Man vs Pelagic ~ An Epic Battle

Dads Dream

Captains Log- October 5, 2008- Gloucester

Once in a lifetime something may happen to you that is so unbelievable that it is hard to explain, it's hard to remember all the details, it's hard to remember the timeline and sequence of events, it's even harder to imagine the potential audience that may be reading your tale for years to come. I will make every effort to bring our story to life and put you onboard my boat in what will prove to be a truly epic tale of Man vs Pelagic- now hold on to something!

Rewind the clock to Sat night, Oct 4th- last three emails on the blackberry- #1: Jeremy- (Nina)- "ok, man- meet you down there- we're leaving York by 4am sharp" #2: Dan Stewart- Tuna Meltdown "Ok, Rich, cool- so you're heading to NWC- I might start near the BE and work my way out to NWC- I'll be on 65- Tuna Meltdown" #3: Vin McCarthy- Seaker "Dan- Shoe & Rich- guys I'll be on Da Bank SWC in the wee hours- catchemup boys- Seaker on 65!"

And with that confirmation of several buddy boats, I made one last look at NOAA- it looks all good, Sunday would have winds 5-10 W-SW, seas 1-2 ft dropping to 1 ft or less; showers likely in the afternoon under cloudy skies

Sunday 0500- arrive at the Gloucester HS ramp- we're about the 10th boat to arrive- launch in absolute darkness- creep out into the harbor, sneak out around the breakwater, [cell phone vibrates- it's Jeremy on NINA- "Hey, we're just arriving and trying to park my rig- boats in the water- this place is a zoo- and we were only 20 minutes behind you…..ok, see you on the bank"- Jeremy is a good friend and lives in York, Maine- we've been fishing for years together and we decided to run our boats in tandem today ] grey light- running now- set the course in the chartplotter- mark #68 on NWC where Dads Dream boated its first BFT in Sept '08- zoom- we're closing in our mark-

Ok, now it's time to introduce the 3-man team to you:

Seth- a new SFC member, from York, ME a highly skilled angler with saltwater in his veins, he's been on my boat many times and has seen every record fish ever hauled over the side in 2008

Chris- lives in Eliot, ME loves to chase saltwater fish with a flyrod and also spends time on remote Canadian waters after salmon- strong as an ox and always a great guy to have around (Chris & I rec'd our OUPV licenses in Jan '08 together with (Jeremy- on NINA))

Me- grew up in NJ- some early bluewater experience at a young age (OCMD & Hatteras)~ yellowfin, wahoo, mahi, white & blue marlin all by age 14- didn't get back into saltwater until about 4 yrs ago- now spend all my saltwater time in Gulf of ME waters

Chris is at the helm, Seth & I deploy the spread: 1 unweighted sluggo off the port rigger and a sluggos daisy chain off the strbd rigger- waaay back, 2 deep divers short off stern rod holders, 1 more sluggo behind small orange 5-bird daisy chain, and the 6th line was Fishermans Outfitter green mackerel chain on titanium bar- awesome- we are SET!

Whoa! Air traffic control is tough out here- between the melee of humpbacks - birds - and already 100-200 boats at 0630am……this is tough maneuvering

Now, is it me….or is it that the weekend fishing crowd is a little less friendly than the weekday crowd? Seems like the smaller your boat, the less respect you will receive…or something like that. For in the middle of all the activity already underway, we got pinched by boats 4-5x in the first half hour- seemed to be a combination of distracted drivers, larger boats (than mine) with the intention of holding their line regardless of others- enough on that.

Exit stage EAST for my team- we dragged our spread outside the the whale action- we pulled the mack chain from our spread as it didn't match the hatch- and the 6th line created tougher turns. Now we're five lines, two deep divers- 3 sluggo combinations~ CRAP, two more lines wrap~ we reel up the sluggo flat line with bird chain and the sluggo daisy chain~ untangle them. Check the deep divers for weeds- clean/clean- check/check. Decide to swap out one of the deep divers for a new Braid green mack marauder- reconnect the leader- spring- 200lb Jinkai crimp- spring…done! Fish it~ swap the other Braidrunner http://braidproducts.com/catalog/p35.htm (#20 blue mack 25' diver) and pull it off the Penn 30 TW and put it on the Penn 50 VSW~ Fish it!

