January 2000

Well, with most of January gone, I am sad to say there is nothing to report. We have had a Small Craft Warning up here almost everyday this year. Plenty of wind!!  With cold fronts coming off the east coast, one after another, there is little chance of anyone getting out fishing this month. On the brightside of things, everyone has had plenty of time to work on their fishing tackle so, if the weather does break in February……. Watch out Wahoos!!

February 2000

Well, we are into February and the fishing has greatly improved. The Wahoo & Yellowfin Tuna fishing has been good, with catches of 10 to 30 fish a day, with the Yellowfin ranging up to 70lbs and some Wahoo as high as 80lbs. The weather for the most part is windy, with about one calm day a week, but the boats fishing on the windy days are reporting some great catches. For the rest of this week, and most of next week, the fish are going to get a break, as most of the Captains & crew will be off to Maimi for the Boat Show. This is normally a good time for a vacation and to check out what is new in the market of boats, electronics & fishing tackle. Plus, this year Bermuda Tourism has a booth in the show and a lot of the Captains & crew are working the booth.  So if you are in the area, please stop by and say hi.

March 2000

March 12th - Well, February was a great Wahoo fishing month with catches of 20 fish per day not uncommon. There were also some good catches of Yellowfin Tuna plus the odd Spearfish being released. Weather was about normal for February and most days winds were in the 15 to 20kt. range. Unfortunately due to the winds, most of the Charter fleet had no charters, so all the good fishing was left to the crews and “The Hook & Liners.”  There is no reason why the excellent Wahoo fishing should not continue into March so, if you are looking for some good Wahoo action and you don’t mind a few swells, now`s the time to book a trip or two!!

April 2000

April 2nd - Well, half of March is gone already and, as usual, the Humpback Whales are here and the fishing has slowed down. Still mainly catching Wahoo & Yellowfin Tuna but, all in all, the catches are down. The weather is improving everyday with warmer temperatures, plus many more fishing days. Most of the charter fleet has passed inspection by Marine & Ports and are ready to start off the new season, so hopefully the fish will start to cooperate.  With April just around the corner, look for an increase in the number of Yellowfin Tuna being caught by chumming. The size will be small (15-40lbs) but great fun on light standup tackle & spinning gear.

April 9th - Well, April is here and all of us are ready to start the season.  Fishing was good this week with the first Blue Marlin of the year hooked by Ian Flecther while fishing on the Reel Action.  Unfortunately, the fish was lost after a 2hr. battle. Ian estimated the weight about 500lbs.  Tough luck guys!! On a higher note, Mr. Carey tagged & released the first White Marlin for the Mako this season. Congratulations Richard!!  Mr. Carey, who is always lucky, fished two days this week with us and saw good action both days with the Wahoo & Yellowfin Tuna. His biggest Wahoo weighed in at 56lbs. The catch of the week goes to Ricky Lines & crew for their great catch on Saturday, a total of 9 Wahoo & 3 Yellowfin with Peter`s 57lb Wahoo taking top honours. The Seawolf, Challenger & Playmate have all reported good catches this week, so dust off your fishing bag and let`s go fishing!!

April 16th - TUNAS IN THE CHUM!!! Yes, summer must be here as the Yellowfin have made a showing in the chum. Best catch of the week definitively goes to the “Dos Diablos” fishing team with 24 Yellowfin Tuna, ranging from 15 to 65lbs.  The most entertaining trip was on Tuesday, when we had 7 Humpback Whales circle the boat for about 30 minutes… what a sight!!  The “Something Hot” had a few good days with the Yellowfin also and managed to catch one weighing in at 112lbs. That’s a big Yellowfin for this time of year, so things are looking GOOD!!! So, if you like chumming for Tuna, best pick up the phone and book a trip or two on your favorite boat soon.  The “Sea Wolf” has not forgotten the Wahoo, with Capt. Russell having a few good picks, this week, at them!! All in all, things are looking up. Now, all we need is for the Marlin to show up and we will be in full swing.

