01.10 - TOURNAMENT REPORT:   Peter Miller and the crew of the GET LIT take charge in the 4th leg of the Sailfish Pro Series

Sailfish Pro Series

The 4th leg of the 2010 Sailfish Pro series was held out of Coconut Grove, FL. Get Lit has continued their success in destroying the competition and this time did it with impressive numbers...

On Saturday, the crew's fish count compiled for an amazing 27 Sailfish releases. Far more than the next closest team. Sunday, they added just 3 to that impressive total for an epic 30 Sail weekend in South Florida. Get Lit blew away the 30 boat competition while taking home a hefty $42k.

Below: Get Lit and the Sailfish Powerhouse...

Below: Get Lit on a mission...

Secret to Success

Until now, captain Quinton Dieterle's best day has been a stellar 18 Sailfish. On Saturday the crew blew that mark out of the water with an astounding 27 Sailfish... simply Epic. "We had steady action. The wind came out of the north and the current started ripping at 1 ½ knots. We caught a lot of tailers.'' Many of the fish were caught in waters less than 150' on both a variety of pitch baits and kite baits. They crew would have kites out and have Sails come up to the boat and they would be ready to pitch out a live sardine, herring, or even goggle eye.

Below: The crew of the Get Lit Posing for a smile with a load of flags flying...

Below: Team Get Lit back on top...

Stay tuned to the Waterman's Journal as we keep track of Pelagic Pro Team member Peter Miller and the Get Lit as they continue on with their tournament domination!

Check back often at TheWatermansJournal.com for more reports from Peter Miller and the boys on the Get Lit ...

The Waterman's Journal would like to thank our good friend Woody from Paradise Outfitters for doing a fantastic write-up on a killer report they had recently off the rich Tuna waters of Louisiana. Here is the journey in his own words...

Tuesday, January 26^th started out like any other morning. Wake up, shower, nutritious breakfast of a banana and an energy drink, walk down to the boat, crank it up, allow the engines to warm up, retie knots and leaders, fuel it up, ice it up, wait on customers while small chatting with the competition as to where the tuna might be today. We had a group that had booked us for the next three days, and they hailed from all over the eastern United States. We had high hopes for the next three days, as they assured us that they were very experienced anglers, so much so that they claimed any fish we would target, they could catch on jigs. Well, not one to turn away from a good wager, we gladly welcomed the group onto the boat and were pleasantly surprised when they came loaded with thousands of dollars of their own tackle, especially jigs. These guys were serious about jigging. There’s always got to be a “bad guy” in every bunch, and it was my duty to explain to the group that we would be targeting tuna with live baits and chunking, but assured them that they could jig up small blackfin and skipjacks to their hearts’ content to keep the chum line fresh.

     Off we made our way down the mighty Mississippi on a typical cold morning. We welcomed the clear skies that greeted us that morning; a nice change from the peasoup-like fog which is typical of springtime fishing out of Venice. Hopes were high that day, as it is always easier to put fish in the boat when everyone knows (or at least acts!) what they’re doing.

      We pulled up to our first rig about sixty miles south of South Pass, and I routinely tied two sabikis rigs up to our trout rods, just like we do every morning to try and catch bait. The bait eluded us that morning, and they would for the rest of the day. This time of year, most of the small hardtails, scads, and other assorted baitfish make their way in towards shallow water, with the big tuna not far behind. Either because of the bitter two-week long cold front which had just passed through, or perhaps the moon phase, the famous Lump just had not turned on yet, so we were still “running long” to find our tunas. Well, our customers wasted no time in jigging up some peanut sized blackfin, so we proceeded to start chunking. In the past couple of trips, some of our biggest tuna (150-180 pounders) had come off of bridling up a small blackfin or skipjack, and Captain Hunter suggested that we put a live bait out behind the boat. I jigged up a small blackfin and upon reaching the boat, we unhooked him and I held him while Captain Hunter skillfully bridled him up, and then we sent him back on his merry little way. Now, live baiting with small tunas is hands down one of my favorite ways to fish. Why? 99% of the time, the only thing that is going to hit a free-swimming juvenile tuna is going to be either a large tuna over 150 pounds, or a blue marlin. What?! January blue marlin, you say? Impossible! Nonsense my friends; the Gulf Stream which runs along the eastern seaboard wraps around the tip of Florida, and comes up into the Gulf of Mexico, sometimes quite far North depending on the currents and other maritime conditions. Although it was in the middle of January, the water temperature registered 70 degrees, and felt quite comfortable running over my bare feet. Sea conditions were two to three feet, gentle rollers; water was a cobalt blue. We returned to chunking, but our return to normalcy would be interrupted in short order. A few minutes later, our little tuna decided he needed to panic and went from zero to sixty in a blink of an eye. Hunter grabbed the rod and paid out a little more line and then picked up the line in his fingertips, not quite convinced that the bait had been inhaled. Silence overcame the boat, as all eyes were on Hunter as he held the line like a leash. The suspense was overwhelming. At once I noticed that the tethered tuna, although down probably a hundred feet deep, started swimming a bit more deliberately towards the bow, and at once Hunter started to reel like mad. The Mustad circle hook did its job and buried into the corner of the fish’s jaw. The line quickly started rising to the surface, and we told our customers to get their cameras ready. Because of the nature of the strike, we knew it was a marlin, as a tuna generally dives deep when inhaling a bait. About 40 yards behind the boat, the smooth surface of the Gulf erupted with 350 pounds of angry blue marlin, determined to greyhound all the way to Cuba whether we were coming with him or not. Fish on!
     Angler Scott Butler from Atlanta, Georgia was the closest already prepared with a fighting belt, and the rod was handed off to him. I grabbed the wheel and throttles and proceeded to give chase while Hunter helped clear the deck and assist the other anglers to make their way to the bow and out of Scott’s way. My short tenure as captain would be short-lived, as Hunter told me to get my gloves on and assist Scott. Dangit!
     The fish did not put much of a show on for the first forty-five minutes or so; as it stayed about ten feet down and just steadily pulling line, surfing down swell. Although giving us plenty of shots for pictures, the fish, for the most part, was not acting like it knew it was hooked. Over the next hour, Scott worked the fish to the wire around fifteen times, and right as I would bend over the gunwhale to grab the leader which was just inches beyond my grasp, the fish would suddenly turn towards the motors. Thanks to some expert boat handling by Captain Hunter, disaster was averted every time as he would spin the boat on the fish, keeping both angler and fish towards the middle of the boat. Although this was Scott’s first billfish, he handled his duties as angler like a seasoned pro; winding like hell when he should, pumping and winding when the fish sounded deep. After about an hour into the fight, the marlin decided he wanted some limelight and gave us a fantastic aerial show right by the boat, heaving his long body completely out of the water many times, allowing even the most unsuspecting, inexperienced photographer the chance to get some great shots. We had two video cameras rolling, and the entire crew erupted in cheers, oohs, and ahhs each time the fish cleared the surface and threw water in all directions.

