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Offline JP

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We Caught A Sea Monster!
« on: May 20, 2008, 01:11:36 am »
Went fishing with my friend Bailey yesterday in the Gulf Of Mexico. I was at his house for 3am. Bailey is the guy I met last yr that had bees show up in one of his purple martin gourds, I believe he had 5 this yr.

Anyway, we left out of Fourchon, that's in Louisiana. Our first stop was a rig about 35 miles out into the Gulf, in about 250' of water. We saw lots of sharks at this rig & caught about three.

We spent the rest of the day hopping from rig to rig and managed to catch two really nice sized lemon fish, lane snapper, red snapper, spanish mackerel, and also lost some due to breakoffs that were either Amberjack or Cobia, and one Mahi Mahi.

We caught a nice variey but didn't load the entire boat. The Lemon fish are what made this trip.

I took some pics of fish & some of the oil platfarms, which are truly magnificent marvels, btw.

One thing I regret not taking pics of were three man of wars I saw, they are jelly fish that can kill a man. They almost look like trash floating from a distance, close up they are just plain weird and quite beautiful. Man of war: http://www.aloha.com/~lifeguards/portugue.html

Pics of our trip here: http://picasaweb.google.com/pyxicephalus/May192008



...JP
« Last Edit: May 20, 2008, 10:08:33 am by JP »
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Offline Cindi

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Re: We Caught A Sea Monster!
« Reply #1 on: May 20, 2008, 11:18:22 am »
JP, you got some pretty cool pics going on there, and what a day you must have had with Bailey, out on the ocean, how nice.

Tell a little bit about the oil platforms, they are huge, I haven't ever seen any of those before and am a little curious about what they do/why they are there/how far out/how deep.  I know you said something about 250 feet, is that how deep the lie below the ocean?

I wish that I didn't have a dislike of the open ocean.  My Father was, during one part of his life, a beachcomber.  I would go with him on his boat in the summertime, I was a teenaged girl, and it was a great place to suntan in the sun.  But these days, I don't like the water, not even in a lake....wonder what ever happened to that girl that had the nerves of steel, maybe maturity, hee, hee.  Beautiful day, great day, love our life.  Cindi
There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold.  The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold.  The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee.  Robert Service

Offline poka-bee

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Re: We Caught A Sea Monster!
« Reply #2 on: May 20, 2008, 01:44:40 pm »
Cool pics!  Yes JP, tell about the oil platforms, inquiring minds want to know.  They are amazing looking.  Do they create an artificial reef of sorts?  Do different fish hang out around them?  Do people live on them?  Which fish are which in the pics..Lemon fish? Do you eat the sharks?? Can you scoop the man-o-war's out (carefully to be safe)& poke em???  What would happen if you cut one to see whats inside?? How long did it take you guys to get there??  How big was the boat..doesn't look very big to be out there so far... :?  Cindi isn't the only nosy one, everyone elses lives seem much more interesting than my own!!  I love to see what others do, how they live...once again, inquiring minds want to know!

Jody
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Offline Scadsobees

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Re: We Caught A Sea Monster!
« Reply #3 on: May 20, 2008, 02:18:26 pm »
Looks like an exciting trip!  I'd sure love to get out deep sea fishing sometime!  I can do some deep lake fishing, but there isn't quite the diversity...

ManOwar's?  We had them on the beach during spring break.  Don't know if they can kill a man, we didn't try to find out, thankfully, although the kids were awefully curious... :roll:





Beautiful colors, inviting to touch.  Actually, the tentacles would degrade away, leaving the "crest" which could then be popped!  None bigger than my fist, which was fine.  Lots of these, but only saw one "standard" jellyfish.

Rick
Rick

Offline poka-bee

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Re: We Caught A Sea Monster!
« Reply #4 on: May 20, 2008, 02:27:29 pm »
What happened when you popped it?  Did it make noise?  Was it gooey?  Does it have a harder membrane on the outside?  Did you look inside?  We don't have em here & I'm not close to the ocean..so have to live vicariously! :-D  Jody
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Offline JP

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Re: We Caught A Sea Monster!
« Reply #5 on: May 20, 2008, 11:10:32 pm »
The oil platforms are cities on the water and are work sites where crude oil is drilled and taken from underneath the ocean floor and natural gas. Sometimes a rig may contain as many as 30 well heads.

Workers usually do 7 on, 7 off shifts.

Many go all the way to the bottom floor some 400' or more, some are floating rigs.

