February 2006

 

No report for this month

 

 

March 2006

 

March 18th - March has been a very windy month, with even the commercial fishermen having very few trips offshore.

 

De Mako did manage to get offshore for the first time, yesterday, despite the threat of rain and wind.  We found fishing still to be slow, with only 5 Wahoo bites for the day and a final tally of 3 Wahoos boated.  We didn’t even get a bite, until we reached Argus, although we marked a little bait on the inside edge of Challenger, but no fish would take the bait!  We saw some Whales up on the SW edge, in the afternoon, but by then it was so rough, they were hard to get close to.

 

Well, with the official start of the season is only weeks away.  Let’s hope things get in high gear soon!

April 2006

 

April 3rd - April is finally here, the clocks have been set forward and everyone is ready to go fishing, right!  O.K., then where are all the fish?

Fishing is still slow, sometimes very slow. There are no real signs of Tuna anywhere, just a few here and there. The Wahoo fishing is not much better. We are just picking up one or two here and there and, if you’re lucky to keep most of them on the hook, you’ll end up with an okay day.

 

DeMako fished both days of the weekend. Saturday, we had the “Chumster” on board for his Birthday trip.  Everyone had a great time, even though fishing was slow, with only 4 bites. We had some bad luck, so we only boated 1 Wahoo. On Sunday, we fished with Dave & Terry and managed to rack up 6 Wahoos out of 7 bites, a couple of small ones and 3 good ones (30-45lbs).

 

For all you Whale watchers, the time is now! The Humpbacks are everywhere, but don’t wait, as they will be gone in a few weeks.

 

April 25th - Well, we are almost through April and the fishing is still very poor… boy, is it time for a change!  Same old same old………… a Wahoo here, a Tuna there!  There is not a lot to report about, but I thought it was time to report something!

On Sunday, we had Bob Imsho and his friend, Eddie, from  New Jersey.  Bob is a regular and had chartered the boat when one of his friends caught the 1,352 lb Blue Marlin, on August 1, 1995.  On this charter, there was no Blue Marlin caught, but they did get six Wahoo strikes, but only managed to boat two of them.  Regardless, Bob and Eddie had a great time and it was good to see him again.

 

Hurry up, May.  You KNOW we have to catch fish in May!  There is no such thing as poor fishing in May - always lots of Wahoo & Tunas then, right?

 

With the slow fishing comes slow bookings.  Charters are spotty, making it even harder to find out where the fish are hiding, but that will change, too, very soon.  So, look out for next weeks report.  There will be fish to write about!

 

 

May 2006

 

May 7th - The Fish are here, the Fish are here!!  After the longest dry spell I have ever seen, there is finally life offshore.  Small groups of Wahoo are showing up on the edge, with some catches of 4-6 fish taking place up and down The Edge, but the big news is on the Banks.  Both Banks are showing good signs of bait, Flying Fish, Flying Squid and even some small Tunas feeding on the surface.  Although no one has found the mother load of Tunas, the signs indicate that it will happen very soon (this week).  There has been some good Wahoo catches down on Argus, with “De Mako’s” best catch coming today, with 8 Wahoo’s & a 15lb Dolphin.

Average Wahoo size is good (30-50lbs.), not the spring lizard we are used to seeing this time of year.  Still no Blue Marlin sighting, although with those small Tunas showing up, you know Mr. Blue can not be far behind.

 

So, stay tuned for next week’s report - it should be a good one!

May 14th - As promised, a good fishing report this week!  The Wahoo’s have really set in on The Edge, with lots of good catches reported.

De Mako’s biggest catch was on Monday, with 13 Wahoo’s and a Spearfish.  All in all, we had a good week, catching 53 Wahoo’s, a few Dolphins and a few Tuna’s. 

 

But, our big day came today!  We had the pleasure of the Collins family trip and, after catching 3 Wahoo’s and some Tuna’s for the kids, it was Dad’s turn!  We had just left The Bank, heading back to The Edge, and the 80 wide started screaming…. yes, we had our first Blue Marlin encounter.  After a 35 minute battle, Mr. Collins successfully released this season’s first Blue Marlin - a nice sized one, too, at 450 lbs.  Congratulations, Michael Collins, on your fine catch!

 

Well, the first one is history, so let the games begin!  Let’s go fishing!

