January 2001

January 24th - Well, it`s late January and the big game scene is still pretty quiet!  The few Wahoo being caught are of good size (30-60lbs) but the number are still low (2-6 per boat).  The “Equalizer” had the honours of catching the first White Marlin for the year, last week, and also bagged 6 Wahoo that day - a good catch anytime of the year! The Tuna are playing hide & seek and they are good at it!  Very few are coming ashore. The bottom fishing, on the another hand, has been good with some great catches of Grouper & Red Snapper being reported at both ends of the island.  As I am sure you all know, I am waiting delivery of the new MAKO in May, but you may not know that I have been fishing out of my 23ft. Seacraft, the ” Rabbit Hunter.”  You didn`t think I was going to stay ashore on those calm days did you!! I have the “Hunter” rigged for Red Snapper fishing and have had some great catches, like last weeks’ two catches of 75 & 90 Snappers per trip.  I am talking about the deep water Snapper commonly called “Glasseye Snapper” averaging about 3lbs. being caught out in 100 to 200 fathoms of water.  You are not going down there without an electric reel!!

February 2001

There was no report for this particular month.

March 2001

March 3rd - Well, I have been holding off on the report with the hopes something big would happen to give me something interesting to write about. Sorry to disappoint you, but I figure a slow report is still better than no report. Luckily for me, this has been a good winter not to have a boat as there have been precious few fishing days with high winds being the norm. Even on the odd calm days the fishing has been very poor, so most fishermen are working on their boat and daydreaming about all the Wahoo they are going to catch next month. Don`t get me wrong, there are some Wahoo being caught, just not the big catches like this time last year. You have to be happy with catches of 2-5 Wahoo -  not 10-20`s.  The ‘reel’ good news is that Bermuda will have it`s first ever big time tournament this July - THE BERMUDA BIG GAME CLASSIC!  If you have not heard, this event is being presented by the Bermuda Tourism Department and will be produced by World Publications (Marlin & Sports Fishing Magazines).  The tournament dates are July 12-15th. It is a  4-person team event with a $3,000 team entry fee.  Big cash prizes, like the Pot of Gold prize  - $250,000 to the person setting a new all tackle record for either Blue or White Marlin!  Plus, $50,000 if you break the all tackle Dolphin, Wahoo or Tuna record. You can check out the site at http://www.BermudaBigGameClassic.com or email Dan Jacobs at Dan.Jacobs@worldpub.net for all the latest info.  You’d best book your favorite boat NOW!!   You do not want to miss this one! 

April 2001

April 30th - Well, here goes nothing!  My husband, Capt. Allen DeSilva, is still away in North Carolina, getting the new boat ready to come home so he has asked me to write his fishing report for the week.  I guess that I should be thankful that he has so much confidence in me.  I know that he would much rather be here fishing with all the guys but, unfortunately, this is one of the drawbacks of having a custom boat built.  So, let’s get to the fishing report!  As far as I can understand from the guys, things are starting to pick up. Steven Rance of “Knockdown” had a good catch the other day.  He was on Challenger and they caught 2 Wahoo (52 and 40 dressed), 8 yellowfin and 1 Blackfin.  Thanks Steve for finally getting some fresh tuna to eat! Joey Dawson on “Gringo” was also out last week and caught 1 Wahoo and 6 yellowfin one day and the next day came in with 11 yellowfin and 1 Wahoo, trolling.  He said that most of the yellowfin weighed in around 25lbs.  One of the commercial boats came in, yesterday, with 10 yellowfin.  It looks like the tuna’s are finally biting, and they also seem to be getting bigger.  The increase in numbers and size will definetly make the local chefs happy!  It seems that a few white marlin have been caught.  Andrew Card on “Reel Action” released one, on Sunday, and also caught a few wahoo and yellowfin.  He also caught a nice size wahoo on Saturday (83 dressed). Russell Young on “Sea Wolfe” was out, today, and caught 5 wahoo and 3 yellowfin.  I know that a few Blue Marlin have been raised, but my sources tell me that none have been caught.  “Nothing Easy” raised a Blue, yesterday, which was between 500 - 600lbs.  The weather has been quite good and there have been some nice, sunny and calm days. Don’t forget about The Bermuda Big Game Classic, which is being held in Bermuda this July.  The tournament dates are July 12-15th. It is a  4-person team event with a $3,000 team entry fee.  Big cash prizes, like the Pot of Gold prize  - $250,000 to the person setting a new all tackle record for either Blue or White Marlin!  Plus, $50,000 if you break the all tackle Dolphin, Wahoo or Tuna record. You can check out the site at http://www.BermudaBigGameClassic.com or email Dan Jacobs at Dan.Jacobs@worldpub.net for all the latest info.  You’d best book your favorite boat NOW!!   You do not want to miss this one! Hopefully, Allen will be back soon and the fishing reports will get back to normal.  Remember, you are just a click away from Allen’s previous reports. 