April 23rd - With Good Friday kite flying (a Bermuda tradition, when everyone flies home-made kites and it is said to be bad luck to fish on this day), plus Easter Sunday, plus with Monday & Tuesday being blowout days, it made for a short week. Despite that, fishing was good.  The Yellowfin Tuna & the Wahoo kept the fleet busy, with the Mako & the Seawolf both reporting double digit Wahoo catches. Andrew Mashall, while fishing alone on Saturday on his boat the “Bay Root” caught the first Blue Marlin for the season. He estimated the fish at 250lbs. We on the Mako also had a great day on Saturday with the Fox family catching 11 Wahoo & 2 Tuna, the largest Wahoo weighing in at 60lbs!! Well, I am going away on Tuesday to check out the progress on the new Mako being built in North Carolina (you can check out the progress on my web site) so I`ll miss most of next weeks fishing, but my mate David will keep me up to date.

May 2000

May 7th - Things are still HOT on the Bermuda fishing scene!! There has already been a 100lbs+ Wahoo caught, and so many 70, 80, &  90 pounders caught that I have lost count. The Wahoo are biting very well at both ends of the Island (5-20 fish per day), making it easy for both the east & west end fleet of boats to have a good days fishing very close to home. Not to be left out, the Yellowfin Tuna are making a showing in increasing numbers, plus some good size fish (70-120lbs) mixed in with the usual schoolies. To date, this is one of the best starts of the fishing season I have seen. If this is any indication of things to come, WATCH OUT!!  You’ll not want to miss out on this season!! We’ll be talking about this one for quite some time. On the Billfish scene, no change, just a few Whites around. But stay tuned…  here comes JUNE!!

May 14th - What can I tell you…. the fishing here is as good as it gets! The Wahoo are still biting very well and to make it even more interesting, the Yellowfin have shown up in numbers & size. Not just the odd big Yellowfin, I am talking about most fish in the 40-60lbs range, with a few over 100lbs., ie., my Sunday`s catch of 3 Wahoo & 10 Yellowfin = total weight of 643lbs of fish (caught on 30lb stand up tackle!!).  The best Tuna was 84lbs; best Wahoo 72lbs. -  both good catches by anyone’s standards. Even the Blue Marlin have picked up, with 3 being caught this week. Congratulations to the “Sea Wolfe” for releasing the first Blue of the Season (250lbs approx.)!!   And, not to forget the weather, well believe it or not, it`s been great too!!   Don’t you just love Bermuda!

May 21st - Fishing a bit slower than last week, due mainly to the turn in the weather. Yes, I put my mouth on it! I was telling you about our great Bermuda weather on Sunday’s report and here comes the bad weather on Tuesday. The good news is the winds died down Friday night and the fishing was good for the weekend. Still mainly Wahoo on the troll with some good size Yellowfin biting in the chum. The Marlin scene is still quiet -  just a few Whites around. With the coming week being on the back side of the moon, look for an interesting report next week.

May 28th - This has been a good week of fishing. Most boats have been focusing on the Wahoo with the “SeaWolf” & ” Something Hot” coming in with some good catches. We on the “Mako” have had a great week with the Yellowfin Tuna in the chum. Starting off the week with Mr. Fuller’s trip, on Monday, a catch of 3 wahoo & 13 Yellowfin. Most Tuna in the 50lbs - 80lbs range, with a few small ones which we released for brother John!! With the exception of Tuesday, our only slow day, the rest of the week was the same (just great Tuna fishing!). Congratulation to Jenna for her fine catch on Saturday of 4 Yellowfin on 30lbs test standup tackle, ranging from 50lbs+ up to a 74 pounder (GREAT JOB!!).  And, let’s not forget the “Chisholm gang” who, on Friday, managed a 16 Tuna catch in just 2 1/2 hours of chumming (these guys are FAST!!).   Sorry to report that the Billfish scene is very slow, just a few Whites around.  But don`t PANIC.. June is almost here and so are the Billfish!

