THE REDS ARE COMING… THE REDS ARE COMING!

Red Snapper fishin’ that is! The Red Snapper found in Florida waters can’t be beat for exciting fishing, the fight they put up, and the FINE table fare they make. There aren’t many fish, in saltwater or freshwater, that can compare to the sweet, white, flaky meat of a Snapper.

It has been years since I went on a bonafide Red Snapper fishin’ trip, so when my son and daughter-in-law invited my wife and I to spend a week with them, and our granddaughter, in “Snapper Central” Panama City, Florida, I jumped at the chance.

It’s a long, hard, arduous twenty hour drive from my home in Greencastle, PA, to the “Panhandle” of Florida, via Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama, nearly 950 miles. But it seemed only like a bad memory once I soaked my line in the azure Gulf of Mexico.

We were only going to be able to fish for one day, so we wanted it to be a GOOD day. Ty and I spend three evening walking along the docks where the charter boats came in, talking with Captains, clients, mates and local business owners, to find the PERFECT combination of boat, Captain, experience, knowledge, equipment and recent results.

We finally settled on the “Tom Cat”, a 41ft Hatteras “Sportfisherman”, chartering out of the “Treasure Ship” restaurant and docks in Panama City Beach. The “Tom Cat” appeared to be clean, fast and well-equipped, and was sporting quality tackle. Captain Nathan Self and his Mate seemed friendly and knowledgeable, and they had brought in good catches the past two days we had been there. So we booked our “Snapper” trip for that Friday at 7:00 am. It’s not easy to get three women moving any earlier in the morning, even when you have two bathrooms.

We arrived at the dock about 20 minutes early, eager to get out on the water, only to be met by Capt. Self, and informed that his air-conditioning unit had broken down the evening before, and they had not been able to get it fixed. Now… I don’t know about YOU, but I don’t wish to spend a hot and sunny, 98 degree day on the Gulf of Mexico with no air-conditioning in the main cabin, and was about to head back to the car, when Capt. … informed us that he had made arrangements for us to go out on another boat, the “All The Way”, with Capt. Norman Ussery.

This is a BAD way to start the day, much less a “Fishin’ Trip”, on strange water, with a Captain you had never met, and I must say I was not pleased at all. Little did I know what would lie ahead on this sunny, calm day, fishing for Red Snapper and Grouper on the waters of the Florida Panhandle?

Capt. Norm welcomed us aboard his blue and white, custom built 48 foot Hatteras “Sportfisherman” docked 4 or 5 slips away. We stowed our gear, cooler and personal items and stood by as the mate Joe loaded several large baskets of ice into the coolers. The “All The Way” was an older design boat, but was well maintained, sported a large, neat and clean cockpit, equipped with two well placed fighting chairs, large bait tank. The salon had long padded benches running down the port and starboard sides, and each had a nice large table in front of it. Below were a clean and efficient head and four bunk beds for those wishing to take a nap during the long runs to the fishing grounds.

It didn’t take long for us to get underway, and we were soon headed out of the bay and into the open Gulf. To our starboard, as we left the mouth of the bay was a large center console anchored just offshore. A large floating basket, about 4ft X 12ft X 6ft, made of PVC pipe and netting was attached to the side. It was the local “Bait Man” and Joe suggested that we purchase fresh bait for the days fishing. I slipped Joe forty-bucks as Capt. Norm backed the “All The Way” closer. The man on the center console netted several dozen Cigar Minnows and dumped them into a five-gallon bucket, which he passed to mate Joe. Three buckets later, Joe placed the forty-bucks in the empty bucket he passed back to the man and we were set to go, a bait well full of fresh Cigar Minnows, Pin Fish, Chubs and a couple of other miscellaneous bait fish. We even had a half-dozen Remoras we would toss in the water to scare away the Dolphin if need be.

All of the Captains we had talked to during the week told us the same thing. The recent hurricane had driven the fish out of the shallower water, and that they had located fish on the deeper reefs and wrecks in 150 feet of water, about 40 t0 45 miles offshore… A two-and-a-half hour run in both directions, which amounts to a boat ride for five hours out of your 10 or 12 hour fishing day. But Capt. Norm was a 30 year veteran of fishing these waters, and he a trick or two up his sleeve. We headed out into the Gulf at cruising speed, while son Ty, daughter-in-law Laura, granddaughter Amanda, wife Patsy and I settled down in the salon. Mate Joe was scrambling around in the cockpit, rigging rods and preparing gear, and I didn’t want anyone in his way. It didn’t take long for Amanda to stretch out on the bench and go to sleep.

