August, 2000
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Trying
to Get Out to Sea Not all best made plans work out...that's why fishing is never a straight cut thing. There's the weather, the boat engines and all kind off miss haps. Some of the change in plains work out better in the long run. The ocean is just like life sloppy sometimes and all messy but when it comes all together...it's great. The fish are tearing up the sea and you can do no wrong. The other lame trips fade away like a bad dream and the reason you fish all makes perfect sense. But boy, I tell you I've had more than my share of awful fishing trips and wonder if I should take up golf or pottery. Not! There are those moments that are pictures in my gallery a collection no one can take away. |
| On those bad days I stare at them and say soon, real soon I'll be at that right spot at that right time. You have to put your time in and be open to change it up. Which brings me to a story before the story. It was a bad day to give up drugs...got a crew together for a tuna trip, nothing fancy...just some straight up fishing. The fish were there, but the ocean was not going to let us play in her backyard. Listen... 25 mile an hour, northeast winds out on the Canyon is no game...I don't care how blue the skies are. Keep my money, I'm not going. The same goes for southeast winds...here comes a beating you won't forget. Call your chiropractor ahead of time, you're going to need one. Imagine if you will, a mouse in a tin can and some kids are playing kick the can...in southeast winds...you are the mouse. | |
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I have friends that I care for dearly, but when they keep telling me that the skies are blue and the winds aren't blowing that hard, why aren't we going out...of course, they go to sea maybe twice a year on holidays and yours truly goes out about 200 times a year (give or take)...don't get me wrong... seen it, done it, don't need to relive it! I don't plan on being the deer in the headlights when those big waves start kicking in. So the Captain cancelled the trip, God bless him. Unlike some Captains who would take you out for a beating and wait until you cry for mercy, lose your lunch and offer him your house, bank account and first born if he will only take you back to shore. He grins, laughs a bit to himself, takes your hard earned |
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money and sends you home green. A good Captain will not put you in that situation for a buck. He'll give you the low down ahead of time and give you the choice. So instead of tuna you stay inshore and go for stripers, fluke and bluefish. It may not be what you hoped for, but it is the best scenario for the circumstances. If you still choose the beating after you've been given the choice...all I can say is, "may the force be with you" and please go see a good shrink! So I rescheduled the trip with the Captain. We knew where we wanted to go and what we wanted to do. And this new trip was going to be an overnighter...more time with less pressure to get to the fish. It was going to be a little bit of a ride, but who cares if you're going the distance. So guess what? Half my crew bails out on me two days before. So I sent out an email to our mailing list and thank God for those of you who responded and saved me from what would have been an out of pocket experience! So here I am, 10 o'clock Tuesday morning waiting to hear the Captain's decision on the weather. I heard that there was a little rain and 8 mile an hour winds out of the east. Sounds doable to me...let's see what the buoy says. If all goes well 4 o'clock tomorrow morning we would be going. Unfortunately Mother Nature was not being cooperative and the trip had to be cancelled once again. |
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******************************** The Wait Is Finally Over Fishing on the Shearwater (631)668-9340 All the elements that kept us away from the Canyon had finally come to an end. A window of opportunity opened and Steve had an opening on a trip and invited me out. The winds eased from the east and had become variable. The ride out to Montauk was horrendous. The skies had opened up with blinding rain...I'm talking "Hail Mary" driving. But I was not turning back, nothing was going to stop me from getting this story. |
| By the time I got to Hither Hills the road was flooded out, but with the blinding rain, I did not see it coming. At 40 miles an hour I hydro-planed sideways across a 20 foot stretch of road. That's when God comes into the picture, if you get my drift. My heart was in my throat...and then my car straightened out and I was still on the road. At this point of the game, I had a feeling that the Captain would be telling me that we weren't going to be going out again. I pulled up to the local diner and chowed on a big breakfast...a tradition I have. Shouldn't have had the sausage...oh well. Could be pork, could be chicken, could be squirrel! Anyway, finished up and went around to the Shearwater. | |
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As I waited for Capt. Steve, the rain stopped just as suddenly as it had started. Steve pulled up and looked at me with that "maybe yes, maybe no" look. He said that it would be rough getting around the point but it should be better as we get out further to deeper water. We decided to go. It was a wee bit rough on the way out and was not that bad once we hit deeper water. Steve knew exactly where he wanted to go. We were headed 60 miles out and since his boat cruises at 20 knots, it was not long before we reached his spot. According to the reports, trolling for Mr. Tuna has slowed down and chunking had become hot overnight. So I was looking forward to the next night coming up. We had no shortage of food. I personally |
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had stopped in Little Italy to pick up my favorite foods and lots of it! Pasta, veal, chicken parm...you know...the good stuff. Even a few cigars to pass the time. The morning light was trying to pierce the clouds and the squawls had taken a break for now. Steve went heavy duty in his set-up...no fooling around. He went by the book of a hundred percent clean fishing. New line loaded on all his reels, not stuff some Captains had on their reel since Disco was in. Leader line 9 feet, 200 pound for trolling. Everything was crimp leaving the line at a hundred percent, no knots here mister. The Captain had his own custom squid trolling lures...which he asked me politely, with a gaff in his hand, not to photograph. Sorry guys, but it's Steve's special recipe...colors that he came up with through lots of trial and error...which I can respect. All bent butts and all Penn International two speeds...top of the line. So the troll was a pick here and there on the first day. We did have a humongous marlin hit, it thrashed and made mince meat out of one of the trolling lures. A wahoo came around and did the same a few moments later. A few albacore and a yellow fin came in, but it was pretty slow, as I expected on the troll. |