May 2001

May 6th - It’s hard to believe that another week has gone by already. It has been a great week for fishing here in Bermuda. The weather has been good and the guys have been catching nice size Wahoo. Quite a few in the 75 - 90lb range. The first Blue Marlin of the season, at about 150lbs, was caught on Saturday by Steven Rance on the “Knock Down”. As usual he has all the luck! On Sunday, Joey Dawson on “Gringo” also caught a Blue Marlin which was estimated at around 400lbs…… good going Joey & Margaret. Steven on the “Knock Down wasn’t as lucky on Sunday. He lost his shot at the Blue but caught a White Marlin. I also understand that another boat caught a Blue on Sunday which was about 200lbs. The boats have also been catchng some Yellowfin Tuna and Dolphin. 

June 2001

June 10th - Believe it or not the new boat, “De Mako” is finally home and fishing.  No one is happier than her captain and owner, Allen DeSilva.  I think he thought that the day would never come.  Usually he is rearing to go after four months of no fishing but this was a longgggggg stretch of seven months.  You know how anxious he must have been!  The boat arrived home from Wanchese, North Carolina on Wednesday, June 6.  She came across in a time of 32 hours. A six man crew brought her across and they had a pretty uneventful trip.    On board was the builder, Sunny Briggs and Capt. Ad-tech, Donald Macumber, both of Briggs Boatworks and both making their first Atlantic crossing.  I think that Sunny was very relieved that nothing major came up with the boat.   Allen and his mate, David Soares, started fishing the new boat on Saturday, June 9 in a howling gale.  It was raining and blowing all day.  So much so that they had the ocean to themselves.   Nothing like putting that Carolina flare to the test!  They said that it was a very smooth ride of which I was glad to hear.  The fishing wasn’t that great but they did manage to catch three wahoo.  The boat was out again on Sunday and would you believe it - they caught their first Blue Marlin of the season.  She was caught by Andrew Cook and was estimated to weigh 250lbs.  They also caught 9 yellowfin tuna and 1 wahoo. 

June 18th - I am back!!  It`s been a good week, weather-wise, with calm seas & lots of sunshine. The Yellowfin Tuna fishing would be a lot easier if the birds (Shearwaters) would give us a break and let us get a line in the water! Catches of 5-10 fish are common, average size 20-50lbs. Wahoo fishing is very slow, so more boats are hunting for Blues. On the subject of Blues, Dave Kieffer released a 400 pounder on “De MAKO” on Monday and Lawrence Correia (La La) released a 500 pounder, today, with us. The new boat seems to raise more than its share of Blues - this is a good thing!!!  Other releases reported on the “Triple Play,”  “In Excess,” and “Jamie C.”  were that Almaco Jack & Amber Jack catches have been good on the SE side of both Banks, with ” Reel Action’s” 105lbs. Amber Jack caught on Challenger, yesterday, making it the Jack of the week!!  We, on “De MAKO,” managed to catch 24 Almaco Jacks, yesterday, with a total weight of 134lbs.   “Playmate” reported a good catch on Jacks, today, also - lots of good eating!!  Well, that’s all for now.  It is good to be back & I will do my best to keep the reports coming.