June 2000

June 4th - Boy, what a week… talk about pulling teeth!  Yes, the fishing was very slow.  Not much of anything happening most of the week. The offshore current (called the tide, by all local fishermen) changed direction on Monday and with it, the fish went!! The good news is some fish started to show up on the opposite side of the banks on the weekend. It is normal for the tide (Current) to change directions and the fish to change sides of the bank, but usually this happens quick and we only get one or two slow days, not a week! Anyway, the fish are on the northern side of the banks now and fishing should get back to normal next week. The weekend did bring an improvement to the Billfishing. On the “Mako,” angler Jeff Callahan released a 400lb Blue on Saturday, and Sunday saw the “Something Hot” release a 200lb Blue, plus a small White. There were also a few other Whites released and a few Blues lost. The greatest loss took place on the “Sea Wolfe.”  Capt. Russell battled a Big Blue (700lb+) for a few hours. The fish went down deep and at one point even got caught in the bottom. After dragging the fish off the edge into the super deep water (6000ft+) it looked as if all was going great, then all of a sudden with most of the line back on the reel, the line broke! What a hard ending to a great effort. TOUGH LUCK RUSSELL!! People often ask why most Bermuda Captains fish with 130lb test tackle for Blue Marlin. Believe me, with all the very big Marlin & very deep water around our banks, when a big fish goes down it is only line that will get the fish up. It is usually a long battle planing the fish up, but it works.

June 11th - Well, we had a great day of Tuna fishing on Monday. Left the dock @ 8.30am, returned @ 2.30pm with 11 nice-sized Yellowfin. We all thought the Tuna were back in full force… wrong!! The rest of the week was much like last week with just spotty Tuna & Wahoo action for everyone. The Billfish scene is also about the same with a few Blues & Whites being seen. Congratulations to Mr. Clifford Haley for his fine 300lb Blue Marlin released on the Mako 4, on Sunday.   A good way to end the week. The weather has been good, with light winds & sunshine.  We just need the fish to come back!  Next week is the week of the full moon and you will see an improvement in the Marlin action, so stay tuned as I`m sure I’ll have a story or two to tell.

June 18th - All in all not a lot of change. We did manage a few good Yellowfin Tuna days on the Mako, but for the most part the fishing is still slower than normal. The good new is the weather is great!!  Light winds and lots of sunshine! Plus, the Marlin fishing has picked up with this full moon. White & Blue Marlin are being hooked, released or lost everyday by all the fleet. Saturday was the first time that we Marlin-fished exclusively all day, with the end results 1 Blue Marlin released (125lbs) two Blue lost (150lb & 300lbs) & 1 lost White. The Seawolfe, Challenger & Something Hot all seeing Marlin action this week. With the moon falling back and the continued hot weather, we should see some real good Marlin fishing next week and hopefully someone will get attacked by a sea beast!!

June 25th - This was the week of the Marlins - Blues & Whites everywhere! On the Mako, we Marlin-fished Monday thru to Friday and released a Blue everyday and a few Whites. We Tuna-fished the weekend for little results. The rest of the fleet reported about the same with the Wahoo & Tuna fishing being slow and the Marlin fishing being the only way to go. The Seawolf Marlin-fished on the weekend with 2 for 2 on Blues on Saturday & 1 for 4 on Blues on Sunday. The new Chaos released her first Blue (250lbs) and had a bite from a 700 pounder on their first trip offshore -  great work Brooks! The Big Blue made it`s first Marlin trip on Sunday, releasing a 150lbs. Blue and spending more than 3 hours on a Blue over 700lbs. As you may recall in an earlier report, I mentioned about the need for 130lb test tackle in Bermuda`s super deep waters.   Well, thats what happened. The fish was on 80lb test line and it went down deep and died, and you can`t lift a 700lbs+ fish out of deep water with only 80lb line. Here is how it works… a dead fish is going to weigh about 10% of its weight in water, ie. 700lbs fish weighs 70lbs in water. It is going to take at least 70 POUNDS OF DRAG to plane this fish up! You can`t put that much drag on 80lb line without it breaking.  It`s that simple! The other advantage to fishing 130lb test for Blue Marlins is in most cases you can get the fish to the boat quicker and release it before it dies!!   Well, all in all, it was a great Marlin week with as many as 4 shots at Blues per boat, per day, and even a few double hookups here and there.   Hopefully, I will be able to report some improvement in the Tuna fishing next week.

July 2000

July 2nd - Blue Marlin are still #1 on the Bermuda fishing scene, although there is some good chumming for Blackfin Tuna & Rainbow Runners. The Yellowfin are still quite spotty at best with a few 40-60 pounders being caught here and there. The whole fleet is reporting good Blue Marlin action, getting on average about 2-5 shots a day, with more and more fish over 500lb being seen. I would like to congratulate Max Todd on his Blue Marlin release ( 200lb ) on the first day of his retirement.  Now that’s the way to do it!! Max, I hope this is a sign of all the good times to come. Next Tuesday is the Worldcup Tournament, held every 4th of July. Wish me luck and stay tuned for next week`s report.

