Well I ruined the surprise. Great trip with my good pal John Hunsucker and Jack Dulaney and Jim and James and Don..Very hot day today. nothing would go right at the start..plan was to marlin fish and bottom fish with the possibility of drifting for swordfish..
I arrived at the marina well before our scheduled 10am departure to add provisions this all after getting the boat ready the night before..half the party showed up on time but it didn't matter..there was no fuel available since some nice guy had pulled in before me and taken the last 2000 gallons in the tank..well the commercial dock was overloaded with boats waiting on the pump so I ran further down the jump to the last fuel dock..it too with a wait for fuel. and to make along story short..when I did get fuel it came rushing out of the hole after the dock hand had switched tanks; this spraying just about everywhere and worse into the live well, cockpit, over the gunnel and all over my marlin baits I had set out..what a catastrophe...I kept it cool though - no putter throw today..
Now its 10:15 and I still have to idle all the way through the jump and get back to the marina to pick up allowing ample time to clean up the fuel spill. I ended up changing the skirts on 3 of the baits and soaked the other two in pogey oil and soap..(none would catch a fish so you can rule out diesel as a fish attractant)..got out offshore about 1pm and put out the billfish spread in open bluegreen water..did alot of open water trolling as in the days before and sadly with the same result ...big zero...pulled on a good color change for a while and didn't get one bite..and I gave the guarantee too..oh well can't always be right..about 6pm we decided we would try the "hot tuna bite" I had told them about..well guess what..it was cold to luke warm. managed one good yellowfin and two small ones (which we use as bait late the next morning) and two of the fattest blackfin I have ever seen..about 30 to dark I gave the order..no more tuna fishing..we headed up on the shelf for a try at swordfish..got set up about 8:45 and set about to wait..
We would get a double strike about 9pm..just as everyone was settling in..fish number one took the shallow tip rod and as I was getting him fish number two grabbed the deep tip..doubled up..Jack was sure he had a shark and I thought otherwise when I saw both lights up on the surface..two jumps from the larger fish would cancel out the shark idea..Jack fought his sword about 15 minutes while John hauled him aboard for the Balancing Act's first swordfish catch ever..fish number two would prove to be a handfull..took 2 anglers 45 more minutes to bring it to gaff..103 overall and 62 inch fork..very thick..fish cleaner estimated the fish at 130-140#..we got set up about 45 minutes later and after an hour's soak and building seas it was decided we would try bottom fishing....
Bottomfishing was a little slow as compared to recent trips (commercial snapper season opened 2 days before)..not counting amberjacks we had a tough time with big fish..only caught one big mama snapper about 25 pounds..the rest 18-24 inch fish. not sure where the jacks showed up from but they managed to chase away all the grouper..not one..ended up with a limit of jacks 12 snapper 5 tuna and 2 swords..Not to shabby...
