CaptBillB

As the summertime temperatures heats up so does the fishing upon the offshore arena. This is especially true for those anglers who head out to do battle with the sharks that begin to invade the near coastal waters that abut the Montauk Point and Block Island waters during the mid-June time frame. Last weekend featured the first shark tournament of the year, the 21st Annual Star Island Shark tournament that was held at the Star Island Yacht Club at Montauk Point, Long Island, from June 14- to 16.
Last Thursday afternoon, after a quick stop on the Watch Hill Reef Complex for some bluefish, Pat (1st mate/son) and I took the Tim Connors four man charter group from Foxboro, MA on a 14.5 mile lumpy and bumpy journey aboard the BILLFISH over to Slip 89 at the Star Island Yacht Club at Montauk Point, NY. We arrived at the marina at roughly 1630 to find nearly 300 crews preparing their boats and tackle for the start of the Shark Tournament that would begin the next morning at 0600.
After tying up and cleaning the boat, we met up with a contingent of other participants in the event from Rhode Island and Connecticut at the picnic area behind SIYC. Jorge Ospina (chef extraordinaire), and one of Connecticut based boat, ‘Sand Dollar’s' boat team members cooked up a meal fit for a king. We then all headed over to the tournament tent at 1930. As in many of the northeastern shark tournaments, we saw many familiar faces in attendance at the captain's meeting as many of the same crews fish the circuit of these events that are held from New Jersey up to Maine during the summer season.
After a quick summation of the rules/angling times/etc., we were informed that the Humane Society of the United States would be protesting this event. While they definitely have the right to express their viewpoint about shark fishing, they are less than truthful in regards to exactly what their organization’s stated aims really are. In fact, their agenda strays far from their stand on this form of angling as, although they've declared a virtual jihad against shark tournaments and their participants, their intentions are actually focused upon more mainstream issues that would affect everyday life for the majority of the US population.
However, other than a plane circling overhead dragging a banner that read, “Stop Cruel Shark Tournaments Now,” their whole protest was a non-event that consisted of 15 non-local individuals with professionally produced signs, and whole page ads in local newspapers. A mandated visit to the website-
http://www.activistcash.com/organization_overview.cfm/oid/136 - should convince one and all that they are engaged in a nefarious course of action that strays far from their stated agenda shark fishing which would have repercussions for farmers, fishermen, the dairy industry, and those engaged in biomedical research. Be warned and be very wary of this organization as their actions belie their publicly stated intentions and basically defines the word disingenuous.
After a congenial conversation with Capt. Chris Peters (captain of the team that landed the world record 1,221-lb. mako shark in 2001) about water temperature locations, their prefishing results, etc., both his and my game plans were set. Most of these teams are running VERY large, fast boats. Chris operates the ‘PATRIOT,’ a 65-ft. Viking, and these large vessels have speed and range that very few others can match.
After getting up at 0445 on Friday to assess the possible effects that a stiff NE wind that was blowing would have, we slowly motored out to the sea buoy off of Montauk Inlet for the 'shotgun start' that was scheduled for 6 AM. With the majority of the nearly 300 boat entered and accounted for within a square half mile, I have to admit, no matter how many times I've experienced the start of this event, it's almost indescribable how thrilling (and adrenaline producing) that the results that the 0600 announcement of 'GO!' truly is. Center consoles from the mid 20-ft. range compete with 80-ft. battlewagons all going balls-to-the-wall trying to reach Montauk Point first before heading off to the open vistas of the Atlantic. If you’d like to view true aquatic mayhem and any number of near serious marine incidents and catastrophes in a sea beaten to a frenzied froth, then this is the time and place to see it.
We then had a bumpy 39-mile jaunt to the SSW off of Montauk Point through very sloppy seas where satellite temperature charts and my logbook indicated a historical pattern, and a decent chance that a mako or thresher might be in attendance. We set up the slick over a piece of structure on the 35-Fathom Curve and it wasn't too long before the first of many blue sharks came a-calling. Within the space of a short while, the ‘blue horde’ laid waste to all of our baits due to their insatiable appetites for fresh bluefish fillets. We actually ended up fishing with only one rod in the water out of the four that we’d started with as the fishing became so frenetic.
Snappy water conditions, featuring 3- to 6-ft. swells topped with a nasty chop, soon had Tim calling in the dinosaurs with a near terminal case of mal-de-mere. With sympathy in our hearts, but devilment on our minds, we all took great advantage in making his misery a little more painful in good natured ways. On Friday, most of the too many to count bluedogs fell within the weight range of 75- to 175-lb which was below the 200-lb weigh-in minimum for this species. We definitely had a thresher bite and, while the results were not what I'd hoped for when the hook was set on the ‘whiptail,’ that's what sometimes happens when you’re fishing with guys who are relatively new to the sharking game.
On that first day of fishing, there were plenty of boats on the horizon no matter which direction you looked at with most boats choosing to set up on areas that featured preferred temperature parameters that were located over bottom structure. The ‘Sand Dollar's’ crew, set up about five miles from us, had a fish tale to tell about ‘The one that got away!' as they hooked into a very large thresher that ‘spooled their reel’ after a one hour and 35 minute battle and escaped a ride back to the scales.

