REPORT- Got me a "BUZZ SLAM" (PICS INSIDE!!)

[buzzcatcher420]

(PICS BELOW!!)
Alright so let me start off sayin that ive never been big on fishing.... my dad always has been.. (he's even a member on here)


That was never really my thing growin up... untill now ;D

As some of u might know from a few of my past posts/threads i recently got a 10 foot jon boat and little minn kota trolling motor...

Nothing like being out on the water!!! COME MARCH IM BUYING A BIGGER BOAT.. HOPEFULLY ATLEAST 17-18 FOOT ;D

SO NOW ONTO THE FISHING!

Most of my fishing has been done from little docks.. piers... skyway a bunch of times.. never really havin too much luck..

I get most of my action at BALLAST POINT catching little sharpnose sharks and catfish

now im learning more about fish and fishing so im getting better ;D

So yesterday me and my girlfriend went to Denny B's bait shop on Hillsborough.. got 4 Dozen live shrimp and headed off to UPPER TAMPA BAY PARK... Well.. almost..

We took a left on Double branch Rd. then another left right there on state st and there was a small little area u could put a boat in.. The hills borough bridge was right there to our left..

We put the boat in. Place loooked kinda similar to Weedon Island ;D

We troll around for a bit.. u can see fish jumpin.. the tide was incoming

We decide after lookin around to try under the bridge for a bit..

toss a live shrimp out there.. hopin to catch maybe a snapper or something (thats what we caught at weedon island last weekend by this wall area)

low and behold.. this little guy


then another


Now my girl starts gettin excited and decides to throw a few shrimp in..

and BAM

she was so happy! her first redfish!


We fish a little more.. catch a few more.. all that same size range.. then we troll around a little..

while she's sun tanning im still tossin shrimp into the mangrove areas and also by people docks..

Hello little guy

Oh.. u 2?

we were redfished out at that point so we decide to just troll around.. get a feel for the area (WERE DEF GOING BACK)

Suns starting to go down... we decide to head back towards that bridge we started by..

toss a few shrimp again.. catch a few more..

this little sheepshead ate a shrimp like 1/4 his size.. little hungry f###er! lol

Im thinkin to myself..

i know theres gotta be some SNOOK in here..

Cast out a live shrimp... and BAM! IS it a snook tho?? It wiggles.. jumps outts the water a few times .. and...

a ladyfish ill take it..


Theres still hope.. Gettin low on Shrimp and Light... so i toss in the last few shrimp... and BAM! finally a snook! Not a big one (a baby .. but a snook none the less!!

this little sucker jumped a few times as well... i get him to the boat and that makes my day! My first snook EVER!



So all in all.. GREAT DAY!

Used live shrimp all day(BAIT SHOP ONLY HAD LITTLE SHRIMP ).. #2 circle hooks.. 2 little split shot #5 weights .. 30 pound Power pro and a 50 pound clear leader.

1 lady fish
1 snook
1 sheepshead
and about 16 or so little redfish.

All fish went back healthy and will live to fight/be caught another day..

NOW I HAVE THE ITCH.. NEXT WEEKEND.. BIGGER BAIT.. BIGGER FISH IM READY! hope u guys liked the "little" report

[inshorebasher]

thats great! awesome report and pics too! just to let you know you can scale down your leader material to 25# test for them waters unless you plan to target bigger fish that will wrap you around docks and pilings!

[buzzcatcher420]

thats true... i thought about that too.. i also have some clear 30 pound test i could use for leaders...

i was always told power pro was stronger.. so i thought.. if i have 30 pound power pro for the line.. and then 30 pound momo/ floro for the leader ...it wouldnt be the same strength.. i thought the leader would be weaker then the line if i used something 30 or under, no?

Thanks for reading!

[mackeralsnatcher]

Very nice son, as said you need to scale back on your line. 15 with 30 lb leader should be good.

Remember the fish may be small but your just getting started ;D

We'll get some Big fish in the keys over Thanksgiving

[havetofish]

Nice report and Pic's Buzz.
Definitely scale back on the leader.

[buzzcatcher420]

Nov 2, 2009 10:54:23 GMT -5 mackeralsnatcher said:

Very nice son, as said you need to scale back on your line. 15 with 30 lb leader should be good.

Remember the fish may be small but your just getting started ;D

We'll get some Big fish in the keys over Thanksgiving

im excited to go! less then a month left!

ill def scale down on the leader and line.. guess it doesnt help when they fish can see ur tackle

hopefully next weekend with bigger shrimp and maybe a few pinfish.. ill catch some bigger fish ;D i cant wait...

inshorebasher I was actually hoping to catch big fish! lol it just didnt happen that way this time around ;D

[inshorebasher]

hahah i hear yah on catching teh big one! but 30/30 is what i use most of the time and it works great. for slower water and smaller fish i'd stick with 25lb test.

