Outdoors

Daily fishing report

By CHAD CARNEY
Published June 11, 2005

Half a dozen scuba and free divers from the bay area traveled to Metairie, La., last weekend for the Hell Divers Rodeo, an oil rig spearfishing tournament known for exceptionally large catches. The rodeo lived up to tradition with some beauties by divers like Andrew Henry's red snapper (30 pounds, 11 ounces) and David Dauzat's freediving world record (pending) mangrove snapper of 13-2. Tampa native Chris Hill placed second in the 18 and under aggregate category, and I was behind Dauzat for the second place skin diver.

It was flat and sunny in 80 feet of water back home Wednesday on the Sheridan Tug and the Blackthorn and we could see the wrecks from the surface. No amberjacks and only a few lesser jacks joined large barracudas hovering over the Sheridan's 35-foot tall profile, probably because bait schools were lacking. Twice we saw a lone spotted eagle ray fly by, and the scuba divers shot a few gag groupers and found a nice anchor. More and larger gags frequent the Blackthorn's debris field east of the main hull section, but we found them to be smart. Anglers require long shooting guns, usually with freeshafts, to spear them.

The water temperature in the Gulf is increasing and fish are spreading out.

Chad Carney teaches diving and spearfishing in the Tampa Bay area. E-mail chadcarney@verizon.net or call 727 423-7775.

[Last modified June 11, 2005, 00:26:12]