"Mogan Mania II" For those of you who don't know, Mogan Mania II is the 2nd year of a tournament put on by the "Addictive Fishing Show" in Stuart, Florida for the fans and captains of the show. This was the second year I fished the tournament. I was accompanied by Nelson Diaz, Jason LeValley, and Chris Barnett. I had the honor of fishing the tourney last year with Chris and this year he was the unofficial Captain of the Ship. Chris and his family usually spend at least a month in Stuart during the summer so it is a no brainer to give him the controls for where we fished for the tourney. Nelson, Jason, and myself arrived 6:00 a.m. Friday morning so we could get a little fishing in before the Saturday tourney. Chris wouldn't be able to join us until later on in the afternoon. The morning started off well. We caught bait along the beach with no problem. We had a mixture of Spanish Sardines and Big Threadfin. Off we went for some Big Snook Action.
The first stop produced a nice 15 pound Snook caught by Nelson. We had been told the Big Snook were hammering baits all through June and Nelson's 15 pounder proved that point. Next Jason hooked up with a nice fish but the hook pulled before he was able to get it to the boat.
The next bait that was slammed turned out to be mine. I was able to get a nice fight out of the guy and before I knew it, this nice 10 pounder surfaced at the side of the boat. These Stuart Snook all seem to be late in their spawning so they all seemed fatter than the West Coasters I have been used to catching. Click on the link Big Snook Photo Gallery to view the new Photo Gallery.
The bite soon slowed, so off we went exploring. I hoped up in the tower and boy was it nice. I saw fish all over the place. Everything from Tarpon, Barracuda, Bonita, Spanish Macs, Snapper, Bull Sharks, and Snook were all spotted from the confines of the tower. Jason hooked up and jumped a huge barracuda but it cut him off right after the jump. Not long after that Nelson landed this nice Bonita. We don't catch a lot of Bonita on our coast so here is a picture because we thought it was kind of neat to catch one.
Over the next couple of hours we were just happy to be out there and see all of the sights in the crystal clear water on the glass smooth day. I could see everything in the glass calm water. It was truly a great site to see. We headed in around 2:00p.m. to check in at the River Palm Cottages on the Indian River which was host to the Mogan Mania II Tournament. We were pleasantly surprised at how nice and how much room our cottage had. There were two bedrooms with 4 beds altogether and two tv's along with two full bathrooms. The only thing that kept it from being perfect was the pink color of our cottage. Oh well, I guess you can't have everything.
The Captain's Meeting and dinner for the Tourney began at 6p.m.. Dinner was great. We had our choice of several different styles of chicken cooked by Lagoonz Restaurant out of Titusville. I am sure each one of us had two or three servings of our favorite wings or chicken tenders. The captains meeting went over smoothly. Everyone was teaming with excitement for the upcoming day of fishing. I was completely beat from a very busy schedule during the week and decided to hit the sack at a very early 9 o'clock. The tourney was to begin promptly at 6a.m. but we all overslept a little and ended up getting out on the water around 7a.m.. Chris has this great spot for getting big bull sharks. Actually it is a great spot for Cobia and Bonita but the Bull Sharks always end up eating them. My thinking was; if we could get one of those big Bull Sharks we could win the largest offshore fish award. The prize for the largest offshore fish was a Cape Fear Blue Water Matched with and Ahab 20. I believe Nelson was really eyeing that combo. The bait well was loaded with bait we caught in the cast net along the beach. Our goal was to catch a Bonita and use the Bonita to trigger the natural instinct of the 400 or so pound Bull Sharks that were roaming the waters. I am not sure which one of us hooked the first Bonita but it managed to get off. I hooked up with a nice fish that turned out to be a 10 pound King Fish. I didn't get it in the boat quickly enough and a big Barracuda bit it in half. We tried to get something to eat the rest of the King Fish but never had another taker. Chris hooked up with a Bonita and brought it to the boat. Nelson hooked it up to his Cape Fear Man O' War with Trin 30 and wire leader. He dropped the bait back and a big fish came up and slammed it. Nelson slammed the hook home and the battle was on. It took us a few minutes to get a good look at what he had on. As it turned out it turned out to be a huge Barracuda. He fought the fish for about 5 minutes before landing it. I don't know exactly how much it weighed but 50 plus pounds would be a very good questimate. Check it out, this Barracuda was huge.
