port st joe area report

[A Bay Charter]

What nice weather the New Year has started with here in Port St Joe. Temps into the mid 70s , clear sky’s , and calm seas.
I have fished hard all week, Meet some good fisher folks, and have seen many fathers and sons becoming better connected thru fishing. This past weeks fishing was special , I had 4 trips with fathers and sons. Special to me because it brings memories back of the many quality times that I have spent with my own two boys fishing. One Father and Son hadn’t spent much time together in a few years , Another Father and Son was just spending another day together fishing .The one Father and Son that made the most memories for me was a Father wanting to spend some Extra Special time with his Son that was leaving the next day to Iraq.
Did we catch fish? Sure we did. We landed good Trout up to 24 inch’s, we tore up the Black Drum population , put a hurting on the Sheepshead , Gave many warnings to the Red Fish although one or two did make it into the box and didn’t mind the tug of war with the blue fish.
I fished the St Joe Bay and the Gulf County Canal. We used dead or alive shrimp and tossed a few hard baits with the rattle trap landing the most from the array of artties we tossed. The dead shrimp was bait of choice with live coming in a close second place.
We landed the better Trout From the bridge to the power lines and the better Drum closer to the Tee with all others landed equally thru out the canal.
Have a wonderful year!
Captain Goodrich
A Bay Charter
1-850-Bay-Fish(229-3474)
www.fishingportstjoe.com (http://www.fishingportstjoe.com)

[big country]

are you strictly inland fishing or do you do grouper trips too?

[capt.kirk]

CAPT.GOODRICH
WECLOME ABOARD:)
Glad you have joined us,in the business you probably see a lot of reunions
with fathers,and sons,old friends getting together,icant think of a better
way to get together than a day of fishing,catching fish is just a bonus,
added to a day of making memories.Keep us informed on whats going on,we
will be looking forward to your reports on fishing and baits used.we are not
just a freshwater organization,there is a home here for everyone.
KIRK
kirk38@verzion.net

[A Bay Charter]

I fish the bays , rivers. and creeks . Altough it is not a rare thing to catch good grouper in the bay. I target Tarpon, Redfish , Trout and the like. I meet one of your members at a tackle shop here in Port St Joe. Bob Schoemaker, thats how I found the site. Anyone comes down look me up. Allways intrested in meeting fisherfolks.

Fishing from the gulf beach this time of the year is good and with the nice weather it is awesome. Lots of Redfish but only a few black drum. We fished the dead shrimp out of my live well from yesterdays trip. Rigged with pyramid weight and a 16 inch fluorocarbon leader. We landed a ton of redfish in the 16 to 27 inch size some over 7 lbs. We fished yesterday out of the boat from hwy65 at the whisky George landing all the way down the creek ,out into the bay and across. We threw artties , trolled and live bait . Landed 1 fish. A bowfin or mudfish at the 20 foot hole . I think all the rain had that area washed up. But with the cold weather next week I may give it another shot. We have a beach fishing trip planned for Monday don’t know how long we will fish , but Bill from Half Hitch Tackle will be there doing his live fishing report. My Nephew Jeff that fishs from the beach weekly and Capt Clint Moore from Outdoors with Clint TV show will also be with us. Anyone likes to fish and wants to come along e-mail me as we will be in front of my house and will have plenty of room on the tail gate for the trip down the beach to Jeffs fishing hole. Good luck and have a safe trip.

[big country]

how far are you from steinhatchee exactly where are you out of?

[A Bay Charter]

I fish from Apalacicola to Pensacola with my home being Port St Joe about 31/2 hours west of steinhatchee. Or 50 miles east of Panama city.

[big country]

o.k i know somewhat where you your outta now how far off 19 are you? i know 19 runs just north of you right?

[Schoe]

The weather didn't look too promising this afternoon for traveling too far to fish so my wife and I decided to go to the Inland Canal here at Port St. Jo. Fla.
Someone had told me you can catch Blue Crabs lowering a Turkey neck to the bottom and watch the line till it starts moving and bring the line up briskly and have a net ready for the Crab.
Well, we brought a couple of turkey necks and kind of had them stuck away and forgot about them. When the fishing seemed to get real slow I got one out and just tied it directly on 25 pound test line on one of my larger rod and reels and put a two ounce weight to take it to the bottom faster. The first time I tried it it wasn't down two minutes when the line started to move. I reeled it on up and wala- had a nice big blue crab!
We wound up bringing four to the net in about 30 minutes. As it was almost dark we quit for the day.
The fish didn't cooperate very well. We caught some trout, sheepshead, red fish which all were not long enough to meet Florida rules.
So, we kept the larger shrimp and cooked them in Old Bay and then did the crabs which turned out absolutely delicious. We will probably try it again tomorrow. Schoe

[capt.kirk]

HEY SCHOE
Even tho the weather was not to great,sounds like you had a nice day,
speaking of big blue crabs,when a couple of guys and i want to catch,
some ,we have a couple of traps we put out that we put chicken necks in,
and get 20 to 25 in a day,mighty fine eating,dipped in some hot butter,
add in some home made cole slaw,and some home made bread,wash it
down with a couple of beers,what more could you want.:)
I passed on going to TURKEY CREEK today,due to cool weather,and wind,
it was not worth the drive,but i did read that ole STUMP BUMPER went,
and did pretty good,i think he has converted one of his friends into a
catfisherman today so he had a great day.
KIRK

[Schoe]

Kirk. when you get the Blue Crabs do you prep them before you boil them. It is some what messy getting the meat out of the main body but well worth it. I'm sure there is a way to clean them ahead to avoid the mess. I will have to ask some of the locals about it. Any body have a good recipe for Crab Cakes that we can add to our recipe thread? Thanks, Schoe

[capt.kirk]

HEY SCHOE
I dont know much about preping them,all i know is that we rinse them off
and put them in the pot of boiling water,ALIVE,i was always told that they
have to be alive when you use them,or it could make you sick.someone
else may have some good information about how they treat there crabs.
KIRK:)

[capt.kirk]

