Stingers? WWB's? Shotguns? NAH!

[Capt Say]

Really liked the stuff ya had at our Legend booth in Miami dude, Sold a bunch too! only problem is... didn't pack a few for my trip home.... SOB!

The Sayman!

Hope things are goin good for ya, stay healthy brother v o-ya.. read your book dude... SWEET

Jay

Catchemup@charter.net

[Capt Say]

Back to the topic... You guy's should head east early in the season off the Cape below MV in late June - Early July.... not as many boats... after which they head off to the Chatham Fog! lol

A few years back we hit a school of 100+#er's as far as the eye can see, all caught off the corner offerings, in this case it was a tuna clone in Pink and white, but they would only bite at 11 knots with the lures in the wash, really strange... very agrresive critters ..the rest of the fleet was west catching bluefish and a odd 50# class fish..... Go-figure... I try to release them all...

Cappy Say the Rat hugger

www.Seakersportfishing.com

CatchemUp

Jay

[tigger]

Just wanted to add some info. First, there is a Time and Place for everything. I think some people may be a little confused about the wwwwfb and the stinger, I hope I can clearify. Positioning. As mentioned earlier wwwwfb is usually a skirted bally dropped back about 300 yards give or take , depends how many baits in water and crowd. Stinger or shotgun is usually placed a wave or two behind your riggers, a lot closer than the wwwwfb.
Next, the wwwwfb is used baitfishing for bluefins, not when marlin fishing or targeting other species. Why is wwwwfb so effective on bluefin? Bluefin have great eye sight and spook very easily, usually the bigger grade bluefin spook easier. When fishing the wwwwfb the bait is far from the boat and you are using flurocarbon. Bigger bluefin, bigger fluro. I have had many frustrating days seeing #200-#500 fish jumping everywhere, soon as you get close they sound, no flatline, rigger, or planner bites pushing everything from mackeral spreader bars to cedar plugs. Some people say your boat is a teaser, not with bluefin. Capt. Al Merritt built the famous 37' Merritt speciffically with bluefin in mind. Next time you see a 37' Merritt trolling check out the wake. I think he won the tuna tournament in Cat 10 out 14 years with 700 pounders. So if you think the boat or distance the bait is from the boat does not matter when bluefin fishing think again. I don't like fishing the wwwwfb miles of line to reel in and I also lost a stud in a tuna tourny due to cut off by 20' center console. But you need to do what it takes to get the bites.
I just wanted to finish off by saying don't limit yourself. There is a time
and place for everything. The closer to the boat you can get a fish and keep a fish is the best. The stinger has saved my butt many of days charter fishing for sails in Costa. After I would san cocho the rigger bite, my capt. would catch on the bridge stinger in the turn, excellent ratio he could see the bite perfect. Also has saved me baitfishing for marlins in tournys. I am not trying to bash anybody on the left or right side of the country, I happen to live in SO.Cal. currently. They just don't see the bluefins on the west coast like the east coast, big ones here in the west are #150 and in the last couple of years only a hand full of boats have caught this grade of fish, mainly little guys. I also want to say there is situations where the stinger does not produce for what ever reason, positioning, species, or tournys and areas with limited line rules.
It's tuff to catch a fish on a lure or bait when it is sitting in the boat, and when we get covered up I got one more then you.

Keep it tight!

[Bert Rodgers]

Thanks Tigger, but I don't think the Merrit thing is a real comparison to the WWWWFnB thing done on the Mid Atlantic humps. The Old time Cat and Bimini Tournaments were done on the Bahama Bank, 25 feet of crystal clear water, the fish were spotted and baited. Apples and oranges. I think Pino hit the nail on the head. Once the fleet arrives the tight bite shuts down.

I don't think they get spooked as much as they get used to seeing it, there for the stimulas effect is lessoned. JMHO

Bert

[tigger]

Sorry guys if I confused anybody, I wasn't trying to compare the Bahamas to the mid-atlantic bight, two completely different fisherys. Just trying to clear up the difference between stingers and wwwwb. In regaurds to the Merritt and Cat tuna tournys, what they would do is run up tuna alley with most of the fleet.They would try to spot fish from the tower, good visability and lack of electronics.When they spotted bluefins they would turn the boat and troll down the alley with split tail mullets. The reason he would win is he had a faster boat which would help find the fish first and his boat had no wake. This info is straight from Capt. Al himself, the 37' was designed with tuna in mind. Over the last several years every bluefin tourny has been won with a chunk fish or on the wwwwb, not tight to the boat. When fishing bluefin bigger then schoolies the wwwwb will out fish any tight spread on any day. Ask the boys in OC, CM and NC. Boat pressure never helps with any species and can shut down any bite, even the wwwwb.

[Bert Rodgers]

It sure would have been cool to experience sight fishing for giants on the banks of Bimini. I remember stories from some old timers from Ft Lauderdale like Capt. Cliff North.

The fact that those migrations no longer occur shows shows us that the stocks have been in decline for a long time.

Bert