The weather on the east coast and our schedule finally coordinated! We did everything we needed to the afternoon before in order to shove off Thursday morning.
We left the dock into a thick blanket of fog!
After clearing the fog, we were greeted with a closed railroad bridge! Ugh! Fortunately, it didn't take long for the train to pass and the bridge to open.
We headed out to the "bait shop" and had good luck!
On our way out, we saw a free-jumping sailfish in about 70 feet of water. We got the baits out, but just couldn't get his attention. So we motored out to about 150 feet and started another drift. About an hour passed without a bite and so we made our way toward the Hill.
A few birds, but none of the usual flotsam and jetsam we normally see. But all of a sudden, something was scaring one of the baits and it started scurrying around.
Then something hit the other bait and took off! ZIIIINNNNGGG went the reel and the fight was on.
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| Click on picture and zoom in to see the sailfish! |
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| Frank would reel, reel reel, getting it close to the boat and then it would take off! |
This was quite a lively fish and we spent quite a bit of time, chasing it down. But finally, he got tired and Frank was able to get him to the boat.
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| He was about 5-1/2" long and put up a great fight! |
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| Rest assured, the hook is in the corner of his mouth, not the eye. |
Whew! That was a great way to start the fishing season!
But wait, there's more!
We spent another 3 hours drifting around, following birds and some scattered weeds. We were ready to call it a day and gave the "Five Minute Warning". Shortly thereafter, something a became curious about one of the baits and like the last time, went after the other bait! Oh boy!
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| I was beginning to worry that fish was going to take all the line! |
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| Reel, reel, reel! |
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| More reeling and chasing |
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| Still there! |
Finally! It got tired out and gently came close to the boat.
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| About 4-1/2" long. |
We are not fans of trying to bring sailfish into the boat.
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| Amazing how this fish stayed hooked! (The hook is in it's bill!) |
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| Hers and His |
We haven't had to chase sails as much as we did those two! They both put up a good fight and our arms felt like noodles afterward - spaghetti and linguine!
It was a long day, but a very rewarding way to start the new year!