Nelson still wasn't done. He baited back up with a Spanish Sardine and subsequently hooked into a big 10 pound plus Bonita. He fought the fish for a very long time on the light inshore tackle he was using. The longer a fish is on the line the better the chances are of a big Bull Shark eating it. Sure enough a Bull Shark starts chasing the Bonita. Nelson tried to slow the Bonita down so he could get it's head turned. BAMM!!! A 300 to 400 pound Bull Shark crushes Nelsons' Bonita on top of the water. The Shark bit Nelsons' Bonita completely in two, when it did Blood squirted a good 10 feet into the air, just like one of those B Movie horror movies. We would have loved to have footage like that on camera. Needless to say the action came to a screeching halt after that point. The weather started getting a bit choppy and we decided to bring it on in a little early. We tried several inshore big Snook spots but none of them produced. We actually went bagel on Snook for the Tourney. On the way back to River Palm we spotted some big schools of mullet. Nelson got out the net and was able to catch 12 or 13 before we docked the boat and took the camera in to have the film developed.
After a nice 2 and half hour break we decided to get back out on the water and try some after tourney fishing with the mullet we just caught. The first spot didn't even produce a bite but the second was the ticket. We tossed our bait up to the structure in 5 feet of water. Each one of us had a bait on and Nelson was the first to get hit. His bait was inhaled. Nelson set the hook hard and the bout was on. He had to double thumb his spool to keep line from coming off. We all joked that it was a huge Snook. Nelson called that it was a Jewfish. About 10 minutes later Nelson was able to prove he was right as a nice 60 to 65 pound Jewfish surfaced near the boat. I almost couldn't believe it, a huge Jewfish in 5 feet of water. For some reason my bait didn't have what it took to get eaten. I watched Nelson and Jason hook up and break off on three or four other times while my bait just swam around freely.
Finally, I got a nice hit and a big swirl behind my mullet but never a true taker, just one lost bait. Nelson had a big Barracuda follow up his bait and Jason was quick to put his mullet in front of it. The Barracuda slammed it and Jason had a close short lived battle. The Barracuda fought valiantly but was no match for the heavy braided line. I am not sure how big this Barracuda was but it sure bottomed out my Boga Grip. We soon ran out of bait and decided to head on in for the awards ceremony.
Chris was disappointed with our results of the day. He knew we should have done better, but as I told him that is just fishing. He did a great job in my opinion and is welcomed anytime on my boat. We had a great meal. I ate Blackened Grouper and the fellows had their favorites. Soon the awards ceremony began and we went through all of the unique awards the Addictive Fishing gang had come up with. There was the Mogan Maiden, Redfish award which turned out to be a "Black Drum award Baby!", Largest Inshore fish, Largest Offshore fish, and Largest overall. We went through most of the awards and they gave out some really nice prizes. We were getting down to the last two awards and we had a hunch we had one the Largest Offshore fish because Trice let the cat out of the bag to Nelson that we may have won the Largest Offshore fish prize. When it came time to announce the Largest Offshore fish, Capt. Blair called out another angler who caught a Bonita. Poor Nelsons' jaw dropped. He just knew the Cape Fear/Fin Nor combo was his. He was in shock. I told him not to worry we will get it straightened out. We all forgot about the Largest Fish overall award. Capt Blair got up and said, "The Largest Fish overall goes to," and he paused. He was looking at Nelson but the name on the card said Christania or something and it confused Capt. Blair because he knows Nelson. Nelson drove the camera boat when we filmed "Suburban Style." Nelson intervened and called his own name out. Nelson was the proud winner of an American Eagle 15ft canoe. It is really kind of funny because earlier in the week Nelson had told Jason that he needed to buy a canoe to fish up in the Cape Coral canal systems. Nelson was smiling from ear to ear. The canoe was the only thing that meant more to him than the Cape Fear/Fin Nor combo. After the awards were over I handed out some copies of a New fishing magazine called GAFF Magazine . The magazine seemed to be a real hit. I believe the nice looking ladies got most of the looks to begin with, but it does have some great fishing info in it as well.
On Sunday we had to get out and give it a shot before we took the long journey back home. We found one big fish. Chris was on the receiving end of this fat 18 pound East Coast Racing Mullet. This big Snook actually ate a bait on top in 40 foot of water. We were all really surprised by his catch. Eventually we tired and the long trip home was sounding longer and longer the longer we stayed on the water. We finally decided to pack it in. We had a great trip and I had a wonderful time with some excellent people.
To conclude, we had a great weekend at Mogan Mania II with some great people. Chris did a great job guiding us to the top prize and Nelson did a great job landing the largest fish. Meanwhile I headed up the rear with the smallest fish of all four and couldn't be happier. The guys seemed to have a great time and we all enjoyed ourselves. I can hardly wait for next years tourney.