July 9th - Well, the week sure started off great with Dr. Luftig Monday`s trip on the Mako, releasing a 550lb and a 150lb Blue Marlin, plus having two other Blue Marlin shots. Tuesday was the World Cup Tournament and 17 boats were entered locally.  All in all, it was a great Blue Marlin day with over 30 Blues hooked, 8 released and 2 boated (397lb & 401lb) - not a bad day`s effort. The winning fish was 631lb, caught in Hawaii. The rest of the week was a little slower than it has been, with only 1 or 2 Blue Marlin shots a day but, with the coming of the moon, I am sure next week we will get back to the hot Marlin bite. Still just a few Wahoo and Tuna being caught - mainly Blackfin Tuna, although the “Reel Action” did manage to catch a 130lb Yellowfin, plus a few 50 pounders this week, so maybe things are looking up.

July 16th - The early part of this week remained slow but, as the week progressed, the Marlin bite improved, with catches like our Friday trip going 2 for 4 on Blues, releasing 150lb & 200lb Blues (congratulations to Rob & Deirdre!)  A few large Yellowfin Tuna are starting to show up, as I mentioned in last week’s report. This week, we caught a 109lb Yellowfin, plus the “Trick Shot” caught a 120 pounder. Large Yellowfin, like these, normally show up in August. This is a good sign!! Not only has the July full moon brought the Marlin bite back, it has also brought lots of wind and rain.  Only the BIG boats & the hearty crews fished this week. Well, with Monday being the start of the back side of the moon, anyone who has Marlin fever will be fishing, rain blow or shine!! Should be a great week… stay tuned!

July 23rd - STILL MARLIN!!! Yes, the only game in town is still the Black Marlin fishing. The Blues have gotten better and so has the weather with winds 5-10kts this weekend (now that Capt. Stormcloud went home!). The catch of the week goes to the “Sea Wolfe” with Thursday`s catch of 3 for 5 on Blues, releasing a 500lb+, 350lb & 250lb.   Great Catch!! On the Mako, our most rewarding day was on Wednesday, when we were able to put Mr. Mike Ciravolo on his first Blue Marlin (200lb) after a 6-year wait. Mr. Ciravolo is paralysed from the waist down, but that does not stop him from fishing.  In fact, he runs a charter fishing service for disabled anglers, called Hydo-Therapy, out of New York.  Email him at LIMike74@aol.com   GREAT JOB, MIKE!!

July 30th - A slow week by Bermuda standards.  Blue Marlin bites down to 1 or 2 a boat, but the good news is a few schools of BIG Yellowfin were spotted today (120 - 200lbs) with a few being caught. Everyone will be rigged up and ready for them tomorrow.  Next week should be good with these big Tuna around, plus the Marlin Tournament running from Thursday thru to Sunday.  Congratulations to:  Mark & Greg Kressin, Juan Prado, Larry deSouza & Mike Schaad for their Blue Marlin releases on the Mako this week. On the Wahoo scene the “Reel Action” has been steadily picking at them with 9 Wahoo being the best catch of the week.   Look for better Wahoo fishing to start mid August with September & October being the main months. BIG MARLIN REPORT: The Eureka had a shot at a Blue 1000lbs + but missed on the hookup.  Tough luck guys… maybe we`ll see her in the tournament!!

August 2000

August 6th - Congratulations to the “Treasure Isle” crew, Allan DeSilva & Mark Koren (Chops), for winning this years Marlin Tournament. With Chops at the helm and Allan in the chair, the two were an unbeatable team, releasing 5 Blues in the 4 days of fishing. To make the victory even sweeter, one of the Blues released was 600lbs. The Tournament has a 500lb minimum and you receive one point per pound for a boated fish, and 500 points for a released fish.  Allan believes in a total release format and so all “Treasure Isle” fish are released. I commend Allan for his stand and together we are going to try to make next year’s Tournament a total release event. “Triple Play” was a close second with 4 releases and 1 boated fish that did not make weight (443lbs). This cost them the 500 points. (Should have released him!) There was a total of 20 boats in the Tournament with most boats only fishing 3 days. All other boats reported slow action. It was a 2-boat event from the start. Largest boated fish was 504lbs on the ‘Finally.” Last Sunday, I reported about the big Yellowfin showing up.  Well, they were gone by Monday… too bad!!  Hope they return soon.

