Gearing Up For Spearfishing

I was looking through some old files on my computer the other day and came across my spearfishing video folder containing many of my dives from last summer. Watching my head mounted GoPro HD camera capture my dives shooting Hogfish, Gag Grouper and Mangrove Snapper got me amped up for this season.

I've been spearfishing in one form or another since I was a kid. It started with a pole spear around the dock lines for sheepshead and continued to free diving the artificial reefs in the Gulf of Mexico. For a while it was an obsession. I would spearfish year round, wearing a hooded wetsuit in the winter. Early in my marriage I wanted to go spearfishing but my wife wanted to go on a date. I thought I could shoot two fish with one spear by taking her on a date to watch me spearfish from the seawall. Bad idea.

Seven years ago I fell from grace in the eyes of "true spearfishermen" and became Scuba certified. I became too fat for my wetsuit and haven't thrown down the money for a new one. Now spearfishing is more of a seasonal thing for me. My boss and pastor, Danny Hodges, tries to go offshore spearfishing every Monday in the Summer, weather permitting; and I am fortunate enough to be on his A-list of dive partners. With the water warming quickly it is time to get back on it!

One of the best perks of spearfishing the Gulf of Mexico is the Hogfish. They are really tough to catch on hook and line gear but are plentiful and super easy to spear. They seem to be genetically programmed to swim slowly in front of a speargun and turn broadside. Did I mention that they are killer table fare? The whitest, flakiest fillet you will ever eat. There is one small ledge we call Marilyn's Birthday that is our go to spot for Hogfish. I can usually hang in one spot and limit out in a matter of minutes. As I shoot one I keep my eye on the next victim as they wait in line to swim in front of my spear; stupid, delicious fish!

One thing that I am bummed about is the fact that Gag Grouper harvest is closed till July this year. One of my favorite parts of spearfishing the Gulf is sticking a big Gag hanging in the sand off the ledge. This winter and spring we have caught more big Gag Grouper than I have ever seen in 30 years of fishing the Gulf, but according to the tree huggers at NOAA they are over fished and very scarce. So until July I will have to pass on the Gag. It will feel like passing on a big buck while doe hunting.

But I need to stay positive and think about Mangrove Snapper, Hogfish, Scamp and Red grouper. Not to mention Amberjack, Cobia, and others that can be taken with a speargun. So it's time to inspect the gear, fill the tanks and clean the grille for the best eating the Gulf has to offer.

April Inshore Report

Buka with a secret spot bass

I've had a few nice inshore fishing experiences this April. I'll start with Joe's Creek. My brother Buka discovered earlier this month that juvenile tarpon are stacked thick from the 71st Street bridge to the 54th Ave. bridge. Using a small gold jig and live shrimp I jumped four fish in the 2 - 3 foot range; all of which threw my hook. My brother Johnny did manage to land one at night using a live sand perch on the bottom. They should still be there for a bit. On high tide they spread out, but low tide they tend to hold in a hole where a side ditch runs into Joe's Creek just South of 54th Ave. Evenings seem to be the best time to get them to bite as they're pretty finicky.

Bass fishing has been crazy at a secret spot where I have been blessed with opportunity from the only person with access to the lake. I got my second invite to the lake last Friday evening and brought Buka along. We caught about 40 bass in a couple hours of fishing; all in the 2 - 8 pound range. The gators were a little hairy though. We had to bring a bucket of rocks to keep from getting eaten. Not a place I would bring my kids. I went through 2 packs of purple rubber worms and a pack of dark blue rubber lizards. Buka was using a spinner bait. I think a hot dog would work well in this lake; they were hitting everything!

I hit the flats of Boca Ciega Bay yesterday evening after work. It was a very low tide so I focused on sandy potholes in the grass flats that were holding a lot of trout. I caught a limit of keepers including a nice 23 incher.  After securing dinner in the cooler I left the trout to seek redfish with no success. Did have a couple hit and misses using a jig by Mirror Lure I've been stuck on called Lil' John. Gold seems to be the color for me right now, as it has been out fishing everything else I've been throwing. Low tide is a great time to get to know the flats better. The skinny water reveals the flat's secrets: deeper cuts and holes where fish hold up. Keeping some spots I found in mind, I'm looking forward to getting back after this weekend weather blows through.

Hit List 2012

Florida late recovery buck

It's only halfway through turkey season, but already my thoughts are straying ahead to September. There's something about deer season that stays with me all year long. Maybe it's the fact that last year was my first hunting season without bringing home venison to feed my family. Whatever the reason, I'm already getting pumped up for this year's season and the chance to go after deer with a vengeance.

I did have a good excuse for last year's fruitlessness. We had our fourth child in the middle of November, which is the time I've historically taken the majority of my deer including all of my good bucks. Between the baby and work I didn't have the opportunity to get up to either of my two leases in Georgia after October. I did manage to arrow a nice 8 point buck on Florida public land in November but didn't recover him till the beginning of December. While I was glad I eventually found him and was able to take home a Euro mount, I'm a meat hunter and this year I'm hoping to fill the freezer with delicious, lean venison.

Big bucks on small lease

Here's my plan: Spend less, hunt more. With the family growing bigger and the paycheck staying the same size, I have decided to give up my big lease in Georgia. That will still leave me with a small 60 acre lease shared by my brother and I. Its a property owned by a farmer and surrounded by thick hardwoods and farmland. The really nice thing is that there isn't a lot of hunting pressure on the surrounding properties. It's an area known to the local old timers for growing huge bucks.

Last year I hunted the property only one evening in September. While I didn't see anything, my trail cams told the true story that there were some really nice bucks working the property. From July through September we captured pictures of a group of about seven bucks including two big ten pointers. My suspicion that at least one of the big old boys survived the season was confirmed a couple weeks ago when a blueberry farm worker found a shed antler from the bigger of the two ten pointers. While these bruisers stayed nocturnal July - September, I'm hoping that they will make the fatal mistake during the November rut; and if all goes well, I will be there to catch it.

I have also done a lot of post season scouting at an area in Citrus WMA, and I am confident that I have a good chance of ambushing one of the nice bucks I've caught on camera there as well. Citrus has a late archery season in November that lasts three weeks and very few people hunt the area I've been hunting. The rut is going on at that time as well. Following the archery season there are two weekends of quota only late muzzle loader and two weekends of quota only late general gun. Other than that, the deer are left alone. This makes for a great opportunity to catch them with an arrow after they've had 10 months to run around free from hunting pressure.

Citrus buck

A good plan helps a lot but it is no guarantee for success. If you go on a hunt that guarantees a kill, it's not really hunting. While I've never gone on a hunt that guarantees success, I think I'm going to start Florida archery season with the closest thing to it I've ever experienced; a private cattle ranch in Zolfo Springs, Fl that offers paid hunts. I've done a lot of hog hunting there with great success and the property is teeming with deer as well. I'm planning on starting my season with an archery doe hunt there and hopefully get this season off to a good start.

That's my plan, and Lord willing, I'll be able to stick with it.