Believe it!

Tuesday we took out a trip with Georg and Christian Funke from Germany. They arrived at the dock and we exchanged introductions. We stored their gear and iced their lunch and drink. That morning the weather was anything but lovely and my 33’ WorldCat would have to do the job that I knew she could. The day began with winds out of the North at 20+ knots and the skies were completely overcast with thick rainless clouds. We unleashed The BEAST and made our way into a moderate/rough chop on the Bay. Our first stop was to see if we could get Hardtails for bait before heading outside.

We arrived at the mark and made our attempt to catch some baits. A few passes back and forth through the area and we managed to boat 3 small Runners to throw in the live well. OK, not quite the start I was hoping for, so we went to another spot. Doing the same routine as we normally do, we managed to get 1 or 2 more Hardtails that were a little larger than at the first spot. The next pass and we get a much stronger hookup, then another and another. These fish were taking some drag on our small 12# bait rods. The next thing I heard was Devon saying, “Can you believe this?” I turned to look as he pulls in a Bonito, then another, and the third was the same. We laughed so hard as neither of us has ever caught a Bonito on the West side of Biscayne Bay. It’s going to be one of those days, Mate! Let’s get out of here and go find some Ballyhoo.

I pushed the throttles down, making way for our favorite patch reef. As we headed offshore the seas inside of Hawks Channel were not much worse than the Bay, but as we got farther out onto the patches they began to grow. My concerns were that my customers were going to get seasick since they normally fish on placid lakes or streams in Germany. We arrived at the patch and set out a chum bag and got the slick going. The ’Hoo were a bit slow in coming. They began to come in and we started to peck away at them with hook and line. After 45 minutes we had about 30 in the live well and the swarm moved in with reckless abandon. They were almost sucking chum out of the bag now, so I broke out the 10’ Calusa cast net. One pancake toss was all it took and Devon and I both pulled the net aboard. A fair estimate would be 60-70 baits are now in the other live well. Let’s get out of here, guys!

We made our way offshore and the condition weren’t too bad. Seas were a 3-4’ washing machine, the sun can’t burn through the clouds, the winds are blustery, and the eel grass is everywhere. We pulled up a short distance past the edge and put out a 5 line spread. Soon we see a nice blue/green edge offshore of us so I work our way out to it. On the way out Devon was kept very busy keeping the grass off our baits. We arrived in the area to find that the color line was not as defined as we thought and the waves were considerably larger. I worked the area to the south, riding with the winds. The wind is only thing that is bothersome at this point. There wasn’t much happening. I decided to make my way back in to find some Kingfish to try and get some action going. As I got to the edge we began to get hits on the down rigger. Bam… miss… Bam… miss! Can you believe this? After 3 missed fish we managed to get Georg hooked up to a “Snake” Kingfish.

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Through the course of the next several hours, the grass has blown out and the winds have turned out of the NNE and were beginning to howl. These German guys are tough as nails. No seasickness for them! We missed 10 Mack bites on the down rigger. Add in a couple of baits cut in half on the top lines. Devon says again “Can you believe this?” We did, however get Christian and Georg another “Snake” King and a Cero Mack in the process.

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That blue water edge was looking better so I sidled my way out there once again. Wow! Looking good with a mess of grass forming a solid line. I ventured into the blue water side. The waves were a few feet larger, the wind was blowing about 30 knots now, and not one ray of sunshine. We could see Flyers getting up and some activity around but nothing was taking our baits. I started to get frustrated so I made a move back into the green side where the waters only had 4’ waves with wind blown tops. As I made my way towards the north in 180’ of water Devon hollers out “Sailfish on the flat line!” This fish is small, taking 3 attempts with some fancy bait work before the circle hook found its mark. Georg got him hooked up. On the first jump we realized how small he was but Georg didn’t care. About 8 minutes passed and Georg has the fish boat side when it catches a second wind and Devon releases the leader. A minute later and Devon has the leader and a grip on the bill. We pulled the fish aboard for a quick photo op and then made a good release, watching it swim away as if nothing happened. We told Georg it was only about 15 pounds but Georg didn’t care as he remarked that he has never caught a Mackerel or a Billfish of any kind. OK Georg, now you have!

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I worked my way in to a favorite wreck to see if we could get them on some fast action before time ran out. The current was running to the south and the winds were gusting to 32 knots. Still no sun! I had to keep the bow pointed north and both Suzuki’s at 900 RPM just to maintain a position. Can you believe this? We only got one bite on a small speed jig (lg. Blue Runner) and couldn’t even get a snaggle-toothed Barracuda to eat a live Ballyhoo or a small Hardtail. Now I’m shaking my head with complete disbelief as Devon screams out for Christian to come tight on the right flat. Christian does, and the circle hook finds home. Baboom! Sailfish on! A couple of great aerial displays, a few runs, in the first 4-5 minutes. The fish is going down and dirty on him, taking the fight deep. Suddenly the tension on the rod tip releases and the fish is gone. OMG! Can you believe this? It’s about quitting time but we set out another spread anyway. I worked the area hard as Devon chummed the waters with the remainder of our live baits. Another 30 minutes passes by with no action, so we call it a wrap.

Devon and I are still bewildered with the days events. I don’t think we have ever said “Can you believe this?” that many times in a month let alone in one day. We turned the bow toward shore and made the lumpy run back to the calmer 2-3’ waters of the Bay. After saying our good byes, Devon and I just looked at each other and shrugged. That was tough conditions and tougher fishing, at its best. Devon confessed that the one thing he could believe is… He wouldn’t have wanted to be out there on any other boat besides The BEAST. Me too, Bud… Me too!

Capt. Jim
The BEAST
305-233-9996
beastcharters@aol.com
www.beastcharters.com

Cubera Chronicles!

Friday night we took out Paul, Dave, Ping, and Trollin’ Tom, my friend and Paul’s brother-in-law. Paul had heard Tom speak of the Cubera fishing we do, so they just had to try it. We met up at the usual time and loaded everything onboard. El Nasty was on the agenda, for sure, this evening.

