Caught The Sunrise and a Sunset

Well, had to have the Jeep in the shop yesterday and didn't get it back until the early evening -- left me with a couple hours around sunset to fish off the pier here at the camp (until it got dark -- lights didn't work on the pier).  Only caught one 12 inch catfish and a small baitfish or two.

Sunrise over Santa Rosa Sound.

Today, I got up early to try the pier again here at the camp but, didn't catch a thing -- except the sunrise.  I did also see 3 or 4 Dolphin swimming just beyond where I had been casting.  They passed by just before sunrise and were headed west toward the bridge I fished near on Tuesday.

Since nothing good seemed to be happening fishing from the camp pier, I decided to give the fishing pier at Navarre Beach a try and headed there around 11:30.  I fished for a couple hours and didn't get a single strike on either of my poles.  Talked to a man who has lived here for 20 years just down from the campground I'm staying at and he mentioned that the Sea Trout and Redfish are usually in the sound and that he has caught many - from his kayak in the grassy areas (using lures for the Redfish and live shrimp for the trout).

Sunset over Navarre Beach

This man I talked to left after just about an hour of not seeing any action -- he didn't even bother casting either of his two rigs -- said he would be back in the morning.  I left shortly after him and had my mind set on coming back to try again from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. -- I had paid my $6 and since it was good only until 10:00 p.m., I thought I should get my money's worth (even if I didn't catch a thing).  Which I didn't, except for the sunset.  Luckily a young kid fishing on the opposite side of the pier in the evening with his grandfather, caught a couple Spanish Mackerel and gave them to me -- one was about 18 inches.  He also had a couple others on but, they broke his line.

There were a number of King Mackerel caught off the end of the pier and quite a few shark were hooked but, I only saw one get pulled up to the pier -- about 3 feet long and it was quickly filleted by a woman that the fisherman gave it to.  Funny how the signs on the pier say it is prohibited to clean fish and throw their guts and heads into the Gulf but, people are doing it anyway.  I cleaned the ones given to me when I got back to my RV -- after showing them to Tiger and Molly.

May have to ponder some tonight on where next to try fishing and hopefully "catching" -- exactly when too.

Another Day of Fishing - One More Mackerel

Well, nothing spectacular happened while fishing the causeway and south end of the bridge to Santa Rosa Island -- late morning until 4:00 p.m. (so I could make dinner at 6:00 p.m. with Tom and Mary).  When I first arrived at the causeway's farthest end and made my way down to the seawall and beach, a younger guy was just heading off the seawall and on the way mentioned he had only caught two sea trout on a red and white crappie lure -- didn't keep them he said but, he indicated they must have been in the keeper range of 15 to 20 inches (too bad I didn't get there sooner -- might have gotten some free trout from him).

Bridge to Santa Rosa Island

However, that was encouraging news and seemed to fit with what a camp worker had told me the day before about fishing for the trout here.  Unfortunately, I only caught one small one and had to put him back.  Later, I caught a small Spanish Mackerel and a few little Grunts and Spots.  Did see a Dolphin or two cruising beyond where I fished the seaweed or grasses -- after I moved to the foot of the higher bridge over the Santa Rosa Sound.

Ultimately, I also dug out one of my chairs from the Jeep and worked on my suntan (maybe got a little sunburned actually) as I held one rod and watched my bigger surf rod for some serious actione-- that never came.  Headed back in time to clean the one Mackerel and maybe to get a little nap afterwards before dinner.  Stopped on the way back to get some strawberries and put them with some cantalope slices I cut for a little appetizer to take to Tom and Mary's.

When I pulled into the campsite I noticed some serious noise coming from the Jeep's right front brakes -- metal to metal it sounded like.  Something I would have to deal with tomorrow.

Navarre Beach Campground and RV Park

Just sort of ambled along on my way up Rt. 98 and dodged the crowds on "Front Beach Road" by taking "Middle Beach Road" to a point beyond the fishing pier I had visited numerous times.  Passed a number of RV parks on the way up and any number of them had signs for less than $500 a month but, they looked half empty (or half full) and more rustic certainly than Emerald Coast RV Park (and this park).

Navarre Beach Campgournd pier.

Shortly after arriving here at Navarre Beach Campground and after getting Tiger and Molly out and about in the RV (around 1:58 p.m.), I walked around the park to get oriented and, of course, headed for the fishing pier to see what might be expected.  During my walk around, I met Tom and his wife Mary from Columbus, Ohio (a couple of 80 year olds) as they were leaving the pool area and headed in the same direction as me so, we talked and made our way to the pier.  They were travelling in a class C motorhome with no towed vehicle so, they left to get some bait so Tom could fish off the pier.

I went back and rested a bit before heading back down to see if anything might be biting -- hopefully not one of the many stingrays I had seen on my initial trip to the pier.  One guy had been headed for the end of the pier as I left and seemed to have a couple poles and some bobbers and bait.  When I returned, Tom was in position and fishing the southeast corner of the pier with some dehyrated shrimp (recommended by the bait store he visited).  Tom confirmed that the other guy didn't catch anything and that he didn't think he knew how to fish saltwater.  Tom and I fished for awhile and he left before me with no luck either so, I offered to bring him and Mary some of my Spanish Mackerel for them to try.  I too had no luck and headed back to get some fish out of the freezer to take over to Tom and Mary's RV and they invited me to stay for a Yuengling or two.  They also invited me to dinner for the following night to share the Mackerel.  I left them before sunset and hoped to get over to Santa Rosa Island to see what they had to offer.

