Taking a Day Off...to go fishing!

Our neighbors Brian and Sarah Parent invited us (my wife Carol and I) to go fishing on their boat in the St. Johns River in hopes of finding some Bull Redfish. Brian and I loaded some heavier tackle and we all stopped by the bait shop to get some live Blue Crabs. I had brought along an iced Ladyfish to supplement the bait.

On the last of an outgoing tide, we launched at Mayport in Brian's big Pursuit the Stormy Sarah, powered by a 250 Yamaha, and we headed upriver and to make first stop just shy of the Dames Pointe Bridge. I was the "anchor boy" and got it deployed while Brian backed it down, then we started setting out lines - Brian on the starboard stern and me on the port stern. The ladies were enjoying the beautiful weather and conversation up on the bow.  Then we waited. And waited.  Brian had one "nibble" on one of his rigs it swiped his half of crab - he baited it up and set it out again and shortly after that he had a good bite. Brian set the hook and BIG fish on! Once he was set, Brian handed the rod off to Sarah who played it for a while, then Carol got on the rod and slowly worked it the boat. She had a good battle on here hands but she prevailed -Brian netted the fish expertly and landed a Big Bull Redfish.

It was getting late in the afternoon, but we decided to move closer to the boat ramp. We had anchored down river about 200 yards from barge with dual tugboats that were stationary in the river.

We'd been fishing for about 30 minutes and the tide was just turning around and we had just decided to "give it 5 more minutes" when I felt a "tap" on my rod. I was all alert when it tapped again and set the hook and another BIG fish on! It was ripping drag and sounded great with the clicker clacking but after I got it switched off it was a battle for sure. Carol and Brian got the other rods reeled up and then we heard....AAAANGK,  AAAANGK! 

The tugs had revved their engines and started towards us with the barge! The big Red was still "green" and pulling line and...AAAANGK, AAAANGK, AAAANGK. It was pandemonium!  I tightened the drag (somewhat) and really started cranking the fish in and AAAANGK!  AAANGK! AAANGK!  Brian dove the catch net in and hoisted the big fish to the deck then dashed to the anchor rope and started

hauling..AAAANGK!  AAANGK!  I put the throttle in gear to help with the anchor haul - it came lose and we puttered across the channel and out of the way of the descending barge/Tug combo.

We dehooked the fish, got a quick picture, laid it over the side and made sure it was ready to swim, and released it. Boy what a fish! And with that, we called it day, another great one to be fishing here in NE Florida.