Vacation Deep Sea Fishing

papacrusher (57)in #myhuntingfishing • 6 years ago (edited)

^{Successful Deep Sea Fishing Trip = 23 pounds of fish! Photo courtesy of my daughter, @sushiqueen}

We decided to have an adventure! @sushiqueen, my brother-in-law, and I had discussed maybe attempting a fishing trip while on vacation. We knew the private boats were out of our budget and I was a bit leery of the large "party boat" style fishing vessel because it seemed like too many people trying to catch fish at the same time. My daughter persisted and we decided to give it a try despite my reservations.

^{All the boats lined up to go out.}

The sea was angry that day, my friends! Like an old man trying to send back soup in a deli. - George Costanza - Seinfeld

This was one of my favorite scenes from that legendary sitcom and it instantly came to mind when we walked outside to drive to the marina. We arrived at the marina and it was still drizzling and the sky looking ominous, yet eerily beautiful. The report was that the weather would move out and it would be smooth sailing.

There were dozens of boats lining the wharf and people of all types begin filtering in to find their boats and head out for seafood riches. It was worth the price of admission just to get to people watch while we waiting for our boat to be made ready.

^{I made two friends!}

^{This guy was looking at me a little judgmental.}

The trip was scheduled for 5 hours and it departed at 7am and returned around Noon. The boat pulled out of its slip at 7am on the dot and our trip was underway! Once we left the marina area we traveled a short distance down the inter coastal and out towards open water. On the way out, you were able to see amazing views of St. Andrews State Park and Shell Island which were mentioned by me in this earlier post

The boat was large and steady which made for an excellent cruise. It was equipped with two bathrooms and an air-conditioned galley that served sodas, water, and foods. The trip is designed to travel to fishing locations for half of the time and then to actively fish for half of the time.

^{Our transportation for the day.}

^{Me and @sushiqueen waiting to board}

We ended up fishing four separate locations and we each caught enough fish to make our arm muscles ache with exertion. The deck hands were extremely helpful and knowledgeable and definitely added to the overall experience. We had people at arm's length fishing all along the sides of the boat with a total of about 75 people fishing on each trip. The boat provided the gear, bait, and deck hands. It is customary to tip the deck hands and the wharf fish market will clean and fillet your catches for $.60 per pound. There are several local restaurants that will actually cook your catch for you for dinner as well!

The trip was a smashing success and I would not hesitate to do it again. The deck hand helping us out said the afternoon trips were much less crowded and usually more relaxing with less people getting tangled up. I was so relieved that my fears were unfounded and that a great time was had by all. I did get quite a bit of video footage and hopefully I will get that edited and posted when we get back home from vacation.

photo courtesy of my daughter, @sushiqueen