After shaking off the road dust. I went to place a couple trail cams out for a scouting... Had a spike walk right up to me during a smoke break...
I retrieved the cameras a couple days later with only a couple frames shot in total. While out there I dusted a couple doves to kick off Blamathon '06. I did a few walks kicking only birds. The new black powder piece was not used in a kill at this writing but I took my first practice shot with it... Killed the pint bottle at about 80 yards no problem...Dug the slug out of the back stop dirt pile and man dit it mushroom! Cant wait for a chance to run one up in a boar...
Following my second hunt of the month, I joined up with a couple dock buddies for a sword trip. We drilled a barely legal one just after dark. With meat in hand we called it an early eve and I was back home by ten o'clock...
Down here October is the transition time of year. Summer doldrums go away and new waves of fish arrive daily. It was 40 years ago this week when I caught my first dolphin and first sailfish... Today also marks a sad aniversarry for my missus. Her brother was murdered in a botched hold up seven years ago today...
Time has healed the wounds but still there is a little memory that can rise up and sting her when the guard is down. Yesterday was a hunting day with nothing to show for it. Last night was a sword trip with a couple dock mates from the dump. I was tired but felt it important to keep her distracted so this morn as soon as mini left I told Mrs Deep to put on her swim suit, grab a samwich, load up a couple sodas and lets go fishing...
We slid out against a hard running tide but soon enough we were in the blue water and I was dropping the riggers. Bluebird perfect day. Crisp clear blue water from a half mile out. Maybe 10" of chop.
Its that time of year for us down here to have a run of real little blackfins so I scaled down the gear to some day savers on my 12lb outfits with speed master reels... It wasn't long before the teeny neeters (false albies) found us. Good for nothing but pulling at least it was action.
We dragged out a bit deeper and found some slightly larger skipjacks which atleast knew how to bend the pole... Even smoked off a little line against the light drags...
Finally we found the bitty blackfins... My wife loves action and she got all she could stand. Singles, doubles even a couple tripples kept her busy as a bee...
We kept a few for a romantic tataki lunch and let a bunch more go away... It was good to see her so happy. Eventually she had enough of the sun and fun. We rode home in the tower and just enjoyed every minute of it... She needed it. I was glad to be a part of it... [/
Had a morning trip shortened buy mal de mer. I called my sword folks. Pizza John and his gang and told them it was rough but calming down. We could do a combo that way at least we could get a troll in and see if things would allow is to get on a drift. He said yes and we were good to go.
My starboard motor didn't want to start (gets a heat thing going after running then trying to refirebefore she's cooled down). So I found my self having to move the fish box and tighten the fittings back at the batteries and add the jumper cables. Whoom! She lit off just as they arrived...
We cleared the inlet and it had laid down to 2-4 and dropping just since this mornings-3-5 slop...
I started with naked hoos and tried some exterminators to see if we could drum up a wahoo during my south leg. No such luck... We had a couple cuda cut offs and a couple bigger neeters before I added some east to the troll. As I crossed 600. I jacked up the heat running teardrops on the inside and dk's on the outside. Nakeds on the flats and a red black on the way back...
I crossed some kind of break at about 800' when bot riggers and my right flat came down hard...
Some real drag burnin had me wonderin what I had. Wahoo? Nah... Three mono leaders and no snips... Tuna? Well maybe but certainly not the blackfins we've had around. After about fifteen miutes the first of three of the biggest skipjacks I have ever seen came to the transom. Easy 25lb class torpedos. I boxed one for tataki and let the other two go...
As we crossed south of one of my favorite marlin spots in 1000' the right inside purple teardrop had a streak comming for it... I was hoping for something to write home about but it was a nice 25 class dolphin.... Alright! More meat in the box...
John drove the final couple miles as I readied four squids and attached light sticks... The promised south east was actually a shade nort east and a stubborn tight three foot was running when I shut down. The Albie being an Albie protested the drift and I knew it was gonna be fishable but not all the way comfortable... The wind was steady 12 with an occasional higher puff. This had me select 50 wides with 60lb instead of 80's because the drift would call for too much lead to make them any fun.The line angles said I had to go up a notch on the lead as it was. I added eight ounces all the way around and got them set at an acceptable angle. The sky had greyed up so there was no real sunset to speak of...