August 13th - Well, the Blue Marlin fishing is steady, with a few good sized fish being released, like the 600 pounder released by Mr. Clark Jackson on the Mako 4 on Monday. The good news is that some big Yellowfin Tuna have been caught this week (60-110lbs).  Most of this action is taking place in the chum on the northern side of Challenger Bank. The “Playmate” has opted to forget about the Blues for awhile and, as a result, has had a few good catches of Yellowfin. The Wahoo fishing has also improved, although the size is still small(12-20lbs).   Congratulations to Jeri Pierce for her first two Blue Marlin releases on the Mako 4, plus her sister Beth`s (Dorothy) Wahoo catches.

August 20th - This was a great week for big Yellowfin Tuna. Everyone has had success with them, ranging from 65lbs. - 120lbs. Chris Silvester caught the best one on the Mako 4 this week with his 117lbs on 30lbs test line!! Ricky Sousa fished with us on Wednesday and had a great catch of an 82 pounder on 20lbs. test line!!  He also released a 200lbs Blue Marlin, plus 2 Wahoo, 13 Dolphin & 3 more Yellowfin.   As the Tuna fishing has been so good this week, not too much time has been spent looking for Mr. Blue, but the “Sea Wolfe” did manage to go 2 for 4 on Blues one day this week. With some floating debris showing up, good catches of Dolphin & Wahoo are being reported, like “Reel Action’s” catch of 16 Wahoo & 15 Dolphin… not bad for finding a piece of drift wood! In the weeks ahead, look for a steady increase in the Wahoo & Tuna catches with a tapering off on the Marlin.  On the Blue Marlin count, the Mako is in the lead with 31 releases for 55 hookups.  Not a bad hookup ratio, don’t you think!  On the weather scene, all`s great….  keep them Hurri away!

August 27th - TUNA! TUNA!! Yes, the big Yellowfin are still biting.  We, on the Mako 4, had a great week with them.   Several fish over 100lbs., including this years largest to date (155 POUNDER!!) caught on 50lbs. test standup tackle (by two anglers - the tag team!).  We finished off the week in fine form with Shaun Davis` crew today catching 10 Wahoo & 5 Yellowfin (largest 90lbs.). The angler of the week is definitely Mr. Andrew Kidwell.  While fishing with us on Tuesday, with his beautiful new bride, Holly, he managed to catch 10 Yellowfin Tuna & 3 Wahoo, with a 100 pounder, a 72 pounder & a 110 pounder being caught back to back on 50lbs. standup tackle! (now that’s a pull!!).  Yes, the Blue Marlin are still around with the “Sea Wolfe” and the “Reel Action” seeing and releasing a few each.  And yes, the Wahoo are biting better day by day.  With everything beginning to bite, it must be getting close to SEPTEMBER!! For those of you who do not know, September & October in Bermuda is fast action for Wahoo & Tuna, so do not miss it.  Book your favorite boat soon!  We, on the Mako, only have a few day open.  FYI - the Mako 4 has been sold and will be delivered to her new owners in Va. Beach in November. Last fishing trip on the Mako 4 will be October 24th. DO NOT PANIC!!  I am not going any where.  It will be business as unusual with the new Mako starting in May 2001.    Be sure to check out my site to see her under construction.

September 2000

September 3rd - IT AINT OVER YET!!!  Who said it’s the end of the Marlin season?  What a week for the Mako.  We started the week with Eddie Schaufler`s 700lb. Blue Marlin release, plus his 112lb Yellowfin Tuna, and ended the week on Sunday with Ken Thaxton`s Blue Marlin release of a 800-900 pounder, plus his 86lb. Yellowfin Tuna.  Most of the week saw good action from the Yellowfin, with lots of small football and still some good ones (70-120lbs.), including the 92 pounder caught by Andy Hahn, from Sportsfishing Magazine. The wahoo fishing is still slow for this time of year and, with the Wahoo Tournament this Sunday, things better change soon.  With a few big Blues showing up so late in the season, most boats will be very reluctant to pack up the big gear, so standby for some more Marlin stories.  With weather and fishing so great, don’t miss the opportunity to fish this fall -  book soon!!   P.S. Sorry for the late report.  I took the holiday off!