We untied The BEAST and headed out to collect baits. We began gathering the crickets and when we had 12 good, legal bugs, we made our way out to do some Yellowtail fishing. We arrived at the spot, dropped the hook, and started the chum slick while Devon readied the rods. A short while into it and we had some fish biting and a lot of Ballyhoo at the chum net. Devon caught a few of the ‘hoos and tossed them into the well. The down rod got thumped and Tom grabs the rod and works up a very large “Homer” (Nurse Shark). Devon dispatched the shark quickly and reset the down rod. We saw the Bally scattering in the chum slick so Devon pinned a live ‘hoo to a rod and pitched it out. Gulp! Fish on! Paul takes the rod and after a few decent runs and some muscle, a very respectable 20 pound Kingfish comes to the boat.

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The guys caught a Bonito, a few Triggerfish, and some good Yellowtail as we passed the time. As twilight fell, they picked off a few Yellowtail that were almost in the “flag” category. We pulled up the chum as the darkness engulfed the sky. It was time to head out.

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I powered up and made way for Cubera country. We arrived to find smoking current to the north. The water was ripping at over 3 knots and the winds were puffing at 12-15 knots on our beam. OK… Devon and I have our work cut out for us. We look at each other… It is what it is… Let’s get’r done! There were 2 other boats out there trying their luck as well. The evening started out very slow. The drifts seemed to change every 15 minutes and Devon worked hard to keep the baits in proper position. We changed up a bit and dropped the secondary rod with a fin fish. BAM! Ping jumps on it and fights this muscle bound fish. As it comes to the light we see it is 40 pounds of “Night Donkey” (AJ).

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Well that worked for some action but not for our target species. Time is passing and BADA BING! Get on it Dave! He climbs on the rod and works the fish up to the boat. Now that’s what we came for, a pretty 20 pound Cubera comes over the side.

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The bite is on! We missed one or two good bites and then on the next drift we hang up both rods. Devon and I both hustle to replace the terminal tackle on the rods. I had a feeling this was going to be a short bite. KABOOM! Paul gets the nod and is into his first Cubera. He works the fish to boatside. Devon wields another small fish, by our Cubera standards, over the rail. It pulled the scales down to 25 pounds.

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Just as quick as the bite turned on, it turned off. Wow, that was a fast and furious 45 minutes! We worked for another 90 minutes or so but the fish had lockjaw and the sonar marks were disappearing. I suggested making a run to another spot and give it one more drop before we packed it up for the night. Everyone was in agreement.

Arriving in that area we found the conditions much better but the sonar was marking a ton of bait and not very many big fish. OK, one drop and we’re gone. I line up the drift and everything is going well. The rod tip twitches twice and then the tip moves quickly toward the water. There he is! Ping takes his place and this is a nice one. He tries his best to slowly maneuver this fish to the surface and 30 seconds later, the fish shakes the hook. Crap!

This night was a done deal. As usual the ride back home, with tired anglers, is very quiet! We went 2 for 5 on our targets and some additional good catches. We braved some adverse conditions and a few rain showers. Good job, guys!

Saturday we hooked up with Dave Irving and his mates, Ian and Rob. Dave is the mad Englishman who caught a Cubera on a speed jig with us 2 seasons ago. We shoved off at 3 PM and did our usual routine of collecting baits. This time instead of speed jigging while waiting for darkness, they wanted to catch some Yellowtail. We anchored up and began chumming in a fairly strong current. The ’Tails weren’t so obliging but the down rod did manage to catch a pretty little 25” Black grouper. Although he was legal to keep, we all agreed to vent & release this fish to grow some more. The Yellowtail we did catch were once again, some Fatties.

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Devon and I were anticipating another night like last night with tough fishing ahead of us. Strong current on the reef edge and the wind is blowing 15 from the East with solid 3+’ seas. As the dark side drew down on us we made our way out to Nastyville. Wow! Saturday night and not another boat in sight. Are you kidding me? We have Cubera country all to ourselves. Other than the 3-4’ sea, the current is a very fishable 1.5 knots. This is doable! The fish are marking good and the first bait goes down. Nothing. This isn’t unusual because it sometimes takes several attempts for me to fine tune the drift. We’re working hard at it and nothing is happening but we had already anticipated a late bite again. Drift after drift and all we had so far were a couple of “almost” bites that turned out to be bottom hang ups. Devon had his “It’s going to happen” hat on. KATHUMP! The bite turned on and the rod bent over. Ian got on the fish and manhandled a smaller 20 pound fish to the boat. Nice! We boxed this fish because they wanted to keep one smaller fish for the table.

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WHOMP! Missed it! The bug came up minus the front end of his carapace. BOOM! Hooked up! Rob got after this one and judging by the pull, it isn‘t a small one. He cranks on the reel and the fish pulls harder, After several hard fought minutes the fish comes to the light and Devon brings it aboard. There ya go, Mate! Now that‘s a “Nasty” fish. It scaled out at 42 pounds. We vented the fish and slipped it over the side to continue on with its intended purpose

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For 45 minutes we had a bite on almost every drift and then it shut down. C’mon, we were just starting to have fun! By now, Ian and Rob have lost their sea keeping abilities and were laying down. The only time we would see them is when they were hanging over the side calling down to some fish they must’ve named “Ralph”!

I made a few calculated moves to keep us in the fish longer. Devon made a few major adjustments on his end in the pit. 20 minutes later a ferocious bite started. Every drift resulted in a bite as long as we stayed on our pattern. The only problem was that these must have been smaller fish as the baits were coming back with fang punctures in the carapace and a half dozen legs missing. Dave was hanging in there, confident he was going to get one. Another swing and a miss! There’s a bite! Crank down on him Dave! HOOK UP! We must’ve sifted through the leg nippers and found a real one. Dave puts the muscle on the fish and it comes to the top. The fish won’t give up and it takes a few minutes on the leader to quiet it down. We pull the fish over the side to take a quick pic and get the hooks out. This fish is well into the mid 30 range. Yup… 35 pounds!

