February 2008

 

February 8th - Report by Amy Flass:   The best thing about New York in winter is that it’s only two hours from a sunny February day, spent catching Wahoo in Bermuda.

 

I was told that both the fishing and the weather in Bermuda during the winter months were a bit “unpredictable”, but the morning of February 16, 2008 was looking good!  I even remarked to Peter, on the run out, that I had really lucked out both weather-wise (a sunny 70 degree day!) and with regard to the flat, calm conditions we were experiencing.  Pete was then good enough to inform me that rainy rough days were actually much better for Wahoo fishing. Oh. That was the first time I had heard that.  But,that Wahoo enjoy inclement weather was just the beginning of the education that I was to receive that day, aboard “De Mako”.

 

 

 

Lesson #2 - Ballyhoo Rigging

 

 

 

As Peter was getting the baits ready to get into their skirts and go to work, he was good enough to show me the proper ballyhoo rigging technique. With some close supervision (and a friendly reminder to free the hook at the end), my bally was ready to go for a swim. Peter put her out on the center rigger. Not long after the spread was out and one angler awoke from her nap in the salon, it happened - STRIKE!

 

 

 

Lesson #3 - The Center Rigger Has a Lot of Line Out

 

 

 

Great news - we had a fish on and it had eaten the bait that I rigged!  But, as I started reeling, I realized that Jeff’s “Man, that’s a lot of string out there” comment may have actually been a valid statement, not just trash-talk. After a battle lasting about 15 minutes and a very sore left bicep, this lesson was taught to me by a 58lb Wahoo.

 

 

 

So, the day was progressing nicely…all of the anglers were finally awake and in the cockpit, there was a fish in the box and our mate was wondering to himself if he had given away too many of his trade secrets.  I assured him that my ballyhoo success should be attributed to beginners luck and that I would not make any attempts to steal his job in the near future.  We were ready for another fish.  Instead, we got two.

 

 

 

Lesson #4 - Style Points Count in a Double Strike

 

 

 

I stood on the bridge and watched Jenni and Jeff fight fish at the same time.  From that vantage point, it became apparent that whilst both anglers appeared to have experience, one of them brought fish to the boat with the grace one might expect from a ballerina-cum-fisherwoman, and the other with…well…a move that will forever be known as “The Shimmy”.

 

 

 

Final Style Point Tally: Jenni-9.9  Jeff-2.3 (with points deducted for almost being dragged into the fish box by his wee-hoo).

 

 

 

After the double strike, it was my turn to catch another fish, and we batted around the order twice more, until late afternoon. It was time to head back to the dock with our catch.   

 

 

 

To sum up, my President’s Day fishing trip consisted of three (very cheeky) anglers, nine Wahoo, an incredible captain/mate team and a lot of laughs.  I can’t think of a better way to have spent my long weekend in Bermuda (but hey, I’m a New Yorker).

 

 

 

A big thanks and all the best to Allen and Petey.

April 2008

 

April 27th - (Written by Chummy Lines)

 

For the avid fisherman, there are few things better in life than hopping aboard DeMako and venturing offshore for some serious fishing and serious fun. The posse, on Sunday, consisted of the Mid Ocean crew - Peter, Ben and KP; the veteran angler - Max (retired); and the two kids - Prads and Chummy. For the record, we did call Jenny Costeau multiple times on Sunday morning, but she was unable to post, due to unforeseen circumstances (Saturday nights in Bermuda can be brutal!). You will recall that Jenny swam with a Whale Shark back in late 2007, while the same crew watched and took pictures of the whole episode.

 

The ritual, for the past 25 years on DeMako ( Mako 3, Mako IV), is to have a green gorilla in hand before you hit Watford Bridge. So, true to form, Bermuda’s best bartender/socialite, Peter, served them up and immediately we knew we were off to a great day.

 

With a small craft warning in effect, a number of boats decided to stay ashore, which meant that the playground was all to ourselves.

 

Petie donned the rain jacket early and began to prepare the cockpit. Ballyhoo, rigged with the usual skirts (blue/white, pink/ black), were on the menu.

 

With a light chop in the water, our game plan was to hang between the eastern and southeastern turn of Challenger. Lines were over at 7:45 am, and it didn’t take long for the double to happen. Talk about chaos in the cockpit - it has to be the best addrenilen rush ever. Pretty neat to see the veterans in action when the 30 wide peeled off. I believe it is safe to say that they are faster today doing the 5 yard dash than they were back at sports day at their respective high schools.

 

5 hours, 13 Wahoo’s and 10 advils later, our strategy paid off, handsomely. Congratulations to Ben for boating the biggest Wahoo (59lbs). I think he is hooked (no pun intended). For the record, Peter you are faster than KP at doing the dash!