Be sure to check out my good friends Maverick HPX. He is really looking forward to moving into a larger boat for him and his wife. He is willing to let it go for 20,500. Click on the link 2002 Maverick HPX to view Photos and boat description as well as options.
Available now: "Inshore Grouper Slamn." The first of many high intensity fishing shows to come from Captain Ben Chancey and Chew On This Productions. To download a preview of the "Chew On This" Saltwater Fishing Show "Inshore Grouper Slamn" just click the picture to view the show in streaming video format for windows media player or other browsers.
The Chew On This Saltwater Fishing Show is available now. It is one of the best fishing shows for Inshore fishing you have ever seen. You can order your copy now. DVD's are $20, VHS $15, and SVCD's are $12 plus $4.95 shipping and handling included included. Shirts, Hats, and Visors are being made up for the "Chew On This Saltwater Fishing Show." The hats will have the "Chew On This" logo on front with web address on the back. The Visors will say "Chew On This" in words. Tshirts will have logo on front and back with web address and slogan. Visors will go for $15 and hats $20. T-shirts will be $15. Email @ Captchancey@aol.com for more info. Be sure to get it while it lasts. Limited production Show of only 1000 copies. Get your copy today.
If you are looking for some tackle busting, leader fraying, excitement then give Captain Chancey a call @ (239)540-7529
The next bait that was slammed turned out to be mine. I was able to get a nice fight out of the guy and before I knew it, this nice 10 pounder surfaced at the side of the boat. These Stuart Snook all seem to be late in their spawning so they all seemed fatter than the West Coasters I have been used to catching. Click on the link 
The bite soon slowed, so off we went exploring. I hoped up in the tower and boy was it nice. I saw fish all over the place. Everything from Tarpon, Barracuda, Bonita, Spanish Macs, Snapper, Bull Sharks, and Snook were all spotted from the confines of the tower. Jason hooked up and jumped a huge barracuda but it cut him off right after the jump. Not long after that Nelson landed this nice Bonita. We don't catch a lot of Bonita on our coast so here is a picture because we thought it was kind of neat to catch one.
Over the next couple of hours we were just happy to be out there and see all of the sights in the crystal clear water on the glass smooth day. I could see everything in the glass calm water. It was truly a great site to see. We headed in around 2:00p.m. to check in at the River Palm Cottages on the Indian River which was host to the Mogan Mania II Tournament. We were pleasantly surprised at how nice and how much room our cottage had. There were two bedrooms with 4 beds altogether and two tv's along with two full bathrooms. The only thing that kept it from being perfect was the pink color of our cottage. Oh well, I guess you can't have everything.
The Captain's Meeting and dinner for the Tourney began at 6p.m.. Dinner was great. We had our choice of several different styles of chicken cooked by Lagoonz Restaurant out of Titusville. I am sure each one of us had two or three servings of our favorite wings or chicken tenders. The captains meeting went over smoothly. Everyone was teaming with excitement for the upcoming day of fishing. I was completely beat from a very busy schedule during the week and decided to hit the sack at a very early 9 o'clock. The tourney was to begin promptly at 6a.m. but we all overslept a little and ended up getting out on the water around 7a.m.. Chris has this great spot for getting big bull sharks. Actually it is a great spot for Cobia and Bonita but the Bull Sharks always end up eating them. My thinking was; if we could get one of those big Bull Sharks we could win the largest offshore fish award. The prize for the largest offshore fish was a Cape Fear Blue Water Matched with and Ahab 20. I believe Nelson was really eyeing that combo. The bait well was loaded with bait we caught in the cast net along the beach. Our goal was to catch a Bonita and use the Bonita to trigger the natural instinct of the 400 or so pound Bull Sharks that were roaming the waters. I am not sure which one of us hooked the first Bonita but it managed to get off. I hooked up with a nice fish that turned out to be a 10 pound King Fish. I didn't get it in the boat quickly enough and a big Barracuda bit it in half. We tried to get something to eat the rest of the King Fish but never had another taker. Chris hooked up with a Bonita and brought it to the boat. Nelson hooked it up to his Cape Fear Man O' War with Trin 30 and wire leader. He dropped the bait back and a big fish came up and slammed it. Nelson slammed the hook home and the battle was on. It took us a few minutes to get a good look at what he had on. As it turned out it turned out to be a huge Barracuda. He fought the fish for about 5 minutes before landing it. I don't know exactly how much it weighed but 50 plus pounds would be a very good questimate. Check it out, this Barracuda was huge.
