| It just turned June and the winds have been blowing non-stop over
the past 3 months. With the beginning of summer, the offshore fishing is
should turn on soon and winds will hopefully lay within the coming weeks.
With YT working relentlessly on the Nyati with the help from Scott, Curmit,
Ronnie, Ashton, and several other people, the boat is about to increase its
badassness with a few more trip enhancing 'toys'. Some of the various
improvements would include a desalinator water maker, on board ice maker,
larger fuel tanks, and quad tuna-tube w/ livewell (which we worked on until
the last minute but wasn't quite operational yet). The weather window was
questionable but not bad. Usually it is the normal scenario for this time
of year and we duke it out and its all down hill with the summers calm seas
approaching.
We left the Brown House Harbor late Friday afternoon due for Port
A to cap off the fuel tanks. The crew for this years first slaying would
be YT, Scott, Ronnie, Ronnie Sr, Jared, Repofish, Aaron, and myself. From
there we would travel deep to the various floaters for the weekend. Still
putting the final touches on the gear and rigging up reels with line and
leader on the new Nyati bentbutt trolling rods, we were cutting it close
but were able to get everything done but the Tuna tubes.
Breaking the Aransas jetties, it was a bit bumpy and for the first
few hours took a pounding getting out. We cruised at a moderately comfortable
and safe speed at 10kts but still were getting beat up at times. About 100
miles out things seemed to look better. Only the larger swells from the remnants
of the Florida storm proved to be an issue. We make it to the floater right
at sunrise and begin trolling. Our first pass and a bait gets nailed. Repofish
jumps in the chair and conducts a short battle.
Repo picks up the first Yellowfin of the trip, not a monster but a
solid fish meant for primo table fare.
We troll for a while and the guys maintain the lines during
the scattered weedy mess. We stay around the rig for a couple hours and decide
to venture off towards a couple other nearby floaters. Halfway during transit
we finally get some action again. A billfish comes up and nails a lure and
its on. We get Sr. into the chair and he battles the fish for a few minutes.
It appears to be a very solid While Marlin. It gets up on the
surface and thrashes a couple times and on the last time just out of leadering
range it spits the hook. A tough loss on what would have been the first bill
of the year already. But the crew is a bunch of hard workers and lines go
back out.
After a couple more hours we begin trolling between the sister
rigs a have a good feeling about something. Everyone takes turns and shifts
to make sure we have lines in the water as much as possible.
We go by and have a line get picked up... not a bill but a solid
fish, Jared hops in the chair but only to have the hook pull on a possible
Bull Dorado. After the first pass around some structure we see a decent bill
make its way into the spread... it is definitely a Marlin. It had looked
but did not take a bait. We turn around and make another pass and finally
the fish comes up and hammers a lure. We get Aaron into the chair and all
he can do is hold on while a respectable size Blue Marlin greyhounds on the
surface. In an attempt to turn the boat to catch up with him and avoiding
the structure we would ultimately lose the fish. Another tough loss but we
know the fish are out her. Regardless, the sight of a Marlin just continually
walking on the surface made the rise worth it but would have much rather
landed it of course.
The afternoon goes on and we begin to turn course and head back
to the original floater for a sunset troll and to set up shop for the night
time tuna bite. A couple hours and it is about prime time. The lines are
out and we will be approaching the rig shortly.
We get there and make a couple passes around the rig. Then finally
a line in the outrigger gets nailed but no hook up. The fish comes back and
nails a lure for a primo hookset. I hop in the chair and its Fish on! YT
pulls away from the rig.
We get the fish away from the rig and despite not going aerial,
we know what it is. YT maneuvers the boat with ease and everything is going
smoothly. After 10 or so minutes we get the fish to the boat and see the
wind-on.
The fish makes a couple turns back and forth from the starboard
to the port before finally cooperating.
Ronnie and Jared leader the fish and we now have our first Blue
Marlin of the year. Ronnie hangs on and releases a yet still very green billfish.
A smooth safe catch and release.
We get lines back out for the last few minutes of daylight and
then bring them in heading to the rig. We prep and get ready for the night
time Tuna. The moon is not up yet and hoped to have a bit of action, however
the Tuna bite remains incredible slow. A few Blackfin here and there, but
even they are hard to come by. Ronnie jumps up on the bow and starts launching
topwaters. He gets a large Yellow to nail one and gets it up to the boat
but throws the hook up close. Ronnie strikes back with a monster Blackfin
on a topwater. Around 10pm the moon is up and shining bright over the rig.
We finally obtain a few Blackfin, just enough for bait and begin
chumming and chunking cut baits. Repo and Scott and on with a double hookup.
Scotts fish get off but Repo is still on. After a couple minutes Repo lands
the first Yellowfin of the night.
We would eventually run out of Blackfin and we'd start jigging to
try to get even just a couple. I begin using the homemade jigs and after
a couple Blackfin, I nail an undersized Yellowfin. Nothing like Tuna on a
homemade lure.
Everyone head to sleep and Repo, Aaron, and I are up and we
have a plan... we must box a few more Yellowfin, it is a mission. Around
1am the mission begins. I would get us close to the rig and we would drop
down for ANYTHING. On occasion we would pick up a Blackfin here and there.
The bite is still abnormally slow so we try to get everything in the boat.
After an hour or two Repo heads to sleep and Aaron and I finally accumulate
some chum and chunking baits. We set up on a good drift and begin chumming
like crazy. Finally we both get hooked up on a double. Aaron gets his close
and I get mine in. While I couldn't get any of the sleepyheads up I had to
gaff my own Yellowfin (gaff in one hand, rod in the other) and then without
hesitation get Aarons. Nonetheless, operation successful! We finally get
a couple nice meat packages in the fishbox.
We would repeat this procedure over a couple times and eventually
hooked up again. Aaron had another Yellow on and I had one briefly nail a
live bait but miss the hook up. A couple of minutes later and I gaff his
Yellow and we have some more sushi in the boat.
Although we did get some, the Tuna fishing never really turned
on. We have never had that much trouble obtaining just a few Blackfin. Perhaps
the water was still a bit off for the tint looked a bit abnormal, but we
were very happy to have least box a half dozen nice YF. By now the sun is
coming up and we begin to put away the Tuna Toys and bring out the trolling
gear. As I am about to head to sleep the guys begin trolling and get a triple
hookup on Wahoo on some drifting structure. While only getting 2 in, they
make another pass and have a double hook up landing only one of those.
We trolled a bit in the morning but the action quickly slowed.
The curse of the full moon has the bite on the slow side. We trolled briefly
on the way in and again near a deeper platform picking up another Wahoo.
Even further on the way in we hit up Baker and nailed a few small AJ's and
Jared got a nice Snapper, a fine addition to the fish box. We soon picked
up and called it a weekend cruising in back to Port A.
Overall, it was a good, safe, successful trip aboard the Nyati
and with all the hard work YT put into the boat, it will be a very fun year.
While the bite was on the rather slow side we did get a few nice fish for
tablefare and risen 3 billfish. When the weather gets right, our next major
trip should be nothing short of epic. We shall see. Until next time, thanks
to Capt. YT and the Nyati for another great trip on the open ocean!
Good luck and see you on the sand (err water).
- Oz |