 

May 30th - A Grander in May!  Well, it started out like any other day, a charter on ‘DeMako”.  Bill Elliott, and his wife Leslie, chartered the boat to go Marlin fishing and this was our first day of Marlin fishing for the season.  Everything was quiet, until about two o’clock, when we had our first bite.  A Blue crashed the teaser and then fell back and ate the flat line.  After some spectacular jumps and a fight for about 20 minutes, we released a 400 lb Blue Marlin.  After a 25 year search, this was the biggest fish that Bill had ever caught, so he was one very happy customer.  After releasing the fish, we asked Bill if he was up to trying his luck again or should we head for home.  Bill said he was up to trying his luck at another one…… and another one it was!

The next bite we had was about 20 minutes later.  My mate, Peter Lewis, spotted a much larger fish behind the teaser.  I quickly pulled the teaser out of the water and the fish once again ate the flat line.  This was no ordinary fish, it was very large and moving very fast.  In less than a minute, the fish had all but spooled 1,000 yards of line off of the 130 pound reel.  It was time for drastic measures.  We had to spin the boat around and chase the fish down to stop him from taking the remaining line on the reel.  After chasing her for more than 15 minutes, we finally managed to get our first inch of line back.  The battle endured for another 45 minutes and four miles from where the fish was originally hooked, until she was brought to the boat for photographs and to be released.  I estimated the fish to be at least 1,000 pounds. This was a day that none of us will forget for sure!  Congratulations to Bill for a fine job.

 

But, it does not stop there - the Blues are definitely here in numbers, early.  Per Arneberg and son went 3 for 3 on Blues with us today.  A 500lb, 150lb, and a 125lb,  plus 3 Wahoo’s. Two dream days, back to back - can’t wait to see what tomorrow will bring!

 

Personal Note: Peter and I have received lots of congratulations and compliments for the catch and release of such a magnificent fish.  There are a few people who cannot understand why we release such a great catch and ask:  “Don’t you want to know the exact weight?”  Sure, I would love to know the exact weight, but I am not willing to kill such a magnificent fish to find out. I have been fortunate enough to have caught a few Grander class Marlins that have unfortunately died on the line and have been brought to the scales.  Like my Bermuda record 1,352lb in 1995, plus the 1,031lb and the 996lb.  Fish of this size, you do not forget what they look like next to the boat.  So, I am very confident that I can recognize a Grander when I see one!

 

De Mako’s rule is, simply, if it is alive at the boat, it will be released!

 

June 2006

 

June 7th - Another week, another Grander Marlin - can you believe it!

To catch a “Grander” is an angler’s, mate’s and captain’s dream of a lifetime but, to catch two, only seven days apart, is out of a fisherman’s fairytale book!

 

DeMako’s  catch, this week, consisted of a few Wahoo’s and Tuna’s, a couple of White Marlin releases, plus a nice 650lb. Blue Marlin, released on Friday by my angler, Michael Burke.  Not a bad week but, on Tuesday, we made history.

 

Alastair Barbour, a long time friend and client, booked DeMako for June 6 & 9.  On the first day of fishing, the game plan was to mainly look for Mister Blue, but also to try and catch a Tuna or two for dinner.  By 2.30 p.m., we had released a White Marlin, caught a small Dolphin (MahiMahi) and a Tuna, and were back out in the deep water looking for trouble - and boy, did we find it!

 

Alastair, who has caught many Marlins, told me that he was only interested in catching a Big Blue Marlin and anything else, he would have his guest catch.  “Allen,” he said, “just say ‘big fish’ and I’ll pick up the rod, okay?”  Well, down comes the right short rigger and the line slowly starts coming off the reel.  Alastair looks at me for the call, but I did not see the bite.  Pete says, “Me, neither.”  Alastair says, “Okay, Keith, you take it.” Keith gets in the chair; oh yeah, now, she want to show her real size!   The line starts melting off the reel and out of the water she comes.  I shout, “Big fish, Alastair!” Alastair looks up at me and says, “I can see that now!”  The big Marlin jumps in circles so many times that she gets tangled up in our 25ft. leader.  Ten minutes into the fight, we have her close enough for Pete to grab the leader and get the release, but hey, there is no leader to grab - it is all wrapped around her massive body.  Opportunity lost, she runs deep, too deep, and the long 4 hour battle to get her back up begins.

 

Keith Falconer, of Edinburgh, Scotland, was a real trooper, enduring a 100lb. drag setting on the reel, on his body for 4 hours!  But, he stuck it out to the end.  The fish came up, tail first, with the leader wrapped around her tail and, unfortunately, she was dead - there was no releasing this one.  Pete and I both agree that she is a lot smaller that last week’s fish, and call her in at 900lbs.

