# Nipple 7/12 Report



## bmfish75 (Jul 14, 2015)

Future brother in law came in town with sister and was dying to try and catch some "offshore" fish. With schedule conflicts, Sunday was the only option. With 1-2s forecasted, things were looking good. But with good water 150plus miles offshore, things weren't looking optimum as my range is limited in may sailfish 2360. So, as any weekend warrior would do, planned to hit the nipple and troll the 100 fathom line to the southwest and at best just have a nice day "playing the game". Well, things took a turn for the worse when I checked the weather buoy at 3am and winds were 17 mph with 2.3 foot seas at a 3 second interval! Well, heads pretty hard and an obvious glutton for punishment we allowed the down sea run out of Orange Beach fool us till we hit the nipple and realized just how sloppy it was. And Ofcourse the water was not much better than Mobile Bay! Skip to the good part......things began calming around 11:00 am. About 11:30am drag starts to sing that beautiful tune!! I'm thinking Wahoo, so I let one of the guest have the rod. As fish is steadily taking drag at a manageable rate, we clear all lines and prepare to boat a fish. As the fish gets to the boat, we begin to see color. Not the silver color as expected, but more of a brown. Before my brain could catch a gear, I realize we have freakin Billfish! As a string of expletives passes my lips to the boat driver and crew, I confirmed we had a dad gum Sailfish!! Well instinct took over, I cussed the boat driver again and wired and billed the fish! As I grabbed the bill, 2 things happened immediately!! 1. The hook came out and 2. That fish went ape $hit and damn near shook my arms off!! Thank goodness my bro in law has the whole thing on video!! After boating the fish for pics and safely releasing the marvelous savior of what was going to be logged as a really bad idea, we high fives, hollered and hooted, and drank celebratory beers!! I then explained to my clueless Texas guest what a freaken accomplishment he just achieved!! We then followed with a mahi and a couple of Bonita before heading North for another severe pounding! What a freakin awesome trip!!!


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## Mullethead (Oct 4, 2007)

Great job guys !!!


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## MSViking (Oct 11, 2007)

Awesome work on the sail! Glad to see there are fish out there in the mucky water!


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## cobe killer (Apr 13, 2008)

great report and way to save the day!!!


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## WAHOOU39 (Jan 14, 2008)

Nice job guys!


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## Bodupp (Oct 3, 2007)

Congratulations on the sail! I enjoyed reading your report.


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## DAWGONIT (Jan 16, 2009)

welcome to the forum!
thanks for sharing report & pics of your success.
catch 'em up.


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## bcahn (Jan 10, 2013)

Making it happen capt!


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## Dive1 (May 16, 2015)

Good job and WAR EAGLE


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## Reel Addiction (Apr 27, 2015)

Very nice!


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## my3nme (Oct 9, 2007)

What did it eat? Nice fish congrats


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## Kim (Aug 5, 2008)

Great report and pics, looks like your crew had a great time.


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## tbaxl (Mar 13, 2013)

Okay, I am willing to be "that guy". If you are not going to kill it then do not take it out of the water for photos, it is not good for the fish and if I am not mistaken against the law. Great job on the catch as all I caught this last weekend were a bunch of b liners, but far too many do not survive the photo shoot.


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## cliff k (Oct 1, 2007)

great job in that dirty water!! with water that dirty, i would have expected a king mack and not even a wahoo. congrats on a great catch.

no opinion on the fish pic, but are rumors true that you can get a ticket from a picture showing you with a billfish out of water?


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## sniperpeeps (Mar 5, 2011)

They could have killed that sail and brought it home for dinner if they wanted. Who cares if they took a pic and then released it. Awesome catch!


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## mrl0004 (May 7, 2015)

Wow. Now that is how a deep sea trip should be!


