Cero smiles hogfish heaven

At last the winds have died back a bit the last cold front was a very deep one and the cold arctic air drop the sea temps from 78 to 67 in just one night. When the front passed over the Florida Keys air temp went from 85 to 67 in just ten minutes just like some one had put a air con on the very cold setting. In all fairness the sea was getting to hot and in my opinion upsetting all our winter spring fish migrations but mother nature put it right but maybe a bit to quick. As a guide said in a bait shop just like the wife running the cold tap as you are spending to long in a nice warm bath. What has happened is that our winter mackerel have gone not all together but the walk on their back numbers have that is the spanish mackerel. Our summer mackerel have appeared these being the cero mackerel not in the same numbers as the spanish but they are fatter, meaner and pull a lot more. They don’t just take the baits they EXPLODE on the baits. Yesterday we were using live ballyhoo set at just 1 ft deep as they are a surface bait and the mac attack just has to be seen to be believed. Anyway after two days of strong winds it was good to see the smiles back.

We had a good day just ashamed we lost a few good fish a huge jew fish made it back to the wreck no stopping him and we weren’t fishing for goliath. Chris was smashed big style on his ballyhoo the only thing about losing fish if only they would show only once it would not be so bad. We did have a 180 + lemon shark that took the no drag grouper rod, now that was fun all it wanted to do was run and with no drag just beat up poor angler big style. Fish of the day was a massive hog snapper thinking back of doing fishing holidays for over 8 years this was a boat PB. Skip was screaming net net these fish are to die for on the plate. One of the most weird looking fish in the Florida Keys with a strange mouth and teeth and rooster like fins they are normaly very shy and at the back of the que. This one gave a good account of its self and Rob a new species harder to do as I have lost count on the times my boys from Jersey have been fishing but Helen and I look forwards to their trip every year.