 

Back at the scales, she weighs in at a massive 1,048lbs.  Another Grander for the 2006 season!

 

Tuna fishing is still slow, but the Marlin fishing could not get any better.   If this continues until the end of August, this will be a historic Marlin season for Bermuda.

Better come on down and join us!

 

June 26th - Finally, another fishing report……….things have been a little crazy around here!

The Marlin bite is still the main topic, with an unusual amount of Whites around.  Wahoo fishing, Marlin fishing or even while chumming, everyone is getting attacks from White Marlins.

 

 On the Blue Marlin scene, Bigger James, on his new boat the ‘Wound Up,” has been #1 this week, almost catching a Blue everyday - what a start for the new boat!   Congratulations to Capt. James and crew!

 

 There is at least one more Grander class Marlin swimming in Bermuda waters, as the “Nothing Easy” crew found out, on Wednesday.  While reeling in a Wahoo on Argus Bank, this dark shadow appeared under the Wahoo.  It was a real big Blue that had decided that this Wahoo would be nice for lunch!   In one motion, the huge Marlin ate the Wahoo and ran off, leaving the Bean brothers with one less Wahoo!

 

Talking about Wahoo, there are only a few here and there, and the ones being caught are Summer Lizards (12-25lbs).

 

Yellowfin Tunas….. where are you??  The few that are being caught are coming off the SE corner of Challenger but, if you catch a few today, do not bank on catching any tomorrow!  That’s how it’s been - tough!

 

The U.S. boats are coming in steady.  We should see about 20 or more here for the upcoming July Marlin tournaments.

 

We wish them all safe passage and good fishing!

July 2006

 

July 9th - The July Marlin bite is a slow, but steady one.  Blues & Whites are being caught and released everyday, just not at the numbers we are accustomed to in Bermuda.

On July 4, we fished the second day of the Bermuda Billfish Blast and the World Cup fishing tournament. There were a record number of boats, 196 worldwide in the World Cup and 43 in the Blast locally. The fishing in Bermuda that day was fair, but only 3 large fish were caught, the largest weighing in at 570lbs. on the “Off Piste.”  The “Waste Knot” also boated a 460lb fish, falling short of the minimum 500lb weight limit.  “De Mako,” with angler Ricky Sousa, released a 450-500lbs. class fish, earning DeMako 500 release points in the Blast, which will carry through to the Triple Crown series.  Great Job Ricky!

 

Bermuda did not win the World Cup for the fourth year in a row. This year’s honours went to the “Happy Hooker” in the Cape Verdi Islands, with an 850lb fish.

 

The big news is that a few good sized Yellowfin Tunas have shown up.  Not a lot, but nice fish between 50-100lbs.

 

Interested………well, best get yourself on the SE corner of Challenger and do some chumming. Both live Robins and cut bait are working, although there are more Blackfin Tuna’s taking the live Robins than there are Yellowfins, but it is just nice to catch something in the chum for a change!

July 20th - The “Rum Bum” wins the Big Game Classic and is high point boat, with 3,300pts. going into the last leg of the Triple Crown Series.  Big Congrats to Capt. Jimbo & crew!

The “Smooth Operator” was the big fish winner, in the Classic, with Rebecca Hawn’s 797lb. Blue Marlin.  They were the winners of, not only the Blue Marlin jackpot, but also the top lady angler award.  Congratulations to Rebecca and all the “Smooth Operator” crew!

 

Back on “De Mako,” we managed to release 3 more Blues, in the Classic - 2 fish very close to the 500lb mark.  We finished up the Classic in fourth place, with a total of 2,000 points and, in third place in the Triple Crown Series, so far!

 

Today marked day one of three days of fishing in the Seahorse Billfish tournament - the third and final leg of the Triple Crown.  We had a good day, with Ricky Sousa releasing two more Blues but, unfortunately, missing three Whites.  We now have 3,000 points, putting us in second place, just 300 points behind the “Rum Bum”.

 

July 24th - Close but no cigar!  All we needed was 1 good fish to take it all!

“Smooth Operator” was leading the Blue Marlin jackpot, in the Seahorse tournament, with their 534 pound Blue and “Rum Bum” was leading the Triple Crown with a 500 point lead over “De Mako”

 

Just before noon, we hooked up with the fish we needed, a nice Blue in the 600-700lb range. This was the fish we were waiting for and, after a 40 minute battle, Ricky had brought her in sight with the leader just 20ft. from my good mate Pete’s hand.  But, it was not to be!  Just when all looked good, the hook pulled out and she swam free, very slowly - what a heartbreaker!  Hey, that’s fishing!