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## ALFisher (May 26, 2010)

sniperpeeps said:


> They could have killed that sail and brought it home for dinner if they wanted. Who cares if they took a pic and then released it. Awesome catch!
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Well, the government cares if you took a pic and released it. See 50 CFR 635.21(a)(1) and (2), which state:

(1) An Atlantic HMS harvested from its management unit that is not retained must be released in a manner that will ensure maximum probability of survival, but without removing the fish from the water.
(2) If a billfish is caught by a hook and not retained, the fish must be released by cutting the line near the hook or by using a dehooking device, in either case without removing the fish from the water.

FYI - an Atlantic HMS is defined as tunas, billfish, sharks, and swordfish, the Atlantic includes the GOM.

If you wanted to keep it, you are certainly within your rights, and I wouldn't blame if you did. 

I am not saying I agree with the law, nor am I putting anyone down. I am just saying what the law is.


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## Reel Estate (Nov 28, 2007)

I see the liberal crowd is in full force. I just wonder if we hurt the fish's feelings too???


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## sniperpeeps (Mar 5, 2011)

I'm sure they will be knocking on his door to inquire about that picture.....


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## Getsome (Sep 28, 2007)

Great trip. We got fooled by the forecast also. It was 4' at the edge Sunday morning with a strong wind and current. It did die down in the afternoon.


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## BlueWaterWarrior (May 28, 2015)

Great report. The water is dirty but bait from ballyhoo, flyers and small tuna are everywhere so, fish will be there. You don't know what it looks like ten feet down. Could be clear as a bell and the fish are coming to the vibration of the boat and the prop wash so, there you are.

About picking the fish up, it's not good for the fish but it's the guys first billfish; so he gets a pass from me. That being said, the law is there to protect the resource and the fish that comes up black, like that, is full of lactic acid and needs all the help he can get to survive. It's equivalent to you running a marathon and then, instead of letting you suck on an oxygen mask, somebody asks you to smoke a pack of Camels while they stand on your stomach.

Enjoy the victory but practice taking photos with the fish and the angler at the side of the boat. Using a GoPro on a long 'selfie stick' works great to get a much better photo and the fish has his intestines supported the whole time.


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## marlin77 (May 8, 2014)

BlueWaterWarrior said:


> Great report. The water is dirty but bait from ballyhoo, flyers and small tuna are everywhere so, fish will be there. You don't know what it looks like ten feet down. Could be clear as a bell and the fish are coming to the vibration of the boat and the prop wash so, there you are.
> 
> About picking the fish up, it's not good for the fish but it's the guys first billfish; so he gets a pass from me. That being said, the law is there to protect the resource and the fish that comes up black, like that, is full of lactic acid and needs all the help he can get to survive. It's equivalent to you running a marathon and then, instead of letting you suck on an oxygen mask, somebody asks you to smoke a pack of Camels while they stand on your stomach.
> 
> Enjoy the victory but practice taking photos with the fish and the angler at the side of the boat. Using a GoPro on a long 'selfie stick' works great to get a much better photo and the fish has his intestines supported the whole time.


Great post. Good perspective on the topic. I've certainly done it before, but I won't if the fish is gassed anymore. First priority is getting the fish revived.


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## PELAGIC PIRATE (Oct 10, 2007)

Awesome :thumbsup:


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## WhyMe (Apr 21, 2013)

Nice.
Whyme


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## Kim (Aug 5, 2008)

Fantastic report and pics! Sure looks to me like the crew had a blast and did a great job catching, landing, capturing the moment and reviving the fish to fight another day. Just a FYI for you, Top Shot Tackle of Australia makes a device called a Billfish Biller, it lets you snub a loop on the bill allowing you to easily control the fish along side the boat for hook removal, photos, revival and release. I bought one about 15 years ago from Sam's, so if interested that's where I would start looking.


