Hrbt 8/12

[Kingrat]

I hit the HRBT tonight, lots of ribbon fish. They are basically everywhere. There were also a lot of grey trout and a few stripers in the lightlines. The highlight was a 30 ft, cabin cruiser names the EEJAY laying in the parking lot at Willoughby. I don't know the back story on this but it was an odd sight. There was a notice from the City of Norfolk on it telling the owner to remove it or the city would at the owners expense.

[ccx2]

Ribbonfish , used to catch a lot of them in Mayport Fla, they stunk and were mostly considered a trash fish, The local Filipinos would keep and eat them. I would try one if i caught it now.
Thanks for the report.

[BULLGUDGE]

Are they the same as a cutlass fish, I have caught a couple cutlass fish at the base off the carrier pier

[captdavdavis01]

Same fish... We have a contest on the tugs who can catch the most in 2 weeks. Them another guy and myself take them for baits. Lol

[gooosehunter]

The city was removing the boat today. (Monday, the 13th). It looked like they were crushing it with a backhoe and disposing of it in a trash container from the interstate.

We caught a ton of cutlass fish a couple of weeks ago. Nasty set of needle teeth in them. Fished here for 30+ years and never caught one until then. A ribbon fish is much larger, ususually 5 to 8 feet is normal and can get to be 20 ft. They are rarely seen alive as they typically live in deep waters.

[BULLGUDGE]

Same here goose, fished here my whole life and caught one last year on a bucktail, i kept it just to see what it was. Mean lookin dudes

[Kingrat]

I was out again last night. I caught a few more of those cutlass fish, but the grey trout have really moved in. I caught a few dozen up to about 12 inches. The owner of the derelict boay was doing a salavage operation last night. He had removed most the stainless steel and was using a generator powered electric saw to cut a hole in the side of the craft. I am not sure what the goal of the hole was. I kind of felt for the guy, he was pretty frantic.

[gooosehunter]

cutting out the gas tank i bet. Or maybe some contraband???

[Retired Hooker]

I fished the HRBT the week before (Fri 8/3) & that 30' piece of sh*t was tied to the public (ramp) dock when we dropped in & there were people all over her (on the bridge, in the cockpit, in the cabin) & we thought we heard a small child or 2. She looked to be way over capacity, but what do I know since I have no experience on anything over 24' & trailorable. We thought they were docked temporarily, perhaps waiting for more passengers to take out fishing. I remember my guest making the comment (in jest with no offence intended, I'm sure) "well it looks like that boatload of Hatians missed Florida by just a smidge". She looked like she was in such bad shape she was ready to sink any minit. When we returned to the ramp dock a good 5 hours later, there she lay, still tied to the same dock & it appeared all her passengers were either gone or asleep. We then assumed they were just overnighting there & wondered if that were even legal. She appeared (from all the stains on the hull) to have a fair amount of bad wood in her & I seriously doubt if she could pass any kind of marine safety inspection. She looked like she had come from some marina boneyard. She just didn't look structurally sound or safe. If in fact there were small kids on her (or even if there were not), in her condition, it may be a blessing that she never sailed out of Willowby that night as the winds picked up to about 15 to 20 & it got quite snotty before we got back. Maybe her final resting place (in the ramp parking lot) before her destruction was also a blessing by spareing a group of peoples lives. I'm sorry for the owners loss, but not nearly as sorry as I would be had she sailed & encountered problems & lost a innocent life or the whole crew.

Bill /"Retired Hooker"