Permit And Cobia

James Salerno and a few of his friends booked us for a half day one afternoon and they were happy to catch anything. We started heading out and found a school of cobia right away. The water was so clear it looked like a swimming pool and I was able to get a great shot of the cobias from the tower with my cell phone. After the cobias our troops were pumped up because they had already caught more than they had on other boats and we were just getting started. We hit a shallow wreck and got a couple of big barracudas for the guys. While riding in the shallow water I saw a couple of nice permit. The permit is one of the most exciting fish to catch. Usually they are difficult to hook, they are strong fighters, and are very beautiful when they come to the boat. After a bit of coaxing we were able to hook a nice permit from the bow. There was some structure near where we were fighting the fish so we decided to fight the fish from the bow the entire time. As the fish got close, my son James ran and got the long gaff. After a tough battle, James was able to lay down on the bow and reach down and gaff our prize. It was the first permit of the season for the L&H and a fish everyone was very proud of. It was a great afternoon of fishing with some beautiful fish to show for our efforts!

12 Year Old James Does Super Mating For Victor

Wes had not been fishing for a week or so because of an infection in his finger. I had been using my brother Fred or Mike Welter but they were both busy today so I took my twelve year old son James as first mate. Victor Delatorre and his friends booked us for a full day and since Victor likes to get eating fish I knew what we needed to do. The baitfishing was tougher than it had been, but we finally got enough and made our way to the south. Our first stop was at the edge of the reef where we had been getting some snappers. The wind was light and we put up the helium and got some bonitas and a decent kingfish. When the action slowed I decided to run offshore and look for some dolphin. A few miles out there was a weedline with dolphin on it. At first, just a few fish then it started getting better and better. James did great with the dolphin, making great casts to get the first fish hooked, then working quickly to get the school going. The dolphin were mixed sizes, some that were too small to keep, but plenty of keepers and a few bigger fish. For almost three hours we stayed busy catching dolphin and James never missed a beat, doing as well or better than any mate twice his size. Finally the weedline diminished and it was time to try something else. At the shipwreck we were hoping to get a snapper or cobia for Victor and his gang, but today it would only be amberjacks. Again, James worked with precision, keeping baits going down and fish coming up. Before long we had our limit of amberjacks including one fish close to ninety pounds. James would hook the big jacks, hand the rod off, and then grab the leader and pull the fish all the way up to the gaff. He made his father very, very proud. We ran back to the north and put the kites up for a little bit. James needed a break so he ran the boat. We caught a nice sailfish and headed back to the marina! It was a great day for everyone, but I think I was the happiest of all, being able to fish with my boy as first mate and have a box full of fish to show for it!!!!!!!!!!!!

Marc Iacovelli Gets A Sailfish For Everyone

Marc Iacovelli is one of the long time customers who has been fishing on the L&H longer than I have. Marc used to fish with John B. Dudas and his son John Louie (These two captains taught me nearly everything about fishing on the L&H). The resume that Marc has from fishing with the Dudas's is incredible! Giant tuna, marlin, cobia, unlimited dolphin, tournament victories and the list goes on and on. Needless to say there isn't much that Mr. Iacovelli hasn't seen or done, but he still gets excited with every fish. Today Marc was accompanied by his son and a couple of his peers. The objective for the day was to get a sailfish for everyone. We started the day out castnetting pilchards and when my brother Fred made a perfect throw over a big school we soon had several hundred pilchards in the baitwell. This one throw of the castnet would play a huge effect in the success of our day. From there we stopped at the bouy and acquired a few larger baits before making the run to the south. As we ran toward triumph reef, Fred spotted a couple frigate birds about two miles offshore. When the L&H slowed down by the birds, I spotted a couple nice dolphin and the team made quick work of these. About fifteen minutes later I spotted a nice blue marlin tailing down sea. I moved ahead of the blue and Marc pitched a big blue runner infront of the marlin. The billfish would race over to the runner as if to attack it then turn away at the last second. We repeated the process a few times before Fred dropped back a twelve pound dolphin. The marlin lit up and raced right to the dolphin, but turned away. It was a beautiful blue marlin and everyone on the boat got a good look at it. From there we hit the edge and put the kites up. Right off the bat we missed a sail and then started getting attacked by bonitas. The bonitas were ravenous, eating everything as soon as it hit the water. Between bonitas we managed to get a couple kings, three mutton snappers and a couple dolphin. Early in the afternoon we raised a couple sailfish on some pilchards we were chumming with. Fred and Mike kept throwing out pilchards and sailfish kept coming up from the deep. Soon there were six sailfish chasing the live chum all over behind the L&H. We hooked one of the sails on the kite and managed to hook three more by casting spinning rods to them. There is no doubt in my mind that if we didn't have so many pilchards we would not have hooked all these sails. We had what we needed, a sailfish for everyone, now we just had to land them. Freddie, Mike and Marc did great coaching the young boys and after forty minutes of fighting the quad we were able to successfully release all four sails! It was great to catch all the boys a sail on a day when the rest of the boats in the fleet didn't catch four sails combined. We finished the day with a few more dolphin and headed back after another successful day of fishing on the L&H for Marc Iacovelli!

