# My first Rig Trip



## hjorgan (Sep 30, 2007)

<P style="BACKGROUND: white"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #1f5080; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">The weather looked very suspect but on Tue the 25th the forecast changed for the better.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><o></o><P style="BACKGROUND: white"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #1f5080; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">So we decided to give it a shot. David "Fish Guy" Laneand Scotty ('Beam Me Up') Phillips and I headed out Wed morning L-A-T-E, we hit <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comffice:smarttags" /><st1lace w:st="on"><st1laceName w:st="on">Perdido</st1laceName> <st1laceType w:st="on">Pass</st1laceType></st1lace> about 10:00 am.<o></o><P style="BACKGROUND: white"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #1f5080; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">I was pretty geared up for this one, but we only had about 10 livies in the well. Caught zero bait on the buoy and the wall.<o></o><P style="BACKGROUND: white"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #1f5080; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">We had three to fives -- INCHES on the way out.... real slick. Ended up at 255 a couple of hours or so later. Davids boat is dialed in baby!<o></o><P style="BACKGROUND: white"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #1f5080; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">Scottie fires down a livie and David starts jigging. I punched a Pogie and fired it down. Fish on!!!<o></o><P style="BACKGROUND: white"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #1f5080; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">Dammit... shark. We got several cutoffs and moved over to the down-current side of the rig.Scottie started catching Scamp -- nice scamp. Then David hooks up with a mo-fo on that damned jig setup. BIG AJ and he fights it well. Several fish in the box -- just getting started. More cutoffs and more scamp.<o></o><P style="BACKGROUND: white"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #1f5080; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">Then I get a big ol hit and fight a while. Rats ? enormous ?endangered? red snapper. More of that to come from 300 feet of water. <o></o><P style="BACKGROUND: white"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #1f5080; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">After that we head to the Ram Powell I think. Man, it?s nice out there. Fish Guy fired down a jig and after a few minutes, hooked up to a submarine or something. Almost spooled him then broke him off.<o></o><P style="BACKGROUND: white"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #1f5080; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">The blackfins started to school and jump, so we hit them with jigs. Caught a few for the fish box but no big yellow fins showed there. <o></o><P style="BACKGROUND: white"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #1f5080; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">Next we headed for <st1lace w:st="on"><st1laceName w:st="on">Horn</st1laceName> <st1laceType w:st="on">Mountain</st1laceType></st1lace> I think. Here?s where the real fun started. Blackfins busting everywhere and we are catching them on jigs pretty easy. But some HUGE fish are busting water and Scottie starts tossing a big popper. FISH ON! A smallish Yellowfin but a good start. <o></o><P style="BACKGROUND: white"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #1f5080; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">I get the Jig Fever and am getting the hang of flinging the Shimano butterflys at the breaking tuna. I get bit and?. oh shit. This one is a mo fo. On the smallest rig in the boat. A great rig for black fin king fish but not built for a yellow fin.<o></o><P style="BACKGROUND: white"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #1f5080; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">I fight the fish for about 20 minutes then realize I have something special. Hand the rod to the more experienced Fish Guy. He reluctantly (not really) takes it and puts the hammer down. Fights the big yellow fin for about 2 hours. We get this big boy up to the boat a couple of time but just out of gaff range. <o></o><P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Dammit, the line is cut on the motor and we are off?.. oh well we had a shot.<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o></o><P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Drifted the night for swordfish with no takers.<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o></o><P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Next day caught more blackfin, AJ, Scamp and two very nice Rainbow Runners then called it a day.<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o></o><P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">End of the day, a bunch of fish and a great memory. Thanks, Fish Guy and Scottie for the trip!<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">


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## Captain Woody Woods (Oct 2, 2007)

nice job. estimated size on the lost yellerfin?


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## reelhappy (Oct 31, 2007)

great report. glad to hear your first trip was awesome. now you got the yft fever! it's something that never go's away! fish on 

scot


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## Chris V (Oct 18, 2007)

That sucks ya'll lost the big one but I think every tuna trip has "that" fish. It still looks like ya'll did pretty good by the amount of fish corpses on the dock.


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## David Ridenour (Sep 28, 2007)

Good report. Sorry about, "the big one that got away" but hey, that's fishing as you well know.


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## need2fish (Oct 2, 2007)

Great report - sorry about the YFT but looks like you knocked out some blackfin to make up for it.


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## hjorgan (Sep 30, 2007)

Conservative estimate on the big one we got to see was 125+

No estimate on the submarine one, but nearly spooled the Torsa with 80lb braid on it. Never slowed up.


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## hjorgan (Sep 30, 2007)

More Pics










Big AJ










Shot of our first rig










"Endangered" red snapper from 300+ feet down. Released to fight another day.:banghead:banghead










Hooked up!!!










Jiggin at sunset










Let the cleaning begin! 

Had smoked AJ and Blackfin, grilled AJ -- FRESH!!

Can't wait to get back out there.


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## macala (Oct 4, 2007)

Great trip!!! I too lost a nice fish at Horn. I think the yellowfins there all went to motor cut off school.


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## ul412al (Oct 2, 2007)

Nice trip, thanks for the thread!


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## NaClH2O (Feb 14, 2008)

Great trip and pictures. We can't seem to get that weather day to match up with the work schedule. Thanks for the report gives me something to look forward to.


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## Captain Woody Woods (Oct 2, 2007)

pretty snapper. flat calm too


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