Fished in the 50/50 tourney this weekend. Fished straight out with the fleet just past the ledge. Bill fish were everywhere. Ended the day with 3 sail fish releases and 7 decent dolphin. (Dolphin bite has seemed to slow a bit for everyone but Aggressor which is fine by me.) What a crazy tourney! Threw a connecting rod coming into the jetties and limped to weigh-in on one engine. (Something to think about for you guys out there on a single engine!) Also did not enter the bill fish category for the tourney. Would have placed 3rd with only 1 day of fishing… always next year. Really crappy day, but we did see 3 bill fish in one day. Special thanks to the crew! Also thanks to Andrew Blair, “the super mate”, for wiring the sail fish and perfect releases!
PS The bill fish are absolutely hammering the new ZMan EZKing skirts that will be released at ICAST in July. I have got to get these guys to change the names of these things!
Greg,
Dustin, Chuck, & Andres had to work on Friday so they were the Saturday crew. We managed to put together a great crew for Friday through Captain Tindal. I was really impressed with Andrew’s enthusiasm and skill level, he is definitely not afraid of fish. I think any captain would be more than happy to have him as a mate. He can fish on my boat any day.
I felt bad because we blew the engine Friday afternoon in the rocks and my regular crew did not get to fish the tourney, however they did manage to catch a ride today on a friend’s Contender. I hope they catch 'em up!
I’m sure he’s a great fisherman and a cool guy too. What I was commenting on was the “perfect” release part.
I don’t think most people consider pulling the fish in the boat and letting it beat it’s head on the gunwale 30 times as a “perfect” release.
Also, the idea of holding the fish boat side so it can “tire out” before pulling it in the boat for some silly pictures also goes against most people’s notion of a good healthy release.
Don’t get me wrong, it doesn’t bother me one bit…heck, if those fish were legal I’d like for you guys to have a kept one, but let’s at least call a spade a spade. Those fish were beat up and stressed out much more than if they’d been left in the water.
I agree Greg. We put 2/3 fish in the boat for pictures. We are probably done boating bill fish for the year. The first couple of the season were really exciting and that has a lot to do with it. I know this is a really touchy subject, but we have not killed any bill fish directly. Even if they dont come out of the water, theres always a chance a big shark can bust a tired fish easily. We are definitely about conservation and in the future I’ll try to keep the excitement level down a little.
Great day Joey! Congrats! You know on CF that opinions are like A**holes…everyone has them. Especially about boating billfish. At least you didn’t gaff him!
Yes I was thinking the same thing. Holding that sail’s bill that way will easily snap there neck. If you are going to darg them in the boat lay them flat on the floor to get the hook out so they do not get so beat up.
quote:Originally posted by greg1
I’m sure he’s a great fisherman and a cool guy too. What I was commenting on was the “perfect” release part.
I don’t think most people consider pulling the fish in the boat and letting it beat it’s head on the gunwale 30 times as a “perfect” release.
Also, the idea of holding the fish boat side so it can “tire out” before pulling it in the boat for some silly pictures also goes against most people’s notion of a good healthy release.
Don’t get me wrong, it doesn’t bother me one bit…heck, if those fish were legal I’d like for you guys to have a kept one, but let’s at least call a spade a spade. Those fish were beat up and stressed out much more than if they’d been left in the water.
DHKEYWEST when is the last time you let go of a billfish laying flat on the floor in your boat?? If you don’t hold on to the bill it will surley tear up the boat if not hurt or kill one of the people on the boat… Please…
Thanks for a great day joe, had a lot of fun. Hit me up anytime you need someone to throw in on gas. Sorry you couldn’t get the second day in.
Greg, we could have done a better job with releasing the sails but practice makes perfect. Andrew was all about getting how to wire those fish down, and although it might have looked a little sketchy all fish swam away fine.
DHKEYWEST when is the last time you let go of a billfish laying flat on the floor in your boat?? If you don’t hold on to the bill it will surley tear up the boat if not hurt or kill one of the people on the boat… Please…
Wow, I got a response to that in less than 2 minutes. You must have an IM set up for CF.
RM, Don’t mess with Greg90210. He was once a great tuna fisherman in a different part of the country…in a different decade…on someone else’s boat…when he had hair.
Wow, I got a response to that in less than 2 minutes. You must have an IM set up for CF.
RM, Don’t mess with Greg90210. He was once a great tuna fisherman in a different part of the country…in a different decade…on someone else’s boat…when he had hair.
2005 236 Sailfish
225 Yamaha 4-stroke
Mulligan?
That’s your 1970th boring post.
Can you post 1 thing in 2000 posts that’s even remotely entertaining?
Wow, I got a response to that in less than 2 minutes. You must have an IM set up for CF.
Or I was still online when you psted…
Here’s some advice from Capt. Vinnie Lasorsa if anybody here is interested:
There are many things we as fisherman can do to try and ensure a healthy release for any billfish we catch. For one, whenever we get a green billfish to the boat which we are planning on releasing simply cut the leader as close to the fishes mouth as possible and as quickly as possible. Holding any large billfish along boat side is one of the most dangerous things we can do in the sport of fishing. Billfish struggling along boat side often damage their eyes, bills and gills banging against the side of the boat. This is why simply cutting the leader as close to the fish’s mouth, is much safer for the fish and the people on board.
Any attempt to remove the hook from a billfish can do much more harm then good to the fish. Poor attempts to remove the hook from a struggling fish can cause sever bleeding and bruising to the fish. So, unless you have a smaller billfish at the boat and you can clearly see that de-hooking the fish will be an easy task due to where the hook is placed, simply cut the leader as close to the fish’s mouth as possible, it will have a much better chance of survival.
In the event you try and de-hook a smaller billfish, attempt to de-hook the fish while its head is underwater. Once a billfish’s head is above water it will violently thrash its head.
When you are about to release a billfish if it’s not struggling to get away, is not lit up and has a copper color, grab the fish’s bill holding the bill and the fish’s head under water then put the boat in gear so water will run through the fish’s gills. Once the fish starts to kick o
HATE TO BRING THIS POST BACK IN BUT HAS ANYONE SEEN THIS DUDE GREG1 POST ANYTHING ABOUT CATCHING ANY FISH. SEEMS TO JUST HAVE INTEREST IN MESSING WITH OTHER PEOPLE AND POINTING OUT EVERY FLAW IN THE FISHING ABILITIES. ALSO AS FOR HIS COMMENT ON OUR LAST POST OF WETHER I WAS A JOCKEY OR A 4TH GRADER, I MUST REPLY IT’S CALLED BEING IN SHAPE. I MAY BE A LITE WEIGHT BUT I CAN HANG WITH THE BIGGEST OF THEM.
HATE TO BRING THIS POST BACK IN BUT HAS ANYONE SEEN THIS DUDE GREG1 POST ANYTHING ABOUT CATCHING ANY FISH. SEEMS TO JUST HAVE INTEREST IN MESSING WITH OTHER PEOPLE AND POINTING OUT EVERY FLAW IN THE FISHING ABILITIES. ALSO AS FOR HIS COMMENT ON OUR LAST POST OF WETHER I WAS A JOCKEY OR A 4TH GRADER, I MUST REPLY IT’S CALLED BEING IN SHAPE. I MAY BE A LITE WEIGHT BUT I CAN HANG WITH THE BIGGEST OF THEM.
Also, just curious…how tall are you? I’m not good at guessing men’s weights so when I heard a 145 lb man I just thought it sounded a little small. Don’t make a mountain out of a molehill.
