HOT PURSUIT CHARTERS

    IT HAS  BEEN THE BEST YEAR EVER FOR THE "HOT PURSUIT". EVEN IN THESE TOUGH ECONOMIC TIMES IT WAS THE BEST YEAR FOR THE NUMBER OF CHARTER TRIPS AND NUMBER OF FISH CAUGHT. I WANT TO THANK ALL MY CUSTOMERS FOR FISHING WITH ME THIS YEAR.

      THE SEASON IS NOT OVER YET. SOME OF THE BEST FISHING IS IN SEPTEMBER AND EARLY OCTOBER. THE MARLIN, YELLOWFIN TUNA AND WAHOO ARE STILL BITING. THE WEATHER AND SEA CONDITIONS HAVE BEEN MISERABLE FOR THE LAST THREE WEEKS DUE TO TWO HURRICANES AND WEATHER LOW THAT BROUGHT HIGH WINDS AND ROUGH SEAS. ON DAYS THAT BOATS COULD FISH, THERE WERE SOME NICE CATCHES OF TUNA, WAHOO, AND WHITE MARLIN.

   ON FRIDAY'S CHARTER IT WAS A BIT SLOW. NO ONE IS CATCHING MUCH OF ANYTHING. THE WATER TEMPS ARE REALLY UP, IN THE LOW 80'S. WE DID MANAGE TO CATCH A LARGE SKIPJACK TUNA, BUT THAT WAS IT. MY CHARTER , WHO WILL REMAIN UNNAMED AT THIS POINT, SKIPPED OUT ON HIS TIP. THERE'S ALWAYS ONE EVERY YEAR. WOULDN'T EVEN LOOK ME IN THE FACE. WOULDN'T ANSWER HIS CELL PHONE EITHER. NEVER FISH ON MY BOAT AGAIN. ONE WELL KNOWN CHARTER BOAT WENT OUT THREE DAYS WITHOUT CATCHING ANYTHING. ANOTHER WENT OUT ON A 30 HOUR OVERNIGHT TRIP AND CAME BACK WITH NOTHING. ITS BEEN TOUGH GOING OFFSHORE.

   SATURDAY'S TRIP WAS BETTER. BUNCH OF GUYS FROM PENN STATE. 1/2 DAY INSHORE. BOTTOM FISHING THE WRECK SITE ONLY PRODUCED ONE SMALL FLOUNDER, SO WE TROLLED THE INSHORE LUMPS. DIDN'T TAKE LONG AND WE WERE HOOKED UP WITH SOMETHING BIG, I'M THINKING A COBIA. HAD HIM JUST ABOUT TO THE BOAT AND LOST HIM. DAMN! HIT A SCHOOL OF SNAPPER BLUES AND HOOKED UP OVER A DOZEN TIMES GETTING 8-9 IN THE BOAT. EVERYBODY HAD A GOOD TIME.

  ANOTHER OFFSHORE TRIP THURSDAY. HOPING TO HOOK UP SOME MARLIN OR WAHOO.

   ON 8/10/09, WENT OUT TO THE BALTIMORE CANYON WITH ROB TRACEY AND FAMILY AND HOOKED UP WITH WHITEY. NOT LONG AFTER SETTING UP THE SPREAD JUST INSIDE THE CANYON THE FLAT LINE POPPED OFF AND WHITEY WAS HOOKED UP. WHILE CLEARING THE LINES TWO MORE WHITES CAME UP BEHIND THE BOAT BUT DIDNOT HOOK UP. TOOK THREEE OF THE PARTY TO BRING WHITEY TO THE BOAT, ABOUT A 75 POUNDER. WHILE TROLLING IN THE CANYON HAD 3-4 MORE KNOCK DOWNS THAT DIDNOT COME TIGHT BUT HOOKED TWO UP MORE TIMES, BOTH WITH GOOD RELEASES. BOTH WERE 60-65 LBS. A GREAT DAY!

