Fat Fish

Got into some first hand action with the trout and the stripers.   I was impressed.   Double limit of trout, all very, very pretty fish, no sores and fat all the way down to the end of the tail.  Very healthy looking fish.  Same of the stripers.   Fat and clean.   Going to find out if the specks taste as good as they look, the stripers will make it another day.

George

Found those big trout......

.....and Capt. Mitch is still working on those stripers:

"Capt George,

Limits, throw backs, too big, too small, just right, high volume, 2 at a time, fly, casting, trolling, flipping, pitching, top, jig, jerk, cranking, and other; If any of these get your attention when you like to describe a good day on the water then you need to come on!" ---- Mitch 

 

Christina Matthis Massengill

Chris left peacefully yesterday morning.  Her loved ones were close and one of the pups in her lap.  Visitation Sunday Nov 23, 2014 5-7 pm Cotton Funeral Home
Graveside service at Greenleaf Memorial Park Lakeside Chapel Monday, Nov. 24 at 2:00 pm

plenty of spike trout

Wow.  Kind of overwhelmed by the numbers of trout that are being caught, but not necessarily the big ones.   Lots of 9-12 inch trout, just a few months old.  Their mommas and dads are around somewhere, but hiding.   I heard a couple of rumors, going to check them out this afternoon, but usually by the time I find out about a good trout bite, I arrive just in time to urinate on the coals of the camp fire because the party is over.....

short days and my office

While in CR last week I checked into the apartment that we're renting this year and I rearranged my desk so that I'm facing the window instead of the TV.  Thought that I would share with you the view.

Mighty short, dreary days up here.   Looking forward to getting out of the cabin for a few hours tomorrow.

Fishing with Capt. Ray

Capt. Ray is one of our most requested guides.  Over the past few months, Ray has been spending a lot of time at home taking care of his wife who has been on a tough journey.   He hasn't had much time to get out on the water, but we were able to arrange for him to ride along as a "Capt. for Hire" with one of our good customers on their own boat.   This is not something that we typically offer, but it worked out this time.   

From Lance---

"I meant to send you a note yesterday, but didn't get the chance to do so. We had a GREAT time with Capt. Ray, he called me to discuss the weather forecast for Friday and we agreed ......go out on Saturday. It was an amazing experience for us.   We stopped to fish for blues to be used as live bait, then stopped along the way out to catch a couple of False Albacore as they boiled up literally right in front of the boat (Ashley caught a toad and of course mine was smaller! :-) ) We kept both for use as bottom bait later on in the day.  Then we headed off to the N.W. Places to set up for the Kings. 

As you know, I'm full of questions, but mostly because I want to learn. Ray was very open with his knowledge as we set up a two dead bait and two live bait spread (key learning #1). We stopped at NW #1 first, but we quickly moved on to NW #3 because the water was a bit cold (key learning #2) and he didn't like the lack of bait on the chart plotter. We weren't at NW#3 long when we had our first bite (followed by two more bites) as we trolled the edge of the shelf (key learning #3). An awesome sound hearing the bait clicker scream with a smoker king!

We then moved out to the 10 fathom rock and started bottom fishing. Ray talked about what he was seeing on the bottom machine and helped me understand why he was fishing the ledge (key learning #4). We were searching for a grouper... We ended up with a good fish box of black sea bass, vermillion snapper, triggers, ring tails and one run on a grouper but he rocked us really quickly!

I really feel for Ray and what he and his family are going through. It was evident to me they have accepted the outcome, but are embracing each and every day they have together and it sounds like Kris is making plans for Christmas, which is the family's one wish is to have another Christmas together. To me, Ray seems to be a great man, something we can all aspire to be!

Thank you for setting up the day with Ray! He is a great Captain and an awesome guy!"

---Lance

albies still firing off at the coast

red hot action today!

Meanwhile Up the River

"Our best was just shy of 28", keeper box of 22's and lots of releases.  Had a great trip, steady action after the third cast, just right! Fish are on, come get some."   -----Capt. Mitch Blake

white boot day

Thanks Howard for the pics of what I've got to look forward to when I get home.   Watching a 20 pound king sky on a live bait 15 feet away from the boat is pretty cool.   I'm looking forward to it. 

The finals

2014 Presidential Challenge of Guatemala, Team Dragin Fly ended up in 4th, 2 fish out of "the money".   Congrats go out to Capt. Brad Phillips and his team for his first place and over 100 billfish releases in 3 days.

For the Presidential Challenge of Central America, Team Dragin Fly ended up in 2nd place, 2 fish behind the leader, the Tranquilo and the Cofer family from Carolina Beach, NC.

We caught 83 sails for 116 billfish  bites in 3 days, including 2 blue marlin which never made it to the leader.   Great fishing that rivaled what we had in Costa Rica last year!   I look forward to a return trip.

On the way to the awards banquet.....

.....to find out who the winners are.   Right now, Decisive walked away with the tournament, but Team Dragin Fly is in a run for 2nd or 3rd.....we think.   We  also think that we lost the 3 tournament series by 1 fish.   Ouch.

The latest....

.....we're in there, sitting in 4th or so, about 6 fish out of "the money" and 6 fish out of the Presidential Challenge Series.

Check out the live scoring......if the power is on...... at

www.preschallenge.com 

Yesterday, when the scorecards were counted....

.....from the boats that were outside of radio range, Team Dragin Fly was in the hunt, but had a lot of company at the top end of the scoreboard.   I'll make a post later tonight when the scores from today are tallied.   I think that we did pretty good, catching 28 sails.   The highest boat from today from initial reports had 31.   With 10 minutes left in the tournament this afternoon, I got a bite from the biggest blue marlin of my life.   If this fish were caught in the Big Rock tourney, it would have been strung up on the scales at Morehead City.   She was a nice one, but facing a 2 hour run home and the threat of putting all of our catches in jeopardy by arriving to the dock later than the deadline, I put too much heat on the required 20 pound line which was pretty beat up from 8 hours of sailfish action.   Nonetheless, watching that beast crash the teaser, getting the bite and watching the areal show was awesome.  I just didn't have enough patience and put too much heat on her when things settled down and we were in our up and down stand off.   Honestly, I think that she would have won anyway.

Day 1 report

31 sails for Team Dragin Fly on day 1 of the Presidential Challenge-Guatemala is good enough for 4th place, with the leader holding on to 38 sails.   Great fishing, just need to keep up the pace and chip away at that lead for the next two days .

First Guatemala sailfish

Checked off the list.   All of us got a couple today, Dragin Fly team of me, Pat, Dwight and Capt. James.   tomorrow is tourney day, wish us luck.  Update tomorrow night.

Back on the coast

Took a week and headed to the mountains for a working vacation.  No matter where I get off to, I try to stay in touch and be available via e mail and checking phone messages.  I'm looking forward to getting back to the coast, maybe I'll get in some of that awesome trout fishing that is going on.   If it's calm, the king fishing has been as good as the good old days, Capt. Joe Shute and Jake Jordan have even been catching their limits on the fly.   Bottom fishing is really good and grouper season is still open.  The water has cleared up and that sight casting for puppy drum is pretty awesome also.  I'm a little bummed out that I'm leaving this good fishing to go to Guatemala and fish a tournament this week with Capt. James and some of our tournament team from the Dragin Fly.   Hopefully I'll have some good reports from there, but while I'm gone, I'll be checking in via e mail and will still be putting folks together with the Down East Guides so that they don't miss out on the good bite that we've got right here, right now in our own backyard.

G