Fishing Report - 03/27/10

GREETING FROM THE TROPICS

IT WAS LIKE LOOKING BACK ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF MODERN SALT WATER ANGLING IN SOUTH FLORIDA AS THIS WEEK'S ANGLERS JOINED PESCA PANAMA. MOST OF THESE GENTLEMEN WERE EITHER BORN OR RAISED IN THE FORT LAUDERDALE-MIAMI AREA AND HAVE BEEN AVID ANGLERS SINCE THEY WERE WADING IN KNEE PANTS. MY FRIEND, CHUCK IRWIN HAD PUT THE TRIP TOGETHER AND THE CAST OF FISHING CHARACTERS INCLUDED WITT HUDSON, CORTLAND PEDDY, HERMIE COS, LARRY SCHRODER, PETER SCWEITZER, GEORGE BUNNNELL AND CHARLIE PALMER. FROM THEIR MOUTHS FLOWED THE FISHING STORIES FROM THE EARLY DAYS OF FISHING IN SOUTH FLORIDA. LARRY ARRIVED WITH AN OLD FIN NOR 2 1/2. I ASK HIM IF I COULD EXAMINE THE REEL AND NOTICED HIS NAME ON IT. I INQUIRED WHEN AND WHERE HE GOT THE REEL. I LOVED HIS ANSWER, "OH, THAT WAS MY DAD'S REEL AND I GOT IT FOR HIM."

YELLOWFIN TUNA WAS ON THE MENU

THE YELLOWFIN TUNA BITE AT MONTUOSA CONTINUES. THE OCEAN IS FULL OF TUNA CRASHING INTO HUGE SCHOOLS OF BAIT THAT ARE TRYING TO ESCAPE BECOMING PART OF THE FOOD CHAIN. THERE IS SO MUCH BAIT IN THE WATER THAT I HAD CHUCK BRING US DOWN FROM FORT LAUDERDALE SOME LONG HANDLED, COMMERCIAL BAIT NETS SO OUR CREWS COULD JUST DIP THEIR LIVE BAIT RIGHT OUT OF THE BAIT BALLS THAT ARE TRYING TO HIDE UNDER THE BOATS!

MOST OF THE YELLOWFIN CAUGHT WERE IN THE 30 TO 80 LB RANGE AND PROVIDED A LOT OF FISHING ACTION. BOTH POPPERS AND LIVE BAIT WERE PRODUCING THIS WEEK. SEVERAL TUNA WERE TAKEN THAT WERE IN THE 120 TO 150 LB RANGE. CAPTAIN TOMMY'S ANGLERS HAD ONE OF THE BEST DAYS WHEN THEY LANDED 30 YELLOWFIN THAT INCLUDED A 230 LB TUNA THAT HERMIE BOATED. CHUCK AND BRAD WORKED TOGETHER TO BRING IN ANOTHER X-LARGE YELLOW THAT WEIGHTED 206 LBS. JUST A GREAT WEEK FOR TUNA FISHING!

CHUCK AND CHARLIE WERE SUCCESSFUL FISHING FOR SNOOK AT, WHERE ELSE, "THE SNOOK HOLE." WHILE CHARLIE WAS CATCHING SNOOK ON A CAST PLUG, CHUCK CAUGHT TWO SNOOK ON A FLY. A COUPLE OF THE SNOOK WEIGHTED IN AT JUST OVER 20 LBS ON CHUCK'S BOGA GRIP SCALE. THE ACTION CAME ON THE EVENING, HIGH TIDE.

HANNIBAL BANK STATED TO LIVEN UP A LITTLE THIS WEEK. GEORGE AND CORTLAND CAUGHT AND RELEASED AN ESTIMATED 450 LB BLACK MARLIN. THE FISH WAS HOOKED WHILE SLOW TROLLING A LIVE BONITA. BRAD AND PETER WERE SLOW TROLLING LIVE BONITA AT THE BANK WHEN A BLACK MARLIN ATE BOTH OF THEIR BAITS. THE MARLIN WAS ESTIMATED AT 400 LB AT ITS' RELEASE.

THEN THERE WERE ALL THE OTHER CATCHES MADE THAT HELPED TO MAKE THIS A GOOD WEEK OF FISHING. THEY INCLUDED; SAILFISH, DORADO, ROOSTERFISH, CUBERA SNAPPER, WAHOO, MULLET SNAPPER, AMBERJACK, JACK CREVALLE, BLUE TREVALLE, RAINBOW RUNNERS AND I AM SURE SEVERAL OTHER SPECIES.

JUST LIKE GOOD WHISKEY AND FINE WINE, FISHING STORIES SEEM TO BETTER AS THEY AGE. OR IS IT THAT THE STORIES TELLERS GET BETTER AT TELLING THEIR STORIES. EITHER WAY IT WAS A MOST ENJOYABLE WEEK OF FISHING HERE AT PESCA PANAMA. THANKS TO ALL OF OUR ANGLERS THIS WEEK.

TIGHT LINES,
CAPTAIN JAY GUSTIN

FISHING TIP OF THE WEEK: SEVERAL ANGLERS HAVE BEEN EMAILING ME ASKING ABOUT THE SIZE OF CIRCLE HOOKS THEY SHOULD BE USING. THE CURRENT THINKING IS THE WIDTH OF THE HOOK SHOULD BE NEAR THE SAME WIDTH OF OF THE SIZE OF THE HEAD OF THE BAIT YOU ARE USING. FOR INSTANCE; WE MIGHT USE A SIZE 7/0 CIRCLE HOOK WHEN FISHING WITH LIVE SARDINES, THEN A SIZE 14/0 WITH LIVE BLUE RUNNERS AND AN 18/0 WITH A LIVE BONITA. BOTTOM LINE IS TO MATCH THE SIZE OF THE HOOK TO THE WIDTH OF THE HEAD OF YOUR BAIT.

GREAT PHOTOS OF THE WEEK:


BRAD AND PETE'S BLACK MARLIN TAKES TO THE AIR


CHUCK WITH A "HOG" SIZED CUBERA SNAPPER


BRAD AND CHUCK WITH THEIR 200 LB PLUS YELLOWFIN


CHUCK AND MATE CHI CHI WITH A SNOOK CAUGHT ON A FLY


MATE CHI CHI HOLDS UP A NICE SNOOK CAUGHT BY LARRY


A SMILING GEORGE WITH AN AJ


CAPTAIN TATIN AND CHARLIE WITH A CUBERA SNAPPER


HERMIE WITH HIS 230 LB YELLOWFIN TUNA


MATE CHI CHI AND CHARLIE WITH A NICE ROOSTERFISH


LARRY WITH ONE OF THIS WEEK'S DORADO