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Devon vented the fish and put it in the water for a release. Not this time. We’re not sure why but this fish was a goner. We gave it 100% effort, righting the fish and staying with it for 5 minutes. It isn’t going to make it. With only 1 fish in the box we decided we had to keep this one too! We had no choice, either keep it, or let it float away dead and that would be a total waste!.

The BEAST has a 2 fish limit in the box and a good release. Each guy has a Cubera notch on their belt, out of the 7 or 8 bites. It’s getting late now and little to gain at this point, but repetition. The 3 mates from the UK decided to toss in the towel instead of injuring another fish just for fun. Good decision and pretty work, Mates!

I pointed the bow toward the West and throttled up. Our 3 Brit friends were “out for the count” on the ride home.

Capt. Jim
The BEAST
305-233-9996
beastcharters@aol.com
www.beastcharters.com

Kids and Cuberas!

Last night we took Mike, and his crew of little guys out for some Cubera fishing. The boys, Matt (13), Mason (10) and Kyle (8), were very anxious to do this. They are very interested in fishing which was evident by the hundreds of questions that Devon and I answered throughout the night. We didn’t mind the constant barrage of questions, because this is the future of sport fishing.

Devon and I were ready and waiting when they arrived. We loaded everyone on board and headed out to gather bait. We made a few stops for alternative baits and continued out to round out the bait wells. We found an area that looked good and Devon slid over the side to hunt some crickets. The boys got excited watching him dive down and come up with a bait. We used this time to also teach them the about the legalities, how to measure for shorts, and what an egg bearing female looks like. I continued the learning process onboard by showing them the differences in male/female crawfish. After we collected enough bugs for the night, we made way to find some Yellowtail.

We weighed anchor and came tight on the rode. Wow! The current was smoking to the north so hard that The BEAST was almost on a plane. We gave it a try but it was barely manageable so I made the call to move. After resetting in a better location we began to catch some fish. The chum was also bringing in a variety of bait fish. The boys got to see a Sailfish feeding on some of the farther bait fish, for a brief minute. We had been watching the electrical show of a couple of onshore storms which were slowly making their way offshore. I did one last radar check and it was clear for over 16 miles. OK, Boys! Time to go to Nastyville!

We arrived on site to find 6 other boats and a stiff current! Within minutes the winds from the SW storm started to blow but it only lasted for about 5 minutes. The storm to our north began putting out some very impressive downdrafts. I’m talking 25-30 knot winds and the seas kicked up quickly. I motored around to get all the information I needed to make a good drift. The winds were making this a bit difficult and uncomfortable. A look around and there were only 4 of us out there now as 3 boats ran for cover which was a smart move if you have a smaller craft.

Our first drift is usually more of the “let’s try it” type until we get dialed in. A few adjustments and the second drift was much better but uneventful. I made one more adjustment on the 3rd drift and shortly into the drift, my little man Kyle gets the nod! FISH ON, little buddy! Mason and Matt were so excited that they were right in on the action shoulder to shoulder with Kyle. We had to drop the reel into low gear so Kyle could move his fish up. The next 5 minutes were filled with a lot of grunting, huffing, puffing and exited chatter from the boys. Kyle got his fish to the surface and Devon handed him over the side. Way to go Kyle, you just caught a 28 pound Cubera Snapper! Pretty work, little Dude!

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The winds were laying back now and we made a couple more drifts that were unsuccessful so I made some more adjustments. Drift number 6 was going real nice and we made yet another quick adjustment. Seconds later the bait gets thumped and the rod doubles over. Get ’em Mason! As the boys gathered at the rail with excitement, we dropped the reel into low gear so Mason could move the fish. Work’em boy! The fish finally pops up and Devon brings it over the side. That’s a nugget! Mason is on the board with a 35 pound fish. Good job, Bud!

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Now we need to get Matt a fish, too! Conditions are changing rapidly and the bite is falling off. Devon and I worked hard, changing things up, making different adjustments with almost every drift. We went through quite a few drifts for the next half hour or so. Finally, persistence paid off and the front rod thunks twice. Crap, we missed him. No, wait a minute, he’s back. Thunk, thunk, the rod starts to bend over and I give the reel some cranks. FISH ON! Matt is hooked up. This fish isn’t a nugget, for sure, this is one is a bruiser. The rod is bent over to within a foot of the water and its throbbing under the weight of this fish. The fish either has Matt in a stalemate or it is taking line from him. I tried to move the fish a little bit with the motors as Devon races forward to give Matt low gear. The rod tip snaps back into place as the line parts. This fish made some bottom structure and won its freedom. Tough break Matt. It wasn’t your fault at all. That stuff happens occasionally especially when dealing with larger fish!

We continued to work hard using different types of bait to change things up. All 3 boys are lost to sleep when the bow rod gets hammered. Matt… Matt… MATT!!!! Mason arouses to keep the fish on until Matt, groggy from sleep, gets his bearings to take over. The fish surfaces and it is a 15 pound Horse Eye Jack. Before we could take a picture, Matt was already prone and falling back to sleep, so Devon quickly released the fish. You can’t blame them for being that tired. They played football that afternoon, came straight to the boat, had adrenaline pumping through their young bodies, and it is getting late. We made another 4 or 5 drifts but it was more than obvious to Devon and I that the night was over.

We packed it up and stowed the gear. I pointed the bow toward the barn and throttled up the 600 ponies. Other than the motors humming, the ride was quiet. The kids were asleep and there wasn’t a single question asked on the whole ride home.

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This was an excited crew of kids that, I do believe, thoroughly enjoyed their night. Mike remarked that they will have some good stories to tell when school starts. Our kids should be a constant reminder that spurs us to conserve our resources. Abide by all regulations, take what you can use, and properly release the rest. Let’s leave our oceans and it’s creatures, better than we found it, for the sake of our future generations.

Capt. Jim
The BEAST
305-233-9996
beastcharters@aol.com
www.beastcharters.com

Nasty Snappers!

Cubera season started off a bit slow this year, even though the moon phases seemed to be perfectly in line. Opening day of mini lobster season we took Todd, Fernando, and their boys, out to give the Cubera a go!

