Every time I show up to the dock and forget my 5 gallon bucket to hold ballyhoo and lures Larry of Skipjack lets me borrow his old cleaning bucket. Every time that bucket is on my boat we catch fish. Last time we nailed a 68" out east with it.
Today was absolutely dreadful out East with an east wind, full moon, and saturday fleet on the tuna grounds. Most of the fleet was fishless covering what seemed to be 60 feet to 400 feet. Upon arriving, we ran in the morning for over an hour trying to find a spot to put in , north, BC, south, but it all looked bleak. We ended up putting in in 120 feet of water next to birds and some draggers. Every hour tuna would pop up but not take anything we had to offer. This continued for 5 hours and most of the fleet went home. We decided to not leave tuna, regardless of how frustrated we were. The bite turned for us at last call 1pm. Fish on the surface again within the acres of sand eels. Last resort was a casting rod with a large deadly dick that got us tight. My dad and uncle did a great job on the rod for 45 minutes, Jon leadered, and I stuck the poon in him. Today you needed a lucky charm, thanks for the bucket Larry...
no deuce has ever hit that bucket; my boat has a head!
Good for you - we had all the frustration and none of the joy; our travels and tribulations matched yours. Each direction was barren; eventually we ended up in 140' of water, outside the 120' fleet and Christian saw some running fish. We got the baits in front of them at 2:30 and I worked everything in the spread, bars, ballyhoo, even a sluggo to no avail. Those were the only fish we really saw all day, radio to the contrary.
I'm glad you got it done - 2nd year in a row I've been skunked with my daughter aboard, this time also with Christian's wife.
We did get to watch Easy Does It and his spotter plane tag the white about 200 yards off the beach. Anyone for a swim on Lighthouse beach tomorrow ?
Its all over the news. We watched the 2nd one get tagged right off the beach. Christian spotted a plane wheeling over the beach about 2 miles S of Chatham cut, said "that has to be the shark".
We spotted Easy Does It in tight to the beach and altered course to check it out as Christian is friends with Bill Chaprales. The stick boat was perhaps 200 yards off the beach a mile S of the plane and had 2 USCG /Chatham Harbor RIB's in attendance and a fleet perhaps a mile away. The plane made tight circles; (just like the old days) maybe a mile N of the stick boat. It was pretty clear when it was on the shark as it was standing on its wingtip.
The stick boat powered up and made a run in, guided by the plane; from our vantage on the tower with binoc's we could see Billy out on the stand, someone, presumably Skomal at the base of the pulpit, 3 people in the tower and perhaps another 4 or 5 in the wheel house. The boat was packed!
They tracked it two or three times in those herky jerky stickboat end game moves; once in real tight to the beach, stopped dead for a bit when they apparently lost it. The plane found it again just outside them; they turned back as the spotter plane found it and finally threw.
Just like the old days off Crab Ledge except this was in < 20' of water! Check out the color of the water in the picture from the Globe!
Finally official conformation of what we already knew! Good to hear there are more than just a couple out there. Hopefully they invite more of their friends to the party!! The buffet table is certainly full.
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no deuce has ever hit that bucket; my boat has a head!