 

By 2 pm and with one of the kids over the side, we decided to head back to the island, which meant that Bermuda’s best bartender/socialite, Peter, was back in action, serving up some Sunday specials!

 

Captain Allen and Petie, you guys are the best. Nobody does it better at “staying on top of it” than you guys! I would be remiss to extend a special thanks to Peter for working on his day off!

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May 2008

 

May 4th - (Written by Dan Jacobs)

Great friends, great fishing, just another day on the bank, aboard De Mako.

 

We arrived at the dock, greeted by Captain Allen…. you’re late? You know those Wahoo like to bite early. Yes it was true, we were late and our captain was not happy. That and he would never miss a chance to rib a life long friend Allan “Heads” De Silva. I went along, of course, even though Allan was kind enough to pick me up at the hotel.

 

Always wanting to produce for his clients and friends, Captain Allen was fired up to get to the Banks and take advantage of the aggressive feeding hours. Arriving at the short course about 8:00 a.m., we put out high speed Wahoo lures and one Marlin lure, just in case. Once we reached Challenger Bank, we switched out to skirted ballyhoo on down riggers and surface lines. The first bite on the downrigger produced what we call a Weehoo, due to its small size. After a long lull, captain Allen said to reel them up - we were going for live bait. He knew we needed live bait to have a chance at the now finicky Wahoo that would not hit our trolled dead baits and lures. Anchoring up on the crown, we started chumming. With his crew striking out on catching bait and doing foolish things like casting lures and jigging bottom, Allen had to come down from the bridge and catch most of our bait. So, with a full live well, our hopes were high as we headed back to the drop. By now, the whole fleet fishing Argus in the early morning was at Challenger, but we had the live bait!  It didn’t take long, as the rigger line came crashing down with a nice Hoo attached. Jenni, our female angler, grabbed the rod as the line quickly disappeared from the reel. After a good fight, a nice 45-pounder hit the deck. Now we were cooking with fire, as the live Robins did the trick. For two hours, Allan, Jenni and I kept busy reeling in Wahoo, while mate, Pete Lewis, expertly handled the gaffing and re-baiting. Now since we were all friends, the banter was comical as each time one of us would lose a fish or screw up a drop back. There was also a competition on to get me my personal best Wahoo, which was 60-pounds. Since Allan “Heads” put me on my best Wahoo aboard his boat, Treasure Isle, last September, Captain Allen’s “Mako” had to try and top it. Captain De Silva did his usual magic, making sure we got our shots at Bermuda’s incredible Wahoo fishery. By the end of an incredible day, we totaled 11 Wahoo boated, with half as many coming off. Back at the dock, we had a little red wine and weighed the fish to see if my largest of the day would beat the 60-pound mark? Well, would you know it weighed exactly 60-pounds. So, for now, Treasure Isle is leading De Mako on time. We also had three in the 55 pound class, three in the 45-pound class, two in the 35-pound class and two Weehoo. What an awesome day on the Banks off Bermuda!

 

I am fortunate to have fished all over the world, through my job at Marlin and Sport Fishing magazines. So, when I say the De Mako and captain De Silva represent one of the finest charter operations in one of the best Wahoo and Marlin fishing destination, I know what I’m talking about. If you want to have a great experience and fish with one of the sports’ best, book a trip aboard De Mako with Captain Allen De Silvia and mate, Pete Lewis.

 

 

June 2008

 

June 28th - Mid June Fishing Report

Written by Chummy

 

Quick summation: “Big Bite, Big Fish”

 

My mate has asked me to submit this week’s fishing report as I had the pleasure of fishing with him on Saturday, the 21st and Monday, the 23rd.  However, in order to get a flavor for how good “the bite” has gotten, I thought a sequence of events, chronologically, would be of interest to his many readers.

 

Thursday, June 19th - nursing a hangover, as a result of Jeff’s 40th birthday bash the night before, Jeff, Sacha and De Mako decided to venture off shore (late start) to grab some much needed fresh air and, of course, try their luck with a couple of 130’s over the side.  With the spread set and Sacha in the chair, it didn’t take long for the 130 to make that sound that we all love to hear.  You wouldn’t think that it was Sacha’s first Marlin, as she made relatively short work of the experience - it must have been all the coaching from the tower and the side line!  De Mako released a fish weighing approximately 600lbs. Congratulations, Sacha, and nice work on leadering, Jeff!

 

Friday, June 20th - De Mako was ashore, undergoing some routine maintenance of both boat and equipment.