     The next time the fish came to wire, as predicted, he made a turn for the motors, only this time, he went completely under the boat to the other side. My heart sank as I saw Scott get pinned to the gunwhale, while the line rubbed against the bottom of the boat. I told him to back off the drag and walk the line around the front of the boat. All stars must have been aligned that day, as the line was clearly frayed but did not part. As the fray was just mere feet beyond the rod tip, the boat fell silent as we prayed that he could reel that frayed part back onto the reel and pack it with additional mono for insurance. This fish was just meant to be for this crew, and a few minutes later the fish came back to wire. At this point, we were an hour and thirty minutes into the fight, and our angler was begging for mercy. “As soon as you can grab that leader, you get that fish to this boat and end this thing, do you understand?” asked Hunter. “Aye aye captain,” I thought to myself, slightly nervous about how green this fish still was. As soon as the leader came to the rod tip next time, I grabbed it and got one full wrap on him. The fish, which was on its side, decided he had one last hurrah in him, and “black-backed” me as he proceeded to swim under the boat again. I went on ahead and dumped the leader, and jokingly turned to our customers and said “Wiring 101! Never be afraid to dump the leader!” as I had no intentions of going swimming with the marlin that day. The fish only took around twenty feet of line that time, and the next time he came to wire, I had had enough, and as soon as was able to wrap on him, muscled him towards the surface. The fish cooperated, and we finally had him boatside. And the crowd went wild!! Elation set in amongst everyone on the boat, as we finally had a great fish boatside. Now, this was by far one of the most inconsiderate marlin I have ever encountered, as he decided to cut into our customers’ tuna fishing time by two hours! The fish was still very lit up and swimming on its own, so I popped the leader and the mighty fish swam off to fight another day. High fives were passed around the boat, and a few minutes later, we were back to work chunking for the tunas.
     First bait in the water was inhaled and line proceeded to peel off the reel. Next up on the rod was Scott’s wife Margie, and she was showing this tuna who was boss. Halfway into the fight, about six large blacktip sharks showed up, and we started to get nervous that we were only going to pull up a head. A few minutes later, Hunter stuck the gaff into a fat yellowfin in the one hundred pound class. As we started the next drift, all of a sudden the few sharks that were swimming around bolted in separate directions. Wondering what could have possibly scared the once-thought-to-be apex predator, I peered over the side of the boat and noticed another large dark shadow making its way through our chunk line. “Blue marlin! Blue marlin!” I shouted to Hunter as I then started to bridle up another small tuna to feed our pointy-nosed friend. Right as I was dumping the tasty morsel over the side to the hungry billfish, our customers started begging “no more! No more!” as they just wanted red meat for the boat that day, and didn’t want to fight another billfish. I never thought I would see the day that a person didn’t want two shots at a marlin in one day!
     We finished the trip with a whole mess of fish, and there’s something about pulling back into the marina in the middle of wintertime with a blue marlin release flag flying, that just makes you feel warm, despite the near freezing temperatures surrounding us.

A few days later, we decided to stay shallow, as our wintertime tuna tend to chase migrating schools of pogies into the shallow waters. Although the cold temperatures and typically rough seas make one yearn for summertime conditions, the average size of the yellowfins goes up substantially, and any day of the week is a perfect day for records to fall. We had another group in from Houston, and up until lunchtime, the bite was rather slow. All we had to show in the fish box was a few bonitas and kings, which we use for bait, and a whole mess of ice begging to be thawed out by a few fresh tuna carcasses. We were down probably 50+ hooks due to the nuisance kings and sharks which had decided to crash our party, uninvited. Well, in an attempt to catch a few more kings for bait, we rigged up a rather hastily tied wire leader with a circle hook. While tuna will avoid a wire leader like the plague, the less intelligent but equally as hungry kings will jump all over a chunk buried in a wire leader. We had just spotted a large blacktip shark in our slick when our rod with the wire leader went off. I rolled my eyes as I prepared to release another shark. The customers were excited to fight the giant fish, no matter what the species, so we sat back and relaxed while they got worked. The fish was acting super weird, sometimes sounding deep; other times running just under the surface like a wahoo or marlin would. Either way, time was passing and the seas were building. An hour and a half into the fight and I noticed the fish was taking big wide circles, similar to a fatigued tuna. I notified Captain Hunter and he began to peer over the side, hoping for a glimpse of what might not be a shark. A few moments later and Hunter shouted “Get the gaffs! It’s a huge tuna!” Sure enough, the fish rolled on its side and we saw the tell-tale long sickle fins characteristic of large tuna. The fish swam just inside “color” range for probably another fifteen minutes, as we tried to work him towards the surface. Shortly thereafter, Hunter and I sunk the gaffs into the largest yellowfin to ever hit his deck. We pointed the boat north and were greeted by rain and temperatures in the mid 30s, which made for a miserable ride back towards Venice Marina. Instead of immediately cleaning the fish, we all headed for warm showers and hot meals, and returned to the boat the following morning to weigh the fish. Captain Hunter took the fish to the commercial docks down the road where they had official scales, and I proceeded to clean the rest of the tuna we had managed yesterday. When Hunter pulled up about fifteen minutes later, he laid on the horn, and it was then that I knew the fish would go over 200. The fish would weigh in at a solid 215 pounds; not bad for a customer’s first yellowfin tuna, but a hard one to top on his next trip.

