Get Bent Amigos...
I"m sending them back to you and you can hit them up directly for stories! I get the impression reading the posts that some of you think I've been holding back on the stories! I'm not..I'm not...I'm not...!!!! After that first nights or two, mostly the group was petty sedate...yes sedate! I think the word is "TIRED!" That's mostly what I heard as I made my rounds each evening checking on folks! If it's because of the fishing...I"ll take full credit for it and any of them will tell you that it's a long day down here fishing in the sun and it takes alot out of you...let alone also having to fight fish! Mostly, after some nice dinners around town, everyone slipped into to their and fell asleep!!!! Hate to burst any bubbles but nothing wrong with sleeping during your vacation! Anyway...here you go...
Let me re-cap our final day...warm...clear...blue flat water and BIG FREAKING FISH!
Take a look at the photos and you'll get the idea. Oh wow...the one with almost everyone in the line up I plan to enlarge and frame. Pineapple says half the guys want to come back next year and others who didn't make the tirp are already wanting to pony-up deposits! My only fear...we got 'em spoiled now and the expectations will always be this high.
I just gotta say, I've not seen this kind of concentration of mahi bull swimminmg around like this!
For the first time, we had the entire group on the water in the same place...11 super pangas. Joe kept a better record, but here's what I remember of the day...there weren't as many fish as previous days, but there were more BIG fish!!!!
1. Flipper (Mike Thompson) really wanted his marlin today so he and Pineapple spent the majority of the day hunting billfish. Flipper had been bitten twice by marlin on this trip and he had the bug. Instead, just off the east side of Espiritu Santo his little sardine blew up and you could tell by the sound of the reel then watching the mahi blow up out've the water that it was BIG. It was thick and hit the water like someone slapping a huge plank and even from 100 yards away you could see the colors on it's golden/blue flanks. This fish did not fight like a dorado after those inititial runs. Instead it hunkered down and bull-dogged Flipper like a tuna and in the 100 degree heat he was getting beat! Those last few turns after several runs across the stern put the wood to Flipper and he could barely turn the handle! But finally we sank the gaff and the fish hit the deck with a thud. Considering how a much smaller fish took it out on our nuts the day before, we all stood back until we could stick the fish in the box...it wouldn't fit. On the beach, the dorado would bottom out a 50 pound scale and measure 68 inches long! It was the jackpot fish of the day!
2. Pineapple Joe had another banner day as a huge dorado exploded on his sardine and he had a helluva battle. On 25 pound test and a soft tipped Seeker stick wrapped by ARC, Joe had to huff and puff a bit but battled the fish for half-an-hour on the light outfit. It was fun to laugh at him, but he put the fish on the deck and it scaled out at 41 pounds. Just one of a number of big fish for the day.
3. When we hit the beach, there were so many big fish that we had to re-weigh a number of the fish to make sure we had it right. Todd Brushwyler had another big one that just missed the jackpot again and checked out at 49 pounds to Flilppers fish that bottomed out the 50 pound scale.
4. Chris Sutton had started fast the first day and almost topped it on the last day...although a number of guys were trying for marlin, Chris was the only one that got one to stick...for a minute. A fish that the captain estimted to be a 300-400 pound black struck his stick and the brief fight left everyone shaking their heads!
5. The team of Dave Gutierrez and Fernando Garcia again were in the high count putting up more big fish as they had all week.
6. Larry Brussard wore his kilt (says he has to watch when he sits on something hot!) and brought Valerie with him. They not only got big fish, but hung out the majority of the afternoon at a beachside bar downing cold ones while everyone else was out fishing. Their boat buddy, Todd Brushwyler put up another huge dorado.
7. All trip, Duffy Shropshire laughingly kept whining that the skippers we kept assigning him "made him fish too hard!" "They wouldn't let me rest!" He and Al put up good numbers every darned day!
8. Dave and Pam Watt just out-and-out seemed to always be way too excited they were having such a good time on the water. Dave vows next year that he'll wait before pulling the trigger so fast on a fish. He says he missed alot of them but can't wait to do it again. Great attitude all the time!
Everyone seems like they had a good time. I know they are ALL tired! LOL...Thanks everyone. It was alot of fun! Stay well and God bless until next time!
Saludos y best fishes always
Jonathan
Day 4 - La Paz Last Day Out With a Bang!
Forever!)
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