More fishing 8/31/13

So Wes and Sabine Demott are a couple that pulled into the St. Augustine KOA last year, putting up in the site next to our home.  We hit it off and have become good friends.
One of our weekly ventures is the "Beach Blast" every Wednesday evening at the St. John's County Pier.  A different band plays for two hours every week fm 7 pm to 9 pm, and a different local eatery puts on one or two of their entries from 6 pm to 7 pm.
Viola and I have gone to every one for the past two years (except when we ventured to Missouri for vacation).  Viola found a card table at the local thrift shop, and I cut the legs down.  Perfect height for our beach chairs.
Anyway, Wes and Sabine have been going also.  We bring our bottles of wine, some sandwiches and snacks, and visit away while listening to the music (sometimes great and sometimes we wish the band had stayed home). And socializing is a big part of that Wednesday evening.

So Wes and Sabine bought a lot and built themselves a nice home down by the Lions Bridge.  And of course they found a boat they liked and that is what brought us to ocean fishing.   Now you know the rest of the story...

So some more pictures from that fishing adventure.

this is my first shark on board, amazing how these creatures can flip around trying to bite you..

this was the shark that Viola reeled in by herself,

 

and this is it on deck with Wes and I getting it into position so we could pull the hook out

this was Viola reeling in that 4 ft shark, with me holding onto the rod incase she couldn't

 another pic of the shark I caught, not once but twice, based on hook wound to the mouth.  Sabine realized it was same one when she went and looked at the close up pics of the head.

That is Vilano Florida in the background, about a mile away.

 

 

another pic of the stingray, when it hit the hook, it took off and I couldn't stop the reel from unwinding, it was that fast and that quick.

 

 
 
 
 

 

and on the way home, Viola and I were worn out, sitting in the back just resting.

 

 

 

same spot as the other picture.  See the rods and reels next to Tom,

huge ones.

 

So Wes and Sabine

 

Thanks again. 

 

tom and viola

OK  so we haven't been writing much lately.   We've been busy and every time we go somewhere neat, guess where the camera is?

So the other day a good friend of ours sends me a message saying I will fall from her favorite blog list if I don't do something soon..........  Rose you made me realize just how long it's been.

So here is what we did on Saturday, 8/31/13, in the nation's oldest city. 
We left it.  Yep, went down to friend's house, got on their boat and went to sea.  This time I took the wife with me.

The boat is a little 35 footer with inboard motor and great fishing deck out back of the cockpit.  That's us just relaxing

and Viola caught the first fish....... yep was about a 4 ft shark, probably weighed in about 30 lbs.

here's more pics of the catch....... Vi did all the work reeling it in, I just had hand on the pole incase it came loose from Vi's hands.  The thing around her waist is a belt loop with a device to put the butt end of the pole in to help reel in the fish.

it took about 5 minutes of reeling to bring it in.
more pics,  getting is close with rope ready to bring aboard

Wes and Viola with that little shark, biggest fish of the day

 

 

 

of course about ten minutes later I hooked into one

well, Viola hooked it, and I just reeled it in

 

another little shark, smaller than Viola's, but it was a shark

nonetheless,  about 3 ft long, maybe 15 lbs.

 

funny, later we caught the same shark on different bait,

knew it was the same because of the hook wound from the

first time.

But the best was a little later, Viola jumps up, grabs a rod and

sets the hook, then gives to me to reel in.

 

 

I was in back of boat, and ended up on the bow, because it was running all over, and started under the bow, and we didn't want to get tangled in the anchor.

 

 

we then ended up back in the stern area again

seemed like back and forth

 

finally got it to the surface, a few pics above of that, and here is a pic of what we had caught

a stingray,  Sabine (wes's wife) said it took 7 minutes to get it close enough to take pictures.   Let me tell you, it seemed like 30...........
my arms and back were crying out in agony after that 7 minutes.   WE got the stingray close to the boat and in one pic above Wes is getting ready to cut the line, we didn't want that 5 footer in the boat with us.

Anyway, it was about 3 pm and the thunder clouds were building up back over the city, so we headed home.

One thing Viola and I found interesting, we were a mile off shore and the water depth was only 20 feet.  Look on a map of Florida, just north of St. Augustine is the town of Vilano, and we were 1 mile north of the inlet to St Aug, off the coast of Vilano.  I thought the water would be deeper.  interesting.

So I am sitting here in the living room, Viola is up napping from all the rocking and rolling, and fishing.  Enjoy your day.

And that's how we are celebrating life this labor day weekend.

tom and viola