# 1st Spring trip back to Pensacola...



## 1eyefishing (Mar 13, 2020)

Traveled down on Wednesday and wet a line in the surf that afternoon. Pompano are starting to show up, but I had no luck.
Met a new partner at the bait store on Thursday morning and headed out about 9:00 a.m. to see what we can round up. The sheepahead rodeo is going on in the pass... Good enough for me. They spawn in the past this time of year and hang tight on hard structure on the bottom in 60' and around the rocks and jetties around the edges of the pass. Picked up my personal best pretty early on during the day. Everything else was icing on the cake. My partner didn't do too good with the sneaky little convicts, but he did catch his 1st ever atlantic red snapper in the bay.  We came back to the dock with sheepshead camo a flounder, and one of the to black gram I picked off. I got busted off by a giant black drama of at least 25 pounds. When he came up of the structure always fishing are almost is large red snapper came up With him trying to snatch the bait from his mouth.  The big ugly took me back to the structure in rubbed my braid in two as soon as it hit the steel underwater. I wore myself out with the long day and didn't fish today, but ready for a full day tomorrow. The Saturday crowd will probably be on the sheepshead rodeo in the pass.  It could be tough, but I'll be ready for alternatives.





My wife said everything seems to be going crazy up in our North metro burbs. Things shutting down and stuff. She said we had enough meat to last 2 months but she said stay until we had a similar amount of fish! Lol, I guess she's not missing me much yet…

I'll check back in after tomorrow's fishing…


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## RedHills (Mar 13, 2020)

Nice eatn fish...pain to clean though!


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## Hickory Nut (Mar 14, 2020)

Thanks for sharing.  Glad to know someone is getting out and slaying them.  Congrats on your personal best, that's a nice one!


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## fairweather (Mar 14, 2020)

1eye, very nice! I used to catch sheeps right from a seawall as a kid growing up on the Gulf coast. I haven't caught one since and I've had a hankerin' to go out and give it a try again.


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## 1eyefishing (Mar 14, 2020)

Back in from a tough day today. Some days you're the hook and some days you're the worm. Today we were the worms. Goose egg for keepers. We cauaught a few short black snappers and one keeper but let it go at the end of the day because it was lonely. Also caught a couple of short trout and my partner got broke off on the big fish of the day, probably another big black drum.
This morning I was already running a little late when I jumped in my truck and the battery was dead as a door nail. Had to wait around about 45 minutes for somebody to give me a jumpstart, then I had to go the auto parts store to get cables just in case the battery was down later. Finally picked up my partner and hit the boat ramp, but the incoming tide good for the sheepshead was over by 1:00pm. and the fog was so badd for our 1st few hours, we didn't get to the sheepzone til noon.
We decided to cut our losses and came in a little early to recuperate.  My face is about blistered for the 2nd time in 4 days.
Gonna wash and rinse the boat and decide whether to run hard tomorrow or Monday. Gotta head home Tuesday.


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## Rabun (Mar 15, 2020)

Man that's a bruiser of a sheepie!  Congratulations on your PB!  Your wife is right...people r going bat shoot crazy around here. She should be coming down to stay in Pcola with you and escape the looney's.


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## Cmp1 (Mar 15, 2020)

Great catches,,,,congrats,,,,


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## GeorgiaGlockMan (Mar 15, 2020)

Awesome place to be.

Fill that freezer!


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## 1eyefishing (Mar 15, 2020)

Making it a lazy day today. Wore out from yesterday and Sunday mornings at the ramps are a circus; i got no partner today to help launch. Got one more day to fish, might as well be rested up for it and go tomorrow...
My sun burn swoll my face...


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## Browning Slayer (Mar 15, 2020)

1eyefishing said:


> Making it a lazy day today. Wore out from yesterday and Sunday mornings at the ramps are a circus; i got no partner today to help launch. Got one more day to fish, might as well be rested up for it and go tomorrow...
> My sun burn swoll my face...


Tear em up man!! And put that lotion on!!!


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## Rabun (Mar 16, 2020)

I second the sun block!  Good luck out there today!


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## Browning Slayer (Mar 16, 2020)

Rabun said:


> I second the sun block!  Good luck out there today!


I'm always yelling at him for that.. Heck, I'm always yelling at everyone for that..


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## 1eyefishing (Mar 16, 2020)

The man in the brown suit is back in town. More later…


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## crackerdave (Mar 17, 2020)

Great post!


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## 1eyefishing (Mar 18, 2020)

So, made it back into town after fishing one more day since my last post.
I didn't feel like waiting in line at the merry go round for sheepshead, so went out on the front side in search of some pompano and cobia. Pretty soon while cruising I started noticing  Cobia, 1 here 2 or 3 there. All in the surf inside or at least on top of the 1st and bar. I saw several in the trough right up against the beach. I spent a couple of exciting but frustrating hours trying to sneak up along side of them to cast to them. May be 40 total casts,  With only one curious follow nosing up to my bait. As it is so early in the season, I wasn't quite ready to see cobia after cobia. Only had one rod rigged with an appropriate bait, a DOA swimming mullet. Also try the few shrimp on quarter oz. jigs.  Probably 30 or 40 cast over all with some of them being fairly close to the boat. Next time I'll have to be more ready with a crab, mullet, pin fish, or eel or two... Most of the fish were under 50 pounds, but a couple were approaching at least that.











Sorry about the fuzzy videos. The upload to YouTube reduced the quality...

After the excitement and the rejection and the dejection of missing with the cobias, I didn't even try scouring the same water for pompano.
I headed back westward down the beach towards the pass...






