Gag grouper season opened, so I was on the water at first light — a 6 AM start to beat the heat, lines in before the sun got to work. The plan was simple: hit the Skyway South zone and see if any grouper wanted to cooperate.
They didn't. Instead of a keeper gag, I pulled up a few sharks — the ones that always show up when you're hoping for something else — and a couple of surprisingly decent-sized remora.
/ What Actually Bit
The remora were the surprise of the morning. They're the fish that hitch rides on bigger fish, and for their size they fight way harder than they have any right to. Not what I came for, but honest work on light tackle.
A couple of small sharks kept it interesting too. Nothing big, but they'll make you work for it.
/ A Good Morning, Anyway
No gag grouper today. It happens — they were either holding deeper than I was working or just not in the mood. That's fishing. You don't always get the fish you came for, but you get the morning.
And it was a good one. Flat water, quiet, the sun coming up over Tampa Bay. The kind of morning that's worth the early alarm even when the fish don't cooperate.
It got hot fast, so we pulled the plug by noon and came in. Got some work done around the house the rest of the day. A few fish, a good sunrise, and a clean boat. #GoodDay.
Until the next run out — work hard, play hard.