Once again, Tania was wiped out from being out in the heat and sun all week with school, and she didn’t want to venture into the ocean to go fishing. She told me to call a friend and go. I spoke with Vern, a fellow Salt Strong insider, and we decided to head out to the boils. The marine forecast was questionable, 5-10kt E winds kicking up to 10-15 in the afternoon, and the weather buoy showed 2ft seas at 9 seconds, but we are both seasoned fishermen, so we decided to go.
We were to meet at the dock around 6:30 am, and I was to bring the ice and bait. I arrived at about 6:20 am and loaded up the boat. At about 6:45 am, Vern texted me and told me he was waiting on me. There was a slight mix-up as to where exactly to meet. We got it all sorted out, and by 6:50 am, we were heading out.
As we made our way to the inlet and it looked pretty angry. Two other boats were heading out when we did, so we continued. I had to throttle back once we got out of the inlet as it was rough and the seas a lot closer than 9 seconds. The cause of this was that the current was going against the wind.
We slowly made our way to the last buoy to try for some bait. The first drop proved to be a success. We had a full line of 6-inch blue runners, which we quickly tossed into the live well. We made a few more drops when another boat pulled up next to us. At this point, we moved south in the channel to the green marker, where we caught another line full of bait. I told Vern we had enough bait and started running south to the Boils.
The ocean calmed down a bit, and we were able to make good time to the boils. There were two other boats when we arrived, so we had to pick our drift carefully as the other boats were spot locked.
Our first drift was to see how we would drift so I could ensure we would not drift into the other boats. We seemed to be drifting NW, so with that information; I set our second drift to take us right over the SW corner of the boils. Unfortunately, the conditions changed quickly, and we drifted directly west, so I missed the target. Even though I missed the mark, we caught a few short mutton snappers.
On our next drift, things got a little more exciting; however, it wasn’t good. Vern was bringing in a fish, and a shark tried to grab it when it got to the boat. Two bad things we learned were that the sharks were in the area today, and Vern landed a catfish, a sign of dirty water. We didn’t let this deter us, however.
On our next drift, I throughout the live bait on a free line in hopes of hooking and deterring the sharks from grabbing our fish. The bite was slow but consistent. We were catching short mutton snapper, ladyfish, catfish, and porkfish. We also lost a few baits on the free line. At one point, I was fighting a fish when the freeline drag started screaming at me. Luckily the ladyfish decided to do a quick release so I could grab the rod.
Once I picked up the rod, I knew I had something large, and as long as my line didn’t break, I would have a fight on my hands. At first, I was holding on as the fish took line, but eventually, I was able to turn the fish and start gaining on it. It took me a few minutes to get the fish close enough to the boat to realize it was a decent size shark, but once it saw the boat, it ran again. The tug-a-war lasted about five minutes until I got it next to the boat. We got a nice picture of it. However, it was too large for me to handle comfortably. While Vern and I discussed how to release it, the shark took off again. My leader broke shortly after this final run, which I was relieved of.
We continued to fish the boils until about 11:30 am. Overall, we had a decent day despite not catching the monsters we were after. We had four break-offs on the free line, and Vern had something significant on his line that broke him off after a good 6 to 7 minutes. The one that got away from Vern, I have my suspicions that it was a permit as the boat next to us landed one just before his fight.
The one ladyfish was one of the bigger ones I have seen and was large enough to be considered as a Reel Big Fish for the state of Florida on Catch a Florida Memory. To get a certificate for a big fish for a ladyfish, the fish only needs to be 22 inches at the fork, and mine was 24 inches. I recommend everyone looking into Catch a Florida Memory as you can be entered into raffles and get certificates and other prizes just for submitting your catch. I will provide a link for the site so you can all check it out.
On the way home, we had a storm coming out of the east meet us at the inlet. It was a solid wall of water. Fortunately, the storm held back the lightning until we arrived at the dock. Once we were off the boat, I quickly cleaned the fish and let Vern take them home as I still have fish in my freezer, and he likes fish as much as I do.
Tania and I pray those who have been out this week had blessed and safe trips with a bountiful catch. Also, those heading out the rest of the week may have tight lines and good times.
The Treasure Coast Chapter of Salt Strong now holds monthly meetings in Fort Pierce on the 4th Thursday of each month. These meetings are exclusive to inside members, who receive various perks, including 20% off tackle and access to Smart Fishing spots, and insider information on local trends. Monthly tournaments and guest speakers are also set to feature. To become an inside member, click the link below to receive a FREE pack of slam shady or a 10-Day Test-Drive of The Smart Fishing Spots App and The Salt Strong Insider Club. They ship you $35 worth of FREE Lures, an “Inshore Fishing Manifesto” Book (Physical copy) & Decals – Yours to Keep Even If You Cancel!
Captain Mike's Treasure Coast Fishing Adventures 
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