The winter must be over down here and the dolphin are biting!
I do not go out for half day charters. The phone rings and a request comes for a half day Charter. I tell this person that I will make a couple of calls for her to see if I can find someone to do this for her. My problem with the half day stuff is that by the time we get out there and get the lines in an hour has gone by which leaves 3 hours for fishing if the fishing is off the reef. For the past week the wind has been blowing very steady out of the SW, West and today the NW. This creates nothing but green water as far as you can see from the reef on out to Africa. The sailfish have left for places unknown and the Dolphin Fish have yet to arrive due to the cold weather and green water.
The young Lady indicates that she would like to catch some Blackfin Tuna? Once again – green water and the wrong wind will not help. Then she tells me she is with her 13 year old Daughter and she is trying to get her interested into fishing. No one calls me back right away so I fall for the proposition we agree to a price and we will meet her at the dock at 8:00am.
We get out to the Reef and as far as I can see Green water everywhere. I run for 30 minutes due east where the Blackfin where last spring chasing bait in 400 to 500 ft of water over contours on the bottom that drop 50 to 70 ft in a short distance.
As I approach this area I see the water color change from bright green to a greenish blue – I look down at my speed and realize that I have lost 3 knots as soon as I pass the color line that runs up the coast. We are at the edge of the Gulf Stream. I mention this to the young Girl and Her mother and the Young Girl asks is that the same water that Nemo got caught in that sent him up the coast? You have to love the animated movies of today for the kids.
Not a bird in sight and no surface activity. We throw the lines in and I am wishing for something to bite that might be hanging out on the color break. 20 minutes later we get a bite on the dark side of the color and when we get it to the boat it is the first dolphin of the year. Three dolphin later and one barracuda we pick up the lines and arrive at the dock at 3:00pm in the afternoon with two folks that had a great day! I am just as happy in that I now know the winter must be over down here and the dolphin are biting! Wait until that wind moves to the SE and East for a couple of days – We will be in Dolphin Heaven!