The Chum Line March 2011
Welcome to the March edition of the Chum Line. Warning... this edition contains some exciting stuff... read on.
Offshore Fishing Report
After all the doom and gloom of previous fishing reports there is finally some very exciting news to report... in the form of Yellowfin Tuna, Wahoo and Bluefin Tuna!
While recent previous editions of the Chum Line have moaned and groaned about the weather and indifferent fishing, we now have some very good fishing available... courtesy of a huge amount of bait stacking up offshore.
There have been some really good catches taken of late. James Robinson of Wound Up accounted for 24 Yellowfin and 7 Wahoo on a recent trip. And James' experience isn't uncommon, especially among the commercial boats that have been hitting the water. Some of the commercial guys have tangled with the Bluefin Tuna passing Bermuda. And a few of these fish have been too hot to handle with reports of broken leaders and pulled hooks after marathon battles.
And proving the action is not confined to a couple of species of tuna, Kevin Winter nailed a beautiful 144.9lb Amberjack on Sunday 27 February. The fish is a personal best for Kevin (previous best was about 130lbs). What makes the capture so meritorious is the fish was caught on a 30W dink bait rig using 80lb leader and a live bait. That's pretty light tackle for such a bruiser of an AJ.
Kevin was fishing with Ricky Cox at the time. That wasn't the only sizeable AJ caught that day... another 50lb specimen fell to a well presented jig.
Club Events... It's Jigging Time!
The next regular Club meeting is scheduled for Wednesday 16 March at 7.30pm at the RHADC. Two important items will be covered at this meeting.
The first item is the Club's AGM. The second item is inaugural Jigging Seminar hosted by Danny Fox.
Jigging has exploded in popularity on the Island in recent years and early in the season it seems to be especially effective. To really make the most of this technique you need to have a specialist jigging outfit loaded with braided line. Even the most enthusiastic angler will be turned into a sweaty tired mess from jigging with conventional tackle... the rods and reels are too heavy and the mono has too much stretch to make it a viable technique in deeper water.
In other words... jigging is most effective when you have the right tackle and technique. And the Jigging Seminar is an ideal opportunity to get some tips and tricks from a Club member who knows how to make jigging a success.
We'll be looking to make the AGM a short affair so we can get onto the Jigging Seminar.
Remember the Club needs new members so if you have a friend or two that might be interested... extend the invitation to them also!
To spice things up a little further... Adrian Lynch landed this Almaco Jack last March on a jigging rod on his second drop of the jig at Challenger Bank. That was a day when no chum went in the water... it was a jig only affair! A perfect example of an early season jig caught beastie!
More information on the Jigging Seminar will be posted on the Club website. Make sure you are at the Seminar... what you learn will pay off in terms of fish in the boat!
Club Catch Records
Now there is a reason to get out on the water and amongst the rampaging tuna, remember to email Francis Patterson with your catches as they come to hand. Francis needs to know the species, the line class, and the weight of the fish, the date and the boat on which the fish was caught, along with any method of catch. Francis' email is fhpp@northrock.bm.
Contacting the Club
Contact the Club by email at bermudaanglersclub@bermuda.com.
Catch'em up!