Pompano Beach, Bermuda
August 2, 2005
After a day on the bluewater with James, Rache and I rented a skiff and spent the day snorkeling and fishing. Every cast yielded a diffferent variety of Bermuda reef critter — grouper, snapper. A handful of bread around the Vixen caused a stir with the local bream and snapper. We headed in just in front of a major tropical storm bearing down on the island.
Challenger Bank, Bermuda
August 3, 2005
There were fish behind the boat alomst as soon as the first handful of fry went over the transom. First it was the robins. Then the rainbow runners. Within minutes the wahoo moved in, as did the ‘cuda. We had a blackfin tuna in the slick as well, and numerous mackerel. The wahoo were spectacular — they moved slowly through the mayhem, their vertical stripes darkening as they took stock of the situation. We hooked up several times on bait, but failed to land a single wahoo. I had two hookups on the "gummy fly" but couldn’t get the hook to stick. What were they? The blackfin? Macks? It’s miserable being left to guess.
We landed a big ‘cuda on a live-lined robin, an amaco jack (new species!) on a chunk of bonito, a couple of macks on the fly, and a rainbow runner. No tuna, alas, but a fun day of "catch as catch can."
Cahllenger Bank, Bermuda
August 1, 2005
Chumming up fish. It’s amazing what a handful of fry will bring up from the depths.
Bermuda, August 1, 2005.
James and Steve rigged ballyhoo for trolling on the way out to the bank. Two baits off the outriggers, and two off the downriggers on the stern. It was a beautiful and very still morning. We saw a few tuna swirl as we headed out, but nothing ate our baits as we arrived at the deeper water and switched to marlin baits. This time, three baits followed the boat, each riding the near side of successive crests from our trailing wake. These too went unmolested much to our disappointment. But there was no time to morn — the main event was upon us, and James wasted no time setting up a nice, oily chum slick behind the boat.
