"Captains' Choice"
17B Blackfishing - December, 1999
Fished on Captain Pete's boat in Freeport with a crew of pinners. The pool was up there, if you get my drift, and the fishing was tough. There were no fish commiting suicide that day. These fish had to be coaxed into nibbling an inch off the bottom. A blow was on the way from the southwest and the seas where building fast. So our window of opportunity was small...very small! The sun was just peeping out and blackfish are very sensitive little buggers. There was little tide, if any and 5 ounces kept you on the bottom.
Al rigged me up with one of his favorite double hook rigs and yes, I was using Spectrum.
I had to hit the rocks and immediately keep the line tight to the sinker and lift just a wee bit to keep her from sliding into the large structure on the bottom. These hits were like trout bites in a stream upstate...all you felt was a little vibration and you had to nail those little doggies.
The fish were hanging around small structures...and it was definately not a hot bite like it had been in Orient Point. We got fish, but it was mind numbing at times!
The boat caught over 40 blackfish and these guys fished hard, they were not weekend warriors. These were pros...they included: Capt. John Capuano, Capt. Neil Faulkner, Capt. Joey Torriero, Al Goldberg, Ray Cuevas, Jeff Thom, Jonathan Lyons, Scott St. Clair, Tom Neafsey, Frankie Kofler, Cary Palmer, Jeremy Robitsek, Dan Mambrino, Dave Mambrino, Christian Kraus, Paul Kraus, Steve Abromowitz, and of course, yours truly. Thank God these guys know the gig with fishing. Capt. John Capuano was wearing a beautiful, black chiffon gown with the cutest red pumps I've ever seen! I was personally quite impressed with his tango dancing lessons!
Al got to talk to old friends and I was jumping on every spot that saw fish come up...before their grave was cold. Ha! It's the lack of principle! The winds picked up and the seas were beginning to rock and roll...and around 2:30PM the fish turned off as the sun hit a low angle.
All in all we had a good time. The blackfishing is hit or miss on 17B. You have to have the right conditions to produce...and a little luck!
