Captain Jimmy's Blog

22 Sailfish For Diaz Family

2011-12-21T08:14:00.000-08:00

The last time the Diaz family (Jennifer, Erica, DJ, and Dave) fished with us, Erica got a sailfish even though it wasn't the time when we normally find them. This time older brother DJ wanted one for himself. With high expectations, Jim, Trav, and I went the day before and caught bait so we could get an early start. The Diaz gang got to the L&H early in the morning and we were off. As Jim and I rode the tower on the way south the conditions looked great and we were excited about what the day had in store for us. Before long I saw two sailfish tailing down sea. Trav threw out two baits and we hooked both fish. DJ got one and Dave got the other. Now that DJ had his fish the pressure was off! We ran down a few more miles, put the kites out, and started getting bites immediately. For the first few hours as fast as the baits went out they were eaten by sailfish or mahi. Just before lunch, the wind switched more from the west and the sails stopped tailing, but we were still getting bites on the kites. By noon we had already released twelve sailfish, caught two kings, twenty mahi, a grouper and a nice wahoo! More and more boats started coming down to where we had been fishing to try and get in on the action. As the afternoon wore on , our team continued to catch fish. DJ and his father stayed on the rods all day and their extra effort played an important role in our success. By 4:00pm we were up to nineteen sailfish releases and Jim came up to the tower with his phone. Our friend Captain Paul Ross had called to congratulate us on the great day we were having. As I talked with Paul, another sail came up. LEFT SHORT!!! I yelled nearly blowing out Captain Paul's eardrums! This fish was very important to me as it would make sailfish number twenty for the day. In my years on the L&H I have caught twenty or more (As either captain or mate) five different times and no other boat at our marina has ever reached this magic number. It is something we are very proud of! DJ caught sailfish number twenty and he and his dad caught another double to finish the day with twenty-two sailfish releases!!!!!! It was even more special to have such a great day with a family like the Diaz's, because family is so very important to me!

Good Fishing For Max, Sheldon, And Alex

2011-12-21T07:53:00.000-08:00

Our friends Max, Sheldon, and Alex joined us for a busy day of fishing on the L&H. The bait came easy and we ran out to the edge. Today the edge was out a lot farther than it had been, but when we got there we found good fishing for the mahi. Some of the fish were under birds, but for the most part I would see them swimming from the tower and the boys would cast live baits to them. For some reason the dolphin were not biting very well. We would see six or eight fish in a group and only half of them would bite. As we got further to the south, I started seeing more and more mahi, but the results were the same, catching half of the fish we baited. After a while our team decided to do some bottom fishing. As soon as the first bait got to the bottom, we began hooking up. Amberjacks and almacos were biting fast and furious and before long we had ten of these fish in the box. Pulling up these strong fighters from the depths really wore out our anglers! On the way home the guys got some more mahi. With over forty mahi, all of the amberjacks and almacos, we headed for home to clean fish for everyone. It was a fun day with a lot of action for our friends!

Four Sailfish And Big Mahi For Larry

2011-12-21T06:40:00.000-08:00

Larry Puyanic is a fun loving, outgoing person who we enjoy having on the boat. Today, Larry had some clients with him and wanted to try for a sailfish. We got some bait and ran offshore to try our luck. Soon after setting up the kites, we hooked a big mahi that was jumping all over. After the fish settled down we were able to get close. Travis grabbed the leader and Jim gaffed the thirty pound fish and put it in the boat. For the next hour we had steady action with the dolphin on the kites, with some of them over twenty pounds. From my perch in the tower, I saw a bunch of flying fish getting chased inshore. I backed the L&H in shallow and as soon as we got to where the bait was, we raised three sailfish, all on the same bait. Trav hooked one of them and Jim quickly cast out a bait and hooked another. The third fish came to one of the kite baits and just like that we were hooked up to three sails. As we were fighting the sails, Jim hooked another one on the kite and we were now fighting a quad. After a lot of over and under by the anglers, laughter from everyone, and a few jokes thrown in from Larry we were able to successfully release all four sailfish. With a sailfish release for each of his clients and plenty of mahi for dinner, Larry decided to call it a day.