HEY SCHOE
While speaking of crabs,being a curious ole country boy,i pulled one of
those stupid tricks,wanting to know how hard the crab could pinch
compared to a big old crawdad,WELL TRUST ME,you dont want to know,
it took about 2 seconds to find out,and an hour to stop the bleeding.
another lesson,among many that i have learned, that i really didnt need to
know.:D
KIRK

[Schoe]

Kirk, I heard that. I am used to fooling around with Crayfish that might get clamped on to you and hurt a little but as you said I think those Blue crabs will draw blood and probably make your pant leg get very damp in the process. They did a pretty good job on the Turkey necks for the short time I used them. It's amazing how fast an old fat man can move when those claws are trying to pinch ya when they are picked up. I learned fast to grab both big pincher's at the same time to avoid the big hurt. I'm sure if I mess with them long enough in the future I will get nailed. Schoe

[capt.kirk]

HEY SCHOE
It dont have to be a fat man,when properly motivated,i think a man can
run thru waist deep mud.I know for a fact how fast i can get thru water
when an alligator shows his head.:)
KIRK

[Schoe]

Amen Kirk, and those little stinkers can properly motivate you.

We didn't get to go out fishing today account of the weather. So, Joyce went exploring over East of us around Carabelle. Its probably about 40 miles or so from here and is a neat little town. It is a lot like some of the quaint little towns that is in the process of being woke up by progress. The Harbor area looks like it is about to get a make over with condos ect. on the banks of the bay area

We stooped at a Sea Food dealer "Allen's" just on the west side of Apalachicola just as they were closing and were already outside on their way home. They asked what I was looking for and I told them a Gal. of oysters. They turned back around and opened back up for me. They packed the Gal in plenty of ice for the trip to the house and enough to last a few days after.

I have bought lots of gallons of Oysters in my life but haven't ever had them packed clear to the top with oysters. They usually have three inches of juice on top but not this one. And good, I haven't had any better ever as they were just shucked today. I'm glad I have plenty of Gout preventive with me. Schoe

[Schoe]

Yesterday, Wed, Joyce and I put the boat in at the High View Bridge on the feeder canal here in St. Jo. We got a late start about 1:00 P.M. I headed to a spot where we had been doing real good on Specks and started drifting and throwing our live shrimp as bait. In an hours time of this there was not a bite. The other boats around there weren't doing anything either. So I fired up the Motor and headed for the inland waterway, slowing down at likely looking areas and watching my LCR for fish.

I am really unfamiliar to the way that the Tides affect fishing in the Canals and have gotten spoiled catching Trout every time out this year except once.

We were putting along when we started marking fish all over so I killed the motor and we started casting. Bang first cast I hooked up with a nice 17 1/2" Black Drum. A few casts later Joyce hooked into one about the same size. They quit biting and disappeared off the Screen so we went on. We putted about 2 miles probably without marking much at all. I had just switched sides to a large sandbar and the bottom was very irregular then there they were, fish were stacked up all over. My wife was the first to hook up and it looked like she had a hold of a Bull Dozer so I quit fishing to coach her and grab the net. We were using med. tackle and she had her hands full but did a good job. It probably took 5 minutes to wear him down enough to net. To our surprise it was a nice 20" Red fish, the biggest so far on our trip.That was the first of about 20 Reds we picked up along that area but all smaller than the one Joyce caught but we really had a ball catching them. All this in three hours is hard to beat. Now I'm anxious to see what Thurs. brings. Schoe

[capt.kirk]

HEY SCHOE
Sounds like you had a great day,and mabye you dont need to find a partner,
for the tournament???Sounds to me like she knows how to get the job done.
The tide does have a big effect on how the fish respond,incoming tide is
good,out going tide is good,no tide fishing becomes slow,but you can still
catch fish as long as there is any water left in the ocean.:D
KIRK

[Schoe]

Well Thurs. Joyce and I went back to the feeder Canal to our favorite Trout area and fished around there for about an hour without one bite. There was a couple of other boats working the area also and not catching anything either. We took off for the place where we found the Black Drum on Wed. but didn't mark a fish along 1/4 mi. section where fish were stacked up before. It must be the low winter high tide. I think that is what the fella at the bait shop referred to it as.
The place where we picked up the Reds before was a couple of miles further up so we took our time and fished our way up to there catching one short Trout. Arriving at the spot where we got the Reds on Wed. we anchored and on my second Cast "Bam", I thought a freight train hit my bait and took off like it's fanny was on fire. I was using my lite spinning rod and it was being tested. The drag was doing its thing and letting the line go when needed. After a few minutes I saw him and was really excited as it was a nice Red. Joyce did the net for me and got him into the boat. It turned out to be my personal best at 22' long. It wasn't 15 minutes later Joyce let out an "OH MY GOD" as her drag was screaming as line peeled off her reel. It seems she had hooked into a good one also. I stooped fishing to give her a verbal assist but didn't have to say much as she was doing a fine job. After a great battle I was able to net him for her. It was a mirror image of the one I just caught a few minutes before, 22" her personal best so far. The last half hour would have been hard to beat and it was getting late so we took off for the boat ramp which was probably 4-5 miles away stooping now and then to drift fish for Trout and catching only one more shorty and calling it a day. Schoe

[Fatkat]

Schoe, it sounds like you and Joyce are tearing 'em up down there, it sounds like a lot of fun. Thanks for posting all your fishing adventures, they are very interesting, I might even learn a little something in case we ever get down that way to do a little fishing. Keep up the good work.

[Schoe]

Thanks Fatcat, we are having a great time and catching a bunch of fish. We should have done this years ago. Oh wait, we weren't retired then. I do think this is going to happen again next year though. Maybe not here in St. Joe but somewhere in Fla.
You will have to come down sometime when we are here as theres always room.

Today we took a day off from fishing and ran some errands over at Panama City. Oil change, phone Co., Camara supplies, and some other things that have been put off. Tomorrow it's back to fishing. Schoe

[Schoe]

Due to the weather and fog conditions we haven't been out in a few days but are looking at going today. Schoe

[Fatkat]

Thanks for the offer Schoe, but its just not possible any time soon. Maybe someday though, hopefully.

