| Hi Lee Palm/Red Rooster crew(San Diego - | | | | Exhaustion". |
| California).. Keep my rail spot cool for me - won't | | | | To cool off I tried stepped into a 5-gallon bucket of |
| you? | | | | saltwater, but this didn't help one iota. My feet were |
| Fishing Report from Nassau Bahamas | | | | also too big for the bucket. |
| (8-10-2000)(Thursday)(Air Temperature 92 degrees. | | | | In addition, I was getting unusually tired - FAST. |
| Water temp. - mid 80's degrees). Clear skies, no wind | | | | HEAT EXHAUSTION had set in, and was challenging |
| and burning hot sun. Caught two Yellowfins in the | | | | me like "The old man and the sea". |
| 60-pound range that almost sent me to the hospital. | | | | It took me 55 minutes to land this 70-pound YFT, |
| Caught 2 YFY on Thursday - fishing "solo" aboard my | | | | but I finally got him in the boat. Boy, was I relieved. |
| WellCraft Scarab that had just been repowered with | | | | Usually I wash all the blood off my boat immediately |
| two 225 Evinrude fichts (cost was $28,000 including | | | | upon landing a fish, but this time I went to the stern, |
| the installation). | | | | turned on the saltwater pump, sat on my cooler, and |
| Both YFT went about 70#s each (83 pounds of filet). | | | | just let that saltwater run over my head for 5 |
| Drift fished with fresh/frozen squid to start. Began | | | | minutes. I finished off about 3/4 of that gallon jug of |
| fishing at 9:30AM and quit at 2PM. | | | | water too. |
| As I arrived at the US Navy's AUTEC buoy 10 miles | | | | As I slowly headed back in the direction of Capt. |
| offshore (a practice area for the US Navy's nuclear | | | | Robbie's "Little Trick", the cool air hitting my Toronto |
| subs - which show up on the surface now and | | | | Raptor NBA Jersey (#14 worn by Vince Carter) |
| then)(the AUTEC buoy is in 6,000 feet of water) | | | | made me feel much better, but I still wasn't 100%. |
| Capt. Robbie New (from Trinidad) of the "Little Trick" | | | | By the way, you might want to purchase one of |
| was just starting to fish. | | | | these NBA "Jersey's sometime. You'll know why the |
| For the first hour all I managed was a 2 pound jack - | | | | NBA uses them. They are 1000 times cooler than |
| that I later used for bait. | | | | anything cotton or other material. I have a Laker's |
| Robbie was having no luck either, but we saw | | | | #34 too. My favorite. |
| several 50# YFTs come high out of the water | | | | I waved at Capt. Robbie, as I passed slowly off his |
| several times, so that kept us anticipating. | | | | stern, and he shouted - "I thought you were fighting |
| At around 11:00 AM my bow rod with 80 pound test | | | | 2 YFT, you were gone so long." |
| line and 80# green Berkley trilene leader, with a small | | | | Anyway, I set up again to try for another (YFT). |
| Mustard circle hook on the end (with a 100# test | | | | Now I'm using white shark chunks on all my hooks, |
| Sampo swivel in between) went off. | | | | and chunking with the fresh shark - as the lines are |
| I had just seen a big YFT fly through the area | | | | let out. |
| minutes before, and I was thinking I had him or his | | | | About 45 minutes later, the stern line goes off - |
| cousin - for sure. The line screamed out, and the fish | | | | screaming. This is my Penn 30 International with no |
| ran deep. Everything pointed to a YFT, but after | | | | leader and 50# Trilene line - no swivel. Christ, I said |
| about 10 minutes I saw a 25 pound foot shark on | | | | to myself, why did this fish do this to me? |
| my line, hooked right in the mouth with the circle | | | | The hook on this line was only a #4 Mustard live bait |
| hook. | | | | hook - that you can buy 50 to a package for under |
| Leaving the shark on the line in the rodholder, I sat | | | | $10 at Wal-Mart or K-Mart. |
| down for a drink of water - out of a gallon plastic jug | | | | This was going to be a whole new "ballgame". I'm |
| in my cooler. | | | | going to have to be "gentle" on the drag - or he'll bite |
| Cut him loose, I thought to myself. But, then I | | | | through the trilene, or pull the hook. |
| remembered how many YFT's I'd caught using shark | | | | As it turned out, I eventually got this YFT to color |
| as bait, and went to take another look at him. He | | | | after over one hour. I experienced the same cramps |
| was a good 4 feet long. Normally too big to bother | | | | as before, and at one point - on this fish - I thought |
| with, but the fishing was slow, and I decided to take | | | | about "giving up". |
| him. | | | | It wasn't the fact that I get $6 a pound for the fillet |
| Even though I knew he would thrash about crazy-like | | | | (from my restaurant friends) that kept me at the rail, |
| when I gaffed him, I decided to go for it, but I | | | | but the thought of cutting a YFT off was out of the |