Grey gave way to dark and I flipped on the lights. My green light had already been out since I set the spread. It was going to be three baits to start. The chop made things just a bit tough for a fourth. I guess it was about 8:15 when I heard a quick zzzzz...I scanned the three rods but all stood straight. Then I saw the deep rod begin to bend.
"John! That one next to you... Throw it up to strike and swat him!"
He almost lost the rod as the fish had already felt steel and began to smoke off... He went to strike and gave it a couple shots but the game was already on. It was more prudent to put him in the chair than stand up with the chop but he wanted to give it a go on the harness. I always sweat that time when hooking up harnesses and not sticking to the fight plan but it went smoothly.
The run said this was a good fish with over half a spool off. The fish ran down wind of us and came high. I could see the light stick in the distance. I couldn't tell though in the dark if the fish was jumping or not. Just then the mid bait got hammered. John's worker just pushed the lever forward and the fish started cookin...
I moved him to the chair and cleared the third bait. It too had been slashed ...
Johns fish worked back upwind and he stayeed right with it. I remember his first one a few years ago. It too was a bumpy night. That night I felt the boat turn under the pressure of a locked up 80 and I knew we had one on. I remember reeling the other gear up and they thought it was just time to go home. "Just one more thing sir before we go. Would you please reel the swordfish on this outfit" . He about shit!
Now we were doubled up with good fish. I looked to see the workers fish had about 2/3 of a spool out. I checked the drag and did a rare thing by going up on the button and giving him aboutr three more pounds. With two fish I couldn't gain ground on one without giving up on the other. John's fish slowly got closer and swam back to our down wind side. All of a sudden the slow hemmorage of line on the one accellerated as the fish hit the after burners...
I had him go just past the button for a couple more pounds but it did nothing to slow it at all. Theree was nothing to do bbut watch all that premium sufix go away. Eventually the line got all wrinkly like it usually is at the bottom of the spool . I saw the spool shine and knew atleast I had no corrosion issues . The knot was reached and somewhere in the dark about 600 yards away our line let go. At least it wasn't at the reel...
Johns fish kept making the up sea down sea pattern and he was easy to back the boat in front of...
There was a moment of light panic as the fish slid undewer the boat as I leadered but when he slid backward I knew it was ours. Not big enough for a flyer I planted the aftco right behind the eye and took three tries to get its fat ass over the gunwale...
Bartely a wiggle I'll guess 130-140 on the weight and 62" on the length. I went to grab my camera for a shot but it wasn't there... I looked around and found it stcuck in the scupper! Thats the second camera I killed in two straight sword trips so I'm gonna go in ebay now and buy a pile of em... Mini has one she doesn't use so I guess that will have to do for tomorrows run!
Took my group who got sick yesteday morning... I was tired as hell and the boat looked worse from our sword trip last night as I readied for them. The wind had made the swing to the south east and took the bite out of the chop that got us yesterday morning.
Nothing but neeters... About a dozen of them kept us occupied and broke the monotony. The flyers were thick at ninety feet but I was the only thing pushing them. I wanted to try a wreck for cudas but the divers were on it so it was an edge bang only...
Got out only twice in the last week... We jumped a nice mahi going in but that was it . Two drifts 11 and 23 miles. Gorgeous night good angle but no fish to report...
A second what was supposed to be a combo trip turned to a just a half day troll... We picked neeters and a couple fair mahi.
The weather got right for sails for a couple days but I had no bookings... The last of the sail weather days brought with it a booking but too rough for those guys so we will reschedule to another day. Today is the Ft. Lauderdale show for some SFC promotion work...
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... 
. The knot was reached and somewhere in the dark about 600 yards away our line let go. At least it wasn't at the reel...
Thats the second camera I killed in two straight sword trips so I'm gonna go in ebay now and buy a pile of em...
Mini has one she doesn't use so I guess that will have to do for tomorrows run!