[eaglesfanguy]

No Chit! Way to go Buzz. Your high on fishing! Get you that bigger boat... Youll love it.

great mix of fish, you and your girl Put up a nice buzz slam!...

i use nothing but power pro, and usually go about 20% heavier for leader compaired to line strength. 65lb p.p 80 leader. Dunno if thats actually 20 percent.. but..

40 lb p.p 50-60 leader.
80lb p.p 100+ leader.

you get the idea...

[buzzcatcher420]

Nov 2, 2009 12:43:46 GMT -5 eaglesfanguy said:

No Chit! Way to go Buzz. Your high on fishing! Get you that bigger boat... Youll love it.

great mix of fish, you and your girl Put up a nice buzz slam!...

i use nothing but power pro, and usually go about 20% heavier for leader compaired to line strength. 65lb p.p 80 leader. Dunno if thats actually 20 percent.. but..

40 lb p.p 50-60 leader.
80lb p.p 100+ leader.

you get the idea...

yea man, excited to get the bigger boat. Its gonna be nice to be able to just go where ever i wanna go. Hit all the nice spots.. Theres only so much u can do in a limited space.

Hows yours been workin out for ya? ive seen some good pics u put up

Also.. do snook bite more at night?

Im gonna do some more research and find a place similar to where i went this past weekend for this up coming weekend. ;D

[eaglesfanguy]

I love my boat.. just got back from a 30 hr trip..430 am tuesday. just got home...
Im still rocking.. its been nasty out there lately.. Lotsa birds going apechit.. but slow fishing.. a spanish here and there on the troll and some jacks... baby grouper all over the bay.. best last night was 21 inch gag... some fun sharks also 4-5 ft lemons.. Had a big spinner skyrocket this morning.. but didnt get hook set.. he was about 15 ft from the boat and just busted a move spinning atleast 10 ft in the air.. awsome site. Had to be all of 5 ft...

Oh yea did get a small sharpnose on a spoon sitting on bottom while i rigged another rod.. funny as hell.. Looked up like wtf??? and this stupid shark wanted a spoon, guess he needed it for some cereal.

[lostmans1]

hey there buzz, i second what everyone else has already said, im sure if you were in the exact same situation and were using the right tackle you couldve easily multiplied your numbers by 5...15 or 20lb test wouldve been plenty and 20-25 pound FLOUROCARBON leader and a size 1 ower hook with NO METAL, no swivels, no weights, none of that!! but yes, snook are better nighttime feeders and not to mention, they get a lot less fishing pressure at night. learn how to tie line to line knots, and either freeline( if your in the mangroves then thats what you wanna be doing, or if your fishing the little bridges with a strong tide id use a jig head. but nice job buddy and keep it up.

[buzzcatcher420]

Nov 4, 2009 21:47:41 GMT -5 lostmans1 said:

hey there buzz, i second what everyone else has already said, im sure if you were in the exact same situation and were using the right tackle you couldve easily multiplied your numbers by 5...15 or 20lb test wouldve been plenty and 20-25 pound FLOUROCARBON leader and a size 1 ower hook with NO METAL, no swivels, no weights, none of that!! but yes, snook are better nighttime feeders and not to mention, they get a lot less fishing pressure at night. learn how to tie line to line knots, and either freeline( if your in the mangroves then thats what you wanna be doing, or if your fishing the little bridges with a strong tide id use a jig head. but nice job buddy and keep it up.

thanks for the advice. Im def. gonna switch up my situtation this time around for this weekend.. im heading out sunday to the same place

my fish tank guy at work told me the same thing about snook and using no metal.. just tieing my line to some flourocarbon leader...

i didnt actually expect to have the luck i did so i wasnt really prepared. Now i got a little more confidence and knowledge so this time around.. ill be ready

Im gonna head to walmart tonight AFTER the lightning beat up on the senators and get me some flouro and some new line..

as far as tieing line to line ill have my dad show me sunday before i head out.. if im gonna do it.. might as well do it right, right?

any advice on bait? i was planning on using live shrimp again.. hopefully the bait shop will have some bigger shrimp..

to be honest.. ive never caught anything using a LIVE pinfish so i never really go that route.. GRANTED ive only tried a few times

i can def see pitchin some shrimp into the mangroves workin good.. that was kinda what i was doin.. except i was fishin with shark tackle on

as far as a jighead goes.. should i use one thats all metal or one of the ones that have like a color eye on them i always see both at the stores..

thanks again