Well I finally got around to posting a 2007 report! I thought the updated one was on here, but instead the 2006 run down was up. Ooops. Well, better late than never. The 2007 season offshore was a blast as usual. The boat ran great. The bait was abundant. The weather was friendly, and the fish were snappin! We began our bluewater quests in mid July. Heres how it all went down.

Our first trip out was straight to Veatch canyon with the Bob Richards party onboard. We found a nice patch of blue ocean that was littered with 60 to 100 pound yellowfin, and we proceeded to hammer into action right away. The fish were schooled tightly with the porpoise, and were assaulting everything in the spread, the way tuna always do! We also caught a nice 65 pound wahoo for the dinner table, not to mention a ton of mahi to 20 pounds. We raised a blue marlin that we didn't manage to get a hook into. That night we drifted across the deep water and scored a nice 150 pound swordfish. That was a tasty critter too! The next day it was lock and load with more big 80 pound yellowfin...nice fish for out there. We were throwing hundreds of dollars of fish back into the sea after a while. Great trip.

The next voyage was with three time returning guests, the David Reed party. We basted out to Hydrographer canyon in search of marlin, and marlin we found. Within the first few hours of trolling, we tripled up on two whites and a blue. Went 1 for 3 on a nice stalky whitey. We hooked and missed two more whites. Not to mention, we were inundated with more big bruiser yellowfin tuna in the 80 pound class...one after the other. Then we stumbled across an acre sized school of skipjack. Immediately we had two live baits flopping on the deck which were quickly bridled and thrown back into the sea. 20 minutes later an huge boil erupted off the port rigger and one of the frisky trolled baits was inhaled by something much bigger! We brought the fish boatside, a very nice several hundred pound mako which got the IFGA quick release...aka bit off the leader at the boat. That night we settled in drifting across deep water and started hooking into the swordies. We went one for three on a nice fish that blasted out of the ocean right behind the boat. That was cool. The small 60 pound fish was quickly released to fight another day. The next morning all hell broke loose. The tuna started in hard. Then it happened. A bomb went off on the long rigger bait and one of my 50's started screaming, and I mean screaming...eyeball!!!! An hour later a 75 inch bigeye, caught by David Reed, was pulled through the door...what a beautiful fish! Everyone was exhausted, so we headed for the barn...another stellar trip.

The wind howled for a week straight, and we geared up for Block Island Tri State Tourney. We started fishing at the Tails, and it was dead, small rat yellowfin and a wahoo bite off, a couple of rat mahi too. No life, lots of boats. I blasted out of there and ran 30 miles along the shelf at medium speed looking for life up or down. We found some birds and porpoise at West Atlantis, along with some serious bait at 100 feet. We pounded the area for two days. Yellowfin tuna assaulted the spread every half hour. Eventually we were throwing 60 pound fish over the side. Since this event is a tuna tourney only, we pulled a tuna spread consisting of bars, chains, and meat. We did hook a very nice blue marlin which came unbuttoned rather quickly...better off anyway as time is precious out there. Other boats were hooking blue marlin as well, and most of the fish were 500 pound class fish. It was entertaining listening to the whining chatter about blue marlin and how they are a frustrating by-catch during this tuna event...very amusing. The night bite was slow again, but we did see some fish under the lights, small 50 to 60 pound yellowfin. Scotty dip netted a flying fish and sent it out on a balloon. The thing was inhaled on the surface with a series of phantom pounding splashes out in the shadows. Unfortunately we pulled the hook. The next morning we went back on the troll and two of my Penn 80s started screaming and two huge holes were left in the ocean on the long baits. Backing soon raced off the spools and we all knew something special was taking place! Eyeballs!!!! Everyone scrambled into position and the two big tuna settled into the depths. Nick jumped on one rod and Scott W on the other. The heat was on. 30 minutes later, nicks fish was boatside, and not long after, on the deck, a nice 150 pound class bigeye tuna. No time for cheering yet, the bigger of the two fish was still 100 yards away from the boat. After about another half hour, the 2nd fish was boatside and gaffed...beautiful fish that clocked in at 159 pounds. Now there was cause for serious celebration. We went 2 for 2 on bigeye tuna and placed third in the event overall.