The day started out with an unexpected delay in our 3 PM shove off. We motored out and got a handful of baits and then blasted out to the patches to see if anyone left us some bugs. Devon slid over the side and in an hour or so, came up with 9 good baits. That should be plenty, so we headed out to do some ‘Tailing.

Arriving on our Yellowtail grounds we put out the chum and began dropping lines back. We managed to get quite a few legal ‘Tails and just before the sun set, Fernando brought in a good’un. The fish was 26 ½ inches long and weighed 5 pounds. Nice!

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Darkness falling, we headed out for the Cubera. To make a long story short, we dropped baits, and marked fish on the recorder, over and over again. The fish were there for sure but they had other things on their minds, obviously. Finally, after some frustrating hours of repetitive fishing, we got a bite on one of the live baits. It was short lived as the fish can unpinned. When we retrieved the bait is was obvious that it was our target species that bit. We fished past quitting time and never did catch one of these big snappers. This is not the start I had expected! It grew very apparent that these fish had a stronger sexual/mating drive than their appetite. After thinking about it, I wouldn’t stop mating, to grab a sandwich either!

Devon and I felt really bad for Todd and his son since they flew here from Jersey just for this. It’s fishing! They were there for sure but no matter what we did, even with little tricks and techniques, you can’t make them do what they don’t want to do. Sorry guys! At least there was Lobster and Yellowtail for dinner.

I was sitting home on Saturday afternoon looking at the weather. Lobster season opened on Friday and it was supposed to rain all day on Sunday, which it has! I picked up the phone and called one of my best friends, “Uncle Al”, and my good friend, Harry! “Hey Guys, what’s up? Feel like blasting out for some Nasty’s tonight?” The answer was a resounding… He!! yeah! We met at the boat in less than an hour and unleashed The BEAST. Stopping to quickly take on some fuel, we began discussing the game plan.

We powered up and cruised out to the patches for some crickets. Since this was a last minute deal we needed to get bait quickly. Al went over the side. In less than an hour he collected us a dozen, fat bugs! OK Boys, Let’s do a quick, one chum block Yellowtail session. Arriving in the area we set out the chum and shortly thereafter began bailing, nice, fat, keeper ’tails. With things going so well to this point, all I could hope for was a better performance at Nastyville! Uh oh! Hold your tongue Capt. Jim. Storms are moving offshore to the north and southwest. The north storm was a bad one with frequent lightning cracking down and making its way slowly toward us. My radar showed it to be 2 ½ miles from us. I hoped this storm would play itself out so we wouldn’t have to take an intermission to run from it. Thankfully the north storm began falling apart. We packed up our 15-18 Yellowtail and gear, then made our run to Nastyville.

When we arrived, the north storm came over us and we donned our rain gear. No electrical displays, thank God! As we waited for the rains to dissipate , I scouted the area. The winds went slack, the sea was slick, the current was slow, and the air was heavy with moisture. There were fish marking everywhere and all hope was that it wouldn’t be a night like the last outing.

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We worked the area for a solid hour and then some, without a single look. Then I heard Al start yelling, “Uh… Uh… take it, eat it!” BAM… Fish on! Al has his hands full working this fish and has to throw the reel into low gear to move it away from the bottom. It’s coming up now and when it breaks the surface we see a respectable 27 pound fish. Wow! It’s about time we broke the ice. Cubera 2010! First fish of the season for us and In the box it goes.

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The bite was on, unfortunately, we missed the next 3 fish. Just like that, the bite quits and we are back to square one, putting primo baits in front of preoccupied fish. Are you kidding me? Look at this sonar, Mate! Can you believe that none of those fish are hungry?

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With a bait well full of prime bait we decided to stick it out until we couldn’t take it anymore. I kept looking for areas and places that I haven’t put a bait in yet. Several hours pass and I hear Uncle Al say, “That’s a bite.” A second later, he cranks the reel about 3 turns, and it’s game on. This fish has some shoulders and Al drops into low gear again. The fish is stripping 25 pounds of drag, repeatedly! This fish never said quit, continually fighting Al until it came over the side. Good job Uncle Al. The fish tipped our scales at 42 ½ pounds with double canine teeth on both uppers and one of the lowers. Now that’s a brute of a Snappa!

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We worked the area for a little while longer but the bite never resumed. We hit the “I’m getting really tired” wall and reluctantly called it a night. Unfortunately for Harry, he didn’t get on the boards with a catch. Although he only had a few brief encounters with El Nasty that night, he has caught them with me before and he will again!

We did what we came for, going 2 for 5, limiting us out with a 27 and 42.5 pound fish. Everyone on board was spent, so I pointed The BEAST toward home and boogied.

If doing a charter with us to catch Cubera, the King of Snappers, is on your list of things to do… remember that the season can be short (30-60 days). Get your dates together and give us a call ASAP to reserve them. Weekend nights, especially, tend to fill up very fast.

Capt. Jim
The BEAST
305-233-9996
beastcharters@aol.com
www.beastcharters.com

Quantity vs Quality

We’ve had fun on our last 2 trips. The Dolphin have been plentiful but the majority of the fish have been ½ - 1 inch short of legal size. In other words, plenty of “schoolies” to keep you busy but nothing much in the way of notoriety. When the ocean only gives up limes, The BEAST crew does its best to turn the day into a Mojito!

We took Brian Mitchell and his crew out to fish the 26th annual Dick Fuhr Memorial Dolphin Tournament. We picked them up at Homestead Marina and took off. We planned to run and gun along with some trolling on any debris or weed lines we might find. Well, the best laid plans do not always come together. We ran and trolled every flock of birds we found, picking up 19 inch “schoolies” with regularity. We didn’t find any debris and only scattered weeds at best, covering almost 200 miles of ocean. We managed to catch 3 legal Dolphin, out of 15 or more that we caught. We were running away from them in hopes that the next flock of birds would yield a big fish. We even dropped 2 planer rods when deploying a spread and only ended up with 3 Barracuda. Yep, Barracuda in 1000’+ of water. The results at the end of the day showed 1st place - 21#… 2nd place - 13#... 3rd place - 10#. We took 6th place with a 4½ # fish. Since this heat wave descended on us, there have been plenty of fish around but nothing impressive.

