awesome can't wait to see the whole write up careful heading back..

I haven't been offshore in 4 or 5 years, so this was my "recertification" trip! It was a great one, and my first trip to Perdido.

I don't remember ever seeing so many BIG yellowfin before, this was the best overall bunch of YFT I've ever seen. Anglers were great as usual, with several coming from out of state to fish. All great anglers with great skills and gear. The first night was the best bite, with it getting really strong between 3 and 6 a.m. Saturday, I passed out at 3, so I missed the best bite of the trip, but when you fall asleep with a rod in your hand, it's time to go lay down.

Food and drink was awesome, even without the Margarita Machine, although I don't know where it would have been put if Joe had brought it.

Highlights of the trip? It's true, there was a blue marlin that was hooked on a freelined sardine, and brought to the boat, leadered and released unharmed. Captain, crew and angler did an awesome job to get the fish landed. There were some great headshakes and I saw him make one jump out of the water. Angler remains unnamed until he posts his firsthand report. Another big highlight? A swordfish in the lights!! Awesome to see a blue landed, but to also get a good look at a Sword too? This was an awesome trip. I didn't do so well with the Yellows, but I can still sit here and smile at the good fortune I had to be on the trip!

Again, it had been a long time since I fished offshore, so it was good to fish with a bunch of guys I've fished with before, awesome to get caught up and to reminisce about past trips. Boat, captain and crew were an awesome bunch, they really went all out to help with anything we needed, can't say enough good about them.

I'll let some of the others tell their favorite parts of the trip, and there should be a lot of good reports coming in the next few days after everyone else gets home. I've got a few pics, and may post them in the next few days.

Tom - DeepBlueGulf

Good post Tom ..... I wish I had your attitude. I was only 1 for 5 on YFT with breakoffs and hook pulls right at the boat and was I ever bummed. But at least my one fish was a solid hanger so I guess that's a moral victory. It's been way too long since we fished together bud and I hope we can again soon.

Great things happening on this trip for sure. You must really be pumped for the November trip now. Take care of Richard C. for me.

I missed not being there with my Buds & looks like I could have helped poor Awesum Bobby with some Tuna catchin lessons. Glad Y'all had a good YFT bite in spite of some technical problems. I look forward to hearing some stories of the ones that did or did not get away?

Well, here is my long post. Pictures coming but I need to get back to cleaning fish.

I departed Thursday morning at 6am carpooling with Kerry Neal. The route we took from DFW took us through Lockhart (completely intentional). With the requisite stop at Blacks for a bbq brunch (so glad they were open at 10am!) and a Black's full rack of spareribs to-go for a boat trip dinner, we were back on the road. Next stop was Roy's too fill out any last minute wish list items and, well..., just because it's Roy's! Don't get to see that much offshore stuff in DFW.

We finish up at Roy's with minimal damage and head up Mustang Island to PA. Don't know what it is but being on that island just brings a sense of relaxation and anticipation at the same time that's hard to get elsewhere. We pull into FW and see a few familiar faces patiently waiting in the parking lot for the 4pm boarding time. Capt Russell and some of the crew were hanging around as well and it was great to see the familiar faces again.

4pm rolls around and it was the usual running for the favorite bunks exercise.  After a quick loading, it's back to relaxing and BS'ing with the crew and fisherman as they arrive. Willie arrives to greet everyone and the anticipation of this trip is growing. We make a group call to head to Fin's for a dinner with the 15 or so fisherman that have shown up so far and while the food there is familiar to most of us, the service has taken a turn for the worse. Let's just say the waitress needs a remedial class in "customer is king" and leave it at that. We leave Fin's and I meet Brian and Joe over at Giggity's. They have a cool band going and we BS some more over drinks. The sign outside Giggity�s says �FREE BEER band playing tonight��. Way to pack in the customers! Then, its back to the Scat Cat to see if anyone else has shown up.