Sunset - Navarre Bch Campground

On the way out of the park, I sat at the traffic light and noticed my engine light was on in the Jeep and then started hearing some noises that made me think the Jeep was falling apart (bumping and thumping sounds).  So, I turned the Jeep around and headed back into the park rather than risking a breakdown on the way to Santa Rosa Island -- content with the idea of going back to the fishing pier for a few pics of the sunset.  When I got out of the Jeep, I noticed that the sounds I had heard were really from some base nearby -- testing ammunitions before they go overseas it turns out.

Small Beach here at the campground

Another guy that came to the fishing pier (David) was a camp worker and he told of some good sea trout fishing over near the end of the bridge to Santa Rosa Island and so I decided that would be my next stop to try -- tomorrow.

Exit This Stage West

Zoo World

Leaving Panama City Beach on another beautiful day on the Gulf Coast and needed to get around the corner here to take a few pics of the Zoo World and some of its visible animals -- one Giraffe's head had been noticeable on many trips past this sight.

Sounds during the night and the early morning will be remembered by me and maybe Tiger and Molly -- more perplexing to them perhaps than to me (only guessing, of course, that some of the monkey or ape sounds were what I thought them to be).

Gentle Jungle (barnyard) animals.

Giraffe is somewhere in back

Only the petting zoo or farmyard were visible from the sidewalk with the Giraffe in the back, right corner with stairs and landings to take visitors up close to the long-necked redhead.  Early morning when I walked around the corner so, the roosters were crowing and walking around the yard (somewhere unseen).

Got the Jeep hooked up over near the exotic pool and then headed out by the 11:00 a.m. check-out time with just a 2 hour trip ahead to Navarre Beach -- tried hooking up the brake controller but, it again kept asking to be repositioned so, just turned it off for the short trip and less than interstate speeds on Rt. 98.

Caught The Sunrise -- No Mackerel

Sunrise from the Pier.

Decided to go early enough this morning to see one sunrise while here in Panama City Beach and from the place I have spent most of my time (looking to catch fish).  I wore jeans, hiking shoes, a long sleeve shirt and my rain vest to be sure that I was warm enough for a few hours of fishing -- just about right as the breeze turned out to be more than expected.  I fished until a little after 9:00 a.m. and came back to get some breakfast, a nap and get some things ready for tomorrow's short trip to Navarre Beach to the west of here.  Had no strikes at all during my time on the pier this morning so, thought I needed to go back later in the day around 3:00 p.m. for another couple hours (rather than going to some sports bar to see who would be the last two teams into the Final Four of the NCAA tournament).

Well, the afternoon started better than the morning and after a couple casts I had on probably my biggest Spanish Mackerel but, he got off just as I started to get him from the water and up to the pier.  A few more casts provided more action as small groups of Mackerel chased but, didn't hit the lure -- seems they were too busy fighting with each other to see who could make the hit.  The afternoon continued pretty much the same and one guy next to me had a nice Redfish on and when he attempted to lift it from the water, the treble hook broke off (one third of it).  Later the woman and her two grandsons to my right caught a couple really nice Spanish Mackerels and one of those broke the line too as they attempted to get it up.

A couple people were catching Blues farther to our left and a little later I had another fish on -- this one looked like something other than a Spanish Mackerel but, the Mackerel seemed to be in the attack mode as I attempted to get the fish out of the water but, again lost it as it came off the water -- maybe to the Mackerel's delight.

Parting Shot from the Pier.

During the morning session, I fished off the end of the pier and saw the biggest Spanish Mackerel brought in while I have fished the pier.  This fish looked to be 28 inches or more.  Didn't see any King Mackerel caught during my time on the pier today.  No fish for me and the twins today so I had hot dogs, baked beans, Fritos and some cantalope.

Three More Spanish Mackerel

Another Day at the Pier

Three dollars and three more fish in the freezer -- getting pretty full but, still room for more.  Far less action for the five or six hours spent on the pier but, always worth watching and enjoying the faces of the new spectators who come to see what the pier has to offer.  Many of them, get the biggest thrill just standing next to one of the Pelicans that tend to hang around the nearest fish cleaning station -- especially the one near the restrooms and the end of the pier.  I tried feeding one of them the three heads and guts from yesterday's catch but, only got a hiss and a clapping of its big ugly bill.  Seems he may have been full from the earlier gutting of some dozen or more Spanish Mackerel by two Asian guys -- both of them had long pants on and kerchiefs around their chins and necks so, suspect they had been there early in the morning (and had more action).

Not as many Mackerels seemed to be around and that included the King Mackerel perhaps because of the storm the night before.  Many of the usual guys were just standing ready and watching the southeast waves and water for the possible approach of Cobia -- none seemed to show while I was there and only later in my fishing day did any of them spring to action (false alarm played on them by another young guy and his younger son).

