These guys did outstanding today! It was a gorgeous day offshore and the fish were definitely biting. Our rack only holds 36 fish at a time, so our fish-cleaner had to double-up some of the fish and lay some of them horizontally so they would all fit for the picture.FrequentlyAaskedQuestions:
"That's a lot of fish! What do they do with all of it?"
For starters, everyone on the charter will decide ahead of time whether they want to keep their fish or just do catch and release. If they want to keep their fish they will then come to a consensus of how much each of them will want to take home as far as the meat. Once back at the dock, our fish-cleaner will fillet the fish so they are grill ready. From there the charter will take some of the filled fish to a restaurant and have them cook it up for them several ways for dinner and/or keep the fillets on ice until they get back home at which point the meat will be kept in the freezer to keep it fresh.
"What if they change their mind and don't want to keep all of the fish they caught?"
No problem! The captain will be happy to take any unwanted fish off their hands and use it for bait or to eat themselves. Fish, especially dolphin, are a terrible thing to waste!
"How far did they have to go to catch all that?"
This is an offshore trip meaning they go out as far as 60 miles to catch them. The Norfolk Canyon has been the hot spot for these fish, as well as the Marlin.
"How long did it take them to catch the fish?"
An offshore trip is a 12 hour trip, normally 5AM to 5PM. It's about a 2 1/2 hour ride to get to the fishing grounds and 2 1/2 hours to come back. That leaves roughly 7 hours of fishing time. Not all cases will you need 7 hours to catch all the Dolphin you see above, but when people want to go after Marlin or Tuna, 7 hours is just the right amount. The Dolphin you see above were caught within the 7 hour period, each catch being spread out in time but consistently enough to keep their attention. Dolphin are a special case because they travel in schools so once you hit one, you could hit more depending on how thick the school is or how many lines the captain let out.
"That's too long of a trip for me, can't you do anything shorter?"
Unfortunately, no. Because the fish are so far out, you have to take a full day trip in order to get out there, have time to fish and run to different spots, and make it back. From experience, we have all been offshore and when you're with your friends and family, you really do not notice the time. All of our charter boats have the proper amenities to sleep aboard the vessel if you choose to do so if the trip is too long.
"How can I get out on a trip like that?"
Basically, you give us a call and we'll do the rest! We offer the private charter for your party only for a maximum of 6 people. If you don't have 6 people but you don't want to pay they full price of the trip we offer make-up charters. You give us a day your want to go and we'll try our absolute best to find the corresponding amount of people to fill the boat with all 6 people so you only pay your portion of the trip.
Give us a call for more information, questions, concerns, or inquiries.
Reel Buzz
Chesapeake Bay & Virginia Beach, VA
