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Fishing facts:Where and how tosuccessfully get afish on your line
 | | Kids proudly show their catch after aday aboard the Reel Eazy. |
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Hello folks, the local fishing hasbeen doing pretty good lately fromthe Pensacola Gulf Fishing Pier tooffshore Snapper Fishing. So, Ithought I would start with “youhave arrived at Sunny PensacolaBeach and want to do somethingdifferent.” Well, let’s go fishing!
The first place I am going to takeyou is the Pensacola Beach GulfPier which we are all proud of. Sheheld strong during Hurricane Ivanand is the only surviving pier fromFort Walton to nearly the DolphinIsland, Ala. Currently at the pier weare in King and Spanish mackerelseason and the King bite is reallyhot.
Ok, all we need for this fishingexpedition is 2 rods, one small lighttackle rod for catching bait and agood size spinning reel with 20-25pound test. We will need King Rigsand Sabiki Rigs for catching bait. Ifyou are out of town and do not haveyour own gear, well you are in luckbecause the pier has everything youneed and Gulf Breeze Bait andTackle is just around the corner.
Once at the pier the first thingyou are going to do is rig your sabikirig onto your light tackle rod with asmall 2 oz. weight at the bottom.Also, have ready your spinning reelwith rigged with a king rig. This istypically a steel leader with a treblehook. Some fishermen/womenengineer a second hook right behindit called a cheater rig. Next, lookingfor a school of baitfish cast out andjig the rig back to you. When youhook up bring your bait fish in. Ifyou have a hard tail, hook himthrough the back; if your catch is acigar minnow, ballyhoo, etc thenhook it through the lip.
Where to fish, the best fishing forKings and Spanish are at the end oflast 1/5th of the pier. Mostfisherman/women who are regularsfish the end of the pier casting outand allowing their bait to float alongthe surface. Please, when fishing besure to always be mindful not tocross up everyone’s lines. With yourdrag loose wait for the fish to strike.If you do not get a strike and yourbait has now drifted a ways and indanger of tangling, bring it in andrecast. When the fish strikes, allow himto run with it then jerk the pole backsetting the hook. Now, the rest is up toyou and there are plenty of friendlypeople on the pier to help you bringyour catch aboard.
The next place I am going to takeyou is aboard a charter boat. Charterboat captains are fishing every day andthey have the line on where the fish aremost of the time. There are two type ofcharters you can get depending on thelevel of service you want, private withjust you and your family/group andparty boats where you fish with severalother people for a per person price. Iprefer the “private charters” becausethe Captain and Crew can focus onyou; they typically produce better andcustomize the fishing experience to youand your needs.
When fishing on a fishing charteryou will want to be at the boat about 30minutes ahead of time. Do not worryabout weather, the Captain will let youknow what the offshore conditions areand I have fished sunny days offshoreand it rained all day at the beach. Bringplenty of food, drinks and suntanlotion … the boat will take care of therest from catching live bait for you,cutting bait, helping you fish, baitinghooks, taking your fish off the lines tocleaning your fish when you return tothe dock. Some Captains even haverestaurants that they can suggest toclean your fish for you. This is theultimate in fishing entertainment.
Currently, the boats are catching RedSnapper for which Pensacola is WorldFamous for, Grouper, Triggerfish,Amberjack, as well as many other gulfspecies. The offshore bite is strongerfurther offshore so if you areconsidering a charter you might wantto think about one 8hrs or so. We fished thisweekend aboard the Reel Eazy with CaptainBuddy Rogers during one of hisfamily/children fishing afternoons andreturned with plenty of Red Snapper,Grouper and King Mackerel as well as manysmiles!
This is just two options for fishing our area,of course there are many more from fishingthe shores for Whiting and Pompano tofishing the bridge next to the Bob Sykes forflounder, trout, and croakers. If you have anyquestions about fishing please feel free to callGulf Breeze Bait and Tackle or any charterservice and they will be more than happy tohelp you.
As a final note, Pensacola lost many of ourfishing habitats offshore during HurricaneIvan. Currently the Pensacola CharterboatAssociation is sponsoring RebuildUnderwater Northwest Florida to helpexpand our reef program. To participate, youcan visit www.rebuildunderwaternwfl.com orcontact Captain Paul Redman at 850 5167672. Also, all Bank of Pensacola Branchesare receiving donations for this cause. Please,if you can help out this worthy cause.Red Snapper Veracruz Recipe4 (4 ounce) red snapper filets1 tablespoon olive oil1 small onion, sliced1 medium tomato, diced1 medium bell pepper, thinly sliced1 tablespoon garlic, crushed1/2-1 jalapeno, seeded andchopped1/2 teaspoon dried oregano1 bay leafjuice from 2 lemons (approx. 1/4cup)1 lemon, sliced
Saute onion, bell pepper, garlicand jalapeno in olive oil until crisptender.
Place red snapper fillets in ashallow baking dish that has beensprayed with cooking spray. Pourthe vegetable mixture over the redsnapper and top with dicedtomatoes, lemon juice, oregano, bayleaf and sliced lemon.
Cover tightly with foil and bakeat 325 degrees for 25-30 minutes oruntil fish begins to flake. During last5 minutes, cook uncovered and addliquid if needed. Can also be doneon the grill wrapped in foil.
Makes 4 servings
Serving Size: 1 filet and 1/4 ofvegetables
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