   THE FOLLOWING DAY WENT OUT WITH CHAD BEAIRSTO AND HIS BOYS. PLANNED ON GOING TO THE BALTIMORE AGAIN BUT IT WAS A LITTLE SNOTTY GOING OUT. THEY DECIDED TO STOP AT THE HAMBONE AND START TROLLING. ONE MINUTE AFTER SETTING THE SPREAD THE LONG RIGGER POP OFF AND CAME TIGHT BUT THE FISH CAME OFF DURING THE FIGHT. ENDED UP WITH TWO GAFFER DOLPHIN, 20 AND 14 LBS. GOT BIT OFF TWICE BY WAHOO AND HAD SEVERAL OTHER KNOCK DOWNS THAT DIDN'T COME TIGHT. DAD AND TWO OF THE BOYS WERE SICK MOST OF THE DAY AND HUNG TOUGH ,BUT AFTER SEVERAL HOURS CALLED IT A DAY AND WE CAME IN EARLY. NOT A BAD DAY OVER ALL WITH THE ACTION.

    THE LAST COUPLE OF WEEKS OFFSHORE HAVE BEEN HIT AND MISS FOR MOST BOATS. I WAS THINKING IT WAS JUST ME UNTIL I HEAR RADIO TRAFFIC BETWEEN OTHER BOATS AND SPEAKING WITH OTHER CAPTAINS AT THE DOCK. THERE ARE STILL BEING NICE FISH CAUGHT BUT YOU HAVE TO BE AT THE RIGHT PLACE AT THE RIGHT TIME. FISH ARE HERE ONE DAY AND GONE TOMORROW. WE HAVE CAUGHT SEVERAL FLOUNDER ON OUR HALF DAY INSHORE TRIPS ON THE WRECK SITES. OFF SHORE, THE BITE SEEMS TO COME NEAR THE END OF THE DAY. SEVERAL KNOCK DOWNS WITH NO HOOK UPS, SEVERAL DOLPHIN BEING CAUGHT EARLY ON, AND LATE HOOK UPS WITH LARGE FISH ONLY TO BE LOST AFTER THE FIGHT WAS ON. LOST A VERY LARGE TUNA (EST. 140 LBS.) AND A VERY NICE WAHOO (EST.45-50 LBS.) LATE IN THE DAY AFTER SOLID HOOK UPS. BUT THATS FISHING. SOME VERY NICE MARLIN ARE BEING CAUGHT DURING THE WHITE MARLIN OPEN THIS WEEK. A 93.5 LB. WHITE AND A 1062 LB. BLUE! DOESN'T GET ANY BETTER THEN THAT. SEVERAL OFFSHORE TRIPS THIS WEEK. HOPE I DO AS WELL AS THAT.

  TOOK EUGENE BRADY AND HIS FAMILY OUT TODAY ON A HALF DAY INSHORE TRIP. THEY WANTED TO TRY AND LAND SOME TUNA AND THEIR YOUNG SON (JAKE, I THINK, ABOUT 7 YEARS OLD) WANTED A MAHI-MAHI, SO WE CHANGED IT TO A FULL DAY INSHORE AND I DID THEM A FAVOR OF RUNNING ALL THE WAY TO THE HAMBONE, WHICH REALLY SHOULD HAVE BEEN  CHARGED AS AN OFFSHORE TRIP. SAVED THEM $300. IT WAS A NICE DAY, SO I SAID WHAT THE HELL. I WANTED TO CATCH THE LITTLE GUY A DOLPHIN AND THOUGHT WE HAD A BETTER CHANCE FURTHER OFFSHORE. UNFORTUNATELY THE  LITTLE GUY GOT SICK NOT LONG AFTER REACHING THE HAMBONE (HE WAS TIRED TOO) AND THEY CALLED IT AN EARLY DAY. WE ONLY GOT TO TROLL ONE TIME OVER THE BONE AND IT JUST WASN'T ENOUGH TO HOOK UP. THE LITTLE GUY HUNG TOUGH, IT WAS JUST A LITTLE TOO MUCH FOR HIM. MAYBE NEXT TIME.