Shortly before 1030, a large Ocean Yacht pulled in and began to set up less than a half mile away with the potential for the start of a territorial war. However, once I contacted its captain on the VHF and asked him politely (honestly) to move away a bit further, he apologized for his fishing faux pas. After he agreed to move away (a very nice guy who I talked with at length back at the dock), I mentioned that he should, "Move up to the NW roughly a mile and a half to a piece of structure to start your drift as we dropped a good fish there." Well, that boat was aptly named 'FISH' as they found that my suggestion held some serious merit since they soon found themselves hooked up with what tuned out to be the tournament’s second place fish, a 372-lb Mako. This highly acrobatic and gnarly toothed fish was fought for one and a half hours before their crew could subdue it and take it aboard. In fact, once we arrived back at the dock at 1745, we discussed the exact number of how many libations their crew owed me for the hint. The captain was a great guy and we both laughed at the irony of the fact that I’d put him on a ‘money fish’ on a piece of real estate that our boat had previously drifted over.
At day’s end on Friday, we quickly huddled with a few fellow captains and discussed each other’s results so as to concoct a game plan for the next day. We then enjoyed a great meal at the SIYC bar/restaurant where Jorge met up with our group as his Sand Dollar crew had already crashed and burned. Good friend Tony Timpano from Mystic turned up with his girlfriend Katrina (a swimsuit model) on his arm and wanted to spend time with her rather than us. Any wonder why that might be the case?
On Saturday, the boat pulled out of the slip for a repeat of ‘The mass dash of the lemmings' at the time of the day’s 0600 start. We headed back to an area not too far from the day before in much calmer seas. This day featured beautiful sea conditions- 61.2 degree, clear/clean blue, slightly green-tinted water with relatively light SW winds. There was lots of life around the boat with a whole lot of molas (Ocean Sunfish) and Shearwater Gulls in sight throughout the day. Basically, it was a repeat of the previous day in regards to the number of bluedogs that were caught, with an exception in that we tail-hooked a thresher that slapped our live bluefish and then pulled the hook after nearly yanking Tim over the side of the boat.
The FISH pulled in a couple of miles away, late again, and quickly hooked up on a thresher that was slightly below the tournament legal limits. Once again, this turn of events provided some excellent material for a few good laughs. (After the Awards Banquet, they let us pose for photos with their trophies and 2nd place check.)
Saturday’s angling ended with our crew taking a marginal fish (the group had put some serious money up for the calcuttas, back to be weighed) that fell just short of the 200-lb minimum. The scene near the weigh-in dock was chaotic and, basically, a free-for-all with the operators of one or two boats acting very much like water-borne idiots. The organizers have got to get that part a little more in order or someone is going to end up with a dented boat, along with a broken nose. Money and attitude does strange things to some people who own big boats with an ego that matches.
The Awards Banquet went well, and the cash prizes were handed out. Here's the run-down on the winning boats with their catches:
First Place Overall - 374 lbs - Thresher - THREE G’S
First Place Mako -372 lbs - FISH.
Second Place Mako - 215 lbs - OH BROTHER
First Place Blueshark - 273 lbs - LUCIA
Second Place Blueshark - 259 lbs - HYPERACTIVE
Third Place Blueshark - 257 lbs - DORADO
First Place Other - 374 lbs - Thresher - THREE G’S
Second Place Other - 359 lbs - Thresher - TUNA TANGLER
Third Place Other - 300 lbs Thresher - PISCES III
The payout for the largest calcutta and cash prize went over $440,000 (I’m not sure which boat took that bag of cash home, as yet).
After waking up at 0600 on Sunday morning, we ate a leisurely breakfast at the Galley Restaurant at Star Island Marina with some of the other teams. Our charter crew showed up at 0915 and we quickly headed northward arriving back at the dock at Lotteryville Marina by 1030. Pat and I then cleaned up the boat and straightened up the tackle, heading for home at roughly 1400.
All in all, the weekend was a great experience and a whole lot of fun for all aboard.
While there were no winning fish on the BILLFISH but, for a fact, all aboard knew that we were in the right neighborhood in regards to where some big fish were swimming. In closing, one guiding principle to keep in mind is that there's always another day, and another tournament where the fish you just might catch will make all of your fishing dreams actually come true.
__________________
Bill
www.Billfishcharter.com

__________________
Bill
www.billfishcharter.com

gman

Great report, its Glenn did you get the logo I sent you last night for OB, everything work out. See you up there

Relentless

Bill,

Nice report and it sounds like it was pretty good fishing. It is nice to hear Billfish is back in the water and running again after the down time you had. I always enjoy hanging out at SIYC watching the boats come in and having a cold one. Needless to say the store is not too bad either for one at a marina carrying some nice offshore tackle and rigged baits.

Have a great season and talk to you soon.

Dave

__________________
Capt Dave Waldrip
www.relentlesscharters.com

74Formula233

Good report Bill!

Someone said Tuna Tangler got the 440k

Call me when you get a chance..........

__________________

gman

$440,000 could be very nice...LOL. That is a sweet payout

PPod

Thanks for the great report Bill.

Going Shaaaaarkin' this weekend and needed to hear where all the fish were caught in the tournament.

Made the mistake of runing all the way to the North Flats last Sat. only to find 51 degree water. Two weeks prior we ran to The Hudson and caught two keeper BlueFin so we figured we'd have a shot farther East. WRONG !

Thanks again,

Capt. P.

CaptDom

PPod, we fished the horns area on Friday, then the 40 fathom bank on Sat. Both days we had tons of life, whales, dolphin, bait, shearwaters, and plenty of sharks, including 2 100 class makos.....There is some decent water right now near Atlantis as well, up around 64 just off the shelf, with a nice hard break from 100-500 fathom....good looking water for mako!

__________________
CAPT. DOM PETRARCA
COASTAL CHARTERS SPORTFISHING
NEWPORT, RI (401)-862-0358
www.coastalcharterssportfishing.com

DionM

Thanks for the report. I enjoyed reading it and I have enjoyed your seminar at the RISAA show.

Boonebird

Your my hero Capt Bill. Man what a great job helping one out in to time of need. Thats good carma. Way to go.Tight lines

gman

whats that all about