Yes they are like reefs in that they attract all sorts of fish and crustaceans.

We didn't keep any sharks they are not in season.

Cindi, at its deepest depth the gulf of mexico taps out at 12,000'.
We rarely fish in water over 300' deep. http://www.gulfmex.org/facts.htm

The boat is a little over 21' long but has high sides so its a dry running boat. We try not to go out when seas are more than 3 footers.

You won't see me poking a man of war! :-D

...JP
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Offline Scadsobees

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Re: We Caught A Sea Monster!
« Reply #6 on: May 21, 2008, 10:41:31 am »
What happened when you popped it?  Did it make noise?  Was it gooey?  Does it have a harder membrane on the outside?  Did you look inside?  We don't have em here & I'm not close to the ocean..so have to live vicariously! :-D  Jody

They pop like a ziplock bag of air when stepped on.  Inside is air (I didn't smell it).  The outside seems to be a harder membrane since the whole jellyfish except the air bladder will degrade.  I don't know if it is gooey because I only touched them with the soles of my sandal.  They are interesting, to be sure.

Rick
Rick

Offline poka-bee

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Re: We Caught A Sea Monster!
« Reply #7 on: May 21, 2008, 11:30:50 am »
OOhh, Thank you!  The pop musta been fun to hear! :evil:  I'm a sick nosy one but oh well!  Jody
I'm covered in Beeesssss!  Eddie Izzard

Offline Cindi

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Re: We Caught A Sea Monster!
« Reply #8 on: May 22, 2008, 10:38:58 am »
What happened when you popped it?  Did it make noise?  Was it gooey?  Does it have a harder membrane on the outside?  Did you look inside?  We don't have em here & I'm not close to the ocean..so have to live vicariously! :-D  Jody

They pop like a ziplock bag of air when stepped on.  Inside is air (I didn't smell it).  The outside seems to be a harder membrane since the whole jellyfish except the air bladder will degrade.  I don't know if it is gooey because I only touched them with the soles of my sandal.  They are interesting, to be sure.

Rick

Eeeeewwww!!!!  Cindi
There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold.  The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold.  The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee.  Robert Service

Offline JP

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Re: We Caught A Sea Monster!
« Reply #9 on: May 22, 2008, 10:50:43 am »
We just have to pop those things don't we!!! :-D What is it anyway that makes us want to do that?

Have to say though that I didn't have that urge to pop them on the water, can't say I wouldn't do that on a beach though.


...JP
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Offline poka-bee

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Re: We Caught A Sea Monster!
« Reply #10 on: May 22, 2008, 11:32:19 am »
I don't think EVERYONE wants to do things like that...only certain personality types! :evil: JP I don't blame you but it probably wouldn't pop in the water as you need something firm to squish it against or it will just slime out of the way & the membrane probably needs to dry out to make a satisfying "POP".  You could however try to poke it w/fishing gaff or spear... :-D :evil:  Jody
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Offline JP

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Re: We Caught A Sea Monster!
« Reply #11 on: May 22, 2008, 12:04:14 pm »
I don't think EVERYONE wants to do things like that...only certain personality types! :evil: JP I don't blame you but it probably wouldn't pop in the water as you need something firm to squish it against or it will just slime out of the way & the membrane probably needs to dry out to make a satisfying "POP".  You could however try to poke it w/fishing gaff or spear... :-D :evil:  Jody

I could have poked it, trust me!!! I just didn't wanna. :-D


...JP
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Offline Keith13

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Re: We Caught A Sea Monster!
« Reply #12 on: May 22, 2008, 01:12:25 pm »
JP,

looks like the seas were flat must have been a nice day to be on the water, plus you aren't hollering at ralph the whole time :-D

for those who SCUBA dive to see an amazing amount of species of fish there is no better place than below an oil rig. from the top down to the bottom it seems every level has its own ecosystem. not to mention if you bring the spear gun you can pick the fish instead of having to hope he bites :evil:

Offline Scadsobees

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Re: We Caught A Sea Monster!
« Reply #13 on: May 22, 2008, 01:49:32 pm »
We just have to pop those things don't we!!! :-D What is it anyway that makes us want to do that?

We only popped a couple, and it was mostly on accident....and only the ones that had degraded to the point that only the "bubble" was left.  It wouldn't be worth the risk on the other ones....