 

Saturday, June 21st - Big Blue, Lou Petty, was in the house, celebrating his 50th birthday – again!  The posse consisted of the Cuban (Prado), the Steeler (Hank) and yours truly.  For those of you that don’t know Lou, he also goes by the name of “luck box” when it comes to Marling fishing.  The spread consisted of three 130’s, packing the usual suspects and one 130 featuring a special guest, an 80 and a 50 in the tower, with skirted ballyhoo and, of course, two big teasers.  With the spread set and the crew settled in with some green libations, it wasn’t long before Lou’s luck made an appearance.  The fish came up and pulled on the right teaser before settling back and piling on the right short.  Of course, the birthday boy nestled into the chair and the fish put on a magnificent display of break dancing across the surface.  After about 30 minutes, Petie had the leader in hand and did a fantastic job at dismantling the imbedded hooks from the Marlin’s bill.  The fish weighed approximately 350lbs. Pretty work, Lou, and happy birthday.  Oh, by the way, the special guest lure in the line up was a lure manufactured by Hi-5 out of Cabo, which made its debut and was positioned on the right short!  You could have not scripted it any better. Hank did a good job on a 40lb Wahoo, which decided to play later in the day.

 

Sunday, June 22nd - why take a taxi to the airport when you can take De Mako? With a pending 4 p.m. departure, Jeff, Dave & Mick decided to take De Mako on a three quarter day excursion, trolling down the northern side of Bermuda.  After reconfiguring the GPS, De Mako headed out through Western Blue Cut and was immediately attacked by a White Marlin, which unfortunately missed the hooks.  However, shortly before noon and just behind the Northeast Pointer, the 130 peeled and Mick was in the chair, fighting yet another sea monster.  Leader in hand, the fish was successfully released and was estimated to be in the 600lb range.  Nice work, Mick, and congrats on your first Blue.  Must admit, not a bad way to travel to the L. F. Wade International Airport!

 

Monday, June 23rd - Client appreciation day.  Some business associates kindly offered to take us out for a day of fishing, so we boarded De Mako at 7 a.m. and headed west.  The crew consisted of Neil, Aaron and Katarina, Peter and yours truly.  The game plan was the same as on Saturday; same spread laid out behind the boat, including the special guest (not sure if I can get that lure back).  At about 8:45 and coming up on the Eastern turn of Challenger, we spotted a pod of Porpoises and I said to Captain Allen, “You know, the last time I saw a pod of Porpoises, we had a Marlin bite.”  No sooner did I get the last word out, the long left Joe Yee super plunger got smoked.  This fish was BIG!  Aaron got into the chair and did a great job at keeping the line tight.  The fish tried to get airborne, but couldn’t muster up enough strength.  After about 20 minutes, and with the fish down deep, the dreaded happened - the hooks parted.  Captain Allen estimated the fish to be “well over” 800lbs. Keeping the disappointment level to a minimum, we reset the spread and, within 20 minutes, got attacked by a White Marlin.  Unfortunately, it was more of a courtesy pull down just to let us know that they, too, were around.  Heading back up towards the Eastern turn, the 80 on the bridge came crashing down and Katarina did a great job in bringing a small White to the boat.  It was her first time fishing and she did a great job - congrats.  After about 20 minutes, that favorite sound re-appeared and Peter managed to bring to leader another small White.  It was his first time fishing, as well.  Neil and Katarina each nabbed a Wahoo in the 30 to 40 lb category, with both fish eating the ballyhoo rigs.  Just after noon, the right short (Hi-5!) lure got attacked and Aaron climbed back into the chair.  It was a decent size fish but, unfortunately, we couldn’t get the hooks to stick.

 

Needing to be back at the dock by 5 p.m., we left the Eastern corner at around 3:30 p.m. and headed for Bermuda.  No sooner did we leave the bank, the left short and left long got terrorized by a nice sized Blue.  Again, we were unfortunate not to get the hooks to stick.  At this juncture, we basically resolved ourselves to the fact that it was not our day for Blues.  Continuing on, we were half way across the deep when the long left came crashing down.  Dropping that, the fish took a look at the 80 (horse ballyhoo) before pouncing on the long center.  Of course, it had to be the smallest piece of equipment we were dragging - Shimano 50 with a wired red and black sea witch and horse ballyhoo behind it (your typical Wahoo rig).  And yes, yours truly was given the chair (reluctantly as I always hesitate to touch the centre rigger!).  Captain Allen initially estimated the fish to be in the 200lb to 250lb range so I thought to myself that this couldn’t be that bad and I will make short work of the fish.  Also in the back of my mind was the fact that we missed a number of Blues during the day, so this could be our final shot.  To make a long story short, this fish dumped the 50 three times.  Captain Allen did a terrific job at backing down on the fish and I lived up to my end by cranking that 50 like you know what.  On the third attempt, I managed to turn its head and, once that happened, I knew it was my turn to win back some line.  After close to an hour, Petie had the leader in hand and Captain Allen estimated the fish to be in the 800lb category.  What a beautiful sight!  That is by far my personal best and tops my fish I caught on Mako III, back in 1986.  Captain Allen and Petie - thank you for the experience and a memorable day.