September 10th - Well, this may be the week of the Wahoo Tournament, but the Blues are making it clear that they are still here. While Wahoo fishing this week on the Mako, we managed a 250lb Blue Marlin, released by angler Paul Sullivan.  On Saturday, Jim Wilkie released his first Blue on a live bait set out for a Wahoo, plus Brant pulled the hook on a 400lb Blue later that afternoon. Just imagine how many Marlin could be seen if someone was looking for them! Capt. Russell on the “Sea Wolfe” has also had a few Marlin attacks while he has been targeting the Wahoos, plus he released a Sailfish (about 35lb) this week - a very rare catch in Bermuda waters.  Today, in the tournament, we managed to catch 8 Wahoo, but the Sharks ate a bit of two of them, leaving us with six whole ones.  The best was Ricky Souza’s 43 pounder on 12lb test line.   Next week is the last full moon in the Marlin season so I’m hoping I have a few Marlin customers and get a chance to spend some time in the deep water for Mr. Blue!  The Mako 4 is still holding on to the Marlin release lead, and with a great hookup ratio, I might add - 35 Blue Marlin releases for 60 hookups!

September 16th - Short fishing week due to ” Florence.”  The Blues are still here and we had a few shots in the last few days.   Best shot was LaLa`s fish, about 500lb.  We hooked the Blue on a live Skipjack tuna which was rigged with a 20/0 circle hook.  As many of you may have read, fishing with circle hooks is the new thing as they are designed to hook the fish in the corner of the  mouth, making a good hookup, plus not harming the fish.  Well, this was my first try, but it did not work as the fish spit the bait out after about a 20min. fight, and out came the hook too, right next to the boat!!  This would have been an easy release with a standard J hook. Still a lot of Yellowfin Tuna around, but most are very small, 10 - 20lbs., very few big ones! The Wahoo are still not up to par for this time of year.  We should be catching 10, even 20, Wahoo a day but instead, catches of 4- 6 are being reported.  I think the water is still too warm, keeping the Marlin here and holding the Wahoo back.  Maybe “Florence” will shake things up  Next week will surely tell!!

September 24th - Chumming for Marlin? People are always asking me if I have any good fishing stories, well, I got one for you this week. Most of this week`s fishing has been chumming for small Yellowfin & Skipjack Tuna on 20lb. test spinning gear, plus catching a few Dusky Sharks & Wahoo that cruise thru the chum. The trolling has been very slow this week, very unusual for September!!  Well, now the story!  While chumming on Saturday, with Paul Miller and his Exel gang, and catching a few Yellowfin & Skippies, a 200lb Blue Marlin races through the chum after a Skipjack.  Everyone is surprised at our visitor, including me.  I shout to my mate, Bigger James, “Get a Skippy out of the box, I`ll get a leader.”   I came out of the cabin with a 400lb leader with a 11/0 hook all ready to go.   James passes me the Skippy and, as Iam hooking it on, James shouts “I`ll get a 50lb outfit.”  Not wanting the Marlin to lose interest while James is getting the 50 from the Bridge rack, I decide to throw the bait in the water to tease the Marlin.  I throw the bait and am looking to see where he has gone and suddenly he comes from under the boat.  Before I can pull the bait in, he has it!!  “HANG ON!!” I said to myself as I wrapped the leader around my hand and pull.  Luckily getting it in the boat as James comes with the 50, he snaps the leader on, and back in the water goes the bait.   Mr. Blue turns around and eats the Skippy!  James hands the 50 to Paul.  Paul waits until the slack line in the water comes tight and then hooks him.  The Blue starts to jump and the fight is on!!  But wait…   we still have the anchor down!!  I run to the bow, tie a fender to the rope and cut it, run to the bridge and start the engines and now we are in business!!   About 30mins. later, we release the Blue and resume the chumming. Total day’s catch: 16 Yellowfin, 4 Sharks, 1 Dolphin, 1 Barracuda, 12 Rainbow Runners and a 200lb Blue Marlin release. Not a Bad Day!!