The "Old Warrior" - (34-1/2")

Most of the days entertainment came from watching some more of the Redfish being hauled up or being lost at the water's surface -- one or two broken lines and another broken landng net that let one nice fish drop through after the netting gave way.  One of the most beat up fish measured about 34-1/2 inches and had so many wounds on its head and body that it looked like and "Old Warrior" but, as soon as it was dropped back to the water's surface with the landing net, it swam from the net and dove immediately to the bottom.

Really Beautiful Redfish

Another beautiful Redfish was caught by a young black guy and the battle started on the east end of the pier and came halfway back along the east side, then back all the way around the end and along the west side, (around that light pole I had trouble with the other evening).  This guy had a really small rig for the size fish he had on and some of the locals joked about the "Walmart Rig" he was using and doubted that he could even get the fish in -- they also encouraged a younger kid in an orange shirt (think his name was Scott) to tag along and help the guy.  Eventually, the fish wore out and the Walmart rig didn't break.  I didn't see what the fish measured but, the guy had to be about 6 foot 5 inches tall so, the fish had to be over 3 feet, I think.

Beautiful Beaches too.

Today should be cleaning day and getting ready for the short move west along the Gulf Coast to Navarre Beach but, I have checked on the sunrise and fishing charts to see that an 8:07 a.m. to 9:07 a.m. outing may be on my schedule -- long pants and long sleeved shirt perhaps.  Looks like I will feed the cats and go spend another $3 for one more shot at those Spanish Mackerels -- better get some ice on the way, I think.  Maybe grab a kerchief so I look like a local (note the kid in the picture above).

Three Trips to the Pier Friday

For $3 (senior rate), it is well worth it to spend most of a day enjoying the fishing and the beauty of being out over the water and seeing the beautiful beaches or the spectacle of some people at the end of the pier as they dash side to side and fight one of the King Mackerel.  Yesterday, I only caught one Spanish Mackerel and that was during my second trip to the pier -- had come home for a lunch break and short nap before heading back in hopes of beating the afternoon storm heading our way.

Maybe it was 48 minutes too.

During my morning session of fishing, the wind was a bit stiffer than I expected from checking the weather channel and the radar on WUSA9.com -- I still prefer checking the radar on my old local channel because it seems to load faster and covers the national picture with greater detail and color (easier to manipulate too than Weather.com).  There were only two tides yesterday as the moon was up during the day so, I thought to fish around the times tides4fishing.com pointed toward.  I only had two good hits but, no fish on.  I did enjoy periodically going the end of the pier as a few of the King Mackerel were gaffed and brought up to the pier -- one monster that a guy fought for over a half hour weighed over 48 pounds and dwarfed one of the earlier, smaller Kings.

I watched from a spot in the near corner of the west end of the pier as one young lad fought his first King and his mother ran along with him from side to side at the far railings trying to give him pointers and bring the fish in -- ultimately, they lost it as it was being brought up on a gaff (utter disappointment to both of them).  Not many of the Spanish Mackerel or other fish were being caught in the morning so, the break or pause seemed like a good idea and I began to wonder whether the steel leader should go -- maybe a shiny distraction that the fish were hitting instead of the lure.

As I exited the pier, I stopped occasionally to throw the lure and check with others to see how they had been doing during the day.  Seems a small group closer to the beach end of the pier were doing best as they were catching Pompano and a few other fish like Flounder and an occasional Spanish Mackerel or shark -- tucked this info away as I headed for the Jeep.  I planned to be back from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. when the tide was supposed to be moving out.

I returned a little later than planned but, well ahead of the approaching storm as the skies were still partially sunny and the temps were still warm enough for shorts and sandals.  A few of the group at the near end of the pier were still in position and working the waters for more fish -- Tate from the previous day passed by then on his way out (hoping to get 9 holes of golf in before the storm hit).  He said he had caught only 4 Spanish during his time on the pier and that it seemed sporadic at best -- wished me good luck and headed for the golf course.  As I passed behind the first group, one of the older guys on the west end suddenly had a fish on but, unfortunately lost it.  I decided to stop just beyond them at a comfortable distance (and not too far from the portable restrooms) and threw my lure off the west side -- had an immediate hit and brought in a nice 18" Spanish Mackerel after a bit of a struggle with the fish and getting my drag set just enough to get it up from the water. First fish of the day and first fish on the backup reel I bought yesterday at the shop on the pier.  Seemed I would be set for more action but, had no more hits for 20 or 30 minutes so, moved on toward the end of the pier and stopped periodically to try from various places with no results.

When I got to the end, I took up a spot on the same corner where I could throw with the wind (which seemed slightly less than it was in the morning but still from the southeast).  A guy and his teenage son were a little to my right at the inside corner, where the pier narrowed down, and they seemed to be fishing the bottom, near the pilings.  They brought up a small shark after a short time and a little later, the teenager hooked into a bigger fish and with the assistance of one local (who had been to my left) and his landing net, they brought up a 27 inch Redfish.  The boy and his father didn't want to keep the fish so, they took pictures and they gave it to the guy with the landing net -- some nice fillets for that guy (saw him later at the fish cleaning station cleaning the fish).  Would love to have had that one myself -- wonder what Tiger and Molly would have thought of that monster.

