Left Wappoo cut around 6am. I know you increase your odds for wahoo if lines are in at sunrise but the prospect of running out in pitch black dark will need to grow on me a little more.
The seas were as predicted on sailflow, felt like mostly 2’s and some 3’s on the ride out. The SecondWind ate it up no problem. We put lines in at The Ledge about 15 mi south of SW Banks. Could never find a rip more than 68 deg. @ 180 ft. Was hoping to get into 70 degrees for better wahoo odds.
We started with large black/red wahoo lures and purple yozuri Bonita off transom. Had a mix of skirted ballyhoo and some purple cedar plugs on short & long riggers at around 6 knots. Got 1st Bonita on long riggers purple and black cedar plug on Daisy chain. Marked the spot on gps and kept circling back through. Had multiple, multiple hookups just about every pass. Managed 11 total Bonita after about 1.5-2 hrs trolling. They hit pink skirted ballyhoo on pink Daisy chains a lot. Even got one on a 12" black/red lure my father-in-law made and donned the “Carolina Dead Chicken Wahoo Wacker”. But, we’ll all try to mark our first was wahoo off the list another day.
Seas started kicking up a little so we made our way back mostly 3’s and some 4’s. Bumped Y73 briefly - couple really small fish. We’re back to landing by 3:3O
All in all, a great day on the water with 3 cool mates aboard
Pardon her appearance - Custom Canvas of Charleston is redoing the coaming bolsters
On a side note: after running 50 miles and just arriving to our spot I got the water in fuel alarm. (Same thing happened last fall except I thought it was engines overheat. That was a 7 1/2 hr miserable troll in on one engine. I made sure to learn how to drain the fuel water separator in the bilge and the one on the engine with the float switch after that day.) So with a big pit in my stomach I pulled the cowling, grabbed some wrenches and went to work. Got both drained into a jar with about 1.5" solid water. Reinstalled, primed the system, asked a mate t
Do you use ethanol free? If you do, do you use a fuel stabilizer with it?
Ethanol produces more condensation in a tank over time. Sometimes water is in the gas station tank, a few years back a tank on JI had water and it got in a lot of peoples boats and caused problems. Props for knowing what to do with the fuel issue.
Sounds like yall found some action. Solid report. I like the last pic because it gives me a glimpse of what it was like out there.
Do you use ethanol free? If you do, do you use a fuel stabilizer with it?
Ethanol produces more condensation in a tank over time. Sometimes water is in the gas station tank, a few years back a tank on JI had water and it got in a lot of peoples boats and caused problems. Props for knowing what to do with the fuel issue.
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Thanks 40inch. Yes, I always run Marine gas and startron. Never had any trouble with water in fuel while she was in a wet slip at St. John’s over the summer. I hauled out and the last 2 fillups in Marine fuel had been from a newer gas station on Bees Ferry. I still had 125 gals from the previous trip - it tested clean at my mechanics shop but apparently those sample test aren’t 100% accurate seeing how I sucked out another couple inches of water in a pickle jar. Tank was inspected and no sign of compromise anywhere. Hoping it was a one time deal of bad gas. I will keep monitoring it very closely from here on out. Going to try another gas station in the meantime as well.
Nice work. We were the light blue Reg23 that came to Wappoo Cut just as you were pulling out and taking the pics. Sounds like we had the same bite even though we were in 64-65F at SW Banks and you were in 68. We did see a sail break the surface a few times right around SW Banks on our ride back in.
Tough seeing those fuel filters in a bilge area. Even tougher seeing the ones under the engine cowl. First thing I do on a boat is mount my see through fuel filters in a place that they can be seen/checked easily. If the main filters are water free, the engine ones usually are too. Just because they gots fuel filters on their gas pumps…doesn’t mean they check/change them.
Should have bridled up those Bonita and dragged them - wahoo candy!
Little tunny are food for a lot of other sea creatures. Never know what’s around that school of false albacore. Might fool a hungry mako/yellowfin. The ocean can be an empty place and when you find activity…better than dragging dead water.
Should have bridled up those Bonita and dragged them - wahoo candy!
Little tunny are food for a lot of other sea creatures. Never know what’s around that school of false albacore. Might fool a hungry mako/yellowfin. The ocean can be an empty place and when you find activity…better than dragging dead water.
The ENTER-NET Fisherman
Thanks guys! I’ll add bridling bait to my long list of things to be learned. Never thought of that but sounds like a good idea. I should have dropped a few jigs to see what would happen too.
Bridled Bonita equals Marlin, Big Yellow Fin, Wahoo and a host of other big fish. Not sure if many people do that here in SC but down in South/Central America it is THE way to catch big Marlin and tunas. Seems that it would work for something around here too. I never see them out deep but often in 40 to 90 ft otw out to the stream. So not sure what would be on them shallow other than maybe sharks. Anyway they are fun to catch on light gear and helps get the skunk off.
Nice catch!!! The furthest I’ve gone out is Comanche. I keep hearing about the ledge but have no clue his to get there. Can anyone share some coordinates? Also is that mostly for trolling or is there a reef structure?
32 20 770. 79 02 900 this spot is called the ledge its from and is on www.sstcharts.com. they give some free numbers. But the ones you buy are much better. Its like 45 miles and 150ft deep.
The ledge is just where the bottom contours change more drastically. You can go from 140 to 200 ft in a few miles while it takes 40 miles to get to like 140. Most of the ledge is live bottom coral reef and it at the edge of the gulf stream currents.
Had water in my fuel. Finally figured it out. In rough water I was taking water in the air intake for the gas tank. Moved the intake to the inside of the boat and no more water in gas.
Shortest route to the ledge is southeast from the jetties. Runs southwest to northeast for a thousand miles, most likely more. You’ll see a drop from 160 - 200’ very quickly. All kinds of fish there depending on time of year and water temperature. Not a short run so you need good sea conditions and a two hour before dawn start.
