Pigfish.-interesting. There is nothing much else that looks like one of those so it must of been. A rare catch for the gulf imo.

Back to the city channel to see how the season is progressing.  Dragged 4 different sets from close to the Cloud to out near 18 buoy on the outgoing tide.  Drift speeds 0.9 to 1.2 knots, almost ideal.  Terminal tackle included a Fishtech "slippery slider", orange (a kabura), a cheapy from Marine Deals.  Also had a Gulp 5" pink shine shad, on a worm hook, 1/4 oz sinker.  Third rig was the new Black Magic "Snapper Snack" flasher rig which has "tails" similar to a kabura, with 5/0 recurve hooks and orange tail, fished with strips of mullet.  Last but not least was a Gamakatsu 8/0 circle hook with 1oz sinker and white fluorobead butted up against the hook, fished with either salted bonito or mullet.

The baited rigs got most of the early interest but they were mainly baby pickers.  Kept a couple of 32cm snapper for dinner, not knowing how the morning would go, and feeling pessimistic after recent city sessions.  Sometime after 7 the "bigger" snapper started to bite and a few around 35cms came on board. The kabura and Gulp started to produce and some better snaps nailed the bait as well.  The Gulp worked best if actively worked and it was exciting to feel the braid ripping out from some of the hits on the pink shine.  Not manic on-the-drop hits like later in the season, but encouraging.

I'm an amateur statistician, and was unable to say with any confidence which rig worked best on the day.  Anything goes.

Kept 7 and left them biting at 8:30.  Returned about 5 legal snapper up to 34cms.  Great conditions, virtually no wind.

Prediction based on previous years - by Xmas there will be plenty of snapper up to the mid fifties in the city channel. 

About 9am thought I'd drift the channel, have a sandwich, cup of tea and put my feet up.  Started near number 2 buoy.  Good bites, mostly on the drop or soon after, best near-50, kept one for a meal, rest back safely.

Todays winner:  "baby bass" which i bought somewhere on my travels. Very effetive.

Very quiet out there, water as flat as anything, zero wind and too hot and stuffy!

My last trip I was catching on dragged curly tails in the channels (while i had a break for sandwich etc).  Start of the summer fishing do you reckon?  My next try likely to be city channel