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Its February... In most places that means cold crappy weather. South Florida though this is a strange month. We get more postcard perfect weather than we know what to do with it. That is great for those who want to come and get tan and play at the beach but for fishing it can make for some mightly long days.
I had some things I wanted to do on the Contender, Missus Deep wanted to go for a ride. I hadn't planned on fishing but what the heck. The joy of getting a late start is the radio can tell you a lot. It sounded like our section of Gulf Stream highway , at least on the edge was not willing to barf up much if anything. A zillion boats and not a handful of bites among em.
That spurred the ol Deep thought process into one of "those" places. "Ok we can go catch nothing close to the beach or we can stretch off shore and try for a big nothing."
I have been working for years trying to come up with a combo/ circle rig that might work. Recently, I had come up with an idea that I hadn't tried yet. Using a smaller head, a bigger hook mounted on the baits forehead to get the all important gap clear of the lure head, might just work. Its akward looking and I have always been anal about stright streamlined lines but the same rig has worked well with my nakeds so why not.
I grabbed a bag of store bought hoos (YUCK!) and slapped some on the rigs I had made up and gathering dust on the boat. Now what to drag em with? The big stuff was at home. Oh well, the best way to invite disaster is to go under gunned so with a bunch of speed masters and a couple tld 25's... off we went.
What a pleasant change... No crowds of boats. The buildings on the beach get smaller, the radio gets quieter, the near shore blue water turns purple. 600' seperates us from the nearest hard ground and seems like a place to start. The new baits run like a dream. So far so good. Don't know if its gonna hook fish though without a bite. We push on out.
I'm pleased to see schools of big skipjacks working. Good marlin food and they usually leave my stuff alone unless I shrink to small feathers. Has me curious why those inside screaming that they cant any bites of any kind aren't there at least bending rods.
The day is gorgeous. I see a slob yellowfin blow up just fifty yards away. ike the skippies though they seldom want to play unless the bait is real small... I drift off into dreamy world. "Click ...ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!" bowed up. Never saw it comming but the circle has found its mark. Missus gets to work.
These southern skippies are a bruiser on light tackle and the fish works her but good for a while. Ten minutes later theres a flash. Seconds later the aftco tapertip ends the debate of who's going to win.
Back on the troll. We repeat that sequence a few times.... When fishing off Palm Beach, you can't realisticly expect a shot at a marlin. You can hope but expect is a different thing... I'm now pounding 900' and then there it is! Not a slob but maybe a buck and a half of blue one playing no games about piling on the "wrong" rigger...
"Damnit Deep, move!" I start to, he's already closing mouth around the bait before my feet reach the pit floor. I'm leaning for the rod. Its all slow motion now. The clip has let go and shes comming down. Then I see it. The death blow comming. I was expecting no win if I came in contact with a blue but this one was small enough to probably stand a chance with. Not with a coil of line that wrapped the rod tip...
The rod bent horizontal for the blink of a second then stood up with a resounding "crack" as the 30lb parted. I could see fish greyhound off with DK in tow. Part failure but also part success. The rig stuck and I didn't even have to drop back.You want so bad to get the shot back. Its gone. You pound the spot again again. The sun moves across the sky. Not today Deep... Not today...
Making 33kts back to the beach I replay the days memories in my head. No regrets and all smiles. There will be other shots and I WILL get at least that combo to work...
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How's you rig that bait
JIG STRONG