Weekend Report: Spot, Tuna and stuff Options

[Ken Neill]

My staff decided that Friday was a vacation day. Forecast was for calm and the yellowfin tuna are on fire so they had no problem convincing me. I scrounged together a crew and we ran out to the Norfolk Canyon and started catching tuna as soon as we got our baits out. They were little things, most too small to keep. We caught 30 of them in the morning, keeping 8. The bite was going off to our south and they had larger fish, up to 40 pounds (still tons of little guys). I was ready to head down there but... We had some new guys on board, friends of regular crew who have wanted to go for those bottom fish. When the tuna are biting , you don’t bottom fish but that is what we did. We made a few drops and they all caught the fish they were looking for. At one time, 5 anglers were all hooked up to golden tiles. Moved off of the goldens after everyone had caught one and went and caught a snowy grouper and a couple of wreckfish. That was a plenty for everyone and we came on home.

Brandon Bartlett, Capt. Jorj Head, and Carlin Thomas were part of my Friday crew and each had to fish early the next day. Brandon is the mate on the Virginian and they had a tuna charter Saturday morning. They fished about the 41350 around 100 fathoms and burned the tuna bringing in a limit of yellowfin up to 40 pounds.

Carlin and Jorj were both fishing the Hampton cobia tournament. I had fished with Carlin one time before. We sight-cast for cobia bringing in a limit of cobia to 65 pounds and released a number of others. Carlin mostly sight fishes for cobia but he said that he thought the sight casters were going to have a hard time winning and he was going to chum. Carlin also thought that it was a bad decision to move the cobia tournament away from Wallace’s Marina. Pertinent only in that his statements turned out to be prophetic. The scales broke partway through the weigh-in and they had to take fish to Wallace’s anyway. They also told me that all of the top fish were caught by chumming.

Carlin finished third in the tournament with a 58 pound fish but took the most money due to the Calcutta. Jorj weighed in a 52 pound fish. They broke off a larger one. His angler, Amy Hatok, took top lady honors.

I was back offshore after those tuna. We fished around the 41350 in 100 fathoms or more. Pretty much the same day as Friday without the bottom fishing. The water is cold but the squid and everything feeding on them do not seem to care. Lots of yellowfin, some wahoo (we pulled off one) and some gaffer dolphin are being caught in that 60 something degree water. The bite seems to be everywhere from the 41200 on up to the canyon. It is a really good time to get offshore. Compared to last summer, fuel prices are down and we have tuna. Hope they hang around. Right now, it is looking like we are going to have a very good offshore season. Call your favorite offshore charter captain and get out there.

Monday, I stayed inshore, way inshore. We have a flounder tournament coming up this weekend, the Flounder Bowl ( http://www.pswsfa.com/FlounderBowl_09.htm ). For this tournament, I am getting rid of my regular crew and bringing out my special, crack tournament crew (my wife and children). I figure our best shot is the Lucky Dog Award and they are the luckiest group I know. To get ready for the tournament, we fished from the docks of both Rudee’s Inlet Station Marina and Dare Marina and Yacht Sales. Spot ranging from flounder bait size up to eating size were plentiful at both locations. Catching those spot was almost as much fun as catching those tuna.

[Ken Neill]

[Tony S]

Nice Ken ..... Great Pictures! I love the Tuna coming over the rail.

[fordbjr]

Great report and pictures Ken

[Volunteer]

Very, very nice!!!