We completed week number four of our cruise on Thursday. We are up to 843 NM. We are about 200 miles from home so our trip mileage will exceed the 1019 miles we cruised in the Abacos in 2009. The wind has not been our friend the entire trip, but has cooperated much more than last time here. We got offshore 3 times this week with one great day including a Blue Marlin catch and a Hoo, both on the wire line and two "Goose Eggs." The full moon was Wednesday night and I have read and heard conflicting stories about what affect that has on the fishing. Most of our offshore experience over the years has been with dolphin. They as most offshore fish we target are pelagics, open ocean dwellers and surface or shallow depth feeders. Dolphin are said to eat continually during the daylight hours, hence their fast growth rate, nearly an inch per month. Most dolphin caught by us and other anglers are not over two years old. They are said to not feed at night except during the full moon. I am not sure if the other species we have caught, tuna, wahoo and marlin, have the same eating habits, but I'm guessing they must at this point as we were skunked two days in a row during this time. Probably has nothing to do with it, probably CJM just took us to the wrong places. I kept telling her I wanted to fish "Hole in the Wall", a point that juts out off the southeast corner of Great Abaco Island, but she kept saying it was too far out of the way. "Exactly", I would say and that is why it would be loaded with fish. I guess I will have to figure out another time to get there.
Week four consisted of two days with a dark cloud over our heads but lots of free wash water for FF III, one moving day, one great fishing day, two terrible fishing days and a day to do some light service and cleaning on the boat as we awaited the arrival of the newlyweds. The weather forecast looks great for the next few days so we hope to change our luck.
CTM
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Friday, June 17, 2011
THIRD TIME WAS NOT A CHARM.....
Caldwell and Kate arrived on Tuesday as reported. However, on Monday, prior to their arrival and the day after our big Blue and Hoo catch CTM and I went offshore fishing again in anticipation of another GREAT fishing day. We caught NOTHING! After the kids arrived on Tuesday and the "first night in town syndrome" we left Marsh Harbour and fished offshore on Wednesday. We caught NOTHING! At the end of our fishing day we went to Hope Town and once again to Hope Town Hideaways where we had stayed with L's and K's. Our dinghy has a hole in it and since we had NO fish for dinner Francis, the dockmaster at Hope Town Hideaways, graciously agreed to take us over to Hope Town for dinner....
Francis picked us up promptly at 9:00 p.m. and we enjoyed a full moon cruise back to Hope Town Hideaways :)
Thursday we were up bright and early in anticipation of another offshore day. It was dead calm. I have seen Bull Shoals Lake much rougher than Lake Atlantic! We fished again HARD all day and again NOTHING! So....we have now fished 3 days in a row offshore and have caught absolutely nothing:( CTM and I agree that this is a record for the Feeding Frenzy I, II, and III and not a record that we want to boast about :( So we didn't have to impose on Francis again we thawed out a package of Grouper and Mutton Snapper that we had in the freezer...compliments of L's and K's...and CTM fried fish on the dock.
This morning we will climb the 101 steps to the top of the Hope Town Lighthouse, check out of Hope Town, and head to Treasure Cay where we plan to spend the afternoon on Coco Beach... because you know how I LOVE the beach :) Tomorrow we will head out to the reef spot just off Treasure Cay where we fished with L's and K's. High tide is at noon tomorrow so we will head out at daylight in order to catch the incoming tide. We plan to move to Green Turtle Cay from our reef spot so will catch you on the flip flop there (internet permitting)!
CJM
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| From 2011-06-16 |
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| From 2011-06-16 |
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| From 2011-06-16 |
Francis picked us up promptly at 9:00 p.m. and we enjoyed a full moon cruise back to Hope Town Hideaways :)
Thursday we were up bright and early in anticipation of another offshore day. It was dead calm. I have seen Bull Shoals Lake much rougher than Lake Atlantic! We fished again HARD all day and again NOTHING! So....we have now fished 3 days in a row offshore and have caught absolutely nothing:( CTM and I agree that this is a record for the Feeding Frenzy I, II, and III and not a record that we want to boast about :( So we didn't have to impose on Francis again we thawed out a package of Grouper and Mutton Snapper that we had in the freezer...compliments of L's and K's...and CTM fried fish on the dock.