| missed my 5-foot long fishbox, and watched him go | | | | question. |
| bonkers on my deck, as I hustled to slide him into | | | | After gaffing this 70# YFT and pulling him over the |
| the Scarab's 2-1/2 foot deep fishbox. | | | | gunwale, I trolled by Robbie (who stayed until 7PM |
| By 12 noon I switched from "squid" to the fresh jack | | | | and caught not a one) and waved - saying I'm going |
| for bait on all three of my poles. By now, the shark | | | | home. |
| was dead, so I dragged him to the stern and started | | | | True Story. |
| to filet him - throwing bits and pieces of shark meat | | | | THE END |
| overboard - with plenty of blood being washed | | | | Capt. Solo - aka Tom Azzara |
| overboard with my saltwater thru-hull washdown | | | | Boat - "the Taxman" |
| pump. | | | | Nassau, Bahamas |
| I filleted one side of the shark, took the skin and cut | | | | British Commonwealth territory |
| it into 5 pieces, and through it over the side. All the | | | | (not part of the "East Coast") |
| time - washing the blood and guts overboard. I cut | | | | Tom's Fishing Gallery. |
| the shark's giant liver into small pieces, and watched | | | | Take a break, and check out these pictures from the |
| them float on the surface - as I slowly drifted along | | | | 6th annual Billabong's fishing tournament held in |
| towards to AUTEC Buoy. | | | | Nassau, in the sunny, tax free Bahamas.click onto (or |
| Within 5 minutes of cutting into this shark, the bow | | | | browser it) below.... |
| line went off - "screaming". This time I knew it was | | | | From: Lee Palm Long Range Sportfishers |
| probably a YFT. The fish had hit the 80# test trilene | | | | TRIP #14; August 6th to August 11th 5-Day Trip: |
| line on a 5-1/2 foot Palm Beach tuna rod, held in a | | | | The second of the three back-to-back 5-dayers in |
| Perko side mount rodholder. | | | | the Red Rooster III's summer schedule once again |
| I immediately scrambled about for my harness and | | | | provided outstanding fishing for her passengers. |
| playmate belt. Several times the YFT would stop his | | | | Chuck Melber of Agoura CA led the way with a 84.1 |
| run deep, and I'd reel the line in fast to make sure | | | | lb. bluefin tuna to take the jackpot, followed by a |
| there was no slack in the line, and smiled when I felt | | | | 79.8 lb. bigeye for Justin Christensen of Newbury |
| his weight again on my pole. | | | | Park CA and a 73 lb. bluefin for Joe Stickles of |
| But, it was 95 degrees in the sun, and I was about | | | | Orange CA. "It was good consistent action |
| to expedience something in 8 years of YFT fishing | | | | throughout the trip" noted captain Andy Cates. |
| (and over 350 caught and landed), that was going to | | | | "Some days seemed wilder than others of course, |
| make this no ordinary day on the water. | | | | but looking back on the trip I'd say that there was |
| After picking up the rod and snapping into the | | | | good consistent fishing the whole way through." |
| harness, I began the slow process of bringing him to | | | | The trip fished as far down as Guadalupe Island for |
| color. I was grateful he had picked the rod with the | | | | some excellent grade yellowfin, but the albacore |
| 80# test line, as the other two reels (Shimano | | | | grounds closer to home yeilded limits of the longfins |
| graphite a Penn 30W) had 50# test Trilene (Big | | | | and a good take on the bigger bluefin as well. "We |
| Game) line, and fighting a YFT on 50# test line is a | | | | had some really exceptional moments," noted |
| completely different ball game. | | | | co-captain Jeff DeBuys, "but nonequite as surprising |
| Fifteen minutes into the struggle, my thumb (on the | | | | as the second-place jackpot bigeye landed by Justin . |
| reel) got an awful cramp, and actually stuck to my | | | | When we got that puppy to color we knew we had |
| palm. I couldn't understand why this was happening, | | | | found some quality fishing for our guys. It was |
| but kept going - attempting to shake off the cramp. | | | | definitely a notable fish, and in the end it added nicely |
| A few minutes later the cramps spread to my | | | | to our trophy bluefin count." This, combined with the |
| forearm - then up to my biceps. I'm 220 pounds, a | | | | quality-sized albacore had by all, gave the Rooster |
| former HS All American swimmer, and 4 time NY | | | | yet another in her long string of exceptional long |
| State gold medallist, so I'd been through tough | | | | range adventures. |
| workouts, but this was something I never dealt with. | | | | FISH COUNT: LIMITS OF ALBACORE, 52 BLUEFIN |
| Even my legs were cramping up. There was no wind, | | | | TUNA, 49 YELLOWFIN TUNA, 45 |
| no cover from my bimini top, and it was 95 degrees | | | | YELLOWTAIL AND 1 BIGEYE. |
| in the shade. It all added up to one thing - "Heat | | | | |