SW FL-Bonita Beach: Kingfish in 42 feet

Monday and Tuesday's winds and seas of 2-4 feet scared my anglers away. Wednesday, 4/29, I headed offshore to about 40 feet with John Holtman and three of his friends. Winds were easterly but still pretty strong and seas were hefty. The group caught a few dinner fish, including a lane snapper, Spanish mackerel and grunts, all on shrimp. We also released a dozen gag grouper shorts. We used heavy tackle and double-baited blue runners to catch and release a couple of goliath grouper, one about five foot long and one about 80 pounds. The goliaths got pretty thick out there and were chasing fish within five feet of the boat, as we competed with them for our catches.

Ron Musick and Eddie Alfonso fished with me Thursday, 28 miles west of New Pass. We used shrimp to catch two kingfish, one 32 inches and one 38 inches. We released grunts and gag grouper shorts. We switched to heavy tackle and blue runner baits, and caught and released two goliath grouper, each about 80 pounds. We also hooked one monster goliath, but he got away before we could get him to the surface.

Larry Jack fished with me Friday in 38 to 42 foot depths, out of New Pass. We caught a twelve-pound, 38 inch kingfish and some snapper between 13 and 14 inches, including three lanes, one mangrove and one yellowtail, along with some porgies. We released lots of gag grouper shorts, red grouper to 19 ½ inches and smaller mangrove and yellowtail snapper. We caught everything on shrimp, except the kingfish, which ate a blue runner.

The photo shown is of angler, Jerry Casey, with a pair of mangrove snapper, 17 inches and 18 inches, two of several caught on shrimp on a recent offshore trip.