June 25th - Fishing!!  Well, it does not get any better than this.  We did our first all-day Marlin trip, today, with Scott Chambers and his new bride, Stacy.  We were 2 for 6 on Blues, releasing an 800 pounder (One of a double strike) in the morning, plus releasing a 200lb and losing three more in the afternoon. Yesterday was also a great day with Wayne Correia (Feeds) releasing a 750lb Blue Marlin, after we caught 20 Yellowfin Tuna!!  All week the Yellowfin have been biting down on the back side of Argus Banks giving us a long troll out in the morning, plus a long troll home which, for us, has worked out great, as we have had good Marlin action all week.  And, as if it couldn`t get any better, how about flat calm seas all week. De Mako has not even put any spray on the decks all week!!  Sunday was the Bacardi Tournament and most boats saw slower fishing that day with the “Spellbound” taking top boat & “DeMako” in 2nd place.  (Congratulations to the Fishers on the “Spellbound”) Well, that’s all for now.  I have to get some sleep… need some rest as we are sold out until the 23rd of July!

July 2001

July 27th - A date that will go down in Bermuda’s fishing history.   It started like any other day, with a few charter captains chatting about their plans for the day. The tuna fishing had been so slow the last few days and the Blue Marlin fishing red-hot. No one was looking forward to a day in search of Tuna.  Capt. Alan Card, of the ‘Challenger,’ calls me on ‘De MAKO’ and says, “Hey, you remember a few years ago when Tuna fishing was slow and you hooked the 996lb. Marlin, and spent all day fighting it?”  Ha, do I!  “Well, we need a day like that today. We should both hook up with a grander and spend the rest of the day hooked up!!”  The conversation continued for about 20 minutes more, full of wishing & dreaming.  Most of the bait had been on the north side of both banks.  The ‘Challenger’ was headed to the north side of Challenger Bank, so I decided to head out to the north side of Argus Bank, about 5 miles further offshore.  At 9:40am, ‘Challenger’ calls in a big fish hookup.  I am now second-guessing my decision to go to Argus.  At 10:16am, here she comes! On the long flat, after my black “JoYee Super Plunger,” a one-time attack. Before Justin is harnessed up in the chair, she already has the 200yds. mono top shot off. We are burning dacron off the reel now as she tailwalks off the side of ‘De MAKO’.  Mate James clears the other lines and in reverse we go. Justin is not gaining any line, but at least he is not losing it as fast! Thirty minutes into our fight and AJ (Capt Card) reports that their fish is one of the biggest he has seen and decides to boat it if they get the chance.  I now know we are talking about a sea monster as AJ has caught his share of granders and he knows what they look like.  I start to wonder if it may be larger than my record 1,352lbs.  About an hour into the fight, we get a first good look at our fish - she is larger than I first thought - a possible grander!! I think to myself, what a day - what if two granders could be caught in one day and at the same time.  At 11:40am, the ‘Challenger’ has the fish alongside… it is a grander!! The crew are dragging her through the transom door and will soon be heading to the scales! (No chumming for the Challenger today!) One hour and 30 minutes into the fight, our fish is close.  I ID her as at least a grander.  I stick to my policy that all live Marlin will be released.  James gets out the tagging stick, already fitted with a Billfish Foundation tag #148138.  Justin North, our angler, fights hard for the last 50 feet of line. She does not want to come any closer but, with constant pressure, Justin gets the leader up. James grabs it and shouts, “Got the release.” His long arms are getting longer as half a ton of Blue Marlin stretches him out. He has her alongside the boat. I leave my cockpit controls to grab the tag stick and tag her. She is larger than the 1,031 pounder we caught, a few years ago, but is no 1,300 pounder.  I call her weight at 1,100 - 1,200 lbs.  I tell James to quickly get the hooks out while she is still fresh! He grabs the bill.  I reach in her mouth, with a small hand gaff, and pull on the back of the hook - out it comes! The only thing holding her to the boat is James (better him than me!!).  Now, the most amazing thing happens - James turns her loose and she starts to sink down. We are all praying for her to make it when, all of a sudden, she turns and jumps clear out of the water, 40 feet behind the boat. What an awesome sight, one we all will never forget!!