Some day I'll get on a charter and try to catch some of those sea monsters as well...
Rick

Offline JP

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Re: We Caught A Sea Monster!
« Reply #14 on: May 23, 2008, 12:41:47 am »
JP,

looks like the seas were flat must have been a nice day to be on the water, plus you aren't hollering at ralph the whole time :-D

for those who SCUBA dive to see an amazing amount of species of fish there is no better place than below an oil rig. from the top down to the bottom it seems every level has its own ecosystem. not to mention if you bring the spear gun you can pick the fish instead of having to hope he bites :evil:

I have never gotten sea sick in my entire life, have never Ralphed on the water. My little brother on the other hand gets really bad off on the water.

Keith, you spear fish? You couldn't get me to go down around one of those rigs. Don't wanna get eaten. :-D

Have you read The Helldiver's Rodeo by Humberto Fontova? http://www.amazon.com/Helldivers-Rodeo-Scuba-Diving-Spearfishing-Adventure/dp/0871319365

Crazy read, those guys are just plain nuts!! And courageous. I liked the book and I like the way Humberto writes, of course he has his critics, right Keith?


...JP
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Offline Keith13

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Re: We Caught A Sea Monster!
« Reply #15 on: May 23, 2008, 10:08:07 am »
Critics yes he does. I read the book and it is one of thoses books for entertainment not facts, but it was a good read
 
the dive club Helldiver's thier club motto is " every year we lose one"  to me they are to dangerous. but man do they shoot some big fish I mean big fish every year the win the tarpon rodeo in Grade Isle I used to dive a bunch but have sort of gotten out of it.  I lost a 400 dollar gun to an amberjack and since then have not felt like getting back in to the spearfishing. I have been to Florida a few time to get lobsters though

Sea sick I used to not get it to bad but now that I am getting older I will some times get but not to bad nothing Dramamine(sic) can't fix

Offline JP

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Re: We Caught A Sea Monster!
« Reply #16 on: May 23, 2008, 10:44:39 am »
Next time we go out the ambers better watch out cause they are my favorite to catch and eat. You can do practically anything to amberjack its delicious every way you cook it.

In that book they talk a lot about "the murk" man sometimes I get chills just thinkin' about it.

I have an uncle that used to hard hat dive, he has a ton of stories, amazing what happens down there.

He once had a manta caught in his lines, throwing him every which way, he got out luckily. And then there's many times with huge grouper that rub against ya while you're trying to work, and then there are the triggers and worst of all fire worms...


...JP
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Offline Keith13

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Re: We Caught A Sea Monster!
« Reply #17 on: May 23, 2008, 10:57:56 am »
the murk is something you have to experience to get a idea of it.  the first time I went down to say I was a little unnerved would be an understatement I could barely read my gauges when I put them to my mask visibility @ less than an inch :shock: But we went down around 50' and it just sort of went away well we went below the murk we had vis of over75'. other times I have been down and had visibility at over 200' the real thing to watch for are the currents I always struggled with those I have had times if you let go of the rig you were going to go for a ride.  but all in all it is really cool to see the fish down there

Keith

Offline JP

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Re: We Caught A Sea Monster!
« Reply #18 on: May 23, 2008, 11:11:54 am »
Speaking of currents, remember that shark week episode with the sharkman Manny I think is his name, anyway, this guy would swim with different shark species and that was on the show, bulls, tigers, etc...

Well, he wanted to swim with a mako, and so they went to Venice. That's Venice, Louisiana for those of you that are curious.

Anyway, it was Manny, the photographer and some chick in the water together. After a few days they had about a 6'er come in. They went out with camera and feed and the shark came right up to them.

The PROBLEM came when they ran out of feed and the shark was still very hungry, and while trying to get back to the boat, the current changed, in a very extreme way.

So here they were trying to get back to the boat, struggling like mad cause the current was so wicked and the shark was right on their heels. It was a very real situation. They couldn't turn their backs cause the shark was right there, and it was hard to swim if they didn't, it was quite a struggle, but they made it back by the skin of their teeth!

I watched this show with my noonie in my mouth, I had goosebumps brother!


...JP
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Offline Keith13

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Re: We Caught A Sea Monster!
« Reply #19 on: May 23, 2008, 11:31:50 am »
I didn't see the episode but I can imagine.
I always love when people start messing with nature thinking they are in charge and then something changes suddenly it all goes to you know where in a handbasket all the sudden the shark, snake, lion, or whatever is in charge and there they are running for their life

I love it :evil: :evil:

 

anything