Captain Jerry headed out of the Anclote River at noon on Friday for Pulley Ridge along with Second Captain Tyler, and mates Allen and Sean. After a lengthy steam south we arrived on Pulley ridge just before first light Saturday Morning. Capt Jerry spent several hours planning this trip using loran coordinates passed down from three generations of Rathey commercial fishing legends. The loran was dusted off as were Jerry’s aging charts of the region.
Sat morning began slow with a mixed bag of Gag, Scamp and Red Grouper along with a showing of Mangrove Snapper and Golden Tile Fish. The current along the ridge was running full steam, making it difficult to maintain a favorable heading while drifting. As the day progressed the bite picked up as we moved north on the ridge. Larger Gag Grouper appeared as did our old friend the American Red Snapper. The American Reds were almost all over 10 pounds, many reaching the 20 pound mark. Due to recent closures it became necessary to depart the area (and our big gags) for an area NOT infested by mammoth American Red Snapper.
After several stops, we finally found areas not swarmed by American Reds. Gag Grouper, Yellow tail and Mutton Snapper continued to chew throughout the day and night. Two Kitty Mitchell Grouper made an appearance, one being returned to the sea by its captor. Early in the morning several Kingfish made a showing and found their way to the ice hold. Overall the bite remained steady, everyone enjoyed a great trip that ended with full coolers and great stories.
Captain Tyler
Tags: grouper, kingfish, mutton, pulley ridge, snapper, Viking Fleet