[Schoe]

A new found friend, Keith, from Ontario, Canada went fishing with me today.
We really had a great day of fishing in the Intercoastal Canal at Highland View. We caught 15 Red Fish, 6 Trout, and 4 Sheepshead. Although we didn't catch any that were big enough to keep we did have a very enjoyable day out on the water.

Keith and his wife Valerie are spending the winter across the street from where my wife and I are staying. I have a sneaking suspicion that there will be a long term friendship in the making. Schoe

[Schoe]

Yesterday, me and my wintering neighbor Keith, tried our luck on the river systems around Wewahitchka Fla. for Channel Cats. Our initial idea was to go after pan fish but after talking to a friend and local expert, Don Minchew, and finding the rivers were a bit too high for Bluegill and Crappie we took off to explore for the cats
Snooping around at some very good looking spots watching the locater I'm sure we marked some Flatheads which a few were very large. The water temp was 53 degrees which puts the flats in a lethargic mode and besides we didn't have the proper bait for the Flats so we set up for channels.
For bait, we had on hand, red worms, earth worms, shrimp, and Sony's dip bait. The latter being the only one that produced any fish after giving all a fair chance.
Our largest was a nice channel at 3 1/2 lbs and wound up taking 6 more nice 1 to 1 1/2 lb. which we took home for our Sat. night fish fry. Schoe

[Tee]

I hope you "marked" those spots for "our" October visit down there!!!!

Glad you are catching and not just fishing. We have between 4-5 inches of snow here. Would ya like me to send you some to remind you of "home"????


T

[Schoe]

Tee, you just keep that old white stuff up there. I am sure glad we didn't plan any fishing this weekend like we talked about. The weather is bad all over and we had a front come through here early this morning and had one Water Spout and a Tornado close to us. Later Schoe

[Schoe]

Well I have all my stuff packed and ready to take off in the morning for New Port Ritchie. We may fish a little there before heading down to Brandon. I am very anxious to meet the fellows I have been talking to the last few months.
I think the Turkey Creek event will be a great time for all. Schoe

[Fatkat]

Good luck at the tournament Schoe, I hope you catch a big 'un.

[capt.kirk]

HEY Fat Kat
We are hoping that your surgery went well,and you are back on your feet,
we sure would of liked to had you and Cat Bird at the tournament,are you
planning to come down for the FLORIDA CATFISH CLASSIC in the fall?The
way it looks there will be a big turn out for that one.As far as the tournament
here saturday,we have around 50 confirmed entrys,we have gone thru
about 300 flyers between 4 bait & tackle stores,and we aint got a clue as
to who picked them up,if only 50 more entrys come from that,we are going
a GREAT tournament.Let me give you an an idea of how the pay out would
be with 90 entrys 1st place will be $900.00 2nd place $475.00 and 3rd
would pay $425.00,not a bad pay day,if some one is lucky enough to
take 1st place and the BIG CAT JACKPOT WOW it could happen,to bad
that STUMP BUMPER & MY SELF,wont be among the entrys,but we will get
our chance another time,we are going to be busy making sure that all
runs well,and that every one has a good time.Be watching for the report
next week.:D
KIRK

[Fatkat]

Hey Kirk thanks for the well wishes but they put my surgery off for a little while they have to run some more test but its slowly coming around. I hope you all have a great turn out, maybe we'll make it next year.

[Muskytale]

Fishing for Redfish was HOT Sat. in the canal. Caught 32 between 11:00 am and 2:00pm. Largest were 22" and 23". Ran out of bait and had to quit. When I pulled the boat out in White City there was a weigh in for a bass tournament in lake Wimico. They had LOTS of bass. The largest stringer of 5 was over 21#. The largest bass was 8.06#.

[Schoe]

Muskytale, sounds like you had a great day last Sat. I think the Reds are a blast to catch. We took the girls for a ride up the canal yesterday and just happened to take some live shrimp along. My Canadian buddy kicked my butt and caught 8 -10 Reds and some small trout and I ended up with two Reds caught with one being 24" and one small Trout.

Thanks for the report on the Bass. I haven't fished Wimico yet and am waiting for the Bluegill and Shell Crackers to start. Hopefully soon before we head north. Schoe

[Schoe]

Well, myself, Mohawk, and and Canadian Adder, went out of Gaskin park at Wewahitchka yesterday.

The water was still very high and the fish had lockjaw for most of the day until late afternoon an hour before sundown we started to catch some small Cats on worms which which were not anything to brag about.

With little success on catching we all still had a very pleasant day on the water, and thats what it's all about. Schoe

[Schoe]

My wife and I and our friends from Canada went out in the canal going to the inter coastal today only catching a keeper Flounder and some trash fish until we came up on three fellas that were catching the fire out of Reds and having a ball. It looked like at least one of those guys was hooked up constantly if not two of them. We slowed down and set up below them when one of them yelled at us to come up there by them and get in on the fun. We didn't want to crowd them so we just went out a little deeper from where we were and started hammering them. In an hour we had caught 17 Reds and had a blast. There was a small Alligator cruising around their boat and he is in the picture I took of the three men.
We have met some awful nice folks while fishing in the area and thees three gentlemen are a prime example. Go to gallery to see pictures from today. Schoe

[wewamohawk]

sounds like you had a real nice day schoe we also like blue crabs and lucy knows how to make crab cakes the mohawk

[wewamohawk]

stump i was glad see you had a frend out sounds like yous had lots of fun the mohawk

[wewamohawk]

hi big country just wanted to say i wish it was time for fcc the mohawk

[wewamohawk]

capt kirk just wanted to say hi and glad that you want fish some when you come up the mohawk

[wewamohawk]

capt goodrich iwas glad to see you had a nice time with the father and sons .i have not done any salt water fishing in a long time but if learn to post a pictuer of a nice tuna i got a few years back it was over 1200 lbs the mohawk

[gofish]

wewamohawk if 1200 pounds is nice i dont want any part of a big one. id really like to see the pic if you figure it out.