Nagens And Nolans Get Good Variety

Ricardo Nagan and his family fish with us on the L&H frequently. This time they teamed up with Jim Nolan and his son for what would be another great day of fishing. Our plan was to concentrate on eating fish and action for the day. After catching a few baits the snapper fishing was first on the agenda. The snappers would bite good for us right off the bat and in thirty minutes we had thirty of these tasty fish in the L&H's icy hold. From there we traveled to the south in search of larger quarry. After a bit of a slow period our team found good action around a shipwreck. Soon we had several bent rods and smiling faces for everyone. A nice tuna was first to come in followed by several hard fighting amberjacks. The youngest Nagan family member (the smallest member of our team that day) was having great fun with the jacks and was especially proud of the size of the fish he was catching! As soon as we had our limit we left the amberjacks biting and headed back to the north to search for more fish. From the tower I spotted three big cobia tailing in the deep water. When the cobia tail offshore in the spring they are much more difficult to catch than the fish that inhabit the shallow waters during the winter. It seems that more often then not, you may get only a quick shot at these tailing fish before they swim down to the depths, never to be seen again. Nonetheless Mike Welter, my mate for the day made two great casts and hooked two cobias before the third fish took off. After a tough battle on the spinning rods we boated both fish, each weighing in at nearly fifty pounds! I was very excited with these cobias because of the degree of difficulty in the catch. On the way home we caught a few barracudas just to round out what was already a terrific day of fishing.

Guabeka Family Trip

The Guabeka family had been our friends for several years, so we were happy when they booked a trip with us. Karene, Josu, Josu Jr. (7) and his sister Amaia (6) jumped on the L&H with high expectations for their first offshore fishing trip. After getting some bait and everyone familiar with the tackle, our first stop was a shallow reef to try for some action. Barracudas were swarming at the reef and in no time mom, dad, and both kids had caught several of these fish. I told Amaia that we would catch some pink fish next, so the L&H pushed further offshore to target some snappers. As soon as the baits hit the bottom the snappers would bite. In no time the pink colored fish started coming in the boat much to the delight of six year old Amaia (along with the rest of her family)! After landing enough snapper for dinner our plan was to try for something larger. I steered the L&H even further south to a deep shipwreck and as soon as Wes dropped the big live baits down they were devoured. This time it was big amberjacks that were coming in the boat. These fish fight hard, much stronger than anything our team had encountered so far that day. Before long, dad and his troops landed the limit of jacks and we were headed for home. On the way, Amaia, caught a couple of small blackfin tuna that would become sushi later that evening. It was a wonderful day of fishing with the Guabeka family, and I am sure they will be back at it again soon!

Incredible Three Days With Tom Kuljis

Tom Kuljis is great to have on the boat. He is an excellent angler with light or heavy tackle, he is happy to catch whatever is biting and best of all he is a pleasure to be around. When he booked us for three days, I knew the fish were going to be in trouble! The first day Tom invited his cousin and right off the bat we got a double header sailfish. After that, Tom got a couple nice blackfin tunas on the kite. When the wind died we decided to go get some cudas for action. The cudas were chewin and Tom and his cousin caught twenty five of these fish mostly on light tackle. After the cudas, it was time to try a shipwreck. At the wreck the guys got a couple of big amberjacks and we came in a little early.

The second day Charlie Reynolds from Fin-Nor Reels came along. Charlie gives us all our reels so it was important to have a good day. Tom was perfect to have on the boat with Charlie so I was excited. After the bait fishing (it took a long time today) we put out the first line and raised a sail. I moved to the south to get back in front of the fish and we hooked a triple. After releasing all three sailfish, Wes put the baits back out and we got another sailfish. While fighting the sail, Tom got two nice blackfin tuna. By now the light was good so we ran inshore and found some cobias right away. The fish were not biting great, but we managed to get three nice ones including a fifty-one pounder for Tom. From there our next stop was a shipwreck where the amberjacks were biting. In no time our limit of jacks came over the rail, including three fish over fifty pounds that Tom got on spinning rods! As we made our way back to the north, I found a big dolphin. The fish was not hungry, but Wes finally convinced the fish to bite and Tom had the twenty-five pounder in the boat in short order. We stopped at a spot on the way home and got about fifteen nice snappers so everyone would have some dinner. After some cudas at the cuda hole, the L&H pulled into the marina with a full fish box and sailfish flags flying!

