# 5/9-5/10 Steps, Marlin, Neptune, Ram



## andyyar (Nov 4, 2007)

The crew this time was Chris Hood, Angelo Depaola, My girlfriend Sarah Schilling, me, my Dad, and my brother Joseph. Our first attempt at leaving was Sat. Morning at 5:00 am. Turned around after 5 miles of 4ft at 4 second intervals and decided to wait it out and hope for calming conditions. Made use of the downtime Sat morning and afternoon by catching some more live bait inshore. Tried it again at 7 pm Sat evening and were greeted by more gentle 2-3 ft swells and very little wind.

We headed on out to the Steps and set up to drift for swords. Fished two tips and two floats and had steady action all night resulting in no sleep. The only problemwas thatall that action resulted in 0/7 with only one solid hook-up. We must have had a pup tormenting our baits, although the one hook-up we had was pretty solid until it came unbottoned of course. About 3:30 am Sunday we motored over to Petronius and found a strong current and not a lot of marks. There was a Drillship just east of Petronius that wedidn't check.

We headed on over to the Marlin arriving just before daylight and were one of 4 boats. There was another monkey boat, the Shady Lady, and The Maverick which is a beautiful custom carolina. Once graylight hit, the place turned jurassic, and magnum flyers were up in the air like flocks of birds with hungry tunas hot on their trail. You could catch them just about however you wanted. Right away we had a 70#er on a ballyhoo and another good fish on a popper. After boating both fish and a little cleanup, we got the spread back out and hooked up right away on another yellowfin, and then repeated the process. After a while, the sun got higher and the surface action simmered, and all the other boats headed off. 

For some reason it seems like we have had the daytime bite all to ourselves for the last several weeks, and the daytime bite has been where its at. At about 9:00 am, big tuna's started coming up to the surface and rolling. We already had full fish boxes, and had committed to big fish fishing, trying to catch a blue. We started to try and jig up some smaller tunas to live bait with. Fortunately or unfortunately, our first drop of the jig yielded another 50ish yellowfin which took up the rest of our ice and space. Soon enough we had two small tunas, and put one on the rigger and one down about 80' on the Z-wing. We put a live mullet on the other rigger and started to bump troll with high hopes. All the while we are watching 100# ++ tunas sky after flyers and roll at the surface. Unable to resist we broke out some poppers and worked them from the bow while still live baiting. Wasn't long before Chris hooks up on a big fish on his Cobia rod, instantly regretting it.










I suppose he's been through this routine a few times because he hadthe wherewithall to let the fish take its runs while sitting on his rear.He made pretty quick work of a 110#+ fish and it found its way to the cold steel.










While we're busy posing for pictures, Angelo is tending our live bait spread and the right rigger with the 10# tuna bridled just explodes. We had this bait run from a 50 wide with a couple pounds of drag on the clicker, rubber banded into the release clip, and the bait just got annihiliated. Rigger snaps down rod tip hits the water and the reel sings drag at an incredible pace for just a couple of seconds before the whole assembly boils over into a horendous birds nest. Ive never seen a strike outpace the drag and clicker to the point where this would happen, so your guess is as good as ours as to what hit the bait, but considering it left with the tuna and not the hook, we went back to trying to catch it. 

Meanwhile, these tunas are still out there rolling, and Sarah nabs one on the popper, regretting it even more than Chris.










This fish was the first cousin of Chris's if not its big sister, and after an hour + fight, the hooks pulled with the fish 3ft outside the gaff's reach for the second time.

With precious little ice, and a full fish box, we decided to pull a lure spread and hunt down a boat with more ice to try and extend our fishing time. The water at the Marlin was COBALT blue, and as we left there was a weedline starting to form up on the west side of the rig. We pulled lures to the Beer Can, which was in blue/green water with a little more plankton. Big tuna's busting there too at high noon with no boats, but we pulled on past them towards the Ram. About a thousand yards east of the ram we came upon a 55 gallon drum that was loaded with triple tail and mahi. The triple tail didn't want to eat anything as usual, and we played with a couple of mahi but were on a mission for ice. There were solid marks about 100' under the barrel and we dropped two jigs down to them. Two jigs sacrificed to Wahoo before we rigged one on wire. Wire jig goes down, hooks up, and straightens out the 7 ought monster assist hook. 

Not having ice for more fish anyway we headed over and pulled lures around the Ram while on the radio with a crew boat pleading for more ice. No luck with the Ice, so we had to take it to the barn. Hated leaving that Cobalt water out there, and that untapped barrell, as there were mahi, tripletail, Wahoo, and quite possibly a stickfish willing to give themselves up. We jumped off a fun mahi strike on the right flat lure on the first pass by the barrell.