[Schoe]

It pays to advertise

[capt.kirk]

Sounds like you got a done deal for your winter headquaters. Kirk

[Schoe]

Joyce and I made it safely to St. Joe Beach to the unseen house that we found as a result of the newspaper ad we ran looking for a place. The house exceeded our expectations and is just what we wanted and more.

We picked up our boat yesterday that was up in Wewa at a friends house since last October and brought it down to our place. Today I will uncover it and sort through all the "stuff" that I stored in the boat for the winter and get things in order to start fishing.

Everyone that is in the know with the river systems says that the water conditions are right for the Cats and other species to be biting. The Speckled Trout and Flounder have been hitting good in the inland waterway close to St. Joe. It looks like we will start fishing tomorrow or maybe this evening and will make a report.

As you probably have figured out we received the Modem for our computer late yesterday afternoon and got things up and running. So I will have access to WIF, PMs, and E-mails. Schoe

[jason454ci]

Glad to hear you made it there alright and the unseen house was better than expected. Good luck on the fishing hope you get into some nice ones.

[Schoe]

Thank you Jason. We are looking forward to a fun filled winter down here. Schoe

[Timotha7]

Go get em Schoe! Specks an Flounder make for some fine fine table fare!

Looking forward to seeing all the fish you are going to catch

Tim

[Schoe]

Finally made it out yesterday evening with my friend Mac Sullivan who is from back home in ILL. We elected to fish the river by Howards Creek Landing. The river looked in good shape so we had great expectations of catching some Cats. Well, about the only thing that was active and hungry were Dogfish. We had a ball catching those fighting machines while getting drenched with rain every once in a while. I did manage to catch one decent Rock Bass before the rain and fog ran us out.

Although no cats were caught we still had a great time catching fish that are considered "undesirable" by most for table fare but I don't know of any other fish that gives a better fight.

The first picture is Mack with one of those barkers. The second is the Rock Bass I caught and the third one is a dogfish I caught. Schoe

[Tee]

There are 2 things important to remember:
1) you were "catchin"
2) you were spending time with a friend having fun

Pretty good day to me :)

[Schoe]

Well I got up this morning at 5:00 AM and went out to hook up the boat to go to the inland waterway and it was windy and raining fairly hard. I may get some live shrimp and go down to the marina and see if there are any Trout feeding in and out . We have an out going tide this morning so they may be there. Schoe

[Schoe]

Nothing going on at the marina outlet. Two fellas were fishing since daylight in the rain. They said things should pick up this afternoon when we have an incoming tide. The rain has stopped and the wind is laying down so it may be OK later today. We will check it out. Schoe

[Schoe]

Joyce and I finally got a few eating fish this evening. Not the Trout that we were targeting but some of the biggest Croakers that I have ever caught. The biggest one was 14 1/2'' long. Joyce caught a nice legal size Mangrove snapper and there were a few short Reds which were fun to catch and release. Another added bonus was a couple of Blue Crabs that didn't let go of the bait quick enough.

Here's some pictures of this afternoons fun. Schoe

[Pegleg]

Schoe, Have you ever filleted one of those Dogfish? Try it next time you catch one. Fry it up just like you would a catfish. Yummy.

[Schoe]

Glen, no I haven't ever tried one. I guess it is purely from peer comments over the years as with the Gar. Both of those fish have gotten a bad rap through time.

Those that fish solely for the sport of fishing and don't indulge in the eating process would have to go a long way to find any better fighters.

Next time I encounter one of them I will give it a fair evaluation for table fare and make a report. Thanks, Schoe

[Illinoisgiller]

Schoe, Great to hear that you are getting on them. :cool: I'm assuming that those "Croakers" are a little different than the ones my grandsons got on the bank of the Rock River.:rolleyes:
Isn't Joyce's fish a little bigger than yours? :p Whoop's ,shouldn't have brought that up. :D :D
I will be on the edge of my chair waiting for how it works out eating one of those Grinnel. An old fella in Keithsburg, IL used to make a good seasoned fish patty from Grinnel. (We call them Dogfish) I sure agree on their fight. They are a ball to get, especially on light tackle. Keep on them, Mike

[Pegleg]

I've heard all the horror stories about Mudfish & Gar too. But the time I spent with my Seminole Indian buddy and his family taught me different. They are both appex predators and not scavangers. The meat is fine tastein white meat just like catfish. I think they might have gotton a bad rap if folks caught them in stagnent water during the dry season. Anything would taste bad out of that kind of water.

[cattracker16]

I've caught them toothy looking fish in a stagnant pond before never thought of eating them just thought they was a mean looking fish that i wasn't going to eat. They were fun to catch lots of fight.

[Illinoisgiller]

The fact that they can tolerate the shallow stagnet,shallow ponds could very well be a factor for their reputation. The places that I know I can go get one easily any time I want, are flood ponds that don't get any water movemant. As you said, I wouldn't want to eat anything from there. :rolleyes: Mike

[Schoe]

Today was the mother lode of fishing on the inter coastal water way for me and my buddy from Ontario that I met down here last year. We didn't get out until 1:00 this afternoon and fished until sundown which was about 5:00 PM here.

The tide was still going out yet when we set up to fish for Speckled Trout and what a surprise when I set the hook on my first fish. It turned out to be a 7 lb. Black drum. That was the first of many of the same to come the rest of the afternoon. My buddy Keith got off to a slow start but soon he was catching some really nice fish.

Our catch that we kept consisted of Black Drum, Sheep's Head, and Pompano. We caught a lot of Lady Fish which were a ball with their aerial antics and fast runs, Hard Head Catfish which look a lot like fresh water Channel Cats and a pile of short Sheep's Heads. I would guess we caught close to 200 lbs of fish.

Here's some individual fish pictures but I will post pics. of whats in the cooler on ice when I clean them in the AM. Schoe

[Illinoisgiller]

WOW!! That sounds like a neat day on the water. Are you able to use that new pole you got in Wisc. down there? Stay on them, Mike

[Schoe]

Well I finished filleting our fish from yesterdays trip and have a few pics to share. The first one is mouths of a Black Drum and a Sheeps Head to show the difference in the two. Drum is on the left and Sheeps Head is on the right. It is hard to see the teeth in the Sheeps Head but believe me they are there. the black stripes seem to be brighter on the Sheeps Head than on the Drum.