On the final day we got a late start and did well with the snappers. We looked offshore for a while, but only found undersized dolphin. We hit the wreck and were catching amberjacks when Tom hooked something much bigger. He put maximum pressure on the heavy tackle and finally got the fish to the boat. We could hardly get the fish over the side and with good reason. Toms Amberjack would later weigh in at one hundred and two pounds! It was a great fish and a great ending to three fun days!

My Dad And Max Get Em

My dad and our friend Max are in the same business, so Max was kind enough to invite my father on one of his trips. I grew up fishing with my dad, but he is so busy with work these days that he does not get out fishing as often as he used to. We got bait and ran to the south to find some nice water. It was a beautiful day with just enough wind to keep the kites out. After setting up we got a few nice dolphin and some kingfish. We had been on a dolphin slump with Max lately so I was happy to see these fish. We continued to get action and when the L&H got close to Fowey my dad got a sailfish. It was really nice to have an easy day because both guys were enjoying talking business and the fish were doing their part. When the current took us closer to Key Biscayne the sailfish started biting better and better. We had a couple of doubles and it was great to see my dad and Max each hooked up. We caught several sails and lost some. We even lost a few sailfish just feet from the leader, but it didn't matter because everyone was having a good time and if we lost one, another would be along soon. I want to thank Max a lot for giving me the chance to enjoy a great day with my dad, and a great day it was!

Bob Lewis Billfish Tournament

I have been fishing the Bob Lewis Billfish Tournament for many years. Captain John Dudas has won this tournament several times on the L&H. This year the directors made it a one day event. I fished on the Jichi and the boats owner, Louis Isaiis would be the captain. We also had Albert Castro, Ricky Q, Hannibal, Jeff V, and my son James. With the fishing so good the previous two days I knew it was going to be a great day. In the morning when I was loading the bait, I took a lot more than we usually do and everyone was asking me what I was doing. "You will see," I told them. "Today we will go through a bunch of bait! As soon as we put the lines out We got a double header sailfish. I got one and Albert got the other. The entire morning we could hardly keep the lines out between the sailfish and the dolphin. By noon we had caught ten sailfish and fifty dolphin! Thankfully in the afternoon the dolphin slowed down, but the sailfish kept biting. Captain Lou kept us on the fish and made all the right moves. Louis is one of the few boat owners who can actually run the boat he owns, and he is very, very good at it. I have fished with him for three years and he is an excellent angler, captain, and he knows how to stay with the fish. As the afternoon wore on I found myself catching most of the sailfish that came up. I usually don't grab the rods, but today when a sail came up I would get it. I finished the day going a perfect ten out of ten sailfish! When the day finally ended we had a box full of over fifty dolphin, two tunas and some kingfish. We ended up with twenty-one sailfish to get first place and set a new tournament record (the old record was set on the L&H over a two day period). I was awarded top angler of the tournament for my efforts, an accomplishment I have never achieved before. The MVP of our team today was James, who stayed behind the scenes and kept rigging and rerigging our tackle. We went through over a hundred leaders and two hundred plus baits in an eight hour day!!!!

Fred Gets Us Out While Fishing Is Red Hot

After telling my brother Fred about the three marlin we saw and all the mahi he lined up a charter so we could get back out the very next day. The wind blew twenty-five from the north east again and the bait was very hard to get. Finally we got enough and made the rough wet ride back to the south where we had such great fishing the day before. We had three mates today, Freddie, Wes, and Mike Welter and they would barely be able to keep up. From the time the first bait went over the side it was non stop action. We were seeing a lot of sailfish and the dolphin were relentless. At one point we had three sailfish come up after a dead blue runner on the kite. When I moved to the south and put more baits out five more sailfish came up. After a while the dolphin were so aggressive that kite fishing became impossible and the guys just started casting out spinners. The fish were all nice size, eight to twenty-five pounds. By noon we had sixty dolphin, a bunch of sails, and sea sick customers. The guys begged us to go home so we started slowly making our way back. It was too rough to run, so we rode the tower and just watched as countless dolphin and sailfish tailed by the side of the L&H. It was unbelievable fishing and our trio of mates did awesome and worked great together! I want to thank my brother Freddie for getting us out there, because if it wasn't for him I would have been at the dock!

