It’s a quarter before eight in the morning here in the offices of Bluewater Outriggers, and it looks like it’s gearing up to be a good day. We have live shrimp in the tank, we’ve already sold a nice inshore combo, and there’s a hustle among employees putting away stock as we prepare for the onslaught that is sure to come in the warmer weather months. Bluewater associate, Lisa Kelley, is practically buried in all the shoes she has to put away. I’ve noticed her give me the evil eye on several occasions, and rightfully so; she’s frantically trying to work through about 100 boxes of shoes and I’m sippin’ coffee while comfortably seated and staring blankly at a computer screen. When it was all too much to bare, she finally erupted, “Just write the darn thing Payne, it’s not like your Ernest Hemingway!” So, I quickly got this first paragraph going but not until I informed her that I too love to fish, I too lived in Key West, and while there, I too shared his same insatiable appetite for daiquiris. The only thing I haven’t done is to write several life changing pieces of literature that stand the test of time and are read all over the world. So, while no, I’m not Hemingway....I’m pretty darn close!
It’s been a pretty good week of fishing here in Port St. Joe, Florida. I have to say I’m delighted with everyone’s response to my request for fishing stories and pictures. In fact, you can see Randy Danford (above left) with a picture of a nice 23” redfish he caught in the intracoastal somewhere around Overstreet. They caught multiple reds and a mess of trout and just had a great day out there. While there have been a good amount of mullet and black drum showing back up in our bay, there have been no trout spotted yet. Most of our trout anglers have still been hitting the intracoastal waterway, and some are heading over to East Bay.
I guess it’s time to start chasing down the big sheepshead offshore. Captain Jake talked to me about trying to plan a trip to get them. Then a gentleman named Dale responded to my article by sending in a picture of two folks he took out on a fishing trip. Seen above (middle) is Nic and Emma from Bainbridge, GA. They went about 5 miles offshore and brought home 7 beefy sheepshead, the biggest coming in at 22”. Dale said that live shrimp was the ticket when it came to catching these bad boys. He said there were plenty out there, and there were still a few more that his anglers weren’t able to land.
A little farther offshore and heading west, anglers have been hitting some monster gags. Captain Jake wanted me to sneak his picture in. I can tell he thinks he looks pretty cool in that picture (seen above right). It’s almost like he and the grouper coordinated their outfits just for the photo; that’s one of the many reasons Captain Jake is known around here as, The Legend.
Things are starting to pick up around here folks! Unfortunately, the next few days will bring some heavy winds when this cold front pushes through. That could make for some difficult fishing conditions. However, the overall feeling is positive that fish are on the move back into our bay. Remember, if you have a good time out there and want to show off your catch, send your fishing photos to myfish@bluewateroutriggers.com and tell me all about it. Until next week, be safe and have fun. I hope to see you out there!
-Jeremiah Beasley