Panhandle trip

[slvrlng]

Isn't it just great owning a boat sometimes!
We drove down from Atlanta last Thursday to Apalachicola  to fish a tournament with the Atlanta saltwater club on Friday and Saturday. Mother nature (and the boat running well gods) had other plans. Flounderpounder was not kidding about how much rain we saw over here. Part of the package when I bought Slipaway was a Garmin 498, which until the last few weeks has been great. It started having issues acquiring and keeping the satellites. I ordered the software update from Garmin and installed it last week. Since we left on Thursday I did not have time to go and run the boat to see how it did on the water. Since updating it now acquires the satellites in about 20 seconds and seems to really work well. Got to Apalach and went out Friday morning and now the transponder doesn't work. WTH??? The GPS is awesome but I can't tell how deep anywhere is because the water looks like chocolate milk from the river and all the rain. At the ramp the wind also picks up to about 25 knots and the radar on my phone is rapidly filling in with huge red and yellow areas to the south and west, all moving towards us. We decided to try it anyway and moved out into the channel. Well I thought it was the channel! Romped into it and went about 75 feet and hit black mud and of course oysters. Great! The sounder is showing 5.5 feet and we are actually in about a foot! Knowing about this bay I suddenly realized that this was going to be a nightmare! So we putted out into the wind and waves which by this time had built to about 2 to 3 footers even though the deepest place in the whole dang bay is about 10 feet. we got near a channel marker and dropped the anchor and started fishing trying to throw back into the channel. My new fishing club friend's first cast, BAM a huge run and can't get it off the bottom and after 5 minutes a 8 lb sailcat appears out of the brown soup surrounding the boat. DANG!!!
Next cast BAM, the same damn thing!Next it was my turn for the kitty attack. At this point if you try to stand on the casting platform you feel like you are in a an elevator. Enough, we run back in and get out of the wind and keep trying. Nothing!!! Now the rain is getting close and we call it and get out of there. Total for the day negative 45 points. We call the lead boat telling them we are giving up and he says they are almost back to the pass and are going 10 MPH in 8 footers. Damn I'm glad we didn't get crazy and get out there. They are in a 34 Pursuit.

Next day starts out better ( for a while). Back the boat into Indian Pass ramp and crank it and the starter spins but won't turn the motor over. WTH Now? Talked to some guys at the ramp and towed the boat to Port St Joe and found a mechanic that could at least look at it. He thinks its the starter and can't find one local so he calls Panama marine in Panama City who has one so we drop the boat and drive 40 mile over to there and pick up the starter and then drive back to Port St Joe. Meanwhile the rain that flooded Pensacola arrives and the streets are flooding. We get back to the shop and he has taken the starter off and discovers that it"s not the starter but the clip that holds the pinion had broken and this is the reason it wouldn't crank.  Drove to Advance and got some 25 cent c clips and he put everything back together in the rain with us holding our beach umbrella over the motor and us. Now its 6:00 and time for the weigh in. We went anyway! WTH!!! You have to start somewhere in your tournament fishing career!  

Last place! Oh well!!!

What was the old Aquasport saying; "An adventure in every ride".

Part 2 with pics to follow!!!!

[bondobill]

Lewis
Sounds like a heck of a weekend  :(

After a trip like that, makes you really appreciate the good ones...... :)

Well at least that is what mom always told me :P

Bill

[RickK]

Sounds like a "not so perfect weekend" but hey, gives you something to laugh about later AND got you off the couch. So did you replace the starter anyway or return it?

[slvrlng]

Part 2:

Stopped in Tallahassee and finally got to meet one of our members.

Our own Capt. Bob!
 



Sportsman's lodge in Eastpoint Fl where we stayed. Old school Florida.





Right on the Apalachicola River.



Their resident pets. With these around you don't need an alarm clock. This male was enamored with himself in the chrome bumper.







Like I said old school Florida.







Anybody want to buy a houseboat?



Part 3 coming soon!!!!!

[flounderpounder225]

Yeah Lew, your "adventure" ain't over yet...

[gran398]

Lookin' good Lew, Bob, and Mr. Peacock

[seabob4]

Definitely an adventure, my friend!  That type of weather is a total anomaly for June...and it came on your vacation!!

And damn I hate sailcats!!!

