June 27 - Exotics - Pufferfish - Redfish - Bluefish - Copious Hippy Shots

This report has some really exotic stuff in it. Stuff you just don't see that much of here in Sarasota. Oh, there's the requisite hippy shots, redfish, seatrout and whatnot but you'll be shocked by some other downright freaky sealife. To summarize the fishing: it's been good, but not mind numbingly, jaw droppingly insane. There are certainly tons of trout, as always, but the summer pattern has really started and the heat of the day makes the fish take a siesta grande. if you can get out at night, sunset or sunrise the fishing is strong but those times of day are really intended for eating, drinking and sleeping, though I suppose drinking can certainly be performed while fishing... Anyhow, lets get to the photos...

Hornetbear's Aquarium Emporium could get started with a few more of these beauties...

Night fishing is heating up. Literally. It's like 84 degrees out. Shorts and tee shirt weather. And a massive viking hat. And Clown shoes. And Leg warmers. You know, the essentials.


If the hook travels through the water facing upwards, how did this pinfish manage this trick? I think he was doing an upside down flyby like Maverick in Top Gun. That's what you get for showing off, Mav.


As usual, I was only focusing my efforts on large trophy fish.


Eco-Boy recovered another great lure from the mangroves. The tide was pretty low...


Got out fishing with my friend Kris at a secret spot.


Gotta love a good hippy shot. This one is pretty freaky. Kick back. Play some Floyd.


It's considered a crime in Sarasota to have a really crappy boat like this one


This is a green topped specklebacked monkeyfish. Not to be confused with the blue or blue-green specklebacked monkeyfish.


If ospreys could talk, this one would probably say, "what choo lookin' at foo?" It just seems like the kind of osprey he'd be.


We were out in the Sarasota kelp beds catching these monsters. Note the natural tar seeps sticking to the boats, too. The people we rented these from were really pleased about that. Real happy to see us.


Snook. That's the whole caption. "Snook." No. Wait.
"Snook, there it is!" (rap music here) That's the caption. That's slightly funnier.


I said all kayaks were the same but I was wrong. This is an Ocean Kayak Drifter and boy did it ever suck. What a tremendous suckstorm. The wettest boat I've ever been in. And it filled up with tar. And it got covered in tar. And it was cold. And aluminium foil doesn't work as a scupper plug. The dolphin was pretty, though.


That's Sarasota Mountain in the background. Nice picture of it.


This dock light is one of the underwater ones and man does it hold the snook. Maybe you can just see them better from beneath. Cast well beyond it and bring the lure thru slowly. No fish can resist that presentation. It must look like a underwater reenactment of Shakespear's King Lear.


These two are my old college roommates. The one in the foreground is completely insane.


Check out this mountain estuary. Sarasota is the most beautiful place in Florida, hands down.


Check out this monster! It's called a smelt and I think this is a pretty big one.


This is one of the best eating fish there is.


This bluefish jumped like 3 feet in the air. It was pretty dark out and I was thinking "Tarpon!" but then I started thinking "bluefish" when I saw it was indeed a bluefish. Nice one though. These really put up a fight.


And a final shot for the hippies. Enjoy my unwashed brethren! Now go get some dental floss n' soap you dang filthy hippy! Jeez.

_________________
http://www.hornetbear.com
“When I found the skull in the woods, I called the police. But then I got curious about it. I picked it up, and started wondering who this person was, and why he had deer horns.”
- Jack Handy