Let the count down begin..

[capt. jakeg]

I have been there twice and had the pleasure of fishing with Butch down there several times and you will not be let down. Its an truly incredible place and you wont wanna go home. Not only is the bill fishing incredible, but the "bait" fishing when you get back in is pretty good too

[rarhomes]

I heard Hans and some of the other boats had some fuel issues. They were supposedly cut off (ON FUEL). Then told to leave and fuel cost went from .27 per gal to $6.00.

Have you heard anything about this ?

[Sportsman]

I heard Hans and some of the other boats had some fuel issues. They were supposedly cut off (ON FUEL). Then told to leave and fuel cost went from .27 per gal to $6.00.

Have you heard anything about this ?

I heard the same thing....from my pal who occasionally fishes w/ Hans. From what I was told, a particular boat filled up several bladders to carry fuel else where to be used later....this upset some folks and they have made it difficult lately. I also heard dockage was jacked up considerably. However, for Hans and Butch and the rest of the regulars the screws might not have been tightened so.

[Qualifier Chris]

Yeah I was down there last fall so I know what to expect. and I know Butch pretty well and have fished with him a few times. I heard the same thing about the fuel, but I think that is being resolved. I heard it was $3 a gallon when Butch got there, but have heard that it may have been lower than that.

Enough about the bad, lets think Blues, Whites, Sails, Swords, Slams, and Big Yellowfins.

My goal is to get a personal slam, and catch a big yellowfin. And several double digit days

[TunaTeaser1]

Good luck on the slam... can't wait to get down there some day.

[rarhomes]

Glad to here everybody is still fishin. Good luck on your slam, don't forget your camera.

[Ace1st]

Good Luck Guys! Have a great time and catch um up!!

[nova fish]

Good luck Chris, we want to hear all the stories (with pics). The real test is if you can snake one away from Fin.

[fish4fun]

I heard the same thing....from my pal who occasionally fishes w/ Hans. From what I was told, a particular boat filled up several bladders to carry fuel else where to be used later....this upset some folks and they have made it difficult lately. I also heard dockage was jacked up considerably. However, for Hans and Butch and the rest of the regulars the screws might not have been tightened so.

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FYI -

"Venezuela has restricted the sale of fuel to foreign sport fishing boats due to the Madam and the Hooker scheme to fill the Madam with local subsidized fuel at 8 cents a gallon. They were warned no to do it and to go to the port and get the fuel at the international price, which is still a third of the cost. But they decided to break the law and use the Hooker to do multiple trips to fill the mothership of tens of thousands of gallons illegally. Venezuela has been kind to offer up to 1000 liters a day for sportfishing purposes, and even allowed all boats to exceed this limit while in the country. The Madam and the Hooker were told about this and decided to bypass and do the scam which was so blatantly obvious that resulted in the National Guard discovering the scheme and shutting down the gas station at the Marina, and refusing to extend the benefit to all foreign boats. This not only is costing the Marina, the employees and now all foreign boats regardless of origin. Effectively, shutting down this area at this moment at the start of the season. This will cost dearly to the local economy, charters, captains, mates, sailboats, and everyone dependent on this industry downstream. This is serious because this abuse also goes far into portraying the stereo type of Americans as abusive and lacking of sensitivity towards local customs and laws. At this moment the restriction is still in effect and the probable result is that boats will have to go to the black market to get their fuel at a higher price, exposing Americans further into illegal activities and extortion by local authorities. The government considering to sell restricted amount of fuel at international pricing at the port creating a congested situation that will make fishing in this country even more difficult. I feel that these people should pay a high penalty for their greed and even apply the “Foreign Corrupt Practice Act” that punishes Americans for breaking laws abroad. This kind of action in the United States would result in extraordinary fines and seizure of the boats; same should be done at a local level. I wonder how the owners of this operation, who have no need to engage in this sort of activities, feel about the damage they have caused and how they plan to compensate these people for their greed".

More...

http://forums.marlinmag.com/showthread.php?t=562463

[Qualifier Chris]

Fuel is still a bit of an issue, they are working on it. I got to witness Venezuelan politics in action. It was a little more interesting than watching the democratic convention. We are still fishing tomorrow. I will have my camera, but do not know if I will shoot anything small enough to fit on the website.