Article by Capt. Franky Pettolina
This time last year I was typing about taking fishing rods down to our charter boat, “Last Call” and complaining that it was the first time that I had touched a fishing rod since October. Thankfully that is not the case this year. Yes, Dad is still bugging me to get all the rods down to the boat (so far I have made two trips and still have one, maybe two, more loads of rods to go), but I did in fact get to go fishing a little bit this past winter. Since you last heard from me in the Coastal Fisherman Winter Edition I have fished a whopping three days. They were, however, pretty spectacular days… each in their own way.
Day 1
Fishing out of Bud-n-Mary’s Marina in Islamorada, Florida aboard the “That’s Right” with Capt. John Oughton. The rest of our crew consisted of the mates Austin and Tommy, Capt. Monica of the “A Salt Weapon 3”, her husband Ryan, my Co-Captain Chris and his wife Missy (also referred to as the sister I never wanted) and yours truly. The plan for the day was to harass anything that swims, but to put our emphasis on chasing sailfish.
For those of you that haven’t spent much time in the Florida Keys… What the heck is wrong with you???? It’s great down there! But I digress. The name of the game when targeting sails in the Keys during the wintertime is live baiting. We started our day with the mates throwing a cast net at schools of ballyhoo and assorted other reef dwellers. Johnny O and the crew of the “That’s Right” have got the bait fishing down pat. In very little time we had a livewell full of tasty sailfish snacks and we proceeded to run up to the north where the best of the action had been in the days leading up to our trip. It felt like we ran forever, but in reality we had probably only ran about 10 or 12-miles. That’s one of the great things about fishing in the Keys, a 10-mile run seems like a long way! In short order we had two kites up in the air with multiple baits dangling beneath each kite, a free drifting bait and a bait on the bottom to try and scare up some dinner.
The sailfish did not cooperate right away but that didn’t stop the rods from bending. The bottom rod paid off with a nice mutton snapper and the other rigs accounted for an assortment of mackerel, bonita and barracuda. There was plenty of action, just not our target species.
Around lunchtime we made a move a little to the south and it paid off. The sails must not have been in the mood for breakfast, instead choosing to make lunch their main meal of the day. Running right along the edge of the reef, Capt. John spotted a couple of free swimming sailfish. Baits were pitched and we were hooked up tight on one! A few minutes, and some wild jumps later, we had a feisty sail boatside for the release. Somehow during that fight Chris was able to hook a mahi that swam up to the boat to see what was going on, so we also had more dining fare in the box. The action continued to be exciting that afternoon but our luck turned bad and we did not successfully release any more sails (I am pretty sure Ryan messed one up though).
Day 2
Same boat, same place, slightly different plan and crew. For our second day we were joined by my wife Jen. For those of you that do not know, Jen let me describe her idea of a good fishing trip. It involves nets, gaffs, guns, explosives, weapons of mass destruction and anything else that causes carnage. Be prepared to throw away your clothes because they will be covered in blood and guts. The fish box better be overflowing and the only things that get released are billfish. If it is edible and of legal size it better stay away from my wife! Also, don’t let down your guard around her or you are liable to receive a fish slap with a mahi or you could end up with a mackerel in your hoodie!
Johnny and his crew were well aware of this and we were rigged and ready for an all out assault on the reef. We caught our live baits quickly again and then we moved on to one of Johnny’s snapper holes. And thus began the mayhem. Yellowtail snappers? Dead. Mutton snappers? Dead. Gray snappers? Dead. Beeliners? Dead. Groupers? Dead. King mackerel? Dead. Cero mackerel? Dead. Porgy? Dead. Barracudas? Dead. By the end of the trip Jen had commandeered the gaffs because merely cranking them in wasn’t enough to satisfy her primal urge to curtail the fish population! Now before any of you fish huggers get your feelings hurt, not a one was wasted. Everything was consumed or used for future baits. Jen likes to get the fish box dirty and the decks bloody, but she won’t harvest anything that won’t be put to good use. She also happens to be a science teacher, so do not take your chances debating fishery management with her. Then you will get your feelings hurt!
Day 3
Christmas Eve. A whole new gig. Capt. Monica and Ryan had to go home for the family Christmas. Missy just doesn’t have the stamina to fish too many days while on vacation. Chris? Well suffice it to say either the lobster bisque or some bad conch got the best of him and a boat toilet is no one’s favorite place to spend the day. That left Jen and me to accept the invitation from Capt. Jake Robinson to go daytime swordfishing aboard his beautiful 33-foot custom walk around L and H express, “Stuff It”. After a slight delay due to a pair of forgotten sunglasses we were on our way to the swordfish grounds. Compared to the other fisheries in the Keys, this spot is a ways further offshore. About 20 miles. Have I said that I love the Keys? Anyway, we left about 7:00 AM and we were making our first deep drop by 8:30. Drop numero uno proved to be unsuccessful, and I was quite happy to have the hybrid electric assist reel to crank up the 10 pound lead, strobe light, and Bonito belly strip from the 1,600 foot depths. We repositioned and made our second drop. Drop number two was a bit more exciting as we came tight on a bite. But the outcome was much the same as the first and I was again thankful for the electric assist. They say that the third time is the charm, although I don’t know if “they” have ever been swordfishing. In this instance, at least, “they” were right. We were tight again. Jolly old Capt. Santa came a little early and around 10:30 AM the harpoon was drilled through a 100 pound swordfish. Jen had the straight gaff ready to lend a hand and a little while later we had our Christmas swordy under ice for his long winter nap and we were back to the dock by noon. Jake’s wife, Meeghan, was waiting for us at the dock with the perfect topper for our Christmas Eve fishing adventure. A Santa hat for the swordfish and some Elf hats for the rest of the crew.
Now that I have shared the sum total of my winter fishing trips with you I am going to go take another batch of rods to the “Last Call”. I look forward to sharing a few more fish stories with you this season, and I would like to wish all of my readers the best of luck this summer. It is a great time to be alive! Unless you are a fish. Especially if you are a fish within gaffing distance of my wife!
Capt Franky Pettolina is Co-Captain of the charter boat, “Last Call”, owner of Pettolina Marine Surveying, Inc. and multi-term President of the Ocean City Marlin Club.