As I watched the horizon for the storm, I tried many more casts and only had a couple more hits -- no fish so, I decided to work my way back toward the mid-point (and the restrooms) of the pier.  There also was a fish cleaning station on the east side of that wider mid section where I could quickly clean my one fish and be close enough to the Jeep, if the storm came too quickly.  I kept my eyes on one set of tall buildings to the west and figured once they disappeared into the clouds or rain, that it was time to skidaddle.  The pier made announcements over their loudspeakers that the storm was approaching and people made a quick exit (most of them were not fishermen).

The two buildings I watched earlier.

I had not planned to return in the evening as the forecasts (and the annoucements from the pier operators) indicated the rain would continue through the evening.  Fortunately, the narrow band of storms cleared the area and I decided "why not?" and grabbed the cooler and a couple Coors-lights for a sunset on the pier.

I tried the spot where I caught the 18-incher with no luck and then, the mid-section before settling again on the west side of the end section.  However, just before getting there, I stopped briefly at the area where I had caught all those other Spanish a couple days earlier and thought "What the heck? and Why Not?" but, just before I cast out a young guy on the east side and I started to chat and he said he had fished through the storm and not had any luck, unfortunately.  Then, I cast my "Got-cha" into the familiar section of water I fished previously and had an immediate hit -- super strong hit this time and the fish starter to peel off line as my drag had been set for that 18 inch fish.  I tried to get the drag set just a bit tighter but, just a few seconds after I did so, the fish spit out the lure and was gone to deeper waters to the south.  The way it moved, I suspect it was a King Mackerel and I couldn't run to my left in the direction the fish was moving because there was a light pole blocking my way (lesson learned, I hope).

Immediately after the fish got away, the young guy who had been fishing the east side, popped over to my right side and threw in where I had previously cast and he immediately got a hit and his first Spanish Mackerel of the day -- maybe his reward for fishing through the storm.

I did bring two nice fish (both Spanish Mackerels) back to the RV, courtesy of two teenage boys who came and fished the southwest corner to my left.  That young guy who fished through the storm also caught another Spanish Mackerel when he fished the end of the pier to the left of the teenage boys -- seemed to be quite happy when he left a little later.  I felt content to drink my two Coors and think about the one that got away.

Completely Opposite Days of Fishing

Cooler and windier yesterday and it seemed to keep the Spanish Mackerel away so, I came back without catching a single fish for the whole afternoon I spent at the pier -- only saw one Spanish Mackerel caught in the late afternoon by a guy next to me.  I only had two strikes and thought they may have hit the steel leader that I decided to use in hopes of not losing so many of the "Got-cha" and "Zig Jig Pro" lures.  The guy who caught the one had been there yesterday during the frenzy of catching one after another and he had a steel leader on his line too so, can't blame the leader, I guess.

It didn't help that my new reel broke down after just two casts -- a small screw and roller fell off the bail of the reel and I didn't bring any backups so, I was sidelined for awhile.  Tried practicing with the bigger rig with the Cobia lure but, it really tired my hands and wrists after just a few casts and retrievals -- jigging it the way I had with the other lures to see if I might be able to use it for the Spanish Mackerel.  Decided not to try that.  I had brought a small piece of one Mackerel and decided to bottom fish by the pier using the large pole and reel with some large chunks of the Mackerel for bait but, nothing even seemed to bite at all on the chunks (during the whole afternoon).  Fed those pieces and some more to the Seagulls before working my way back to the exit from the pier.

Bottom one is a "Got-cha"

Wednesday, I think I heard there were over 38 King Mackerel caught at the end of the pier -- up to 28 pounds in size, as far as I know.  Yesterday, I only saw 6 or 8 King caught and taken off the pier.  There were 2 Redfish caught and released that I saw -- both were over the 27 inch maximum length.  One young guy caught a nice Pompano about halfway to the restrooms (where I was headed at the time) and as I passed him I could tell his drag was set too loose and he couldn't get the fish up to the pier -- I cranked his drag for him and he got it over the rail and immediately started taking pics to send to his buddies.  Luckily, I told him to keep his hand away from the lure and let the fish and line drop to the pier -- seconds after that, the fish spit the lure and the lure sprang straight up where his hand would have been.  He caught it on one of those "Got-chas" and am including a picture of them to show how they git-cha (like they did me and that other young guy).

I continued on after making a stop at the restroom and decided to check out the little tackle shop at the end of the pier to see what reels they might have for sale.  Luckily, they had a couple inexpensive reels for sale and I now have a backup for further outings -- maybe if it doesn't rain today or tomorrow.

Last night, I fired up the grille and cooked up 13 of those 1 inch thick Mackerel steaks that I had cut-up the night before.  They had been marinated almost 24 hours and I consumed 4 of those with the last of the three steaks cooked a couple nights ago -- surf and turf hit the spot.  I made them really spicy and Molly stuck her nose up at them but, Tiger, of course, just begged for more -- finally, he had his fill too (or the spices may have gotten to him as well).  For me, another beer made them taste even better and now I have some leftovers too.

Another Day -- Another Round of Fishing

Well, I think I'm ready for another few hours again this afternoon -- I know my thumb isn't ready for another hook stuck in it.  I also wanted to caution anybody going out on these piers, that there are some guys who don't look over their shoulders before they cast to see who is behind them -- nearly saw one guy (another fisherman who should know the dangers) almost walk into one young guys backswing.  Maybe he came within a foot of two of having one of those nasty lures stuck in his face, body, or side of the head.

