7/30 Matty

[michaelbaranowski]

Trip is planned it looks we will be heading out of Matagorda about 530-600 Saturday morning. We will be diving a few rigs and weedline as long as things go as planned.

[michaelbaranowski]

Made my first dive on Saturday and all I can say is OMG. It is hard for me to put in words. It was a Stand Pipe in about 120' that was loaded with Cuda, AJs and snapper. I can now see why fish fish don't bite. That have more bait fish than they could ever eat.

Then the second dive was a swallow dive in about 50'-60' with bad viz. But there were 4 Ling and one nice one about 4'.

I am ready for the next dive. maybe this weekend if I can find someone that is going and doesn't mind a rookie.

[Tall1fin]

Michael,

Told you so! lol

[michaelbaranowski]

This is a little more of a detailed report

I just want to let you know me and dad had great dives on Saturday. We headed out of the Matagorda Jetties to flat seas until we were about 20 kt out and started running around a few small storms clouds. We fished most of the morning but didn't caught much. I didn't care much cause I was looking forward to diving. So around noon we found a stand pipe that was free of boats to we decides to go for it.

1st Dive: Stand pipe in about 110' water. (my depth finding is going nuts so I am not sure of the depth) Both me and dad were a little nerves but that didn't last long. Dad took a heading from the boat to the rig so once we descended down the line we would be able to get to the SP. It took us a few minutes to get dad underwater cause he was underweighted. We descended to 20' and then made out way to the SP. I started noticing Cuda 6 total. The viz. was 40'-50' and fish everywhere. A dozen or so nice AJs and several dozen school AJs. We made our way around the SP doing a slow descent to about 60' and saw hundreds to snapper both Red and Mutton (I think). I am going to have to work on my fish ID. We saw another Cuda that looked like his nose had been cut off. He keep swimming back and forth in front of us and never took his eye off us. We ascended to about 25' and then made out swim out to the boat and made our safety stop. All and all I have to say it was a great 1st dive.

2nd Dive: Decided we would start running back in and looking of empty rigs to make our 2nd dive. Most rigs were occupied and by the time we found a rig we were in green water so we knew the viz. would not be near at nice as the first rig. As I was suiting I notice a Ling swim by the boat. Once again took a compass heading and than flipped off into the water descended down the descent line and made way to the Rig. Viz was only about 10' but there was plenty of fish. With the Viz crappy we only went down to about 25' and followed some Horizontal brace around the rig being escorted by 4 Ling (one was about 4' long) and hundreds of spade fish. Most of the time the Ling swam between me and dad. There were a few snapper but most of them were on the small side. We keep this dive short cause of the low viz and it would already be 700 before we would get home.

We were stopped by the game warden just inside the jetties and after openning the fish box and show life vest we were on our way. But the other boat that was stopped wasn't so lucky. There were about dozen undersized snapper laying on the deck and the warden was writing tickets. Now I have truely lived my dream of diving and look forward to the next dive.

Dad starts shutdown this week and will be out of action for the next month so if I am to be doing any diving I will have to find another buddy. So if anyone needs an extra person I am ready to go as long as they don't mind a rookie rig diver.

[LSUBigL]

So did you shoot..err..poke...anything?

[michaelbaranowski]

no not yet. I have to get a little more comfortable in the new enviroment before I add a spear gun.

Looks like the weather is going to be nice again this coming weekend so I if anyone need another diver I am up to hitching a ride.