Back in action again- 5 lines- running true- clean water- less boat traffic- we are now edging a little N & E of NWC, maybe 4-5 miles away from the previous melee of activity. I employ a strategy shared on SFC by Shoefish- something about trim your outboard up to create a greater surface commotion- prop wash- more action. I think I remember reading about this as an effective tactic up on Jeffries Ledge for tuna- ahhh, who knows, might work.

Radio- "Dads Dream~ Dads Dream- this is NINA" ~ Go ahead Nina~ "Hey Rich- how are you guys doing? We just put a fish on the boat a nice 56"~ we are south of the whale activity~ where are you guys?" Hey Jeremy, that's awesome- we're way outside that craziness but we'll come your way to see the fish~ I remember popping in an AC/DC CD 'Who Made Who'…..and fired it up….

We make a turn, set the course, 4.98 DTG…..ok, we'll just troll in his direction….

BBbbbbbbbbbZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzztttttttt !

Our deep diver port is going off and DUMPING line!

Seth dives off the wheel and is on the rod in a flash

Chris and I clear the lines quickly as this line is ripping straight back and running high~

I take the helm- a round of hoots & hollers & high 5's…it's 8:40am…..and we're tight! Chris is psyched- we were hoping to show him some action. Seth was on the boat earlier in Sept when we boated our 1st BFT

Ok, Seth, let's get you in the bow, Chris 'grab the big belt- it's in the fish box- ok, good - strap him IN!!!!'

WEAPONRY: Penn 50 VSW, Penn International V- VS 5010ARA60- 6'0"- straight butt, Jerry Brown 130 lb hollow core spectra- white, Mamoi clear 80 lb top shot (100-150 yds)- 250 lb swivel, Jinkai 200lb smoke blue leader- Braidrunner (blue mack- link above)- 200 lb Jinkai crimp

Seth's in the bow- (after having fought our last tuna from the starboard stern position- we decided it safer to take the engine (Yam 200 HPDI) out of play- giving the captain more options and the angler more freedom to move~ this would prove to be both helpful and extremely dangerous in the ensuing battle).

In the initial run and getting Seth positioned, we realized the reel had dumped more than half the spool (this JB line has not seen the light of day since being loaded 3 yrs ago- and this day would give it the opportunity to show itself over & over again)~ we bump the boat into gear and begin hitting the throttle more & more as we realize this fish continues to dump line off the 50 wide!!??

I grab the radio- hail Jeremy on NINA- report that we're tight and Seth's on the fish…..

After the first runoff, we're cranked up to 6-7 knots and Seth's got the reel in hi speed grabbing back line as fast as possible. Chris is standing beside him watching as the line is straight ahead off starboard side- gaining line back now…..Seth is an animal- right arm is cranking big revs- loading back the line nice & level…..Holy Crap…..I'm in the top shot now…….ALRIGHT!! Nice work Seth!! Gaining on him…..we grab back what might be half the top shot (and this would become a subject of much debate as the battle wore on…..HOW MUCH TOP SHOT DID YOU PUT ON THIS REEL CAPTAIN??!!- ie- it'd be nice to know how close this fish is)

As the boat approaches what appears to be half the top shot of Mamoi clear 80 lb…….
BBBBbbbbbzzzzzzzzzzzztttttttttttttttttttttTTTTTTTT TTTTTT The fish takes off again……this time with more vehement and energy! OMG!!! Seth yells out "RICH….RICH…..you gotta run after him again…..it's dumping again" Back up to 6-7 knots…hauling back the line…..but the fish is still pulling hard

