# A trip of a lifetime No Lie!



## The chumbucket (Jun 4, 2014)

Yesterdays trip started out in kind of a bad light, my fishing partner canceled the night before due to work issues so I had to make the decision to stay home or go offshore alone. I never like to go alone, but I also don't like to scratch a trip, especially when the boat is iced, fueled and loaded.

Needless to say I did go solo. I launched at Orange Beach's Cotton Bayou just as the sun was turning the sky blue and pink and with very little breeze, I knew I had made the right decision.

I looked for bait at the tip of the jetty but didn't see anything so I headed out a little farther to the floating buoy where in years past I have managed blue runners when bait was scarce. To my delight I caught 6 very large cigars in my first 20 seconds there and I figured I was going to clean up on bait. But I guess there were only six cigar minnows there because after 20 minutes that all I had so I decided to head out.

I have a really good vermilion spot 25 miles out so I headed there. When I arrived the show on the fish finder was awesome from the bottom up the water column to at least 30 feet up, with big arches that can be only one thing A.J.s. I baited my heavy spinning rod with cigar minnow #1 and chunked him 20 yards behind the boat. Within 30 seconds I was hooked up, I set the hook hard and it literately felt like I was solidly snagged on a log or something on the surface, that is until I got freight trained from the surface down 128 feet into the wreck, O.K these are big boys I thought, so I switched to my Diawa Sealine x with 30# braid. Cigar minnow #2 had the same fate as #1 and within 20 seconds I was hooked up again at the surface and and once again rode the A.J. freight train to the bottom, a little slower this time but pretty much identical end results.


OK, now I'm pissed! I keep a TLD 20 loaded with 50 lb Powerpro, on a stout rod for situations just like this. This time I free lined #3 about 10 feet from the stern, within 10 seconds 15 of the nicest A.J's Ive seen in a while came right up to transom and a nice one sucked the bait in, the fight was on! This sucker managed to run me straight down with the drag very tight all the way to the bottom, to where I could feel the line rubbing on a piece of structure. I managed to turn him and in a few minutes got him to the surface and after taking a pic I released him alive. I repeated this all day many times, when I ran out of cigars I used 10 inch grunts I caught on the bottom. I have never caught A.J's like this in all my years of fishing and I have caught a bunch.


About 2:00 I had had enough of getting my butt kicked so I started home. I used to be in the trolling lure business so I decided to test some head designs I had printed on my 3D printer on the trip in. I was hoping for a wahoo but the trolling was slow and I didn't get anything but a couple of bonitas for the 5 miles I pulled. When I got to 80 feet of water I told myself I was going to give it 5 minutes more. I noticed the orange and yellow lure was a hair close the the boat so I desided to drop it back 20 feet or so. just as I was in the process of doing that, I saw what looked like a torpedo come across my spread and hammer the lure I was dropping back. The fight was on again! Within 30 seconds I was 3/4 spooled and I was sure I had that wahoo I was dreaming about. I turned the boat around, being careful not to tangle my other lines. This is when it sucks to fish alone! I was almost on plane before I was able to retrieve enough line to where I felt comfortable I wasn't going to be spooled. Suddenly, 200 yards out I see what I thought was a white marlin coming unglued with the most exciting air show since the Blue Angels. He must have jumped 10 times. At first, I didn't associate the billfish with what I had on my line. Then it hit me, I was hooked up to a billfish and within sight of land! No Freaking Way!


I fought the fish for 30 minutes he jumped 5 or 6 more times, half spooled me 3 additional times and when he finally was along the side of the boat I realized it was a sail and a dandy at that, He was between 60 and 70 lbs and 7 feet OAL length I fumbled trying to get a pic with my phone but I just couldn't manage the 20 lb test outfit, the sail and that dang phone, and still unhook him and release him alive. So I made a choice.


I know there are some who will not believe me but it is true I swear it. Doesn't matter anyway, doubters will always doubt even with a picture. It really isn't about that anyway although the bragging is fun, but I don't have anything to prove. Its a great story and a great memory I will never forget. Trips like this one are why we all do this at least its why I do. I'm just grateful it happened.


----------



## Chris V (Oct 18, 2007)

Great report and at times like this, I always like to remind people that the book is generally better than the movie


----------



## CalvinandHobbes (Jan 25, 2014)

Enjoyed reading your report! Sounds like a good day to me


----------



## stc1993 (Nov 23, 2014)

A good day & a good write up.


----------



## cody&ryand (Oct 3, 2007)

Sounds like a trip you will remember for a long time awesome


----------



## Realtor (Oct 1, 2007)

nice, whats the weight on the AJ's?


----------



## PackingOut (Aug 15, 2016)

The AJ's are going nuts right now. 
The other day i was at a wreck about 2 miles from shore and could not avoid catching AJ's. AT one point i had one grab a snapper i was reeling up right under the surface and take me for a ride. Also threw back a Bliner and as if was getting its bearings at the surface a humongous AJ with trailers breached the water and blasted almost 3 feet out. it was the first time i saw an AJ do that.


----------



## Jason (Oct 2, 2007)

Sails within site of shore....no doubts here! Yakers hook em all the time. Glad you had a good day out there!


----------



## The chumbucket (Jun 4, 2014)

Realtor said:


> nice, whats the weight on the AJ's?


Id put him between 20 and 25 off the top of my head.


----------



## The chumbucket (Jun 4, 2014)

PackingOut said:


> The AJ's are going nuts right now.
> The other day i was at a wreck about 2 miles from shore and could not avoid catching AJ's. AT one point i had one grab a snapper i was reeling up right under the surface and take me for a ride. Also threw back a Bliner and as if was getting its bearings at the surface a humongous AJ with trailers breached the water and blasted almost 3 feet out. it was the first time i saw an AJ do that.



When they are doing that, try a top water chugger plug. They come unglued on it, its a blast!


----------



## Capt. Delynn (Oct 4, 2007)

sounds like a great day to me. Congrats on your trip.


----------

