CTFishTalk.com: Sword 8/1 - 8/2 - Connecticut Offshore Reports ( CT Offshore Reports ) - A Community Built for Connecticut Fisherman.

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

We left Niantic launch at 4:30PM Wednesday with Conrad, Jason and Pops to try our luck at the canyons. A quick stop at Star Island Marina in Montauk for a gas top off and ice before hitting the flat open sea.

Put the lines in just NE of the Tails about 8 miles out and trolled down the East wall over the edge into the deep, nothing going on for us on the flats not even a mahi off the pots. Turned west continuing to stay deep as the sun was nearing the horizon hoping for a big eye bite. Hooked up and landed a big albacore 46lbs at 8PM right in Block Canyon. Continued to troll till pitch dark with no other knockdowns heading west.

Set up the gear for the night on the drift in 750 feet of 79 degree water. Our target would be shark and swords for the night, so the hydro-glow, chum bucked were splashed and tied tight.
Two sword baits were rigged, set at 125’ and 200’. Shark bait was free floated 30’down. Squid were under the boat most of the night from 50-150’ down with an occasional visit to our lights. No luck with the squid jigs or the net so frozen squid baits were used all night.

After all the rods were rigs I went inside to lie down. Awakened a short time later by a clicker and Jason saying a fish is on the deep squid rig (better than any alarm clock) I crawl out on the deck as he is being strapped in to the harness and fighting belt. After 10 minutes we can see the light stick circling below the boat and know the fish is close. Another couple minutes and he’s at the surface and coming close to the boat, no need to do an in water measurement as he’s over the min size limit. Pops gaffs the sword and he’s pulled up and over the gunnels. We attempted to do an accurate measurement while trying to control him on the deck. He was well over 52” LJFL as his tail was slapping the crap out of my leg preventing me from an exact length.

New squid was rigged and sent back down to 200’. As 2AM approached, I was on watch when I noticed the deep squid rod bounce up a down a couple time, I grabbed it felt some weight and set the hook. That’s when all hell broke loose, the fish started running deep and fast and the guys notice tuna zipping thru the hydro-glow light picking off bait. At this point I’m starting to see my mono backing and the decision has to be made. Either run down the hooked up fish up or stay, jig up some tuna and hope that the run ends before my line runs out. Group decision (very hard to do with tuna in the lights) was pull the gear out of the water and try for the big hooked up fish which was accomplished in record time.

Motor was started and the chase was on. We had to pass off the rod several times as the fish was kicking our collective butts. 60 minutes into it the fish jumps and is illuminated briefly by the spot light. It’d huge but looked rather odd, maybe it was just the angle of the jump along with the shadows from the light. I have my suspicions and voice what I think we have hook (not good). MT really put a beating on the fish and pulled in up to the surface 70 minutes into the fight. The spotlight shows that there is no doubt; it’s a huge manta ray. The sad part of this was the fact that we left tuna in the lights to fight this beast, a cruel joke indeed. Motored back to the remains of the slick with only an hour left before troll time with a beat crew and no sleep. Put out the shark bait and had the rest of the crew try and get some rest before the morning troll.

Up and on the troll at dark 4:30AM with an assortment of big eye lures. No sooner than getting the lures set, hooked up on the center back line. The fish peels ½ the line out even on full drag and spits the hook, 2nd week in a row this has happened. 5AM we bring a 52lb albie aboard again caught in Block Canyon.

Had a visit from a small white marlin who was hook and spit the hook 3 times over. Not the smartest fish out there.
11AM no other action at all so Jason starts trolling some pots just north of the tails where 2 small mahi are caught. Lines in at noon and back to the dock at 4PM.

Thanks to the crew for the 110% effort on the trip. Look forward to doing it again with you soon.

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

Wow!

Sounds like fun to me Smile

!!!

Nice offshore report BTW. One of these days you going to hit'em hard.
_________________
Live is made of a bunch of little nothings.

admin · Posted: Fri Aug 03, 2007 9:47 pm Post subject:

Very nice report! Thanks!!!
_________________
~ Marc

Just one more cast...

Quint's Revenge · Joined: 29 May 2007 Posts: 239 Location: West Haven

Nice job on the Sword. Did you snag the Manta Ray? I thought the feed on plankton.
_________________
Ladies and gentleman take my advice.... pull down your pants and slide on the ice.

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

Could not tell exactly where the ray was hooked, other than around the head area. The closest we got was about 20' before I cut the line for the release.

Quint's Revenge · Joined: 29 May 2007 Posts: 239 Location: West Haven

We snagged a sunfish in the side one time trolling. what a nightmare....3 hours of battle the crew was beat half to death we get the fish up to the boat and after 3 hours of maybe it's this maybe it's that it was the most anticlimactic moment i could ever remember offshore....
_________________
Ladies and gentleman take my advice.... pull down your pants and slide on the ice.

Tashmoo 2 · Joined: 13 May 2007 Posts: 20 Location: Ridgefield, CT

Great stories and thank you for reports. One of the boats from my dock did well in the TAILS too. Lost big eye, had marlin on and brought home a bunch of albacore.

We haven't been this year but had hoped top go this weekend. Offshore weather isn't looking very good right now
_________________
Ed

MakoMike · Joined: 04 May 2007 Posts: 44 Location: Rhode Island

FWIW, White marlin almost always travel in schools, so you probably hooked three different school mates, not the same fish three times.
_________________
===MakoMike===
Http://www.Makomania.net