Thursday we did a ½ day morning trip with Mike McCann, his wife, and twin 10yr old boys, Mike and Shane. We left the channel and made our way out to a Hardtail spot and collected up 8 baits for this quick trip. As we broke out of the islands we found the seas were comfortable at 1-2 feet. Our first goal was to try and get some Dolphin and/or Blackfins before the late morning sun began to heat up. We found a decent weed line in about 300’ of water and within minutes of putting out a spread, we had a hookup on the right rigger. Little Mike took the rod and we ended up with a nice little 5½ # “schoolie”! We reset that line and worked our way up the weed line. The planer rod trips but we only get a weak click or two of the drag. A better Dolphin takes to the air and Shane throws a leg over the gunnel to “ride the pony” and crank. The little cow is a long and skinny fish weighing around 9 pounds. Hey… with all the little grasshoppers swimming around, we were very happy with this one.

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Devon reset and we trolled north a bit then crossed over to go south. After 10 minutes I crossed back over to go north on the other side again. 15 minutes without a strike and I got the word that little Mike and Shane were bored. Wow! The Xbox/PS3 generation is so spoiled by the instant gratification of video games that they have no patience. This is no reflection on little Mike and Shane. This is not the first time we’ve had young boys complain of being bored if they aren’t bailing fish one after another. Mike asked if we could go catch some little fish that would be more action for them. I suggested we do a wreck and at least they could get some bigger ‘Cudas that would impress them while keeping them busy as well. So we put the Dolphin gear away and broke out the down rigger and live bait.

We went to our top action wreck and put down a live Runner! While we bumped around the area, Mike worked a speed jig and got bit. He worked the fish to the boat and we were surprised to see a Horse Eye Jack.

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We released the fish and continued working the area. The downrigger goes off and little Mike works the fish but grows tired quickly and Shane takes over to land this “Snaggletooth”.

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OK… we put the d/rigger down again and it keeps getting tapped by these “Caribbean Spotted Mackerel“. The boys are having a ball now catching these big ‘Cudas! The line goes off and this is a better fish. Shane is working the fish when Devon suddenly spots a big school of Permit, well below the boat. While Shane is pressuring his fish, Devon readies a jig. Wow, it’s a nice sized ‘Cuda for a young 10 year old boy! Good job!

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We release the toothy one and turn our gazes for the “rubber lips”. As I begin to make my way back to where we saw them, Mike tells me they had enough. His wife is not feeling well. Really? OK… put ‘em away Devon, we’re done for the day. Although Mike pulled the plug only a few minutes before actual quitting time, we were ready to stay a while and give the Permit a shot. Oh well, there is always another day, God willing! I turned the bow west and throttled up. As we ran the creek between the islands I spotted a dead turtle. What happened to him? I banged a U-turn to investigate. As I approached we could see that this turtle was a good 36 - 40” across the shell and it’s death was conspicuously apparent. He ran into a Tiger shark that was looking for a turtle dinner!

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The raw power and bite pressure from those sharks must be incredible. The bite was completely through both sides of the shell and everything in between. This turtle was done in with 2 massive bites and the only remains were his hind legs. Take a good look at the size of those bites!

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I don’t know about you, but I sure wouldn’t want to bump into that critter while in the water!

Capt. Jim
The BEAST
305-233-9996
beastcharters@aol.com
www.beastcharters.com

It doesn't get much better!

We celebrated Memorial Day weekend with a day of fun fishing with the regular “fun crew”! Uncle Al, Devon, Amy, and I met at the dock at 7 AM. Well let’s call it 7-ish as everyone was running a bit behind except Al. We loaded up and fired up The BEAST. We didn’t know what we were going to fish for so we ended up with 26 rods on board! Winds were calm and the seas were flat. Oh Boy!

Our first stop was to try and get some Hardtails but they were a bit slow and we only put 5 or 6 in the well. Next stop was to see if we could coax some Ballyhoo into riding along with the Hardtails. Only 4 would succumb to the baited hooks, so I threw the Calusa net until we had about 18 or so in the well. OK… we took a vote and the first stop was to try for some Permit.

Arriving at the wreck and no one is around. So much for the crowded holiday weekend we had anticipated! First drop and Uncle Al has a hook up, and Amy too! Amy’s fish gets totally sharked and Al’s fish is running to the surface. It’s either a Permit racing away from a shark or a Cobia! After a few more minutes the fish gives up and rises to the boat. Cobia it is!

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Next drop and Allen again gets a hook up and Devon gets a strong bite on the speed jig. Both of them are dancing around the boat and Al’s fish gets heavy. Uh Oh! Yup. Devon brings his fish up about the same time as Al and we have 2 more Cobia. Well, Al had a small piece of his left. We released Devon’s fish and tossed the remains of Al’s fish over as well, hoping to satisfy the toothy fish below.

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Back at it again and the action is HOT! Amy gets a hook up and loses the fish to the wreck! She’s getting frustrated so I lowered the underwater camera and she and I were enjoying ourselves watching the occasional Bar Jack swim by. Amy look quick, a Sailfish just swam through. She saw the last half of it as it moved out of frame. Crap, there goes a Sandbar shark. Looks like we are going to be in for more chewed up fish. Meanwhile Devon gets hooked up again and works the fish up to find it is another Cobia. This one is only 32” so we released it as well. Al gets another fish on a speed jig and it is the dreaded Barracuda. Another drift and Devon gets a bang on his speed jig again. Nice fish! This has some weight and after a few more runs it gains about 300 pounds. Maybe not, it’s still there. There’s that extra weight again and now he is pulling up a lot less dead weight. Crap! A beautiful African Pompano became brunch for one of those sharks.

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OK, enough of that! We donned the trolling gear and began a quick hunt for some Dolphin or Wahoo. With a full moon occurring just 2 days before, we were not counting on this as a productive deal. I headed for deep water and then circled into another wreck to try for some Mutton’s. On the way, one of the deep rods goes off. Wahoo? No, another Barracuda.

