M-4, Reef Balls and concrete culvert about 6 miles west of New Pass in Sarasota. We positioned the boat over the “Petey Reef”, 23 Reef Balls with the cremated remains of Carlton “Petey” Palmer and slipped into the water. We ended up between “Petey” and the concrete culverts. We started on the culverts and saw several snappers and some angelfish. Then we came to the Reef Balls, it was hard to make them out at first because the menhaden or porgy fish were schooling in the shape of Reef Balls so thick all I could see were fish. As we approached the Reef Balls emerged where the schools split to give us a view. Below were hundred of fish, especially the flounders, groupers, lizard fish, snappers, Spanish mackerel, king mackerel and a 6 foot barracuda apparently interested in eating the schooling bait fish. Once again the growth was fantastic….it looked so much better than the culverts that I could feel my chest swell with pride. The culverts had been down for 10 years, and these Reef Balls only one, but the Reef Balls actually had better growth! When we found the main group of Reef Balls, the story was the same and again I was proud. I followed 3 huge jewfish, one of them almost 6 feet long as they went back and forth between the Reef Balls and the culverts obviously claiming all of the reef as there own. I noticed some experimental Reef Balls with concrete poured inside with secondary domes and noted that the smallest of fish seemed to like this idea....I made notes to pass along to future builders of Reef Balls.