-Mate Woody Woods

For more information on fishing in Venice, Louisiana with Paradise Outfitters, visit www.paradise-outfitters.com or call Captain Hunter Caballero at 504-610-1686

Thanks to Woody and Paradise Outfitters for contributing another great adventure to the Waterman's Journal. Check back in for more killer Offshore and Tuna Reports.

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Despite the two feet of variance in our respective vertical heights, obvious contrasts in our racial and national backgrounds, and professional salary caps, or the gargantuan difference in our shoe size, # 20 for the NY Knicks and i share a lot in common - most notably our love for big fish, good times, stiff drinks, and exotic locations.

Jared Jeffries and I have spent many a glorious day on the water together over the years, backing down savagely after one specie of monster pelagic or another, in all manner of boat, between borders of strange and mysterious country, and during various stages of our respectively successful careers. One common theme permeates our long and remarkable story together: Wherever we go WE CATCH BIG FISH, AND LOTS OF THEM, despite the season, and usually to hell with the weather.

Jared's passion for sport is evident by his achievements during his long and successful career in the NBA, but it's his enthusiasm for the game of offshore fishing that most impresses me. I've seen all manner of successful, competitive personality walk the decks of my boats over the years. Hollywood superstars, recording artists, business tycoons, athletes of all shapes and sizes, you name it. Very few share the level of commitment or respect for this game as i do. But with each booming cheer, or enthusiastic high, and i do mean HIGH-five, from Jared as the rod goes BENDO and the reel starts to screeeeeeeeeeeeam i'm reminded of my own passionate commitment to this truly wonderful game.

He may be a gentle giant but he still steps on your toes a lot, he's hard to work around with gaffs and whatnot, and he likes to get the crew drunk before noon in the day but GODDAMNIT i just LOVE to go fishing with people like this!!!

It was a tough couple of days due to the weather, but we pulled it off once again. Running 60 miles into the teeth of a bitter and choleric sea leaves a lot to be desired each morning, but put our noses down and dribble up and down the court against Shaq we did.

The crew showed blatant signs of hangover misery the first morning as we rounded the corner at Punta de Mita into a six to eight foot head-sea. With nearly fifty miles of fun lying between our current position and where the fish were, it only took one look at Lora beside me at the helm to question our previous nights desire to follow Jeffries to the depths of another Margarita's whiskey fueled fervor. It is important to note on a physiological level that a seven foot human body is capable of handling much more hard alcohol than a five foot eleven inch specimen, or Canexican for that matter. Lora immediately dove for the cockpit, going Mexican-green in a hurry. I turned my eyes skyward, heaved a deep sigh of distant relief, made the sign of the cross, and planted my feet. "HERE WE GO AMIGOS!", i yelled to nobody in particular, sheets of spray catapulting over the starboard bow, stinging off the boat thanks to over thirty knots of northwesterly wind.

"Farewell and adieu my fair Spanish lady..... "

SWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSSSHHHHH....SMASH!

"Farewell and adieu sweet lady of Spain...... "

SWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSSSSSSHHHH....SMASH!!!

Over, and OVER AGAIN!

Over two hours of fun, and then some. But make it thanks to the Maximo's superb head-sea craftsmanship we did. Lord knows some days you have to pay for it, but thank the fish gods the punishment we took on the way out was about to come back in great dividends.

Shortly after we stopped pissing blood the marks came under the sonar and soon thereafter an all too familiar chorus of chaos rose over the wind.

Things went from numb to dumb in a hurry as line after line started crashing down. Tunas from 100 - 175#'s literally boiled at the transom as the boys pitched everything we had at them. Fish flew through the air in pursuit of baits and jigs, and it was all we could do to get harnesses and gaffs in the right places.

Good old fashioned clusterfuckchaos as only we can manufacturer it. With two Canadians, a Mexican, a hybrid Santa Cruz-Hawaiian, and a seven foot tall NBA forward in the cockpit you can imagine the scene as the deck literally vibrated with tuna. Jared's screaming "HAAAY MAN!!! HO! WATCH OUT!!!" as gaff points nearly high-stick him, half-dead tuna on the deck threatening his bread-winning legs. Lora's screaming something in fully automatic Spanish, struggling to hold on to another 150# tuna as it blasts for the deep. Ryan and Oren are juggling gaffs and fish bats, the deck is awash with blood, carnage is flying.

Jenny and i have seen this rodeo before, dive for the relative safety of cover, cheering from the sidelines, and opting to run the cameras instead.

