Catch Report 5/27

Catch Report 5/27/18

I missed a few days of blogging about my latest charters and catch details, however I’ll get back on track with this day. As requested by one of my clients that had originally started coming out with me, he asked to start extra early to try and get into that early GT bite. We left Agat Marina at 0430 (typically leave at 0500-0600). We pull up to our spot around 0510 and got right at it. The guys were geared strictly for popping in search of that big Giant Trevally. As the sun slowly rose and peaked over the hills, we had one small GT strike and that got our blood pumping! If you've ever experienced a surface strike from a fish like that before, you know that adrenaline is better than your strongest cup of coffee or energy drink.

As we now had one fish in the bag, we were hopeful that there was a bigger one out there we can pursue. Well, an hour or so of casting went by and not a single strike from any of the guys. That had me a little worried as the sun had gotten brighter and we may have just lost the early morning bite. The “point” I normally take my clients to was a bit rough and choppy that morning so we were unable to get to close to it. Somehow, a shift in the tide and wind direction opened up and that spot calmed down. I knew it was our chance to get in there and see if we can wake up that spot with some splashing of the poppers. The first drift we started shallow and had no luck. Our drift set was perfectly lining up with a deep spot I had previously marked that produced schooling blackfin barracudas. Low and behold, I see fish markings right below the boat on the drop off and within a few minutes we get a nice strike from what seemed like a large wahoo taking drag on the Daiwa Saltiga! The fish pops off the lure right before we were able to make it out. Bummer!! A few seconds later the other two guys get a double hook up and now we have a triple!! We now have a frenzy of schooling barracudas swarming around the boat! How exciting it was to be able to get everyone’s fish in the boat and high fives all around.

The action was not over yet! As we cleaned up, took photos, and iced the fish, I sat down and told myself ok, take a break and eat your breakfast. Three scoops into my oatmeal I hear a shout “there it is! We’re ON!”. Dropped my food, maneuvered the boat to pull the fish into deeper water as it was taking line out from the Shimano Stella reel fairly quick. We all agreed that this fish was a GT and of a good size. The angler on the fish had good drag pressure on it and he was down deep as it neared the boat. Right then I knew we could not lose this one. As a captain, I try and assist to keep pressure on the fish by using the boat motor. If I see slack in the angler’s line, I will make it come tight while gently easing on the throttle. However, this angler was experienced and didn't need any assistance. The silver color appeared right below the boat and layed that fish sideways along side the hull where it met the hook of the gaff It weighed in at a respectfully 51.6 lbs! . This fish was kept and shared amongst family. Congrats Uly!

At this point in the charter I felt a sigh of relief now that I had each of my clients on a fish of some decent size. We spent a little more time casting and eventually had no success, so we packed up and headed back in. This sport of popping using artificial lures requires a lot of dedication, persistence, and passion to not give up regardless if there was no catch in a day. This group we had today were all of that and some. Keep casting, don't give up, and soon you will be rewarded with your efforts. Once you get that big GT, you’ll be HOOKED!