spearslayer
10-22-2007, 11:24 AM
Wow what a great weekend. Myself, Tripod and I'm Hungry finally got to go out on I'm Hungrys boat, The "Change Order". After taking several weekends to get her up and running after Hungry sent one of her diesel engines out for rebuild. We set out ( late of course ) on our first spear trip to Gray's Reef.
Man the weather was awesome....not much wind and seas were three feet at the biggest. We left out of Golden Isles Marina St. Simons Island and made the trip in about three hours. The new engine kept cutting off if it got over 2000 RPM's. Which we later found out was due to a loose wire. So the ride back was an hour shorter.
Anyway back to the fish report......well the three of us suited up and made our first drop ( Hungrys dad and father in law were topside manning the boat ). The water temp was an easy 79 degrees. Visability was over 40 easily. The depth was in the 50-60 foot range. Hungry said with two kicks from the surface he could see the bottom. And man what a bottom.....we have been used to diving off of Tripod and Mikerotch's boat in the Gulf, where if you can find 2-3 foot of relief of natural bottom you have done something. But the relief we found at Gray's was awesome. The fish population was prolific, in a word. Tripod took the first big Trigger he saw ( since he had already promised someone a trigger for supper ). Sheeps were everywhere. As always Tripod is gonna be "The Man" when it comes to quantity of fish. Before the end of the dive he would have a stringer full to include sheeps, flounder, scamp, trigger, etc. In fact at one point I pointed out to Hungry, Tripod with 2 fish on his spear at one time. He had shot a nice sheep, and it fell dead as hell to the sand on the end of his spear. Well it fell right next to the outline of a nice flattie, so Tripod takes his spear with the sheep on the end and procedes to skewer the flattie. So I guess he can count that as two for one huh.
Well by this time I had shot a good size sheep, and I was looking in a nice undercut with a good size cavern when I saw the outline of a good 300-350 pound Hebrew Bass, So I motioned for Hungry to come see, when I saw the tail of a good size Nurse Shark whip around in the same hole as the Jewfish. Well about the time Hungry got down to see what I was pointing out....The R.N. decided it was time to leave her house call she was making and swam out in to the open....I wish I had my camera when Hungry saw all 8 foot of her...:rofl: ( since he loves sharks so much ).
Well after all this it was time for ol Tripod to head to the surface with his full stringer of fish ( shooting all those fish makes ya burn up air quicker huh ), So me and hungry keep heading down the reef line looking for more victims.
Hungry takes him a nice sheepie and by the time he strings him up, it's his turn to head for his safety stop.
Well I decide to stay a little longer since I am wearing the Beast ( as one of my divemasters so aptly nicknamed my Steel 108 ) Hell I still had 2000 psi in the beast when Tripod was getting close to his predetermined surfacing pressure. But I really decided to only stay a couple minutes after Hungry went up. I was gonna meet him on his safety stop.
Well anyway I had already decided this first dive was going to be about quality and not quantity anyway. Me and Hungry had already tried to stalk down the only good sized Grouper we saw. She was a 25-30 grouper with more skills at evading divers than our skills of corralling (sp).
But wouldn't ya know it, bout time I was down here all by myself, what swims right by me......well the biggest AJ I have ever had within range. I think to myself, Damn if I don't stone this fish, I'm going for a ride. I have PLENTY of air, so here goes nothing.....THWAAPP......spear goes....fish goes.....Straight to the sand without making a shudder, move, or nothing. Didn't stone it, but second best....paralized...right through the spine just behind the gill plate. So I string her up, and finish her off with my trusty knife. All the while several other AJ's are swimming around me with a couple even bigger than the one I shot. :banghead: Guess I was just toooo quick on the trigger huh.
Well after I get her strung up and my gun reloaded I start to head up the reef a few more feet when I see the R.N. lying on the bottom with her head showing through a hole....I figure since this is the biggist fish to date that I have gotten, I want to be able to keep it Whole. So it's time to head toward the surface. I do my safety stop and signal the boat for the pick up.....damn clear ass water....As I try to hide my trophy from those on the boat for the big surprise " Hand up" of the fish....alas...the water was too clear and they could see the AJ despite my attempts to conceal it.
My avatar is a pic of this new personal best for me......
