Location: Englewood / Boca Grande
Trailed the Albe24 from VA to SW FL down went fine, but traffic was horrible returning (added 3.5 Hrs to trip!). Guess the combination of "spring break" travlers and snowbirds headed north overloaded the interstate.
Had clear weather and (except for Friday) <2' seas in the Gulf. Got 3-4' swells out 38 mi on Friday. Rock and Roll! ...drifting the bottom - but great under power.
Stump Pass is passable
with near a 3' draft, but just... Need to hang near Red Markers and watch for several bottom "ripples" at and just beyond the mouth. Near vertical rise from ~5' to ~3.5' - at about mid tide. A trough bumped me on the sand bottom once, but no damage exept a loss of a bit of paint on the props.
Made 4 trips, 1 in the bay near the Boca Grande Causeway (rough outside the first day) and 3 offshore. Had various company, including, at one time or another, my wife, son, and brother.
We had 4 absolutly great days on the water and we didn't get too tired reeling in fish
Air temp in high 70s/low 80s. Offshore water, about 71-72 F. Did not notice any Red Tide.
The offshore trips extended out as far as 39 miles (100-105') with stops on way out/in at bottom terrain changes. On way out, one day, worked Little David wreck off Boca without success.
The bay trip provided one each ~15" SailCat for me and my wife. Water was still pretty churned from bad weather a few days before. ...Oh Well.
The offshore trips fared better, but fishing was slow. Almost no midwater fish hits on the finder, so we did not troll, but hit the bottom for grouper. We caught several, 1 gag, the rest Red . Like I said - slow, all but one were undersized. My son nailed the one keeper Red. he also caught about a 2' remora. I got to keep one pretty good sized grunt. We caught somel coral snapper (squirrel fish) and also had a clean cut-off with 80# mono leader. Wonder?
