Finally! After installing new electronics in the off season, we took off our skirts, got the work/weather/wimp formula to fall in place & Mid Level left the launching pad. Pulled away from The Cut right behind Double Trouble around 3:45am & were met with small but disorganized seas–not big but definitely some work at the helm. Dave was at the wheel, I was screwing around with the new electroincs, Brent, Randy & Mark were all tucked in nice & comfy in the EZR’s. Installed a new Garmin 4210 over the winter & apparently it has too many buttons for a USC grad. Fortunately, we had a Citadel educated C-17 pilot on board & with our combined IQ of 80, we managed to punch in some numbers & steered toward warm water north of the 226.
About 20 miles out, the seas laid down & made things a little less work for Dave. Ran thru the lumber yard at 120 feet–must have seen 50 2X4’s scattered on the surface & kept going past the ledge looking for 70 degrees. We stopped a little short of the 226 when we started seeing skipjacks & got baits in the water just as the sun was coming up.
68.5, 68.6, 68.8, 68.9, 170.0—??? The temp gauge was screwed up for the rest of the day…did a factory reset, never could get the blasted thing to work…oh well.
Caught 4/5 skipjacks & saved them for bait. Then we waited…had a rally beer…waited…had another rally beer…and waited some more. Finally, amid grumblings about feeding the captain to the sharks we put a mahi in the box…9:05am a loooonnnng wait. Mark hooked up with a large shark which took 20 minutes to get to the boat–7 ft–175-200 lbs–leadered him & cut him loose. Just kind of picked at them all day, stopped at the ledge where boat drinks were served & had a triple to finish things off. Kept 11 mahi, biggest 20 lbs, most 10-15 lbs.
Pulled everything in around 4:30 and naturally hit a big weed line after running 3 miles. A little bumpy the last 20 miles with the usual slop outside the harbor & just beat the storm. Hit the boat landing around 6:45, ju
Good post! Sounds like an “okay” day!
‘05 Wellcraft 232 Coastal rockin’ a Yammie F225
‘00 Aqua Force Flats 15 w/ Yammie F25
"Kiss my ass, I bought a boat; I’m goin’ out to sea." (Jimmy Buffett covering Lovett)