What do you suppose the Blackfins are doing all night? I know! They
are following the shrimpers, eating the fish and shrimp that escape
the net’s hungry mouth, those damaged by the net and the continuous
stream of culled fish. Somebody is culling the catch after each drag.
Believe me, Shrimpers waste no time. They cull each batch while
trawling. The culling procedure you see after the last drag of the
night has been going on all night. By morning, most of these fish are
gorged. Perhaps that is why they are sometimes so picky in a chum
line, even at first light.
These fish are so programmed that they line up in the chow line for
the first drag of the night and swim right behind the nets all night
long, pigging out. With this in mind, all we have to do is catch them.
How? Trolling, for sure.
I would suggest a 50# class outfit because you must control these
fish as much as possible. There is the distinct possibility of much
bigger fish horning in on the free food line. Yellowfins are much more
common than most folks think and lots of these fish are unstoppable on
a 4/0. The Captain cannot see the lines as well at night so boat
handling is a real test of skill when you have 2 reels screaming at
once. Heavy tackle is a definite asset. Fluorescent Stren is my choice
for night fishing because I can see it best.
The favorite fighting tactic for most Tuna species is a crash dive,
sometimes taking all of your line straight down. In 100’, they head
down and then away. A 30# Blackfin can take 150yds of line against
heavy drag. Imagine what a 100# plus Yellowfin can do.
I troll right up behind the shrimp boats, making a lazy loop off to
Starboard when I begin to see the end of the net then fall back into
line, repeating the process all night long. Courtesy demands that you
get on the radio and let the shrimper know what you are doing. Let him
know that you will pass to Port or to Starboard each time rather than
changing sides. Keep your radio on and stay alert. If their trawl gets
hung, you can over take him mighty quick. The down side of radio
contact is that shrimpers are notorious "ratchet jaws." Some of these
guys talk constantly and will drive you crazy with the chatter.
My lure of choice has always been a Tony Accetta Pet Spoon or a Jap
Feather rigged with a Bonita strip or with a "Destin Safety pin"
rigged Cigar Minnow. I troll both of these lures behind a 10-16oz.
Bead Chain Keel Sinker. I plan to troll a Mann’s Stretch 30 LOUD and a
hook forward rigged Bill Lewis Rat-L-Trap the next time I get a chance
to try this type of fishing. These lures are hot in the day light and
I am sure they will be great at night. The noise they make should make
them much easier to find at night. An additional plus for these lures
is that you can touch the line and feel the lures throbbing. If the
lure isn’t throbbing, you have a tangle or grass. At night this will
be a great asset.
The area that I have fished most often is about 30-40 miles SW of
Clearwater in 90-130’. Some nights it looks like a large city with the
lights of all of the shrimpers scattered about. You can find out where
the action is by visiting local shrimp docks or fish houses. When the
catch rate drops in one area, Shrimpers move to other areas.
When the Loop Current swings in closest to shore, almost any
pelagic species is a distinct possibility. I have caught Sailfish,
White Marlin(2), Blackfins, Yellowfins, False Albacore, Wahoo, and one
(1) honest to goodness Albacore on these night time forays. I have
also hooked a few "Sea Monsters," 50mph. critters that couldn’t be
turned or even slowed. Expect to have fish bitten by Sharks because
Sharks feed right in with the rest of the fish.
When there is a lot of "fire" (phosphorescence-bioluminescence) in
the water, you won’t catch many fish. Your line and lure will create
an unnatural trail of fire in the water. Under conditions like this,
most of your strikes will come very close to the shrimp boat.
On one trip, the Shrimper I was trolling behind called me and said,
"I am going to make a turn to 340 to miss a snag." That somehow rang a
little bell in my head so I recorded a LORAN # and the base course.
Later, I found a wreck that I had looked for for years. The wreck was
only a few hundred feet from the number I had recorded. Believe me,
Shrimpers have found every wreck and rock. Some of these "finds" are
costly as a trawl can cost thousands of dollars.
Take into consideration that these guys are working night shift in
a mighty hard occupation. Their industry is strictly regulated and
legal. No matter what your feelings are regarding shrimp trawling,
stay out of their way if you want to be welcome. Your fishing might be
safer and more productive if you approached one of the shrimp boats
before dark and offered him a few bucks for putting up with you. You
might get some really good suggestions from him too.
Yes, night time is the right time. It is mighty nice to be offshore
at night when it is cool rather than sweltering during the heat of
summer days. One safety consideration to remember is that it is easy
to go to sleep when you are fishing the "backshift."
