Night Fishing (with pics of course!)

Last night a friend, and I took advantage of an awesome Groupon deal to go Shark Fishing on the Ocean Obsession Party Boat. Included in the deal was a spot on the 7pm -11pm shark fishing trip, rod & reel rental, fishing license, bait & tackle, and a $5 credit to the restaurant/bar Grills Seafood Deck & Tiki Bar all for the cost of an Andrew Jackson (that's $20 for those of you who no longer pay with cash). What a deal!

First stop of the night was Grills Seafood Deck & Tiki Bar for dinner. The place was packed, but it only took 10 minutes for us to get a table inside overlooking Port Canaveral.  They had a live band playing cover songs outside at the Tiki Bar. Their menu is reasonably priced, and offers everything from seafood, to burgers, to steaks, and sushi. I had a grilled fish sandwich (Mahi) that came with chips & a pickle spear.

Grills will clean, and cook your catch along with a few sides for a small fee. Actually, most seafood restaurants located on the water will do this if you ask them to.

After dinner we boarded the Ocean Obsession Party Boat for the 7pm - 11pm Shark Fishing Trip. They allow their guest to bring a small cooler on board with their own drinks, food, and beer (no glass).

They only go 3 - 5 miles out to sea for the shark trips, so the ride out only takes about 25 minutes, leaving plenty of time to fish. Enough talk, on to the pictures...

 (click to enlarge pictures)

This reminds me, I need to get a rod for the nice reel that my wife got me for Christmas a few years ago...

Headed back in to Port Canaveral @ 11pm.

The restaurant is closed, but the tiki bar is rocking with another band playing cover songs as we pull up to the dock.

A marine biologist was at the dock to weigh, and take measurements of some of the sharks for research. 

The crew will fillet your catch for tips.

I caught 3 sharks on this trip.

The captain, and crew on the Ocean Obsession were awesome. They are friendly, helpful, and run a clean boat. I have been fishing on party boats out of Port Canaveral since I was 12 years old, but this was my first trip on the Ocean Obsession.  They are the best party boat in Port Canaveral, and I will definitively be back to fish with them again!

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Deep Sea Fishing (with pics)

I had a great day on the water fishing with some friends out of Port Canaveral. We caught lots of fish...  Here are the pics -

(click to enlarge)

Sunrise @ Port Canaveral

Anyone want to pet the shark?

Lick it!

Mangrove Snapper

Red Snapper

Tagged & Released

Another Red Snapper

Fish On!

More Red Snapper

26" Red Snapper

Another Red Snapper tagged & released

We saw a US Navy submarine while fishing in about 125 ft of water. I never realized how much water those things can displace. About 10 minutes after the sub passed us at a distance, its huge wake caught up to us... It was a a sight to see, but I didn't get any pictures.

All those teeth, and no toothbrush to brush them with...

Trigger Fish

Look closely, there is a sea turtle in this pic

Back at Port Canaveral

They need to lift the red snapper ban. We would have easily limited out. Instead, we had to throw back some beautiful 24-26 inch fish, but not before tagging them in an attempt to collect some accurate data, and eventually lift the red snapper ban for recreational fishing. The problem isn't the recreational fishermen, its the commercial fishing that is ruining it for everyone!

It was a successful day on the water with lots of laughs, and some good friends.  I can't wait to do it again!