Fishing Report - 02/06/10

GREETING FROM THE TROPICS

THIS WEEK WE WERE HAPPY TO WELCOME BACK A GREAT GROUP OF GUYS THAT BROTHERS, GARY AND TERRY MAUSNER PUT TOGETHER. JOINING THEM WERE TEXANS, FATHER AND SON JOHN AND JASON FULLER, RON ELLISOR, JEFF WOODWARD, DALE GOLDEN, PERRY SENDUKAS, JIM REDMOND AND ONE IRISHMAN, MARTIN LEE.

AFTER THE SLOW FISHING AND GREEN WATER WE EXPERIENCED LAST WEEK WE WERE EXCITED TO SEE CRYSTAL CLEAR BLUE WATER AND BIRD ACTIVITY AT LADRONES ISLAND. AFTER FISHING FOR FIVE MINUTES GARY AND TERRY HOOKED INTO THE FIRST OF 9 SAILFISH THAT WERE LANDED THAT AFTERNOON. ADDING TO THE ACTION, RON TANGLED WITH AN ESTIMATED 400 LB BLACK MARLIN FOR 45 MINUTES AS IT FOUGHT DOWN AND DIRTY. JUST AS THEY HAD THE MARLIN ALONG SIDE THE BOAT SHE DECIDED TO GIVE IT ONE LAST GO. THE MARLIN RAPIDLY TURNED 90 DEGREES AND MADE A DIVE UNDER THE FISHING BOAT COMING UP ON THE OTHER SIDE. RON WAS LEFT STANDING WITH A BROKEN ROD, A PARTED LINE AND A FISHING STORY TO TELL FOR THE REST OF HIS LIFE. LAST YEAR RON AND JEFF RELEASED 5 MARLIN UP TO 600 LBS IN A WEEK AND SAID THAT WITHOUT A DOUBT THIS BLACK MARLIN PULLED HARDER THAN ANY THEY HAD PREVIOUSLY CAUGHT.

NEXT DAY, ON TO MONTUOSA WE GO WITH HIGH EXPECTATIONS OF THE FISH ON THE BITE! HERE MARTIN CAUGHT AND RELEASED HIS FIRST BLACK MARLIN, ESTIMATED WEIGHTING AROUND 300 LBS. A COUPLE OF BIG SAILS WERE ALSO LANDED. BUT THE HIGH EXPECTATION OFFSHORE WERE NOT PANNING OUT SO A COUPLE OF THE BOATS MOVED INSHORE WHERE THEY FOUND THE FISHING ACTION MUCH BETTER.

DAY THREE FOUND ONE OF OUR BOATS HEADED IN TO CHANGE OUT A TRANSMISSION WHILE OUR OTHER FOUR BOATS WERE UNDERWAY TO JICRON AND JICARITA ISLAND. HERE THEY FOUND THE SEA TEAMING WITH SCHOOLS OF BONITA THAT WERE GORGING ON SARDINES. THE YELLOWFIN WERE SLICING THEIR WAY THROUGH THE BAITFISH. OUR ANGLERS FOUND WITH SO MUCH NATURAL FEED THAT THE TUNA WERE PICKY EATERS. JASON, AN EXPERIENCED FISHERMAN, TIED A JIG ON A LIGHT 40 LB TEST LINE AND MADE A CAST. BAM, A 125 LB YELLOWFIN ATE THE JIG AND WAS AT COLOR AND IN THE BOAT 40 MINUTES LATER. SEVERAL OTHER TUNA WERE ALSO CAUGHT BUT THE BITE WAS NOT HOT. A COUPLE OF SAILS WERE LANDED AS WERE SOME NICE SIZE DORADO BUT AGAIN THE INSHORE FISHERY WAS WHERE THE ACTION WAS. THE ROCKS AND REEFS AROUND THE ISLANDS WERE HOLDING FISH! BOTH JEFF AND JIM CAUGHT AND RELEASED 60 LB CUBERA SNAPPERS. TERRY AND RON WERE SUCCESSFUL IN LANDING 40 LB TO 45 LB ROOSTERFISH. A TOTAL OF 42 BIG MULLET SNAPPERS WERE CAUGHT WITH THE MAJORITY OF THEM BEING RELEASED. ADDING TO THE CATCH WERE AMBERJACK, JACK CREVALLE, BLUE TREVALLE, ROCK SNAPPER AND HUGE RAINBOW RUNNERS.