  Went out on a fun trip with my daughter and her boyfriend. Started out at the Jackspot with no luck, so we trolled to the Fingers. Still slow going, so I started to pull the lines to go sharking when the WWB line started peeling off line. After a 10 minute fight, we gaffed a 38 lb. bluefin tuna. Started to chum for sharks with some Gulp chum and mackeral and hooked up in 20 minutes. A short fight later had a 90 lb. mako in the boat.

  ON 6/21/09, GOT A LAST MINUTE CALL FOR A BAY TRIP. LOUSY WEATHER, BUT A GOOD TIME. LOST A FEW ROCKFISH AND FLOUNDER. HOOKED SOMETHING HUGE, BUT SPIT THE HOOK AFTER ABOUT FIVE MINUTES.

  ON 6/24/09, WENT FISHIN' WITH ERIC AND HIS CO-WORKERS. STARTED OUT AT THE HAMBONE AND CHICKENBONE LOOKIN' TO HOOK UP SOME BLUEFIN TUNA, BUT THEY DIDN'T WANT TO CO-OPERATE. WENT TO THE FINGERS AND WENT SHARKING AND HOOKED UP A MAKO. SUMBITCH RAMMED MY BOAT AND TOOK THE GELCOAT OFF. PAID FOR THAT WITH A .20 GA. SLUG TO THE HEAD. MAKO STEAKS FOR EVERYONE.

   ON 6/27/09, WENT SHARKING AGAIN WITH MR. MCCAIN AND FRIENDS. HOOKED SOME SMALL BLUEFISH AT THE JACKSPOT. REALLY DENSE FOG. WENT TO THE FINGERS AGAIN AND HOOKED A LARGE SHARK WHO EXPLODED THE 50 LB. TEST LINE ALONG WITH THE 400 LB. MONO LEADER. NEVER EVEN GOT A LOOK AT HIM.

   ON 6/28/09, WENT TO THE POORMANS CANYON WITH DICKY AND SONS IN SEARCH OF YELLOWFIN TUNA. BEAUTIFUL DAY WITH NICE SEAS. BROUGHT HOME THREE YELLOWFIN, LOST 3-4 MORE,  AND BROUGHT BACK TWO NICE GAFFER DOLPHIN.

  JUST LOWERED MY RATES $100 ACROSS THE BOARD DUE TO THE DECREASE IN FUEL PRICES OVER THE LAST SEVERAL MONTHS. EVEN THOUGH THE PRICE OF FUEL IS NOW INCHING ITS WAY BACK UP, HOPEFULLY IT WILL REMAIN STABLE THIS YEAR.

   ALL MY REELS ARE IN THE SHOP GETTING MAINTAINANCE DONE. ALL THE TACKLE HAS ALREADY BEEN RE-RIGGED WITH NEW LINE/HOOKS. NEW SIX MAN LIFERAFT IS ON ITS WAY. MORE POWERFUL OFFSHORE RADIO TOO. MAINTAINANCE ON THE BOAT WILL BE DONE BY THE END OF NEXT MONTH.

    TIME TO HIT THE BOAT SHOW CIRCUIT. HOPE TO SEE YOU ONBOARD. 

   ON SATURDAY, 8/16/08, TOOK DAVID MARCHYSHYN AND HIS SON JOSH OFFSHORE. ITS BEEN SLOW GOING FOR THE LAST 2-3 WEEKS FOR TUNA, BUT THE BILLFISH BITE HAS PICKED UP AS WELL AS THE MAHI-MAHI. WENT TO THE FOURTY FATHOM LINE INSIDE THE POORMAN'S AND MARKED LOTS OF FISH, BUT EVERYTHING WAS DOWN DEEP (100-200 FT). WAS THIRTY SECONDS AWAY FROM PULLING THE LINES AND GO CHUNKING WHEN WHITEY HIT THE SHORT RIGGER(BLUE/PINK LITTLE CHUG DAISEY CHAIN W/BALLYHOO). DID A LITTLE DANCE THEN WENT DEEP. ABOUT A TEN MINUTE FIGHT AND A GOOD RELEASE.