A fruitless troll led us to the wreck and we stowed that gear and got out the bottom rods. Dropped a live Ballyhoo and Bada boom, I’m hooked up! If this is a Mutton, it has some shoulders. Finally we see some color about 100’ below and it sure doesn’t look like our target. Maybe a Grouper? Not even close. It’s a small Amberjack. We rarely catch wreck donkeys on a live ‘hoo! We made a few more drops and nothing much was happening on the Mutton bite. What’s next? Let’s give one of our deeper wrecks a try.

A few minutes run time and we arrive on site. 2 rods go over with bait and Devon flips over his speed jig. One, two, three…Triple hookup! These are wreck donkeys for sure. After several fire drills we manage to get all 3 aboard, vented and released 2 of them. Ok! No more of that! Let’s go back and see if the Permit want to play.

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Back at our morning spot we begin to get excited. Only one boat on site and we can overhear them telling each other they see them. We found them, 100 yards away. Amy drops the cam… Yup, she saw them! A nice tight school and feeding! I’ve hooked up many Permit but always pass the rod off to one of my customers, so the crew want to see the Captain get one. Chomp chomp! Hooked up! The fish is racing to the surface with a shark hot on its butt! With the drag at max pressure I muscled the fish to the boat and Al takes a gaff shot! As the announcer says at the soccer game. SCORE! It’s not a big one, but it IS a Permit.

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Next drift and Devon hooks up and tries to get Amy to take the rod. She’s not in the mood, I guess, so Devon fights the fish. Done deal. So far we have managed to boat 2 for 2.

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Once again, another drift, and Uncle Al is grunting. The fish runs for the surface and suddenly a massive splash. Missed him! Al is muscling the fish and the shark makes another attempt. Almost, but not quite! We boat the fish and find that the Permit barely escaped the jaws of death.

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A few more drifts and things slow down a bit. We had 2 more hook ups but no catches. No sense in playing with these guys only to feed the sharks. The vote goes to try some live baiting as the afternoon draws toward evening. We put the gear away and break out the live bait tackle. Devon and AL put out our normal 4 line top spread with one down rod, so off we go. Time passes by and nothing is happening on the surface. Devon and Al stayed busy on the speed jigs, boating a small Bonito and a Bullet Bonito. The down rod goes off! About time! Uncle Al takes control of the rod and works the fish up. A sport model Kingfish comes boat side and catches some steel.

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This group is tired. We had a Memorial Weekend Potpourri. I guess you could say we had a Wreck Grand Slam. I must tell you, that was a “FUN” day and well worth the price of admission! We turned The BEAST toward the barn and made the run. Another good point to this day… We had 2 cleaning the fish and 2 cleaning the boat. NICE!

By the way Folks… We will be taking reservations now for Cubera season. Book early and often!

There is NO oil in S. Florida!!!!!

Capt. Jim
The BEAST
305-233-9996
beastcharters@aol.com
www.beastcharters.com

Tough conditions!

Wind, wind, and more wind! That was the theme for The BEAST on her last 2 trips. The winds were howling from the East at consistent 22-25 knots. This produces stacked up water at a close interval. Thankfully we run a 33’ World Cat that eats them up and provides a safe and stabile platform to fish from.

Our first trip was with Charlie and his buddies, Yalkin, Frank, and Wally. They call themselves the Harbor Club but we call them the Banana crew. You might recall them if you remember last years report and picture of them all eating a banana on the way out through the channel. They were supposed to arrive at 7-ish but knowing Yalkin, it would be more like 8 AM. He didn’t let us down, as they arrived minutes before 8.

We loaded them up, stowed their gear, and took the reins off The BEAST. We made the run to find some Hardtails. The second spot produced an adequate supply. Now off to find some live Ballyhoo. This actually turned out to be an effort. The Ballyhoo have been finicky to say the least. We’ve had no problems raising them but getting them to bite the hair hooks has been the test. Getting them within net range is even harder. They tend to get very wary late in the season. We managed to get a dozen or so and we headed off to the blue water.

Our first stop was to see if we could catch some Permit on a wreck. We moved back and forth while looking for them from the deck and on the sonar. We ended up soaking 2 crabs with no bites. On to plan B.

Plan B was to do some live baiting around the vicinity, trying for some Blackfin, Kingfish, Dolphin, and Sails. The time dragged on! Nothing was working and the radio chatter was filled with the word “SLOW”. Suddenly the down rigger line starts to sing. Ok, we might be on the boards here! Up comes a Barracuda. Not quite what we had in mind, but it’s action. We kept working the water and got a visual of a fish on the surface. As we approached, the fish turned out to be a Hammerhead. The shark wouldn’t let us get close enough to try and pitch him one of our live baits and finally disappeared. The whole time we had 5 baits in the water as well. Nothing! We caught 3 more of those dreaded Caribbean Spotted Mackerel and we threw one in the fish box for bait because the guys were suggesting, to maybe do some shark fishing. I suggested to do some Jack fishing on the wrecks because we knew that wouldn’t be a long process to get them busy. All agreed.

We ponied up The BEAST and in short order we were casing the wreck. Oh yeah, they‘re there! Several drops and we were on them like fleas on a hound dog. The guys were getting a work out now. Several drifts in and everyone has a good 30-35 pound fish under their belt. When Yalkin’s turn comes around again, he pulls out his Accurate 665 on one of those high tech rods that he brought along. They are amazing how those rods and reels look like one you would go Bass fishing with, but it can pull a car off the ocean floor. We dropped the largest bait we had on his rod. BOOM! He is on! Yalkin is working the fish and it is another good one. He had to fight this fish in low gear for the entire fight. After about 35-40 minutes we see color. It’s another Donkey Kong! Devon gaffs the fish and both of pull it aboard. The guys are amazed at the size of this critter. The fish weighed in at 82.5 pounds.