FACTS OF THE DAY

August 2001

August 17th - August, so far, has been terrible!! The Blue Marlin fishing has slowed down to a crawl, averaging less than a bite a day, so don’t let her get off! as it may be your only bite for the day. Yellowfin Tuna have all but disappeared, with only a few Wahoo & Blackfin Tuna to keep us all happy. Remember last August and all the 100 pound Yellowfin? Now, that’s how August should be - I sure hope they show up soon! Otherwise, it is going to be a long wait until the September Wahoo run. We did manage to hook up with another Grander on Friday, 10th. Angler, Jonathan Griffith, was in the hot seat for just a few minutes before she pulled the hooks. It was a great bite that none of us will soon forget. If you are interested in catching some Blackfin Tuna, we have had some success with live Robins on the eastern side of Challenger. Our best catch this week was 9 Blackfin (largest 32lbs.), a dozen or so Rainbow Runners and a few Bonitas. If you like Sharks, well there are a few Tiger Sharks that show up in the chum everyday on the eastern corner. We have had no interest in hooking them, though!! Light at the end of the tunnel - three boats fished today: DeMAKO, Sea Wolfe & Playmate, and all of us had Marlin bites! Playmate & DeMAKO both released Marlin, so maybe things are ready to change…….stay tuned! 

August 26th - Blue Marlin fishing is hot!!  Most of this week`s action came from the Marlin, with”DeMAKO” & “Challenger” in the lead.  We, on “DeMAKO,” ended the week with 9 Blue Marlin releases in 6 days of fishing.  There was also an increase in the Wahoo catches on the troll, plus in the chum, with catches as high as 6 reported.  The Yellowfin are still hiding,  but the “Playmate” did find a nice one @ 104lbs.  Hopefully, the rest will show up soon.  Some “Tinker Mackerel” (live baits) have shown up in the harbour, which should mark the start of the live bait season in a few weeks.  The Wahoo tournament is on September 9th, but I don`t think the baits will be offshore by then.  The tournament is about a week too early for good live bait fishing, so you`ll have to go on the hunt for Robin. 

September 2001

September 16 - Well, as you probably know, it is Wahoo time and I wish I could tell you the bite is hot, but it’s not! The live baits (Tinker Mackerel) have not shown up and the Wahoo run is soft. Catches of 3-6 are common, with a few boats reporting catches as high as 10 Wahoo, from time to time. There has been a little improvement with the Yellowfin Tuna. Although the #`s of Tuna being caught are still down, the size of fish being caught is good (40-60lbs). Plenty of Sharks around, if you are interested, Dusky & BIG Tigers! The Blue Marlin have gone in hiding, with very few hookups being reported by anyone. Well, as you can see from this report, the fishing is not up to par, but with all the problems in the world today, if all we have to worry about is slow fishing, then we should be very thankful! I, for one, wish to send out my condolences to all the people affected by the horrible acts of last week. It is sad to think that we share this world with people who could do such a terrible thing. 

September 23rd - The Wahoo are here!! “DeMako” caught 22 Wahoo, yesterday - Andrew Cook`s 64lbs. Wahoo being the largest.  Most of our action was multiple strikes. We had two triples, one fourple & two fiveples! The end result: 22 Wahoo for 28 bites, the most action on Argus Bank. The “Sea Wolfe” was live-baiting on Challenger Bank, with Robins, and caught 10 Wahoo, mostly good-sized fish. There are also a few good-sized Yellowfin showing up, with the “Sea Wolfe” & “DeMAKO” both reporting catches of fish 70lbs. and larger.  On the Marlin scene, Kathryn, on the “Reel Action,” released a small Blue, and the “Sheer Luck” jumped off a Blue at about 305lbs.