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We anchored up on the ledge of the Canyon in 71 degree water ...perfect temperature with alot of bait under the boat. Steve reset the rods for chunking in the same manner...no fooling around. He picked up some fresh butterfish that was still twitching. That is a key factor in chunking any fresh fish. The oil from the biat will get that tuna's nose turning around right to your slick. Don't go cheap in your chumming, you've gone this far. It's like getting all the food for a blow out barbecue and forgetting the charcoals...it doesn't cut it. And if you have just dumped a few grand for an overnight trip and they come out with rotten chum, good luck Charlie! It'll work but it will not produce as well. I'd be pretty angry. Also, always be sure to |
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have enough chum. Running out of chum = no slick = no more fish = angry customers. Steve had more than enough fresh chum. I was getting the feeling that we had company. I turned my head to see one of the rods sound off. Yes, Mary, Mother and Joseph...the tuna was doing the smoking dance. That one just pulled the hook and then the rod behind me sounded off. I was alittle rusty in dealing with Mr. Tuna, but it was all coming back like an adrenalin rush (who needs drugs). Another rod sounded off...we lost all three. Steve was a wee bit ticked off. I don't blame him. I was sick and the fish were all around. After that the mate and I made a system and it was tuna crushing time. A rod would sound off and I would get the other lines out of the water, then we would crank in those gorgeous 70 lb. yellowfins and smoke them right into the boat. It was like that for the rest of the night. We did just fine...real fine. |
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I love it when it all comes together. Now I like to tell you about all the great pictures that I took that night but my hands were slightly full. The mate was a surgeon on those plump, gorgeous tuna. Cleaned them, bled them perfectly for some good sushi. Anyway, we had the tuna firedrill for a while and then it all stopped. I ran to the fish finder and saw that the tuna were still under the boat, but now they were twenty feet down. I ran back and threw a few chunks in to see them right smack in my face finning me. Okay buddym got your number. I remembered what Al Goldberg had said |  |
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to me, when this happened to him. I took a cut bait with the hook hidden well with a bunch of other cut bait and dropped it in, wham-bam-thank-you-mam I was on and my line was smoking out. Thanks Al...I remembered! We caught a few more and then it all stopped. Steve had taken a little knap and awoke to see the back of his boat filled with major tuna. I thought I saw a little smile...I could be wrong. The fish were iced properly and stored away. I was shot, tired to the bone but a good tired, the kind I love. I could have slept on a bed of nails, it wouldn't have bothered me in the least. Peace of mind and sweet blessed slumber. I thought I heard my name being called and then someone was shaking me, "Dave get your butt up." Steve had started trolling on the way in and three rods were bent over doing the tuna jig. With "Kramer" hair and smelling like an old goat that sat in a garbage pail on a hot summer's day...I stood out in the blaring sun cranking away on a mother of a tuna. Untwisting the lines from the other tuna, Steve directed traffic at rush hour. We got eveyone in and I dragged my sorry butt back to bed and went face down into a coma. P.S Steve Chimblo gets four stars for finding and catching tuna. Thanks for the invite Steve, I'm going to bed! |
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**************************** Let's start with the line... it should be sauteed in a light virgin olive oil with a touch of shallots. Line
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| rod with the clear line and dropped my bait right in the middle of their chowing and watched them pick up the chum but leave my lonely piece alone. What an attitude problem! So I grabbed the rod with the blue line and wham, I 'm on...rod bent over like a fly rod. Okay, let's throw the clear line...not a nibble. Throw the blue line again and it goes screaming out without mercy. That is the line of the day. That's one scenario...but the important thing is to switch it up. Then there's the day when the water is gin clear. Time to go down in test...80 lb. test is just not going to cut it...not even 60 lb. test. Go down to 40 pound test and watch your line go cutting through the water. | |
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What
Line to Buy Ande is a party boat tool. It is one tough line that you can use to drag a Volkswagen. But it has a short life span...after a night of use, it's dead, get rid of it and respool...or pay the consequences of "pop goes the weasel". Good economy line...respooling won't cost you your first born. Trilene has less memory, translation, it won't turn into one permanent giant coil. Trilene can take one hell of a beating, plus you'll get a little more use out of it. But per pound it is not as strong as Ande. You must adjust your drag to it's breaking point. There are many excellent Japanese lines. Moui is one of them. It is a soft line that is very forgiving, but not made for party boats. When it hits the bottom of a steal or alluminum boat it will snap in a heartbeat, unlike the lines mentioned above that can handle a bit more abbrasion before popping. But on a private boat or 6 pack it's great for trolling and live bait. Personally, I use it as a leader line...your wallet will love it. Just my opinion and the opinion of hundreds I've fished with. |
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The
Night Crushing Tuna |
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What
Sort of Outfit to Wear Wear throw-away clothes...you know...those t-shirts that are really tacky or the shirt that your Aunt gave you for Christmas with the reindeer on it...or the sweater with the giant snowflake pattern on it. Kill it now! Rain gear goes a long way also. Put your name on your skins, they do walk, trust me. So take a permanent marker and write your initials over the front and back so no one can say, "I thought those were mine." |
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Drugs
and Alcohol |
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