The second dive wasn't as near as productive as the first, as we didn't find as near as good bottom as the first dive.
Well we headed in happy at the first good day of diving off of the "Change Order" knowing that it will only get better..........
Until the next trip :toast:
Man the weather was awesome....not much wind and seas were three feet at the biggest. We left out of Golden Isles Marina St. Simons Island and made the trip in about three hours. The new engine kept cutting off if it got over 2000 RPM's. Which we later found out was due to a loose wire. So the ride back was an hour shorter.
Anyway back to the fish report......well the three of us suited up and made our first drop ( Hungrys dad and father in law were topside manning the boat ). The water temp was an easy 79 degrees. Visability was over 40 easily. The depth was in the 50-60 foot range. Hungry said with two kicks from the surface he could see the bottom. And man what a bottom.....we have been used to diving off of Tripod and Mikerotch's boat in the Gulf, where if you can find 2-3 foot of relief of natural bottom you have done something. But the relief we found at Gray's was awesome. The fish population was prolific, in a word. Tripod took the first big Trigger he saw ( since he had already promised someone a trigger for supper ). Sheeps were everywhere. As always Tripod is gonna be "The Man" when it comes to quantity of fish. Before the end of the dive he would have a stringer full to include sheeps, flounder, scamp, trigger, etc. In fact at one point I pointed out to Hungry, Tripod with 2 fish on his spear at one time. He had shot a nice sheep, and it fell dead as hell to the sand on the end of his spear. Well it fell right next to the outline of a nice flattie, so Tripod takes his spear with the sheep on the end and procedes to skewer the flattie. So I guess he can count that as two for one huh.
Well by this time I had shot a good size sheep, and I was looking in a nice undercut with a good size cavern when I saw the outline of a good 300-350 pound Hebrew Bass, So I motioned for Hungry to come see, when I saw the tail of a good size Nurse Shark whip around in the same hole as the Jewfish. Well about the time Hungry got down to see what I was pointing out....The R.N. decided it was time to leave her house call she was making and swam out in to the open....I wish I had my camera when Hungry saw all 8 foot of her...:rofl: ( since he loves sharks so much ).
Well after all this it was time for ol Tripod to head to the surface with his full stringer of fish ( shooting all those fish makes ya burn up air quicker huh ), So me and hungry keep heading down the reef line looking for more victims.
Hungry takes him a nice sheepie and by the time he strings him up, it's his turn to head for his safety stop.
Well I decide to stay a little longer since I am wearing the Beast ( as one of my divemasters so aptly nicknamed my Steel 108 ) Hell I still had 2000 psi in the beast when Tripod was getting close to his predetermined surfacing pressure. But I really decided to only stay a couple minutes after Hungry went up. I was gonna meet him on his safety stop.
Well anyway I had already decided this first dive was going to be about quality and not quantity anyway. Me and Hungry had already tried to stalk down the only good sized Grouper we saw. She was a 25-30 grouper with more skills at evading divers than our skills of corralling (sp).
But wouldn't ya know it, bout time I was down here all by myself, what swims right by me......well the biggest AJ I have ever had within range. I think to myself, Damn if I don't stone this fish, I'm going for a ride. I have PLENTY of air, so here goes nothing.....THWAAPP......spear goes....fish goes.....Straight to the sand without making a shudder, move, or nothing. Didn't stone it, but second best....paralized...right through the spine just behind the gill plate. So I string her up, and finish her off with my trusty knife. All the while several other AJ's are swimming around me with a couple even bigger than the one I shot. :banghead: Guess I was just toooo quick on the trigger huh.
Well after I get her strung up and my gun reloaded I start to head up the reef a few more feet when I see the R.N. lying on the bottom with her head showing through a hole....I figure since this is the biggist fish to date that I have gotten, I want to be able to keep it Whole. So it's time to head toward the surface. I do my safety stop and signal the boat for the pick up.....damn clear ass water....As I try to hide my trophy from those on the boat for the big surprise " Hand up" of the fish....alas...the water was too clear and they could see the AJ despite my attempts to conceal it.
My avatar is a pic of this new personal best for me......
The second dive wasn't as near as productive as the first, as we didn't find as near as good bottom as the first dive.
Well we headed in happy at the first good day of diving off of the "Change Order" knowing that it will only get better..........
Until the next trip :toast: