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left my home port of Falmouth at 5 PM and steamed 108 nmiles to Veatch Canyon; 30 miles of which by radar in 25-100 yard visibility.
We arrived at Veatch at full darkness at 9 PM, trolled in the dark for an hour to find bait and set up a drift in 1200' of water in the middle of the canyon.
As is typical in the NE canyons;a flat calm run out turned into 3' steep seas and a steady 10-12 breeze. No fun thinking about 6 hrs of drifting like that. Out went the door and the drift sock to control the snap roll. All became well again.
2 squid baits deep; 200' and 100'; 2 butterfish shallow. An hour later the 100' bait went off and my crew saw a swordfish come up and jump; trailing lightstick behind it. We lost it to chafe 30' out.
Then thr 200' deep bait went off like a truck; steady roar. we never stopped it; eventually the mainline 100# dacron parted. We think it was probably a large tiger shark.
An hour later we had a couple yellowfin on the chunk; during the leader and gaffing end game another swordfish appeared just out of the light glow; slashing at squid.
At pre-dawn 1st light we started trolling the deep and wall hoping for a bigeye. Didn't happen though we had a couple small yellows.
at 7:30 after being peanut mahi'd once too often a bar the mahi had been pecking at went down; I slowed the boat to deal with another djumb peanut when the center rigger up in the tower got knocked down; went out slowly; then screamed and erupted into a blue marlin going every which way as long as air and white water was involved.
We survived clearing the 9 rod spread, getting the rod down from me in the tower to a belted angler and I actually got after the fish. 10 minutes later, most of it air it tossed the hook and headed for the horizon still jumping 1/2 mile away.
Marlin fishing from that point on we had a couple other yellow knockdowns and mahi swinging and missing at big stuff till a white came in and ate the same jethead; same center rigger in the tower as the blue. We only stayed on that one for 100 yards and 2 series of jumps but as with whites it was all air and attitude.
One more knockdown we missed and at noon I headed for the barn, 104 nmiles away. Flat calm, tired as hell from a sleepness night running up in thr tower i swerved to avoid a pallet; saw fish so turned and broke out the light tackle. Oceanic triggerfish; 6 or 8 pound amberjack, a mahi ate baits. I was trying and was unable to coax out what appeared to be a 15 pound or so black grouper right up in the pallet. 15 minutes; back on steam, 15 minutes to make sure all was stable w/ engine reading then I handed the boat off to the crew and slept for 2 hr's. Wake up on the throttle change to find the radar on, 100 yard vis. and us transiting the channel past the Vineyard an hour from home. Back at the dock, 4:30.
Engine time 19 hr's and change; trip time just under 24 hr's; 8 hr's steam, 7 hr's and change troll, 194 gallons burned.
Boat of course; Carolina Classic 28. The only boat under 35' I will be go to the NE canyons in....
We arrived at Veatch at full darkness at 9 PM, trolled in the dark for an hour to find bait and set up a drift in 1200' of water in the middle of the canyon.
As is typical in the NE canyons;a flat calm run out turned into 3' steep seas and a steady 10-12 breeze. No fun thinking about 6 hrs of drifting like that. Out went the door and the drift sock to control the snap roll. All became well again.
2 squid baits deep; 200' and 100'; 2 butterfish shallow. An hour later the 100' bait went off and my crew saw a swordfish come up and jump; trailing lightstick behind it. We lost it to chafe 30' out.
Then thr 200' deep bait went off like a truck; steady roar. we never stopped it; eventually the mainline 100# dacron parted. We think it was probably a large tiger shark.
An hour later we had a couple yellowfin on the chunk; during the leader and gaffing end game another swordfish appeared just out of the light glow; slashing at squid.
At pre-dawn 1st light we started trolling the deep and wall hoping for a bigeye. Didn't happen though we had a couple small yellows.
at 7:30 after being peanut mahi'd once too often a bar the mahi had been pecking at went down; I slowed the boat to deal with another djumb peanut when the center rigger up in the tower got knocked down; went out slowly; then screamed and erupted into a blue marlin going every which way as long as air and white water was involved.
We survived clearing the 9 rod spread, getting the rod down from me in the tower to a belted angler and I actually got after the fish. 10 minutes later, most of it air it tossed the hook and headed for the horizon still jumping 1/2 mile away.
Marlin fishing from that point on we had a couple other yellow knockdowns and mahi swinging and missing at big stuff till a white came in and ate the same jethead; same center rigger in the tower as the blue. We only stayed on that one for 100 yards and 2 series of jumps but as with whites it was all air and attitude.
One more knockdown we missed and at noon I headed for the barn, 104 nmiles away. Flat calm, tired as hell from a sleepness night running up in thr tower i swerved to avoid a pallet; saw fish so turned and broke out the light tackle. Oceanic triggerfish; 6 or 8 pound amberjack, a mahi ate baits. I was trying and was unable to coax out what appeared to be a 15 pound or so black grouper right up in the pallet. 15 minutes; back on steam, 15 minutes to make sure all was stable w/ engine reading then I handed the boat off to the crew and slept for 2 hr's. Wake up on the throttle change to find the radar on, 100 yard vis. and us transiting the channel past the Vineyard an hour from home. Back at the dock, 4:30.
Engine time 19 hr's and change; trip time just under 24 hr's; 8 hr's steam, 7 hr's and change troll, 194 gallons burned.
Boat of course; Carolina Classic 28. The only boat under 35' I will be go to the NE canyons in....
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