November 29, 2012

Hall of Famer Chuck Darner was sitting in church between his two grown sons a few weeks ago and had a vision. He wrote the vision down on the corner of the weekly bulletin and handed it to his sons. It read, “Let’s go fishing in Costa.”

While Chuck has visited us several times, his sons had not yet taken the adventure. Tickets bought and trips booked, but then a change of plans! One of the boys is a freelance insurance adjuster and his special skills were placed in high demand in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy.

He couldn’t get away for this trip, but the Darner posse found a worthy pinch hitter in the form of Chuck’s 14 year-old grandson.

Chuck told me that he was hoping to get the youngster on a nice Sailfish, but unfortunately the mighty Wanderer could not find a sail on this trip.

The season’s first Black Marlin release will have to suffice!

This magnificent fish is the culmination of Captain William and the Wanderer‘s prowess and Chuck Darner’s indomitable fishing spirit.

For the dinner table they whacked this 50lbs. Wahoo which is reminiscent of the monsters Chuck catches off the ledge in Jacksonville in his Powercat High Roller.

The Darner Boys have several more trips on the books and we anticipate some more inspired from these North Florida anglers.

November 27, 2012

 

Colorado boy Josh Landers joined Captain David of the Explorer for an inshore reef hunt on November 27 and they stumbled into the school of Dorado that have swarmed our area the last few weeks.

These two are just a sampling of the green monsters they put on ice in the course of their 5 hour hunt. Great work by the pound-for-pound champ Explorer!

 

November 27, 2012

The Wanderer was pleased to welcome Brooklyn’s own Timothy Matusch for an fun-filled day of action on November 27. They stayed with what has been working recently, namely targeting the tasty green gold called Dorado.

The blue beauty performed admirably with four fantastic Dorados on ice by trip’s end. These tasty filets should provide many magnificent meals of Mahi-Mahi.

November 25, 2012

Captain Carlos had a wonderful new client visit the Adventurer for a half day inshore assault and once again the straight razor showed no fear in the face of a reef-dwelling monster.

Jean Pierre Sturtevent showed his strong Texas angling abilities and lassoed this 35lbs. Cubera Snapper. What a wonderful catch, especially so close to shore!

November 24, 2012

Hulsey Bray signed up the mighty Wanderer for a full day excursion on November 24 and once again the blue beauty delivered the goods. Captain William used the time-honored hunting tactic of following schools of spinning dolphin to the target zone.

As the smartest creature in the sea and man’s closest genetic marine equivalent, dolphins are a fisherman’s ally because they corral smaller baitfish into spherical pods.

These pods are feeding beacons to larger pelagics (Yellowfin Tuna, Sailfish, Marlin, etc.) so it’s no suprise that Hulsey pulled this monster Pacific Sailfish right out from under the feeding frenzy.

This beast is estimated to weigh 100lbs. and is a sign of good fishing to come in the next few weeks. Another great release by the famous Wanderer.

November 22, 2012

Last year we welcomed some amazing anglers from the state of South Carolina highlighted by Katherine Fanning and Hall of Famers the Thames Family. This year we were stoked to welcome Rick Morgan and his family from the Palmetto State to continue this fine angling tradition.

Rick and his ladies didn’t let their fellow South Carolinians down; in fact they turned in the best Dorado performance so far in this young season. They boated four tasty Mahis with the big fish tipping the scales at 45lbs. In total they caught over 100lbs. of fish…that’s a lot of yummy vittles!

Once again the flagship Wanderer proves that she is fit for battle with all manner of Pacific marine life. No matter what’s biting, the mighty Wanderer is catching!

Discoverer Update – November 21, 2012

It’s Thanksgiving week and with all the talk of stuffing, and getting stuffed, etc. Charlie decide to ‘stuff’ some more holes in the Discoverer. As we rapidly approach the final prep sanding phase and look forward to applying paint, we keep finding more and more little issues like these that need addressing.

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These holes along the top of the aft gunwale are a pretty straightforward fix. The fiberglass and wood are still sturdy this far above the waterline so the fiberglass is truly ‘plug and play’.

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Up near the head was a whole different story. The pair thru-hull fittings were (Surprise, surprise) lacking any 5200 sealant so water has intruded around the holes. The damage extends about 4 inches outward from the hole so Charlie had to scrape out the damaged wood, stuff the crevice with chopped strands of fiberglass, and push the hot resin up to fill the void.

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So far the inside of this pair of holes is all patched up and the outer layer is coming soon.

November 21, 2012

Buck Davis has a spirit and energy as big as Georgia, and despite his excellent performance on the Explorer (November 19) we weren’t surprised that he upgraded to the 31-foot Wanderer for his second excursion to the blue water.

The Davis group continued their Dorado devastation, this time boating three of the tasty green monsters. The first Dorado (above) was typical-sized and weighed about 25lbs. The next two were giant-sized, weighing in between 35lbs.-45lbs.

What a great performance by this South Georgia-based fishing group! They tested their mettle against some of the baddest fish in the Pacific and kept the fishbox full of fresh filets. Even First Mate Alex couldn’t help but stike a pose with this beauty:

November 21, 2012

 

Craig Sutton has been hunting billfish all week in between surf sessions with his extended family and relaxing on the NPR campus. The waves have been strong but the billfish have been scarce.

The Explorer sought to end the drought on November 21 as Captain David pointed the super panga off shore. Just after 9pm this Pacific Sailfish came screaming through the spread and even though he only weighs 85lbs. this Sail fought with vigor.

Craig and Carlos executed a safe revival and release as always, so we can look forward to seeing this bad mamajamma later on down the line. when he weighs 185lbs.!

Craig still has two more fishing days so lets see if he can find that ever-elusive Marlin. Stay Tuned!