Island Prep 2012

dragon bait

they made it here i saw them at dinner wed night

Compleat

Sorry for no contact... We had a great crossing... Even with customs stop we made the pocket by 11:15... Anticipation was high but we were late for what bite they had going. Water was putrid and made the call to bottom fish a while. Pick on strawberries was fair at best and a nice red grouper was highlight of that. We got back on troll only to encounter dirty water everyplace we went til finally finding blue water near chub at quitting time.
We checked in, added some fuel, ate dinner and the boys headed back out. They collected a few muttons and a good tail before calling it a night.
Thursday we woke to brisk southeast and were looking forward to a good bite. Forecast was deteriorating rapidly so the plan was to check out, fish the pocket for the day and run to Bimini. Shortly after we got the spread set we picked a dolphin and got snipped by a wahoo. The wind switched to real hard southwest a squall came calling quick and we dropped the hook on the bank to ride it out. I'll hand it to these guys... They fished uring the squall and picked a couple grunts and tails just to kill time...
Back on the troll the bite sounded a bit better. Then we had our shot. Fairly good blue piled on the rigger... Bowed up and did a cross then blistering run parallel to us then doubled back the other way pulling the hook in the process... Nuts! We boated a couple more dolphin then took it to the edge where we tried semi deep drop and vertical jigging. First drop produced a nice blackfin snapper. A couple good bites on the jig resulted in busted line. Another drop produced a margate then no more bites. Slid up on the reef and fed a couple live baits to the cudas.
We lit her up and headed cross bank in horrid tight nasty junk conditions that forced our hand to have to go the north rock route. Rounding that corner was special as it was big in front of bimini. A sigh of relief by all as we cleared the cut and found the calm...
Waking yesterday the wind was still up and the seas worse yet. A boat had bottomed hard in the night and we debated what to do. Friends on a 32 sea vee had made the call to fly home and we followed suit as the wisest safest choice... So theres the report quick and sucky but good company to keep the spirits high. I want to thank them all for including me in the crew.

TNT

Glad you finally made it over Paul eventhough it was a short trip. With the new baby its been tough finding time to fish, but this past Monday, we released a blue off Marathon and picked up some real nice wahoo on a weedline 12 miles out in 650'. Hope to see you in Bimini soon........

Tedd

Compleat

Looks like we'll go 24th or 25th... Sea Crest first then Big Game ... They botched our room reservations for Memorial day. Had all our reservations botched for that matter... We got our slip ok but no room and boss man wants to come right before memorail day for a little practice and R+R. He'll blow a gasket if he doesn't get a room there and they are sold out... With business slow and him having to work extra hard he needs a break... I worry that if he isn't happy with what we find to replace that he may pull the plug on Bimini and possibly the whole boat thing...

TNT

Thats not good......
I assume you tried talking to Ned, Mark or Chris? Hopefully someone can work something out for you all.

snookyj

TNT wrote: »

Glad you finally made it over Paul eventhough it was a short trip. With the new baby its been tough finding time to fish, but this past Monday, we released a blue off Marathon and picked up some real nice wahoo on a weedline 12 miles out in 650'. Hope to see you in Bimini soon........

Tedd

I feel your pain with the new baby...we just had a brand new baby girl 3 weeks ago. I really wanted to fish the Marlin tourny this May...not sure if its gonna happen.

Compleat

Let em all know and hopefully they can fix this. Otherwise I do have an option (Thank you) ... Still boss hates change of plan stuff when its his plan that gets altered...

TNT

snookyj wrote: »

I feel your pain with the new baby...we just had a brand new baby girl 3 weeks ago. I really wanted to fish the Marlin tourny this May...not sure if its gonna happen.

Yep!!! We fished it last year and are trying to make it work again. This "baby thing" changes everything......

heatz

The baby thing changes things big time. But then....they become fishing buddies. My 13 and 15 yr olds are mad at me because we haven't made our first trip over in the "new" boat yet. Hang in there for another 10-12 yrs!

Compleat

Enjoy the little ones while you can... My daughter is off in college headed for big things and a bright future. As mentioned above its nice when they become fishing partners which from time to time she has and I cherish those memories most of all. Now she has other things on her mind. They grow up too quick.

Double Threat

leaving tomorrow from chub. fishing's been slow, few blues here and there as well as a few sails. we haven't gotten our shot yet. maybe in the morning. full report when we get back

Compleat

It was slow for the short time I was there. Poison water in all the good spots. Where we did find water (In front of Rum) we did get a shot and a short bow up on a blue but that was it for our trip. Good luck and hope you slap one to sleep.