White Marlin On Ross Fisher Trip

Every year Ross Fisher books us to fish some of his friends who are airline pilots. Ross is a great guy and I look forward to this trip. Today was very windy out of the north east, but I knew if we found some current the fishing would be good. After getting bait we ran to the south and when we got below Fowey the current stared going and conditions looked great. We got a couple of sailfish right off the bat and then some mahis. With the north east wind and north current it was very rough, but our gang did great holding on and fishing in the rough stuff. Just before mid day I saw a big billfish tailing down sea. "White Marlin!!" I shouted as the fish got closer. It circled the right short, but didn't eat, then it came to the left middle and was ready to bite. It was a beautiful sight to see the marlin all lit up attacking the kite bait. Some how the fish got the bait and not the hook. I ran to the south and found the marlin tailing again. I stayed with the fish for several minutes, but after casting twenty different baits it became obvious that it was not interested in anything we had. I was very discouraged, thinking to myself that we might not see another one of those for a couple years since white marlin are very rare here. After we put the baits back out we got a few more nice dolphin and another sail. Then, just after lunch I saw a big blue marlin tailing, but this fish wasn't going to eat. The ocean was alive today with the strong wind and the gulfstream close in. Later that afternoon while holding on for dear life in the tower, I could hardly believe my eyes. It was another white marlin tailing down sea! I moved the L&H in front of the swimming marlin and when Wes threw the bait out the marlin charged it and engulfed it. The white marlin raced away and I put the L&H in hot pursuit! I wanted this fish bad and water quickly filled the cockpit as we backed into the heavy seas! I had put more water in the cockpit of the L&H than ever before and when we got the leader I eased off. It was a spectacular fight with the marlin jumping more than twenty times. The fish finally went down and after a tough out to sea battle, we got the marlin back to the boat. Unfortunately this fish could not be released so we kept the ninety pound white for a trophy! It was an unbelievable day of fishing and a day that reminded me a valuable lesson that I learned from John Dudas. Never get discouraged and always keep trying no matter what happens.

Jimmy Hewes Two Day Trip

Jimmy Hewes has been fishing on the L&H longer than I have. He fished with John B. Dudas and his son John L. and has great stories about the old days. Jimmy booked the boat for two days, but could only fish one of them. The first day we started out kite fishing, but luck was not on our side. We had sailfish bites one after another, but they kept getting away. In a couple of hours we ended up going one out of six on sails and a couple nice kingfish. We needed to change things up so I decided to go look for the cobias. My brother Fred, my son James and I searched for the cobias over the white sand. After a while, Fred shouted "There, There!!!". It was a nice school of fish with a lot of good sized ones. Fred and James went to work on the cobias, but unfortunately some of the bad luck was still with us. We lost several nice fish, but in the end we were able to get the limit. Everyone was happy and after getting bait for tomorrows trip we made it an early day.

The following day was almost the complete opposite of the day before. With Jimmy Hewes on the boat we could do no wrong. Every sailfish that came up we hooked and landed. We got two singles, a triple and were fighting another when I saw a freejumper inshore and to the south of us. Fred raised the baits in the air and we moved to get in front of the sail. From the tower I could see the fish below the surface and there were several of them. By now the sail that was already hooked was several hundred yards out. When we were ahead of the pack of sails Fred dropped the baits down and within seconds there were sailfish on every bait. As soon as the baits hit the water one of the sails would rise up and eat it. Everything got hooked and we found ourselves fighting five sails instead of just one. It was an aggressive move to try and bait more fish while already hooked up, but it paid off big time! After a while we managed to release all of the fish, it was a great feeling! After that we moved out a little deeper and got a couple nice tunas. In the afternoon we fished by a shipwreck and got a nice black grouper that we released along with a big bull shark. It was a great two days of fishing and we made a lot of anglers very happy.

