Fished for the SCSSA Dolphin Daze and Edisto Beach Offshore Challenge, and we focused on the dolphins since that’s where the $$$$$ would be. We also figured this would be best since we had an early mishap with the planer rod.
Not sure if we placed at all in either tournament- doubtful.
Biggest dolphin 16-4, a few more in the 12 to 13lb range. The rest barely slingers and SC Certified Grown peanuts. Brought home 7 or 8 after having 2 bites and one fish caught all morning long then suddenly a triple where we put all 3 in the box and then nutter butter (peanut) time. Been a long day, but will sleep after the fishing’s completed.
Fish caught deep and straight out with the fleet. Water and weeds were scattered out big time. Had to just pick at them.
Also jumped off a blue marlin that didn’t put on much of a show for us, but was fun to see whilst targetting dolphin anyway…
Will post pix and more details later.
About to head out in the Tigress to see about the ones on the bottom today if the storms don’t knock us back to the hill.
Sounds like our day, but without the blue bite. Beautiful ocean. Getting mugged by mullet sized dolphin was frustrating.
Pot Mousse said the dolphins were getting bigger,that was Thur.
now you know why some of us fish during the week
Ah, to be independently wealthy. That would have been useful intel for Saturday. Talked to several people, all reported small to average fish. Hell, 1 boat posted something about 30+ fish and 2 bags of meat per person- couldn’t have been too big each.
He has been found. The ole SPOT was worth its wait in GOLD today. If they can get him going he will run back in under his own power if not they will tow him. 7 hours from now if they have to tow.
The boys from SEA TOW are a class act!
Set the trap boys, we going to pass through them again!!
On their way in at 20kn…was able to get Phin jumpstarted…an 2:04min to the jetties is better than a 6-7 hour tow! Was a crazy day and then some…jeez I can’t wait for Memorial day…Scoutin, thanks for the compliment and though I was not really sold on the SPOT, The Mrs. will be getting me one for our anniversary after what she heard and saw on the radio/SPOT…sometimes all it takes is an “I’m OK message”…we linked up all the Sea Tow radio towers from St Catherines north to Sea Tow Gtown and got comms after the big tstorm cell split the system in half…
don’t beat him up too much…even with 2 dead batteries we had great coms with him at 45nm…plenty of rode out and no drift, which makes it alot easier to find someone when they are still in the same place…backup vhf/gps/sea anchor and good updates from scoutin on his lat/long…scott and joe made all the calls to family/friends that all was good…i have 2 pages of notes/radio coms to boot…so hats off to Phin for making this an easy job in less than ideal conditions (weather wise)
and Phin, again…thx for those secret numbers:wink:
Can’t stress enough, how important it is to get an anchor out if you lose power!! The new comms that both towing services have are incredible! I like knowing that we can phone home from the ledge. Thanks again Sea Tow!
.
NMFS = No More Fishing Season
“Back home we got a taxidermy man. He gonna have a heart attack when he see what I brung him”
sellsfish…right on with the set the freakin anchor and stay where you are if someone is coming to get you…sent a boat out last sunday 41nm and NO BOAT…he lost all elctronics and was using a handheld which even the CG had a hard time getting comms…used his kicker at started coming home at 3kn…so 41 out and 41 back in…back out at 3 am to tow him in…finally…i know i’m preaching to the choir here, but a drifting boat will wind up in bad place eventually…and if you are not where your last posit was, mother ocean is a big place and searching for you from sea level is a crap shoot…
Got to bed at 3AM, and had to be in Columbia this morning at 9. Could have been worse. It was a long weekend, indeed, however. I missed a date with my fiancee last night because of my offshore excursion getting thrown a knuckleball. That, and everybody having to put down what they were doing to help me out is what I hate most about it all. I’m am real thankful to my friends who helped, and that goes for not just people here but also Upstairs.
Yeah it was pretty weird that communications went down for a bit it seemed. I could read seatow Georgetown clearly but not Charleston, then it was the other way around. Then it fuzzed up with everyone except the seatow unit as he was within 15 miles by that point. I was thinking it was my electrical issue getting to the radio. Didn’t consider that it was the weather that was on shore.
Things were acting pretty funky right before dark out there. Big sharks were circling the boat, and there was what sounded like a wasp inside my VHF antenna tip for a little while. I was ready to lose my 25W VHF power at any time.
I knew I had my SPOT and handheld backup VHF though, and I knew also that Seatow would get out there and help so long as my hook stayed in the bottom. All those things paid off last night for much more than just catching some fish like normal. Had my backup anchor and line ready to go in as well as the sea anchor.
All of this is packed away in a 21ft boat, remember! It takes up room, and it took up $$ to buy. This is when it all pays off, though. Weather threatening, and no engine. This stuff is what a class or books can tell you about, but there is no substitute for experience on the water. I know a lot of people read this site and figure that fishing offshore is so easy anybody can do it, but you need to remember what the ocean can do. It is sad that it takes tragedies to remind us sometimes.
I was fortunate enough to have 2 guys on board who trusted me and listened to what I directed them to do during this situation. I felt comfortab
phin…glad it all worked out AND you were more than prepared and equipped…even when we linked all the towers together, comms still were caca right about the time Tyler got near ya…went to the website for trophosperic ducting and even though it does not update like weather radar does, it showed a bad day for VHF coms…and the storm cells that were coming off Beaufort really screwd it all up…once he got you started and about 4 miles on the way back in we went crystal clear again…freakin atmospherics[:0]…glad everyone made it back in safe, that all that truely counts…
and those numbers are very safe with me…don’t know about royalties though…we’ll see:wink:
Glad to hear everything worked out ok Wes! Definitly a key as you said, being well prepared!!
I take way too much stuff on boat as well but one never knows when they might need something. Had a bit of mishap yesterday morn as well. Running out Stono inlet at dark thirty, all the sudden lost all steerin. Dropped anchor in the inlet and had to bleed air out of helm pump for 45 mins, no leaks or anything. Would have been ugly if had lost steering 5 mins earlier crossing over the folly river where ya got to make hard left against marsh, was on a plane by that point!
Had the bleed fitting and hose on board so was able to get it bled and resume offshore. If had not have had fitting and hose to bleed it, would have been next to impossible to bleed it at anchor.
Famous words of my Father “Prepare for the worst, Expect the best”
Russ B.
God is great, Beer is good, People are crazy
something about bronze bristle brushes and electronics cleaner…
Boat just got picked up from mechanic…
Batt switch was on, and my stereo playing. (my fault - wiring stereo that way)
Charged my batts for a bit, and cranked up perfectly fine. Never would have suspected that both these high dollar AGM marine deep cycle batts would have been killed by a deep discharge. I am thinking that it’s more what you’re saying or a connection loose under the cowling, etc.
There is NO corrosion on my main power system on the boat. Only under the cowling like all outboards to some extent.
Want to come troubleshoot for me? I’ll give you a good red snapper spot…
