astrafach

We left Mystic at 8:00 AM sunday morning 8/24. Ride out was fine, big sweels but spread out. About ten miles out we set up and started trolling, 30 min into trolling we were hit on the long center pink spreader bar, after a great battle with a 80 # yft he was gaffed and put into the boat. The doughnut was over. We worked that area for hours with nothing to show. We headed south toward the west end of the dip. Nothing. We decided to drop for some tile fish. The drift was to slow .35 kts/hr, we did manage one small tile fish before we started trollong again. Trolled the edge till 7:00 PM. Not much life so we decided to return to were the YFT was boated. We ancored in 350' of water and set up for the night. Dropped a 12" squid for a sword and began chunking. Tons of life but no tuna. We could have filled the boat with 9" squid. Around midnight the wind and seas picked up for an uncomfortable night. Two 15# mai mai were put into the box around 2:00 AM. At 6:00 AM we pulled the anchor and were on our way trolling again. The seas were 6' or better and close. After trolling for 20 min the starbord engine alarm goes off, manifold temp very high. There was a slight smell of burnt rubber, not good. We continued to troll north on one engine while freaking out. Checked the sea strainer to see if it was clogged no such luck. The impella was the next option and that was the problem. Changed the impella while trolling on one engine. I still have a small ringing in my ear. After twenty min and 1 gallon of sweat we were on two engines again. No more than 5 min after both engins were running we had a knock down on another spreader bar, green. We boated a small long finn. We trolled south and after 2hrs we had a knock down on a pink spreader bar, it turns out we had a huge white marlin at least 100# brought him to the boat for some photos and then sent him on his way. He took off like a rocket. While realing him in he broke off the tip of his bill whish made me feel like s**t. But he will be alright. We headed in with a mixed bag of fish. Quanity was terrible but the mix was great. One guy fishing for the first time in his life caught a huge YFT. And another guy fishing for the first time offshore in his life boated and released a white marlin. Total 1 huge YFT, 1 small tile fish, 2 mai mai, 1 lft and 1 released white marlin.

nightwatch

Sounds like you guys had a decent catch, any time you can overcome a mechanical issue(not sure how you pulled it off) that far off land and continue fishing, it is a great trip! Sounds like there are a lot of Marlin around this year compared to past years!
Tight Lines

Albatross

Great! Thanks for the report

Peckster

Now THAT's what I call tenacity! Nice job - nice array of fish! Hope you will post some of those pics!

Bryan A.

Nice Job on the impellar and the fish!!!!!

Great to be prepared and a good lesson to all to keep spare parts onboard and the tools needed to replace. What kind of engine? Diesel?

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2003 Parker 2530 "El Mar".......click the pic
1973 Seacraft 20SF

astrafach

Cats 3196 (660's)