Out Of The Boatyard And Into The Meat

2011-11-04T17:48:00.000-07:00

We finished up with our yearly maintenance faster than expected and we are very happy with the outcome. They took good care of us at the boatyard and Travis and I spent long days and accomplished everything we set out to do. We have had a few good trips since going back in the water. The meat fishing has been good with alot of tuna and mahi. The fish have moved in closer and trolling has been the most successful method. We have been getting alot of multiple strikes with both the mahi and the tuna and in some cases mahi and tuna at the same time. The wrecks have been active with a few groupers, amberjacks and cobias. With a few trips under our belt and plenty of fish for everyone, it is safe to say that the L&H is back in action!

Back At The Boatyard

2011-10-10T17:03:00.000-07:00

We have arrived at the time where we do the annual maintenance on the L&H. Although it is not one of my favorite times it is something that must be done. This year we have a few pretty big projects, but I am hoping everything goes smooth. Along with the usual maintenance there is work that needs to be done on the spray rails as well as the fresh water tank. Instead of taking the L&H up north this year we will be working at a yard on the Miami river.

Christopher Marlin David's First FIshing Trip

2011-09-21T18:02:00.000-07:00

Christopher Marlin David was just over five weeks old when he went on his first fishing trip. The fishing had been good so Jim Hendrix, Donald (a friend of James from school), Debbi, James, Laurel, baby Chris, and I jumped on the L&H early one morning and headed out to try our luck. We ran offshore to look for mahi and Chris seemed very happy with all the new sights and sounds on the L&H! Shortly after sunrise we found some heavy sea weed and in no time began catching nice dolphin. James, Jim and Deb were catching the fish and Laurel was watching the baby. For most of the morning it was easy pickins as we continued to catch the mahi almost at will. Then a little after ten my friend Bouncer called and told me he was catching big ones a few miles farther out. When we got there it was one of the biggest weedlines I have seen in a while. The dolphin were everywhere and we started just looking for the big fish. Baby Chris would sometimes come out with his mom and sister to watch the action and sometimes he would just look from inside the cabin. Mom took him out to wave at Bouncer as we passed by and Christopher Marlin seemed to be enjoying himself just fine. Before noon we needed only a few more fish to have our limit and with the size of the fish the fishbox was full! As Donald battled a twenty pound mahi an even larger fish swam up. Laurel flipped out a bait and we hooked the big bull. The fish raced away and Jim backed the L&H in hot pursuit. Nine year old Laurel put great pressure on the fish and after fifteen minutes dad gaffed the fish and pulled it in the boat! It was truly a wonderful day with over five hundred pounds of mahi for the market and the first of many, many, many fantastic fishing trips with my new fishing buddy Christopher Marlin!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Another Great Day For Art West

2011-09-21T17:34:00.000-07:00

Art West had been fishing on the L&H for as long or longer than I have and it seems that we always have a great day. The last time he fished with us on the L&H we caught four swordfish, so he wanted to give that a try. The mahi fishing had been good lately so our plan was to try for the mahi first and then maybe a sword. After loading up on bait we headed offshore to look for the seaweed that had been in close all week. It wasn't there today and before long we were twenty miles out and nothing. Finally we saw a Frigate bird and as I steered toward it another boat was racing to beat us there. When we got to the bird, the other boat went to the north and I went south. A few minutes later we found a big school of dolphin that were biting like mad. I smiled as I looked down and saw our team pulling in fish like crazy and then looked over and saw the other boat trolling out of site. Then, from the deep, a three hundred pound blue marlin came up and jumped nearly all of the way out of the water to grab a ten pound mahi that Art was fighting just fifteen feet behind the L&H! The marlin took Art's mahi about twenty feet down and just sat there. Finally it swallowed the mahi and took off until nearly stripping the reel and finally breaking the leader. From there we continued south until Jim found some birds over a big patch of weed. As I got closer, dolphin started swimming at the boat from all directions and they were nice sized fish. We stayed there and caught dolphin until we had our limit and the box was filled to the top. At this point there were more fish behind the L&H than when we started. Enough!!!! I said from the tower, we have to leave them, there is no more room! It was still early so we tried a drop for a sword. We had one right away, but it was tangled in the leader and pulled off. The next drop we hooked a nice fish and it was fighting hard! After a good battle we had the fish to the top and I could see that it was a big one. Everyone worked together. Jim handled the leader and our friend Abie hit the fish with the harpoon. After placing a couple gaffs, our team slid the three hundred pound swordfish into the L&H!! It was still early, but we had a lot of fish to clean so we decided to head in. It was another great day for Art West, his gang, and the L&H!!

