Fall 07 Reports

[Deep C]

The mercury was dippin in the mid to upper 40's this morn and I was hopin it would go off. With no sponsors, I decided to take the Deep for a little one on one lovin run. Late start but nobody there to complain.

Decided to leave through Jupiter and do a down sea troll to Palm Beach inlet. The edge is farther out up there and it seemed like forever before I got there. Water was not perfect but plenty good enough. Six circle dinks slid back and I enjoyed the cool air. 100-200 back and forth. Going south its tough to make much ground but I wasn't in a hurry.
About off lost tree I had one come in hot for the inside rigger. I was looking for more but just him. Figures, I had four real light sticks out and just two heavier 25's and he ate one of them. The release was had in quick order.
I continued south. The deeper water was rougher but I really wanted to check out an old range in 205' and work it. Three passes and nothing. I slid back toward the edge. At 140 I saw three fish working down sea in the face of a wave. I laid up what I was hoping would be a good presentation. They just spooked.
I kept southbound at that depth and was nearing another range when I looked back and there was a pile of em coming at me. Maybe ten fish and every line dancing. I dropped em all to free spool with clicker as I worked and bowed one up. Then went to the noisiest ones first and just put them in gear. Two more stayed stuck.
I jacked the gears into neutral and went to work. My rigger fish was stretched long straight back the two others were heading east. The deep drifted herself into the trough and I forgot just how bad she can roll. Stuff sliding, doors banging and me with more than enough to do. The two eat bound fish got wrapped up and one said bye bye as the lighter line busted off from the heavier tugging against it. The second fish now went south across the bow then west to make sure he wouldn't miss any of my running gear when he came back around. Doink!
With one I was able to get to the controls and stem the hemorage of line. A while later them 2 and me 2...
That would be my last bite of the ride. Good but not the fire I expect to see over the next few weeks... Could be tomorrow will be better. At least two more fronts before it really gets crazy...
Enjoyable day. Would have liked some company but hard to beat a little alone time. The week fills in starting Friday then I'm slammed until mid to late January where I may get a day or two break.

[Deep C]

Woke early and got a look at the first daylight Jupiter inlet camera. Odd? North west at a reasonable 10-15 but I could see some real shoulders on the swell coming ashore. Oh well. Had my client there way bright and early. Flood tide from the full moon had he up top to drop the antennas so I could clear the bridge. We picked up a dozen gogs to suppliment the box of dead hoos I had ready to rock. The inlet was nice with some swell. At the edge the swell was a little beefier and there was a big pack of kite flyers.
Though they weren't doing much our spread got wet and here came a double. Game on... Hot fish to boot!
The swell was growing with a couple feet of cross chop so I chased rather than back. Did the honors and not hindered by a kite was able to reload and set exactly where we got them. Bingo! Lightning struck twice and another double. The swell continued to get bigger so it was a chase thing again. One of them was a particularly stubborn one and was twenty plus minutes to the release.
9:15 and four down. We did two more passes through the zone with nothing. Our gog supply was running low already so we switched to dead bait. The swell and sea was now pushing 8-10' with stray 12's just to remind us mother nature is in charge. I was shocked that under this ideal condition we didn't see more tailing down sea. In fact I only saw one the whole day. Two singles
kept us from totally going to sleep. I chased birds and flyers around but nothing of importance could be found.
About two o'clock it was time to switch back and swim our remaining gogs. I looked east to see the small cruise ship we have getting worked by the swell. It even stuffed the bow on a couple. We both were watching that and didn't see the next fish pound our left rigger gog. We certainly caught on quick though when the fish started greyhounding at us... Then away, and away some more. I was at high trolling speed before the line loss slowed. Man! This fish had been free basing hemorhoids. Not steroids. Hemorhoids ... It was being an ass.
Wanted no part of getting got. That circle wasn't about to let go so it was just going to have to be convinced. It ran up sea and fully forty minutes and three miles later I grabbed the leader on the seventh fish we saw for the day.
We tried a little more deadbaiting. No fish but the gannets found the circle hoos irresistable! I guess we gout bombed a half dozen tomes by them and we had enough...
Next stop. Key Largo then back here with the tourney boat.
My passenger has the fish pics, still waiting on him to email over but here are a few I managed to snap...
He works one on the spin.


Already wore out I put him back to work on another...


All day we looked at walls of water...


Switching to dead and conventional kept us in the game other wise we would have been out of bait in no time....

[Deep C]

Picked a sail out front of Haulover on a live pilchard for the morn then it was time to bolt to Key Largo...
Nice 33 knot run interrupted by something "not right" steering got tough, Surging rpm, I stopped and could see nothing. Still carried to the dock. When I dumped the engines in reverse i noticed a white "thing" come out. It was a quart oil bottle that had been hit asnd split square on the seam and must have rod on the shaft for almost my whole ride...
Mrs Deep and I took a ride in the golf cart. Picked up bait, chum and ice. Then wen' for a mission of mercy... Over at the end of D dock sits a pretty burger yacht, Sothern Star... Bang on the window hard enough and out pops a prize... Our own Surfergirl... We shared some conversation then moved on to next task. gathering sis, brother in law and nephews.
Next it was sink the shark baits. Snapper obliged then shut off. About 10m a herd of porpoise moved in around the dock and started working bait in a big way under the full moon. We caught nothing of note but the night was beautiful and flipper and his pack of thugs put on quite a show.
The morn woke with a light chop. The hoos on the patch were trying to eat the bag off the boat. We had a lifetime of bait in minutes. Filled a 50 quart cooler with exta baits on two throws.
On the edge the triggers were brutal. Slid out and the gannets were on us. I ulled the spread and moved. Finally found the life in 170'. A little deep but all kinds of stuff. We raised a sail and a frigate drilled the jumping bait before the sail could eat... We reset and finally picked one. I slid back into the zone and this time it was dolphin that swarmed us. Again and again the green death raided us. We boxed some and let the rest go. The birds found us and we bowed up a double ... Gannet and Frigate . Clean release on the gannet. The frigate was a battle though. It was airborn and using all its aerodynamics to wear me down. rapid moves trying to hang our line in the riggers, antennas, etc... Finally busted the leader...
Came in at 33 with a burst to 43 to clear the tubes...
Time to do the ho ho ho stuff now. Merry Cristmas and happy holidays from the Deeps...

[Deep C]

I don't get it. I've had issues with yellow bill terns for years but this year the "smart ones" like frigates and gannets have grown dumb. Every trip to the keys they have been an issue this season. Today was no different. In fact they made life unfishable for most of it. Fish raise bait jumps and bird piles before the fish could get to it. A flock of frigates riding with me bombing now and then taking hooked baits, just cause they could. Wore me out reeling in gannets that would appear out of nowhere and bomb us. They bow up without trying.
Its a shame. We had blackfins, sharks and dolphin all over the place. Did manage one silk shark to the boat that missed the leader. A few others busted off.
The birds got so thick that I actually had no fishable rods for a while as I was re rigging. We slid away from the winged rats... Re deployed and finally collectd a sail for my youngest nephew. My missus had one for a minute but it pulled off. Rain was heavy so mission accomplished we made for the beach and dry clothes...

Tomorrow its back to Palm Beach with the Contender 31 for a few weeks...