Week of August 9 – Tuna Slow – Marlin Everywhere – More Big-Eye Pics!

[Canyon Runner]

Fifty-Four (54) canyon trips into the 2009 Season – the Canyon Runner’s half-way point - and where are we?

Well the week of August 2 saw the best big-eye bite in 30 years. There must have been 200+ big-eyes caught among all the fleets in NJ and NY. The week of August 9? Not so much!

Capt. Mark DeCabia ran the first trip of the week on Sunday August 9 on the 48 Canyon Runner with the Greg Steiman charter and on his way out to the Hudson with Capt. John Timken and Ryan DiBaggio he heard the big-eye bite died out so thankfully stopped at the Atlantic Princess on their way offshore. They pulled 10 bluefins out of there on the troll before heading to the canyon. They spent only 2 hours on the troll to get those 10. In the Hudson they anchored at the 100-square after spending 4 hours on the troll in the afternoon with nothing. At night they caught nothing and so too in the monring.

Unfortunately for Capt. Mark DeBlasio he was stuck down at the White Marlin Open during that EPIC big-eye bite and finally got back out charter fishing on the 48 Canyon Runner Monday August 10 to start the second half of our canyon season. Capt. DeBlasio took an open boat trip out to the Toms Canyon in the hope that the big-eyes moved south down the edge. It was not the case. They found nothing but great water and no fish. They started in the 50 fathom flats worked both walls of the canyon spent the night at the northeast corner but never had a fish until lines out at 9am when they pulled an 80 pound yellowfin. They then ran into the Atlantic Princess and found that there was no bite there either on Tuesday.

Capt. DeBlasio did a turn around trip with Capt. Pete Doran on the 48 and took the Jim Michelson charter out to the Hudson Canyon. They arrived on the west wall around 6pm and worked that area for a while before setting up for the night. The night bite remains non-existent. Up on the troll in the morning though they found marlin everywhere. They had shots at whites all day and ended up getting Jim’s son a release and also jumped off a nice blue marlin. The big-eyes did bite on Tuesday with 5 caught among about 25 boats.

Capt. DeBlasio was out on the 48 Canyon Runner Thursday to Friday with the Rob Lowery charter while Capt. Dulanie and Capt. DeCabia had the 60 Canyon Runner out with the Derrick Sanders charter. The 60 went to the Toms and the 48 to Hudson. The Hudson was the choice. Down in the Toms there was all the bite you wanted and shots at white marlin and blues but not the tuna our charters want. The Hudson Canyon both on the West Wall by the letters and down at the 100-square had the 48 getting 2 shots at big blue marlin fighing one for 20 minutes before the 200# leader chaffed through. The 48 also had 7 yellowfin but they are still all on the small side.

Both boats are out today on overnighters Friday into Saturday and are actually doing rather well today on yellowfin with one boat with 17 all in the 28-32” range and the other with 5 in the 75-90 pound range and still a bunch of shots at marlin.

The Pictures below is of the Kevin McDerrmont charter which nailed 3 big-eyes last week.