At four in the morning it’s nearly always quiet. Waves move boats slightly up then down, and wet ropes make low popping sounds. The warm salt air carries the smells of the day, fuel and fish. We load the boat under the harbor lights; live bait, frozen bait, coolers full of drinks and food for a long day. Smiles are everywhere, this day is all about fishing for red snappers and cobia. For readers new to fishing the Gulf Coast of Mississippi, I can sum up our lifestyle real easy, “This is as good as it gets.”
Today I’m fishing with a family party, Marcus Bloodworth, John Shin and Ben Bloodworth. We’re heading out with First Priority Charters captain by John Fryer. His boat, the Tuna Chaser, is docked beside the Gold Nugget Casino in Biloxi. I have fished a couple of times in the past with Capt. John. I already know several very important things. First, Capt. John is a safe captain, and his boat is first rate. Second, Capt. John knows where the fish are. Third, he knows how to put you on fish. This summer’s snapper season in federal waters was limited to just nine days. Bottom line here is we have to make the most of our restricted situation. Honestly, I’m at ease, Capt. John’s got the trip covered from his first-rate tackle to his live bait.
Capt. John eases Tuna Chaser out of the dock and clears the first island. Now he puts the boat in the wind, twin 200 horse motors are wide open, fast yet very smooth. It’s a good ride out to the rigs, time to relax and watch the luminescence of jellyfish glowing brightly as the boat passes by.
As we approach the first set of rigs, dynamics on the boat change. Frozen boxes of pogies are opened up to thaw. The chomper is brought up and tied over side. Pogies will be hand fed into the chomper. Made from a PVC pipe, the chomper mashes pogies to produce a bait slick. Around the rigs, Capt. John swings the Tuna Chaser. He watches the currents intensely. The bait slick must be perfect. This set of rigs produces no fish, but that’s no big deal. Capt. John simply fires up the motors and sets out for another location.
When we arrive at the second set of locations, it’s game on. A little bit of chumming brings red snapper to the surface, but these are not the ones we want. The deeper you drop, the larger the red snapper. Big live bait makes all the difference, and we got a livewell full of it. Capt. John has us on the perfect spot. Every cast is huge red snapper. Many of the fish are so big they bust off our lines. We are only fishing two lines at a time. The fish aren’t going anywhere, so we take our time and enjoy the moments. The action is fast and furious, just the way we like it. When you’re hooked up with a 20-pound red snapper, there’s a lot of grunting and groaning going on. Strain and heat does take its toll on some, and most of us sleep on the ride home.
Within a couple of hours we are limited out on red snapper. Let me rephrase that, we’re limited out on huge red snappers.
I’m Ron, and I’m all about fishing.
When I say, “I recommend First Priority Charters for red snapper and cobia fishing,” you better believe I mean it. You can reach Captain John Fryer at (228) 348-7817
Note to our readers: The federal government has severely restricted the days that red snappers can be taken. If you wish to book a red snapper trip, make your plans months in advance, as most if not all the captains will be fully booked.
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