Offshore, inshore and down south.

From Capt. Justin Haddock......

"Went offshore yesterday and only wanted to troll till lunch then bottom fish. Wind and current was just too much second drop my buddy started turning green. How about that wahoo was caught 4 miles inside the14 bouy? Never made it out much past 14 because of rain. Coming in had to check out the knuckle bouy.  Cast right up on it and there was a big cobia, but it pulled off. 

                                        

Nearshore slam with Capt. Joe Ward: 

 

And down South on the Dragin Fly.....

100 pound tunas busting poppers.....

.....is about as exciting as it gets.  I had it happen to me a couple of times this week, but I have not stayed connected with the big one yet.  We caught a bunch of 40-60 pounders today, one about 80 on conventional, but I had a Volkswagen air out on my Ranger that was skipping on top of the waves at the end of my spinning rod, a new Shimano Tallus with Saragosa 20,000 and 65 pound Power Pro.  I had what I needed to give it a good try, but after showing me how big she was, then coming back and eating it, she just pulled a little drag, but didn't stay connected.

Capt. Ray and some recent skiff trips

The tunas have arrived.......

.....in Costa Rica anyway, and along with them a good wave of blue marlin.   Casting poppers at busting 40-100 pound yellowfins is one of my favorite things and I got a good dose of it yesterday afternoon.....after we caught our blue marlin.   Of the 6 charter boats fishing day trips out of Los Suenos, I think that everyone saw or caught  least 1 marlin.   The FADs continue to be firing off and the Dragin Fly has PLENTY of openings over the next month if you want a quick trip and take advantage of the Green Season rates or maybe man-up and take multi-day trip to the sea mounts.

Complete Report from Capt. Jake Jordan

Blue Marlin on fly, School
Report, Los Suenos CR
June 17, 18, 19, 20, 2014


Greetings from Costa Rica:
   I just got in from spending from Tuesday at noon to Friday at 4:00 PM fly fishing for Blue Marlin aboard "Dragin Fly" With my friend and Marlin School student Paul Lombardi. I have not had time to down load the pictures or video yet, however here is a preliminary report on my first Blue Marlin Fly  Fishing School, in Costa Rica, which I typed during the trip and on my way in to the dock at Los Suenos.

    I am 109 miles out from Los Suenos marina resort in Costa Rica,  as I type this part of my report, it is now 12:00 noon on June 18. On Monday I arrived and met my student  Paul Lombardi at our condo at the Los Suenos Resort, we hooked up with Captain James and mates Alberto and Marcos, our crew,  aboard Dragin Fly for the next 4 days of fly fishing for Blue Marlin. We  had a great dinner in the Italian restaurant in the resort, got a good night sleep, and loaded our gear aboard Dragin fly.
On Tuesday June 17, we left Los Suenos marina at 10:30 AM, ran 25 miles out and then we began trolling teasers, looking for Marlin. At 2:30 we raised a 450 pound Blue Marlin which refused to tease, and then at 5:00 PM Paul caught our dinner, a 20 pound Yellow Fin Tuna, on fly! We arrived at destination "Blue Marlin-X-1", (BM-X-1) at 10:00 PM, put out our sea anchor and slept well in a 2 foot swell with calm seas and bright moonlight.

We awoke, then showered and ate breakfast at 4:30 AM on June 18, at 5:10 we deployed our teasers, and at 5:20, I cast my fly to a 175 pound Blue Marlin. By 5:40 AM I had caught and released my first Blue Marlin of the day, a 175 pound red hot fish, which ate a pink and white Cam Sigler popper fly, the fish was caught on 20 pound tippet. By 7:00 AM, Paul had hooked a 250 pound Blue marlin which came unhooked after a 5 minute battle. Next Paul hooked and landed a 150 pound Blue Marlin on fly, his first ever Blue Marlin and his first Marlin on fly. By 8:00 AM we had raised 5, got 3 bites and Caught 2 Blue Marlin on fly, then the fishing turned on.

So far today We have raised, 12 Blue Marlin and two sailfish, we had 5 bites from 5 Blue Marlin, I caught a 175 and a 250 pound fish from 2 bites, Paul caught a 150 pound marlin from 3 bites. We also went 1 for 2 on sailfish on fly.
At 6:00 PM we quit fishing, what a day, I got 3 Blue Marlin to eat my fly, and caught all three, (A new personal best for me) and I caught a sailfish on fly today. Paul who had never done this and is wanting to learn, hooked four Blue Marlin and caught his first Blue Marlin ever on his first day, he also caught a sailfish on fly. Our team, "Dragin Fly", raised 21 Blue Marlin, and 3 sailfish, we got 7 Blue Marlin and 3 sailfish to bite, our total score was four blue Marlin and two sailfish  caught and released, on fly, on June 18, 2014.