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| From 2011-06-17 |
This morning we will climb the 101 steps to the top of the Hope Town Lighthouse, check out of Hope Town, and head to Treasure Cay where we plan to spend the afternoon on Coco Beach... because you know how I LOVE the beach :) Tomorrow we will head out to the reef spot just off Treasure Cay where we fished with L's and K's. High tide is at noon tomorrow so we will head out at daylight in order to catch the incoming tide. We plan to move to Green Turtle Cay from our reef spot so will catch you on the flip flop there (internet permitting)!
CJM
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
THE HONEYMOONERS HAVE ARRIVED!!!
All rested and ready to go fishin'! Let the fun begin....
The tide was waaaaay down...
Goin' fishin' today :) Catch you on the flip flop....
CJM
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| From 2011-06-15 |
The tide was waaaaay down...
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| From 2011-06-15 |
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| From 2011-06-15 |
Goin' fishin' today :) Catch you on the flip flop....
CJM
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
MR. BLUE AND MR. HOO :)
Sounds like a Dr. Seuss story, huh... As promised...Sunday's fishing report...
We headed out early as the winds had calmed FINALLY! The first couple of hours were pretty uneventful...CTM changing out the baits and us nibbling on fresh tuna salad sandwiches :) At one point these four guys even flew directly over the boat! That got our adrenaline flowing :) But still nothing :(
CTM was driving and I was sitting down below daydreaming when all of a sudden that whirrrrrrrrrr sound woke me up! It was the wire rig on the aft port rod holder (sound familiar Dave & Don?)! HOLY SCHNIKES....IT WAS A BLUE MARLIN! That particular reel has 600 yards of line...200 yards of wire and 400 yard of heavy mono. Well, he peeled off all of the wire plus about 100 yards of the mono. Our work was cut out for us! I strapped the harness on CTM and headed up to take command of the Feeding Frenzy III. Let me just say this...both of us got a total aerobic workout on that one...CTM fighting the Blue and me running to and from the bridge. I can also report that CTM was hoarse after the fight..."FORWARD FORWARD FORWARD, IN AND OUT, SLOW DOWN, SPEED UP, GET DOWN HERE, GET BACK UP THERE, WHERE IS YOUR CAMERA, HURRY UP!"
We have always talked about this day....would we be able to pull it off with just the two of us on board???? Here's your answer....
There really was just the two of us on board and we took about 15 of these holding the camera with one hand and this is as good as it gets....
And...these are 3 of our favorite things!!!!
We topped off our day with a Mr. Hoo...again on the wire line rig :)
We proudly flew our flag and had lots of "CONGRATULATIONS" at the marina!
We caught our Blue in the pocket off of Tilloo Cay and would like to report that we spotted another Blue in the same area that day! It was in the same area that we spotted a Blue jumping a few days before with The Donkey Master and The Spaniard on board:) Caldwell and Kate arrive this afternoon and obviously we will head to Tilloo Cay with them tomorrow. CTM is on his way to the marina store to purchase another Blue Marlin flag...just in case :) Our only regret is that we could not have shared our experience with the Loopers and Kinscherffs....NEXT YEAR!!!!
Catch you on the flip flop....
CJM
We headed out early as the winds had calmed FINALLY! The first couple of hours were pretty uneventful...CTM changing out the baits and us nibbling on fresh tuna salad sandwiches :) At one point these four guys even flew directly over the boat! That got our adrenaline flowing :) But still nothing :(
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| From 2011-06-12 |
CTM was driving and I was sitting down below daydreaming when all of a sudden that whirrrrrrrrrr sound woke me up! It was the wire rig on the aft port rod holder (sound familiar Dave & Don?)! HOLY SCHNIKES....IT WAS A BLUE MARLIN! That particular reel has 600 yards of line...200 yards of wire and 400 yard of heavy mono. Well, he peeled off all of the wire plus about 100 yards of the mono. Our work was cut out for us! I strapped the harness on CTM and headed up to take command of the Feeding Frenzy III. Let me just say this...both of us got a total aerobic workout on that one...CTM fighting the Blue and me running to and from the bridge. I can also report that CTM was hoarse after the fight..."FORWARD FORWARD FORWARD, IN AND OUT, SLOW DOWN, SPEED UP, GET DOWN HERE, GET BACK UP THERE, WHERE IS YOUR CAMERA, HURRY UP!"
