Got on the helen H for a 72 hour canyon trip. Thanks Peter and Buzzy I shared the $75 off coupons you guys mailed me with my buddy Pete and his friend Craig.
After having been out in hurricane Irene with them in 2012, horrible trip.. I was'nt all that psyhed to go out with them again but the sting on how bad the 2012 trip was had worn off. Pete pm'd asking for some advice on what to bring so writing to him kinda got me wanting to go.
Gear used:
Bait rod: 50 class rod (big joe built)and a 50 class shimano, 100# mono running line to 2 8oz eggs to a 600# swivel and 80# yozuri flouro, to a 7/0 mustad stainless heavy duty hook.
Spin rod: Spinal Prototype rod - VS300, 100# jb hollow and 80# yozuri flouro windon I made - 230# spro swivel to a #9 owner split ring to a Ronz tuna jig head with the swining hook, pearl white tail.
Jigging rod: 500 gram Batson blank (mudhole kit), spiral/acid wrapped, accurate 665h-2speed 80 jb hollow decade and 130# JAK associates 25 foot windon.
They had just gotten back from a 2 day and they had a very good idea of what was going on out there. Their first fish of the previous trip was a 175# bigeye. We did not troll the first day and we just anchored up and started chunking and jigging.
A few fish came up before sunset, then a bit of a lull in the action. Slow until 10pm or so. I crashed out from 11-2am woke up and I got 5 fish. 4 jigging a ten ounce hammered diamond jig between 125 feet and 85 feet. And one on a white Ronz casting to the shadow line the boats flood lights made. That first night I counted 29 boats including us. 2am-630am 4 fish 50-60 pounds or so and a small 40# fish jigging. (first one ever all other yellows I had ever caught were on the bait rod)
next day bright bright out tons of sun, I had brefis and crashed for a bit, woke up to everyone being excited about mahi around the boat, walked out and saw that where lil chicken mahi. I mean they would have been toaster sized fillets... I threw a few small bucktails tipped with bait to them but they were finicky and really for their size I wasnt too into it. Had some lunch napped and readied for the night chunk bite jig bite. At this point I had broken one fish off on the chunk rod (didnt touch it after that) and 4 jigging and 1 on the ronz. I wish I had packed more ronz tails because that one fish cut it directly in half. (mf'er I had bags and bags of them at home)
That night I ate pork fried rice and chicken marsala ,,, delicous! The crew kept looking at me and I let them know there was enough for them too, they chowed, I chowed everyone was happy. Start jigging, slow action no marks... I stopped counting boats at 57... these fish are going around in circles from slick to slick lost like a mf'er... If they find our slick its going to be hot and heavy and they're gone... I jig for a bit more until 11pm or so... I attempt to sleep until 2am... not happening I wake up to one of the guys from southie who had a beast hit his bait rod and he slammed it into full strike in the verticla rod holder on the deck, before picking up his rod... BOOM! graphite everywhere I imagine... I grab my gear wipe my leader and toss a bottle of water in my back pocket and go out and jig... Capt marks fish at 85 feet. I drop to 95 and jig up into them... zzzzzzzzt Fish 6 hits the deck 1 maybe 2 am... Im Amped its on... nothing else on the jig. At this point the bait guys were doing work with live squid. If you could net a live squid you had a fish on 2 mins later. Matt, was loining the fish and people were taking the squid out of the fish being cleaned and hooking up... At that point I had more than enough fish to bring home for my family of 4, my parents and extended family and friends so I just stayed with the jig
At one point we had a semi-obnoxious drunk guy at the stern wanting to bait fish and I mean hell its not my boat have it. But pete snagged him a live squid and told him to fish it off the bow where he'd been fishing previously. This was after he was telling us about how he cant last very long with his wife and he felt it was due to "infrequency". He wasnt happy about being asked to leave the stern but he did with a bit of profanity... 2 minutes later from the bow we hear I #^&#^&#^&#^&ing love you peetah!!! ZZZZZZZZZTTTTTT he was tight! Slurring drunk and lil wobbly but tight...
I like beer I brought a 6 pack I had 1. I donated the rest to a few of the southie guys who were out on the ride home.
Slow on the report and stuff I apologize but between family and work... you know how it can be at times. I will try and get some pictures up later today. Its surprising how much the boat is actually moving i just had my iphone for pics so you definitely see a need for image stabilization.
I would like to add that the JAK associates windon began to come unraveled at the serve after 3 fish. I was fishing a super tight drag anticipating every fish to possibly be a big eye. No dice for me on that trip but hopefully there will be others.