Lucky Andre Gets 506 Pound Sword

Andre Pachon and his wife Judy are lucky fishermen. They seem to defy the odds whenever they go fishing. Andre is on a quest to catch all of the billfish of the world. A couple years ago he booked us for three days to get an atlantic sail. The very first fish of the trip was a ninety pound white marlin ( the first one I had seen in a couple years) he went on to get plenty of sails. When he called to say he wanted to get a sword I knew the odds were not in our favor. He only had one day to go, there had not been many swords around, and I myself had not been swordfishing in over a month. Nevertheless we headed offshore to try our luck. Wes took his friend Robbie along to help if we hooked something big, a decision that would make the day for us. The conditions were good, but after three drops we had not had any bites. Finally on the fourth drop the rod began to bounce. A few seconds later, the rod bent over and Andre was hooked up to his sword! The fish fought hard on the bottom and then swam strait to the surface. I knew it was a big fish. After twenty minutes Andre had the leader and I could see that it was a big, big sword. I watched from the tower as the swordfish would go down, then come back up, time and time again. Andre put as much pressure as possible on the fish and Robbie got a good shot with the harpoon. The fish bolted off and the harpoon line flew out of the basket! Wes did great unwrapping the harpoon rope from Andre's line over and over. After twenty more minutes the fish was close again. From the tower I could see the big sword, with his head pointed strait down and the giant tail coming up, slowly kicking back and forth. Wes reached out as far as he could, but I feared that if he gaffed the fish in the tail that he would get pulled over. Finally, Wes was able to get a good shot with the gaff. Robbie got a second gaff in and I raced down from the tower to place a third! When we pulled the fish in the boat we realized the size. With the tail barely in the transom door, the bill was inside the salon! We ran home and celebrated the whole way! The fish ended up weighing five hundred and six pounds, the biggest ever on the L&H!! Another billfish for Andre, and in grand style.

Great Day With World Record Cobia

Greg and Annie Holcombe fished with us today and were generous enough to invite my family along with outdoor writer Sue Cocking. We ran strait to the edge and the water was blue with a good current. Wes and James only had a couple baits out when Annie hooked a sailfish that was jumping all over. After the release we set the lines out and this time everything got bit. We had seven lines out and had something on every single one. Two dolphin, a sail, a tuna, and three bonitas all going different directions. Some how we managed to get everything. We put the lines back out and missed a sail and got another tuna and some bonitas. By now the sun was high enough to give us good light to look for cobias so we decided to change tactics. After forty minutes of searching we found a big school! There were some big fish in the school and when the first bait hit the water a fish close to fifty pounds came up and grabbed it. I knew this was a world record for girls under ten so in order for the fish to qualify, Laurel (8) had to do everything herself with no other person touching the rod or assisting in any way. She hooked the big fish and the fight was on! We continued hooking fish until we had five of them on. I had to stay with the school and with everyone fighting nice fish Laurel had her hands full. We had four big fish in the box when Laurel (and her fish) began to tire. Finally after forty five minutes we got a shot at her cobia, but the gaff pulled out and I had to pull away to stay with the school. After catching and releasing a few more, Laurel was able to get her fish within range and this time Wes put it in the boat!! Everyone was so excited! My brother came over on a small boat and I would point where to cast and he began catching cobias, it was awosome! We still needed another fish to get the limit so Annie put a bait out and hooked a real nice one. As with Laurel's fish, I had to stay with the school and could not help our angler with the boat. Every time Annie would get the fish close, I had to pull away to be able to help my brother. Finally Annie had the big fish beat, Wes gaffed it and threw it in the boat. It hit the deck with a thud! After Freddie got his limit we headed to the dock to weigh the girls fish. My daughter Laurel's cobia weighed in at forty-eight pounds, smashing the old world record of thirty-seven! Annie's fish ended up weighing sixty-five! It was a wonderful day for my family and I, none of which would have been possible without the kindness and generosity of Greg Holcombe! Thank you so very much.

Two Sailfish And A Big Cobia School

Joseph Anderton and some of his friends from work joined Wes and I for a full day of great fishing and flat calm weather. We went to the north for bait and with no wind we were going to have to attach helium balloons to the kite to help keep it aloft. As Wes was inside working on the balloons I decided to make a quick pass through the cobia area. There had been cobias off Palm Beach, but none in our neck of the woods for the past few days, but it was still worth a shot. I had only been looking for a few minutes when I found a big school! I stopped the boat and Wes cam running out. He looked up at me and I looked down with a great big smile. I did not have to say anything, he already knew. Wes sprang into action and began hooking cobias one after another. Some of the anglers were more experienced than others and the fish were all big ones so it was going to be a challenge. Wes did great working with the guys and since we found the school in real deep water he had to work quick. I knew we would not be able to stay with the school for long since they were heading strait offshore. Everything went as smooth as it possibly could with six guys fighting thirty to fifty pound cobias that were going all over the place. We ended up getting our limit and resumed our hunt for the sailfish. We fished most of the afternoon and raised five sailfish at once, only getting one of them. Then just before heading back in we released another sail to finish the day on a good note. It was a lot of fun and with flat calm seas it was another great day on the L&H!

