Thursday morning, 7/11, I fished 20 miles west of New Pass with Darryl Metzger and his two sons, Barrett and Mitchell. We dodged numerous rain showers and even spotted a couple of water spouts throughout the morning. But fishing was good, and the guys caught two keeper red grouper at 25 inches and 21 inches. They released seven additional undersized grouper, all of which bit pinfish. They used live shrimp for snapper catching, and landed two dozen keeper lane snapper and one keeper yellowtail snapper. They released two undersized yellowtails, along with five whitebone porgies and some grunts.



Above-Angler Dave Carey with a 23-inch red grouper, caught on a pinfish on a recent offshore Fishbuster Charter.

Top right-Angler Dana Huff with a 20-inch redfish, caught on shrimp in Estero Bay on a recent inshore Fishbuster Charter.


Friday, I headed out 19 miles from New Pass with Bob O'Hara and his grandson, Kevin. They guys got to battle a 40-pound blacktip shark, bringing it to the surface for a photo before releasing it. It bit a blue runner filet, and was definitely good for some adrenaline rushes! As for food fish, caught on shrimp, the guys caught a 20 1/2-inch keeper red grouper, a 16-inch whitebone porgy, a 14-inch lane snapper, and a 12-inch yellowtail snapper. They released more than twenty red grouper shorts, six mangrove snapper shorts, seven yellowtail shorts, five lane snapper shorts, and some grunts.

Saturday morning, 7/13, was calm when I headed out 19 miles, but as the morning progressed winds and seas picked up and made conditions a little sloppy. I fished with Paul Fenwick, his young daughter Emma, and his son, Spencer. Their friends, Susan Carlisle, John Purdy, and John’s daughter, Jordan, joined them. The group did not wish to keep any fish so we just had fun catching and releasing. Catches included two mangrove snapper at 16 inches and 13 inches, yellowtail snapper to 11 inches, triggerfish to 14 inches, whitebone porgies to 15 inches, a 15-inch Spanish mackerel, red grouper to 18 inches and gag grouper to 16 inches."