My friend Davis and I have been backed up with college applications, so we hadn't been able to go fishing since the Summer. However, with the weather turning and some applications out of the way, we found a time during Thanksgiving break to head down to Key Biscayne to see what we could catch. The weather was absolutely perfect, blue skies and in the 70s. We bought three dozen live shrimp at Arky's on the way there, and set up on a dock that we were lucky to have to ourselves.
Because of the break, there were many boats coming out of the harbor which probably scared off the fish; we were on the dock just next to the entrance. Even though the fishing was slow, however, we had a great time enjoying the area and discussing life, the upcoming Eagles - Giants game, and college. The whole time, I couldn't stop thinking about how appreciative I am of living and growing up in such a place as Miami - I had been texting my cousin Ben, who said that it was 40 degrees and windy in New Jersey. Meanwhile, I was outside enjoying Biscayne Bay.
About 20 minutes into the trip, I hooked up on a strong fish that immediately pulled my line under the dock. I lowered my rod so that the line would not break off on the dock, but my drag was too tight anyways and the fish got away with my hook. We tried to hook up on that mystery fish again, but had no such luck.
I was the first one to catch a fish. Dropping a shrimp down between two rocks near the dock, I felt a few nibbles and then, after 15 seconds or so I reeled in and felt a tug. The tug was not consistent, and at first I thought I had a rock. But as I kept going, the erratic tugging persisted and I pulled in a type of Parrotfish. I am still searching which type, to see if it is a new species. It had red streaks all over - a nice colored fish. We unhooked it and let it go. Soon after, I caught another Parrotfish from the same place. I knew it was when I was reeling it in because it fought in the same exact way. (Edit: after researching, I believe it is a Redtail Parrotfish)
Over the next few hours, Davis caught a Schoolmaster, Porkfish, and Nurse Shark from the same spot. All very cool fish. There was not much biting, but we caught enough to be satisfied with a nonetheless very fun day on the water. We packed up and went to get lunch after about 2 hours of fishing, satisfied with the fish we caught and especially the time we had spent.
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