John and his Cobia

I try to look in both directions before casting and sometimes overly energetic kids come dangerously close to see the fish I might have caught -- I try to warn them and show them the hooks and the nasty teeth of the mackerel.  They inflict some nasty bites and I know personally of the pain when that treble hook gets its barbed tip into you.

Another young guy in a small foursome to my left (two guys and two girls), were fishing and like me, one of the guys also got the treble hook through one of his fingers -- happened about an hour or more after my experience.  He laid on the pier for some time afterwards fighting the pain as a couple young guys had pushed the hook through and cut the barbed tip off in order to remove it.  After some 10 minutes of him lying on the ground, I went over to see if he had cleaned the wound or bandaged it -- showed him the nearby rinsing station, gave him one of my antiseptic pads and one of the bandaids.  His friends fished on.

Yesterday's Wind-whipped Surf

Before the young group arrived, I chatted with a young guy (Tate) just to my left and found out it was his father (John) who had caught the monster Cobia the day before and he came to try his luck on the Spanish Mackerel -- seemed he, like me, was still in the learning process of how to catch them but, he had the same initial lure on his rig (much more expensive $200 pole I heard him say).  A little later, he got a little too casual with one of his catches and got nipped and cut by one Mackerel's teeth -- a few yelps and another rinsing required but, then back to fishing again.  Suspect I'll probably see him again as they are here for the week.

Surfers Were There Too.

Another oldster like me, turned out to be staying at the same RV resort and has been here for 9 nine years -- frequenting the pier about every other day and sharing Mackerel fillets with his neighbors here at Emerald Coast.  He fished with an old style open-faced reel but, had the same kinds of lures which got him the same reaction and fish we all were there to catch.  Some were too big for his small cooler and he resorted to putting them in "Walmart" bags.  There also was another older guy that came later, and he also had problems with his enclosed reel and had to cut short his fishing day as it too "gummed up" and got fouled from the saltwater.  My two rigs are rinsed and ready and the big cooler is still in the Jeep, in case something big gets on my line -- some of those Spanish Mackerel yesterday barely fit diagonally into my middle-sized cooler (the converted "Omaha Steaks" styrofoam shipping package I received containing my birthday treats).

Maybe today I will try one of those steel leaders in my tackle box and see if the Mackerel still hit the same lures (which I need to buy more of today on the way to the pier).  Only looking for the bigger fish today and will probably try some practice casting with the bigger rig -- hope I will see that Cobia again (even if I don't get him on my line).  If I do, I hope my 23 pound test line will hold up -- my back, wrists and arms too.

Best Saltwater Fishing Day so far

I didn't think I would be fishing from this pier in Panama City Beach but, after my visit yesterday and seeing the guy (John) pull in that 68 pound Cobia and others catching the Spanish Mackerels, I couldn't resist.  After talking to some of the "locals" and getting their input, I felt encouraged to give it a try with what I had gleaned from folks and watching what was going on.

Another Windy Day

As mentioned in my post yesterday, I did purchase a new rod and reel to replace the enclosed reels that have been sidelined due to the saltwater effect on them -- the cost was $31 and the lures were another $15 and the cost to fish for the day was $6 so, that's cheaper than a half day of paying for a charter or party boat.  The water looks so beautiful from this pier too -- if only the wind wasn't so wicked and hard.  It still didn't effect the overall feeling of a great day of fishing (catching this time).

Largest over 20 inches (5th from right)

I caught more than the limit of 15 Spanish Mackerel but, only kept 13 and I released some while I just enjoyed the fun of catching some nice fish.  While I had my first or second fish on I also saw another Cobia just out in front of me and it made a U-turn toward me and then went deep -- had my other pole rigged but, couldn't bring myself to drop the one I had on though I yelled to others of its presence.  No one got the hit this time.

One of the King Mackerels caught.

I think I arrived around 11:00 a.m. and thought to stay a few hours but, it was too hard to turn and go (except for bathroom stops).  The action was intense for the first few hours and over a dozen King Mackerel were also brought in by anglers out on the end of the pier -- I took a spot on the west side, just short of the wider end section.  The King Mackerel were up to 28 pounds and some of them yielded inch and a half thick fillets -- others were cut into steaks but, most people were catching something (mostly Spanish Mackerel).  They are really pretty fish with brownish spots, ringed in yellow on a dark blue band along the top and silver to white bellies -- lots of teeth in those jaws too.

During the early "catching", I also managed to catch my thumb with the treble hook of the lure after getting one of the Spanish Mackerel onto the pier -- he jumped around when I didn't expect it and I ended up with the lure in my right thumb and still in his mouth.  After I managed to get the fish off, I spent quite a few minutes figuring how to get the barbed hook out of my thumb -- as it bled pretty profusily.  Asked a guy to my left if he could give me a hand but, he didn't seem to know how he might help (other than giving me a small rag to stop and mop up the bleeding).  I almost took a knee as I put pliers on the hook and pulled it hard to get it out.  Luckily I had a first-aid kit in my tackle box with a large band aid and some antiseptic wipes.