About 30 minutes later, the big diesel engines of the “All The Way” were throttled down and Capt. Norm yelled down from the bridge to “Get ready”! ALREADY?? Yep, it was true… Capt. Norm knew what no one else knew… The fish had moved back onto the shallow wrecks and reefs in the past couple of days, into about 90 feet of water.

Laura beat us all to the cockpit and had rod in hand and bait in the water before Capt. Norm’s shout had finished echoing. And before my bait hit the bottom she was battling a nice 10 lb. Red Snapper.

Let me take a moment to introduce this crew. My son (actually step-son) Ty works as a Nuclear Engineer at the Miami nuke power plant. He likes to fish, but can take it or leave it. Laura is a born and bred South Florida girl. She’s not much for Bass Fishing, or Bluegills, or Crappie, but get her out on the ocean or the gulf, and she can hold her own against anyone. She is a real athlete and truly my “Fishin’ Buddy”. I have created a real “Monster” in granddaughter Amanda! This 12 year old little girl would rather fish than eat… Or do anything else! She will have a fishing rod in her hands for every minute the “big people” do on this trip. The wife Patsy? She won’t touch a fishing rod, but loves to be out on the boat and handles all of the camera duties with grace.

On this first drop, we kept mate Joe scurrying around for some time, unhooking Red Snapper and Gag , Black, and Strawberry Grouper as fast as he could. The legal ones went into the fish box and the smaller ones were tossed back. Things were fast and furious for awhile, until the Dolphin showed up. First it was a cow Dolphin and her calf, then a couple of males came on the scene. NOW… Dolphin are fun to watch, and I have even PAID to ride out on a boat to watch them. BUT… NOT when you are fishing! They will steal every fish off of your hooks, as you bring them to the surface. And that’s exactly what they did! Amanda hooked what would turn out to be the largest Red Snapper of the day, about 15 pounds or so, and the cow Dolphin grabbed it about 10 feet from the boat. Then the entire pod of Dolphin took the fish out to about 50 yards behind the boat and began to play “toss and catch” with it. Just saying, “Na-na-na-na… We got your Snapper”!! Laura soon brought up a Gag Grouper head, with no body, and we knew it was about time to MOVE. On her next drop, Laura hooked a fish that nearly pulled her out of the boat. Mate Joe guessed, “Maybe a big tuna”, but I was thinking more like “Shark”. I helped Laura with the fish for about 25 minutes, and then I said “Shark… Cut the line!” and sat down in one of the fighting chairs. I wasn’t going to waste my time or strength on a cotton-pickin’ Shark. They worked with the fish for another 30 minutes and finally brought an 8 foot long, 300+ pound Bull Shark to the boat. We got a couple of photos and mate Joe cut the line. Now it really IS time to MOVE.

We out-ran the Dolphin and Sharks to the next wreck, and had no more trouble with them the remainder of the day.

At the next stop, we fished a man-made reef in about 100 feet of water. We pulled in fish after fish for about 25 minutes and then moved to another reef when the action slowed. It didn’t take me long to figure out that Capt. Norm and mate Joe BOTH knew what they were doing, to put it lightly, and all of us concurred that the events of the morning, that put us all together on the “All The Way” were a “Blessing From Above”. One of the finest crews, on one of the finest boats, and one of the finest fishing days we could ever hope for. And their jokes, stories, harassment and personalities helped make for a wonderful experience.

About noon, my right forearm and bicep starting cramping up like you wouldn’t believe. I had been drinking plenty of water and liquids, and even taking salt pills, but the heat and humidity, and fighting big fish after big fish, were taking it toll. (HEY… I’m not getting’ any younger!) Patsy and Joe made up some ice packs and wrapped them around my entire arm. Ever try reeling with ice packs tied around your arm? Joe suggested to me… “Why don’t you set back, stop fishing and take it easy for a spell?” Patsy laughed out loud and told Joe… “You don’t know who you’re talking to. He won’t quit until his arm falls OFF”! Visions of that TV commercial, where the bass fisherman’s arm flies off, flashed across my mind… But I kept on fishin’!

By 5pm the day’s events were another fond memory, burned into the memory of film and sub-consciousness, to be talked about, written about and brought to mind on many other fishing trips to come, and around many a dinner table and campfire.

