Last minute fishing trip one big Grouper

I was sad to hear the news when Capt.Dave called and told me of his boat motor woes. Afterall, he is a good friend and advisary in the charter fishing business. I was happy though, when he asked me to take some folks that had to go fishing today. Well, I called my mate, Tom, and we did the fire drill and made it to the boat on St.petersburg beach within one hour. We met Gary and Brenda Davis and off we went, leaving pass-a-grille pass at about 2:30 pm.

We only had a few hours to fish so I stayed in shallow water, about 35 feet deep. These folks were not out to  'fill the freezer' as much as just have a good time, catch a few fish and "maybe take home dinner." Well, Brenda Davis brought home dinner alright! I have to admit, all we were catching were undersize Grouper and grunts but it was non-stop action and everyone was happy. Finally, I hooked a small grunt in the back, fired the bait down and handed the fishing rod to Brenda. Guess what? He was home...and hungry! It took her everything she had to reel that monster Grouper up, but she did it!

Although this big Gag Grouper was the only grouper we brought home, it was certainly enough for dinner. Our new friends were very grateful for the expediency in putting this fishing charter together, and once again, we felt good about showing another family a great day in Tampa Bay! Happy fishing to ya! Capt.Dan