At the pass, I found a quick spot and pulled 3 more sheepshead for freezer meat and headed to the house.



Had to come on home and get the house ready for whatever. Would like to be back immediately, but with population center here, it may be better for me for my next trip to be to Saint Mark's.
But definitely need to be back here soon for the hunt for cobia. This time prepared.
I'll throw up some sheepshead dinner pics here pretty soon I bet...


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## fairweather (Mar 18, 2020)

Nice work! I'm excited about Cobia. The run has been sparse lately.


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## Rabun (Mar 19, 2020)

Enjoy seeing those. I've never had much luck w cobia. Wonder what they were keying in on...could you tell?  I've got a couple big gaudy Cobia jigs and artificial eel. You've done pretty well using pin fish?

I've got a trip that just popped up to cape San blas next week so will keep my eye out for brownie for sure. I've got to get away.


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## 1eyefishing (Mar 19, 2020)

That's the thing about cobia! I've never had much luck with them either! I caught one on a jig in Panama City Beach years ago and later got left at the altar by a giant in 8' of crystal clear water directly under the boat. I saw it nose my jig and it left tooth marks on my leader but I just froze instead of trying to keep the jig from him. Came back ashore with my knees shaking for hours. Those 2 cases left me with a permanent fever.
 I've never put a pin fish in front of one but they are an easy bait for me to acquire and bring to the game.
 These fish were super shallow on the beach inside the 1st sandbar. They were nosing along super slow along the bottom. I had a friend who was pompano fishing near there the day before and said he was finding sand fleas in knee deep water instead of above the surf line. I think these fish were on sand fleas.
 Some of the plastic/bio crab imitations could have worked If you could snake it in front of them without a big splash. I'll have a variety of baits/rods rigged when I go back for them.  Got to give it a week or 2 to see what this virus thing is going to do. Can't afford to get sick away from home…
Judging from what I saw that day, it is absolutely positively game time at the Cape.
 Good luck, I'm jealous of people who get to fish one of my favorite places in the world at the best possible time to do it. I just can't find acceptable accommodations from me near there. Would love to find a cheaper RV park than presnell's.  I could stay at Bay City lodge, but I'm already paying rent on two RV lots at Pensacola and Saint Mark's. Trying to focus there instead of spreading myself so thin.


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## Rabun (Mar 19, 2020)

Interesting about the sand fleas. I'm hoping blue water remains open while we're there...it is now so fingers crossed. Yes I do love that place. I haven't been there this early in the year for a long time so I have some relearning to do.  I do plan on hitting some near shore wrecks to try for some sea bass and non-red snapper. We always have a live bait out when over a wreck which has accounted for the only Cobia I've ever landed. Never done well site fishing them.  Will report back early next week. 

Stay healthy everyone!


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## fairweather (Mar 19, 2020)

Rabun, I'm tentatively planning a really quick trip there next weekend (March 27-30). I'll be inshore in my yak, though. I have a reservation at Presnell's. I hope it sticks given the current insanity. Keep us all posted on how it goes. I plan to be back for a more extended trip in April. (Well, that is April, May, June, July, August, September, October...)


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## Rabun (Mar 20, 2020)

Well dang...I'll probably miss you. Will keep you posted on how we do and disposition of the area. Question though for those that have pompano fished from a boat. Do you pretty much ease parallel to shore close to the bar and cast for them. I've always been Shore bound when targeting pomps in the past.


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## 1eyefishing (Mar 20, 2020)

I power drift just outside the surf line with my boat motor on. Kicking it in gear occassionly just to keep the outside the breaking waves. Mostly blind casting because the pompano I see are always gone before I can get a cast off to then. Fast movers. I use a pompano jig tipped with a piece of peeled shrimp or sometimes a piece of a gulp bait.  Ill also pinch the back 2 sections of a shrimp off and let it drag behind the boat on a quarter ounce inshore jig.  A pinfish or other live bait under a float dragging behind the boat might not be a bad idea either If you have enough hands on board to clear lines if a hooked fish heads that way. Have caught pompano, redfish, black drum, sea trout, flounder, Spanish and of course lady fish. I've run into triple tail floating just outside the surf off cape san blass.  And I couldn't believe my eyes at 1st when I saw what was definitely black fin tuna busting not far off the beach there.
And of course, keep the cobia gear ready at hand. Good Luck!

Dang, It's getting tougher and tougher to think about sitting out this Corona virus thing for 2 weeks… I may have to self quarantine in the salt…


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## Rabun (Mar 20, 2020)

That’s some great info!  Much appreciated!  I’m hoping to beat them closing the beaches before we get down there...pretty sparse in that area but seems to be headed that direction.


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## Rabun (Mar 27, 2020)

Well it’s been an interesting week down here on the cape with the beaches closed. Good news is the fishing has been very good. We found a great redfish hole and pretty much been hitting that catching upwards of 15 fish per sit. Also catching  black drum, sheepshead, spanish and a couple trout out of the same spot. Live shrimp on carolina rig drifted with the current was the ticket. Pompano are along the beaches although did not target them from the boat. I’ll post up some pics when I get back.

Weather has been great the whole week. Life down here has a normalcy to it even with to go only and closed beaches. Bluewater remains open and has bait. Presnells is hopping and boat ramps were very busy on the weekend. It is strange to look down the beach on a beautiful day and see no body. Even stranger I can’t set up my surf rods. This has been a wonderful respite and well needed despite the restrictions. 

Hope all have been well!


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