I never really understood how my (late) Father (my Dad (thus the name, Dads Dream) spent most of his life perfecting the art of freshwater fishing- between the reservoirs of NJ such as Round Valley & Spruce Run & Lake Hopatcong; and also Lake Ontario in NY, he enjoyed studying a lake and learning how to stack lines on the downriggers, run combinations of planer boards with downriggers in the spring in Lake Ontario off Sodus Pt, NY- targeting the early season 'football brown trout' and coho & steelhead. And in the fall, he'd spend a month or more with friends, clients & family fishing out of the Gennessee River (downtown Rochester, NY- Stutson St bridge) where he'd target the fall run of Chinook (King) salmon as they performed their fall-spawning run.)- I digress, My Dad would tell me how he got more pleasure "putting people on fish" and watching them/ enjoying their fight from the helm~ and with in the beginning stages of this fight that Seth was into, I was about to be in my Dad's shoes for the 2nd time in less than a month- and what a great place to be.

Ok, Seth's into this fish…..I think an hour has gone by…..I get a hail from NINA……Yep, we're still on this fish…..and [laugh-laugh] Seth is getting his arse-whooped by the fish….yuk-yuk…..

The fights getting a little more serious now- we've got to navigate more boat traffic than earlier. I jump on the radio 6-5 and deliver a mono-tone….."I am a red hull- red t-top CC~ we are in the vicinity of……and we have an angler in the bow….." CRAP- doesn't look like this boat is noticing us coming up on his starboard side….again….on the radio- identify the boat we're approaching on Ch 65…..the line is off the bow….we're hauling back asap…..but…..DARN….didn't want to do this…….5 BLASTS on the horn…..danger signal…..the 2 guys onboard heed our warning….look up - cleaer their 2-3 lines off their stern……CRAP….this is gonna be close……ok!!! We're clear of them!!! Thanks guys!

An hour and 15 min- Seth is screaming for rest now…..he's spent……CHRIS……!!! You're up man! [Chris is a big guy- he's 6'2"- all muscle- he's the guy you want on your football team- he's a person that makes you laugh- great positive attitude and this guy was PRAYING to have a shot at actually pulling on a big fish! Well, buddy, here's your chance!

Two Hours- Damn! Chris- we gotta get your watch & ring off….mine too…..ok, there…..don't want to risk injury or worse- damage the line. Chris is all smiles- he's hollering out joyful….OMG….this is a fish! (possibly comparing it to his biggest striper on the flyrod or salmon in Matapedia, Quebec)~ MAN! And this fish proceeds to run off another SCREAMER of a tear- 200-300++ yards…..WTF!!?? Chris works on getting a steady rhythm of pump and reel down…..he's strong and makes easy work of hauling back the line (oh, Seth's running the boat…..his left arm is having some spasms from his first,of what would become MULTIPLE, rotations on the rod.) Seth has determined we're most effective if we run 7-10 knots after the fish dumps line off the reel, we give the fish VERY LITTLE recovery time…..thus, we're kicking ARSE!

Two and a half hrs- Chris?? What do you mean, you're done…..? Ok, bud- Awesome job…..Seth, you ready? No?? Captain is up! Dude! Yes! I get to haul on this fish too!! Strap in, grab the pole……..handoff from Chris…….and THUD!!!!!!! Are you kidding me??? [Ok, now I kind of knew what to expect…..not that I can remember fighting a blue girl from a fighting chair in the Gulfstream for 2 hrs at age 14…..that fish would be released and the certificate from NC would read 300 lbs……] but this THUD of a pull was unlike anything I've ever felt before.