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## crburnside (May 26, 2015)

ALFisher said:


> Well, the government cares if you took a pic and released it. See 50 CFR 635.21(a)(1) and (2), which state:
> 
> (1) An Atlantic HMS harvested from its management unit that is not retained must be released in a manner that will ensure maximum probability of survival, but without removing the fish from the water.
> (2) If a billfish is caught by a hook and not retained, the fish must be released by cutting the line near the hook or by using a dehooking device, in either case without removing the fish from the water.
> ...


im pretty well versed in statues and i would have to see in writing where Atlantic means GOM and vice versa. Not saying it isnt there but if they intended it to be synonymis then they would have put it in there or provided something saying it is interchangeable. Now the hippie liberal in me says if its bad for the fish then i wouldnt want to take it out of the water either. But in the excitement i understand the over sight and like me maybe he didnt know.


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## Kim (Aug 5, 2008)

For complete HMS regulations contact NOAA Fisheries HMS Management Division at 301-713-2347, or visit www.nmfspermits.com. 

In the GOM the regulation only applies to protected or endangered species, easier to call the number tomorrow rather than search through regulations online to get the straight scoop. Try to figure out how many Sailfish are caught and photographed in South Florida and how many of those pics end up on the pages of magazines that includes fish caught off the east coast.

Other 2015 HMS Recreational Limits
The recreational daily swordfish retention limit is 1 fish/person, with maximums of 4 fish/private vessel, 6 for a charter vessel, and 15 for a headboat vessel. The minimum size for swordfish within the recreational fishery is 47" lower jaw-fork length. You may not keep longbill spearfish. There are no retention limits for Atlantic sailfish, blue marlin and white marlin, but NMFS encourages recreational anglers to release all billfish alive. The minimum sizes for billfish are as follows: Blue Marlin: 99" lower jaw fork length; White Marlin: 66" lower jaw fork length; Sailfish: 63" lower jaw fork length; Spearfish: Retention prohibited. Lower jaw fork length is a straight line measurement from the tip of the lower jaw to the fork of the caudal fin. Recreational shark limit: 1 shark/vessel/trip with a minimum size of 54" fork length (78" for hammerheads); plus 1 Atlantic sharpnose shark/person/trip (no min. size); plus 1 bonnethead/person/trip (no min. size).

http://www.gulfcouncil.org/fishing_regulations/index.php


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## BlueWaterWarrior (May 28, 2015)

Kim said:


> Fantastic report and pics! Sure looks to me like the crew had a blast and did a great job catching, landing, capturing the moment and reviving the fish to fight another day. Just a FYI for you, Top Shot Tackle of Australia makes a device called a Billfish Biller, it lets you snub a loop on the bill allowing you to easily control the fish along side the boat for hook removal, photos, revival and release. I bought one about 15 years ago from Sam's, so if interested that's where I would start looking.


Snubbers are used alot by crews in Madeira. Capt. Roddy Hays has put out several articles about their use. They are great tools for keeping the fish's head in the water where they can breath plus the are nice for boats with a lot of freeboard. They can use it instead of having to hold the legs of the crewman while he hangs over holding a fish plus you get fantastic pictures with it because the fish is laid out behind the boat and the angler can get in front for a perfect photo. 

Excellent tool. Thanks for bringing it up, Kim. I've never seen one like yours. Most of the ones I've seen are home made with braided wire twisted in two pieces. Yours looks like it would be perfect for sailfish and small marlin. I would like to get a look at yours because I don't see the rope protruding and don't know how you pull the tension on it?


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## ALFisher (May 26, 2010)

crburnside said:


> im pretty well versed in statues and i would have to see in writing where Atlantic means GOM and vice versa. Not saying it isnt there but if they intended it to be synonymis then they would have put it in there or provided something saying it is interchangeable. Now the hippie liberal in me says if its bad for the fish then i wouldnt want to take it out of the water either. But in the excitement i understand the over sight and like me maybe he didnt know.


Here is your definition from 50 CFR 635.2

Atlantic Ocean, as used in this part, includes the North and South Atlantic Oceans, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean Sea.


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## BELLY UP (Apr 17, 2014)

Way to stick it out. sounds like the fish gods gave yall a pass for a good time!!


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