Terry England |
09-28-2016 11:05 PM |
Fish Smarts
Quote:
Originally Posted by DonV
(Post 246928)
I like it!! Not being a diver and knowing that much how fish are bothered by divers, looks to me like these are some pretty dumb fish to just sit there and take one in the head!! :)
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Don, those Lion fish on a scale of 1 to 10 on smarts are a minus 2! They are cocky little bastards that bristle when you come near their habitat. I saw lots of them at Sabastian last year in every crack and crevasse. I've seen them off of Sarasota in 70' and Bayport in 55'. They are pretty think in the Middle Grounds. They run off every other species trying to make a home where they are and lay half a million eggs.
The next up the scale of stupidity are the Hogfish. Every male has ten females he services, so the big males sometimes come charging up to you asking "What the heck are you doing with all my girls on your stringer?". Ask RickG about that.
Mangos are curious, but are always "on the move" and big ones are very shy. It's a "skeet shoot" with them and they are usually up in the water column. The Groupers are curious, but they don't get big without being smart. 24" is a big fish underwater. Like sharks, they don't get big without being cautious. Red groupers are really dumb and will follow you around, Scamps are a little less goofy, then the Carbos, then the Gags. Gags are a little like Turkey hunting. You do better if you don't swim around like a predator, or look directly at them. I think they talk amongst themselves. They hear the engine and at the first site of divers, ease off - especially if they have been hunted before. Cobias are good for one "fly by", then they are headed off to either Key West or Mobile. If you don't get a good shot on one, they are happy to take you with them.
So, if you want to put fish in the boat, use a hook and line. I've dove on places the "had a good bite going" after it tapered off. It was "cleaned out" - just lizard fish and and grunts. Divers are like Quale Hunters - we scare off more stuff than we get. However, it's always different down there and even a blind squirrel finds a nut sometimes. You go find some little rock on the bottom in 17' or 170' and it is just teaming with life. 3/5 of Spaceship Earth has a lot going on. Most of God's children only see 2/5's of it in one elevation vertically.
See what Kenny, Conner, Tiny, RickG or others have to say about the Lion Fish.
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