5/21 popped the cherries on some new sticks before the rapture

[Limits]

Been using my down time to wrap a few new sticks, some for the kids, a few for my quiver.




FU and I have a gentlemen's agreement that if you don't catch a fish the first time you use a custom wrapped stick, its bad juju and you have to sacrifice it to the Ocean Gods. To date, we've been able to 'save' several dozen rods from a trip to Davy Jones' Locker. That was my goal today.

Last minute cancellations were changed to 'its ON' once I was able to confirm fishable conditions.

On the water by 10ish, fishing by around 10:30.

Conditions on the way out. Slight lump but definitely doable.



The new sticks waiting to be baptized. This one's a Graphite USA, rated probably 12-30 lb.


Second up is a Pacbay, 7 footer, rated 10-20 lb.


First drop with the GUSA and it didn't take long to pop its cherry. Only a dab, but it counts!


Just to confirm its good to go, I added a few more fish including a decent red vermillion.


Continued to pad the numbers but with nothing huge. I went looking for new structure and found some new piles to work. They looked promising, so I busted out the Pacbay and went with the heavy iron in search of something prehistoric.

No such luck on the lingagsaurus, but did get some consistent bottom critter action. Cherry #2, popped with a nice chucklehead.



I found Nemo.


Then I would get rocked pretty good. I thought maybe it was a nicer vermillion, but it would turn out to be a huge treefish.


The interesting thing about this area was that the starry eyes were all nicer grade. Not as big as a 'big vermillion' or a 'toad chucklehead' but as far as starries go, these were nicer grade; smallest a hair under a lb but plenty were bigger.



Off the water by 2 PM. The day's catch.



And the treefish was a solid 2 lb 10.9 oz after drying out. Not bad!


I hope to land something that would like to eat that treefish next time.