 

A Big congratulations to “Smooth Operator” & “Rum Bum” for their great tournament wins!

 

August 2006

 

August 5th - July and all the tournaments are over, and most of all the US visiting boats have headed back home.  For the most part, we had good weather and fishing for the tournament season, and I think you will see most of the visiting boats back again, next year.

Just in the last few days, there have been some of those large Yellowfin Tunas spotted.  Every August, we see 100lbs. plus class Yellowfins passing by Bermuda.  Sometimes they are only there for a few days and sometimes they will stick around for a few weeks.  These fish are in the deep water and are best fished by trolling baits slowly around the schools, when you spot them on the surface.

 

There are also a few nice ones, 50-100lbs., being caught chumming on the SE corner of Challenger.

 

All in all, everything is slower than it should be.  You can Tuna fish all day and maybe catch a Tuna or two, or fish for Wahoos and catch three or four, or fish for Marlins and maybe get a bite or two.

 

Wish I had a better report for you, but it’s tough out there right now.  Let’s hope we get a strong live bait season in September & October!

August 8th - This week’s Fishing Report has been provided by Julie Hendrix - thanks, Julie!

Dear All

 

Yesterday was an unbelievable day Marlin fishing in Bermuda. I took Will Gonzalez (a Bacardi colleague) and Laurie Bailey (the wife of the tax manager that works with me) fishing on Mako Charters. We really got lucky on the timing of the Blues biting, especially given Denny and his gang were just here Thursday, Friday and Saturday fishing for 3 days without much Marlin action (they even tried to convince me that I was the bad luck charm….as I hadn’t had much luck with Marlin bites on 2 other days I chartered this summer). However, yesterday the dry spell for Marlin broke and I was fortunate to experience my 2nd year in a row of a Mako Monday Marlin Mayhem. I have to begin by saying what I love about going deep sea fishing on a Monday is there are very few other commercial boats or charters on the water which gives you the feeling you own the sea, and together with the delight of what feels like playing hookie from work in your own back yard,..you just can’t beat the Monday fishing feeling.

 

Our final count was 2 for 7 (2 Marlin caught for 7 hits at the lures) and I’ve never had a better day for visuals of Marlin going after and hitting the lures. The speed of the Marlin and angles which they attacked the lures varied and filled my mind with more awareness of their behavior than I had gotten in the past 4 years deep sea fishing. My new favorite spot on the boat is upstairs beside Alan, the captain, which provides great views, a good breeze and shade to keep you outside in the Bermuda summer heat for most of the day (versus the luxurious option of relaxing inside the air

conditioned cabin). The seas calmed down to 3-5 ft so we had relatively flat water behind the boat which helped with the ability to spot the fish going after the lures. I was lucky to land the first Blue around 9am approximately 1 mile from Challenger Banks. The fish hit the “Leopard” lure (I knew you ask Denny) and did the “windshield washer” with its bill trying to release the hook, something that Alan says often results in a release, but luck was with us and after about 1/2 hr of hard reeling, we landed a 225lb beauty. The rest of the action began 27 miles offshore at Argus Bank in a 3-4 mile stretch that Alan kept trolling back and forth on.

 

Next up was Laurie, a rookie Marlin angler, but a woman with an eagle eye for spotting fish and who has plenty of Bermuda fishing experience. Between 11am and 2pm she had 3 opportunities with Marlin on the line, but if you know fishing, these big monsters are not known for cooperating. Laurie’s Marlin were jumping on top of the water and twisting and generally managing to avoid staying hooked. On her 3rd opportunity, the hook appeared to be set as about 500 yards of line peeled out and Laurie began her first Blue Marlin reeling experience. For 30 minutes she worked hard, breathed hard and did everything right (for a rookie) and the fish was about 40 yards short of the boat, down deep, when it decided to turn its head and the hook popped out of its mouth. The look of understanding and disappointment hit all our faces as the line went dead. Alan was very appreciative of Laurie’s skills and assured her she did nothing wrong. In fact, he wanted me to have Denny show Victor how evenly Laurie managed to reel her line in for a rookie (i.e., it didn’t look like Mount Everest) - attached is a photo for Victor’s viewing pleasure.