Jesus christ it's madness out there for hours. HOURS. By early afternoon even the crew is exhausted from reeling in fish. I high-tail it for the tower before anyone does anything stupid like hooking another fish, fire up the engines and point her for home. It's a much nicer return journey, of course the weather always seems brighter when you've spent the better part of the day kicking ass out there like this.

We make it back to Punta de Mita safe and sound thanks to 57 feet of North Carolina rough weather craftsmanship, and are treated like heroes because of the bounty of pink, sashimi grade tuna we bring. It's off to the 4-Seasons later that night after showers and chamois' and a champions dinner fit for a king. Safe, stuffed, and satiated once again.

The next morning it's deja vu, except that we've grown wiser from experience, having traded the whiskey for gin. After another looooong and monotonous ride out there with the sting of the spray and the sound of the wind, the baits went back out and the killing begins....

Yes, it's a hard and terrible life we lead amigos. It's a shame when you must endure this kind of predictable conclusion. Particularly with people who can't help it but win.

Thanks to Lora, Oren, and Ryan for their tireless efforts. And special thanks to Jared and Jenny Jeffries for yet another killa adventure. I'm looking forward to the next one as always, and getting to do this over, and over again.

For more information on fishing with Captain Josh Temple, go to Primetimeadv.com or click below...

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The Waterman's Journal would like to thank our good friend Captain Chis Donato from Oceanic Sportfishing Adventures fourn at GranderMarlin.com for giving us an insight into the great sport fishery in a land down under... It is the island paradise of Vanuatu.

  Vanuatu sounds like the name of an exotic planet out of a science fiction film, while not too far off, Vanuatu is a tucked away little chunk of paradise due 1000 miles east of Australia. This archipelago in the southern Pacific though quite tropical in appearance, in truth has a limited amount of plant and animal life. With that being said, the status of the marine life is quite opposite. There are over 4,000 different species of clams and marine mollusks alone. The multi-specked vocanic island chain that makes up the geography helps create a substantial structure for all marine life, attracting a vast array of predators including many top quality bilfish and gamefish.

But discard the fact that Vanuatu is prone to random Cyclones and Hurricanes, then you will find a hidden fishery that is not normally talked about in the sportfishing world. Much of the fishing is strictly done for personal consumption by households and various minor commercialization. However, if you are in the small niche for big game fishing, you have then landed in a phenomenal location.

Billfish, such as Giant Black and Blue Marlin roam these waters feeding on anything they can devour. Tuna run rampart when conditions approve, and inshore Giant Trevally action can be out of this world. Top-waters and jigs and provide for these beast along with hard headed Dog-tooth Tuna. All in all Vanuatu is an isolated spot on the globe and one to be explored by the adventureous at heart.

Capt. Chris Donato is happy to share some of his recent summer photos, consisting of some incredible action shots and fish!

Below: A Marlin hits a bait and grey-hounds on the surface

Below: An angry Marlin thrashes along side the boat...

Below: An incredible aerial shot of a Marlin after taking a lure in the spread...

Below: Raw power... get your gameface on for battle!

Vanuatu - an archipelago (consisting of several volcanic islands), produces a great amount of structure rising up in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. This in return acts like a magnet for both predator and prey. Many species stick around the volcanic oasis and call these local waters home. Of these, the greatest of pound for pound brutes, the master of all Jacks, the Giant Trevally . These warriors of the rocks can and will take anything from jigs, live bait, to even top-water lures. But when you hang into one of these hard-fighting monsters, be prepared for an epic battle on light gear.

Below: Hooked up to a Vanuatu GT

Below: Hard work pays off and they boys get 'color' on the fish...

Below: Finally, after a hellacious fight, the crew shows off donkey GT

The Waterman's Journal would like to thank Capt Chris Donato and GranderMarlin.com for sharing their greatness with the fishing world. Expect to see more from Chris and guys from deep down in the South Pacific!

Interested in a fishing adventure of a lifetime in the remote lands of Vanuatu??  You may find more info, including booking a trip at GranderMarlin.com , or clicking the banner below...

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01.10 - TOURNAMENT REPORT:   Peter Miller and the crew of the GET LIT take charge in the Sailfish Pro Series

Team Get Lit

Out of Coral Gables Florida, you'll find one of the true iconic tournament boats no stranger to both the media spotlight, or the tournament winners circle. It is a 53' Viking with a well slated crew that does one thing only... catch fish. Put all these factors together and it creates for a recipe from the fishing gods themselves, a recipe for adventure and domination.

Sailfish Pro Series

The 2nd Leg of the 2010 Sailfish Pro series was held out of Duck Key, FL. The crew of the Get Lit continue to be a tournament wrecking ball proving they can rank consistently in the top of the game. After two events, Pelagic Pro Team's Peter Miller and crew of the Get Lit are in third and staying strong with quality catches and high numbers of Sailfish.

Below: Fog rolls in thick, but the crew of the Get Lit remained focused...

Battling the Conditions

2010 Provided to be a rough start to the year. Very cold conditions with record lows plagued the southern part of the country. During this event, the harsh conditions would test the crew. The temperature was a bitter 39 degrees, with gusty 40 mph winds, miserable rain and so fog so thick that they couldn't see the kites or kite baits.  These pictures were from right before the heavy fog rolled in.

Even though the weather would test their patience, the boat would go 7 for 7 on Sailfish... a perfect hookup ratio.

Below: Battling the elements...

Below: Team Get Lit in a respectable position...

UPDATE 1/25

Pelagic Pro Team Peter Miller checks back in with an update from the next stage of the Sailfish Pro Series...

