Fishing is no picnic when there’s boat maintenance

Taking your boat to the shop for annual maintenance can be a real hassle. Especially when your full-size truck is not quite big enough to pull a 32-foot Yellowfin out of the water. It is an unsettling feeling when the weight of your boat pulls the truck backwards on the boat ramp. It is even more unsettling when Brody (the amazing fish-finding and stock-trading dog) says, I told you so.

 

When your dog is smarter than you are, it is truly unsettling.  

 

Thankfully, a friend with a heavy-duty truck helped me tow the boat to Longshore Boats off Clements Ferry Road. While getting the boat to Longshore was a hassle, my service experience there was definitely not one. Maintenance and repairs were completed on time and on budget. Jackie and Paul provided great communication and excellent customer service. They even helped me to launch the boat and move it back to the dock! If your boat needs maintenance, Brody and I highly recommend Longshore Boats.

 

With the Yellowfin back in service, Elliott (my son), Dave (my brother), Brody and I decided to do a quick fishing trip. Our plan was to run offshore about 24 miles and target grouper around some live bottom and ledges. We did not catch any grouper because American red snapper and amberjack kept eating our slow pitch jigs. Red snapper are out of season, so we carefully released them. However, huge sharks began milling around the boat and eating the fish we were letting go. The sharks were so big and so aggressive, that we decided to move to another area.

 

At the new spot, a live bottom area in 70 feet of water, Elliott and Dave dropped Shimano Wing Fall jigs to the bottom. Elliott hooked up with a nice mutton snapper that we invited home for dinner. A few vermillion snapper and black sea bass were also guests for dinner.

Back at the dock, I got stuck filleting the fish. Elliott, Dave, and Brody took the skiff to invite some trout home. They returned in short order with a few more fish for the table. That evening, we enjoyed a fresh fish feast.

 

Right now, both inshore and offshore fishing are very good. So, get that winter boat maintenance done and get back out there.

 

Contact Capt. Greg Peralta at captgregp@gmail.com or 843-224-0099.