    June 19, 2014: Slept great, woke up at 3:30 AM, had sausage and eggs for breakfast, took a shower, put on sun screen, pulled in the sea anchor, and began fly fishing at 5:30 AM in dead calm seas. By 8:30 we hadn't seen a fish so we decided to head to destination "BM-X-2", about 40 miles away, we trolled over there, and arrived at 11:30 AM. By 11:50 AM I had caught and released my first Blue Marlin of the day, a 175 pound fish. Paul hooked, fought, and pulled the hook on a 200 pounder within the next 20 minutes, then he hooked another 150 pound Blue Marlin which came off at 1:00 PM.

At 1:30 I hooked a Big Blue Marlin, this fish was tough, I applied maximum pressure for just over an hour, before catching and releasing a 275 pound Blue Marlin, on 20 pound tippet. (After 1 &  1/2 days of fly fishing for Blue Marlin on this trip I have hooked five and caught five Blue Marlin on Fly), by the way, this fish was my 25th Blue Marlin caught on fly during my career as a Marlin fly angler.

Paul Lombardi, then hooked a   big Marlin, over 300 pounds, on his next cast, it ate the Cam Sigler (pink) fly, and ran off 200 yards from the drag on my Mako #9700 fly reel, before it jumped, showing us that it was a big Black Marlin. Paul worked hard and followed directions well, James did a great job menuvering the "Dragin Fly", and 20 minutes later, Paul Lombardi, had released his first ever Black Marlin on fly. a fish which was close to 350 pounds. At 5:00 PM we left  destination "BM-X-2 and started to putt back over to destination "BM-X-1", where we deployed our sea anchor and slept until 4:00 AM. The total score for today, raised 5 Blue and one Black Marlin, got bites from 4 Blue Marlin and one Black Marlin, and we caught 2 Blue Marlin and one Black Marlin.

Today, June 20, 2014, we had breakfast in dead calm seas, and deployed our teasers at 5:30 AM, we fished this spot for an hour and then began our long trip home to Los Suenos, after my first, Costa Rica Blue Marlin on fly school.  During our two days of fly fishing on destination BM-X-1 and BM-X-2, we had raised a total of 25 Blue Marlin, one Black Marlin, and four Sailfish. We got bites on fly from 11 Blue Marlin, one Black Marlin, and 3 Sailfish, and we caught and released, 6 Blue Marlin, one Black Marlin, and two Sailfish on fly "Dragin Fly". Paul had caught some Sailfish on fly with me at a Sailfish School in Guatemala, last year but no Marlin. During our two days of fly fishing he managed to catch a Blue Marlin on fly, A Sailfish on fly, and a Black Marlin on fly.   Meanwhile I was lucky enough to catch and release five Blue Marlin on fly, from 5 bites, during our two days along with a sailfish on fly.

All fish during my Blue Marlin Costa Roca School were caught while using TFO Blue Water HD rods, Mako #9700 fly reels, Rio Livathan  fly lines, and Gamakatsu  Octapus hooks. Stay tuned for more Fly Fishing school reports shortly, I love my job, wish you were here. Pictures later.
Regards:
Jake

Jake Jordan
Jake Jordan's Fishing Adventures
PO Box 309
Havelock, NC 28532
252-444-3308 Office
305-872-6060 Cell
www.jakejordan.com

Fly fishing the FADs

Dragin Fly just got back from a 3 night/2 day trip to the FADs in attempts to catch a blue marlin on the fly.   Congrats to Capt. Jake Jordan who caught 5 blue marlin and one sailfish on the fly in two days.  His fishing partner Paul caught an impressive grand slam with one blue marlin, one sailfish and one very rare black marlin on the fly in two days of fishing.
The report was that they had 30 hot blue marlin on the transom and never threw anything at them but the fly.   Some refusals, broken lines,  and hot bites yielded an amazing 6 blue marlin, 1 black marlin and 2 sails on the fly in only two days.  

Here are a few pics from the trip, the complete report and video coming from Capt. Jake Jordan.

 
 

Pamlico Pups

Lots of double headers and smiling faces with Capt. Greg on the Pamlico Sound today....double digit day on the pups and almost two full handfuls of big ones.

Barring only a couple of openings in early August and late September, Capt. Greg Voliva is booked up.....but he's open this weekend. 

Why does everyone want to wait until August to go fishing?  