Other than that, it was a great day and I kept fishing until I lost my last of the three lures I had purchased -- big fish hit but, bit off the lures cleanly.  After that, the band aid came off too so, I headed for a fish cleaning station to gut the fish and head back to the RV.  When I arrived back here, Tiger didn't know what to think of all the fish in the cooler -- I cut off the heads and tails and cut the biggest fish into steaks (some marinating now for cooking on the grille tomorrow night).  Tonight, it will be one of those leftover steaks and a salad now that we have plenty of fish for many nights to come.

On the Pier - Felt the Jolt

Shaken - Maybe

As I get the jolt from my coffee (awoke earlier and couldn't sleep), I checked online to see if there had been any earthquakes yesterday.  The reason is because as I had been leaning hard over the railing on the fishing pier (watching the big fish cruise through the bait fish below/under the pier), my hands and arms were on the railing and at one point in the early afternoon, I felt this noticeable "jolt" and immediately thought of an earthquake -- no fishermen were close by to see if they had felt anything and none seemed to react or look around.  The waves weren't monster waves either that could have shaken the pier or jolted it as I felt.

Monster Cobia - 68 pounds

This morning I checked and it (earthquake in Mexico) apparently had been recorded in Idaho's Discovery Center so, maybe I did feel it -- my Walmart receipt indicates that I checked out of there around 2:32 yesterday afternoon and that would have put me on the pier at about the right time (before I went shopping).  By the way, the Walmart had these bacon wrapped, chopped beef steaks for less than $10 for a box of 10 -- had one last night cooked on the grille (pretty tasty for $1 - actually cooked 3).  They also had a kayak for under $200 but, it didn't have a place for a cooler or pole pockets for fishing rods -- and it was $50 less than the Walmart in Clearwater (has me thinking).

Monster Gaff

This is a picture of the gaff (next to the guys feet) used to get the monster fish up the side of the pier yesterday afternoon.

By the way, I did get a new fishing rod and reel for light spin casting and already have it rigged for those Spanish Mackerel -- the big rod is rigged for those Cobia so, maybe I will get a spot on that pier today (and hope somebody has one of those gaffs ready - if only).  Might be the best work out that I've had in awhile -- might kill me too (that young guy looked worn out and I'm pretty sure he was in way better shape than me).  You should have seen him drag that big fish all the way back to the end of the pier -- he stopped a couple times and switched hands about a half dozen times.

One guy (the one who first spotted the Cobia), emptied his tubular aluminam fishing cart and offered it to the lucky fisherman to use for getting the fish back to the parking lot -- nice gesture and I think the younger guy may have wished somewhere along the way that he had taken the offer.



Fish On!  But getting tired.







Russell Pier -- now the County Pier

After reading the reviews and how the "locals" have acted at times on this pier, I tried to be optimistic as I ventured down Front Beach Road this morning in search of "good things" (other than the sunshine and great looking young women running all around) so, I pulled into the public parking area when I saw the pier on my left as it extended out a good distance into the ocean.  No crowds here as the "Spring Breakers" seemingly were back towards the heart of the hi-rises and the attractions there -- guys to girls and girls to guys, I'm sure (mostly).

Lots of parking spaces and easy access to the beach here but, my attention was drawn to the pier so, I paid the $2 to walk the pier and find out what I could.  The guy taking the money indicated that Cobia were coming through and King Mackerel with some Spanish Mackerel always being around, that things were pretty active or good on the pier.  I chuckled inside a bit and went forward thinking the guy was probably just throwing a line out there and not being at all truthful.  I confirmed this feeling with numerous "locals" as I walked out toward the end of the pier and periodically made stops to chat with folks -- most saying the fishing had been lousy at best.  The wind was pretty stiff out of the south and seemed like hard conditions to fight as well -- not to my liking for sure.

Largest Spanish Mackerel

The waters were a few shades of beautiful green and blue as some pics may show and the waters were mostly clear so the sandy bottom brought out the shades of green I had seen in the Keys.  Various bands of darker waters indicated deeper pools and the end of the pier had some 25 to 30 foot depths for fishermen (and some gamely women) to probe -- all were hopefully looking for the appearance of the Cobia or King Mackerel as some of their rigs sat idly against the railings.  Others were probing the waters with smaller jigs for the smaller Spanish Mackerel and a few were being caught near the end of the pier or just at the turns before the end.

I leaned hard over the railing to look at the schools of the feeder fish running in and around the concrete pilings of the piers and occasionally noticed a few big fish of some size (30 inches or more) cutting casually through the baitfish getting their fill of the little fish.  These bigger fish looked to be yellowish orange in color and I made mention of them to a few people and they thought they might be Redfish.  I believe, in afterthought, they may have been Cobia as evidenced by the sudden appearance from the depths at the end of the pier of a fairly large fish -- and anglers scrambled to the right corner to throw their half dozen or so lures at the target beginning to move away from the pier (it looked to be about 4 feet or more in size).

68 Pounds/55 Inches

Magically, one young guys lure hit the right spot and the huge fish turned to take his bait at the bottom of its large mouth and all others faded away as the young guy fought the fish back and forth across the end of the pier and down the east side, returning again to the end and westward, back again to east side where the fish finally was pulled from the waters.  He fought the fish for approximately 20 or 25 minutes and the dolphins or porpoises started to close in on the trophy as he struggled to get it close enough to the pier so, someone might get a huge gaff into the fish and bring him up.  It took a few attempts with the gaff but, finally the fish was brought up to the pier by two strong young guys -- it weighed in at 68 pounds and measured around 55 inches or more in length.