Nelson still wasn't done. He baited back up with a Spanish Sardine and subsequently hooked into a big 10 pound plus Bonita. He fought the fish for a very long time on the light inshore tackle he was using. The longer a fish is on the line the better the chances are of a big Bull Shark eating it. Sure enough a Bull Shark starts chasing the Bonita. Nelson tried to slow the Bonita down so he could get it's head turned. BAMM!!! A 300 to 400 pound Bull Shark crushes Nelsons' Bonita on top of the water. The Shark bit Nelsons' Bonita completely in two, when it did Blood squirted a good 10 feet into the air, just like one of those B Movie horror movies. We would have loved to have footage like that on camera. Needless to say the action came to a screeching halt after that point. The weather started getting a bit choppy and we decided to bring it on in a little early. We tried several inshore big Snook spots but none of them produced. We actually went bagel on Snook for the Tourney. On the way back to River Palm we spotted some big schools of mullet. Nelson got out the net and was able to catch 12 or 13 before we docked the boat and took the camera in to have the film developed.
After a nice 2 and half hour break we decided to get back out on the water and try some after tourney fishing with the mullet we just caught. The first spot didn't even produce a bite but the second was the ticket. We tossed our bait up to the structure in 5 feet of water. Each one of us had a bait on and Nelson was the first to get hit. His bait was inhaled. Nelson set the hook hard and the bout was on. He had to double thumb his spool to keep line from coming off. We all joked that it was a huge Snook. Nelson called that it was a Jewfish. About 10 minutes later Nelson was able to prove he was right as a nice 60 to 65 pound Jewfish surfaced near the boat. I almost couldn't believe it, a huge Jewfish in 5 feet of water. For some reason my bait didn't have what it took to get eaten. I watched Nelson and Jason hook up and break off on three or four other times while my bait just swam around freely.
Finally, I got a nice hit and a big swirl behind my mullet but never a true taker, just one lost bait. Nelson had a big Barracuda follow up his bait and Jason was quick to put his mullet in front of it. The Barracuda slammed it and Jason had a close short lived battle. The Barracuda fought valiantly but was no match for the heavy braided line. I am not sure how big this Barracuda was but it sure bottomed out my Boga Grip. We soon ran out of bait and decided to head on in for the awards ceremony.
Chris was disappointed with our results of the day. He knew we should have done better, but as I told him that is just fishing. He did a great job in my opinion and is welcomed anytime on my boat. We had a great meal. I ate Blackened Grouper and the fellows had their favorites. Soon the awards ceremony began and we went through all of the unique awards the Addictive Fishing gang had come up with. There was the Mogan Maiden, Redfish award which turned out to be a "Black Drum award Baby!", Largest Inshore fish, Largest Offshore fish, and Largest overall. We went through most of the awards and they gave out some really nice prizes. We were getting down to the last two awards and we had a hunch we had one the Largest Offshore fish because Trice let the cat out of the bag to Nelson that we may have won the Largest Offshore fish prize. When it came time to announce the Largest Offshore fish, Capt. Blair called out another angler who caught a Bonita. Poor Nelsons' jaw dropped. He just knew the Cape Fear/Fin Nor combo was his. He was in shock. I told him not to worry we will get it straightened out. We all forgot about the Largest Fish overall award. Capt Blair got up and said, "The Largest Fish overall goes to," and he paused. He was looking at Nelson but the name on the card said Christania or something and it confused Capt. Blair because he knows Nelson. Nelson drove the camera boat when we filmed "Suburban Style." Nelson intervened and called his own name out. Nelson was the proud winner of an American Eagle 15ft canoe. It is really kind of funny because earlier in the week Nelson had told Jason that he needed to buy a canoe to fish up in the Cape Coral canal systems. Nelson was smiling from ear to ear. The canoe was the only thing that meant more to him than the Cape Fear/Fin Nor combo. After the awards were over I handed out some copies of a New fishing magazine called 
To conclude, we had a great weekend at Mogan Mania II with some great people. Chris did a great job guiding us to the top prize and Nelson did a great job landing the largest fish. Meanwhile I headed up the rear with the smallest fish of all four and couldn't be happier. The guys seemed to have a great time and we all enjoyed ourselves. I can hardly wait for next years tourney.
Be sure to check out my good friends Maverick HPX. He is really looking forward to moving into a larger boat for him and his wife. He is willing to let it go for 20,500. Click on the link 