Next is all the ones we kept.

Keith with colorful Pompano

Me and Keith with nice black drum

[cattracker16]

Great looking catches there schoe, Hope all is going well in the sunny south. it's finally getting cooler here in iowa, deer season starts tomorro "antlerless" should be fun with the misses hunting beside me.

Kenny

[Timotha7]

Looks like a fine day on the water Bob
glad to see you are relaxing an having a great time!
Tim

[Schoe]

My Canadian friend Keith and I are going out again in the Canal around 10:00 AM and see if we can be in the Canal before and after the tide turns around. The other day that seemed to be when the fish really turned on. I will report later. Schoe

[gofish]

hey schoe.....member ya gotta leave some for next year lol. glad to see your havin a blast, an your buildin them arms up for ky in april.

[Schoe]

Keith and I fished about four hrs. today in the canal and I finally got a Trout. It was a nice one about 18 inches. Altogether we caught a bunch of Black Drum and kept a few, several small Sheep's Head and one keeper, lots of Lady fish and Hard Head Cats, which all added up to another fun filled day of fishing here in Fla. Here's my Trout and a couple of Black drum.

I almost forgot, while we were waiting for our wives to meet us at the boat launch keith and I took a spin out the channel into St. Joe Bay about a mile or so and started to drift fish. We hadn't gone 50 yards and Keith hooked up with a monster. It darn near spooled his reel so I fired up the motor and chased him and he gained some line. This went on for 10 minutes which seemed like an hour and never bringing the fish off the bottom when all of a sudden the line broke. We will never know what it was and only speculate. Schoe

[Schoe]

Well today I took off from fishing to just enjoy the day as it was so beautiful. I think it got to 76 today, at least that's what my thermometer in the Suburban said.

I did clean the fish that were on ice from yesterday and while there was a mess I thought it wouldn't hurt to should shuck a few Oysters that I have on ice in a cooler. So, I shucked a quart out for later and probably ate another pint of those tasty morsels while working. I wish I could buy Oysters like that back in Ill.

We will probably go out in the bay tomorrow and hit the channel buoys and do some trolling if it's not too windy. Schoe

[Schoe]

Well today Joyce and I went to the Inland Canal (ditch, as some locals call it) and met up with some friends from ILL. that live up the street from us at home, Mac and Samantha Sullivan. They had their boat and we had ours, so we took off for different destinations to fish.

Joyce and I started to drift as there was a strong incoming tide which last year we did well at that spot on the Trout. We hadn't gone 50 ft. when Joyce hooked up with a nice Trout and when she got it close to the boat she said get the net and I said just lift it into the boat which was a bad decision, the line broke. After a small tongue lashing I fixed her up a new rig and had the net handy.

In two hours we caught 11 Speckled Trout which 5 were legal length and 6 Sheep's Head which one was over the minimum length. So I would say that we had a pretty good day on the water. Heres some pics. of the day. Schoe

[Illinoisgiller]

Schoe, Well, you lost one fish and had to eat oysters without cooking them. Now that sounds pretty tough.:rolleyes: lol :cool: That's a nice looking fishing cabin you got there. :cool: Great to hear you are soaking up that much deserved sunshine.
Are those trout and sheepshead line shy? Would 10 lb. 3lb dia. pink Fireline send them scootin? Mike

[cattracker16]

Bob Looks like you and the misses are having lots of fun. Wish we The misses and I could make it down, But no luck there, the snow and ice hit so we are having fun here. The deer have gone into hibernation.

[jason454ci]

Schoe you are making me jealous. I would just like to have a few measly gills or something. Ain't catching noting but logs around here. The creeks look like rivers and the rivers like oceans. Dang rain won't quit for nothing. Eat a few for me while you are at it.

[Stump Bumper]

Thanks for sharing all the pics Schoe, and glad ya'll are have a great time. Look's like you have landed right in seafood paridise....LOL....Ray

[Schoe]

After a day of fishing the inter coastal we were headed for the boat ramp which is close to where numerous Shrimp Boats Dock. I saw a couple of young fellas working aboard one and eased over and struck a conversation with them. I was asking them about their job etc. and they said go take our boat and come on through the gate and take a tour of the boat, which we did. Neither Joyce or I had ever been on a Shrimp Boat before and was anxious to look it over.

It had been a well used boat and had been in use for many years by it's appearance, but once inside it had all the comforts of home with a sufficient galley, bunk beds, bathroom with shower.

We probably asked all the usual stupid questions they hear all the time but they were very courteous and answered them as best they could.

Here's a few pics of Joyce at the helm and the upper deck and the name of the boat. I thank them for taking the time to show us around. Schoe

[Schoe]

Well it's a mite cooler this AM and hopefully the Trout will be in a biting mood . I have to pick up my companion for the morning in about 30 minutes. I will make a report later today, hopefully with pictures. Schoe

[Illinoisgiller]

Schoe, That sounds like a neat experiance to tour a boat like that. I seen them before and wondered what they are like inside .I'll be looking forward to your tour tales sometime next spring. lol Mike

[capt.kirk]

Mike,do you think that he left the shrimp boat empty handed? Kirk

[gofish]

knowin schoe im bettin he didnt ask for none but ifn they offered it was a done deal lol

[Illinoisgiller]

Knowing Schoe, He had some shrimp to eat if there was any on board. Since he was eating those oysters raw ,there isn't any reason to think he would take the time to cook the shrimp. lol When he was up here at home he used to actually cook his food. lol

[Schoe]

Well curious lookers, if they are back in when I leave for home they will make me a great deal on 100 Lbs, of shrimp. Schoe

[Illinoisgiller]

That is neat Schoe, Sounds like you ran into a couple "real people" The US shrimp industry went through some mighty tough times due to cheaper imported stuff. I hope it is looking better for them now. Mike

[Schoe]

Wow, when we, me and Keith, launched my boat this morning it was hard to hold the boat as the outgoing tide was really cranking out of the inland Canal. I had never fished there before under those conditions and didn't know what to expect. We ran up the Canal about 5 miles and set up our drift using live Shrimp. The wind was blowing quite hard with overcast Sky's and a temp of 46 degrees. After getting our hands wet from baiting the Shrimp the gloves soon came out.