[gran398]

Hate it, but looks like it ain't over yet

http://radar.weather.gov/radar.php?rid= ... 1&loop=yes

[Circle Hooked]

Great report Lew, sorry things didn't go better for you, I know you were looking forward to a great weekend, but look on the bright side, you got a smiling pic of CB to show of to your buds    

[pete]

Lew,
Sounds like you turned those lemons into lemonade,like only you could!
Looks like a great trip inspite of the weather!

[gran398]

Weather has FINALLY turned around for you all tonight, good deal.

Up here...we're dealing with your same weather that went north...wind and spitting rain.

NWS forecasts  that it will be outta here tomorrow.

Replaced with a hard blowing NE high pressure...

[Capt. Bob]

Part 2:Stopped in Tallahassee and finally got to meet one of our members.

Well as with all things there lies a "good" and "bad" and at times an "ugly" and this encounter was no different.

The "good" of course was finally meeting Lewis and Bridget, which in itself was a treat but had the added benefit of increasing my actual "face to member" number a full 200%. Now I can count three members met.

The "bad" was the fact that it was so damn short. I have no doubt that between Lew and myself, we could have told lies about you members well into the evening and just exchanging a few sentences with Bridget made me realize that I would rather chat with her the most. Then again, I'm sure some of you already have the same perceptions. Just kidding Lew.

Anyway, the "ugly" could have been the nasty squall line we saw heading in from the direction they were heading out or just as easily been my mug. Again, I'm sure many have already made that decision.

Great meeting you both and glad you two made the trip safe and sound.

[flounderpounder225]

Part 3.1  so Lewis is heading this way today, weather looked decent, he and Bridget were going to head out of  gulf breeze and go out on the gulf.  Well I told them to come on base and leave out of Sherman cove ( Pete knows) saves about 6 miles each way of running, so they came by my hanger and we visited for a few minutes, then off they went to the ramp.  Well the seas picked up, and by the time  I got off work it was blowing up pretty good.  Long story short, they stopped at the Chief's Club on the way home and we washed the salt off them with a few yeunglings   good times were had by all...  

[slvrlng]

Well we are back home. So here is the rest of the trip.

Marc gave you a preview, but there was some stuff that happened before we met up that you need to see.

June 8th trying to fish in Apalach bay.
We are anchored in about 16 inches of water, it is so muddy you can't tell if if its 6 feet or six inches.



Our friend from ATL Dr. Tom who is a Atlanta saltwater club member. If you look at the sky you can see the weather we had the whole time. Wind is a steady 25 out of the SE.



Left for Navarre and ran into the floods around Destin. Pulled into Half Hitch Tackle and noticed the trailer tire. We just got Boat US with the towing option and called and they changed it out in the pouring rain for free. Better him than me!



Went out on the pier at navarre on Tuesday and caught a few spanish and sharks. here is one of my little ones.



Wednesday we got out of the pass as the wind had died and made a 7 mile run out to a fish haven. Anchored up and 45 minutes later with no bites and the wind now running 20 and gusting to 30 out of the NW I called it and started the run back to the pass. I am amazed how the boat did being only 22 ft running into 2 to 3 with some 4s thrown in just for fun. The motor is extremely responsive and I could just run through the trough and then climb over the top and run right back down the other side. Of course doing this we got completely soaked! not from any water directly over the bow but just from spray off the quarter. cleaned up at the ramp and changed and then met Marc at the club to wash the rest of the salt off.

Docked at Sherman's cove.
 

Running into "The Sugar Bowl" at Ft Macrae.





Marc and ourselves at the club.



"Bridget will you please finish that beer!"



Went out next day and the seas laid down real nice. This hull loves 1 to 2 with a swell! Absolutely a beautiful ride out.

Running in Big Lagoon on the way to the pass.





We made it out to a FAD called "the arch" but a dive boat had it locked up tight so we found some marks around the site and anchored and fished and got a few hits but nothing to the boat. About that time CG called out a special weather warning starting at 3 for the area so I called it again and we made the much drier ride back in and put the boat up at my friends house in Lillian Al. So that is she will stay until end of July. Snapper season isn't over yet and I will get one before it runs out!

[slvrlng]

Didn't get to take the boat out the rest of the week because of the wind but I did manage to fish the pier 2 more days.

Fun with remoras!



My friend Glen hooked up with a small king. About an hour later he jumped about 125 lb tarpon. That was really neat to see that thing jump out in five foot swells!



Yesterday morning I did manage to catch a couple of bonitas. I lost a big king to flipper.





Assorted pics of the pier over the last few days. The water off the beach was really nice! 30 feet deep at the end and you can the pilings all the way to the bottom.