We met at the dock at 12:00. Mark (The captain) Jeff and I got busy loading the boat, picking up food, bait and ice. The other two members of our crew, Jerry and Tim were soon there and we pulled out from Harbor view about 3:00 Friday afternoon. The seas were cooperative on the way out, Mostly 1-2 with the occasional 3 footer thrown in. The closer we got to the rigs, smoother it got. I watched a beautiful sunset bundled up in the beanbag. When we reached the first rig the black fin were busting up the water pretty good.
Our hopes were high for the elusive YFT. In short order, I landed my first black fin on a jig that Jeff bought in Orange Beach. It looked like a standard diamond jig, but it was green, and the black fin LOVED it. I know it was just a black fin, but none the less, it was my first tuna and I was pumped about it.
We chunked, chunked, then chunked some more at a few different rigs, but the YFT were just not biting. About midnight, we decided to try for a swordfish. We hauled butt over to the steps and proceeded rig for a monster. Jeff is a fanatic about sword fishing. He expertly rigged a squid the size of my forearm. We dropped two squid down with lights, one to 250ft and the other to 500ft.
Everyone settled down for some shut eye, except for our intrepid captain Mark. I layed in the beanbag on the front deck of this beautiful 30 foot center console. It was cold, but not freezing. I was bundled up against the weather with the hood of my jacked pulled up around my face. I was warm, dry and content. Unless you have been offshore on a clear night, there is really no way to describe what it’s like. It’s like trying to tell someone how it feels to kiss a girl. The things you see are amazing. Strange fish swimming up in the lights, the luminescence in the water stirred up by the props all astonishing. Nothing, however can describe to you the wonder of looking up into the night sky. The stars are simply breathtaking. With no light pollution, everything just pops into vivid detail. I fell asleep with the waves gently rocking and shooting stars everywhere.
At 3:30 in the morning the Penn 50 starts screaming. Swordfish on! Mark strapped in to his fighting harness and got himself ready for the long battle ahead.
Spirits are high as the big fish comes close to the surface the first time. We see the eerie glow of the light on the leader as he gets closer and closer. He spots the boat and immediately dives striping line from the Penn as he goes. Mark fights the fish for a hour and a half before the is able to gain more ground and get the him to the boat. Jeff gloves up and expertly bills the fish. Jerry and Tim each get a gaff in and over the side he comes.
He was pretty much spent and did not protest as Tim slipped his knife behind the gill to bleed him out. During the fight, he somehow spit the hook but had gotten tied up in the leader. He were very fortunate to get the fish on board. We got him in the fish box and set our lines out again. No more bites, but we were soon treated to a magnificent sunrise on the gulf.
We decided to do a little trolling. Jerry and Tim work together to set up the spread very quickly. It’s always fun to watch a crew that has fished together many times. They are proficient and efficient without a lot of wasted movement.
We knew our chances for a winter wahoo were slim, but trolling made for a nice leisurely way to travel to the shallow water rig that was our destination. We made it to the rig and proceeded to drop for some grouper. Mark quickly hooks up with a nice grouper. During the fight his rod broke about 1/3 down from the tip, and the grouper made it to a hole and dug in.
Mark was soon broken off. BAM! Tim has a monster grouper on. He fights the fish to the surface and Mark goes for the gaff.
Well it turns out that Tim’s 28lb copper belly had Marks hook, another hook with a whole mullet and Tim’s hook in his mouth. The fish broke mark off, swam over and immediately went for Tim’s bait. All this with a dead mullet hung in his mouth! We end up catching 2 large gags, a snowy grouper and 3 scamp.
Also landed some big keeper jacks and several nice snapper that were vented and released. It was a great trip, with a great crew. I hope we get a chance to do it again very soon.
