Holy Mackerel!

Yesterday Barbara and I joined four friends for a half day fishing charter out of Marco Island.  I have to say that getting up at 5:45 AM just a few days after the start of daylight savings time, gives you plenty of time before the old sun rises in the east.  We were almost to the Marco Island bridge before an pink-orange sun popped over the mangrove keys to the east of Fiddler's Creek.  We got to Rose Marina at 7:50 and after a quick bathroom stop, we were off on the Wild Thing under Captain Randy's command.  After ten minutes at no wake speed, the engine roared and we were off to somewhere out in the Gulf of Mexico.  We appeared to be about a mile off shore when the engines slowed and we had all just finished our first beer of the day.  Not bad for 8:30!

The boat was stocked with light spinning tackle each with a jig on the leader.  We were to add a piece of sliced live string to the hook and cast and jig to our heart's desire.  Within minutes the first Spanish Mackerel was hooked and in the boat.  These fish can hit the bait no matter what speed it is moving at.  I was slow to realize that you did not need to set the hook yourself.  If You just keep moving the jig after you notice a strike, eventually the mackerel or jack will hook itself.  Early on one of us hooked a larger fish.  Line streamed off the reel.  About ten minutes later Captain Randy pulled up the tired fish and it was on the deck.  It was a fifteen pound Bonita which we released.  They are not a good tasting fish.

This was Barbara's first experience fishing.  She was somewhat dismayed at hooking her first fish, but by here third one, she had the knack of fighting the fish and getting it to the boat.  In all we must have landed over thirty fish.  We released all but sixteen that we planned to have for lunch.  Captain Randy also used a few of the injured mackerels to be bait an a line he dripped over the back of the boat on heavier tackle.  Three times, it appeared that a large fish was on that line, but each time after a few minutes of fight, the line went limp.  The bait had been grabbed, but the head of the fish with the extremely large hook had not been swallowed.  I can only assume that when you fish with a bait fish that is twenty inches long, the fish you are going to catch will be large!

I lost four jigs completely when the mackerel bit through the monofilament leader.  I also hooked a Bonito but the damn fish ran outward then turn and swan toward the boat.  I tried to keep it down deep as it was near the boat, but it eventually swan under the boat and dragged the line into the rudder.  I should have moved to the rear of the boat to reel in that fish.

Captain Randy did a fine job filleting our fish after we docked.  Several pelicans were hoping he would drop more of the fish parts onto the dock, but the barely got enough mackerel to qualify for an appetizer.  We carried half of our fillets to a local restaurant, The Snook Inn, where the chef cooked the mackerel in three styles for us.  What a great meal.  I hope to see Captain Randy at least one more time before heading north.