Last night Larry, Adam, Steve and Brian joined us in the pursuit of cubera snapper. We carried 24 live lobster for bait. In 2 hours we were out of bait. The guys caught 14.5 cubera snapper from 20 to 60 pounds and 3 sharks.
To book a charter with Capt. Bouncer of Bouncer’s Dusky 33, please visit http://www.captbouncer.com/
Thursday a weedline in 790 feet of water produced 25 mahi ( 20 to tag and release) 6 tripletails and 6 almaco jacks. Bottom fishing produced a 36 lb almaco jack, 16 lb bonito and 9 lb mutton snapper
Friday kings were biting in 140 feet of water. In 200-300 feet there were hammerhead sharks and if you chased the frigate birds you would find some mahi.
To book a charter with Capt. Bouncer of Bouncer’s Dusky 33, please visit http://www.captbouncer.com/
September has arrived and made it halfway through the calendar page, and the bluefin tuna bite shows zero signs of slowing down; in fact it has gotten even better, if that is even possible. Every trip that has left the dock this month has scored at least one fish, with the best trip of the month(so far) seeing just one angler and the good captain get into 15 one-on-one battles with the mighty bluefin tuna, all on light tackle! The fish predominantly are 60-100 pound models, perfect size for the gear being employed aboard the Dusky here in southern New England. This class fish is still quite strong and difficult to fool, hook, and then subdue successfully, without being overly large and too difficult for one angler to handle. Often on the larger fish, especially with less-experienced crews, the angler is forced to pass off the rod to others for assistance; sometimes the rod goes around the entire crew several times before the fish is brought boat side for the capture or release. This size class of tuna is perfect for the average angler, and not so challenging that new anglers cannot handle them solo, greatly increasing the learning curve, as well as the natural sense of accomplishment one gets after a successful fight from start to finish unassisted.
“Breakfast” for a bluefin tuna, backdropped by a spectacular sunrise.
Angler Samantha Citrin getting nasty on a Cape Cod bluefin aboard Coastal Charters Sportfishing.
All smiles while tight to a bluefin tuna from the bow of Coastal Charters Sportfishing’s Dusky 256.
The bite in August was predominantly subsurface, with little to no signs of tuna present anywhere near the surface. Dropping jigs to fish identified by marks on the fish finder, and blind casting in likely areas bluefin were enticed into striking our artificial offerings, and then would be hooked and fought unseen back to the boat. September has seen the arrival of halfbeaks, a relative of the ballyhoo, in huge numbers. These are a fast moving, large bait that bluefin are very fond of. The schools of ‘beaks will gather together in large shoals, and then find themselves herded and targetted by angry “wolf-packs” of bluefin tuna and other gamefish. When the bluefin are able to separate a few of these from the main school, they drive the fish up to the surface and explode on them in an all-out, incredible frenzy. The gannets and shearwaters will often gather in the air above where the bluefin are working, indicating where the feed is about to take place. I manuever the Dusky quickly to the area where the birds have gathered, and the anglers stand ready to cast into the melee when it begins. The first few halfbeaks will all of a sudden start porpoising across the surface, the birds wheel and dive towards the fray, and then the bluefin rocket out of the water in all directions, eating as many of the poor baits as they can before they escape back into the depths. If the bluefin pod is large enough, often there will be several fish to start that clear water by almost unbelievable heights and distances, often doing flips or cartwheels before crashing back into the water. These aerial displays are incredible to witness, and provide an indelible mental image for all who witness them. The top-water bite has kicked into full swing once again, providing yet another opportunity for my anglers to get tight to an apex predator via light tackle rod and reel. If the weather will remain stable with not too much wind, the 2012 autumn run for bluefin tuna here in Cape Cod and the surrounding waters will be one to remember for a long time. Stay tuned for more bluefin mayhem with Capt. Dom of Coastal Charters Sportfishing from the bow of the Dusky 256….
A hooked bluefin does a drive by early in the fight aboard Coastal Charters Sportfishing.
This bluefin is not happy to have his breakfast attached to an angler aboard the Dusky!
Up close shot of a perfect hook set by the angler that fooled this bluefin tuna with light tackle spinning gear aboard Coastal Charters Sportfishing.
Angler Samantha Citrin scored this nice bluefin tuna aboard Coastal Charters Sportfishing.
One of the larger bluefin brought boatside this month aboard Coastal Charters Sportfishing. This 140 pound bluefin was caught with light tackle by angler Mike Leonard.
The captain shows off a “lit-up” bluefin, with it’s colors still very fresh just after being successfully landed with light tackle aboard Coastal Charters Sportfishing.
