CTFishTalk.com: Offshore July 25 & 26 - Connecticut Offshore Reports ( CT Offshore Reports ) - A Community Built for Connecticut Fisherman.

snafu · Joined: 17 May 2007 Posts: 50 Location: Griswold & Niantic

After looking at the great forecast for Wed-Friday we changed our plans from a tuna day trip to an overnight trip to the canyons. I received some intell from a charter guy about 2 swords taken off the edge the night before so that was going to be our target for the night.

Left the Niantic launch @ 6:30PM with Marco, John from Cedar Island and Pops and headed out. As night was falling I turned on the radar and was met with an error code that said the display was not getting a signal from the array. After do some checks it looked like my cable connection to the display is shot. By moving the cable connector around I can get the display to come on momentarily. With no working radar and worried about running into a high flyer my only choice was to follow the light from the moon which was leading me away from where I planned to sword for the night.

Better safe than sorry and smack the boat into a pole so off we went. We ended up at the Dip in 600’ of water temp 71 degrees around 10PM. 5mph winds maybe 2-3’ long period swells, a perfect night for an overnighter on the drift. After shutting off the motor we had multiple large splashes only 15’ off the back of the boat, a couple porpoise were around us for hours.
New plan was going to be a multiple target approach with a sword, tuna and shark bait in the water for the night. Chum bucket went in, squid rig for the tuna set at 80’ then the shark bait at 30’. While I was rigging the sword bait the shark rod goes off after only 3 minutes in the water. After a short fight an undersized mako was released.

Finally get the sword bait in and set at 200’, the hydro-glow in the water, we sat back and enjoyed the stars as the wind died to dead calm. Had a solid mass of squid on the ff from 120’-220’ all night but they did not come up to the hydro-glow as in other trips. Only a couple small squid, minnows, krill and 4 ribbon fish showed up in the light.

At 4:30AM the night gear was stowed and the big eye gear was rigged. Had 4 lines in the water rigged with large blk/pur straight running bullets as we started trolling the deep working towards the Tails.
Still dark, as we’re rigging the other rods to add to the spread, “CRASH” (50gal drum dropped from 20’ kind of noise) in back of us and the 50’s drag starts screaming. Letting it go hoping for a second hookup, still can’t see anything behind us in the dark. The fish comes off after 15 seconds. I assume it was a big eye but will never know for sure.

As we get some light to work with, the rest of the spread is deployed and the trolling continues. After 45 minutes the port center line (blk/pur bullet jet head) goes off on a blistering run. The fish fought funny, not like a normal tuna, all speed no grunt. As it gets closer we find out why as a Wahoo comes to the surface where he is gaffed and thrown on the deck.

We switch over the lure to our normal tuna spread and headed to the middle ground flats. Around 8:30 I was watching the lines, Pops driving, Marco laying on the deck, John was taking a well deserved nap after watching the lines all night.

I see a tuna miss the outrigger lure as the rest of the spread gets covered up in tuna. Hey John did I get just a little excited during this time. Had tuna chasing every lure in the spread, 5 tuna hooked up solid, 3 were lost during the fight. Gaffed 2 huge albies, biggest ones I have ever seen any ways.
Throttled the boat back up to trolling speed to reset the lines as DK & John tend to the fish on the deck. During this time we left the 2 way back lures in the water out of the way of the two tuna hooked up and being fought. As the boat comes up to speed we notice that there is another albie on the way back bird/green machine just waiting for us to reel him in. He comes in pretty easy as he was totally spent being on the line for so long. In all 3 for 5, wish it was better but still not bad for a small boat.

The rest of the day was quite boring with no knockdowns and only 1 mahi seen on a pot that would not take a lure.
Lines in @ 12:30PM and enjoyed a very fast ride back in on calm seas.

Met some friends on the way back in.

ploplopfizzfizz · Joined: 31 May 2007 Posts: 629 Location: Branford

Not a bad day all in all.There is something about a tuna hitting a lure dragged behind the boat.It sounds like a cannon sometimes.
Consider this the warm up trip
grats on the wahoo , they taste great
_________________
The King of Long Island Sound.

bassarama · Joined: 03 May 2007 Posts: 89 Location: New Milford

Great reading Jeff.

Congrats to you and your team. Thumbs Up

_________________
Live is made of a bunch of little nothings.