Tim King and The Big Sailfish

Tim, Mariam, and Olivia King from Raleigh, NC joined my brother Freddie and James and I for an afternoon half day. The weather was great and we caught a few live baits and worked our way offshore. The fishing was a little slow, but the King family was just happy to be on the water. Tim landed a nice kingfish and then I saw a huge sailfish come to the short kite bait. The fish didn't bite so Fred tossed out a light spinning rod with a frisky live bait and the sail pounced on it. The fish took off jumping for the horizon as the L&H backed up to try and stay close to the angry sailfish. The fish swam offshore almost the entire fight and several times we had it close, but it was still out of reach. After a long battle the sail was close, but still refused to give up. I could see the fish down about ten feet and constantly going away from us. Tim did an outstanding job with such light tackle and finally after a long, tough battle he had his trophy! What a fish and to have his wife and daughter there to cheer him on made it all the better. It was a great trip and we look forward to seeing the King family again soon.

Good Fishing For Greg and Annie

Greg Holcombe and his daughter Annie fish with us a few times each year and they are some of the nicest people I know. For as long as they have fished the L&H I have enjoyed fishing with them, their company, and having them on the boat. For whatever reason, it always seems to be good weather and great fishing. This time we caught bait and made our way out to the edge. We put the kites out and before we had all the baits in the water we hooked a couple nice dolphin. As we were fighting the mahi, Annie hooked a big sailfish. Over the years I have watched Annie grow up and become a better and better angler. She has a great feel for whatever tackle she is using and knows how to catch big fish. After we boated the dolphin I chased Annie's sail and in no time she had the leader to my daughter Laurel for a release. It was a great start to the day. As is usually the case with the Holcombe family, the fish were biting! We would barely have time to get the baits out and would get bit by something. Greg got a couple of real nice kingfish and we would have steady action with dolphin, bonita, and sailfish. By early afternoon we were three out of six on sails and a bunch of other fish when the wind started really picking up. We decided to make it an early day. Since we already had a good catch of fish and were scheduled to go back out later in the week with the Holcombes, every one was happy to head back in.

Tuna Balling Bait and Kitefishing For Sails

Ron and Toni Gilbert along with Jim and Viv Hollomon came over from the west coast to join Wes and I on the L&H for a full day of sailfishing. There had been a lot of small bait offshore in the mornings, so our plan was to look offshore for the sails in the morning and then kite fish in the afternoon. After baitfishing we moved offshore to about six hundred feet and started getting a few tunas on our lures. Then off in the distance I saw one of the biggest flocks of birds I have ever seen. As we got closer we hooked tunas on every rod. After boating the fish we steered toward the birds and from the tower I could see the tunas had the small goggle-eyes and tinker mackerals in such a tight ball that it turned the cobalt blue gulfstream water a yellowish color. The bait were climbing on top of each other trying to escape the ravenous blackfin and skipjack tuna. There were so many birds that a friend later told me that it was difficult to see our boat through the mass of feeding sea gulls and frigate birds. I backed the L&H up to the baitball and Wes would scoop up hundreds of the tiny baits at a time with the dipnet. After we filled the baitwell with countless little live baits we simply began to catch the tunas at will. As fast as the bait hit the water you had a tuna on. Then we found what we were looking for, a sailfish joined the tuna in the frenzy. Wes threw a bait to the sail and seconds later the L&H was backing down in pursuit of the greyhounding sailfish. We released the beautiful sail and our plan seemed to be coming together. For the next couple of hours our team caught the tunas until everyone had enough. The fishbox was full, Wes was exhausted, the tackle was in shambles, we had no choice but to leave the fish biting. There was simply no more room to put them and our anglers were too tired to think of catching any more. I ran to the south where a couple boats were seeing sailfish. From my perch in the tower I saw a sailfish grab another boats kite bait but the fish didn't get hooked and continued to swim past the other boat. I positioned the L&H in front of the sailfish and Wes threw out two spinners. We hooked a double header of sails and released both of them. It was a great feeling to be in the right place at the right time and taking advantage of opportunities like that are what separate good days from great ones! We continued south and put the kites our for an hour or so and had a few more shots at sails and released two of them. Our friends the Gilberts and Hollomons had fished in Cost Rica and got three sails so it felt really good to almost double that in our own backyard!