**of the two photos, the four fish was then and the other is now

Triple Limit For John Oulette And The Boys

2011-09-21T17:13:00.000-07:00

John Oulette wanted to catch a swordfish for his son Kyle. So we left early one morning in hopes of catching some mahi first and then trying for a sword. When we finished with bait and headed out it wasn't long before we started catching dolphin. There was seaweed and floating debris all over and the action was steady. About mid morning we found a huge flock of birds and when the L&H got to them James and I saw a big tree stump floating. There were fish all around. We got more mahi, a bunch of tripletails, and then started fishing for the wahoo's. For the next hour we pretty much were catching wahoo nonstop. They weren't huge, but decent size and we also got a few tuna mixed in. Then after lunch we found a pallet and got a few more mahi, and limited out on wahoo and tripletail, including a fifteen pound trip that Kyle caught. As we headed to the sword grounds, Travis saw a frigate bird far off in the distance and we went over to take a look. James and I were in the tower and we could not believe our eyes! There were at least fifty mahi and they were all from ten to twenty pounds! For the next two hours our team fought these big mahi and boy did they fight hard. Finally when we reached the limit for dolphin and with the fishbox filled to capacity we had to leave the school. It was an amazing feeling to limit out on dolphin, wahoo, and tripletail all in the same day. From there we made a couple of drops for swords and caught a big oil fish. Shortly after dark we hooked the sword we were looking for. Kyle did a great job fighting the fish from the chair, but unfortunately after a tough battle the hook pulled out near the boat! After that we decided that we had enough and headed for home. Even without the sword it was still one of the best fishing trips in a long time!

Mahi And Wahoo For Venezuelans

2011-09-21T17:04:00.000-07:00

Christian, Chris, Miguel, Alejandro, Jose, and Abdel came to fish with us one day before heading to the Bahamas for a three day cruise. I was unable to make it that day so Captain Neil ran the boat for me. They headed offshore and on the way out caught a nice wahoo on the wire line. This was a good start for the crew and with a good fish in the box it takes the pressure off. After a while they came across a pallet. There were not a bunch of fish, but they still managed to get a few nice mahi and some tripletail. When the action slowed offshore, Neil took them inshore where they caught several bonitas. It sounded like a fun trip to me. Hopefully I will be able to make it next time! Thanks Alot Guys!

Lucky Lazaro Strikes Again

2011-08-18T17:16:00.000-07:00

Lazaro Diaz is not only the mechanic on the L&H, but a great friend of mine. Whenever I have a problem no matter how big or small, he will come to help me and at any time, day or night. When the weather is good and the fish are biting I try and schedule a trip with Lazaro. Today he brought along his cousin, Hector Diaz and his assistant, Kenny Cruz. I was planning on a long day, so we took our time and got a lot of bait. With the baitwell full, we headed out to find some dolphin. After about an hour we came across a nice bunch of mahi and everyone worked together until we finished the schoool. Then we found another school and with the boys catching and Laurel (9) gaffing we had a well oiled machine. By late morning we came across a pallet and got some more nice mahi, a few wahoos and some tripletails. A few minutes later I saw a good sized cobia, a rare catch for the summer, and soon this fish had joined the others in the L&H's icy hold. Shortly after lunch we found another pallet and got a couple nice wahoos and tripletails. Then two big dolphin swam up and our all star crew quickly hooked both, the larger of the two would later weigh in at thirty-eight pounds. As the afternoon wore on we continued to catch mahi until we had our limit. We decided to try for a sword since it was still early. On the way we found yet another pallet and this time there was a very big triple tail lurking underneath. We threw out a bait and Laurel let the fish run for a long time. When she hooked the fish it made a long run on the surface. This feisty triple tail was no match for the young, talented, angler. She boated the fish in just over five minutes. We would later find out that the nine pound triple tail would be a pending IGFA womens small fry world record! The third record in less than a year for Laurel! When we reached the sword spot, Travis and James dropped the rig and in no time they were hooked up. The fish fought hard all the way to the boat. When we got the sword close enough our team set the gaffs and pulled the one hundred plus pounder over the rail. It was an amazing day of fishing! As we took photos at the Marina, Lazaro told me he has several pictures of a dock full of fish behind the L&H and when he goes to show them off people say it has to be the same photo. No way you could catch fish like this time and time again, they say. "Only on the L&H!" Lazaro tells them!!!