ONCE AGAIN ON DAY FOUR THE BOATS HEADED OUT IN SEARCH OF BLACK MARLIN. AFTER HAVING THE BAITS IN THE WATER FOR 5 MINUTES NEAR JICARON ISLAND, JEFF "WOODY" WOODWARD WAS PINNED UP TO A FIVE HUNDRED POUND BLACK MARLIN THAT WOULD BATTLE HIM FOR CLOSE TO AN HOUR AND A HALF. NOT ONLY WAS THIS FISH THE BIGGEST MARLIN CATCH OF HIS LIFE, BUT IT PUT ON AN AERIAL DISPLAY THAT WILL NOT SOON BE FORGOTTEN.

DAY FIVE WE FOUND THE DORADO ON THE BITE AT MONTUOSA WHEN THE MARLIN DECIDED TO JOIN IN ON THE ACTION. WHILE PERRY WAS BRINGING IN A NICE BULL DORADO THE FISH BIT A RIGGED BONITA AND THE FIGHT WAS ON. LANDING THE FISH IN UNDER 30 MINUTES; JIM REDMOND, PUT A CLEAN RELEASE ON AN ESTIMATED 450 LB BLACK MARLIN.

SO THE WEEK'S FISHING WENT. OUR ANGLERS HAD IDEAL FISHING CONDITIONS AND SOME NICE CATCHES WERE MADE. BUT THE BITE WAS SLOWER THAN USUAL. THANK YOU TO ALL THE ANGLERS FISHING WITH US THIS WEEK. THE FISHING WAS A LITTLE SLOW BUT I THINK THEY SET A NEW BOAT RECORD ON DRINKING JAMIE'S MARGARITAS.


TIGHT LINES,
CAPTAINS JAY GUSTIN AND BEN FLOYD

FISHING TIP OF THE WEEK: THIS WEEK I WAS SURPRISED TO HEAR THAT SOME OF THE CHARTER OPERATORS IN OUR AREA WERE NOT PRACTICING "CATCH AND RELEASE" ON INSHORE SPECIES. EVEN MORE ALARMING, SOME SPORT FISHING CAPTAINS ARE SELLING THEIR CATCH IN THE LOCAL MARKET. THIS TYPE OF SHORT SIGHTEDNESS AND LACK OF CONSERVATION WILL HELP TO DIMINISH THE WORLD CLASS INSHORE FISHERY THAT WE NOW ENJOY. ONE TIME WHEN GUY HARVEY WAS FISHING WITH PESCA PANAMA HE SAID, "THE SPORT IS IN THE CATCHING NOT IN THE KILLING!" WHO EVER YOU CHOOSE TO FISH WITH PLEASE REQUIRE THAT EVERY INSHORE FISH THAT CAN BE RELEASED ALIVE BE RETURNED TO THE SEA TO BE ENJOYED ANOTHER DAY.

PHOTOS OF THE WEEK:


JIM AND LUCHO WITH A SUPERSIZED CUBERA


RON WITH A BEAUTIFUL ROOSTERFISH


MARTIN PUTTING THE RELEASE ON ANOTHER CUBERA


TERRY AND GARY WITH ANOTHER GREAT CUBERA


JASON WITH AN ESTIMATED 60 LB REEF DONKEY


PERRY WITH ONE OF MANY MULLET SNAPPER CAUGHT THIS WEEK


GARY WITH A BEAUTIFUL ROOSTERFISH


JOHN WITH A NICE CUBERA SNAPPER


RON WITH A FINAL FINAL CUBERA


JASON WITH A TUNA THAT ATE HIS JIG. GOTTA LOVE EM!