October 2000

October 1st - A short week due to hurricane Isaac, which passed well to the east of us but still brought some unsettled weather. There were a few good Wahoo catches but, all in all, the trolling is still slow for September.  We, on the Mako, spent most of the week chumming, catching about the same as last week: small Yellowfin Tuna, Skipjack, Rainbow Runners and a few Wahoo & Dusky Sharks. This weekend has marked a change in the weather and I think you`ll see a great improvement in the trolling action this coming week, mainly Wahoo.  Also, in the last few days a large amount of Sargasso weed has drifted in and with it we should start to see an increase in the amount of Dolphin (Mahi Mahi) being caught.   So, weather permitting, next week promises to be a good one!

October 8th - Well, it is October but I have to report we do not have the normal hot October action!  Wahoo remain slow, as do the Yellowfin.  A few Dolphin fish showing up but, all in all, very poor fishing for this time of year.  As you`ll know, I am cutting this season short to take the Mako to VA. Beach on the 16th.  Wanna bet the fishing will get hot after I leave!!  Well, not much more to report, so see you next week!

November 2000

November 2nd - Sorry for the delayed report, but I have just returned to the island after delivering the Mako 4 to her new owners in Virginia Beach. So, if you are looking for her, look for the “backlash” at the fishing centre in Virginia Beach, Capt. Steve Richardson.  As for the new “Mako,” she is under construction in Wanchese, NC.   All is fine and she will be ready for charters as of May 1st, 2001.   If you would like more info on the “Mako,” please look on my site under “new boat under construction”.  Now, as far as fishing goes, it does not look like I missed much!  All reports are of high winds (15-40kts) with very few calms days.  It seems that on the fishable days, catches of Wahoo & Yellowfin are in order.  The “Sea Wolfe” & “Challenger” have had a few good picks but, for the most part, fishing is slow.  If we can get a few fishable days in a row, allowing the fleet to search the waters, maybe some good fishing can be found. Thanks for staying tuned!!

November 11th - As the fishing & charter season slow down, this is a good time of year to take a well-deserved vacation for most of the fishermen, so you`ll find most boats out of service until the new year. We did, however, get a few fishable days this week and a couple of boats ventured out, reporting some Wahoo & Tuna being caught.   But, for the most part, the fishing is still slow and the seaweed thick! Glen, from Bermuda Shorts is the gentleman that puts this report online.  He suggested that I do a “Fishing Tip of the Week” this time of year as there is not a lot of fishing to report about. Well, here goes!! Tip of the Week: If you are planning on fishing this time of year, it is a good idea to file a float plan. There are a lot less boats out there, plus the weather is less predictable.  It does not have to be anything complicated, just let your wife, girlfriend or Harbour Radio know where you are planning on fishing & your estimated return time.   Iit`s that simple!  It will make it a lot easier for someone to find you if something was to go wrong…. Heaven forbid!

November 27th - Well, it is the Holiday season! And I’m not talking about Christmas and all that, I’m talking about the fishing. The fish must be on holiday as the fishing can’t get much slower. Wahoo are still spotty and the seaweed still thick.  The only good new is that a few nice size Yellowfin (40-60 lbs) have been caught chumming.   Most of the better fishing is to the NE & NW of the island with the Banks being unusually slow.  I would not look for much change until January when the Wahoo should kick in (Big Wahoo!).  Well, my tip for this week: For those of you who are packing up your rods & reels until next season, have them serviced NOW! Many anglers will store their tackle until the beginning of the season and then have it serviced.  The problem with this is that your reels sit all winter with salt in them… NOT GOOD!!  Plus, if you need parts, you have plenty of time to get them.   So service them now!

December 2000

December 17th - Looking for fish for your Christmas dinner? Well, you’re in luck as the weather and the fishing has improved! The last couple of weeks, there’s been some really good fishing weather, light winds and warm temperatures. On the fishing scene, the Wahoo catches are better (4’s & 6’s being caught a day by some boats) with some good-sized fish like Peter Rans’ 90lbs+ Wahoo, caught on the “Over Proof.”  There are still some nice size Yellowfin Tuna around, but no big schools, just a few here and there. The guys that are bottom fishing are reporting some good catches of Hinds & Coneys (small Groupers) with up to a couple hundred pounds a day, plus a few Rockfish! The seaweed is still very thick so, if you are planning on trolling, be prepared for some extra work!   Well, I’m off the island tomorrow for the holidays (going to see the new boat), but I do hope that those of you who are lucky enough to get out fishing for the holidays - have tight lines.  I’m sure I`ll hear all about it upon my return.  Have a Safe & Great holiday season!!