Stay tuned to the Waterman's Journal as we keep track of Pelagic Pro Team member Peter Miller and the Get Lit as they continue on with their tournament domination!

Check back often at TheWatermansJournal.com for more reports from Peter Miller and the boys on the Get Lit ...

Costa Rica

Costa Rica is known the world over for its killer surfing and tremendous Sailfish fishery. Lying just north of the equator in Central America , it is a very tropical location. The terrian varies but is generally mountainous along the coast. Think of Costa Rica as a present day Jurassic Park. Costa Rica is home to a rich variety of plants and animals . While the country has only about 0.1% of the world's landmass, it contains 5% of the world's biodiversity. Around 25% of the country's land area is in protected national parks and protected areas, the largest percentage of protected areas in the world.

The coastal town of Jaco lies right on the Pacific Ocean. It is a highly visited location for both surfing and fishing... Local surf contest attract much media attention. But the fishing is outstanding. Sailfish, Roosterfish, and Dorado roam these deep waters just off the coast destroying anything they come in contact with. Sportfishermen flock to these waters for their fruitful stock and a chance at catching many quality fish per trip.

The Waterman's Journal would like to thank Ryan for allowing the Waterman's Journal to post up on their great adventure. Here is the journey in his own words...

 

Timing could not have been better, record low temps were busting pipes across Texas while my vacation was just getting started in sunny Jaco Costa Rica.

I was joined by my friends Brandon, Leon, and Matt along with Capt. Dana aboard the 'Hoo's Your Daddy' for a few days of fishing.  Plans called for your typical day of trolling with a little spice thrown in for the fight....

Leon is first to fight one from a kayak...

On day 3 we decided it would be cool to let our deckhand Javier take the next ride. It would be this fish that would make the trip so memorable...and almost sorrowful.

The fish bolted out of the water towards Javier who had just enough time to react and miss becoming a shish ka bob. He later told us he felt the bill graze his neck.

Mahi Mahi made more than a few appearances...

On day 4 we joined Capt Matt aboard the 'Dreamcatcher'

After several hours of nothing we were more than a little surprised when we saw our first and only double.  The stomach of one of the sails had expelled during the fight, since the fish was popped off boatside Leon jumped in the lend a hand.

He was able to quickly reposition its stomach...

Revive...

And successfully release this sailfish. We head inshore late afternoon to kill off some time and torture the bonita we've kept alive all day. It doesn't take long and I'm hooked up on a solid fish, after a good struggle I'm able to pull it to the surface.

A massive roosterfish.  I can't help but think a little karma came my way after passing off that sailfish to Javier days earlier.

We quickly get back to fishing and its then Matts turn...

...and he gets his "Pez de Gallo"

Our final day on the water allowed plenty of time for relaxing and enjoying the scenery...

...and the end to a perfect fishing trip.

Thanks to Ryan and crew   for contributing another great adventure to the Waterman's Journal. Check back in for more killer Offshore and Kayak Reports.

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If you can find a current rip in Whitewater or surrounding bays, you will find fish... fishing current rips is a very effective way of targeting gamefish without having to work miles of shorelines.  Snook, Redfish, Trout, Tarpon and Grouper regularly use areas with current rips as food supply stations and when conditions are right, they will flock to them like clockwork.  Some of the rips I fish are time sensitive, where the tide has to be flowing good first thing in the morning and others are sensitive to water levels.  Understanding the conditions that make the spot right is only half the battle... approach and boat positioning for effective casting coverage is the other half.  In all cases, it is critical to stake-out up current, just close enough to target the beginning lee edge of the rip and moving the boat up further only when you have covered the area several times.  The fish will line the lee side of the rip and where the rip dumps into either a basin or cove, waiting for bait to get flushed to them. 

During the Winter months in Flamingo, more fish push into Whitewater and surrounding bays in search of warmer water and food.  It's a great time of year to invest in expanding your knowledge of the Flamingo Back Country... the rewards can be bountiful.

Raw Thumbs

With the exception of the first two real cold days just before Christmas, the bite has been exceptional.  Before that front, the fish were very active all over the Park and after those couple days of transition, they went right back into feeding mode.   We've successfully targeted them on the Florida Bay Flats, in the muddy water of East Cape, in the clean rivers from Ponce Inlet North and all over the back country.  As is always the case, wind direction and water clarity determine each days' route... it's hard to pick a bad direction right now.

The Evans crew made the trek down from Jacksonville a couple of days before Christmas... it was Dad's big Christmas surprise for his two eldest sons.  The bite a couple days earlier was tough and the weather prediction was not very promising, but they ultimately listened and arrived bundled up, ready to fish.  We stopped at a current rip close to the Shark River first thing and got into a serious Gag Grouper bite... they caught several each and were taken to the house a couple of times by fish that simply overpowered our tackle.  With the wind shifting to the NE and a decent outgoing tide, the water on the Coast cleared up just enough to allow us to net a ton of good sized white bait.  We worked our way North, hitting points, bars, creeks and submerged trees... the boys had very little down time.  Most of the time they were doubled or tripled up with Snook and Redfish... it was truly nonstop action.  After we reached our Northern limit we headed back South of the Shark to work the middle of a good incoming tide and we immediately got back into the action.  Except the fish grew... Snook to 31" and Redfish to 34".  The fish were making up for a couple days of hiding out... and the Evans crew didn't give them a break.  After the tide on the Coast died, we headed back into Whitewater where they caught too many Trout to count...  and at the last stop, before the sun sent us packing, little Hunter Evans caught a baby Tarpon to put a Grand Slam in the books.  The boys piled into their Dad's truck exhausted... with grins from ear to ear and very little skin left on their thumbs.  It was a great day!