We made three drifts probably a 1/2 mile each with two keeper Trout to show for our efforts and releasing two other shorts.

Man, the wind was coming down the Canal like it was a tunnel so I went to a spot where we would get some relief from the wind behind a barge that was moored. We started catching a whole variety of fish from that spot including Sheeps Heads, Jack Crevale, Hard head Catfish, Skate, Red Fish, and a limit of ten nice Black Drum and two Blue Crab that didn't have sense enough to let go of the shrimp before they were hoisted into the boat.

All together everything added up to another fine day of fishing for me and my Canadian buddy Keith with some fine table fare to show for it.

All my life I have preferred fried fish over baked or broiled but after grilling some Black Drum the other day the way we did I have changed my mind. This will be another post to add to our recipe section.

Here's some pictures from yesterday's trip. Schoe

[capt.kirk]

Fine looking bunch of fish you and your partner got there Schoe,Stay
on them and keep us posted.Kirk

[Schoe]

Thanks Kirk, tomorrow Joyce and I plan to go out into the Ship channel in the Bay and troll for big Bull Reds. I have been talking to one of the fellas at Half Hitch tackle that fishes out there following the channel buoys out into the Gulf. I got out my med. heavy rod and reels and have them all rigged and ready for in the morning.

Hopefully I have a positive report. Schoe

[capt.kirk]

Looking for a good report,Pays to get the advice from the local Bait Shop.
I went out back of the house yesterday for about an hour and got 1
Largemouth 4 1/2 pounder on a live crawler,going to get my walking
exersize in early this morning,and get out there again I smell a fish fry
coming soon. Kirk

[Schoe]

Well our morning spent out in St. Joe Bay was very pleasant and entertaining. There was a little breeze out of the north but it was still comfortable. We went out past the last can marking the channel to where it was 26 ft deep and dropped down 4 rods with large baitfish type lures of different colors and began our trolling with the baits 100 to 125 ft. behind the boat. This went on for three hours changing speed and zig zagging to change the action of the lures with no luck.

So Joyce suggested we go back up in the inland waterway where we usually catch fish. It didn't take me long to put the big guns away and dig out our medium tackle and away we went.

It didn't take over a half hour to reach a good spot where we usually catch a lot of fish, arriving there about 1:30 PM. I had no more than set the second anchor when Joyce had a fish on which turned out to be a 7 lb. Black Drum. That was the start of one of the fastest fish catching days since we got to Fla. In less than 2 hours we caught and released 21 Jack Crevals, 14 Black Drum (kept 10), 1--18 in. Trout, 2 keeper Sheep's Heads, and 2 Blue Crabs.

That made for another fine day out on the water. Schoe

[Timotha7]

Looks like a Great Day Schoe! Thanks for sharing keep them reports coming

[Schoe]

I guess I will never figure out the tides down here in Fla. So far, high tide don't happen when the charts say they should and the same for low tide. The peaks of high or low seem to happen 2-3 hrs. after the charts say they should. There have been several folks try to explain the tides but all have had different explanations. Oh well, we will just go fishing whenever we are ready. About the only time the fishing has come to a stand still is the lull between when the water isn't moving at all. It seems that there has to be some current one way or the other.

Yesterday, Sunday, Keith and I arrived at the Canal during one of these lulls and motored up to a spot where we had previously caught lots of fish in the past but after throwing live shrimp around the general area for over an hour without even a bite we went exploring.

After about a 5 mile ride we came to a spot where a small creek ran into the canal and I had caught a lot of Red fish there last year. Keith's first cast connected with a rod bending fish that give him quite a tussle on his light spinning outfit. It was the first of several Red Fish along with Trout, Sheep's Heads, and Croakers to come out of that area in the next couple of hours.

The bite there came to a sudden halt so we decided to go back down to where we started out to fish as the incoming tide had started to show some.

The wind had picked up a lot since our arrival and made it tough to hold the anchors but we made due.

It was Keith's day as his shrimp had no more than hit the bottom when he hooked up on a large fish that turned out to be a Black Drum. It was 8 lbs. or better, the largest we have taken so far this year. Not 5 minutes later he hooked up again with another a little smaller but a darn nice one by any standard. I managed to catch a couple Drum around 3 lbs. before the wind really went nuts and we decided to call it a day.

Here's some pictures of Keith with some of his catch. Schoe

[Schoe]

Well it was raining this morning so Joyce and I decided to go over to Panama City to Wally World to do some grocery and other shopping. After there we made a couple of other necessary stops at Bealle's Outlet and Walgreen's.

Now after we got home I have two days of fish on ice to fillet so I better get busy.

If the rain goes away later I may go in search of some Trout up in the Canal. Schoe

[Schoe]

Well the rain did stop after lunch but continuing clouds and wind made it easier to plan a trip for tomorrow.

I did fillet the fish we had on ice and cooked off some Blue Crabs to munch on tomorrow.

While cleaning the fish I somehow got the urge for some raw Oysters so the wife and I went down to the Dock Side Cafe in Port St. Joe where they had raw Oysters 1/2 price so i threw down a couple Doz. along with a couple Miller Lites and Joyce enjoyed her Cheese Burger and Frys. Another good day in Fla. Schoe

[calamity]

Glad to see you are having a good time and catching lots and by the looks of things, eating well. Just remember Schoe...don't add any extra salt.......(just had to add a bit of Old Salty's humor) Will look forward to more fishing reports.

[capt.kirk]

Schoe,if i was all healed up there would be 2 boats in that canal,Sue said
you was gonna catch all the fish before we get up that way,glad that you
are doing good,this has to be your best winter for fishing since you started
coming down here,how far is it to where you launch and get to the canal?
Kirk

[Schoe]

Well it's about 7 miles straight down the highway from our place which makes it really convienent. If we need bait or any accessories we go across the bridge over the Canal about a mile to Half Hitch Tackle that has anything we need.

