Finally a Fishing Report

[Jack Hexter]

I was invited to fish with a friend, Barbara Thompson with Capt Michael Dawson running the boat. Tide was almost dead low. Michael had both his livewells blacked out with bait. Barbara is an excellent grouper and snapper fisher-woman, but this was her first inshore trip and she wanted a snook!  The first spot we fished was south of the lighthouse, in Pinellas County, which is C&R only due to red tide, so we could not keep the 19″ trout caught by Barbara or the redfish I caught, and we released several jacks.  We then ran a good distance North and stopped on some rock hard bottom in 6' of water where Barbara put two mackerel in the boat and I caught a short gag grouper.  Boy do shallow water grouper pull hard.  We started working our way back south and finally Barbara hooked and landed a 27 3/4″ snook which had to be released due to being 1/4″ short. But this completed her inshore slam.  We fished several more spots, boating a nice mangrove and a couple of legal redfish before pulling the plug at 2:30.  Great day on the water.  Thanks Barbara and Capt Michael