Mike and Scott were back at it again... doubled up

We had waking and tailing fish all over is in the morning...

Then, we hit the coast for a bunch more... another double

We got to test a couple of the new Signature Series Spinning Rods from TFO... I was very impressed!   I will be retiring my Loomis' rods for this more economical equivalent.  If you're interested, I will have a complete review up on my site within the next week.

Warren busted this nice Florida Bay Snook by long casting deeper potholes...

Mike and Chuck had a great day up the Coast... many firsts and lots of quality fish.

Lance Benson and Charles Foschini got out before a big front and had a phenomenal day.  We jumped a large triple digit Tarpon first thing and then banged out 15 or so decent Snook up the Coast before they absolutely cleaned house in Florida Bay.  Lance landed this Snook on fly in the middle of an insane Snook feeding frenzy.  Charles managed two large Redfish in the middle of all that Snook madness and we called it a day after he was nearly spooled by an unknown beast.

Duke and Charles had a good Gag Grouper day... and mixed in a few nice Snook, Redfish, Trout and Sheepshead.

Mark treated his Dad to a day in the Park and they had a great time... Snook, Redfish, Gag Grouper, Trout and Goliath Grouper.

Tommy Jr. and Rocco were true diehards... fishing from sun up to sun down.  This was easily my favorite trip of the year... the boys caught everything, including a ton of Snook and Redfish at the end of the day to register their first Back Country Slams!  Booyah, Rocco!

And, on the last day of the year, I poled Pascal Grillot of Pure Fishing around the Florida Bay flats, as he dropped flies on tailing Redfish after tailing Redfish...  We had very poor visibility, but it's hard to miss big golden tails waving you down!  It was a great time, Pascal...  looking forward to our next trip.

The sunrises and...

... sunsets have been pretty darn amazing.

Even this Old Salt was impressed.

For more info on Everglades fishing and booking a charter with Capt. Benny Blanco, click the banner below

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I didn't have much time for shooting pics this past week, but the time i did spend behind the camera yielded some of the most fantastic shots from the carnage that we've been happily enduring down here for the past month since our return from Cabo.

Long time clients the Barcott boys, Mike and Daniel, joined us this week with their neophyte bluewater friends Dave and Roy for 4 days aboard the Frantic Pace with Capt Herk and Sue, and the fishing was nothing short of incredible.

The first morning was slow, yielding only a few dorado, as we searched for the massive schools of tuna that we knew to be somewhere in the area. By mid-afternoon, however, all thoughts of tranquility disappeared astern as i located a veritable orgy of pterodactyls and cetaceans in the distance. Literally thousands of porpoise and large, ravenous birds turned the sky dark and the sea to a cauldron of mayhem. Tunas fed with reckless abandon, FROTHING, blind with the kind of savage enthusiasm that turns otherwise noble creatures into wild-eyed, child-eating monsters. Seven grown men and one woman stared slack jawed at the riot before us. As soon the sun grew dark from the thousands of birds above the Frantic Pace, the lines began to crash down with the kind of outright panic that sends lawyers, and Canexicans, and retired social workers into paranormal states of chaos. Out of body experiences where the blood, and death, and carnage of a full speed big tuna bite causes guys like us to scream "HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOKUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU UUUUP!!!!!!!!!!!! and EEEEEEEEEEEEOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWFFFFUUUUUUUU UUUUUUCCCCCKKKKKKKMMMMMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!! !!" as though we've been possessed over, and OVER again. Eyes rolling into the back of our skulls, heads rotating 280 degrees, fangs and claws showing through wide mouth grins and frantic reeling fingers. Maybe for PETA it's not pretty, but for us IT DON'T GET NO BETTER THAN THIS!!!!

Mike, Daniel, Dave, and Roy saw some of the best fishing we've had here in Puerto Vallarta this season, and i couldn't have wished it more for a better group of dedicated and passionate people. We spent our days whooping some serious ass out there on tunas, dorado, sailfish, and striped marlin, and our nights bringing down the palapa at Margaritas with Hector and his ensemble time and time again.

Hector was beaming, literally dancing from table to table as no one in Punta Mita is happier when the tunas are chewing than him. Long nights of tequila and Cuban cigars gave tribute to the madness we enjoyed during the daytime, countless stories of "DIDYOUSEETHAT!!!" and "REMEMBERWHEN?!?!?!" filling the conversation between rounds of Don Julio as we recounted the shenanigans from the days adventures.

If you can dream it, we did it out there. Live bait, spreader bars, Canadian tackle, silly things that we are known to come up with when the rewards are this easy and the sound of ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ seems to come at a whim. Ahhhhhhhhhh....the satisfaction of absolute carnage, filling the horizon in all directions of the compass, three hundred and sixty degrees.

It's trips like this that remind me above all others that this is why i spend my life guided by the movements of fish, and the men and women who endeavor to catch them.

And i shall continue to do so, until the Devil himself pries my cold, gnarled hands from the helm.

I'll let Mike and Daniel and the boys fill in the rest of the blanks as they have most of the photos, but let me end by saying thanks to the Barcott clan, Capt Herk and Sue, and my crew here in Puerto Vallarta. For me these adventures, and these moments, are IMPOSSIBLE to resist.

For more information on fishing with Captain Josh Temple, go to Primetimeadv.com or click below...