BBBbbbbbzzzzzzzzttttttt- the fish makes probably the 5th or 6th now 'signature' run offs…..straight away……
[now, somewhere between the 2nd & 3rd hours the 3 of us had some crazy talk as follows: "Rich, seriously man, what are the chances we actually foul-hooked a whale?…..No, I mean it…..could it happen???—-awwww, wait, even if we did it would have surfaced by now for air, RIGHT?????"~~ Captain's answer: Hell if I know, Seth??!!! I mean really….ummmm, I don't think so (think we were having 2nd thoughts now?) Then we talked about this being a big shark- and an Ocean Sunfish was also suggested…..LOL…..right- the last O.S. I saw was going slower than a snail in 4-6 ft seas downwind.] Back to my first pull on the rod, I'm able to shorten the distance but the fish is heading south…..(at one point, I was reporting we were at NE corner and heading toward Isles of Shoals (NH)….but, we were actually heading south…..(somehow, my wonderful Humminbird Matrix 97 would reset from Orientation North to who-the-hells-knows-what??)…..we were actually tracking south off the easterly edge of Stellwagen…..CRAP….see that anchor ball 1/2 mile away??? Heading right for it….!!!! Phew…..missed it by 150 ft……but UH-OH….that green lobster pot buoy…..and is it part of a string??!!! Now, you may not believe this, but I imagined that this fish spotted the running line of the lobster pot string…..for when we bisected that line he turned 90 degrees and was running straight for that green buoy…..but, no….missed it by no more than 50 ft…..CLEAR!!!! Still heading S-SE……next port o'call is Wildcat…..WTF??? Ok, looks at the nav marks, he has dragged us 16-18 miles….

During my turns on the reel (maybe 3- 4x) I remember feeling the raw power of the fish with it's steady rhythm of what felt like its tail pulsing and those vibrations transmitting up the running line through the rollers on my rod into my arms. This fish had raw power like a locomotive…..just pulling along at a steady pace. We noticed that he became most agitated when we gain back the line and force him to what must have been within close range of the boat. Also, we noticed that when we had to back at full throttle reverse based on his sudden movements…..it would become really really angry and almost always rip off 100-200 yd tear!?

Nutrition & Drinks- Somewhere in this timeframe I remember Chris was playing Chef Emeril as he made 3 perfect PB&Js…..LOL….! I love PB&Js….ok, gimme a bite & a Gatorade chaser!! We would not eat another thing from roughly 11am until 900pm when we were sitting in a diner near Rowley Mass reflecting on our epic day.

PAST HOUR # 3 & 1/2- I manage to be on the reel for maybe an hour or so, and we holler to Seth for relief…..switch anglers NEW ROTATION…..now, in all the melee onboard, there's been chatter on the radio between boats. We're hearing of boats with huge success & going 2 for 3, 3 for 4, etc. NINA hails us for updates several times throughout the first few hours- sometimes we are able to give courteous replies and others are quick…..short…..we're chasing the fish…..gotta go (sorry guys for that)!

Location update: Somewhere down the easterly edge (roughly middle of Stellwagen)

Radio crackles: "Dads Dream- Dads Dream on 6-8- This is Seaker"-
Hey Vin, this is Rich it's great to hear your voice man. Rich, sounds like you've got a chubby on the line there…how's that crew holding up, man? [Now this is such a welcome call at this point for our crew. All 3 of us have fished with Vin before and we knew we had a friend and some rock-solid advice from one of the area's most experienced big game anglers] Now, I forget who's on the rod at this point, but I remember that we're like 4 hrs on the rod….and I'm looking for some help. We have not seen color yet- we have not had the fish anywhere NEAR the boat yet…..the crew is wondering about a lot of things.

I remember Chris asking the question…..something like 'Do we have any business tangling with a fish this size?; Do we really think that our equipment is sufficient to land this fish?'

So, in similar fashion I pose the obvious questions to Vin….on Channel 6-4; and I think by this time some other boats were tuning into our dilemma. If I told you that Vin's response was motivating/ was the juice that would carry us for several more hours…..that would be an understatement! Vin put it in simple words for us: "Guys, now listen to me, you have the boat, the gear, the harpoon, gaff, tail rope….you've been chasing these fish for 3-4 yrs now, this is what you came out here to do…….and by god……you're onto a big fish……you are doing all the right things……you stay on that fish…..I am standing by (about 10 miles to our E)~ I've got food & water - whatever you need- you just holler"

And with that…..we all let out a YESSSSSSSSS! He's right…..let's keep it up guys.