Double Threat

After 47 hours of trolling we had our shot this morning near yellowbar. Pissed off white trashed a swimmer then went for an islander combo on the long. We dropped, stuck him good and fought him for a while. We ended up pulling the hook near the boat with about 5 pounds of drag. Not too pleased that we had 1 shot in 5 days of fishing and managed to blow it but that's marlin fishing. I'll do a report soon, got a video I'm making as well as some pics and what not.

Compleat

So ya wanna be a boat captain??? Take my advice... don't...
More schedule issues. This is out of my hands and its my job to say ues sir and no sir... Stuff in the works unravelling fast and no clear pic of what we are going to do with the island trip or even moving forward from there. I'm loyal to my boat and my boss man but I'm a fisherman and at my age, instability gets under my skin. I'm not really looking but if anyone knows anyone in need of a island skipper. I'd be willing to talk...

Double Threat

Just posted a report from April 5-10th with video. It was tough fishing over there. Good luck with the owner... Right now your only missing a lull in the fishing though

Compleat

Yeah i know... Really happy with this boat and owner. Economy sucking so bad he has to work so much harder to keep up and that means less and less fishing. We're already cut back by two months of our usual trip. Looking now like we may possibly have to cut Bimini to a real short one... In my case, frustrated at ever changing plans but I guess I just gotta suck it up. All this prep basically going to waste but in best interest of the "team" we may just pull a quickie and call it a season. Its not the end of the world but I wish he was able to enjoy the fruits of his labor more. Me? I can always jump in the rolling tackle box and head north to beat on makos and scracth up a few fish from the canyons.

Bimini Dream

I for one would hate to see your thread slow down it's been around for such a long time. Hoping everything will somehow work our for you guys.

Compleat

Well the good news is that I already have a big head start on rigging for next year. We are going to do some of the Bimini trip starting in about ten days but after the 19th its up in the air how the rest will pan out. I'll do my usual fish up north for makos and marlin thing for the summer one way or another. Next season I'll be back over be it with Mirage or another boat or if I have to, take my Albemarle off the market and run her back over... Can't keep this guy down...

Compleat

So even with the uncertain future the work must go on. Strainers needed doing and the engines needed to be broght up to temp. Blowin too much dirt and dust to really consider doinng a full wash. I focused on checking the tackle I have stowed checking knots, crimps, and making sure that rust wasn't getting to stuff. Even in bags moisture has a way of finding vulnerable steel. The rigs I brought over last week were washed , dried and repacked in the recycle pile that we use when the bite is on.
No communication from the owner as to what the plan is so until otherwise notified I'll keep on top of stuff as if nothing has changed. Three times I have reset this boat shuffling stuff around for changing plans. Right now we are set for roughly six weeks of Bimini... I'm not going to carry anything less in case we do go forward with original plan.

Compleat

Arranging freezer for the trip over. Lifting a full freezer is an invite to injury so we pack it in a way that allows us to empty it, put it on the boat, plug back in, repack for ride over, unload it , put freeze on dock and reload for the duration of the trip... The 7.0 cu ft models are great for even packing. We alternate layers. Assorted big baits then a layer of 6 x 6 pack, then a layer of 4 x 12 pack, layer of small baits then repeat with the 6 and 12 packs til full. On the right side of the freezer over the compressor works we load our food stocks. I said in last post I will continue carrying a full six weeks worth just in case we return to original plan. If not needed I'm sure that between pat at Sea Crest and Cisco over at Big Game we can find a home for the leftovers.

Compleat

Well I guess I'm going to pay for that little excercise ... Got carried away with all my freezers re arranging reloading moving around. Wrist to shoulder on right side sending signals that it will punish me for deciding to do that... Oh well...

Compleat

A brighter day!!! Green light to go with what we had scheduled!!! So no more cuts and I still have a job...

Now i can get back to focusing on the tourney and slapping some fish to sleep... I'm glad I didn't downsize again. Fresh tag lines already made. Though we had fresh when this whole thing began time in the sun still says its half way through the run whether or not we are using or not... Same goes for my antichrist A/C pump... That gets the change tomorrow...

Bimini Dream

Everything is good!!! Glad to hear it all turned out well. Maybe I'll see you there

Compleat

Another silver lining in this...
Years ago I missed a tournament that I fish every other year. That day my wife got stung by a wasp and if I hadn't been there to rush her to the er we would have lost her.

Another year I missed another regular fishing trip and caught an electrical fire before it got out of hand.

Well playing with the freezers today i saw a little wet spot on the ground. Traced it to the source and it was my water heater here at the house ready to burst. If I hadn't been home it would have been a disaster! $500 I didn't want to spend is better than the thousands in potential damage that could have come from it...

So good things all around...