 

Will was in the chair next and our 6th strike came at 3pm and the Blue took off for about 600 yards. Meanwhile, Pete is reeling in the lines and Alan is yelling that another Marlin is chasing one of the lures on our shorter lines (yes,….a possible double hook up)! Alan maneuvered the 2nd line and the 2nd Marlin played, but our dream double hook up didn’t happen.  Meanwhile, Will’s fish was giving us an air show on top of the water and he ended up reeling hard for about 30 minutes. Pete, the mate, took the leader on Will’s fish (to make it a caught fish), but the fish took one look at the size of Pete and decided to get the heck out of there and splashed away for another 20 yards. Will managed to reel her back in on the strike setting (Alan wanted to see what Will was made of) and he ended up landing a beautiful 400 lb female Blue.

 

The fire was lit in our captain Alan as he kept us out on the water late trying to find one last Marlin for Laurie to land (and to try and tie last year’s Mako Monday Marlin Mayhem record of 3 for 8), but it wasn’t meant to be, so we ended up pulling into the dock around 7pm, exhausted, happy and shaking our heads.

 

You better believe I’m booking another Monday in August next year!

 

Cheers,

Julie

 

August 29th - Things are looking up!  We are still picking away at the Blue Marlin, with Scott Crippen releasing fish # 30 for the season, on De Mako.  But, our best Blue for the week is Sal’s 650 lbs. - a very nice fish for this late in the season.  There are some nice sized Yellowfins (60-110lbs.) being caught on the east side of Challenger Bank.  Best bet is chumming, although some are being caught with live Robins, if you are lucky enough to find those little critters!

The Wahoo bite is getting better everyday and some nice fall size fish are starting to show up, like the 62lb. caught today, on De Mako, by Dean Clarke - just one of the six he caught today!

 

With September just a few days away and the start of the lobster season, please keep a sharp eye out for the lobster pots on the Edge, while trolling for all those Wahoos out there!

 

 

September 2006

 

September 16th - Well, with Hurricane Florence gone and the water temperature down a few degrees, it’s Wahoo time!

Live baits (tinker Mackerel) are up and in good numbers.  They are your best bet for getting some good Wahoo action. Baits are being found on the Edge, plus the northern side of both Banks and, with the Wahoo Tournament tomorrow, you can be sure there will be plenty of boats in all three spots.  There are also some Yellowfins mixed in with the Wahoo’s and yes, still the odd Blue Marlin.  The tide (current) offshore is very strong, in the wake of Florence, making chumming almost impossible.  So, Robins, as live baits, are not a good option.

 

Speaking of Wahoo’s, Peter & I are starting to firm up everything for De Mako’s San Salvador expedition, from the middle of November until December 12th.   Anyone interested in fishing with us on this once in a life time trip should contact me soon, before all dates are gone!  Good luck to all in the Wahoo tournament!

 

September 28th - The Wahoo bite remains good, with De Mako’s best Fall catch coming today.

Johnny ‘Wahoo” Reiss had De Mako booked today for his annual Fall Wahoo trip and, true to form, the Wahoo’s were out there waiting for Johnny and crew.

 

It was a steady bite all day….. not fast, just steady.  We would catch a fish or two, then miss one or two, but by days’ end, we had tallied up about 600lbs. of Wahoo for a total count of 21 fish.  We had half a dozen fish over the 40lb mark, with Johnny’s 75 pounder coming in as the day’s largest.

 

The Wahoo bite has been all over, but the east and southern sides of Argus remain the hot spot.

 

Another great catch was Allan, of the Treasure Isle, catching a 102lb. Amberjack on Sunday, while on a fun trip with me on the Xiphias, fishing down Blue Cut.  Great job Skip!

 

There are still some nice Yellowfin Tunas on the SE corner of Challenger Bank and to the east end of the island, so don’t plan on stopping fishing yet, as October promises to be a good month!

October 2006

 

October 10th - The weather and fishing remain good, but charters are few and far between!

DeMako’s last trip out saw us catching 14 Wahoo, and we were back at the dock by 1.00pm.

 

A good Wahoo bite is on the SW edge and on the inside edge of Challenger, plus, if the conditions are good, you can do alright with the Yellowfin’s, too! The water temperature and the sea conditions would make you think it’s early September, not October, and with DeMako heading down to the Bahamas next month, I hope the good weather hangs around long enough for a smooth trip!

 

I ‘m sure, by now, everyone has clicked on my San Salvador Expedition link, but now it is time to book a trip if you are planning on joining Pete and I on an adventure, as time is running out!

 

Well, my next fishing report will be from San Sal - hope it includes you!