Putting food on the table

[dixieoutlaw]

Last weekend while many of you were vacationing in sunny Burkesville, I endured some Gulf storms in an attempt to put some food on my table.
photos at http://picasaweb.google.com/duboisga/Fishing

Gary

[Gator]

Gary,
Seems like bad weather just follows you around doesn't it. Well at least you didn't have to go hide in the toilet, or did you. Doesn't look like you got sea-sick. Could it be that you are a member of the A-patchy tribe? Looks like ya'll had a fairly good time inspite of the weather. That's probalble the kind of trip I would have if I ever booked a charter. Good pics, especially the one of the paint sraying the side of the boat.
Gator

[dixieoutlaw]

Gator,
Everybody ain't tough like me. I was tough enough not to let them take my camera and take my picture when I was painting the sides with country ham and waffles.
We did have a good time and would have caught more fish if all seven would have fished. We averaged 3 guys fishing at any one time.
We had to throw back a bunch of nice red snapper. I had about an 8 pounder to throw back. Season red snapper doesn't open until 1 June.
I told my brother ain't nothing like a group of brothers going off and getting sick together. I'm beginning to think maybe we should chase wimmen, but I guess we too old for that.
Gary

[Gator]

Gary, good thing ya'll threw back the red snapper. I was looking at a news release on our Widlife & Fisheries web-site. There was a charter boat that was checked south of here on the coast that had 909 red snapper on board, 287 were under the 16" size limit. There were 18 guys from Georgia plus the captain and one deckhand on board. Even if the season was open, they could only have two fish per paid fishermen on board not counting the crew. Also none of the men had non-resident fishing licenses. Between the fishermen and the crew, 106 citations were issued plus all of the fish were seized. The criminal fines are going to be hefty enough but here in La. there are also civil restitution penalties which could run in the thousands. And you thought ya'll had a bad trip.
Gator

[Bikebum]

Gary, that 48.5 pound amberjack looks awfully familiar. I think I had my picture taken with that same fish from Jake's Rent-a-Fish.

[dixieoutlaw]

Shhhhhhhhhh!

Gary

[R90srider]

Looks like the Dubois brothers had a good time in spite of the weather and not a bad catch to boot. I can see amberjack steaks on the grill now.

[Vance]

Well, Outlaw. The last time I went out (been about 15 years ago) we had the same kind of weather...and it it ain't much fun like that! Nice Amberjack though. Pretty handy when you get to post the pictures of an event like that ain't it? you know...post this...not this one and so on. Easy to make yourself look "macho" ain't it. Do you prefer to paint port or starboard? Tell them boys not to eat so much bait with their morning beer next time....makes the hurl not so tough that way!!

[dixieoutlaw]

I prefer port side, but I don't like green eggs and ham especially when the storm has put me in a jam. Neil is the only one who painted both sides of the boat. Never asked him which side he preferred. I also had a nice grouper and got him to the top of the water and as the deck hand reach over to grapple him he came off the hook. Man I hate wasting all that effort of reeling and fighting then loose the sucker. We all got aggrevated at all the work to reel and find out we had a red snapper. We did haul in a good catch of vermillion and and white snapper.

We usually go every fall, but the brothers had a small concrete job in Mobile so they decided to roll the fishing trip in with the job. Last fall I was at Little River when they went so it has been a couple of years since I've been out. This is the only kind of fishing I enjoy. More of just being together with freinds and family than catching the fish. You certainly don't come out on the dollar end of these trips. I think the charge just to clean the one amberjack was $15. Add $1500-2000 for the boat and 15% tip for deck hand and you better get some good eating.
Gary