Damn Yankee Spearfishing tour

[Shooter]

Pic trips and some good video of the beaty of the florida middlegrounds structure.

"Going with the jug boss, going with the jug"

[tullibee]

looks like you boys had a lot more fun than I did for the weekend - I turned a large pile of rocks into a very nice retaining wall... my back still hurts!

glad to see you had great weather and fun fishing!  welcome back to the real world!

J.

[arcFlash]

"No man can shoot 50 Mango's"

[bdahl57]

What an adventure especially for a person who had only dove in Minnesota until this winter.  Special thanks to shooter for putting this all togeather.  More thanks to A&A for being my mentor and assuring I developed the skills to participate in such challenging dives.  And even more thanks to Arc Flash for being a great ship mate with a wry sense of humor (made me laugh, lots).  As the novice of the group the intoxicating adventure of boarding a vessel that by Minnesota standards seemed large until I realized this small area of flotation would be my transportation for the 10 hour trip a hundred miles into the Florida middle grounds and my home for the next 4 nights was insignificant in comparison to the rush of adrenalin I felt as I quickly made descent after descent to the beautiful coral formations that held an abundance of fish that later would thrill my palate after an exhausting day of diving.  Greater yet was the new friends I met in our Captain Ben Bateman and his father Rick.  Minnesota nice met Florida friendly and Florida friendly surpassed in hospitality and just plain making us feel like one of the family.  Life for me is about making memories and thanks to Shooter I have another wonderful memory to add to the list.  When are we setting the date for Dan Yankee Spearfishing tour II?  Tomorrow I try a recipe for Amber jack in a white sauce.  If my guests enjoy it as much as my wife and I did I will post it on this forum.  Before I go FYI fellas I still got the bruise - Shooter saved the rookie!

[Shooter]

Welcome to mnscuba! It was my pleasure showin you guys the ropes. For the first time on the boat I wasn't the greenhorn. ;D I just got off the phone with "the Boss" and he said we are welcome back anytime. We were really blessed with the weather conditions. Next year he said in June would be less of a gamble. My wife is ready for a spearing trip, so I'll probably get one in before next june.

[arcFlash]

Monterey Man: I give that bruise a 9!

Shooter: Any word on the DVD? I can't get enough of me looking like a fool trying to load my gun.  :-[

"I'm trying to shoot it boss!"

[Shooter]

The dvd should be here in a couple weeks ;D.  I can't count how many times a day, I close my eyes and am transported back to the Florida middlegrounds. I find myself standing on the Holy Spear-its dive platform listening to the steady drone of the diesel, waiting for it to idle down. The anticipation builds when it does idle down, now I know it will only be a few short moments unti I hear the horn. Is this going be the drop where I get the big one? I quickly do a final check of my gear and suck all off the air out of my BC. I hear the horn and leap off the platform like a stallion out of the gates at the Kentucky Derby. I have now lept into another world, a world where I am only a visitor. A world that is quiet and peaceful, void of all the noise and stress of the daily grind. A calmness accompanies the pressure as I settle myself down and control my breathing. Zero to 100 feet in less than a minute, I hit the brakes on my inflater coming to a perfect stop 30 to 40 feet off the bottom.  (:-[Everytime I think of Tom Cruise on mission impossible when he is on the rope above the computer) I scan the terrain looking for structure and targets.....

Then the damn phone rings, and I have to go back to work....

[Shooter]

Art's Kingfish video. I was planning on shooting more video but ended up shooting more fish! ;D



m&m (monteray man) with a nice gag grouper and hogfish

[bdahl57]

Hey fish killas!!!!  Try this recipe from the web.  Perfect for the fellas with lots of amber jack (us).  I bought a Teflon grill at Sportsman Warehouse that sets on top of my weber grill grate.  Makes BBQing fish much less stressful.  Nothing worse than watching that big hunk of fish crumble into the coals!  Let me know how you like it.

Shooter any word on the DVD.  I have a group of newly certified divers and soon to be certified divers stopping by 6/20 I would love to share the video with them.

Ingredients 
2 pounds Florida amberjack fillets
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 cups fresh, chopped mushrooms
4 tablespoons butter, divided
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon white pepper
2 cups whipping cream
3 tablespoons sherry
3 ounces Swiss cheese, chopped
1 tablespoon bacon bits
1 14-ounce can artichoke hearts
 

Preparation
Cut fish into serving-size portions. Brush fish with lemon juice and grill over medium hot coals until fish flakes easily. Keep warm. Cook mushrooms in 1 tablespoon butter until tender. Remove from pan and set aside. In the same pan, melt the remaining 3 tablespoons butter. Blend in flour, salt and pepper; add cream, sherry, cheese and bacon bits. Cook until thick, stirring constantly. Add mushrooms and artichokes. Serve warm over fillets.
Yield
6 servings

Nutritional Value Per Serving
Calories 613, Calories From Fat 396, Fat Total 44g, Saturated Fat 26g, Cholesterol 210mg, Carbohydrates 14g, Protein 40g

[Shooter]

I am all out of Jack    Looks like I will have to settle for grouper and mango's til feb!  ;D

Look forward to trying the recipie, thanks for posting. Are we going to need 2 boats for the 2nd annual?

Talked to the boss last night dvd's will go out today. Should have them by this weekend..... Maybe a crosby fish grill/dive trip?