We spend the night rehashing stories of past TFF Tuna trips and there is a sense that this trip will add to that lore. It was kind of relaxing to know that since AJ season was closed, there was no need for piggy perch. So none of that mad dash to fill the bait well. A few folks and crew were trying their luck at flounder around the dock and someone (unnamed) throws a cast net to get some bait. Up comes a Kemp's Ridley sea turtle in the net. Cool looking guys about 1' in diameter. We get a quick picture and let him go. Man, those small ones are fast as a bullet in the water! One last look at Storm Surf online which keeps pretty close to the projections earlier in the week of fine seas for our trip. Most folks hit the bunks sometime after 12/1am and try to catch a good nights sleep.

We awake just before 6am to the roar of the Scat Cats twin diesels coming to life. Capt Russel gathers everyone for the obligatory safety speech and we're off. Since we were going against the current, Capt estimated a 12 hour run to Perdido. The ride out was pretty uneventful and with a chop slightly more than predicted, it's a pretty a smooth ride all the way out. As the day progresses, the chop lays down to what look like a barely 2' seas! We all hope we don't see it lay down anymore that that.

5:00 pm or so and we start to see Perdido on the horizon. Final preparations are being made by all. We arrive at the rig about 6:15 with sunset soon approaching. We start our drifts after a few unproductive trolling passes around the rig. As early evening approaches, or sometime around then, Brian is the first to put YFT blood on the deck. He was using a Halco max 130 in blue sardine which will set the tone for the rest of the night. By 10pm, Brian is the first to limit out on 3 nice YFT, the biggest or which will go in the high 80# class. The rest of the night, Halco�s are coming out fast and bringing in even faster. Maguroni�s could not buy you tuna love for the most part. The Tackle House Flitz was productive as well for those that had them. Small baits were the key this weekend. Jigging and popping were bringing in sporadic fish as were chunking or free lining sardines. Kevin Yang jigged up what at the end of the night what would turn out to be the pool taker YFT at 95.8lbs! Congrats Kevin! At the end of the first night, we were somewhere upwards of around 30 YFT in the coolers.

As morning rolled around, Mike and John started working on breakfast and the boat got set up for trolling. We spent several hours trolling around Perdido with only a skipjack tuna to show for it. Around lunchtime, we settled into some drifts to try to work the rainbow runners near the rig. They were coming onboard in good numbers with some nice size ones. Again, Halco�s worked great on them. I swear it must be the rattles in them that help to key the fish in on target. Brian comes tight as does Ronnie right beside him. Brian has his rainbow on the deck in short order but Ronnie is having trouble. Looks like Ronnie has something a little bigger on his line. About 20 minutes later, Ronnie has a nice daytime YFT on the deck.

I�m not quite sure what time it was but on those daytime drifts, I decided to put a sardine on with a 2oz egg sinker (sounding familiar yet?) and get it down to the zone that the tuna might be in. Based on the drift speed and the line I counted out, I figured I had to be down about 150-200�. Not much happened the first couple of drifts and we kept resetting. On one of those resets, Mike Hagee noticed what I was doing. He thought it might work but suggested fluoro during the day. I changed the leader out to 80# Yozuri disappearing pink and sent it back down. A couple minutes go by and the clickers starts making that noise we all love. I set it to strike and reeled down until tight. Then the fun started�.

Line was coming off at a very fast pace. I�m getting a little nervous and crank down the drag a little more on my Daiwa Saltist STT50 to no effect.. This reel is my reliable light chucking reel on a Lamiglass 30-80# rod and has taken several decent size tuna but this was different. About this time, first mate Darrell notices my predicament. He makes a quick call to the boat� Everyone, lines up now we need to chase a fish! Within just a minute or so I make my way to the bow and lines are cleared with a very low spool. We start moving in the direction of my quickly warming reel and I�m able to get some line back on. We were heading in the direction of the supply boat hanging next to the rig when we see whats making my reel scream�. BLUE MARLIN! The fish made a nice exit from the water, not a full out jump but enough to let us know he meant business. Lots of noise around me but my concentration was on that rod and fish. The marlin starts peeling line out again and we pursue some more. I finally settle into a slow pump and reel mode and he�s slowly coming to the boat. It was amazing to see where my line pointed in relation to where the marlin was in the water. There must have been a big bow on that line to have such an offset. The battle was on for about 20 minutes according to someone on the camera and we finally have the marlin at the boat. What an awesome fish, bright stripes and iridescent green/blue around the head. We get the pics we wanted and Darrell tries to pull the hook. Well the line finally gave at the hook but not until a lot of tension was on it. When it popped, that 2oz weight came right back at Darrell like a bullet� BAM, one in the chest. Right in the sternum he said. I bet that left a mark. Fish swam off nice and healthy and Darrell recovered. Great work by the Capt and Darrell walking me though that fight. I�m sure the result would have been different were it not for them.

