A couple productive days ashore in foul weather: lots of honey-dos & had-to-dos …

2020-08-18 07:59:18

A couple productive days ashore in foul weather: lots of honey-dos & had-to-dos got done in that sudden bit of tropical wind we had.
Only thing left of the storm today was a swell. Wasn’t “rough” but with waves often 7 or 8 feet, and one measuring 13 feet passing beneath, no one would have called it calm either.
Sea bass sure didn’t seem to mind, nor a handful of mahi. Pretty good bite actually with two clients limited on cbass.
Had I counted mahi in the pool Bob Cameron would have easily pocketed the money. But I try to run a fish pool everyone has an equal shot at – sea bass only for now. Ned Harrington’s sea bass beat all comers.
Tomorrow I have a slug of volunteers coming. We’re going to load as many concrete reef pyramids as possible and go build a reef in memory of my Mother who passed in March.
Here then is the test for the pyramids. Whereas it would take thousands of blocks to make a decent reef—and many trips to deliver them; I’m hopeful tomorrow we’ll build a perfectly fishable reef in one shot.
Sure, you can bet I’ll add to it; but I’d wager by fall one of our private boat OCRF sponsors, or a light rail on my rig, would catch just fine.
Next spring and all next summer there will be sea bass spawning on this new reef. Mussels at first, along with dozens of other sessile animals, (sea critters permanently fastened) – in 15 years or so the concrete tops of the pyramids will have begun to coral up.
Now, if a small partyboat is able to replace a fraction of lost seafloor hardbottom habitat in one day, imagine what mighty NOAA could do if they had a mind..
It’s a long way off, I think. First they’ll have to notice habitat measured in square miles has gone missing…
We have all the reef building knowledge needed to restore the Mid-Atlantic’s once-blue waters & fill this part on the Atlantic with fish & corals.
If government & NGOs put their shoulder to it, we could have white marlin 20 miles out at Jackspot in five years, & unimagined sea bass fishing..
Expanding reef species spawning habitat is a powerful tool in fisheries restorations.
We press ahead in any steps possible.
Cheers
Monty

Capt Monty Hawkins
Mhawkins@morningstarfishing.com

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