Yes Kirk we have been spoiled here this year. I don't think I have ever caught the weight volume that we have gotten this year.

We have had all we want to eat and give to people we know down here. We won't keep any more for a while untill just before we head home. A nice fish fry at "Tees" Spring Fling may go well. Schoe

[Schoe]

Well I got a call that the Specks were biting outside the wall at the city Marina in St. Joe. So, me and Joyce are going to take the boat and check it out. Will report later, Schoe

[Schoe]

Well we put the boat in the Canal and went around to the inlet to the marina but there were already 6 boats just outside the mouth and not any room for any more. So not to cause any problems with the boaters and the shore fishermen we went back to the Canal.

There was a very strong wind coming down the canal and there were only 3 other boats as far as we could see up the Canal. Not a good sign at all. So, we set up a drift at a familiar spot and made the trip several times without success so we moved up a couple miles to where we usually catch some Reds and set up a drift. Both of us hooked up within 15 minutes and Joyce's Red was 19 1/2" long for a keeper and mine was only 17" so he went back. We continued drifting the area for a couple of hours catching quite a few more Reds which I managed to get a 19 " Red finally . We also had fun catching several Lady fish which went back in. Those two Reds along with two legal Sheep's Heads will be dinner Sat. PM when some friends from Ill are stopping by for a couple of days on their way further south.

When I cleaned the fish today I couldn't pass up the cooler that holds my fresh Oysters so I had to shuck a few for a snack before dinner.

When we were coming back in today we came by a couple of fellas on the Shrimp docks that were skinning a wild boar they had harvested earlier. The picture I took don't show a lot but you can still see what it was. Just another day in Paradise. Schoe

[Schoe]

Having picked up a few doz. live Shrimp late yesterday and kept them in an aerated bucket we were armed and loaded to get to the Marina in St. Joe before daylight as to get a good place along the wall to fish for Speckled Trout. As we approached the parking area surprisingly there was already a half doz. cars already parked there. Joyce and I walked down the gravel slope to the wall and was greeted by a couple friendly fellas. They had been there less than 1/2 hour and had already caught a couple of Trout. So we baited up and began our fishing.

Joyce was the first to hook up with a nice keeper of 16" and after two more casts hooked up again with another keeper. I think I caught 4 or 5 shorts before I got a nice keeper. It seemed like the Trout ran in and out of the outlet to the Marina in schools as when someone on the far outside hooked up there were several toward the inside that would hook up directly.

That's how it went all morning till Joyce left about 10:30 CT tired and wore out with 9 nice sized keeper Trout. Without stretching the truth between us we probably caught 30 or more Trout in order to get 9 nice keepers. We had a good time again and another great day of fishing here in Fla. Schoe

[Illinoisgiller]

Great report Schoe ,You folks are "tearing them up" down there.Sure happy to hear that the fishing is still good. Mike

[Schoe]

Thanks Mike, we only have till Feb.1st. to fish for the Trout at which time the season is closed for the month. No one seems to know why because they aren't spawning. Maybe it's just to give them a rest

I really don't like to fish strictly catch and release as the trout are so fragile and a lot of them will die unnecessarily but there is a lot of other species to fish for. I have been wanting to focus on the fresh water Catfish around Wewa and it looks like the water levels in the rivers are behaving and still fish-able unlike the last two years when they were all at flood stage here in Feb. We will make due, Schoe

[Timotha7]

What a wonderful time you have to be having Bob!

Keep catching them an lets see some pics of those trout coming off the
grill or the stove, that is some fine fine eating there

[patjandonlan]

Sounds like you and Joyce are having a GREAT time!

[Schoe]

Thanks Jan, we are having a great time. No fishing today as Joyce is down with a pretty bad chest cold. I think sitting at the Marina wall lightly dressed yesterday AM in 32 degrees didn't help.

It will get better, just wait and see. Schoe

[Schoe]

Well the cold rain late today put a stop to our fishing today. Joyce is still pretty sick with a cold and don't feel like doing much. So, I brought in about eight poles and cleaned, oiled, and put new line on all and re-rigged them to be ready for the next trip.

It's still raining so I will see what it's doing in the morning about 5:00 AM. I have a few Doz, Shrimp in a bucket with an aerator going so I have bait. I would like to go after the Trout in the Marina in the morning if the weather will cooperate. I don't mind a drizzle but can't handle hard cold rain. I will report and take pics if I make it out. Schoe

[Schoe]

We haven't been out much the last few days due to the weather but got out yesterday starting out in St. Joe. Bay. We put in at the Inter Coastal Canal where it runs into the bay and headed out about 6 miles to one of the big channel markers.

We did have some small spots and croakers just in case there might be a grouper sniffing around, (no such luck) or some other predator that would make the pole bend.

There haven't been any live Shrimp available for the last few days due to cool windy weather so all we had for bait were frozen shrimp and Squid.

All that we caught from around the markers was a couple of short Trigger fish and a few small Black Bass which all went back to grow for another year or two.

After a couple hours the wind came up and it was getting a little brisk so we headed for the Inter Coastal Canal where we would be better protected from the wind.

The trip up to the "T" took probably 30 minutes and the windshield was a big help. Just around the corner from the "T" there was little or no wind so we dropped anchor and started fishing.

At this place we had good success in the past with several species such as Sheeps Heads, Mangrove Snappers, and Croakers. It was the Croakers that saved the day as we got enough for lunch today.

If I fix them in Canola oil and only have a Salad with them that shouldn't hurt the diet. I will put up a couple pics. after they are done.

