Jacksonville Offshore Sport Fishing Club

JOSFC Regular Meeting Minutes

July 7, 2011

Meeting Chaired By: - President Don Cook

Note Taker:  Secretary - Alison Thornton

GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS

The meeting was called to order at 7:55 pm.

Year end banquet is scheduled for Oct 22 2011 at the Ramada in Mandarin.  Very nice spread.  Tickets will be sold shortly.  More to come.

Due to GJKT, our next regular club meeting will be Thursday July 28.

The club received a thank you note from Chris and Linda Rooney.

The club received a certificate from the Sailfish Pot Party, suitable for framing, so it is framed.

If you are fishing GJKT, make sure you put on the entry form that you are a member of the JOSFC so you can get credit and possibly win the Hamaker Cup for our club!!

Eddie, the 2010 Sailfish Pot Party winner, was at the meeting tonight to present Chris Rooney and Team- Driftin and Dreamin the 2011 WINNERS of the Sailfish Pot Party!!  $2200.00!  Chris talked about how they caught the sailfish during the kingbuster.   Terry Lee was the angler.   Chris presented Terry with a rod and reel!!!

Eddie McGowan put the JOSFC Club antenna back up at the clubhouse.. Thank you Eddie!

HOSPITALITY

Pizza hut pizza, and salad..  Patti and Steve handled this for us since Chefs Larry and Carol were on vacation.. Thank you Patti and Steve!!!!

GUEST SPEAKER

Kenny Crawford, from Crawfish Fishing Team was the guest speaker.  
Kenny talked about kingfish facts.. said when they are two years old, they weigh about 6-8 lbs – maturity, have about 50,000 eggs.  
In the large females, they can have as many as 5,000,000 eggs.  With this if you catch at big kingfish and you aren’t in a tournament, please release for reproductive purposes.  Thank you.
A 7 yr old male weights around 11 lbs.  If the fish is over 15 lbs, 99% chance it is a female.

TIPS -  Prepare all week to look for the one fish.  

Make sure you check your line, strip line off and retie all knots.
Always use new rigs – have rig sizes to fit the bait.
Make sure you always have sabiki rigs on board in case you cannot find pogies.
Make sure you check your engine/s, live well pumps, trailer lights and tires, lights on boat, all prior to tournament day.  
Make sure you carry enough fuel.. never know if you may have to pick up and run somewhere else that you didn’t expect to..  Be prepared.

Where to go???   
Check NOAA, the pier, fishing buddies, where are they biting?
Kingfish feed on currents, more feed at slack tides.
Don’t get bait and move when the tide is right.  Stay there and fish it out if everything looks good.   If you don’t you may be moving around during the time the fish are biting (slack tide)

Pay attention to your depth recorder.  Plot when you go over good spots.  Fish by hugging your spots, Kenny said he keeps his spots for years and years, works the same areas that are on his recorder.   
Better chance to be in the right place.  USE your MOB button.  

Have your routine of putting the same rod in the same rod holder on the boat (example, the shotgun, the long rigger, short rigger, prop wash, etc).  This keeps your team in sync.

When you get a fish on, get the downriggers up first!  
Also Kenny suggested that you don’t store your extra rods in the T-Top, this can cause cut offs.
Make sure during a tournament, you have your most experienced gaffer on the gaff to gaff the fish.

Kenny uses 4’ leader wire, #5 wire.  Said he used to use shorter leaders but no more, had too many cut offs, tail whipped.    Use a long enough leader to cover the size of the fish you expect to catch.   
Hooks..he uses anywhere from #6 to as big as #1, varies due to the size of the bait.  
In the Gulf, he will use #7 wire (in the Keys and Ft Pierce also)
Kenny’s theory – the Jerk Boats (commercial kingfish boats) use 200 lb cable so why not use heavy line.. works for them.  

The snapper fleet took care of commercial kingfish. Said before they banned Red snappers, it was only Kenny, Robbie Bishop and one other captain that had a commercial kingfish license.  Now the snapper fishermen have them too.

Kenny said he hopes that the kingfish are running late this year getting to Jacksonville area.. maybe show up in August?
Speed.. depends on the bait you use, bait needs to be able to swim on it’s own, not being drug.

Ribbonfish are a great bait, he uses them all the time.
Question about using skirts on his baits.. Kenny said his preference is no skirts during tournaments, but if he is fun fishing, color of choice is pink.  

Great presentation, thank you Kenny!!    

MEMBERSHIP

Paul introduced new members to the club!!   
Johnny  Beener
And Willie and Suzette Alexander  (Willie and Suzette joined as lifetime family members!!
Welcome!

***  Willie has a rod and reel repair service..  If you buy rod eyes, Willie will fix your rod eyes for free!!
You can contact Willie at 388-1609  or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

FISHING  

FISHING BOARD UPDATES

Joe Tucker            Unlimited board             4.0 lb Beeliner
Kasey Kiel            Jr Angler Inshore             2.0 lb Trout
Kasey Kiel            Jr Angler 11 and under        19.2 lb Cobia
Chris Rooney        Unlimited board            16.5 lb Kingfish
Rob Cripe            Light Tackle Board        23.0 lb Barracuda
Rob Cripe            Light Tackle Board         1.5 lb Triggerfish
A J Proescher        Mens Board                40.0 lb Barracuda

KINGFISH TUNE UP TOURNAMENT RESULTS:
13 boats total fished, only one boat weighed in fish  - Kelly W!

1st Place   Greg Wallace
Kingfish     9.1 lb
Kingfish  11.9 lbs        
KINGFISH TUNE UP TOURAMENT ANGLER RESULTS:

1st place, Eddie McGowan       11.9 lb Kingfish
2nd place, Zach Miller              9.1 lb Kingfish            


Greg reminded everyone that your boat must be flying the club burgee during the club tournaments.  They must be flying not just put on the dashboard.

RAFFLE

Buckets, rod and reel, tshirts, fender, lures, bags, hooks, rod butt, jacket, lots of stuff!  

There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at  9:00

Respectfully submitted,

Alison Thornton
JOSFC Secretary