Loaded up with about 600 lbs of ice, 295 gallons of diesel, portable grill, tons of food, all safety gear (sat phone, 8 man life raft, 3 vhf radios, 15 life vests, 2 first aid kits, flairs, spare parts, and all tools), and a crew of 3 great fisherman and friends, we left the dock around 2 PM heading to one of the southern canyons. Conditions a little choppy, we took on a head sea at about 20 knots the whole way.
Arriving at the canyon, we were anxious to start chunking and grilling up some dinner. After tying up to a pot in about 600 feet of water, we began putting out chunks of butterfish and sardines. After eating a nice meal, I decided to get some sleep while the guys fished all night.
I woke up around 4 am to hear that we had 3 mahi in the boat already and that 2 big blue sharks were released. Other than that, I wasn’t very happy with the outcome of the location and decided to start trolling and cover some ground. I wanted to get some tuna in the box and scout out signs of life for where I would tie up the 2nd night.
Around 7 am, we had our first hit on the troll from a small 4-5 lb skipjack that came off on the way in. Around 8 am, we had an avet 50 wide screaming. I bumped the drag up and it was still ripping line. We got most of the lines cleared but not before he zigzagged the entire spread. I knew this was something big. Within 15 minutes, I had my first white marlin weighing about 60-70 pounds.
We immediately jumped back on the troll and didn’t see anymore action until about 9 AM when another 50 got slammed. As Tyler jumped on the rod and everyone else started clearing lines, I noticed another marlin trying to eat a daisy chain down the middle and close in. The marlin never committed but we did clear all the lines and after a nice fight, Tyler brought in a nice yellowfin that was estimated around 55 lbs.
After trolling until around 1 pm with no more action, we decided to load up on tiles. We spent the next few hours picking away at golden tilefish until we reached our limits. Another really cool thing- we stumbled upon an unknown wreck in about 500 feet of water. We attempted a few drifts over it with no luck but I plan to come back to that down the road.
After tile fishing, we decided to do our evening troll. No luck on that so we tied up again and started our 2nd night of chunking. As soon as I turned the underwater lights on, we had hundreds of mackerel under the boat. We filled the livewell and put some live ones out. Down deep, mid-range, and close to the boat. After a nice dinner, I went to get some rest while Wise and Tyler fished all night.
The guys fished all night fighting a couple shark and they also had a marlin take a live mackerel right from the side of the boat. After a 5-10 minute fight, it spit the hook.
I woke up around 4 AM and started the morning troll within a half hour. We began making our way back towards home. We trolled several ledges and swung by several pots on the way in without picking anything up. Around 8 AM, we left the canyon. Made 1 stop on the way in to troll behind a dragger. Lots of marks however no bites after about an hour. With ice running low, we had no option but to head in.
Another great trip with a bunch of good friends in the book. Looking forward to the next one!
Captain Josh
Jersey Charters
