Fishing Continues to Improve in 30 Fathoms – 9/18, 9/20

[MAKO19]

Friday on the Tail Hooked:

Friday I had the opportunity to fish with Capt. Bill and his friend Tommy on the Tail Hooked out of Ocean City, NJ. We opted to run to where we had some Wahoo and Tuna fish last weekend on the break in 30 fathoms down south. Upon arrival we noticed that the break was not as distinct as last week but there was still a nice gradual increase in temperature. We set the spread in 70-71 degree water and worked south until we got the nice blue 74-75 degree water we were looking for. There was a small fleet working a weed line so we trolled there for a while and after a few speed adjustments we got our tuna bite and boated the 35-40# fish that ate a Bird/GM daisy chain on the shot gun. Do to some family obligations Friday night we had to cut this trip a few hours short but not before we found a lonely pot marker and trolled by putting a nice gaffer Dolphin in the boat. That fish ate the Black/Purple Jr. Ilander Ballyhoo on #8 wire on the long rigger intended for Wahoo.

Here are some pics of the day.





Sunday on the Joanee:

All I can say is WOW! The Wahoo fishery off our coast is really starting to get good each season and becoming a more consistent thing for us each late summer and fall. Every trip we pull the handline planer with a skirted hoo on wire down deep and yesterday it finally paid off this season. We ran right back to where we were on Friday and started trolling south as the water was moving that direction. We found it and had our first Wahoo bite a few hours into the day. Yesterday’s spread was a mixed bag for both Tuna and Wahoo consisting of a few green machines and then lots of meat on long wire for the Wahoo with heavy 3 oz. deep runner heads WWWB as well as skirted hoos with trolling weights. The fish were responding well yesterday at 6.5 knots, definitely a change from the other day since we couldn’t get a bite until we got up to 8 knots. Once we put our first 40# Wahoo in the boat we pounded this area all day and was able to get another nicer fish maybe 50+ pounds that also ate the Blue/Pink planer bait. We were also able to get out 2 Yellowfins on the WWWWB Blue/White custom tied Cape Lookout 3 oz. head with #8 wire so the Tuna are not afraid of the wire leader which I know a lot of us are worried about lately. We can only hope that this type of fishing can continue for a while and we can make up for the slow summer we have been having on the meat fish. Yesterday in many people’s eyes was probably not a banner day but the way the fishing has been for us all summer we consider it to be one.

Some pics from Sunday’s trip.

[zar2754]

pretty work both trips gary! good stuff!

[Captain Fred Archer]

Nice work, especially on the new moon!

Tuna aren't afraid of wire? They sure as hell weren't in the places that I fished them, while everyone else - and that was a helluva lot of other boats, was running mono.

It's like a lot of other things, like circle hooks in bait and lures...you never know if you don't give it a good, fair try. And with few exceptions, we ran everything on short wire because wahoo were a constant possibility and I just hated the thought of one biting me off.

Just one man's experience - not opinion - of course.

Again, nice job, especially on that Devil Moon.

[MAKO19]

... because wahoo were a constant possibility and I just hated the thought of one biting me off.

That was my thoughts exactly. I actually think there are more Wahoo around right now than Yellowfin. But seeing the wire leader work really excites me! Over the past 3 days we caught Dolphin, Tuna, and Wahoo on the wire and my confidence level is definitely a lot higher now when using that leader. It will be in the spread more often especially during the late summer/fall.

[weekender]

thanks for the details on what worked, very good day

[Fighting Irish45]

Nice report Gary

Nice work, especially on the new moon!

Tuna aren't afraid of wire? They sure as hell weren't in the places that I fished them, while everyone else - and that was a helluva lot of other boats, was running mono.

It's like a lot of other things, like circle hooks in bait and lures...you never know if you don't give it a good, fair try. And with few exceptions, we ran everything on short wire because wahoo were a constant possibility and I just hated the thought of one biting me off.

Just one man's experience - not opinion - of course.

Again, nice job, especially on that Devil Moon.

Capt. Fred, I fished that area where the wahoo action was, although I was not there for the "hot bite" as I pulled up probably around the tail end. Or did was it??? Heres my question; I made skirted rigs with long mono leaders (20ft) with 3-4inches of #9 wire connected wit a 150lbs barrel-swivel. Now I did get to the bite a little late but I'm not truely convinced that was my problem. Do you think the barrel-swivel was my main problem or do you have faith in these rigs when Gary is doing fine with straight wire? This has been on my mind 24/7! Do I re-rig all my gear or keep the faith, find the fish and hammer the area??? Its hard to see but this is what I have. Not all the mono is revealed in the pic but all 20ft is there. Marty if your reading this any thoughts would be appraciated

[Captain Fred Archer]

We all better stop fishing if the day comes that a fish with a brain as small as a wahoo's that attacks its prey at wharp speed ever figures out what terminal gear is and that it represents danger.

I have fished short wire - heavier than what you are rigging with, #11 and #12, for many decades and have caught plenty of 'hoo. I happen to believe that a ball bearing snap swivel, which is what I always use and that is even bigger than the plain swivel that you are using, actually functions as a teaser in front of my wahoo lures that turns on the natural competitive instincts of non-feeding wahoo. Yup, it's black, which happens to be one of the most visible lure or teaser colors of them all.

Your rigging looks fine to me, except that I'm not an Islander guy. Stick with it. Sooner or later, you'll slay them!

[floridadeckie]

Fred, its good to hear your take on the swivel issue. Here in Islamorada we do see a fair amount of wahoo unassociated with structure that like to hit you when you are least prepared and make off with a good bait. I've been debating re-rigging my wahoo baitheads with a wire trace versus a longer length of cable, but was worried about the swivel being a target of attack as well as the lure.

BTW, my captain is in Cabo right now, so if you run into a captain from Islamorada named Kevin Brown, tell him his mate said hey.

[FLATLINER]

Great trips! The 30 has been smokin for the last few weeks and I only see it getting better!!!! Keep the reports comin!

Kevin

[Captain Fred Archer]

F-Decky,

Understood, including the concerns. But please bear in mind that the last thing that I'm going to do is give you or the others here a bum steer on an issue like this, or anything else. If I have an opinion based on logic, I'll say that it's an opinion. On the other hand, if it is something that I have learned and done repeatedly for many, many years, like this short wire thing, I'll say that too. Short wire with a snap swivel has worked great for me for literally decades of hard core charter fishing. It works, works great and as far as I have been able to see for all of those years, the other pelagics could care less about wire too.

The only caveat is that the leader does indeed need to be quite short due to the simple expedient that if the swivel is too far in front of the bait, it becomes its own, separate target and you will get bit off on it. So, shorter is better (like a foot or eighteen inches max) and longer is inviting a swivel bite, a missed fish, and a lost lure or bait.

Go for it, DeckyMan, and please let me know how you do. And good on ya for having an open and inquiring mind - as far as I'm concerned, that is one of the signs of a good fisherman.