Offshore trip 70 miles into Gulf lands red grouper and snapper after weeks of bad weather

SARASOTA, Fla. — After four weekends of bad weather, we found one without advisories and took a 42-foot catamaran 70 miles offshore into the Gulf on Sunday, Nov. 8.We picked up bait and headed for the blue water. Four 300-horsepower engines pushed the boat at 45 mph, and it did not take long to reach a natural spring in 120 feet of water. We were hoping for bent rods and big fish.Sharks and barracudaWe were not the only ones looking for a meal. Sharks and barracuda were present and kept us busy.What we caughtBetween the sharks and barracuda, we caught fish. Todd Johnson of Georgia landed a yellowtail snapper, and Carl Ziegler caught a red grouper.We moved to about a dozen spots. GPS-guided trolling motors held the boat over the spots without an anchor. At one point, we had five rods bent at the same time.Captain Dion Davis of Gulf Coast Offshore said we reached the boat limit of 12 red grouper. He said we also caught a mix of snappers, including yellowtails, lanes and mangroves, and on