MAYDAY #2 WAHOOS & BLACKFINS!

[WAHOONBOX]

SATURDAY MAY 1st....ONCE AGAIN WE WENT OFFSHORE TO CELEBRATE MAYDAY.

IT WAS VERY EXCITING FOR ME TO BE FISHING IN A FAIRLY NEW MEATFISH ONLY TOURNAMENT IN MHC....CATEGORIES INCLUDE LARGEST MEATFISH INDABOX CALCUTTA ....PLUS AN ANY 3 FISH AGGREGATE WEIGHT CATEGORY....SORT OF DIFFERENT VENUE HERE BUT COOL NONETHELESS.

WE SPENT THE BETTER PART OF FRIDAY MAKING NEW RIGS ...CHECKING MAINLINES, AND REFITTING THE AE SNIPER ROD.

BRIAN DID HIS USUAL 3 HR UNDER THE HOOD PRE-TRIP SAFETY CHECK....5 DOZEN BAITS WERE THAWED PREPPED...AND A DIFFERENT RUN-OFF GAME PLAN WAS IRONED OUT FOR THIS "REELIN' FOR LIFE" CHARITY CANCER RESEARCH EVENT

GAMEPLAN:

IF YOU WANT YELLOWFINS YOU GOT TO GO THIS DIRECTION...IF YOU WANT MAHIS YOU GO THAT DIRECTION....IF YOU WANT WAHOOS....WELL....YOU GO THAT OTHER DIRECTION.......SO THAT IS THE DIRECTION WE TOOK AND MY BAITBOX WAS LINED MAINLY BY #8 WIRE SEA WITCHES WITH A FEW MONO LEADER BACKUPS JUST IN CASE WE WERE WRONG...

WITH A STEADY & SOLID SOUTHWEST WIND BANGING ON THE BEACH WE THREW LINES OFF AT 10 TIL 5.....AND BEGAN OUR HEADSEA JAUNT TO THE HARRINGTON PROMISED LAND.

DO I HAVE PICTURES? NOPE....DID I FILM THIS PRESTIGIOUS CHARITY EVENT ? NOPE....SORRY....BEING OUR FIRST TOURNAMENT OF THE YEAR AND KNOWING THAT FISHING HAD BEEN LESS THAT SWEET LATELY I WAS JUST TOO FOCUSED ON TASK AT HAND TO MESS WITH A CAMERA IN 15 KNOTS OF WIND 'N SPRAY

7:55 A.M. ....AND WE ARRIVE....A QUICK GET READY FOR THE 8 A.M. START.....LOOKS LIKE APPX' FIVE MAYBE SIX BOATS MADE IT TO THE PROMISED LAND.....THE FIRST HOUR YIELDED A FEW SCATTERED BITES FROM THE SURROUNDING BOATS AND MAYBE A COUPLE WENT IN THE BOX.....WHEN AFTER TWO HOURS OF RUN-OFF STYLE POUNDING THE BAIT, THE LEFT SHORT GOES OFF!...I WAS SETTING THE PLANER DOWN WITH MY BACK TURNED AFTER CHECKIN' DA SNIPER BAIT SO UNFORTUNATELY I WAS DELAYED IN BEATING THE FISH TO THE ROD....HENCE....NO LOVE ON OUR FIRST BITE.

DANG IT...WE GOT TO MAKE EVERY BITE COUNT IN ORDER TO BE IN DA MONEY AT THE END! AND I KNEW THIS!

THEN KAPOW GOES THE BRIDGE POLE....GEEZUS H WHAT A BITE! AND AS SWIFTLY AS IT HAPPENED THE DANG THING CAME UNGLUED......WE CAN ONLY WEIGH THREE FISH AND THAT WAS NOW TWO FISH THAT WOULD NOT GO TO DA SCALE......OH BOY I THOUGHT. I KNOW THE BEAST WAS BESIDE HIMSELF AT THIS POINT......AND NO WORDS WERE EXCHANGED BETWEEN US BUT HUSSLE WAS STILL IN ORDER!

WELL IT'S ONLY THE SECOND OFFSHORE TRIP FOR MY ALMOST A VIRGIN ANGLERS ENVY SNIPER STICK AND I WANTED HER TO BATHE IN GLORY ONCE AGAIN SINCE HER FIRST BITE EVER WAS A 72 LB WAHOO LAST WEEK.....I PATTED THE TIAGRA 80 GENTLY AND MUTTERED A COUPLE WORDS OF WISDOM TO HER WHEN THE ROD TIP SUDDEDENLY BOBBLED DOWN LIKE A HERON ON A MINNOW! "GOT HIM ON BRIAN"...I yelled!

