Capt John 12 Hour Offshore Friday July 8, 2016
The party boat Capt. John’s 12 hour offshore fishing trip was run with Captain Johnny Williams heading things up. Shortly after leaving Pier 19 our offshore run in sort of a southerly direction began thru a somewhat choppy gulf. The three foot swell did produce a “pothole” or two to tolerate, not smooth but not bad.
The offshore run ended at about the fifty mile mark where the 81 of us fishermen went to work thru the 100 foot water column. Two stops were made where we picked up a bit less than half of the red snapper limit for the day. The good part was that of the 49 red ones something like 30 weighed in at 14 to 19.9 pounds. That was indeed exciting. They hit sardine or squid natural baits plus an assortment of tipped snapper slappers. While those were good in the area of numbers or size the total numbers were on the slow side for the time spent so it was off to another area.
The move of about ten miles had the baits working again, in around 110 feet of water over rock formations. That stop was where we needed to be. The remainder of the red snapper limit was caught and including numerous ones in the 7 to 9 pound class along with a few others in the 10 to 14 pound range. Two kingfish and a bluefish were also caught at this last stop. The kingfish and a few host red snapper hit freelined sardines on wire.
With the red snapper limit caught and time running out the “run to the house” began with this total catch:
162 red snapper to 19.9 pounds 35 or so went to 11 to 15# including one of 19.3#
1 bluefish
2 kingfish
Patrick Richardson, 10 year old son of Mike had a red snapper limit to 14# on Carolina rigged sardines
Mike Richardson, Corrinth, with a red snapper limit pair of 14 & 15 pounds on Carolina rigged sardines
Rob Richardson, Athens, his red snapper limit consisted of a pair going 15 pounds each taken on a 3 oz, sardine tipped, red/white snapper slapper. Hits came on the sink at the mid-depths in 100 feet of water
Patrick Lemire, Texas City, my red snapper limit of two went 14 and 15 pounds each. Hits also came on the sink in the mid-depths. A 3 oz., purple/black, squid tipped snapper slapper fooled ’em into biting.
Jeff Richardson, Lone Oak, Why did I leave Rob’s adult son to last? Actually its pretty simple, I first met Jeff in 1995 when he and his dad, brother, and uncles were fishing an offshore trip on the party boat Texsun II. He was 9 years old at the time and grew to be the good individual he is today Im sure with a lot of really great father and family guidance. He also grew to be a pretty good fisherman since that day many years ago when I baited him up with a cigar minnow and he caught his first kingfish. I say “pretty good”because today, with his 19.9 pound red snapper he won the Richardson family’s 20th annual fishing tournament! It’s not the first time and it won’t be the last Im sure. Incidentally the other red one in his limit today weighed in a 19.3 pounds, I told you he was pretty good. Both were harvested using Carolina rigged pairs of Spanish sardines.
See you on the Capt. John!
Patrick Lemire
Rob, Patrick, Mike and Jeff Richardson
Jeff Richardson receiving family tournament plaque from Rob Richardson.