Gabriel Does It Again

2011-08-18T16:37:00.000-07:00

Gabriel Gaber is a lucky fisherman. He has fished with us three times on the L&H this year and each time we seem to have outstanding fishing. Gabriel wanted to fish with us for two consecutive days this time, but unfortunately we were booked so he chartered another boat from the dock. All he could manage fishing on another boat was a few bonitos and one mahi. This set us up to look real good if we could manage another big day. First thing in the morning I found a piece of debris. We got eight mahi and were off to the start I was looking for. As we continued into the gulf stream we continued to pick at the mahi, with a few fish close to fifteen pounds. After lunch I spotted a pack of big dolphin. There were three big cows and a truly large bull swimming in the sea weed. The bull quickly broke away from the pack and I chose to follow him because it was the biggest dolphin I have seen in quite some time. The fish would not bite as James and Travis threw all types of live and dead baits at the fish. Finally we hooked the beast, but somehow the line got tangled around the reel and quickly broke off. As is occasionally the case, the big mahi stayed on the surface and I was able to follow it as the boys readied another rod. To the amazement of everyone on board we were able to hook the fish yet again. This time everything went smooth and the L&H chased after the frantic dolphin in hot pursuit! After a few minutes we nearly had the fish as Travis had the gaff just inches from a shot. After that the big bull went down. For the next hour we slowly inched the fish back to the surface. Finally we got it up and gaffed the fifty-one pound bull dolphin and put it in the boat. This was our biggest mahi in a long time and we were thrilled! When everything settled down we resumed our search and were again rewarded a short time later. We found a tree branch and it had a bunch of fish by it. After landing more mahi the L&H switched gears and started catching wahoo one after another. When the seventh wahoo of the day came over the side, Gabriel looked up and said he had enough and was ready to head in. It was a great day and another tremendous catch for Gabriel on the L&H!

Good Fishing For Ed Grace

2011-08-05T07:31:00.000-07:00

Ed Grace has fished with us several times before. Ed and his wife Barbara are some of the nicest people we know and I enjoy fishing with them very much. Ed was in town for a few days and decided to do some fishing with a few of his friends. After getting some bait we ran offshore to see what we could find. About ten miles out we got a nice wahoo on a lure and we were off to a good start. A few minutes later I saw a couple of big splashes and a small mahi jumping out of the water. Then, about two hundred yards away a blue marlin jumped out of the water and grabbed the mahi in mid air! It was an incredible sight, and as we got to the spot where the marlin was feeding, we came upon a piece of small debris. At first we hooked three nice mahi and then more and more started showing up. For the next half hour, Ed and his crew stayed busy catching mahi of all sizes. After the action slowed we moved farther south and continued to pick away at nice sized fish. Late in the morning we pulled up to some birds and there was a few big fish there. We hooked three fish and the biggest one of the pack missed the bait and got foul hooked. The big bull put on a tough battle, but the angler did a great job. After nearly thirty minutes we were able to pull the thirty-seven pound bull dolphin into the boat. We got a few more good sized mahi as the afternoon wore on. Back at the marina we took some good photos and cut up mahi fillets for whoever wanted them. It was yet another great day of fishing with our friend Ed Grace!

Frank Gets A Big King

2011-08-05T07:20:00.000-07:00

Frank Koenig and a few of his friends booked us for an afternoon half day. The fishing was slow offshore and we decided to try our luck on the edge of the reef. After getting a good supply of bait we set up and began getting bonitas. Everyone was having fun with these fish when one of the bonitas came up bitten in half. A large shark followed it up and we quickly put out the bonita on the shark rig. Within seconds the shark took the bait and the fight was on. We battled the shark for a while and then pulled it along side of the L&H for some quick photos and then release. Later in the trip we moved up to fish by some rock piles and began pulling in snapper. Frank put on a big bait while his friends were busy with the snappers and he hooked something much larger. The fish took off on a long run and then went deep. Frank put good pressure on the fish and after a while we had nearly all the line back. As I looked into the clear, blue water I couldn't believe my eyes. It was a big, big kingfish and we did not have any wire leader. Somehow Frank managed to put just enough pressure to get the fish within gaffing range and we pulled the fifty-one pound kingfish in the boat! It was the biggest king we have caught in a long time and another great fish for our friend Frank.