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After 8-10 of these fish, big seas, relentless winds, coupled with the factor that they didn’t get into town until late, and they called it a day. Even though the fishing was slow for our target species, we always have a good time fishing with the “Banana Crew”!

Our next trip was a ¾ day with Fernando, his son Nick, Todd, and his son Zack. They met us at the dock and the wind was blowing hard out of the East, once again. NOAA was forecasting for 3-5 foot seas. Can’t a guy get a break! Fernando and Nick are from Boca Raton, Todd and Zach are from New Jersey. Fernando wanted to show his friends a good time regardless of the forecast. All aboard, and Devon cut loose The BEAST.

We blasted off to our Hardtail spot. Not a bite. No worries! We went to our trusted spot and nothing doing! Uh oh! We tried one more spot with the same results. Not good! Off we go in hopes that the Ballyhoo would be on the feed. This was another lesson in humility as they came up but wouldn’t feed. They never got closer than 50’ from the boat. I wasn’t a collegiate shot putter, so throwing the 18 pound cast net that far was totally out of the question. We are spending too much time and this is a short day. Catch some of those Yellowtail and drop down for some Pig Grunts to use for bait. We filled the well with the bigger ‘Tails and a few Grunts to go along with the only 2 Ballyhoo we caught. OK. At worst we have some baits to drop on the wrecks and we already had crab on board. Off we go to make the best of this situation.

Our first stop was to see if we could find some Permit. The seas were every bit of 4-5 feet and getting a visual on the Permit was not to be. Nothing was hitting the speed jigs either. This is not good. Let’s try some live baiting for a bit. Devon put out the ‘hoo and we dropped a Yellowtail down. I meandered about trying to get some action going. Devon is working a speed jig and I hear his telltale grunt as it hooks up. He hands the rod off to Zach. This is taking a bit of time, what is it? Maybe a Blackfin or Bonito? While the fish is working him over, a small pack of “schoolie” Dolphin come into the spread. Devon baits them up and now everyone is hooked up. They’re small, but over the legal size limit. One by one, we picked off the little Dollies. One flipped off at the boat, but the other 4 were dispatched to the fish box. Zach gets his fish to the boat and it is a 25 pound AJ. Go figure!

With Dolphin in the area I decided to put out a spread and try trolling for some Dolphin, Tuna, or Wahoo. This might help Nick out too, as he is hanging over the side calling his buddy Ralph. I told him that Facebook might be a better way to reach his buddy. We hooked up and Zach got the call on this fish. In short order a Bonito is on the boat.

The word on the radio that morning was a few Sails being caught but generally slow. Let’s hit the deep wreck and get these kids, especially “Sick” Nick, on some bruiser fish. As usual, the fish didn’t let us down. A 20 pound Bluefish was the largest fish Todd and Zach had caught, so shock and awe were the key words for them. Todd is no little guy but he was amazed at the power of these fish. No monsters, but all averaging around 30-35 pounds.

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The afternoon got going and our time was running short. The radio was telling of a good Sailfish bite, but we had no decent baits to try it. Let’s try for some Permit one more time, it’s on our way in. The seas over the wreck were getting big with some 6 and 7 footers coming through. This attempt proved better. I located the fish on the sonar and Devon got a visual on a them too. We dropped our baits and I felt a pick up. BOOM! Fernando is hooked up. A few strong runs and suddenly the fish races to the surface. The fish now is heavy as it goes down. Pop, the line parts. Sharked! I have the line on the fish and we make a few more drifts. We get another bite and Zach is on the line. Once again the fish races to the surface and leaps out of the water. Cobia! I can’t recall ever seeing one jump.

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We made a few more drifts and Devon spotted a tailing Sail, but before he could get a bait to it, it turned invisible! Next drift and we had another hook up. This fish took Fernando to the wreck and was gone! I got carried away as usual and went way past time. We packed it up and turned the bow for the barn. Although the lack of bait was an issue, we tallied, 5 Dolphin, 5 Amberjack, a Bonito, a Cobia, and 0 for 2 on Permit.

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Capt. Jim
The BEAST
305-233-9996
beastcharters@aol.com
www.beastcharters.com

Donkey Kong!

About 10 days ago we did a fun trip with the usual members, Devon, Amy, “Uncle” Al, and I. We were meat fishing so we met up at 10 AM and tossed the dock lines. Wreck fishing was about all that Amy wanted to do, no Sailfish, Mackerel, or anything of that nature. Of course, the first stop was for live bait.

We proceeded out to the first wreck site. Drifting live shrimp pegged on a jig, we had a few bites but most all ended in a cut off. Those dreaded Caribbean Spotted Mackerel (Cuda) will eat anything. We did get a couple of good bites but one wrecked us and we thought we had played out the other when the hook straightened. OK, let’s go get some Jacks.

I headed for a deep wreck and we started dropping live ones as well as speed jigs. The jigs were working better on the Almaco Jacks, and then Uncle Al brought the first “wreck donkey’ aboard.

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The lives baits did their trick and all of us kept catching fish until we had enough fun for one day, quitting early.

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We did make a stop at the first wreck and tried the jig/shrimp deal one more time. Uncle Al hooked up a monster Blue Runner which attracted a pack of Cuda’s, right to the boat, and 2 big Sandbar sharks could be seen cruising the scene about 40’ down.

OK… we’re done! We only kept 3 around 30 pounds and 2 nice eating sized Almaco. The fish were very clean and filleted out nicely.

Yesterday, we took out our good customers, Skyler Smith, his dad Scott, and Skyler brought along his brother Ryan. He remembered the wreck fishing from last year and wanted to show his brother what strong fish they are. Skyler couldn’t describe an Amberjack fight, in Missouri terms so Ryan had to see it to believe it. The agenda was set for AJ’s.

The BEAST was tugging at the dock lines. They arrived late and we made the short run to the Hardtail spot. They were there, like a wolf pack in a feeding frenzy. Oh Lord! Averaging 1 ½ - 2 pounds or better, they were giving them some sport on the 12# spinners. I hoped they were ready for this all day, back breaker outing. I asked if he was sure he didn’t want to try for some Ballyhoo and do some slow trolling for Sails, Kings, etc? He was sure! OK, you asked for it.