 

The bite is on.  I wish my fellow Bermudian anglers the best of luck in the July tournaments, as well as the visiting boats that will also be competing.

July 2008

 

July 31st -   Report by: Julie Hendrix:    It was a very hot and humid Cup Match 2008 and also our wedding weekend, so one of the many wedding activities we had lined up was to enjoy a day out deep sea fishing with Mako Charters.  We set out at 7:30am with the Pacheco men - Mario, his brother Nelson, who both live in Bermuda and have deep sea fished before, Mario’s father, Mario Sr., and his brother, Tony (both visitors from the Azores).  My friend and volleyball teammate Lianne Leonardi, also joined the gang and, although she has experience catching a river trout in Jasper, she together with Mario Sr. and Tony were all rookie “deep sea” fishing anglers.  My dream was to have an opportunity at any kind of big game fish for just one of these rookies………….I never could have imagined the outcome at the end of the day.

At 8:30am, our first line went off hard and a Blue Marlin peeled off tons of line and proceeded to dance on top of the water to our delight several times.  After 30 minutes, a very tired Tony Pacheco brought this beautiful 450 pound Lady Blue alongside the boat.  To my surprise, I got permission to put on a glove and hold her bill, while first mate Russell removed the hook and released her.  What a thrill, not only for our angler Tony, but also for this bride-to-be!

 

By noon, Mario’s father had landed and released a spirited 70 pound White Marlin and, at 3pm, another line went off hard and Lianne jumped into the chair without us knowing what kind of fish hit the line.  It wasn’t until 20 minutes into the fight when the famous “Tuna rod tip bob” began and we knew our rookie female angler was in for a very tough fight.  Lianne was a trooper and followed Russell’s instructions to a tee,….she fought a hard one hour fight to land a whopping 172 Tuna into the boat,…which is near record setting in Bermuda waters!  Now,…..you tell me if you could have asked for a better day fishing on the water?  By the end of the trip, I was just stunned from our good luck and began to settle down into our good fortune back at the dock, when Captain Allen hands me an email from my good friend and fishing buddy, Denny Forchic, who overwhelms me with warm wedding wishes and an ultimate surprise, having arranged for our fishing day on the water to be his early wedding present to us.

 

To this day, I am so grateful for my good friends and fishing buddies that have inspired this passion for deep sea fishing in me and want to take this opportunity to thank them (Denny, Allen, Bigger James, Pete, Dickie, Chummy, Mikey, Hamish).  I have received your kindness and generosity and tried to pass it on to all the rookie anglers I have introduced to Bermuda’s waters and hope they catch and pass on the thrill of this sport that has captured my heart.

 

Thanks Allen, Russell (and his son Max) for the awesome July 31, 2008 pre-wedding fishing day on the water.

December 2008

 December 12th - Well, I think it would be safe to say that this will go down as the most mixed up season ever!  Between the fuel prices going right though the roof and the slow down of the economy, it made for very slow bookings.  A shame too, because some great fishing was missed.

Yes, the Yellowfin Tunas decided not to come our way AGAIN!  And, that is always a big disappointment, but hey, it probably was one of the best Wahoo runs the Island has ever seen!  January started us off with more and bigger Wahoos for the whole winter run, which lead right into a big spring run with Capt. James on the Wound Up setting a new island record of 53 Wahoos in one day.

 Then came the summer!  It’s Marlin time and time for the Wahoos to taper off, but no one told the Wahoos - they just kept biting right though to the Fall.  Only problem was there were very few charters, so most of the good fishing was seen by the commercial boys, but even that did not last.  With the slow down in the economy, the restaurants were buying less fish, so even the commercial boys had to stop fishing for the Wahoos!  With June came the Marlin season, which was a good one.  Lots of big fish this season with all of June and half way through July seeing most fish better than 400lbs.  It was not until a little hurricane came our way that we saw a big drop in water temperature and lots of seaweed that saw the smaller Marlin show up. The fall season was just that, a complete fall!  No charters, high fuel, but once again the Wahoo’s were ready to play, but this time you had acres of seaweed to contend with!  This combination of events made for a very short season!

 

Come on 2009!

 

That’s right, we fisherman are forever optimistic!  No matter how bad the fishing or anything gets, hey there is always tomorrow or next year!

 

So, have a great Christmas holiday and we are looking forward to fishing with all of you next season!