We ended the day with our limit of 20 Red Snapper; 24 Gag, Black and Strawberry Grouper; 6 Black Snapper; 1 (Cherished and hoarded by me) Scamp Snapper; about a dozen Bee Line Snapper; a couple of Bull Sharks, White Snapper and assorted trash fish. Joe, Ty and I took the days catch to the fish house and weighed-in 356 lbs of fish, which worked out to be about 180 pounds of tasty fillets. We picked up the fish the next afternoon, took them to the condo, washed and cut them into serving sizes, and vac-packed them for the trip home.

I cannot say enough GOOD about Capt. Norman Ussery, mate Joe and the “All The Way”. They are one of the BEST Captains and Mates I have ever fished with… ANY WHERE… ANYTIME! Their boat is not the newest or fanciest in the fleet, but I am told it is one of the fastest. It is well equipped with all of the fish finding, depth sounding, radar, GPS and other safety gear and is clean, neat and well maintained. Their rods, reels and other equipment are well maintained and in perfect condition. Its huge cockpit and 16ft beam make it a safe and stable fishing platform. If you are ever in the Panama City Beach area of the Florida Panhandle, and want to have the fishing experience of your lifetime, get in touch with Capt. Norm.

It was my first trip to this area, but I can assure you… “I’LL BE BACK”! Panama City has one of the nicest beaches I have ever been to. It is white powdery sand, that squeaks when you walk on it, like fresh cold snow, and there is not an over abundance of people. It is also the “Scallop” capital of Florida, though the season was closed while we were there. Besides… The fishin’ is GREAT! I also had good luck while fishing off of the State Park Pier, the Beach, and the Fishing Pier at our hotel, where I caught Redfish and Sea Trout.

CONTACT:

Capt. Norman Ussery
3625 Oakbrook Lane
Panama City Beach, Florida 32408

Cell: 850-814-0303
Home: 850-234-1242

The only disappointment I had on this trip was the FOOD! And you KNOW how I am about the FOOD! But here is what I learned…

“Pineapple Willy’s”… We ate there one evening, partly because of the good reports we had heard about their ribs, and partly because it was named “Willy’s” and I wanted a tee-shirt. The ribs were OK, but nothing to write home about. The French fries were a little on the limp side, and the coleslaw was barely makin’ it. The Strawberry/Banana Daiquiri was outstanding though. I’ll give them three rib bones out of five.

“Capt. Crabby’s” at the “Treasure Ship”… The Treasure Ship is located where our boat was docked. The first floor is a traditional restaurant, which we did not try. The second floor is “Hook’s Grille & Grog” which we did not sample either. The top floor is an “All you can eat” establishment. Laura loves those “All you can eat” places, but Patsy and I are not wild about them. When we go out to dinner, we want atmosphere, peace and quite and to be waited on by professionals, and not a den of noise and a part-time teenager or college kid waiter (Nothing personal). You had a choice of Prime Rib, Crab Legs, Shrimp or Scallops, and if you chose the most expensive item, you couldn’t have any of the other items. It was whatever you chose and nothing else. It was crowed, hot, and noisy and they wanted you in-and-out of the place ASAP. The food “sucked” too! I’ll award them one rib bone, simply because there is no zero category.

“Capt. Anderson’s Restaurant & Waterfront Market”… Located on North Thomas Drive, this was the highlight of our dining experiences in Panama City Beach. The atmosphere is wonderful, the service is impeccable and the food is second to none. I had the best Scallops I have ever had in my entire lifetime. They have won many, many awards for their cuisine and their prices were very reasonable. There is a fleet of charter boats docked there, and if you go to dinner early, you can watch them unload the days catch. Five rib bones and a lip-smack!

“Marriott’s Legends Edge at Bay Point”… Without a doubt, the finest resort I have ever stayed at. I would not have stayed here, due to the cost, but the accommodations were being covered by the step son and family. This place covers about 1,400 acres and sports a Jack Nicholas golf course, fitness center, pools, spas, concierge services, activities center, shuttle service to the restaurants and fishing pier, nightclubs and just about every amenity you could hope for. Real luxury, but Patsy and I would prefer accommodations right ON the beach, which there are plenty of in Panama City Beach.

Well, that about cover it all! If you ever have a desire to visit the Florida Panhandle, or to sample the finest Red Snapper and Grouper fishing in the country, then by all means, head for Panama City Beach. They have all of the attractions that any other resort beach has. ENJOY!

Tight Lines,
Will Whitehead
"Pro Staff" Director