Big Bend Sportsman Guide Fishing Stories
"Stories from the
Caribbean"
From a Series of Short Stories
By: Capt. "Tato" Reyes
The Third
Jump
It was mid summer on the
North Coast of Puerto Rico and “the Tunas” had been running close to
shore. In those days we would not fish for Tunas but for the Blue
Marlins that would normally predate on them. Excellent weather north
of the island means that we have 5 to 10 mph winds from the NE up to
11:00 AM and then someone turns that switch on and the wind starts
blowing 15-20 mph NE, the typical Trade Winds.
It was a beautiful
Wednesday morning and I was heading NE on 2-3 foot seas out of my
hometown marina in Dorado, Puerto Rico. I would climb so to speak and
head NE so I could have a nicer ride back home when the wind started
blowing later in the morning. From the marina I could see birds
feeding and small tunas jumping less than a mile from shore. I thought
of catching a couple of live ones and rigged them for live Marlin
bait. I followed the schooling tunas but could not catch one of the
right size, most were “too big” and I just wanted a five pounder and
these were 7 and 8 pounders. Tired and frustrated I headed to deeper
waters and set up my normal Blue marlin spread.
The starboard outrigger
displayed a swimming/skipping 4-pound mackerel rigged with a 14/0
Mustad stainless steel tuna hook on #19 Malin coffee colored wire.
This one ran on the fourth wave from the transom. The port outrigger
had a 3 pound skipping skipjack tuna a friend gave me at the dock that
morning rigged New Zealand style with another 14/0 Mustad stainless
steel tuna hook on #19 Malin coffee colored wire running on wave #6.
My third bait was always a one pound deboned swimming mullet rigged
with a 10/0 stainless steel Mustad tuna hook on #15 Malin coffee
colored wire from the center outrigger running on wave #8. That was
it, three rods, and three baits!
Three miles from shore
close to 10:00 AM I decided to pass by a school of Yellow fin Tunas
breaking the surface some 100 yards from my bow hoping to find a Blue
chasing them in the perimeter. I was not up to the school when all
three out riggers were hit. Only the mackerel and the mullet had hook
ups, the tuna was just cut in half. We fought and brought the fish to
gaff within a few minutes since we were using 80# test tackle and the
tunas were only on the 40-50 pound class. They were boarded and stored
on ice. In those days I did not enjoyed sushi so they made it to shore
in one piece to later become tuna kebabs.
Baits went back to the
water in no time, this instance with two mackerels in the outriggers
and my favorite bait the deboned one-pound swimming mullet on the
center outrigger. We trolled around the school and we got another two
hookups. My uncle brought his in no time since he was still fishing
the 80# test gear. It was also in the 40-50 pound range. Mine was
taking me longer since I had pulled a #50 pound test outfit for my
center rigger.
After the first run the
tuna let me recover some line and I had her no more than 20 yards from
the boat when I felt a huge pull on my line. My first thought was that
a shark had bitten her but my assumption was proven wrong when the
steady pull continued and a 500# blue marlin jumped 40 yards behind
the boat.
The fish headed towards the
boat so we kept our line tight by moving away from him and setting
ourselves up to the “fighting” position, which was mainly keeping the
fish at 45 degrees of our starboard side.
The fish sounded for a few
seconds and then surface jumping towards the boat from our starboard
side. We saw him jump once, then twice and the we thought he would go
under the boat and jump on our port side. Well the marlin had other
plans and the third jump made him land on top of the igloo cooler
right in front of the center console of our 23 foot Mako. Half of his
body in the boat and half trashing on either side out of the boat the
event took no more than a few seconds but it sure seemed an eternity.
My uncle and I dove behind the helm and companion seats closed our
eyes and prayed.
When we finally opened our
eyes in the absence of the thundering noise of the fish trashing
against everything in the front of the boat we inventoried the damage.
The starboard outrigger was
absent and so the rod on the upper starboard rod holder. The center
console acrylic was broken and the stainless steel frame was bent. The
bow railing on both starboard and portside was twisted. A tackle box
my uncle kept in the front of the boat was shattered to pieces and
there were lures and fishing stuff all over the floor. The frame of
the bimini top that was folded forward was all bent also and there
were two holes on the port side of the canvas.
Damages added up to over $3,000
back in 1984.
There are a number of teachings in this story. First never
think your bait is to big when trolling for Blue Marlin. This one
swallowed a 40-50 pound Yellow fin tuna in a heart- beat. Second,
never think you are going too fast. And last but not least, don't
think marlins are smart!
From a series of fishing
stories submitted by Capt Tato Reyes
copyright Capt Tato Reyes
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