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Islamorada Waters

Location:   Islamorada, FL

The Florida Keys are known for some of the most tropical waters that run anywhere into the United States mainland. Currents sweep around and bring rich waters and countless fish into the Gulf of Mexico from the Atlantic Ocean and Carribean Sea. The variety of fish around these islands in simply amazing. These were the waters that Ernest Hemmingway often called home which helped induce the full on creativity for the story 'The Old Man and the Sea'. These generally warm waters teaming with life are a sportsmans paradise, and highly regarded by anglers from around the globe.

Below: Islamorda found in the Florida Keys is in a prime location for mayhem and adventure!

Islamorada is a very unique area. Just about any species that is present in waters between the equator and the north Atlantic can be or have been caught in close proximity to the Florida Keys. Anglers have a wide open choice and what they want to target. These waters are well known for blazing fast King Mackerel, super healthy populations of Sailfish, countless species of reef fish, Dorado, toothy Cuda's, and at times Tuna and other Billfish. Some of the largest sharks, including Great Hammerheads, call these waters home as they prey on giant silver-king Tarpon.

For Capt. Nick Stanczyk and crew of the B n' M out of Bud n' Mary's Marina , there is always an adventure to be had. Recently, they have perfected the art of daytime Swordfishing... a practice that isn't often utilized due to great variety of other offshore species. However, the boys have had some great success and continue to show us proof of monsters from the deep!

In normal procedure, Swordfish are targetted at night, which often come up to feed on squid and various baitfish. It is a common practice around many locations of the world, even Florida, to night-time fish for these Broadbill with Squid, usually with the aid of underwater lights. The practice has been altered and customized countless times over to fit the preferences of captains themselves. Up until recent the thought of targetting broadbill in the day was thought to be ludicrous. With nearly everything, it was only a matter of time until being perfected. Over the past 10 years day-time swordfishing has been growing more and more popular amongst anglers.

Nick has graciously sent the Waterman's Journal some killer pics of his recent outting... Enjoy

Below: A beautiful Broadbill is landed in the midst of the day...

Below:  Hoisting up a quality Sword for boat...

While many, if not the majority of the swords off FL are released including this fish below, Swordfish are highly prized for table fare, which unfortuantely has led to their decline due to commercial fishing in the North Atlantic. Strictly laws have been in place throughout the world to help preserve these great fish.

Below:  Getting ready to release another sexy Sword...

Swordfishing is a time consuming process. You may go hours and hours of waiting without hooking up to a single fish. It is then that methods are modified and optimalized in hopes of better success. It takes a special breed of angler to do this type of fishing. You could go just about anywhere around the Keys and hammer fish all day long, but to duke it out on the water hour after hour in the hot sun just waiting for a broadbill to inspect a bait down deep below takes a little extra patience. However, the rewards could be quite great and daytime Swords up to several hundred pounds have been landed.

Below:  Nick sends us a pic of a large Tripletail they picked up while waiting for some action

Florida is and remains one of the top Broadbill destinations in Northern hemisphere. Due to advance techniques and new breakthroughs, many other locations throughout the world are learning to take advantage of their untapped sword fishery.

Below:  The crew carefully sticks a gaff into a quality Sword...

Below:  Teamwork Pays Off...

Below:  Nick and the crew of the B n' M represent Islamorada proudly with this 209lb slab of goodness ...

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UPDATE

Nick sends us a pic of a rather unusual catch on another recent outting... It just goes to show you never know what you are going to pry up from the depths below!   Great fish Nick!

Below: Nick poses with a Bigscale Pomfret

The Waterman's Journal would like to thank Capt. Nick Stanczyk and his fellow crew on another successful trip!  If you have a killer trip and would like to have a chance at it posted here on the Waterman's Journal, please contact us and if we feel it is appropriate for our needs, we'll throw you on here!

To book a Trip with Capt. Nick Stanczyk on the B n M out of Bud n' Mary's Marina , please click the link below for more info...

Check back with the Waterman's Journal for more of the latest Sword Reports from Around the World.

Check back often at thewatermansjournal for more photos and epic reports...

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The Waterman's Journal would like to thank our good friend Woody from Paradise Outfitters for doing a fantastic write-up on a killer report they had recently off the rich Tuna waters of Louisiana. Here is the journey in his own words...

  Two am came very early on Tuesday, November 24. I dumped myself out of bed and zombie walked my way to the shower. I had nowhere to be for another hour and a half but I had never been late to a fishing job and I wasn’t about to tarnish my pristine record. Fueled only by about three hours of sleep, a couple energy drinks, and visions of yesterday’s success, I made my way from the houseboat down to the boat and proceeded to bring it around to the fuel dock, where I commenced to load it with ice and my boss’ normal preferred breakfast of champions-a case of doctor pepper and a package of beef jerky. Next on the agenda was to reset drags, and then taking care to retie all leaders and hooks. My captain, Hunter Caballero, would arrive soon after 5 to wait on our customers for the day. We had large shoes to fill, as the day before we had absolutely crushed the yellowfin, with five fish over a hundred pounds; three of them over 120, not to mention the estimated 450-500 pound mako we had putting on a spectacular air show for over 10 minutes. Even worse was today’s charter had been waiting at the docks for us yesterday, so they had seen the hurting we had put on the fish the day before, and ultimately had their expectations very high for the day.

  The plan today was to head to the exact same spot we had fished the day before, but today we would leave a couple of hours early in hopes that we could catch the dawn bite, which is usually on fire. We slowly motored out of Venice Marina and made an attempt at cast netting some mullet once in the mighty Mississippi, but with the mullet also heading down-river to spawn, they proved elusive; so we decided to abort that plan and hope for some live bait once in the Gulf. The temperature hovered somewhere in the high forties, and the run down the river was a cold one. Nevertheless, we had no complaints as it was a very clear morning, a nice change from the “pea-soup” like fog we are used to encountering in the wintertime.

