I got off work Fri and went to Edisto where my cousins and another buddy had been catching live bait and getting the boat ready all day. Boat has been out of commission (at mechanic’s shop and then resulting issues being sorted out) for about 6 months now, and this was the first long range trip we have had a chance to put on her. I knew of a few other boats that planned to be swordfishing Friday, so I felt like we could pull it off with the nice weather.
Hit the ocean about 5:30 or so, and it was slow going for a while with a NE wind having it chopped up. After 20 miles or so we were able to stretch it out a little, and by the time we got to the stream it was laying down nicely.
Got out into swordville in time to have baits out as the moon came up. Made a 3kt drift with flyers and other life in the light almost immediately, and a well defined thermocline split showing on the sonar. No bites after 5 miles, so we picked up and ran to a different area. No bites again on that drift. Everyone was starting to nap as the excitement wore off, and I just knew a rod was going to go off soon. Called DG34YF on the radio and he said they had nothing going on but sharks where he’d been. Made another drift over another area, and still nothing. Called DG again to see if they’d found anything. Hooked up with another shark his crew told me. So I stayed away from where I figured he was from what I could understand.
We watched a storm line grow between us and the ledge around 3AM, and I wanted to be on a grouper spot at sunrise. We couldn’t make out what the storms were doing on the radar, and we don’t have sirius weather yet. Tried to get another boat on the VHF to ask them what their thoughts were on the storm, but the other boat didn’t answer. We moved down way south despite having more darkness and fishing time for the swords. Turns out swords were being caught still, so my mistake not going to better water and continuing to fish.
We were all pretty bummed out about putting the time and gas into swording and not e