IT DIDN'T TAKE THAT LONG FOR THE FINAL RESULT AND IT WAS WAHOONDABOX BABY.....I KNEW IT WAS AT LEAST 50 PLUS POUNDER SO NOW WE ARE BACK IN THE GAME!.....I QUICKLY RE BAITED-RE-SET THE SNIPER AND BACK TO THE BAIT PILE GRINDING WE GO!

SUDDENLY,........HOLEY CRAP THE THE BRIDGEPOLE CLIP JUST POPPED!!!! I LOOKED UP TO SEE BRIANS WARPOLE BENT OVER LIKE A 70'S HOOKER ON EAST BALTIMORE STREET ......THE NARROW TIAGRA 50 WAS SCREAMING OFF TO DA EAST!.....I REACHED UP TO RECEIVE THE BENT POLE UNDER PRESSURE WHILE THE PARTY RETRIEVED THE FLAT LINE BAIT AND SHORTENED UP THE RIGHT LONG RIGGER BEFORE MR SPEEDO GOT TANGLED IN IT.

AS WE SLOWLY GAINED ON IT BRIAN SAYS "FOUL HOOKED WAHOO".....THE 9/0 MUSTAD WAS HOOKED IN THE TAIL AND THIS COULD GET SENSITIVE !!.....I THEN GENTLY HAND OVER HANDED THE PIANO STRING LIKE I WAS SPREADING JOHNSON'S & JOHNSON'S ON A BABY'S BUTT....THE HOO SHOWED LITTLE RESISTANCE AND A MEMBER OF THE PARTY ALSO HELD A GAFF AND TOGETHER WE GENTLY STUCK HIS 62 POUND ASS AND PUT HIM INDABOX! IT WAS HIGH FIVE CITY I TELL YA.....FOR WE KNEW THIS FISH COULD BE THE MONEY FISH.


AS THE AFTERNOON DWINDLED DOWN, A COUPLE BLACKFINS WERE ALSO ADDED TO OUR BOX AFTER A FEW MORE WAHOO BITES DID NOT COME TIGHT AND TOURNY TIME WAS CALLED....SO NOW WE HEAD IN TO WEIGH 2 WAHOO AND A BLACKFIN FOR OUR 3 FISH ....HOW WILL THAT PLAY OUT I PONDERED? AND BROTHER PONDER I DID FOR IT WAS A LONG LONG RIDE HOME WITH PLENTY OF TIME TO THINK ABOUT IT

IT WAS TO BE A RUN-OFF FIRST PLACE LARGEST FISH OF THE TOURNY PULLING THE SCALE DOWN TO COOL 62 POUNDS FOR OUR LARGEST HOO OF THE DAY AND A 2nd PLACE OVERALL FINISH IN THE 3 FISH AGGREGATE CALCUTTA

CONGRATS TO THE BILL COLLECTOR WITH THEIR OVERALL PRESTIGIOUS WIN!....THEIR SECOND TIME OF DOING SO IN AS MANY YEARS I MIGHT ADD.

I THINK WE HAD 117 LBS 3 FISH TOTAL WEIGHT AND THE BILL COLLECTOR HAD 123....BUT I AM NOT POSITIVE OF THIS.

MUCHO CONGRATS TO FISHDOC CHRIS AND CREW AND TO MY EL CAPITANO HIMSELF...WHO WAS ON TOP OF HIS GAME ONCE AGAIN .... BRIAN HARRINGTON

I TIP MY RIGGERS TO YA....

[yachtsnc]

Pretty work Marty. Congrats to you and Brian.

[ncjawbreaker]

Great job by all of you!

[clt_capt]

Congrats on finding the meat and the largest fish. Nice to hear that the baby sniper is showing you the love.

[pitch bait]

Congrats buddy great job. A friend of mine went from Charleston to OI and said he saw numerous schools of tunas busting from Charlestion to just north of myrtle beach so stand by for the stand by its about to go gangbusters.

[Procastinator]

Congrats guys. Well done. You guys have it together and know what it takes to be a leader.

[Nauti Natured]

Thanks for the report Box! Pretty work on getting it done! Congrats to all of you on the tourney.

[wahoojack]

Slow day for us...one dolphin. I am sure we were the other direction. I did get some video on the the bridge camera setup. I'm going to play with it, and hopefully get where I can be posting videos soon. 72 degree water was 12-15 miles SE of the Big Rock. Congrats to all the winners.

[giantfan]

Congrats Marty, way to get it done.

Thanks for bringing us into your world.

[SeaBiscuit]

A great beginning to the black boat's 2010 tourney season. Congratulations Brian and Marty!
SeaBiscuit