# Mexico beach/Empire Mica report



## STRAIGHTARROW (Jul 16, 2013)

Fished several of the offshore reefs out of MB last week, caught limit of B-liners and other reef fish. Some small snapper was caught, not many (when we could get them up thru the Cuda's!) Not even one Gag or Red grouper tho...surprised at that.

Ran out to the Empire Mica (first time out...took a little time to pinpoint it with the recorder) dropped bait on it and immediately hooked up on nice fish. About 20 ft off the bottom it was slammed by something extremely heavy and ran me into the scrap yard below.

It was the same thing each time we hooked up...never could get anything up thru the water column! 

I believe it was Goliath grouper slamming easy meals, we never got a long run or pulled in a severed fish as would be the case with sharks..always a short pounding run straight down into the wreckage.

After 15 or so leaders being lost we gave up and headed to the AF Tower, where we got hooked up with sand trout before the black tips and hammerheads moved in.
Ended the day with a respectable number of B-liners, trout, and assorted other reef fish.

Weather was great most days, could run 25-30mph plus on calm seas. Tried to go on thursday, got up early, gassed up boat, got bait and just as we were leaving the bait store we saw the weather radar loop on the tv screen.

A clobbered up mess of yellow and red stretched from Mobile to Port St. Joe and there was just no way I was heading out into that junk...so packed it up for the day.

A great trip all together, the worst part was all the rain the week before had the bay so diluted that we could not get any trout to hit...lady fish on 6lb test micro-light outfit is fun tho!


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## d-a (Jul 16, 2013)

There's a couple Goliaths that hang out there. I was out south of there Thursday and friday, all the storms stayed near the coast both days.

d-a


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## Doc Holliday24 (Jul 16, 2013)

*Mexico Beach*

I'm planning on hitting some of the public numbers for B-liners, or grouper if we got lucky.  Any idea which ones would be best?  We probably won't run any futher than 15 miles out due to our boat restrictions.   Any help would be much appreciated!  I've never fished Mexico Beach.


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## d-a (Jul 16, 2013)

There is always B liners at the mica. 

d-a


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## STRAIGHTARROW (Jul 16, 2013)

d-a said:


> There's a couple Goliaths that hang out there. I was out south of there Thursday and friday, all the storms stayed near the coast both days.
> 
> d-a



Yes sir, that's what my friends said also about the storm on thursday. They did not even get any rain in the bay.

Really ticked me off that I did not get outside on thursday, forecast for 1 ft. or less seas.


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## STRAIGHTARROW (Jul 16, 2013)

Doc Holliday24 said:


> I'm planning on hitting some of the public numbers for B-liners, or grouper if we got lucky.  Any idea which ones would be best?  We probably won't run any futher than 15 miles out due to our boat restrictions.   Any help would be much appreciated!  I've never fished Mexico Beach.



I'm no expert for sure, but visit the MBARA site and check out the reef ranges, compare that to a published chart with depths, and look for water 60' or deeper.

Not saying you can't catch them in shallower water, but I've always had better success for snapper from about 60 ft. or deeper. 

Others may have better info, I'm a newbie to that area also.


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## d-a (Jul 16, 2013)

STRAIGHTARROW said:


> Yes sir, that's what my friends said also about the storm on thursday. They did not even get any rain in the bay.
> 
> Really ticked me off that I did not get outside on thursday, forecast for 1 ft. or less seas.



It was correct till around noon then started building. I was headed back in around then. 

d-a


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## d-a (Jul 16, 2013)

STRAIGHTARROW said:


> I'm no expert for sure, but visit the MBARA site and check out the reef ranges, compare that to a published chart with depths, and look for water 60' or deeper.
> 
> Not saying you can't catch them in shallower water, but I've always had better success for snapper from about 60 ft. or deeper.
> 
> Others may have better info, I'm a newbie to that area also.



60 ft is about the minimum depth to find legal size B liners. I catch some 3-4lb ones out in 200-240ft. 

d-a


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