Sunday 'Donkey' Hunt

Started by Tightlines667, July 23, 2018, 11:18:17 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Tightlines667

Although I have 5 Tiagra 130s tore apart on my workbench, and a long list of projects to complete, I opted to help a friend out and take him and his friend out on a 'Donkey Hunt'* for his birthday on Sunday.

We left Ko'Olina at 0430hrs, ran to the 1000fa and set the 9" Ahi spread.  Given the greater number of marlin in the area, I opted to run 3 cut face baits, and 2 bullets in a bit closer.  I also threw out a 5-2.5" baby aku daisy chain/dropper loop rig in case live baiting a 2lb aku became an option.

The Hawaiian calender said the moon phase was good fishing, but the solar-lunar calender said it was worse day of the month.  The in comming tide, and moon down predicted bite would be from 0830-0930hrs.  Temp map showed a good warm water intrusion up towards BO, and extending up to Pinnacles.  I decides to spend the day plying the south end.

We ran the 1000fa up and out to Barber's deep water pinnacle, then in to 500, and up to BO, back down on the 1000fa, then in to the 500fa, back up to barbers and in through the canyon.  Found scattered birds working the wind shear line on the 1000, the outter pinnacle, and around BO, but the huge schools of small aku that were there the previous weekend/ week were nowhere to be found, and things were generally quiet.

I tried to time my arrival at what I term 'Marlin Alley' for the 0830-0930hr period on a downhill run.  I joked at 0810 with the crew to get ready cause a bite was comming.  At 0900hrs, just as we entered 'Marlin Alley' a hole opened up behind the short corner and in a split second a big Blue exploded on the lure.  He grabbed it, turned towards the wake and came halfway outta the water with line smoking off of the 130 set to 42lbs.  He gray hounded away from the boat, then turned and ate the longrigger too.  As soon as the longrigger went off, the corner broke free (300lb leader broke 6" below the snap).

We stopped the boat, cleared the lines, and moved the pole to the stern center shotgun.  By this time the spool was down to 1/4.  I backed the drag off slightly, and started agressively backing down on the fish.  20 minutes later we had half a spool back.

I was concerned about the amount of water I had put on the deck, so I pulled the engine cover and we had water up to the base on the engine.  The 2-3000 gph pumps coupdn't keep up, so I stopped the boat and let the pumps start to clear the bilge.  The fish ran out a 1/4 spool, and wasn't slowing down, so I moved the boat, and had the crew move the rod to a side holder so we could chase the fish.  In the process, the hooks pulled free.

This was the biggest fish (500-700lb class fish?) I have been hooked up to on this boat, and it was a bummer to lose him after I thought we had a good hookset on a fish that was staying deep.  Maybe I shouldn't have moved the rod, or maybe the hookset just wasn't thst good to begin with.

Anyways we had some good excitement, and the birthday boy got to crank on a big fish.

No other action on the day.

John

* Large Blue Marlin are often refered to as 'Donkey' in Hawaii.
Hope springs eternal
for the consumate fishermen.

swill88

Thanks John... Great donkey story!
steve

redsetta

I agree, terrific story John!
Thanks for sharing it.
Cheers, Justin
Fortitudine vincimus - By endurance we conquer

Shark Hunter

They don't get that big by not being smart.
You did the best you could, That is all you can do.
With your Technique, Finesse and knowledge.
I really don't think anyone else could have done any better.
You kept him on as long as possible.
I bet that was a rush!
Life is Good!

Tightlines667

#4
I am happy if I can land about half of the Blue Marlin I hook.  I'm now 3 for 7 in the last 14 months so that's about par for the course.

As far as following the line not the fish goes, that's a lesson we learned fishing marlin in Bermuda in the mid 1980s... and it is a very good and important one.  This along with keeping a straight line to the fish, and keeping him within 500yards or so of the boat are key to ensure you don't get too much pressure on the fish side of things.  There is no drag to relieve the stress there.

I was thinking about what may have actually happened at the fish end today.  It seems alot more likely that that fish hit the hook with its body while running (quartering) away down and accross the wake.  I last saw him running hard at the surface accross and away from the direction the bait was moving.  The floro leader 'blew up', as they are apt to do when nicked (like from a tandam hook rig), about 8' (about 80% of the animal's length?) from the hook.  Also, as I recall, pretty much all the fish I have caught that actually took multiple trolled baits (mostly Mahi), hit a bait that is positioned forward (or alongside of) the first one they hit.  Though I have had a big bull hit the short rigger, then run back and over to hit the long rigger, and I've seen marlin move both forwards and backwards from bait to bait in the spread when 'window shopping'.  Still it seems most logical to me that he foul hooked himself by crossing lines, and having the hook run up the long rigger line until it found his body (likely towards the posterior end) and the hopped the snap swivel and nicked the floro leader causing it to part.  The leader may have been wrapped around him too.  Can't be sure though.  

I had 42lbs of drag on the reel with a full spool, at 1/2--1/3 full it likely had 84-126lbs, and add the 10-20lbs+ drag the 650yards of 130 mono makes dragging through the water you've got static loads in the nieghborhood of 90-146lbs at the fish.  That's alot of pressure for a hook imbedded in the animal's body.  Not enough to cause the crimp or line to fail though.  I always preach backing the drag off as the spool gets smaller, but maybe I should have backed it off more.  Tough to do when your line is dissapearing though.

I have a fighting chair, fighting belts, and harness, and maybe we should have lightened the drag, and set Jake (b-boy) up with the gear then drove down the line to try to get more on the reel.

May not have made a difference in this case if he was foul hooked.  It likely would have come free sooner or later anyways.  Unless he got dragged backwards a bit and died... maybe.  Line wasn't pulsing like he was tail wrapped or hooked, but with that much line out it'd be tough to tell.

The one that got away always leads to retrive thinking.

John
Hope springs eternal
for the consumate fishermen.

Tightlines667

BTW.. my friend picked up an Ahi on a small marauder at the BO around 1600hrs today. I took the boat out solo, and was there at 1730hrs. There were shibis, but no bites on the evening. Nice to get out.

John
Hope springs eternal
for the consumate fishermen.