Here's what the temp. and the Bay looked like before we left to go out and a couple before and after pics. of the fish. Dang, they were good. Ah, you can't see the Temp. on the bank sign but it was 54 degrees. Schoe

[gofish]

54s a dream here schoe.....0 degrees at 8 am an standin on 8 inches of ice :D

[bamabass]

got up to 72 yesterday. birds are flyin all over the place like its spring. dang black birds ate almost 3 gallons of corn that i put out for the deer yesterday. friend of mine that lives 2 houses down killed 9 of them bad boys with one shot the other day when they were eaten the corn behind there house

[gofish]

thats more bang for the buck for sure lol

[Schoe]

Well today it was the nicest weather we have had the last 10 days with temps. around 70. Late this morning Joyce and I decided to go to the Inter Coastal Canal and try our luck. The tide was almost to the end of an outgoing which wasn't a good sign but what the heck it was a beautiful day to be out on the water and enjoy ourselves.

We ran up the Canal a couple miles to where we have caught fish before with nothing at all biting there so we went up to the "T" where we can usually catch some Sheeps Heads and Croakers. The anchors no more than hit bottom when Joyce hooked up with a nice fat Croaker. The action continued for quite a while until they quit like someone flipped a switch.

We moved back down to where we usually catch some reds and anchored again. It must have been Croaker day in the canal as they went crazy there also for quite a while. I did catch one Hard Head Catfish about 3 lbs. which went back.

I think we ended up keeping 45 Croakers and also caught and released a half doz. small Trout which helped make it another great day in Fla.

Here's some pics. from today. Schoe

[jason454ci]

Fresh fish to eat and 70 deg. Geez your killing me here. Was warm here today too, it made it clear up to 12 deg. lol. Looks like you two are having a blast down there.

[bank fishergal]

I see you're both enjoying yourselves with that great weather down there. Mike took off today to go ice fishing in IA. Hopefully he's having good luck, then we can have some fresh fish to eat also. Send some of that warmth this way will ya. It's supposed to stay quite cold for at least another week yet.:mad: I don't mind a cold day here & there, but this is toooo much. Loraine

[Schoe]

I wish I could say that I miss the cold weather but I don't. I'm getting ready to go out in a little while. I have to decide if I am going out in the bay or back to the Canal. Ah, decisions,decisions. Schoe

[capt.kirk]

Decisions $ 50.00 Decisions have a great day:D Kirk

[Schoe]

Well I didn't end up going fishing today so I did the next best thing and found a raw Oyster Bat just down from where I'm staying.

I couldn't get anyone aroused to go fishing and Joyce went shoping with a friend over to Panama City so I did the next best thing, and looked for some raw Oysters which I found right down the street from me at Reygan's Raw Oyster Bar. It is a neat little place just off the highway and has a full menu for anyone's taste.

The best thing about this place is that they shuck your Oysters right in front of you and don't get them out of a refrigerator pre shucked like so many places do. I was happy to meet Mr. Reygan as he was the one I kept busy taking care of my wanting of Oysters and did a fine job doing so.

I also purchaced a bag of Oysters in the shell to take back to the house to munch on over the weekend.

I would urge anyone coming across highway 98 in the Panhandle to stop at Reygans on your way through Port St. Joe Beach for some fine food and or Ray Oysters. Here's a couple pictures of the place and the owner Mr. Reygan. Schoe

[Sharon]

WOW, sounds great! Love raw oysters, hope we get a sample at Turkey Creek... hint hint :D

[Schoe]

I will bring a cooler full to munch on after weigh in. Those of you that have Oyster knives please bring them. Schoe

[Schoe]

Today it was windy and there was rain in the forecast off and on all day but Joyce and I and our friends Mack and Sam decided to go fishing anyway.

Mack and Sam took their boat and we took ours and went actually looking for Flounder. We put in at the White City boat ramp and went separate ways in search of fish. God bless cell phones. After about an hour no one had connected with a Flounder so we started for our old Red fish haunts. Mack and Sam must have boated a doz. Reds with two being nice keepers and Joyce caught 5 with one nice 23" keeper. I managed to get one that was an inch short of the legal length. Joyce also caught a nice 15" Sheeps Head along with some real nice Croakers and I managed to catch a few Croakers also.

It really wasn't my day as I lost my Camera somewhere between the house and the boat ramp. As much as I keep it with me it was like loosing my right arm. And, going full bore down the Canal I hit a very large submerged log which all but stopped the boat and it did shake us up. My power trim refused to raise up and that made me half sick so I putted the rest of the way to our Red Fish Haunt. I did get into some shallow areas and tried the trim again without success, so I sat worrying about getting that fixed in a timely fashion before we left for ILL. in two weeks and getting the motor up high enough at the launch so it didn't drag pulling the boat out.

I don't know why I even tried the power trim when we were trying to get the boat on the trailer, probably because the skeg was dragging, anyway it worked like nothing had never happened. Go figure, I felt better immediately but I still haven't found my Camera. I will take a couple pics. of the fish with Joyce's Camera in the morning and edit them in this post. Schoe

[capt.kirk]

Camara gone(Bad) (Motor problem Bad) Catchin fish sounds like that was
pretty good day of fishing.;) Schoe can you still trim the motor from the
throttle,and from the switch on the motor?I belive if it was me i would
run it to the shop just to check it out to be sure nothing is hurt,its a thing
that can be checked in a very short time,if nothing else it will give you
peace of mind just to know that it is OK,Good Luck Kirk

[Schoe]

Well Kirk the power trim started working OK when we trailered the boat and has been working OK ever since.

The last two days there hasn't been much movement with the tides at all which has reflected on the fishing. The good old stand by Croakers have stood by us and have been rewarded by returning them to the Canal as we have plenty in the freezer. We have returned at least 100 croakers to the water in the last two days along with a few short Speckled Trout, a 5 lb. Sting Ray, several Hardheads, and a few short Reds.

Our friends, Mack and Sam Sullivan did manage to catch a real nice 23" Red and a 14" Flounder yesterday while out on the Canal.

We are getting short on time before we head north next week so I hope the Flounder and or the Spanish Mackerel start in pretty soon. Schoe

[Stump Bumper]

Well, one thing can be said for sure....every time out on the water is an adventure! Glad to hear the power trim is working again. I know that sick feeling you're talking about. Any kind of engine problems ain't no fun at all....Ray

[wewamohawk]

well schoe i sure hope you get some spanish markerel before you leave to go north good luck ;;;maurice