Unfortunately, due to the times, most of the charter fleet is tied up with no work. With the fishing just starting to heat up, this is no time to be ashore. Some of the smaller, more economical charter boats will start commercial fishing for the Wahoo but, with the downturn in business island-wide, a lot of hotels & restaurants will not be buying much fish, making sales hard. 

October 2001

October 1st - Wahoo’s still the main theme! “De Mako,” “Challenger” and “Sea Wolfe” all had some good Wahoo fishing this week, with catches as high as 10 Wahoo and a few Dolphin mixed in. Some of the Wahoo have been of good size (50-85lbs). The two best were the 70lb caught on “Gringo” and the 85lb caught on “Sea Wolfe.” There are some good reports coming from the east end of the island, with the “Trick Shot” and “Troubadour” catching some nice Wahoo and, would you believe it, even some nice Yellowfin Tuna - about time!! Still a few Marlin around, with the only catch & release this week going to the “Relentless” - great job, Richard! And, just in time to save you from the “No Bill Beast Prize!!” For those of you who may not have heard of this award, it is given to the boat that does not catch a Blue Marlin all year - no one wants this award and, for that reason, I will not tell you the past winners! 

October 8th - “DeMAKO” was de top boat in de Wahoo Tournament! We are still enjoying a good Wahoo bite, mainly fishing with live Robins and catching 5-8 Wahoo per trip, with a few Tuna, Barracuda, and Dolphin mixed in. Most of the Yellowfin Tuna have averaged 30-60 lbs., but the 199lb. Yellowfin caught on the “Reel Action” on Friday was definitely this year’s largest. The largest Wahoo for the year was caught on the “Wet Back” on Saturday @ 105lbs. Nice fish, Donnie! The weather is changing with fewer calm days and cooler nights, which should be good for the Wahoo fishing. So, hopefully the bite will stay good for the rest of October and maybe into November!

October 22nd - The Yellowfin Tuna have finally shown up with good Tuna fishing all along the inner edge of Challenger!! Both slow trolling and chumming are producing great catches, with our best Tuna catch of 22.  Most of the fish are small (15-20lb.), but there are some nice 40- 70lb. fish mixed in.  Our best Wahoo catch for the week produced 10 of those big boys, plus we had a few Tuna & Dolphin to go with it. Yesterday, we had the Parker’s out fishing (Cliff & Liz run the “Big Easy” a 57ft. Briggs charter boat out of Hatteras, N.C., just like the “DeMAKO.”  Check them out at -  http://www.bigeasycharters.com).  We caught 2 Wahoo & 7 Tuna (biggest were 59lb. & 56lb.) and, would you believe it, Cliff had a 200lb. Blue Marlin on 30lb. test line for a few minutes before it jumped itself free!  I guess there are still a few around!! 

October 30th - A 500lbs release on Wednesday makes Blue Marlin #35 for “De Mako” and #8 for angler, Ricky Sousa.  It has been a great season for both of us, with “De Mako” well out in front with the Blue Marlin count and Ricky releasing more Blues than some boats caught! Talking about Ricky, Ricky Lines and his gang had a great trip on Friday, with a total of 1 Wahoo, 9 Tunas, 3 Dolphin ,plus some Rainbow Runners & a few Red Snappers.  Ricky caught the largest Yellowfin at 64lbs. and Max caught a nice pair of mules!!  Another great day on “DeMako!” Saturday was the first ever Island Construction Fishing Tournament. The tournament consisted of six boats, with approximately six people on each.  Your name was drawn from the hat to determine which boat you fished on. Wouldn’t you know it that one of the bosses, Allan DeSilva of Island Construction, made so much fuss that he couldn’t fish on “De Mako” just to keep him quiet they relented and told him he could. If any of you know Allan you know how he can go on and on and on!  A great day was had by all and the high point boat was “De Mako” with 191lbs of fish. We thought the prize for the smallest fish was going to Allan DeSilva with a 1lb Blackfin Tuna, but someone on the “Challenger” beat him with a 6oz Robin. The tournament was followed by a presentation and dinner at the Spanish Point Boat Club. Way to go Allan and Zane! 

