Need A Little Luck Sometimes

Report Date: March 1, 2025

  The past couple of trips have been amazing but also disappointing. A week or so ago while kite fishing, we had two big yellowfin tunas explode on the kite baits. The first one missed the short bait, but the second one got hooked on the middle bait. The big yellowfin ran on the surface as well reeled everything in to chase it down. Once we got everything in, we stayed with the fish on the surface as we watched her large sickle fins, cutting the surface and racing on top. We got close to her before she dove down and headed offshore. We got the angler in a harness and started our battle. Everything was going as it should but after 1 hour and 53 minutes the leader got chafed off by the hook. Yellowfins have very small teeth and unless the hook is in her jaw and not down the hatch, this is usually what happens. We lost that fish, but it was a memory no one will forget.
The drama continues into swordfishing. A couple of days ago, we hooked a swordfish on the buoy rod. This fish raced to the surface, and we had complete slack in the line as this swordfish had no problem carrying the 10-pound lead to the surface. This is indicative of a large fish. As we were within 300 feet of her and she felt the sunlight, she dove back down, and the hook pulled. The very next day, we hooked another big swordfish on the buoy rod. She also raced up to the top, a sign of a big fish. This time we got to the leader, but she screamed back to the bottom. We coaxed her up and got a great look at her and put her at 350 400 pounds. We got her close enough to get a dart shot but we missed, which is no surprise as this fish was still very green and racing all over the place. We inched her up only to have her dive down again. This happened again a few times and then the hook just pulled. Upon looking at the leader it was apparent that she was only bill wrapped and never had the hook in her. Another disappointment but another great memory.

Besides these lost fish, we have had some terrific sailfishing. I went briefly on vacation to Jackson Hole, but before that we caught 20 sailfish in three days. While I was gone there was a sailfish tournament that was phenomenal. In two days of fishing, 70 boats caught over 1500 sailfish. That is phenomenal. Although the sailfishing can’t be like that every day, it shows you what the potential is on any given trip. I predict that March and April will be epic sailfishing.

As we enter March, it is quite alarming on the lack of trips in the books. It is not just me, but every charter boat I have spoken to. For us, we usually have 25 or more days booked this month. So far, we only have 10 days booked. Not sure what is going on, but I call on all my customers to give us a call and let’s sample some of the best fishing of the year. I know that the sailfishing is going to explode in March and really want to get in on the action. It’s amazing that after 30 years, I still get fired up to go sailfishing! Book your trips and Let’s Go!

Tight Lines,
Capt. Dean Panos

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