We have always talked about this day....would we be able to pull it off with just the two of us on board???? Here's your answer....
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| From 2011-06-12 |
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| From 2011-06-12 |
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| From 2011-06-12 |
There really was just the two of us on board and we took about 15 of these holding the camera with one hand and this is as good as it gets....
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| From 2011-06-12 |
And...these are 3 of our favorite things!!!!
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| From 2011-06-12 |
We topped off our day with a Mr. Hoo...again on the wire line rig :)
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| From 2011-06-12 |
We proudly flew our flag and had lots of "CONGRATULATIONS" at the marina!
 |
| From 2011-06-12 |
We caught our Blue in the pocket off of Tilloo Cay and would like to report that we spotted another Blue in the same area that day! It was in the same area that we spotted a Blue jumping a few days before with The Donkey Master and The Spaniard on board:) Caldwell and Kate arrive this afternoon and obviously we will head to Tilloo Cay with them tomorrow. CTM is on his way to the marina store to purchase another Blue Marlin flag...just in case :) Our only regret is that we could not have shared our experience with the Loopers and Kinscherffs....NEXT YEAR!!!!
Catch you on the flip flop....
CJM
Sunday, June 12, 2011
YOU SAY GOODBYE AND I SAY HELLO.....
Thursday and Friday, our final two days with Loopers & Kinscherffs, ended up with a tropical "situation" sitting right on top of us....rain and 20 knot winds :( Saturday morning we had to say "goodbye" to our friends :(
Part of me wanted to "jump ship" and fly home with them so I struggled with that "goodbye!" I have never felt this way before....think it might have something to do with that little Lola Bean waiting for us at home :) Thanks to Skype....we have been able to see her and talk to her when we had decent internet :)
CTM and I loaded up and said "hello" to Marsh Harbor, cleaned the boat, and then relaxed....
We will be in Marsh Harbor waiting on the arrival of Caldwell and Kate on Tuesday :) The winds have finally calmed and the skies cleared so CTM is in the "hurry up, hurry up, hurry up" mode. We are going fishing today after a long dry spell (well, not too dry) so hopefully will have a fishing report later :)
Catch you on the flip flop....
CJM
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| From 2011-06-12 |
Part of me wanted to "jump ship" and fly home with them so I struggled with that "goodbye!" I have never felt this way before....think it might have something to do with that little Lola Bean waiting for us at home :) Thanks to Skype....we have been able to see her and talk to her when we had decent internet :)
CTM and I loaded up and said "hello" to Marsh Harbor, cleaned the boat, and then relaxed....
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| From 2011-06-12 |
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| From 2011-06-12 |
We will be in Marsh Harbor waiting on the arrival of Caldwell and Kate on Tuesday :) The winds have finally calmed and the skies cleared so CTM is in the "hurry up, hurry up, hurry up" mode. We are going fishing today after a long dry spell (well, not too dry) so hopefully will have a fishing report later :)
Catch you on the flip flop....
CJM
Friday, June 10, 2011
LOST IN THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE :)
Wednesday we decided to take the day off, rent golf carts, and explore Treasure Cay. Now....just let me say that I now know all about why people disappear in the Bermuda Triangle :) Looper a/k/a The Spaniard was leading and decided to take us down a gravel road to the end of time....
O.K....I am thinking....this IS the Bermuda Triangle! People come here, drive down this road, come upon a meth lab (being a Missouri resident from the #1 meth producing state in the country I am always thinking about that), get their throats slit, and are never heard from again! Well, low and behold, when we neared the end we found a quiet little anchorage. See the look of relief on my face :)
At the end....
Headed back to civilization and to Coco Beach....rated in the top 10 in the world according to Treasure Cay advertisements :) Three Amigos, Stooges, or Musketeers....you decide AGAIN!
"What the heck are you doing on my beach?"
Pina coladas with a "151 Rum" topper....VERY DANGEROUS!!!!
When we fished with Stumpy he told us that he would be playing in a band at a local joint called "Burners." So...after the pina coladas and the 151 rum we decided that "Burners" sounded like fun :) Here is a slideshow and sampling of our whole day again and evening!
Catch you on the flip flop....