Somewhere shortly after this and between hours 3-4 or so, I remember tapping into the boat med kit for aspirin & motrin as Seth & Chris were seeking relief from back pain and arm spasms.

I also remember Seth quietly announcing to me he'd been watching my fuel guage throughout the day….and was it true we had burned 50% of my tank? Well, it's 106 gallons, that's a really efficient engine, we only ran 15 miles at WOT, then we've been basically trolling speed since. Can't be correct- I know my boat- we'll be fine….thanks for noticing it though, Seth.

A funny retrospective announcement by Chris somewhere during the day would be the simple statement "Damn it….why couldn't we have just hooked one of those fish like you guys did last time….you know a 50" something….we'd have it in the boat….and…..!!??" [And we all secretly probably wondered how our day would have differed had we had a normal 60-80min fight….etc]

Four Hrs became 5 Hrs became 6 hrs- and I can't remember exactly but a call on Ch 6-5 from Tuna Meltdown (Dan Stewart) was hailing us. He was NE of us, we were trying to determine where we were on the chart- my intel is upside down (to my normal nav view)……I decide to reset the friggin' chart plotter…..THERE…..all set…..Dan- here's where we are….down the easterly edge of Stell. working out toward WILDCAT?? I strike up a conversation with Dan about our situation….and we are second guessing our Penn 50W and the braking system…..we're also asking for ideas on the behavior of a GBFT toward the "END"….and he talked about the death spiral (something I've heard before but never seen)……

I think Chris was on the rod at this point and Seth at the helm- Seth is navigating the boat, aligning the running line off the starboard bow side……Chris and I were working in tandem whereby, he's got the rod across my back, I'm facing the water- together we are lifting the rod and he's reeling down……this gives Chris arm relief and a little more power now that we've eclipsed the 6 hr mark.

More chatter with Seaker and Nina….and it sounds like Nina has made an unbelievable decision to run from somewhere on the northerly edge of the bank to come and intercept us. Ok, we came out here as buddy boats….to go out an enjoy the day- swapping intel- sharing whats' what…..but this goes beyond! We are pumped. During their 20 mile run to us- in radio chatter, we decide that Jeremy will jump onto our boat as a fresh angler. He's got a harness- thigh plate fighting belt and he is FRESH AND PUMPED.

HOUR # 7- On Nina, Jeremy has two other crew that remain to run the boat and standoff as ANGLER # 4 takes a turn on the rod. Jeremy was recently a star in a post I authored on 9/13/08 on SFC when Dads Dream popped its cherry on NWC. Jeremy is back and he's ready to do battle. What would happen next I will remember for a long time…..when the rod was transferred to Jeremy, I remembered him leaning back into true standup position and he said "WHOA…..OH MY GOD…..THIS THING IS REALLY PULLING" Now, why is that a big deal at this point? Remember that Chris, Seth & Rich have been together since about 4AM, we've been hooked into a fish that we STILL have not seen…..it's now 3:45pm…..light rain & clouds……we are not delirious…but we've been all alone in this battle. Fresh legs and fresh attitude….this is AWESOME….lets do this!

I forget when Tuna Meltdown arrived on the scene but it was equally awesome to have his big red chariot with helpful advice standing off 200 yds away. I remember talking with Dan about a harpoon- should we throw it or jab the fish….when the time comes…..I explained we had the 'poon tied off to a tether of 20 ft and a basket with 750' of running line tied to a 18" ball (borrowed from a good friend who's a stick boat captain Jim Moody out of York Harbor). Talking with Seth I remember confirming that Seth would be our stick man and he held onto that thing for HOURS between runs and haul backs, etc.

7 & 1/2 hours- Back to Jeremy- he's into the fish maybe 1/2 hour and he's got all the line back….gaining most of the top shot….again, how much mono top shot??? I don't know!!!??? And like we had done a hundred times throughout the day……."we're gaining line….oooooohhhh, he's coming up…….[and Chris, Seth & I were waiting for the RUNOFF to happen]…….and for the first time IT DIDN'T HAPPEN!!!

