10-06-01

Hello all seahunters,

 

We broke the inlet early, and headed east into the darkness. I couldn’t believe that I was on my way to dive the wreck I dream of often. We made the trip out in slow fashion with the wind and waves directly in our face. When the 35 mile trip was over, we geared up for the trip to the bottom. It was a reef near the wreck as someone else was already on the wreck. Mark and I hit the sand at 140’ and I shot a fat red snapper straight away. Mark shot a red snapper. I shot another one, which was rather large. I think it was 30lbs+, but there was a little nitrogen thing going on. It was a good shot, but the shaft didn’t go through completely. Not wanting to pull the tip, I swam hard at it. Then the shaft fell out and the fish swan off. I couldn’t believe it, and Mark watched the whole thing happen. When I went to reload, I noticed the tip missing. I had tightened it with vice grips, and couldn’t understand how it could have backed off. Upon closer inspection, the shaft broke off at the base of the threads.

I sure was sad, until….

I saw Mark reloading, but no fish. I leap frogged down the ledge and saw a nice sized red snapper hiding in a cave. I worked around for a shot and noticed it wasn't acting right. I thought "all right" maybe I had found the fish with my tip in it. I ended up shooting it with the shaft sans tip. I made it to the boat with the two biggest snapper, and Mark had two also. I thought it was an excellent ledge, especially with the two huge spotted rays we encountered immediately upon arrival. The vis was around 40' and the bottom temp was nice at 77F. There was some current, I say moderate. No bugs out there. Mark claimed on the boat that he had shot the fish first, and was going to go after it when he finished re loading.

I want to know who's fish is it.

 

Who is the owner of the fish?         

Why?    

You can read Mark's report at the bottom of the page.

The next dive was inshore in 90' and the vis had dropped off to around 10ft. I gathered a few bugs for the grill, and looked for something to shoot. There were no fish of legal size on this reef, but I know why. The lobster were skittish, backing deep into the rocks when I approached. Somebody has been hunting on my ledge.

We ended the day inshore just off the beach and had around 5' vis. The temp was still fine, just a lot of dirty water. We had a nice cooler full for the cookout. I'll be hunting again soon enough. Hopefully in a 28 MAKO. Feel free to ask questions about my diving: moose@seahunters.com

 
Hum....I've always heard that nitrous effects different people in different

ways. But it was effecting one of us a whole lot more than the other. Who?

Who knows .... Lets go back and reflect on my account of yesterdays dives.

As we started are decent down the marker line in a very stiff current we

hit bottom at 139 feet. Immediately we were in range of red snapper ranging

from a few pounds to 15 pounds. I had one cross my path and let the trigger

fly..a perfect miss by a tail or two. I could hear the chuckle from my

co-hunter as he tagged a nice 8+ pounder red snapper. I quickly reloaded

and tagged a nice 5 pounder. As I was reloading not five feet from Moose a

much larger snapper came in for a view. Rather than wait to reload I tapped

Moose on the shoulder and pointed the fish out to him where we placed the

shaft in the large snappers gillplate. I proceeded to reload when I see the

fish towing Moose 10 feet behind. A funny site considering his new insight

to tipping opposed to powerheading. I move up the ledge and tag another 5

pounder. As quickly as I can reload a 20 pounder comes in to take a

look.....I give the hail mary shot and the place the shaft right behind the

gillplate into the gut. The shaft mortally wounds the fish and it cover

under the ledge 5 feet up pulling the shaft out . I give chase only to have

it move another 5 feet. I decide to reload and finish him off but my

co-hunter swims by. I watch as he "sticks' the snapper in the head without

pulling the trigger and without anything to hold the fish on the shaft. It

may have already been floating upside down at this point. I give him a high

five for helping me out only to learn upon entering the boat he thought it

was his fish that his tip broke off in. After careful inspection and my

description of shaft placement it was clearly obvious. Moose gracefully

concurred and graciously have the fish up after a trade of a five pounder. I

did however offer to split the fish....

One other food for thought......If I remember correctly on are second dive

you were having trouble corralling a bug I moved in and held the light. It

just happened to shoot out of the hole where I one handed it and handed it

to you. That what working in a team is all about.

Personally I don't think it's a question of who get the fish but what half

of the filet you get......

 

Until next week

 

  

 

 

 

 

How he heard me, I'll never know.

 

 

 

It was behind the gill plate. Just like the first fish I killed.

 

 

 

My redneck buddies tell me that if you shoot a deer, and it runs off and another guy shoots it, it belongs to the man who put it on the skinnin bench.

 

I couldn't take the chance of watching you miss like the first shot.

 

 

 

I remember what it's like to have an empty freezer.

 

Well, looks like you had a little nitrogen problem in shallow water too.

 

 

 

There aren't many people who I enjoy hunting with, but I'll hunt with you anytime Mark.

 

 

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