More Surf Here -- Bigger Drop-offs

Before that trophy was landed, one woman had a two foot Bonita on and someone had gaffed it but, when they tried to get it over the rail, the gaff slid through the side of the fish and it fell back into the greenish blue waters emitting a reddish trail of blood as it floundered into the depths -- food for some shark most likely.

Pic fron the middle of the pier (west)

Emerald Coast RV Resort - 1 Mile to Beach

Made a short run down Front Beach Road last evening into Panama City Beach and located a Walmart just a couple miles down the road so, restocked on salad, tomatoes and Gatorade in case I head for the beach (which is most likely).  Lots of attractions along the way for the younger crowd and saw lots of young guys and girls shopping at the Walmart and running the streets -- driving their cars around and being crazy (a little).

Did a total walk around the resort this morning and took more pics along the way starting with my site -- which needs a couple more chairs pulled out and maybe the carpet too (until rain arrives Thursday or Friday).  As you can see, all the sites have concrete, grass (with a sprinkler system) and lots of different types of trees and plants with mulch around too.

Path/Road around Turtle Pond

The "Turtle Pond" is located east of the fancy pool with the waterfall and water spouts -- streets or roads are done with pavers and there are about 2 dozen homesites available (model was closed so didn't get pics inside).  Need to get the office to let me in and see what the prices are and what's included.  They have a large, locked and fenced in RV storage area and another separate area for boat storage.

Model - not open

Discovered on a Google map this morning that there is a "Zoo World" just beyond one of the fences surrounding the resort on Front Beach Road -- explains the strange noises I heard last night and what sounded like monkeys or other apes howling this morning when the sun started coming up.  They are quiet now.  Guess they had their bananas already.

Pool by the front offices

Noticed there were about a dozen open sites in the resort as I walked around earlier -- all open and seemingly available.  Time for some breakfast and maybe another trip along Front Beach Road.

Vacancies Exist

Panama City Beach - Spring Break

Hooray! For lots of things, as I polish off my second Yuengling lager and the twins take over the leather seats at the front of the RV.  We arrived here a little after 4:00 pm and pretty much had things set by 4:30 as the time has whizzed by since then.  Good to see Tiger and Molly getting adapted more quickly following each of the moves we make -- and for shorter durations too.

One of two pools (with water spouts)

This is by far the best designed, most well landscaped, and best maintained of any RV park I have been to so far -- can't imagine anything else being any better (but, guess that could be a possibility).  This place lives up to its billing of being the highest rated RV park in the U.S.  Pictures will follow when I finally get out and get a good walk around the resort -- hopefully, before sunset.

Path around Emeral Lake

The drive up from Vacation Village was a dream with no "dinging" noise from the leveller or the "beeping" from the Patriot braking system -- enjoyed some music occasionally and also the "silence" and the sound of only the wind blowing through the RV.  What a dream.

Emerald Lake

Only missed a couple turns along the way so may have to start taking applications for a "co-pilot" and start the interviewing on the beach.  Ha!  Ha!
Now to get out and about after a couple final sips of this Yuengling.

My spot - left of the flag

Cheers to all!  From a different Time-zone too.




Pier and Paddleboats too.

 

Sleep Tonight -- Quieter Ride Tomorrow

Well, that's the hope, after spending a few hours working on the two problems with the RV.  One annoying noise had been the beeping sound from the alarm indicating that one of the levellers was still down (well, paritally) and the popping sound I heard the other morning apparently wasn't the leveller being retracted fully (unfortunately).  After looking online and reading about the problem and how it was corrected by others, I thought it might be the springs -- after trying the WD40 fix others recommended and worked for them (didn't for me -- well, it did some).  So, I dug out the jack from the Jeep and put it under the leveller (which I didn't use here at the RV park) and cranked it until I saw it move a little and the RV too.  Then, I went inside and turned on the control panel and gave it another try -- a miracle happened, the thing fully retracted.  So that means the springs need to be replaced with new "tapered" versions.  Maybe at one of the next two stops -- or I'll use the jack again.

The other problem was with the brake controller installed in the Jeep which gave me a "breakaway" message and I suspected the problem to be somewhere in the cable for the interlock (emergency breakaway switch if the Jeep should fall away from the tow vehicle - required by law in most states).  I had run this cable from the front bumper of the Jeep, through the engine compartment and through the driver's door jamb to a spot near where the brake controller would be installed during each move/tow of the Jeep.  I didn't run it through the firewall since I didn't have access to a lift and didn't want to figure how to get through the dashboard of the Jeep too.  The cable had been pinched and the wires were cut almost fhrough in the door jamb area so, I had to caarefully splice the wires back together after cutting out the bad section.  Then, I had to tie it off in a slightly different area to avoid having the same problem again -- will inspect it visually and verify its condition more often too.

Also, cleaned the two enclosed reels that had "gummed up" from the saltwater exposure and hope they will work well at the next locations or at the next fishing pier.  Scouted the nearest gas stations for diesel to fill up in the morning so I don't get an annoying "beep" indicating the fuel is low while driving to Panama City Beach.