I take a little time to recover my wobbly arms and change the leader and go back to what worked. Drop down the same way I previously did and after a few minutes, that same lovely sound starts coming from my reel again. Fight was much different this time but I�m sure it was not a BFT. After a few minutes, I have a 40# daytime YFT on the deck. I hear suggestions around me that I change my name to �Sardine Man� on TFF� thinkin bout it�  More rainbows hit the deck during the day and we are slowing coming to night number 2.

The second night was a lot slower but the Halco� and now Flitz�s were still working. Pickings were slow but YFT started hitting the deck occasionally. You really had to work that second night. The highlight of the last night was Darrell spotting a sword at the surface. There was a made rush to get some bait in the water but nothing could interest him and we lost sight of him after a few minutes. Very cool to see a sword do that. A few more last minute YFT hit the deck with a nice tandem between Tiffany and her uncle Fred. Nice work both you! Well, that is all my worn out brain can remember right now. I�m sure I missed recapping some nice tuna battles. Please feel to jump in with other stories that made this trip an absolute winner.

This was another awesome TFF/TOO tuna trip. We ate like kings on this trip between Joe�s smoke pork shoulder, Ronnie�s brisket, grilled bacon wrapped dove (courtesy of Brian and myself), and my smoked BFT jalapeno poppers. Breakfast was awesome both days and of course, we didn�t forget the Black�s smoked ribs that we brought on. They made a delicious ride home snack. I don�t think anyone went hungry on that boat this weekend. It was a great crew and a great bunch of fishermen (fisherpeople?). Always great to have a couple newbies bust their tuna cherry on this trip. We had some engine issues on the way in but only in the last two hours that we had to run on one screw. We were delayed about 1.5 hours and got to the dock around 3:30pm.

Congrats on the Blue Marlin Mark. that is a very cool catch in the Gulf.

GREAT TRIP!
Can't imagine how we could have ate better!
Kick off Friday night with Joe's pork roast, then a beef brisket from Ronnie ( no idea what time or day, kinda a blur), when I think the dove breast ( Mark and Brian), then some smoked sausage!!!
My first time to bring home 3 YFT ( Plus lost three due to ....er...knot tying)...so I have some more work to do on braid to floro connections...LOL

GREAT TIME!!
Love the wind farms, eh, Billy?

-Mike

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How not to hold a Dorado

How to properly hold a Dorado

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I was really fortunate to get onto this trip at the last minute due to Bazz's misfortune. I've gotta tell you that very few trips have been as memorable. Just a great group to fishermen to share a boat with.

My little brother and Tiffany had a great time and caught their first yellowfins. You all know how that tends to work out.

I didn't get a yellowfin until the last drift of the trip and it was a charity tuna from Tiffany ( a hand off cause I'm not too proud). I tend to throw poppers and some large swimbaits a lot and they weren't working well for me.

There were special fish caught and seen and too many really good moments to list bjut I just wanted everyone to know how much I enjoyed it.

Oh, and yall know how to chow.

Fred

Kevin's big tuna, 95.8lbs.

Great write up Mark, and congrats on the Blue! Sounds like another awesome trip all around.
Maybe this next year I can jump on again I hated giving up my spot this year but just had other things to take care of first..