Alec And Monika Have A Good Day

2011-08-05T06:43:00.000-07:00

Alec and Monika Weitzel went with us for a full day. Our plan was to go into the gulf stream and look for mahi. After loading up on bait we ran offshore and were greeted with beautiful weather. After a slow start I saw something very large off in the distance. As we got closer I could see that is was a big tiger shark over five hundred pounds. Travis quickly deployed the shark rig in hopes of hooking the shark for Alec. We tried and tried with everything we could think of, live and dead dolphin, a big jack, but the tiger was not interested in feeding. We stayed with the shark for a while and Monika was able to get some photos. From there we resumed our search for mahi. The fishing gradually improved throughout the day as Monika and Alec picked away at mahis. Then just after lunch Monika got a big skipjack and things were looking better. In the afternoon we found a nice piece of debris that was teeming with life. Our crew got some nice size mahi. We decided to try a deep bait and Alec was rewarded with a nice size wahoo. On the way home we hooked the two biggest mahi of the day. With fish over twenty pounds it was a great way to end a fun trip with our new friends!

More Big Dolphin For Max

2011-07-19T15:33:00.000-07:00

Just a few weeks ago Max Puyanic would join us on the L&H for the best dolphin fishing of the summer, today he would do even better! It was slick calm without even a ripple as the L&H headed offshore. From the tower I could see a big weedline out in front of us. Before we got there I saw four twelve to fifteen pound dolphin. We got three of them and kept going. Then Max got a thirty pounder. It was easy livin! James and I would just steer the L&H along the weedline and the big mahi would stick out like a sore thumb. Some would bite and some wouldn't, but we just kept finding them. Several fish over twenty pounds, a couple in the thirties and a bunch over ten. Even the schoolies were nice size. We had it all to ourselves and left plenty of fish behind. We had our limit early and decided to leave the fish and try for some snappers. The current was too strong, but we still managed to pull about ten snappers in. It was another great day for Max, who always seems to be there at the right time. I am starting to wonder if we should sign him up for a dolphin tournament!

Johnny's Birthday Trip

2011-07-19T15:12:00.000-07:00

My sister Ashley's oldest son Johnny wanted to fish on the L&H for his sixth birthday. So one day we loaded up with Ashley, her husband John, her two boys Luke and John, cousin Nathan and my family to see what we could catch. Little John and his dad are accomplished fishermen out of Vero Beach, catching dolphin, kingfish and cobia. I wanted something special for Johnny so James and I had our work cut out for us. After getting bait, we decided to do some bottom fishing. As soon as the first line got down the rod started bouncing like crazy! We were getting good bites! Little John went to work and before long he had a string of nice snappers at the boat much to the delight of the six year old birthday boy! As James pulled the fish over the rail Johnny exclaimed "These are great eating mom, we can have them for dinner"!!! And Johnny went on to say that over and over through the rest of the trip. "These are great eating" Johnny would say nearly every fish that came in. That boy sure likes to eat fish! When we had about sixty snappers, Johnny shouted out with a big smile "There sure are lots of snappers off Miami"!! We decided to try for something bigger. Papa John got a couple nice groupers, and cousin Nathan got a seventeen pound grouper that put up a tough fight. Then at the end Johnny got a four foot shark that he plans to hang in his room. It was truly a great trip for everyone especially the six year old who loves eating fish!!!! Thanks guys, I cant wait until we do it again!

Big Mahi For Max And Larry

2011-07-19T14:31:00.000-07:00

Max Puyanic is a good friend and a lucky fisherman. I have fished with him for many years on the L&H and had countless great trips. Today Max took his brother Larry along and since the inshore fishing was slow we decided to look for dolphin. Only a few miles out we found some sea weed and began fishing. Before long, Max and Larry were hooked up to nice mahi. And that was the way the entire morning went. Max and Larry catching nice mahi one after the other. The weather was calm and it seemed like we would go from one pack of fish to the next. It was fun to watch the two brothers in competition to see who would get the biggest fish. Around mid day Max got a nice wahoo as we were moving further offshore. In the afternoon we found lots of fish, but they were much smaller than what we had in the morning. On the way in, I saw three big mahi swimming on the surface. We threw some baits and hooked all three of them. Max ended up winning the competition with Larry when he boated the thirty pound bull. It was a fun day and another good one for Max!

