8/9-10 Dump to Dip report (long report, but interesting)

[getreel]

Made a trip to the edge on Get Reel Saturday to Sunday. Reports from the tri-state tourney and elsewhere were not great from the week before, but the weather window was. So we headed off to fish the dump area south of MV based on good SST and a reliable report. Trolled the area hard for over an hour and just did not like what we saw for water and lack of life. Picked it up and debated the decision to head to Atlantis or towards the Dip. There was a better temp break and warmer water near the Dip so we made our way there. Came through Block Canyon and kept going. Water temp and activity was not looking great in Block Canyon. Checked out a few highfliers along the way, not much on them, some small mahi here and there. We only managed to put one in the box. Pulled up around the Middlegrounds at a slight temp break and put out the trolling spread. Worked the area hard from the flats to the deep while making our way to the Dip. Radio chatter was quiet with most indicating a very slow day. Worked our way to the Dip and found some skippies. Trolled through the skippies only to catch skippies. Kept a couple for baits for later. We are in the deep at the Dip and sun is beginning to set. Then it starts, large tuna in small pods are popping out all around us. We trolled through a couple areas with surface commotion and never came tight. The fish taunted us for about another 45 minutes. No love for us. So a long day on the troll with a mahi and few skippies to show for it. We set up for the night drift on the west wall of the dip with an easterly drift. First rod goes off on a butterfish hook bait at about 40 feet. A pup swordfish of about 30 pounds is carefully brought into the boat and then gently released. We have plenty of large squid coming in an out of the lights. We jig some and add them to the hook baits. I drop one of the large live squid straight down to 30 feet. This bait gets taken around 2AM by a white marlin that proceeds to greyhound across all our hooks baits, including the deep sword line. We get the white to leader and are working the untangle when the 50 pound floro leader popped. Just as well, leader was touched so it counts as a release. We then had a bunch of 10 to 15 pound mahi move in. We loaded the box with them for a while and that turned out to be it for the night bite. Still no tuna in the boat! Got up on the troll at first light and worked our drift line back to the Dip. Mixed up the spread a little and soon thereafter we finally got crashed by two bigeyes. We are tight on two nice fish. John and Chris are on the rods. We get John’s fish to the boat after about 30 minutes and have leader in hand but can’t get a gaff shot. Fish still has plenty of pull and off it goes again. Get it up the second time and I am reaching for the leader when it pops, fish off and swimming away sporting a new necklace of one my favorite spreader bars. We then concentrate on getting Chris’s fish in and it is very stubborn. This time the poon comes out. We finally get our poon shoot and I hit it in the eye and out the other side and then drag it through the door. Tuna blood on the deck, life is good and the slow trip is salvaged. We dressed it and iced it in the bag and reset lines and continued trolling. Had a white marlin smack a bird/chain a couple of times but never came tight. Several white marlin in the Dip area were caught on the troll. Catching one on the chunk bite was a first for me. We trolled up into the flats and called it quits about 1100. Ran back in, fueled up in Pt. Judith and weighed the bigeye at Snug Harbor Marina. Fish was a butterball and taped out at 69 inches and weighed 209 pounds dressed. I estimate we lost about 30 pound of guts and gill rakes when we dressed it out. Nice fish, just wish we went 2 for 2 on them.

Final tally was a load of mahi, a sword pup released, a large white marlin released and the butterball of a bigeye. No YFT or LFT for us at all. Kind of slow trip, but the BET made up for it. Average water temp was about 77 degrees in the Dip. There was a fair amount of life in the area. I thought the water color was off. It had a grayish tinge to it, but there was plenty of bait. Awesome weather window, one of the best drift nights I have ever experienced.

Here are a few of the BET pics. Chris and John did an excellent job on the rods. Loosing the one fish hurts, but it happens.

Tight lines,
Will

[Bill_N]

Awesome fish! Too bad you lost the other but I'd trade a spreader for an 'eye any time!!!

[Toona]

That's a real nice slob... congrats! Great post too... thanks

[Boonebird]

Man nice fish way to go.Congrads.

[On The Edge]

Again i can't say it enough. Hoop and i had a great time aboard Get Reel. Fishing with you guys was a pleasure and we will be more then happy to crew with you anytime. You Paul and Alan made us feel very welcome and although we have never fished together things seem to go smooth and seamless. Loosing the first of a double Eyeball knockdown was a heart breaker for sure but landing the bigger second one was Sweeeeeet. BTW that was a sweet poon shot. Any time you need a few extra crew members to round out a crew give us a call we are there.. That was my first eyeball and had some tonight for supper. Best Tuna i have ever had..

Thanks again

John

[wrap-check]

Nice Eyeball - that's a fatty.

[Seaker]

Hey Will and Crew...freakin awesome

[shoefish]

What a frigging hog! That's the dream right there!