Fix that then the ac pump on the boat and then time to focus. **** the torpedos, hoist the mizzen mast, hone the harpoons, port , starboard, full speed ahead, ramming speed, avast and arggggg! Almost time to take this show on the road!

Yellowfin39

Safe Travels s & Good Luck!

Capitan Pescado

Read you posts religiously. Safe trip and knock them silly.

Compleat

This water tank is becoming an all day thing... I don't like being on land this long... Looks like it will be a late night deal aboard the yacht getting that ac pump of death sorted out...

Compleat

Those projects behind me... I will pay for the heavy work tomorrow i guess...

Got a PM asking about live bait at Bimini... Fair question deserving of a fair answer. I did answer him and will share here as well.

As for live bait at Bimini... Long story... I will not live bait at Chub I have made that pretty clear... I see no advantage to it with as many fish as are there. For the couple times I have tried again no advantage was gained. Further I truly believe it wrecks the trolling fishery near by... Much in the same way that chunking will shut down a trolling bite up north... That being said at Bimini, because it has been beat on hard through the years, I have in the past and do once in a while still use it.
Scorched earth? Not quite but it is tougher than it used to be to get. In the channels of the south island there are a fair amount of pilchards. There and along the edges of the islands on the flats east of alice/ bailey town. On the better lit docks gogs can be caught on real small white jigs. Seacrest, slack starting to go out is best. Roaring in at big game.
Now for the sneaky one... The flats are loaded with sand perch. I accidently discovered that they are really good live bait along with small yellowtails especially if i'm looking for bigger reef fish. The gogs over the years have been pretty much king and cuda chow and I think only one or two sails over all those years. The pilchards are good on tuna near sundown off the south island. Ceros and big tails love em on the reefs. The sand perch and small tails are hell on the big groupers, reef donkeys, big kings, sails, even jumbo dolphin gobble em up. Small ones are like crack to muttons, big mangroves, and small cubera.

Compleat

I know my marina basin is pretty dirty but how is it that just three days ago I cleaned my strainers and already today the one for the ac was jammed full of what could best be called sludge?
Oh well... Altered the room reservations to accomodate the owners needs... Moved inflatable next to bow for easy load. Took the outboard out of storage and found an issue... She leaked her oil out... Theres a sticker right on the motor that says this side up or oil will drain out... Guess I didn't see it before. Still dont get how it gets out though. Its a four stroke and i would think its a closed system? I guessed wrong...
As predicted my arm is scereaming at me for all the twisting and lifting and moving... Pretty sure even the "Bahamian aspirins" won't help this year... Sucks getting older... motrin and large doses of B 6 seem to help but some days she just flares all by her self and I can't seem to nail down either what move sets it up or what move I make shuts it off as quickly as it starts. Pinched nerve I'm thinking...Guess I'll get it looked at after shark season up north which will commence the day after we get back.
That sets up another project. I'll be hitting the ground running when we get back stateside to get up north for back to back mako tournies... So shark rigs that I twisted in off season and portable shark kit all have to be at the ready before I leave. Right down to different rounds for my hand gun. Jersey has a silly law thats big time against hollowpoint ammo which I'm normally loaded with. Ip there it has to be ball so I have the shark bag with magazines loaded with that. Gettin ready for mako gives me something to do over island side at night as well... They are temperature sensitive as can be so i need to track water movements and monitir where their forage species are being found. Where the two come together on the nearest structure is where I'll find my money winner hopefully...

Compleat

The day that wouldn't end...
Sitting doesn't mean the clock stops ticking. Just cause we havn't been fishing yet doesn't mean that the boat isn't at "mid season". Decided to finally attack all the "little" things in my ER. I know i did filters a while back and we really havn't gone anywhere but even sitting things change. Did a quick run around to loosen "stuff" in the tank. Plenty of water and slime got caught. Enough that I changed them out for good measure. Found my stbd primer pump not operating properly. Good thing I checked...
Finally replaced the ballast in my flourescent light over port motor. Then finally got mad enough to trace and tackle a couple loose grounds that feed the DDEC and give me false readings now and then...
Changed breakers that trip too easy and fought with AC some more. Thats gonna be a problem til I get out of that dirty marina... Moved inside and did my overhead lights. We have 20 in the two cabins and head... The contacts on the little mini bulbs get a little corrosion and need "tweaking" pretty regular. Today 16 of them wanted to fight and I beat em all. Now what I dont get is that I have 5 more outside exposed to the elements on the bridge deck and not once have I had to mess with them.
Set the inflatable on bow and stored the outboard after some tlc to it. Onan gets a little routine love and for the first time ever our spare wheels go on board tomorrow. If thats all good, travel freezer gets moved over and set in the pit...