Fresh Flounder for Dinner - St. Patty's Day

Well, it wasn't a 16 or 18 inch fish but, it fed the three of us last night -- it measured barely over the 12 inch minimum size but, it tasted the best out of all the fish we have had.  Think the twins appreciated the taste as well as both of them were more affectionate late in the evening and both were curled up on their backs at the foot of the bed when I woke up.

I even managed yesterday to catch my first bait fish with my casting net off the fishing pier -- still don't have the technique for throwing it properly (with the weight line in my teeth and half of the net over my left shoulder as other throwers demonstrated).  My attempts were more like lame "bananas" which netted me nothing -- thanks to the guy and his son next to me on the left who netted 50 or more and gave me plenty to start the day of fishing (along with the 2 dozen shrimp I purchased at the pier's bait store).  Later, I did run out of the little bait fish and made a few ugly, feeble throws and even watched the Spanish guy next to me on the right as he gave a lesson to his younger sister or niece (she failed as I did) but then, I came up with the idea of draping the net over the side of the bridge in the open position and just let it drop with a slight outward push of the top half of the weight line I held in both hands.  Voila!  The bait fish were directly below and mostly under the bridge where the net settle over them and gave me sufficient bait to fish until I tired of the heat (and catching mostly "trash fish").

I forgot to take my camera again and don't have a picture of the one "keeper" Flounder or more spectacular shots of the bridge or the King Mackerel caught by the young Spanish girl next to me.  It had to be nearly 2 feet long as its tail stuck out of their bucket and the older, experienced brother (or uncle) had probably a bigger fish on just minutes after her catch but, it broke his line -- he admitted he had too light-weight of line most likely (bet he switches it out for his next trip to the fishing pier).

I fished from about 9:30 to 4:30 in the afternoon and brought back 4 of the small Spots, Grunts, and Runners (to freeze for bait) with the Flounder -- had a small bag of ice with me from my freezer so they stayed fresh until I arrived back at the RV.  I never had cleaned a Flounder before so, I went online (after a short nap) and checked for instructions (which seemed to be pretty straight forward and actually easier than most fish as the scales of the Flounder were easier to scrape off and once the head and gills were cut off, the entrails and such dropped out nicely along with the head).

Once again, it is time to spend the day getting ready for another move tomorrow and let the twins enjoy the local wildlife for one more day.  It will be about 6-1/2 hours up to Panama City Beach so, I hope to get started before 9:00 a.m. and hope to arrive before 4:00 p.m. at the Emerald Coast RV Beach Resort.  Maybe I can catch a sunset, at least, before enjoying some of the other amenities there.

With 8-1/2 weeks between now and my arrival date in the Denver area, I will be looking for weekly stays along the Gulf Coast and into Texas so, maybe another week in Florida after this coming week -- perhaps somewhere around Pensacola like Navarre Beach.  Will try calling a few places and checking what's available (at not too outrageous of a cost).  For the time being, I pulled all of my money out of the stock market this past Thursday and Friday since these one week stays don't give me enough time to track and correct things and still have time to enjoy the places I visit.  Besides, after making $25,000 since the beginning of the year, it might be time for a market correction -- could have done better too, if I had held onto those 500 shares of Netflix for just 24 more hours, I would have made another $10,000.  Oh well!  It may be time for another market correction and a good time to buy back in then -- maybe when I have a 2 or 3 week stay arranged in the southwest.

Now to clean those fishing reels and get some breakfast afterwards -- twins have had theirs and they're still enjoying the noise from the birds and the teasing little squirrel (their tails are twitching more than the squirrels).

No Fish For You, Kitties -- or for me too.

Had an even later start to the day today after having to deal with my insurance agent to get my home owner's policy switched to a landlord's policy and have the car insurance updated as well for the next 6 months.  Funny how the insurance costs just keep going up and up and we get less and less -- value of my Jeep goes down but, the cost for insuring it keeps going up and by law we have to have insurance (bet the insurance company lobbyists were involved somehow in getting the legislation and laws passed).

Honeymoon Island causeway

Originally, had hoped to get going by 9:30 this morning and maybe take that ferry over to Caladesi Island from Honeymoom Island sometime during the day but, it was nearly 11:00 before I got out the door of the RV so, decided I would just fish on the causeway to Honeymoon Island.  Picked up a dozen shrimp just before the bridge and pulled in on the other side of the bridge approaches.  My small rod gave me fits because I forgot to rinse out the saltwater from using it at Sunshine Skyway fishing piers so, I ended up using my big surf casting rod for most of the day and managed to catch my first Stingray -- about 2 feet long.  Fun to catch as it zigzagged from left to right as I brought it in.  I caught it on one piece of the small bait fish I caught earlier.  Also, caught a Puffer and a very small Black Sea Bass -- which had its mouth stuffed with a shrimp sticking out and my hook and small bit of cut bait and hook in its lower lip.  Making a pig of itself like one of my cats (Tiger).

Didn't go to Sunshine Skyway fishing pier today because I thought the trip to Honeymoon Island would be easier (and it was) and since tomorrow is Saturday, am thinking the traffic should be better for Sunshine Skyway -- we'll see.