After collecting about 4 baits, I throttled up and we made our way to Wreck # 1 for a warm up. We tried to drift some shrimp and crabs while working a smaller speed jig. Sklyer caught a small Scamp grouper on the speed jig which was quickly returned to the water. Nothing much doing on the live crusty’s so we pulled lines.

Destination #2 was a deep water wreck with a limited relief. Conditions were good and the drift was right. On the first drop we used one of the smaller baits, and speed jigs. Bang! The bait gets whacked and Ryan gets his first try at a “wreck donkey”! Sweat was beading up on the top of his bald head. How’s that? He grunts to us, “It pulls better than a 40# grass carp!” Laughter filled the boat! It’s only a baby AJ, weighing about 25 pounds, you might be in trouble when we use the big baits.

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Next drift was using the same set up. The speed jig scored a small Almaco and the live bait got the nod for Skyler. A more respectable sized donkey. You might be asking why we call them donkeys. They fit the name perfectly because trying to pull these stubborn fish away from the wreck is like trying to make a donkey go somewhere he doesn’t want to go.

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We start using the jumbo baits and the size of the fish being caught increases. Scott is next and works a nice averaged sized fish to the boat. So far we are only warming them up on 25-35 pound fish.

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We put the speed jigs down since they were not producing. Two live baits on each drift now. Several drifts later and these guys are in heaven. I made a call on the squawker to a friend out of Ocean Reef. He was doing well on the Sails and Kingfish with some Mahi mixed in. I suggested a break to get some live ‘Hoo and give them a try but nothing doing, not interested. These 3 guys were enjoying the non stop action, and saying “Uncle” is not in their vocabulary. OK, you asked for it!

Devon picked out one of the biggest baits in the well and sent it down. BAM! Fish on! The rods bent over and Skyler can do little with this fish. The line begins to run out and a minute later it is over. The fish made it to the wreck. That was a big one! Devon reties a new leader as I reposition on the same drift line. OK, let her rip! He sends down the biggest bait as I send the other line down. We pass over the wreck and on the backside, the jumbo bait gets nervous. BOOM! The rod is bent over almost to the waterline and Skyler fights to remove it from the rod holder. It’s on! This is a good one boys! Skyler manages to keep the fish from reaching the wreck. Knuckle buster! Several times, the fish pins his hands to the gunwales. 600 ft from the wreck and we breath a bit easier. 10, 20, 30 minutes into the fight and this fish doesn’t even know it’s hooked. The line on the reel appears like he is still only 20’ off the bottom. Keep the pressure on him! Devon and I are watching the rod tip and it appears to be heavy, no action. Now we’re not so sure we have an AJ but are betting it could be a big shark. Possibly a Sandbar, or big Hammerhead? 40 minutes and he is gaining some line. 50 minutes and the fish is beginning to tire from the relentless pressure. We’re beginning to think shark with each passing minute. 60 minutes and over a mile from the hook up. We have color about 100’ down. It’s BIG! It’s not a shark! 25 feet and OMG! As it rolls over we see that it’s DONKEY KONG! Devon drops the smaller gaff and in 2 seconds has the big meat hook. I leader the fish to him, and he sticks it. It takes both of us to pull this monster over the gunwale. The fish hits the deck with a resounding THUD! We all stare at this fish and estimate her to be 100 pounds. Look! There, hanging in the fishes mouth, is the hook and the other half of the leader we just lost on the last drift! After we calmed down, we realized that we had over estimated the weight. The fish ONLY weighed 96 pounds!!!!!! Skyler’s fish had dramatically broken The BEAST’s boat record of 80 pounds.

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Now, I asked once more if they wanted to try for something else as it would be tough to top that fish! NOPE! These guys were having way too much fun! I motored toward our drift line when I saw another boat ahead. He was on a “floater”. We approached slowly and there was a 40’ telephone pole adrift in the water. We pitched some small speed jigs and nothing. There were only 2 or 3 “micro” Dolphin, hanging around. The floater was encrusted with barnacles, yet there were no Bar Jacks, Tripletail, or other fish. We quickly dropped a live bait down on a stinger rig for a Wahoo. No one home! Devon remarked “Imagine finding that pole, with the boat hull or motors, as we are running around in the dark, Sword fishing!” That is not something I want to think about!

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We made a few more drifts on the wreck but business was slowing down. We actually made a drift that didn’t get a bite so I suggested spending the last 2 hours on the Grunt & Sweat wreck to see if they were hungry. The group agreed as Ryan has yet to catch a fish over 30 pounds. So off we go!

This wreck has a bit more structure and we tend to get wrecked more often. The fish weren’t marking well but once again we get bit on each drift. Scott gets wrecked by a good fish. Next pass and he hooks up again. This time he posts up a 55 pounder. You got to be kidding me! There is the hook, leader, and several feet of our Power Pro that we just lost on the last drift! What are the chances of that happening, twice in the same day?

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Next drift and the rod bends over. Ryan is on a nice fish and uses finesse to bring the fish up. That is a polite way to say he is muscle tired and has slowed down a bit. We have color and Ryan, finally, has a respectable 38 pound fish.

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I know we used about 3 dozen baits, got wrecked by about half a dozen, and caught about 15 big fish. All were vented and released except one. We called it a day and I turned the bow toward home. The cruise is short, chattering about the “Big’un” in the box. We get The BEAST leashed up to the dock and it takes Skyler and Devon to get the big fish up on the dock. One more photo before the fish goes to the cleaning table.

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We really enjoyed fishing with the Smith’s as they are good people with a great sense of humor. We joked all day, with Ryan being the main focus. The easy attitude of this group helped make it a very memorable trip. Of course a good fish bite, never hurts!

By the way… to those who talk down the Amberjack. That 96 was cleaner than most of the Red Grouper I’ve seen and it produced some large, quality filets! If you don’t believe me, that’s cool, leave them for us!

Capt. Jim
The BEAST
305-233-9996
beastcharter@aol.com
www.beastcharters.com