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The Martha's Vineyard Times is a weekly publication.
October 6, 2005 - October 12, 2005 Edition
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Gone
Fishin'
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David Reed of Belchertown holds up a small mahi mahi, also known as a dolphinfish, taken south of the Vineyard during an offshore trip last week with Andy Goldman. |
By
Nelson Sigelman
With the recent break in the weather and the winds, Vineyard fishermen
who can have been heading offshore. And they do not have to travel
far to find fish normally associated with more southern locations.
With the beach fishing nonexistent, and the near-shore fishing not
terribly exciting, a trip offshore always holds the promise of an
unexpected surprise. Island fishermen tell me the offshore bouillabaisse
includes mahi mahi, porpoises, sea turtles, whales, mako shark,
tuna, triggerfish, flying fish, white marlin, and wahoo.
On Monday afternoon I gave Andy Goldman of Chilmark a call. His
wife, Susan, said he was out fishing and would be home around 4:30,
because they were having a little get-together.
My wife never believes me when I go fishing and assure her I will
be home at a specific time. Of course, her skepticism is based on
the numerous times I have arrived home from fishing and jumped into
the shower as guests arrived.
Susan set me straight. “He’ll be home, he’s married
to me,” she said in a tone that made me sit up straight in
my chair.
Home on time, Andy gave me a call a little later that day. He said
the recent spell of good weather finally allowed him to make two
trips some miles from the Vineyard in his beautiful, Maine-built,
26-foot boat. The sturdy Weber’s Cove hull has a 10.5-foot
beam, which provides plenty of room to move around when it comes
time to grab a tuna.
He, Vern Laux, Island birdman, and David Reed, his nephew and co-owner
of the boat, made a trip early last week looking for tuna. They
landed two small bluefin that Andy said “were not terribly
big but wonderful eating.”
The fishermen traveled to south and east of an area known as the
star. In all, the entire trip, including trolling, covered 123 nautical
miles.
A few days later Andy and Dave set out again in search of tuna.
They hooked up to a nice fish but lost it at the side of the boat
when they tried to gaff the fish and missed.
The fishermen had better luck landing mahi mahi, a Hawaiian name
that means tasty, colorful fish that jumps high and looks really
weird.
Actually, I do not know what mahi mahi means, but they do have a
reputation as a good eating fish normally found in warm southern
waters. They are also called dorado or dolphinfish.
According to my guide to sportfish of the Atlantic, they are one
of the most colorful of all gamefish, a blend of deep green, blue,
and yellow, with a blunt head and long dorsal fin. Large males can
go 50 pounds or better. Mahi mahi jump multiple times and fight
hard when hooked, making them a great gamefish on light tackle.
One of the keys to planning an offshore trip is water temperature.
Eddies of warm Gulf Stream water, surrounded by cooler water, act
much like rips and structure do in shallow water to attract fish.
When planning an offshore trip Andy makes a fishing strategy based
on water temperature information available on the Rutgers University
web site (marine.rutgers.edu/mrs/sat.data2.html),
and keeps a close eye on the weather.
“We always try to stay in a window that fits our capacity,”
he said.
Not every fisherman who heads offshore is as cautious as Andy. Every
summer fishermen, lured by reports of tuna, head out in boats that
have no business being so far from land. It is a judgement every
captain must make, and live with.
Andy is not the only Vineyard fisherman taking advantage of the
recent good weather. On Tuesday, Cooper Gilkes, owner of Coop’s
in Edgartown, made his third trip this season offshore to the fingers,
the 31 hole, and the east side of the dump, approximately 108 miles
in all.
Coop said, “We saw plenty of whales, plenty of warm water,
but no tuna.”
Coop suspects a wind change affected the fishing.
On previous trips, Coop said, he saw lots of mahi mahi, skipjack,
and bluefin tuna. He has also been hearing about many more white
marlin sightings than in the past.
Coop said it is not necessary to travel far to get into fish. Last
week, they hooked up as soon as the boat reached an area called
the gully, approximately 18 miles south of the Vineyard.
Coop said the water is teeming with mahi mahi. A favorite spot to
make a cast is around a high flyer, a pole with a flag attached
to a float used by offshore lobstermen to mark the location of gear.
“Just about anything floating has fish under it,” said
Coop.
Coop rigs up with a variety of gear. He said one of the attractions
of fishing offshore is that “anything can happen out there.”
Coop is not the only person running a tackle shop managing to get
offshore. At Larry’s Tackle in Edgartown, Steve Purcell, shop
manager, said he got out not long ago in the comfort of a 40-foot
sportfisherman and hooked a small bluefin trolling near an area
known as Gordon’s.
On another trip the boat spooked a large mako apparently lounging
near the surface. Steve said the fish jumped a clear 10 feet out
of the water more than five times.
Echoing the comments of Coop and Andy, Steve said part of the attraction
of going offshore is that “you never know what you will see.”