The next two trips were rough ventures! The wind was blowing 15 to 20 out of the northeast! We welcomed four time returning guests the Bill Leahey crew where we blasted out to Atlantis. We managed a few fish, but man did we pay for it! The drift was easily 6 to 8's all night long..too rough to fish. But these guys were hearty souls, and got their sushi anyway. We fished right after with 4 time returning guest, Jerome Baril on the boat. Jerome is a diehard fish nut...drives down from Montreal Canada, by himself, to fish with us, and fish we do! It took us a while to find the fish, but once we did, we hammered into action with yellowfin and albacore tuna in to 50 pound class as well as a few mahi. We lost a swordfish at night. The next morning the longfin albies were everywhere. No billfish though, but all the sushi we could handle on this venture.

The next venture was the Hyannis Bluewater Billfish Tourney. Left in the dark after the captains meeting. The wind was howling out of the southwest, and the seas were no joke. At one point. i could hardly see anything and had to slow down to 15 knots. Eventually we made it out to West Atlantis canyon as the sun was just starting to peek out of the horizon. The bite started fairly quickly and we managed a few nice yellowfin, all in the 65 to 70 pound range. The wind settled down for a while and we caught a bunch of mahi during the late morning and afternoon. Then the marlin showed up. We hooked and lost four whites...very frustrating. At least we're getting the bites, but the hooks were pulling. The boys in the pit were doing everything right. it just didn't work. Then we got bit off by a nice wahoo. Things were definately looking grim for a while. Then our luck changed. A huge boil erupted behind the teaser. then another boil. These were big fish. then a huge crash on the short rigger bait. Missed. Scotty dropped a pitch bait back in the zone. Boom. Off we went. Andre jumped on the rod. The seas were building, with some 7 and 8 footers thrown in. I kept the stern into the sea, and we inched this fish in. 45 minutes later the crew scrambled into action, and a 180 pound bigeye tuna hit the deck soon after. We all knew this was a money fish. Congrats were in order, and then it was right back down to business.

But a very bizarre event took place a couple of minutes later. The fish while banging away on the deck as we scrambled to put lines back in the water, opened the tuna door with its tail, and almost slid out! It was like a fumble drill in football practice. Four guys literally leaping on top of the fish as if the deck was the endzone at Gillette.

We spent the night on the drift in some nasty seas, chumming away. We managed a small swordfish. We took a quick picture and back in the drink went the stalky critter. We also boated a few more mahi that came in under the lights. The next moring was looking good until one of my engine alarms sounded. My raw water system was clogged with weed, and my impella was fried. Changing the impella on my motors is a trying proposition at the dock as its very hard to get to. Doing it in 4 to 7 foot seas was a real pain in the ass. It took me amd my mate Kevin two hours in a following sea heading away from the fish. Eventually we put things back together, and were trolling in the next canyon over toward the east, Atlantis. The weeds were bad there too, but the place was fishy. We doubled up on huge wahoo, and broke both fish off. Then we hooked a blue marlin which came unbuttoned. We had very little time to fish so we eventually had to pullenm up and head for the barn after boating a 17 pound mahi. It was tough having to leave such a fishy place. The water looked great and there was a four degree temp break right on the 100 fathom line...perfect. Oh well. We made it back to the wiegh in on time again. That was good. The bigeye was the only one caught in the tourney, so we won the entire calcutta for that species as well as the Back out on Thursday. Catchem up!

We then welcomed 7 time returning guests, the Don Petit crew on board. We blasted back to West Atlantis and fished a crowded fleet of boats. The fishing was a little slow, a few lulls in between assaulting packs of 50 pound yellowfin. We did eventually catch a very nice 75 pound wahoo though...by far the tastiest fish in the ocean as far as I'm concerned. The night fishing yielded a few more yellowfin and mahi as did the next day on the troll. Overall a decent trip.

We welcomed 17 time returning guest Andre Mallegal and crew on the boat for another venture to Atlantis canyon. We found the tuna right away and proceeded to hammer into action, especially with the longfin. The tuna stayed right with us through the night. It was literally non stop with drags screaming, fish caught, and ultimately fish lost! One fish in particular was a real screamer that didnt stop until it went around a high flyer. What a blast to have a great night bite out there under the stars though...literally non stop. The next day since the guys were sick and tired of battling tuna, we ventured way south in much deeper water to look for a marlin. A few hours later under the hot sun we found what we were looking for and boated/released a nice whitey. Overall a great trip!