  Upon arrival at our first stop, Hunter and I dropped the sabikis overboard to try to fill our livewell with some small hardtails. Bait proved few and far in between though, as Hurricane Ida had recently churned the gulf up and spread the baits out from their previous concentrations. We put about eight in the boat though and then motored away from the rig about a quarter mile. First two baits in the water and the sun was just beginning to peak over the horizon. Our sleepy customers were soon to be rudely awakened from their slumber by that sweet, sweet sound that only occurs when a big tuna and a Shimano Tiagra don’t see eye-to-eye. Hunter and I rushed to our respective rods and quickly wound in the slack, effectively allowing the circle hooks to do their job and find home in the corner of the fish’s jaw. “Double header guys! Two of yall come grab these fish!” exclaimed Hunter. A short while later and one fish had come unbuttoned, and the other, a nice schoolie in the eighty pound class, was taking a little siesta in our fishbox. Our marker was showing lots of small tunas (blackfin and skipjacks) beneath us, so we allowed one of the younger kids to try his hand at jigging up a few of these smaller tunas to be used to chunking; as the big tunas weren’t responding as well to the live baits as they had the day before. Wasn’t long before we had hooked one of the small tunas on the jig, so while one of our young anglers fought that fish, I readied myself at the cutting board for the our next attack on the tunas via chunking. I looked overboard to see if our angler was making progress and noticed a very lit up blue swatting at our poor helpless tuna, a small blackfin around ten pounds. I hollered at Hunter and we both went into action; he readied a live bait bridle as I rigged up one of our fifty wides and snagged a fresh hardtail out of the livewell.

  Over the next ten minutes, we attempted to cajole the curious blue into eating our taste morsel, but he wouldn’t eat or even sniff at it. Nor would he leave the boat! He was circling as if we had to pass through him before we were to leave to fish anywhere else, which is what we were considering at that point due to the lull in action. Out of nowhere one of the kids shouted “look at that tuna!” Low and behold, our little tuna which had been swatted off of the jig, had been hugging the underside of our boat the entire time, thus explaining why the marlin kept swimming circles around our boat. Hunter quickly grabbed a gaff and expertly free-gaffed the small tuna. We switched roles for a bit as I ran to the throttles and he bridled the lively tuna up and tossed it behind the boat. The tuna lasted maybe a second and a half as the hungry billfish pounced on it with reckless abandon. As Hunter fed the feisty blue, the fish erupted from the water and about landed in a neighboring charter boat! The next few minutes were a blur with Hunter setting the hook and passing it off to one of our customers, with the rest of the crew scrambling around the boat trying to get optimum photo position. The only thing you could make out above the screaming Tiagra was everyone shouting as the marlin greyhounded along the surface, mere rock throwing distance from the boat. A short while later and the marlin decided that the tuna looked much more at home in the water than in his stomach, and threw the hooks on one last leap. Oh well, back to the drawing board. At this point our customers already decided that they had already been treated to more excitement than they had expected before eight in the morning, and had no problem heading back in. We assured them that we were nowhere close to being done, and decided to make a move to another rig.

  Upon arrival, we dropped the sabikis and made short work of a few dozen small hardtails. The ease with which we made bait should have been an omen to us. We readied young Alex with a belt and harness fit just to his sixty something pound frame, and he was ready for battle. He was placing a small wager with his dad on which rod would get bit first, mine or Hunter’s when sure enough, my bait got annihilated. As I let the fish eat for a solid five count, I started shrieking like a little girl and asked Alex “what do I do? What do I do?” as if this were my first time. He started screaming back “I don’t know! I don’t know!” when I finally gave up the act and slid the drag up and came tight on his fish. He proceeded to fight the fish unassisted for the next hour and a half before we finally saw color on what was promising to be the biggest tuna of the day. Shortly thereafter we sank the gaffs into our first big eye to ever hit the deck of Hunter’s boat, a very respectable fish which would tilt the scales at 163 pounds. For those unfamiliar with big eye tuna, they are extremely rare for our part of the gulf, as they are more prevalent off the northeast coast.  Alex was on cloud nine, confident that his fish would not be beat that day. We proceeded to impale another couple innocent hardtails on circle hooks and sent them for a swim.

  Pandemonium would smack us right in the face a few minutes later, as both of our helpless baits got crushed. Another double header and another crazy dance around the boat, as both fish attempted every trick in the book to get themselves tangled and ultimately free. After some expert boat maneuvers by Captain Hunter, and several laps around the boat, two more fat big eyes hit the deck, much larger than the original one. Now, we had never had big eyes of this size on the deck, and were a bit at a loss for words when asked for the estimated weight. These tunas were much shorter and fatter than a yellowfin of similar size, so we conservatively guessed the two larger fish at 150 pounds apiece and the smaller fish at 130.

  As we started to put out two more live baits, our customers told us they were throwing in the towel, as they were elated at the sight of the fishbox and wanted no more part of an hour and a half battle with a determined fish. We packed all the gear up, cleaned up the decks which looked like a slaughter had just taken place, and pointed the bow north.

  Back at the dock there was a pretty good crowd waiting to see the big tunas, and we were excited to finally get a weight on them. The three fish would come in at 197, 194, and 163, respectively. Just another day at the office…

    -Mate Woody Woods

Thanks to Woody and Paradise Outfitters for contributing another great adventure to the Waterman's Journal. Check back in for more killer Offshore and Tuna Reports.

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