Big Bend Sportsman Guide Fishing Stories
"Stories from the Caribbean"
From a Series of Short Stories
By: Capt. "Tato" Reyes
My First Blue on Twenty"
The day you decide you want to catch a big fish
on a light line, the whole picture changes. There is no room for
mistakes and all controllable factors must be under your control. The
whole rig needs to be perfectly balanced from the terminal tackle to
the rod and reel. You must have a very good Captain at the helm and
hopefully some deck crew to help you handle the fish once it is close
to the boat. For a while I thought that 30 pound test line was thin
line, and I was extremely proud of all my captures on that line class,
only to find out that the real leap is taken when you go down to 20
pound test line.
It was that time of the year and smaller fish
started their migration. These are young males between 150 and 250
pounds. I was ready to make the big catch.
I started by filling a Penn International 30 with
some 30 pound backing and at least 400 yards of 20 pounds Ande
Tournament line. The reel was cleaned and the drag checked. For some
reason I always have hated the Penn International 20 clicker, it is
the noisiest of them all. I avoided the 20’s for the longest time and
then learned to tolerate the clicker.
It is still not my favorite but I do carry a few
of them.
I mounted the reel on a 20 pound test custom
built rod by “Yuyo” the master rod builder in the island with leader
winding capabilities. All Finnor guides were lubricated and checked
for perfect function and to minimize friction especially during the
first run.
An IGFA standard double line finished with
Bimini Twist tied to a 125 pound test monofilament leader was prepared
while six, fresh half a pound sea mullets had been de-boned and gutted
for bait. The leader held a Mustad Stainless Steel Hooked perfectly
sharpened and attached with no swivels (you better have a perfect
running bait). When fishing light lines I try to use the least amount
of “connections”, knots, and parts. The more of them the higher the
chances one of them could fail.
It was going to be Chuito, Don Jimmy and myself
but Don Jimmy decided to work on his garden and stayed in land. He did
promise to help us clean the fish when we came back.
We left the dock at 7; 30AM and it was a
beautiful day. The sun was up and a nice breeze was blowing from the
Northeast. Seas were 2 to 3 feet and the water turned cobalt blue a
mile from shore.
Chuito had decided that we would just run the two
teasers and my bait just behind them from the center rigger. He said
he did not want any more lines in the water than needed.
“In 20 pound test we can only fight one fish at a
time so we will run just one bait,” he said, ‘just keep your eyes on
the bait and try to see him before he hits you; be ready, be ready,
feed him and set the hook as soon as he changes direction or faces the
other way.”
When you fish 20 pound test line you want to hook
them in the mouth, a gut hook could kill the fish and if he quits
swimming you won’t be able to stop him as he drops down as dead
weight.
It was about 10:00AM and I was about to change my
bait to a fresh one when I saw him with my peripheral vision as I was
getting ready to lower the clip from the out rigger to release the
line and bring up the bait. This is 20 pound test line and you do not
pull the line out of the outrigger like you would do with heavier
line, you don’t want to hurt that line at all.
He came from the side and passed under the bait
once, then he came from behind and jumped over the bait with his mouth
wide open to the point I saw it disappear in his mouth.
I set the hook right away and produced a mouth
hook up just like I wanted. As soon as he felt the pressure he started
greyhounding forward at full speed. Chuito pushed down on the throttle
and sped up the boat to full plane as we chased the fish at full
speed. He did not take more than 150 yards out of my reel, we where on
top of him in no time. I did loose one of my teasers in the race
chasing the fish but we where up to the fish from the start.
He was a great fighter and put on a display of
beautiful acrobatic jumps for us getting tired quicker. The fish
fought at the surface all the time and never tried to sound. Twenty
five minutes later we had two flying gaffs on him and I was as happy
as I could be.
He was at least 200 pounds I thought.
As usual we fought the fish until he was tired,
but on 20 pound test you want him swimming up straight. The trick is
to fool him and get close to him closing the distance and keeping the
fish at 45 degrees at your stern where both the captain and you can
see the fish as he is approaching and you are closing the distance
ever so slightly. Next thing he knows is that he is at gaffing
distance and the first perfectly placed gaff secures him to the side
of the boat as the second gaff puts an end to the story.
It was all celebration on our way back and we had
a few friends over to celebrate the catch. I must declare that that
was my only Blue Marlin in 20 pound test line. The fish was only 130
pounds, but it felt like a thousand!
I lost no less than 30
fish in attempts to repeat the event but it never happened again.
I was close several times. Yes we caught several of them in the boat, Ivette caught at least three
or four more and Chuito caught another four but I was
at the helm and in charge of the gaffing.
Yes sir, catching big fish in light tackle
changes the whole game and in my opinion the 20 pound class is the one
that merits the most recognition. This is the level well skill and
experience plays a great roll. once you go below 20# luck is too big
of a factor. You need a special fish that wants to be caught in 12#
test line... that is not fishing, that is wining the lottery or being
able to afford new transmissions every other fish. u that is a
different subject and a very controversial one.
From a series of fishing
stories submitted by Capt Tato Reyes
copyright Capt Tato Reyes
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