CJM
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| From 2011-06-09 |
O.K....I am thinking....this IS the Bermuda Triangle! People come here, drive down this road, come upon a meth lab (being a Missouri resident from the #1 meth producing state in the country I am always thinking about that), get their throats slit, and are never heard from again! Well, low and behold, when we neared the end we found a quiet little anchorage. See the look of relief on my face :)
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| From 2011-06-09 |
At the end....
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| From 2011-06-09 |
Headed back to civilization and to Coco Beach....rated in the top 10 in the world according to Treasure Cay advertisements :) Three Amigos, Stooges, or Musketeers....you decide AGAIN!
 |
| From 2011-06-09 |
"What the heck are you doing on my beach?"
 |
| From 2011-06-09 |
Pina coladas with a "151 Rum" topper....VERY DANGEROUS!!!!
 |
| From 2011-06-09 |
When we fished with Stumpy he told us that he would be playing in a band at a local joint called "Burners." So...after the pina coladas and the 151 rum we decided that "Burners" sounded like fun :) Here is a slideshow and sampling of our whole day again and evening!
Catch you on the flip flop....
CJM
Week Number 3
We have just finished week number three on our cruise. Our odometer reading is up to 659 NM. We are currently at Treasure Cay but will be leaving here Saturday morning and our cruising companions Loopers and Kinscherffs will be flying home as well. The wind has not cooperated with us very well on this trip. We have found plenty to occupy our time though. We did get offshore this week for some incredible reef fishing one day and we ran and trolled 80 miles one day offshore for a little action in the deep water. We have caught just about enough fish to eat our fresh catch every night and now that our bait freezer is beginning to empty out we have frozen a few bags of fish to take home.
Offshore our wire line reel has been the most consistent. We troll it with a ballyhoo on a big feather and have caught several nice Wahoo. We have been practicing catch and release (unintentionally) with a couple of them. I now know I must find a way to get the Feeding Frenzy across the gulf Stream in the winter for some Wahoo fishing. Freddie tells us that it is not uncommon to catch 20 or 30 per day that time of year. After knocking off a couple really nice ones at the back of the boat, I need more experience at handling the fish once we get them to that point. Old Billy has also been pretty consistent for Blackfin Tunas on the riggers. Looper was catching them so fast the other day, Dave and I could not even get our wire lines out in the spread. We did have a couple "big fish" thrills. CJM spotted a Blue Marlin very close to the boat but no bite and we had the "shotgun" rig start peeling line like it was hooked to a boat but it dropped the bait before we could see what it was. By the way, we do now know what it is like to have your line hooked to a boat heading the other direction, thanks to a rental boat who cut too close behind us.
As it often happens, the wind is going to lay starting tonight when our friends are about to head home. We will be moving to Marsh Harbor in anticipation of Caldwell & Kate's arrival on Tuesday. We will need to do a little provisioning and will be a little closer to what seems to be the "hot fishing grounds" so hopefully will get to go out and practice handling fish a little before the newlyweds get on board.
CTM
Offshore our wire line reel has been the most consistent. We troll it with a ballyhoo on a big feather and have caught several nice Wahoo. We have been practicing catch and release (unintentionally) with a couple of them. I now know I must find a way to get the Feeding Frenzy across the gulf Stream in the winter for some Wahoo fishing. Freddie tells us that it is not uncommon to catch 20 or 30 per day that time of year. After knocking off a couple really nice ones at the back of the boat, I need more experience at handling the fish once we get them to that point. Old Billy has also been pretty consistent for Blackfin Tunas on the riggers. Looper was catching them so fast the other day, Dave and I could not even get our wire lines out in the spread. We did have a couple "big fish" thrills. CJM spotted a Blue Marlin very close to the boat but no bite and we had the "shotgun" rig start peeling line like it was hooked to a boat but it dropped the bait before we could see what it was. By the way, we do now know what it is like to have your line hooked to a boat heading the other direction, thanks to a rental boat who cut too close behind us.
As it often happens, the wind is going to lay starting tonight when our friends are about to head home. We will be moving to Marsh Harbor in anticipation of Caldwell & Kate's arrival on Tuesday. We will need to do a little provisioning and will be a little closer to what seems to be the "hot fishing grounds" so hopefully will get to go out and practice handling fish a little before the newlyweds get on board.
CTM
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