time to concentrate on my cousin. While I was showing my cousin how to work the rig around the flood gate structure, watch for the bite and set the hook, I landed a new species myself.
8” spotted sunfish (Lepomis punctatus).
My cousin caught one after me.
My cousin caught a couple more sunfish that I thought were green sunfish. I should have taken a picture of them but they were both deep hooked so I just cut the line to let them go. After a while, I put on a weedless frog to fish the area while my uncle and Bosco fished other areas. We fished until just before sunset and left before the alligators got one of us
There were some 5-6 feet gators in the water where we were fishing.
pretty scary!