November 2001

November 14th - Well, considering it is November, there have been some great fishing days, as well as great weather. Unfortunately, the charters have been few and far between. “De MAKO” did manage to get out this weekend and had some good Wahoo & Yellowfin Tuna fishing, with most of the action still on the inside of Challenger. Our two best Tuna weighed in at 66lb & 57lb. We also had a Mako Shark (approx 200lb) on for a few minutes before it jumped off!  “Playmate” reported having a Blue Marlin on for a bit before it jumped off!  “Triple Play” & “Reel Action” both report good bottom fishing on the banks with catches of Bonita, Triggerfish, Hind & Coney.  The Red Snapper fishing is also good with my best catch on the Rabbit Hunter with 70 fish. These are deep water Queen Snappers that are usually caught with an electric reel, fishing in 100-150 fathoms of water. So, if you are looking to catch one for dinner on your regular tackle, be prepared for lots of cranking! 

December 2001

December 2nd - Well, we only managed a few days offshore in the last two weeks.  Weather and lack of charters kept everyone ashore.  Most of the commercial boats have been focusing on the bottom fishing with very little effort being directed towards the Wahoo & Tuna. We had a few good Wahoo catches, with our best yesterday with the Lewis gang, tallying 7 - the biggest @ 46lbs. We also had a good day with Archie & friends on the 24th.  Looking forward to seeing you guys again! The “Sheer Luck” managed a few days out, too, focusing on the Tuna.  Although the fishing was slow, Roger did manage a few good-sized Yellowfin (60lb.), plus a 50lb. Albacore - not a regular fish in Bermuda waters.  Speaking about Yellowfin, our friends in the Outer Banks, NC, are cleaning up!! Boats like the “Outer limits” are catching their limit of 18 Tuna and are back at the dock in time for lunch!!  Hey Harvey, don`t catch`em all - we need them here next spring!!

By the way, “DeMako” will be in the Outer Banks for the month of January, getting a few things finished off, plus doing a little TUNA FISHING!!!!! Well, hopefully, we’ll get out a few more times before Christmas. I’ll keep you posted! 

December 17th - I think the fish in Bermuda love Christmas time! As they sure don’t get too much fishing pressure from the fleet, with most of us tied up and all of the crews either getting their homes ready, or making plans to fly somewhere, for the holidays. Well, the weather has been great but the fishing very slow, with the only thing abundant offshore being the seaweed! It is hard to get a true picture of what is happening offshore with so few trips being made. Is the fishing really as slow as the catches indicate or are there just not enough boats fishing on any given day to find where the Wahoos & Tunas are feeding. Another problem this time of year is the lack of bait, keeping the fish on the move all the time.  So, if you are lucky enough, let’s say to find some good Tuna fishing on the east side of Challenger, chances are if you go back there the next day they will be long gone in search of the bait!  If you get tired of all the turkey over the holidays, you can still depend on the bottom fishing, although no big game, there is some good eating to be caught down there.

How about Sharks, do you like Sharks? I was cleaning out my freezer last week and I put all the old bait in a tub. It was such a pretty day that at 10:00am,  I decided to take the old bait offshore in the “Rabbit Hunter” and try my luck!  I was offshore at 10:30am, chopped up a few Robins and was surrounded by Puppy Sharks (small Dusky Sharks).  I had a blast! All by myself, I caught 17 sharks! The box was full and I was back at the dock by 3:00pm.  Some of you may not know this, but Puppy Sharks that have a good clean liver are used to make a great Bermuda dish called “Shark Hash.” Everyone has a little different recipe, but they all taste good.  My good friend, Andrew Card (Captain of the famous “Reel Action”), makes the best Shark Hash, in my opinion.