He said a bottlenose porpoise came up and checked out the boat and
flying fish went sailing by. They also hooked up to what he thinks
was a wahoo.
Steve said safety is always the first consideration when heading
offshore. He said a flat ride out can quickly turn into a scary
trip home when the tide starts running against a strong wind.
I frequently receive e-mail fishing reports from a Cape-based charter
captain named Terry Nugent. He described an offshore trip taken
Saturday and included some very good advice that I thought I would
share.
With the calm seas and reports of tuna and Mahi “everywhere,”
he called up his pals and made plans to head out in two boats by
4:30 am.
He wrote: “When we cleared Nomans the forecasted 2–4’s
[waves] became mostly 4’s with the occasional soaker thrown
in.”
At a water temperature break about 15 miles out from Nomans they
cast to a high flier and hooked up to mahi mahi on light spinning
gear and fly-fishing gear.
“The fish went for a small mackerel Yo-Zuri minnow, along with
a ton of his friends,” wrote Terry, describing catching them
on an eight-weight fly rod as a “blast.”
He wrote, “We continued to look for tuna but to no avail. When
we made it to the corner of the Dump we decided the weather was
not getting better and this would be as far as we would go.”
They continued to troll but without finding tuna.
He added: “A few notes about this trip. I have had several
people ask me if they should try this in their small boat. This
is not a ‘try’ trip. Think of it this way: if you try
and fail what happens?
“Everyone on both of our boats had a ton of experience and
all were seasoned boaters. We had float plans left with my wife.
The boats were both in excellent condition (mine just back from
Monahan’s for a 40 hour check), we had excellent medical supplies
on board in case of emergency. We had back-ups to our back-ups when
it came to electronics (several hand-held GPS and VHF’s both)
Lastly we are very aware of the limits of the boats …
“If you have to ask ‘can I or my boat make this trip?’
The answer should be no! Just because your boat may be able does
not mean you are ready to undertake this trip.”
Terry makes the good point that “a minor issue inshore can
be a major one when you are 30 plus miles from help.”
He advised anyone wanting to go offshore to go out with an experienced
captain to gain experience and confidence.
He emphasized: “Light tackle fishing from a smaller boat offshore
is a blast, but it can be very dangerous. The bottom line is do
not attempt this unless you are 100 percent sure you and your boat
are ready.”
It is good advice worth heeding.
Donster Is Back for a Visit
Don MacGillivray, Derby record holder and until last fall a familiar
face among Island fishermen, is here for a visit.
Don and his wife, Marsha, traveled to the Berkshires to celebrate
their 50th wedding anniversary and decided to visit the Island for
a few weeks before heading back south.
Don and Marsha are living on the west coast of Florida on Pine Island
and doing well. Don said he got a new 21-foot boat and Marsha got
a pool.
Tarpon not stripers are the quarry now.
Don answered the phone at Edgartown Marine Outfitters when I called
Bobby Blanchard, who was offshore fishing. Don, who worked the shop
on Edgartown harbor until he left the Island, reminded me that this
is the weekend for the shop’s big weekend tournament, the Bonito
Blast.
“A big feed and $500 for the biggest bonito, what more could
you ask for?” said Don, enthusiastic as ever.
Bonito Are Back
There are mixed reports of bonito, albies, and bonito boneheads
around the Vineyard.
Crossing the street with my coffee and donut back to The Times office,
I had a brief conversation with John Rapone as he sat in traffic
with his boat.
John reported: “It sucks. Lots of fish but there were too many
boats and the fish wouldn’t eat.”
Dave Thompson told me he hooked a bonito early Tuesday morning off
the Oak Bluffs Steamship terminal before all the boats showed up.
Bonito have been reported off Tashmoo and the Hooter. A big bonito
could be worth $500 but first you have to enter Edgartown Marine
Outfitter’s Bonito Blast this weekend.
Bobby Blanchard and his crew know how to put on a good feed. Check
with the folks at the shop for details at 508-939-9282.
Past
Favorites:
Island
Bass Fishermen Survive,
August 14, 2003
When the Fish Aren’t Biting, Might As Well Do Chores, August
7, 2003
For
Anglers, It's Now Bonito Time,
July 31, 2003
Newest
Derby Inductees Are Hall of Famers in Any League, July 24, 2003
Fishermen
Do Not Get to Say Peep about Norton Point Beach Fee Hike, July 17,2003
Mon
Dieu, Winning Fish was Quite a Fluke, July 10, 2003
Prey and
Predator Confused On Buggy Night of Fishing, July 3, 2003
Pond Openings Hold Fish and Risk for Anglers, June 26, 2003
For
an Angling Father, Something Fishy's Always Welcome,
June 12, 2003
Despite
Pain of It, Anglers Carry On,
June 5, 2003
Fishing, Fishing
Supplies & Boat Charters Business Listing
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