first BTB rig trip(PIC HEAVY) Solo

[SharkBait >*)\\\><(]

made it solo to the bob hall standpipe again..

the surf was a joke compared to three days ago...

made it out pretty easy, there were many boats/waverunners that came to the rig and scarred the fish...

had two big jacks chase the bumper shad on sabiki, but never did hook one...

the bumper shad would get slammed in a random place about twice and hour...i trolled and threw live bumper shad at the fish on top without ever seeing what they were...

big turtles, huge schools of 50pound rays, lots of jellys, and spadefish










big schools of rays





























trolled bumper shad all the way to bob hall without a bite stopped when some shark guy on the pier started yelling at me...
my anchor never did grab bottom not sure why maybe i dont have enough rope..

till next time...

[Jimbo_47]

Enjoyed the report and the pictures!

What strikes me as odd is you have the entire standpipe practically to yourself.

Where is everybody at?

[SharkBait >*)\\\><(]

two kayaks 4boats and 2 jetskies came to the rig...they were all really loud, saw the most fish(2jacks and something viciously hitting bumper shad sporadically on the outskirts of rig) later on when all the PB's were gone

[eclipse504]

Snapper is not on the TPWD list of state recognized game fish, making it legal to use as a bait as long as it is over the minimum bag length. Sucks, but that's what I was able to come up with reading thru TPWD website.

Kinda quiet on this thread all of sudden after the clarification by RedWolf...

On a sidenote of using gamefish as bait, check out this video of a guy catching a Goliath Grouper with a Shark. Who's really on the top of the food chain now:

[thrasher]

SharkBait, these are most excellent reports. Thanks for posting.

[bsshaver]

[youtube][/youtube]Great job. cannot Wait!!!

[Yakoola]

Looks like an awesome trip, id shit myself if I brought up any kind of shark that big. One day maybe I'll balls up and give BTB a try on day...If you guys wanna take a noob along one day, pm me

[stoli]

I like how everyone got pissed off at the guy for not reading the texas parks and wildlife laws. Apparently some of you need to do some reading yourself for not knowing a red snapper is not a game fish. A red snapper has never been a game fish but it does have limit/size.
Its not different than using sheepshead for bait as long as it meets the size.

[fishinmachine]

Great report, Sharkbait. The water looks so beautiful....I'm missing that a whole lot right now. Thank you for the nice photos and detailed report.

FM

[MichaelD]

These are two outstanding reports, way to jump into the hobby with style. I fish a lot more than I post on the internet, but as an occasional user of this site I'd like to say you did not deserve some of the comments you have been subjected to.

Before hopping on a soapbox, getting self righteous or flaming someone be sure you read their post completely and carefully. Also, be sure you know what you are talking about (in this case the fishing regs) before commenting. Finally, if you must be negative keep your comments reasonable and constructive. For example, National Socialism did not arise because law abiding people just looked the other way. Even if one were to accept that specious statement, comparing the tacit support for Sharkbait not wasting a fish shown by others on this site to those who did nothing in the face of Nazism is ridiculous. Apology owed!

[MONSTER]

Keep in mind that the OP himself mentioned that he knew it was illegal but chose to do it anyway. This is a forum open for discussion, and hopefully a place where we can all learn, and share. Is it wrong for people to discuss subjects on which they may disagree? I dont' think so. You're getting on your soapbox to reprimand others about getting on their soapbox. See the irony? I'm glad the fish and game laws were discussed...many of us learned something from it.

Great reports Sharkbait! Thanks for sharing, and I hope you will continue to do so in the future.

[SharkBait >*)\\\><(]

will definitely continue to post...
i didn't check any regulations for snapper(season, size) and wasn't planning on taking any...so naturally i figured it was illegal...already gearing up for the next trip, the sea has got to cooperate though...

[Wolfman57]

Not really sure why people are still posting up about whether it was illegal. It was lets get past that. Reds need to be over 15" to keep. That would include keeping for bait. Now we did not see the picture of the red used as BAit but I'm going to take Sharkbait at his word that it was not legal.

Here is some research in snapper

Vermilion and lane have no daily bag limit, while all three have size limits. Red snappers must have a minimum length of 15 inches. Lane snapper must be at least 8 inches long, while vermilions have a 10-inch minimum requirement. There is no maximum length limit. It is a violation of state law to be in possession of a number of fish exceeding the daily limit while fishing. According to the TPWD, fish are measured by placing the fish on its side with the jaws closed. Squeeze the tail fin together or turn it to get the overall maximum length. Measure "a straight line from the tip of the snout to the extreme tip of the tail fin."