Mark Manson brought his family to the Wanderer for a relaxing sunset cruise, but the fish were biting with such frequency and variety that relaxation fell by the wayside.
They started off by catching a and bunch of Bonitas which are not very tasty for humans to eat; however the bottom fish can’t resist them!
Mark’s family pulled in a 15lbs. Ponpano (above) and 25lbs. Grouper which should provide more than enough filets for the rest of their trip. Another excellent sunset trip from the famous Wanderer!
Michael Helbock brought his family to the Wanderer, which in addition to being the most productive boat in Garza is also the most family-friendly. Many youngsters have been introduced to the craft of sportfishing on the flagship and her crew are the perfect hosts for a safe, fun, and educational time on the water.
They caught a few Jack Crevelles and a pair of tasty Mullet Snappers; excellent eating for the dinner table!
Excellent inshore action from a boat that is just as good for families as for hardcore anglers.
Excellent Sailfish release from the Jennifer Jones group on the unstoppable Explorer.
Captain David coaxed the monster into the spread and Carlos executed a textbook release. Great catch for this youngster on the boat that has yet to meet it’s match.
Jeff Lamark and his family hauled in a half-dozen Dorados on the Wanderer and had a whale of a fun time doing it! Check out this celebratory horseplay:
Things got more serious once the Misses got on the reel, and her and the boys finished off the trip by harvesting some tasty White Tunas.
Brian Justice and his family enjoyed a full day on the Wanderer and since the billfish were scarce early in the trip, Captain William pointed the flagship inshore and cleaned-up on a wide array of species.
They started with a handful of Jack Crevelles, then graduated up the tastiness scale to the delectable White Tuna.
Finally their time was rewarded with a world-class hunk of table fare known as the Mullet Snapper! The meat on these fellas looses its density once the fish grown over 25lbs, so we usually don’t get excited about them. However these little fellas yield a flaky, lobster-like meat that it hard to top.
Looks like some folks have a few awesome meals in their future thanks to the unshakable Wanderer.
Greg Watson and his daughter joined Captain Carlos on the Adventurer for an fridge-packing harvest of tasty fish. The Dorados swarmed the 23-foot pocket knife and Carlos put these Canadians in the heart of the fight.
It’s great to see shared fishing experiences between parents and their kids, and from the looks of these pics this will be a fishing memory that lasts a lifetime for the Watsons.
They added a nice White Tuna to the Dorado haul and called it a day. Another outstanding trip from the sneaky Adventurer.
Hugh Jessiman brought his family aboard the Wanderer for a fun family day on the water. It wasn’t long before the line popped off and the fight was on!
Christmas came early in the form of a beautiful billfish. Estimated at 85lbs., this Pacific Sailfish was cleanly released after a 15 minute fight.
Hey Mom, you’re blocking the picture!
Much better! Excellent fish by the Jessiman crew and another outstanding performance by the mighty Wanderer.ย
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.
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!
