Ocean City Tuna Tourney HARD HEAD

[Capt.Joe Monticolo]

Here is a recap of my tournament.

Day 1 - Left the dock at 4 am to head down towards the seagull. Went to go up on plane after leave the inlet and motor won't turn up. Changed Fuel Filter No DICE . I was PISSED just had the motors worked on. Go back to the dock and pick up the floor and find Tubro hose not put on . Got her fixed and head back out at 6:20am. Decided to Head to Hambone. Put lines in around 8:00. First 15 minutes there he is on the blue and white islander on as WAY back 46" BFT on ice. Then had another bite on the planer get the leader and I looking at a 70lb Wahoo. Damn thing start shaking his head and saws off the leader about two feet from the gaff . Marking plenty of fish but not a bite for three hours. Then bam the 80 on the planer starts to get smoked Put a nice 60" in the box. Headed back to the docks and weigh em in 172lbs total weight.

Day 2 - Head back to the Hambone. Watching Fish get caught all morning around us nothing great but see 1 or 2 boats (out of 60) hooked up every time we go over the hill. My charter keeps asking what bait are the using and I tell be patient are time will come. Had to wait until 1:30 and the planer starts getting smoked again and after a quick 15 min battle a 61" BFT in the Box. Told em to be pateint. Pass back over the numbers and planer gets bit again and we had a angler whom weighs about 120lb and never caught a tuna up After what seem like FOREVER with him on his knees fighting this fish and not barely able to pick up the rod we put a 58" in the boat. Well it's 2:30 now and we need a small fish before 3:00 start to troll away from that spot towards the beach were we caught the 46" the day before and with 5 minutes before lines out there goes the planer again. Didn't take nearly the same amout of line so we are hoping it under 47". Get em next to the boat and measure him looks under so I stroke em and get a good measurement. 46" Fish Get back to the scales and have a total weight of 280lbs.

I don't know if it will hold for us today think I need one more fish but We are currently in 3rd place for total pounds with 452lbs and only 23 boats fishing today.

Hot bait for me catch 4 of our tunas was a pink islander flasher with a hoo on the planer.

[frankypettolina]

Keeping my fingers crossed for you there slappy. Sorry that the damn yft's that were bothering me yesterday didn't come to bother you.

You fished hard, and had the good sense to stick with what works for you and it paid off.

Where did you get the idea to put the pink flasher down on the planer anyway? Wish I'd have thought of that!!

Again, Congrats to You, Naz, Ron, Dave and the rest of the crew.

[Capt.Joe Monticolo]

Held on for fourth place and won some calcutta money
Here's a pic of one of my days 280lb total weight

[Capt.Joe Monticolo]

Franky the pink flasher cannot give out who I got tht one from Their Mom's and Dad's like em this winter down in Moorehead so I figured they would like it too.

[Caveman Sportfishing]

Capt Joe: I was wondering how far your planner line is put out. I used to fish MHC with no more than 50-75 feet on mono but now we use the 32's with spectra at 100 feet and the Ilander a few hundred behind the planner. I used to fish my lure only about 100 feet max behind the planner and caught lots of fish this way but there were more GBT back then also. The total distance was around 150 feet with planner and lure combined and we actually caught more GBT using a number 24 but again they were much easier to catch 6 or 7 years ago compared to now. I own the boat Capt Mark runs during the winter down in MHC and may have met you in the past. We had at least one big tuna on Saturday but wwwwwwwwback on the shot gun rod but hardly nothing to date on planners and wondering about how you run your system. Just curious if you do not mind.
Thank you
Capt John Sowerby

[Capt.Joe Monticolo]

I've met Mark before down there but I don't think I've met you. I have my planer (a sea striker that says commerical on it) rigged on 70 ft of 400lb mono and I've been putting my bait back a little past my short riggers (100 Ft ?) and then running it down. I'm think of getting a downrigger loaded with braid to try and get a little deeper.

[frankypettolina]

My planer set up in MHC this past winter was 70 feet of 400. I would run the bait out about 100 to 120 feet then send it down. We had 9 bites this winter and 4 of them were on the planer. All were pink flashers.

My surface bites were all pinks except one which was purple and black

[AJGMD]

Joe nice work !!