 

shag'n sharks

little sharks, big sharks, plenty of sharks.  Short sharks, long sharks, and flat sharks. Jumping sharks, pulling sharks, twisting sharks and sharks that just shake.  Even little baby sharks about 10 inches long with teeth like their dadda,  They just hold on all the way to the boat. No cobia.

today

caught a cobia today, anchored up and in between shagging sharks and rays.   It wuz a keepa
tarpon reports are starting to filter in from the sound.

R and R and meat on hooks

Rest and Relaxation....actually a working Father's Day vacation up in the mountains for me.

Meanwhile on the coast and rivers......
Capt. Chris is catching a few flounders and plenty of aj's, even an occasional cobia if it crosses his path.   Capt. Greg is reporting excellent catches of pups and flounder in the lower Neuse.   Capt. Joe Ward says the trout are going to have a tough time hiding in a couple of days with the opening of trout season and there are consistent reports of big drum in the river already.   I have not seen them in the ocean in a couple of weeks, so that's about right.   Also a tarpon was caught on the Bogue Inlet Pier.  I'd rather not display the carnage of dead fish on hook, I don't know who looks worse, the fish or the angler, they're both pretty red around the gills.     At least when one is killed in Costa Rica, there is more priority on making fish cakes for the village than meat hanging on a hook for a picture in the local paper.   What a shame.

They're still here.....

.....although I did anchor up and put out the bait.  took about 10 minutes at the 2nd spot. 

Stripers aren't the only fish eating Mitch's flies on the Roanoke

 

Yesterday.....

.....on the Dragin Fly 

.....and with Capt. Greg and the kids: 

Credit where credit is due

This is the shot that most people will see of the 821 pound blue marlin that just won the Cape Fear Blue Marlin Tournament by the Coverage

 Below is the shot taken immediately after they boated the fish.

"....attached is a picture of the Coverage crew praying after catching the 821 pound blue marlin to take the Cape Fear Blue Marlin Tournament...The Coverage has won 2 tournaments so far and leads the NC Governors Cup...The captain is Hunter Blount and Bill Blount (his dad) was on the boat..Guys this is what it is about not the catching of the fish but putting Jesus in all you do"  ----Jamin

Thanks for passing along.

book end cobia

Saw 3 in the first hour and caught all three of them, two shorts and one that will not make it up the beach to see Rick Caton.   100 miles and 6 hours later we saw 2 more coming in the inlet.  They would not eat.

Meanwhile, the Dragin Fly is on the way from Los Suenos to Papagayo to defend our title.  I hope they didn't use all their luck today, catching a blue marlin and a pair of sails with the lines in the water for just a short time.

What is the difference between a 3/4 day and a full day

A customer who just booked a NC tarpon date was trying to determine whether he wanted to book a 3/4 day or a full day and asked what is the difference?

"A ¾ day is just enough time to find the  tarpon, get them chummed up, then leave before you get a bite because the guide has to drop you off and pick up the afternoon charter who is going right where you left them and catch your fish.   For a full day, no one is wearing a watch as long as the tarpon are rolling around the boat.    5-6 hours for 8-10 hours respectively

Trout and Snapper Seasons set to open, book your trip now

Trout Season opens June 15.   Down East Guides like Capt. Joe Ward are chomping at the bit to put release some of those big trout into the grease for a change.

Red Snapper Season opens for 8 days in July.   We've been trying to stay away from those big American Red Snappers, but sometimes it's hard to do.  Capt. Chris Kimrey and Capt. Ray Massengill  among other of our guides are really looking forward to tuning into them and letting something other than the sharks have snapper for dinner.

Recreational Open Dates:
Weekend 1 Friday, July 11
                  Saturday, July 12
                  Sunday, July 13

Weekend 2 Friday, July 18
                  Saturday, July 19
                  Sunday, July 20

Weekend 3 Friday, July 25
                  Saturday, July 26

Bottom fishing remains consistent, where are the cobia on top?

Water temps are barely holding in the low 70's, plenty enough to have more cobia on top than what we're seeing.  There are still plenty of fish being caught on the bottom, but as I mentioned before, that just ain't my thing.  We do have some guides available for bait fishing for cobia.  Meanwhile, I keep searching and saving the day with the amberjacks.  Some groupers and an occasional cobia are making their appearance along the way.

Fishing with Capt. Chris Kimrey

Thanks Anna - it was good.  The weather was wonderful with clear sky and almost no swell.  We brought home 20+ spanish and also did some jigging inshore which was fun and the kids   and I came back in one piece :-)

Mark