Hated to have to come in at all. The daytime tuna bite has been great for us all spring. All the boats seem to peel off when the surface action simmers in the am, but sticking around has paid off. The whole Gulf felt more alive this weekend then it has in a long time, and if this water holds up, the Memorial Day tourney should be a good one. Angelo talked to a boat that was out at Horn Sunday and they went well into the double digits on good tuna's on live cigar minnows. Sounds like you couldnt go wrong no matter where you were fishing. Hope some folks can make it out this week, the water looks great to the southwest.

A few more pics below:


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## MSViking (Oct 11, 2007)

Awesome report!!:bowdown:bowdown Great pics! Glad it all came together for you. I've been wanting to get out and try the rubber flying fish under a kite. sounds like it might have worked that day! Six folks and boat did not look crowded, what kind of boat if you don't mind me asking?

MScontender


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## southbound again (Aug 1, 2008)

Nice-great report.


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## daddytime (Oct 1, 2007)

OMG that is a FINE report. Hoping to head south later this week. NICE :bowdown


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## Chris V (Oct 18, 2007)

Nice fish Andy. Me and Philip are headin out wednesday afternoon. If we need another head I'll give you a call.


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## mpmorr (Oct 3, 2007)

Man that is the best report I haveread in a while, I would give my left arm for a trip like that.:bowdown


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## Captain Woody Woods (Oct 2, 2007)

looks like your girl got some serious sun. ill bet she's feelin the burn today!


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## Huntinman (Aug 12, 2008)

Great Report!!! Those are some fine looking fish!!!!! Congrats to everyone!!


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## cliff k (Oct 1, 2007)

wow.. what a great trip. cant wait to get out there myself. i swear im not jealous at all


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## [email protected] (Mar 20, 2008)

BadA$$ report...we will be out there on a double overnighter this friday weather permitting!


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## Reel Rowdy (Oct 4, 2007)

I am Jealous!


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## true-king (Oct 2, 2007)

Nice work, and on the cobe rod with the 706!


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## David Ridenour (Sep 28, 2007)

Dang! What a day! Thanks for the post and the pictures.


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## pogie1 (Oct 4, 2007)

Awsome pics:takephoto looks like we should have stuck around for the morning bite.Thanks for the report.


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## BlueH20Fisher (Mar 20, 2008)

Now I see why you called me back so eagerly Chris. Hope we crush 'em. I'm repairing marlin lures from last year now.


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## gwhite33 (Jul 23, 2008)

nice report thats a good tuna on a cobia rod must have been fun:bowdown


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## Xiphius (Oct 10, 2007)

Wow, I thought you were out there Sunday in the calming seas. Way to go on the Yellowfin slam!


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## MSViking (Oct 11, 2007)

Andy, I answered my own question, 38 Jupiter. Very cool! makes my Contender 25 look like a dingy! :bowdown

MScontender


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## Xiphius (Oct 10, 2007)

Andy,the Mavrick is a 71 Ricky Scarbourough...they fish the big $$ tournaments. That is a fine sportfisher there.


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## RogueAngler (May 12, 2009)

Great report. We're leaving at 6 Friday morning returning late Saturday afternoon. Pretty wound up after reading that!


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## RogueAngler (May 12, 2009)

Crap:banghead

*FRIDAY*
EAST WINDS 10 TO 15 KNOTS BECOMING SOUTHEAST AROUND
15 KNOTS IN THE AFTERNOON...THEN BECOMING EAST 10 TO 15 KNOTS. SEAS
2 TO 4 FEET. BAYS AND COASTAL WATERWAYS A LIGHT CHOP. SLIGHT CHANCE
OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS.

*SATURDAY*
EAST WINDS 10 TO 15 KNOTS BECOMING SOUTHEAST. SEAS 3 TO
5 FEET. BAYS AND COASTAL WATERWAYS A LIGHT CHOP. ISOLATED SHOWERS
AND THUNDERSTORMS.


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## Live4Fish (May 12, 2009)

Those are some real nice fish, im jelouse lol :reallycrying


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## Chris Hood (Mar 13, 2008)

Sorry its taken me so long to post, I had to leave at 7am the next morning to take a 41' Albemarle to Grand Isle. Here are a few pictures I took during the trip.










Tuna looks like a swordfish in this picture.



















All the bar jacks, triggers and other bait fish on a floating drum just north of Ram Powell.


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## Captain Woody Woods (Oct 2, 2007)

the ol' chris hood red visor. classic.


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