# gladiator 9/19-20 report



## daddytime (Oct 1, 2007)

Watched Will play a great game for Pace at Ft. Walton Friday Night. His guy (6'-6", 220) caught the winning 2 point conversion. Needless to say, he was down after the game and texted my that he really wasn't up to the ride to Horn Mountain. 

I got to the boat to find DJ (polar 21), Larry, his son Ryan, and his father law Cliff catching bait and basically itching to go. We ran to the pass and backed off as we faced 2-3 stacked up. 10 knotted it until daylight where we found ourselves at the elbow. Water looked a nice blended blue. Set a track for Horn Mountain hoping for the pm tuna bite. Track would take us by Petronious and Marlin. 

Hour after daylight is our first knock down-decent size skipjack tuna. Next knock down was a couple of miles north of petronious and was a for real fish. Poluka caveman chasing 5 lil rubber flying fish daisy chain rig I made got crushed on the port short rigger. Rod was in the transon over the tuna door when the 50w went off. Rod bent double and Larry could not get the rod out of the holder. I failed to back off fast enough, just sitting there dumb founded like an idiot and...line parted somewhere above the bimini. No ID but got a feeling that the man in the blue suit had just made his presence known. 

One round around the petronious and Ryan cathes a stinkin cuda. Talk to Gump at Marlin where the tuna bite has been hit and miss. Onward to Horn Mountain we cross a little push about 3 miles past marlin. Bucket floating in the rip had triple tail all over it. No knockowns so we circle and pull up to throw on tt. Little jacks eat everything as we drift by. Power up and circle back and mahi hits the sb short rigger miss, over to the port short rigger eats mildcraft widerange. A few minutes and DJ makes the gaff shot, nice mahi in boat. We had another short stike or 2 before we get to Horn Mountain.

Lil Kahuna passes us a couple of miles north of the rig and is jigging up a storm when we arrive. It was still 3 hours to dark so we spend 2.5 hours trolling around the rig. Cuda, bft and skipjack tuna all we get on the troll.Nothingwe try stikes pay dirt. We saw tuna bust a couple of times and we saw fish marking way down, but nadda.

Dark thirty and we set up the chunk, 2 drifts produce nothing. Other Topaz express out there done the same and nadda, they left for Ram. Lil Kahuna slaying BFT on the jig. Asked my crew if they were up to that, dumb question as acouple of them had not tried that before. 2 hours later and Ryan, DJ, and Cliff's arms are about to fall off...and I'm out of jigs.Crew got thier fill andI put the question to them...hang out till daylight, troll and run in get in Sunday PM or call it and start back. Everyone liked the rest on Sunday idea and we headed in about 10 PM. Put the boat in the slip at 7:00 AM and got home about 11:00. 

Missed our chance at the big guy, but a great crew and trip overall. A lot of BFT and the mahi for our efforts. Real blue water past the rip between Horn Mountain and Marlin, blended blue north of there. Lots of bait, slow bite. Tuna bite was non-existent.


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## whatcon (Oct 3, 2007)

Glad you got into the blackfin, sometimes they save the trip. Thanks for posting.


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## polar21 (Nov 5, 2007)

Tom,

Thanks for the invite and thanks for the shout out on the gaff shot (all that practicing on remora's paid off). It was a great trip overall with some really nice water, lots of flying fish, just no billfish to be found for us. To the crew of Lil' Kahuna, you guys must have bionic arms because yall were some jigging fools! I dont think I have ever seen someone get after on the jig as much as these guys. The BFT were fun to catch until the cuda's showed up. Overall it was a great trip.


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## MSViking (Oct 11, 2007)

Tom,

cool report, Glad to see the Gladiator offshore where she belongs! Sounds a lot like my last few trips though! just need a few pics! Always enjoy the details! Sorry it did not end with a marlin, but if you don't enjoy long days offshore short on marlin, then offshore fishing is not for you. I bet you guys were whooped on Sunday! 



Thanks again.


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## TCAT (Oct 9, 2007)

Tom, I can't believe we didn't get on the fish especially with what appeared to be all the right conditions. The boat looked good. I got a couple pics I'll have to e-mail. 

Polar, my crew is like caged cats so once we get to our destination its on. I can tell youmy body paid for itthe next day.


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## Runned Over (Sep 6, 2008)

> *TCAT (9/21/2009)*
> 
> 
> 
> ...


You're not kidding, Gladiator looks awesome!!! :bowdown

Hope your boy is doing ok. I know that can be fustrating for him. Just like you can't win them all, you can go out and try your hardest, and not catch the fish you were hoping to.

Just good to be out there playing and fishing!!!! :clap


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## daddytime (Oct 1, 2007)

Couple of pix added here

Larry and the phin









Ryan and a skippy


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## polar21 (Nov 5, 2007)

Tcat,

My back hurt watching you guys jigging up the BFT but good job on your catch. Sounds like yall found some fishy floating items on the way out.


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## DISANTO (Oct 1, 2007)

nice.....boat looks (and more importantly) ran great...what more can oneask for.


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## Pursuit24 (Feb 22, 2008)

Tom,

Thanks agian for the invite. We all had a blast. Ryan loved catching the BFT. He says his arms are not sore, but I know they are.

Larry


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## pelagicone (Jul 25, 2008)

great report


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## BlueH20Fisher (Mar 20, 2008)

I was on the other Topaz,our trip was slow as well. The only yellowfin actions was at Petronis on Sat. morn. A couple popped up at the Ram at daylight sunday, lost a couple in the 50's and caught six smaller yellows. Two of the guys stayed up and jigged BFT, it was their first time, I watched, and counted the fish I had to clean. Bite on the troll sucked, a couple small tunas a nice dolphin, and a couple wahoo high speed trolling. Never saw the first bill, but maybe ya'll will have a productive fall, I'm getting ready to get in the woods.


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## daddytime (Oct 1, 2007)

> *BlueH20Fisher (9/25/2009)*I was on the other Topaz,our trip was slow as well. The only yellowfin actions was at Petronis on Sat. morn. A couple popped up at the Ram at daylight sunday, lost a couple in the 50's and caught six smaller yellows. Two of the guys stayed up and jigged BFT, it was their first time, I watched, and counted the fish I had to clean. Bite on the troll sucked, a couple small tunas a nice dolphin, and a couple wahoo high speed trolling. Never saw the first bill, but maybe ya'll will have a productive fall, I'm getting ready to get in the woods.


Thanks for posting up. Where you guys out of? We are getting ready for hunting season too, but after lil kahuna caught a blue on the chunck 12/31 last year, I'm gonna try and fit in a trip or two. Nice looking boat by the way.:usaflag


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## BlueH20Fisher (Mar 20, 2008)

Ft. Walton Beach.


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## User6882 (Feb 4, 2009)

man the bills just have been non existant this year


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