Fishing Report - 12/29/07

GREETINGS FROM THE TROPICS

BIG PACIFIC SAILFISH, BLACK MARLIN TO 450 LBS. AND COLOSSAL SIZED CUBERA SNAPPERS

WHILE YOU WERE OUT RINGING IN THE NEW YEAR OUR ANGLERS WERE OUT REELING IN THE FISH. THIS WEEK WE ENJOYED FISHING WITH PAUL ENDEJAN, DAVID MCCOY, ANTHONY ARENS, NAT KARRAS, THOMAS COOPER, KEN COOPER, JOSH KAY, BRIAN ESSARY, DON GARMEN, LLOYD "CORKY" LISTON, JIM MILHOLEN AND JOHN HOLLAND. AN INTERESTING NOTE, BOTH JIM AND JOHN WERE ON MY VERY FIRST CHARTER IN ALASKA BACK IN 1989.

THIS WEEK THE FISHING WAS JUST SLOWER THAN USUAL. ALL OF THE BOATS WERE CATCHING FISH EVERY DAY AND THE VARIETY OF FISH CAUGHT WAS BIG BUT THE QUANTITY WAS SMALL. THE FISH THAT WERE CAUGHT INCLUDED BLUE MARIN, BLACK MARLIN, SAILFISH, WAHOO, SNOOK, ROOSTERFISH, JACK CREVALLE, BLUE TREVALLE, AMBERJACK, HORSE EYE JACK, POMPANO, RAINBOW RUNNER, DORADO, YELLOWFIN TUNA, SPANISH MACKAREL, MANGROVE SNAPPER, MULLET SNAPPER, CUBERA SNAPPER, ROCK SNAPPER, SPOTTED GROUPER, BARRACUDA, AND BOTH WHITE TIP AND HAMMERHEAD SHARKS.
 
KEN AND JOSH, FISHING WITH CAPTAIN TOMMY, SEEMED TO HAVE THE HOTTEST BITE FOR THE FIRST HALF OF THE TRIP.  THEY CERTAINLY CAUGHT THE LARGEST QUANTITY. DAVE WAS THE LEADER WHEN IN CAME TO LANDING BIG CUBERA SNAPPERS. HE LANDED ONE THAT WOULD HAVE EASILY GONE OVER 70 LBS. JIM AND JOHN CAUGHT THREE NICE ROOSTERFISH IN THE PARDIAS ISLANDS. NAT ALSO GOT INTO A GOOD BITE HERE THROWING THE POPPER.

BUT FISHING AT HANNIBAL BANK ON NEW YEARS DAY IS WHEN THE BITE TURNED ON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! DAVE AND BRIAN WERE FISHING WITH CAPTAIN MACHO WHEN THEY HOOKED-UP AND RELEASED A SMALL BLUE MARLIN ESTIMATED AT 250 LBS. THIS WAS QUICKLY FOLLOWED UP BY CATCHING AND RELEASING A SAILFISH.  NEXT CAME A DOUBLE HOOK-UP ON BLACK MARLIN. AT RELEASE THE SMALLER BLACK WAS ESTIMATED AT 350 LBS AND THE LARGER MARLIN WAS ESTIMATED AT 450 LBS. THESE GUYS HAD IT GOING ON! THE THREE MARLIN WERE ALL CAUGHT ON LIVE BAIT USING CIRCLE HOOKS AND WERE FOUGHT ON STAND- UP GEAR.   OH, I DIDN'T TELL YOU, THIS IS THE FIRST TIME EITHER ANGLER HAD CAUGHT ANY KIND OF MARLIN.

THE VERY NEXT DAY ALL FOUR OF THE BOATS RETURNED TO THE BANK JUST KNOWING THAT TODAY WAS GOING TO BE THE DAY. TO THEIR DISMAY THE BITE WAS YESTERDAY. SEVERAL NICE DORADO WERE CAUGHT ALONG WITH SOME YELLOWFIN TAKEN ON POPPERS. NAT LANDED ANOTHER BIG SAILFISH BUT THE MARLIN BITE WAS NOT TO BE TODAY. IN THE AFTERNOON THE NORTH WIND THAT CAN START UP THIS TIME OF YEAR CAME HOWLING OUT OF THE CARIBBEAN AS CLOUDS ROLLED UP ON TOP OF THE MOUNTAINS LIKE WHITE ICING ON A CAKE. I THINK ALL OF US WERE GLAD WHEN WE ANCHORED IN THE CALM OF THE RIVER TO RELIVE THE DAY OVER A FEW DRINKS AROUND THE BAR. THIS IS WHAT THE FISHING LIFE IS ALL ABOUT!

TIGHT LINES,
CAPTAIN JULIAN JAY GUSTIN
 
FISHING TIP FOR THIS WEEK: TO HELP IN THE LIVE RELEASE OF FISH, A COUPLE OF MONTHS AGO WE STARTED USING ALL BARBLESS TREBLE HOOKS ON OUR POPPERS. SEVERAL OF MY CAPTAINS HAVE REQUESTED THAT I REVERSE THIS DECISION. THE REASON BEING THEY FEEL THAT THEIR ANGLERS ARE LOOSING TOO MANY FISH. SO FOR THE TIME BEING I AM GOING TO BRING BACK THE POPULAR OWNER ST-66 BARBED TREBLES FOR THE CAPTAINS AND CLIENTS THAT PREFER TO FISH WITH THEM. WE WILL CONTINUE TO OFFER THE OWNER BARBLESS TREBLE HOOKS. I STILL THINK THE BARBLESS HOOK IS A GREAT IDEA TO HELP CONSERVE A SPORT FISHERY. I KNOW OF ONE CHARTER COMPANY IN AUSTRALIA THAT ONLY USES BARBED SINGLE HOOKS ON THEIR POPPERS. THIS MIGHT BE ANOTHER OPTION TO LOOK INTO. ANY OF OUR READERS COMMENTS ON THEIR  EXPERIENCES THEY HAVE HAD WITH DIFFERENT TYPES OF HOOKS USED ON POPPERS WOULD BE APPRECIATED.