To book a charter with Capt. Dom of Coastal Charters Sportfishing aboard his Dusky 256FC please visit http://www.coastalcharterssportfishing.com/
Catch Bouncer on Big105.9 FM between 6:30 and 7 AM Friday. Check out my fishing forecast in every issue of Gaff magazine. And don’t miss my fishing reports at 6 AM Saturday morning on 560 WQAM.
To book a charter with Capt. Bouncer of Bouncer’s Dusky 33, please visit http://www.captbouncer.com/
Thursday we searched offshore, but only caught 2 mahi. We ran back to 200 feet of water and fished a couple of wrecks. There we caught 3 almaco jacks, 1 amberjack, 1 mutton snapper, 1 scamp grouper and a silky shark.
To book a charter with Capt. Bouncer of Bouncer’s Dusky 33, please visit http://www.captbouncer.com/
Tuesday evening we caught 2 over slot sized snook. The slot is 28 to 32 inches with the tail pinched together and measured from tip of nose to tip of tail. We did catch keepers of 30 and 31 inches.
To book a charter with Capt. Bouncer of Bouncer’s Dusky 33, please visit http://www.captbouncer.com/
Friday night we took 10 year old Tyler Tambor after a record cubera snapper. He succeeded in catching a 33.5 lb pending small fry world record. His father and friends added 8 more cubera snapper releasing 7.
Saturday we fished all day. We missed a swordfish, caught 12 and 28 lb mahi and 2 large sharks.
Sunday we targeted swordfish for 6 hours wth no bites.. We did catch 7 mahi and a skipjack tuna.
Sunday evening we fished the inlet as 15 year old Kane sought his first snook. We caught 2 snook and a tarpon.
To book a charter with Capt. Bouncer of Bouncer’s Dusky 33, please visit http://www.captbouncer.com/
Cape Cod, MA continues to prove itself as a world class bluefin tuna fishery, with August 2012 finishing up just as it started, red hot. Other than a brief period of 4 days of summer doldrums which was brought on by a very strong high pressure system bringing hot, windless days and flat-calm, gin clear, stagnant water it has been lights out fishing the entire month. The sunrises alone were worth the effort of getting up early, and the only real shows during the hot bright days from the marine mammals and the birds were in the first few hours before the sun and heat got cranking.
Another fantastic start to a tuna hunt aboard Coastal Charters Sportfishing.
Sunrise over the tuna grounds off Cape Cod, MA.
Most trips saw several chances to cast at busting fish on the surface, followed by good opportunities to work an area with blind casts or jigs and score unseen or deep water fish. Crews that were willing to cast their offerings or drop jigs to the bottom, working them up and down off the bottom and back to the boat, constantly had a strong chance at coming tight to a bluefin on all of the trips. The weather was amazingly calm and comfortable to both transit as well as fish, with only 2 days of strong winds during the entire stretch. We got out even on those days, and had 2 of the better trips of the month. It is often said that the more uncomfortable you are, the better the fishing will be for tuna, and these days lived up to the adage. The heavy water often charges the fish up, and there are less boats to create disturbances. Because my Dusky 256 drifts stern-to under most conditions with the Suzukis positioned on centerline, my anglers are quite comfortable in sloppy, confused seas that we get with heavy NW or SW winds, both favorable for the bite in the areas I fish predominantly off the tip of Cape Cod, MA.
All smiles aboard Coastal Charters Sportfishing‘s Dusky 256 despite the heavy seas.
My crews were able to get out 29 of 31 days in the month, averaging better than 2 fish landed per trip, and making an absolute zombie out of yours truly. Because it is such a short season up here in New England, the summer months often force schedules that would impress an Alaskan king-crabber, starting at 3am and ending sometime around 5 or 6 pm after the boat is cleaned and readied to do it all over again daily! I am hoping that mother nature continues to be kind with favorable seas and good fishing, finishing up strong with a good fall after a tough start with a great middle season thus far.
Bluefin tuna breaking the surface while feeding on sand eels.
160 pound bluefin tuna caught with light tackle aboard Coastal Charters Sportfishing
A Cape Cod bluefin all “lit-up” and ready for landing aboard Coastal Charters Sportfishing.
The weather starts to play a hand in the schedule we can keep up, and the inevitable turn towards more unstable conditions will come soon enough as September rolls around. The cool nights and warm days, coupled with the spectrum of light turning towards the fall reds and yellows, should trigger the yearly anticipated “fall run”, when many of the resident fish will start to feed heavily to put on reserve fat for their annual migration out of our waters to parts unknown…..
Amazing colors in the bright sun on a freshly landed bluefin tuna.
To book a charter with Capt. Dom of Coastal Charters Sportfishing aboard his Dusky 256FC please visit http://www.coastalcharterssportfishing.com/