THE FISH IS COMING UP……we see color….. anybody reading this have chills now??? Ok, remember it's low light conditions…..the natural light is causing a glare on the water but all 4 people onboard get a momentary glimpse of the fish….the fish was perpendicular to our boat…aiming away from us…..the glare allowed us to see……the fish is slowly - ever so slowly rising- not running- just floating up- breaking the water about 20 ft (maybe less)the lead dorsal fin breaks the water surface first- (I would tell Dan Stewart in an email on Monday AM that this lead dorsal fin (name??) looked like that of a sailfish when its not lit up….you know what I mean?)….the length of it? Easily over 12 in or more….the rear dorsal fin also broke the surface…..the visual image in my mind took a measurement from the rear dorsal to the tail…..and all 4 of us agreed it was easily 4 ft……HOLY CRAP!!!!

Oh, look the line looks like he's tail-wrapped……I jump on the radio to report to NINA & Tuna Meltdown that news….and then suddenly realize that deduction is wrong. The leader was merely running down the left side of the beast and it had run through the CFL of the fish…..

Fish goes back down…..runs off some like…..DAMN!

Eight and 1/2 hours- Jeremy had done amazing work on this beast for 1.5 hrs but he's shot. He'd manage to raise the fish for the 1st time in the battle. It's time for another angler ANGLER # 5

Enter SHANNON- He's another Maine guy, he's a shark fishing finatic- he's battled many big fish and has taken 1st place in several Maine shark tourneys in recent years.

Shannon picks up where Jeremy left off~ this guy is about 5'9" 200lbs…..built like a brick-you-know-what! He assumes full standup position……and in his 1.5 pull on the rod…he employed a new tactic of jamming the spool with his thumbs- reel would not release any line….the fish made a few runs that made deep burns in his thumbprints but Shannon kept it up.

HOUR NINE- This technique seemed to command shorter runs of 50 yds…..Shannon and Chris resorted back to the position where the rod was trained over Chris' shoulder, together they'd pump and reel~ together they'd handline the line back onto the reel…..inch, two inches, four inches at a time…..Shannon jammed his thumbs in the spool if they sensed a run…….

During what would become another 1.5 hours on the reel, Shannon would raise the fish 2 more times. Once in a similar fashion to our first sighting but further from the boat- the harpoon throw was out of range…..AND we thought we were breaking the fish…..DAMN IT be patient…..it'll come.

I remember the boat was in neutral, there's a 5 knot breeze……the line is straight off the bow….and the fish is pulling us at 2.8 knots into the wind……yes, the reel was jammed with his thumbs!

HOUR TEN__ Also, two or three times during Shannon's pull, there were outbursts of violent surges where both Shannon & Chris were heaved into the gunwhale (at 9+ hrs of fighting time)….two guys that weighed 400 lbs together…..the rod was slammed onto the gunwhale probably 10x in the last 2 hrs (the harness took the game to a different level).

During one of what was many many pulls straight for bottom……THE MONO LINE SNAPPED letting off a sound of a rifle 30-06; both Chris & Shannon flew across the deck but maintained their balance.

Total fighting time: 10 hrs 5 minutes

Ending at 6:45pm

When in your lifetime will you latch onto a beast that will have the ability to rock you to your core?

Was there a better way for this to play out?

What would 6 guys from Maine have done with a GBFT being 30 miles from Gloucester?

After such an epic battle- isn't it great that the fish lived to fight another day- we had an awesome tale to share?

My 2008 season will now come to an awesome end!

My sincere shout out to the crew of NINA and all of their efforts, Tuna Meltdown, Seaker and others that offered encouraging words throughout the day.

I'm psyched to read the post put up by Dunn! Haven't read it yet though (what time is it now? I started this at 10pm on Tues night)

Thanks to my crew- Seth & Chris…..couldn't have scripted this better…..glad you were there for this fish of a lifetime.

GBFT WINS!!

Dads Dream on 6-5…….Out!