Trip #8

Thunderbird 2.5 day

Departure Sept 26th

Return Sept 29th AM

Trip 8, Our last trip of the year.

What a good to great trip with consistent fishing that largely stayed that way.

Day 1:

We left the bait barge around 10:30 and headed south.  At 4:30 AM we stopped and 10-14 of us started dropping without any results. I quit around 5:00 AM and went back to bed.  There were many boats around us but largely in the distance.  At 6:30, grey light, there were fishing coming through at 150ft.  With 80% of the group fishing there we had no bites.  At 7:00 we started looking elsewhere.  8:10, one bite on the troll but came undone.  Around 8:30 one fish was boated, a blue shark by Cory? but it wasn't tuna.  We were fishing in shallower water.  Patrick brought up a white fish.

Around 9:00, the BF decided to commence their work day.  We soon had 3 fish hanging with me recalling it be Cory, Bill and Al to be bit first.  The fishing was a continual pick with flurries of 3-5 fish hanging until 5:00, when Hayden turned on the strobe light, signifying cocktail time.  Actually, I believe Hayden turned on the light a little after 4:00, following a fight with a fish for 20 minutes only to lose at the boat.  The fishing was really nice and consistent with some folks crushing it.  I only managed to get one in and just couldn’t get things going again.  I did have an exciting bite on the retrieve, hooking a marlin on 30lbs test, which lasted about 6 seconds.  High achievers included Cory with 6-8, likely 8, Al and Noah with 5 perhaps more,  Oscar, Kyle, Roy and Bill with 3-4.  I recall some slow fishing after 5:00 where a couple were hooked, I think. In any event, we finished the day with 53 BFT and 2 YF.  Cory won the pool and the patch with a standout 79lbs fish.  Most of the fish were in the 25-40lbs range.  

¾ of the bait was pretty weak with ¼ being from a previous trip, that was exceptional.  By end of day, the remaining bait was terrible.  Jeff, without hesitation, headed back to port to replenish.  The next morning, we woke up in the same area, or so I believe, with fresh, lively bait albeit a bit small but surely a game changer for day 2. 

Day 2:

6:00 started dropping on a bait ball with 12 or so fishing but nothing happened.

7:45-8:30, scattered fish with BF boated.  Smaller grade fish with the biggest maybe 25lbs.  Again, we were in shallow water with many, many boats in sight.

10:00-12:00, we made two stops. First stop boated 9BF.  Next stop 8BF and 15 YF.

Moved a bit and the consistent pick continued.  By 2:30 the day 2 count was BF22 and 53YF.

We left at 3:20 with 24BF and 56YF and began moving north.  A little after 4:00 the American Angler passed us off a biting school with a consistent bite that lasted until dark.   We ended the day with 46BF and 57YT.  Fishing was consistent all day long with many more fish caught than on day 1.  I did much better boating 6.  Cory must have had 10.  The same folks as the day before did really well. The pool fish went to Romeo with a 40 lber, Patrick took the patch with a 38 lber.

What struck me the most on this trip, for whatever reason, was the delight on everyone’s face as they were hooked up.  There was much joy on the faces of Ron, Hayden, Steve, John, Jeffy, etc.  As for humor, we only got one joke out Tommy…it was his left handed punch line joke…if you know, you know, so I won’t spoil it as…we will hear it again!  The smile on Tommy’s face was better, much better, than his joke but again, it was a trip of happy moments. Patrick provided quality entertainment, and I say that kindly, as he almost missed the last call for dinner while trying to see how many times he could walk a BF around the boat.  After he lost count, he finally ended his 30+ minute battle with a beautiful, cookie cutter fish.  I believe that was our last fish, with Patrick not wanting to end a day of stellar catching.

 I look forward to seeing everyone at the picnic.