Glad to be on the water again after many days off due to weather..summer is over for sure..but the fishing is still great when we can sneak out between the fronts..Capt Hunter ran an overnight trip with Jody Thornhill and all from Memphis on Wednesday night - they had moved thier trip up a day to take advantage in the recent break in the wind..they filled the box with 8 fish releasing the others they caught..I didnt see him until after he cleaned his boat on Thursday morning but they said all the fish were 100 pounds or better..they came in a few hours early..I also ran an overnight trip of sorts..I had that same day scheduled as a maintenance day and after everything was done I left out with Capt. Scott Leger and Joe for a shot at swordfish..forecast was too good not to try and there were 3 others gearing up to do the same when we were getting loaded up..we eventually left at sundown and as soon as we got set up the wind picked up..trypical trip for me I thought..and as such, seas built through the night until they were a solid 3-5 ft..we stuck it out going nearly tippy canoe twice and even so we nearly called it early twice..not much action until about 3am when we got into a flurry..
We had 3 fish hooked up pulling hooks..two fish hit baits while we were bringing them in to check them..one sword about 80 pounds swam right to the transom..we tried to bait him but he dissappeared as quick as he came..looked like a baracuda with a bill..eventually I came tight on a good fish which we fought in the slop for roughly an hour..turned out to be a foul hooked 100 pound sword..mission accomplished..this is the first swordfish I have caught myself in our home waters and I feel for those who pay for the privelege..it was pretty cool..expected alot bigger fish but he still pulled quite well for a little chunker..Pretty interesting run of overnight trips would follow in the coming days..weather is a funny thing this time of year and I will say it again..summer is over..I had the Junio/Pastor bunch in from Atlanta..Originally they were scheduled for two consecutive day trips but with the narrow weather window and recent overnight fishing results I was able to talk them into cramming their two-day fishing trip into 24 hours..We waited for the break Friday and it came by afternoon; so we loaded up and rode the following sea south..goal was to cover all the bases..one tuna for each of the guys, then a swordfish and then wahoo, grouper, amberjack and finally cobia ..all this and returning home bfore dark Saturday..everything was going to plan by 11pm winds had died completely and we had 4 yellowfins in the boat and enough blackfin for grouper bait..all fish coming off chum no surface activity aside from a few blackfins boiling mullet..we needed one more yellowfin leaving half the night to try and add a sword to the mix..about 11:05 an enourmous mako showed in the slick and by the time I was halfway down the tower to fetch a shark leader one of the guys hooked him on a tuna chunk..figured it would cut off and return to the chum but instead it took off.. not sure how we survived that run..this was a huge mako..as long as my boat was wide, ice blue and a pointy nose Posetive ID but not sure how big..it looked massive..I figured it over 600#..none the less we not only survived the 200 yard run but even a birdsnest which occured while my angler was tryng to reel with two hands..anyway we survived getting it out by backing down imediately and still it took me a minute to get out..this only to break off 15 minutes later and about 1 mile from the rig where we hooked it..we had backed off the drag consideing the leader chasing with two engiones most of the time anyway..needless to say we never saw it again..ended up getting eaten alive by blackfins for the next hour so we hooked it up for the shelf..winds had died and seas were a perfect slow rolling 2 ft swell..clear as a bell..too nice to go to sleep..got set up about 2am waiting 30 minutes for our first bite..fish on..then a second bite and fish on again..picked up the spread and chased both fish..30 minutes later hammerhead one was released followed in short order by hammerhead number 2..
Reset and waited another hour for fish number three to hit..which resuted in yet another hammerhead..we were using live bait off the transom and the hammerheads were loving them..we must have seen a 100 mullet in the lights during the night..then finally with an hour to sunup we got the bite we wanted on a deep squid..fish took the bait made a good run out and away.had it on for a few minutes before it jumped about 100 yards away with the line going slack afterwards..fish on fish off, but the right fish this time..made another set picking up nothing..on to plan C..couldnt find an amberjack or grouper so we hit about a dozen rigs looking for wahoo..not one bite..very odd..nothing despite great conditons..In between stops I saw a few frigate birds circling above a large school of nervous mullet in about 300 ft of water..looked to be about a dozen huge yelowfins balling them up taking well timed turns at knocking a few around...got to within 30 yards and launched a popper..the bait was picked up immediately by a beast of a yellow..it made a huge run, sizzling the reel..then slack..hoped it had changed dirtection but it actually spit the bait..popper was crushed and hooks mangled..not sure if we would have landed it anyway but we were wiling to put man and tackle to the test..would have been a boat record for sure..we have yet to land one over 120 on a spinning rod..tried to get back on the mullet but the tuna would spook before we could get in range..we set out two live mullets and waited..nothing..same story when we tried to jump the school for a third time..spooky tuna..first time is always the best shot..but it didnt pan out for us..about 11am now and wind now picking to at least 15 knots..made another attempt a wahoo with everyone getting a nap...decided to head north and look for cobia..first stop had two willing fish but we werent ready with the pitch baits and they disappeared after charging a jig..never saw them again..now its officially rough and wind and rain bands hitting with regular frequency..made three more stops finding 4 short fish and breaking off three keepers..
We would hit half a dozen more spots finding two 40 inch fish and calling it by early afternoon..think we caught one legal red snaper and an amberjack while cobia fishing..plenty bluefish and bull reds as well...Capt Bill left out as we were coming in having an equally frustrating night with the Floyd crew from Halliburton..I talked to Joe this evening he said the captain put them on the fish when they were bitng but they had some trouble keepng them hooked up..he said they had 4 nice yellows and a handfull of barley legals and all the blackfin they could stand..the bite was off for the most part..Capt Hunter actually took my Sunday crew out last night coming in by morning with 6 yellowfins..it was a good call as the weather was tolerable last night and the bite fair....bad weather hit Venice about mid morning and its supposed to crank up to 40 knots by tomorrow with temp cranked down to the 50's as well..might be a few cobia around after this cooloff but I have offcially written off the wahoo for now..have to make our trips when the weaher allows..looks like Wednesday will be the next and only window this week ..Paradise Outfitters - 985-845-8006
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