Smith Family Gets Their Limit

2011-07-19T13:56:00.000-07:00

Michael, Tiffany, Marissa and Nathan Smith from Houston, Texas fished with us on the L&H one afternoon. There had been some snappers around in the morning, but a friend told me he found some big schools of mahi well offshore. It was risky to make the long run on a half day, but after discussing it with the family we decided to make the run. James rode in the tower with me as we headed offshore. When I got to the area where my buddy was finding the fish it looked good and I felt confident we would find something. After a little while I saw a mahi jump several hundred yards from the boat. Then another mahi jumped and I pushed on the throttles as the L&H raced in the direction of the jumping fish. When I slowed the boat down I could see the colorful dolphin swimming all over the place. There was a big blue barrel floating nearby and it attracted fish from all around. The crew sprung into action and before long the Smith family were pulling in mahi like crazy. As fast as you could go the fish were literally fighting over the bait. Lots of nice size mahi some over twenty pounds. You could take the bait away from the small ones and give it to the good ones. It was red hot dolphin fishing. We landed a few nice tripletails, a wahoo and our limit of mahi in short order. James ran the boat home as Travis and I cleaned up. It was a great half day of fishing and a trip the Smith family will not soon forget!

Andy And His Boys Get A Sword

2011-07-19T13:35:00.000-07:00

Andy Greenberg has been fishing with me on the L&H for fifteen years and we have had many great trips together! Today Andy took his two sons fishing with him and he wanted to make sure they had fun. The fishing had been slow so I knew we would have to work hard. The plan was to try and get some snapper for action and then go offshore. The weather was great and conditions good and in no time we were pulling in snappers. The boys enjoyed this, but dad got the biggest one, a snapper over ten pounds. With good conditions we moved deeper and got a few nice sized groupers before heading offshore. Because the dolphin fishing was slow the team decided to try for a sword fish. We had a bite on the very first drop, but the fish came off. The second drop nothing, so we decided to give it one more try. On the last drop we hooked up! As we battled the fish to the surface, the boys were eager to see what we had. Finally the leader came up and I could see that it was a nice sword! When the fish got closer it raced toward the surface and jumped out of the water. We backed up to the fish and placed the gaffs! Everyone on board was so excited! It was just what we needed to show the boys and peak their interest. On the way back in we found some dolphin keeping a few and letting the rest go. Even with tough fishing we still manged to have a good day and get some nice fish for Andy and his boys!

Hal Has Great Day

2011-07-19T13:18:00.000-07:00

Hal Weintraub is fun to have on the L&H. He likes to have a good time and always seems to be in good spirits. As long as we catch fish and keep his clients happy, Hal is happy! We got some bait and ran way to the south searching for good conditions. When we finally got down there the conditions had gotten worse. We put the baits out anyway and got some bonitas and a few big cudas. A friend who was on his way to the Bahamas told me he found some dolphin offshore so we decided to give it a try. About fifteen miles out we found a nice school of mahi and everyone enjoyed catching these fish. James finished off the school with a mahi over twenty pounds and it was time to move on. A short time later we hit another school and again everyone sprung into action to fish the school. The team did great and we only needed a few more fish to get the limit. On our way in I found another school of the hungry mahi's and we caught what we needed to get the limit and let the rest go to fight another day! At the end of the day everyone (including Hal) was happy, and that makes for a happy ending.

Mike And Allison Have Big Day

2011-07-19T13:01:00.000-07:00

Mike Lawrence and his girlfriend Allison fish with us whenever they are in town. They are a pleasure to have on the boat and are happy to fish for anything that is biting. After getting the bait we anchored in close to the edge of the reef. The action was fast and furious and it seemed as soon as a bait went out, something ate it. We were getting kingfish and bonitas one after the other when Allison hooked something different. After a tough fight, she boated the thirty-two pound tuna. Soon after Mike hooked a big fish on the kite. The husky fish made some big runs, and after a long fight we gaffed the thirty-seven pound kingfish for him. With our limit of kingfish and heaps of bonitas we decided to go offshore and look for mahi. About ten miles out we found a nice weedline and got some good sized dolphin and a twenty pound wahoo. After more searching we came up on a big piece of debris. Everyone was pulling in dolphin when Allison hooked a thirty pound bull. The fish put on a great show but was no match for our lady angler! Mike added a couple more wahoo close to twenty pounds and we decided to call it a day! Thanks for everything you guys and I can't wait to see you again!

Pompano Fishing Rodeo

2011-07-19T12:26:00.000-07:00

I have been fishing the Pompano Beach Fishing Rodeo on our family boat Frick and Frack for nearly thirty years. It is a great family oriented tournament. We have enjoyed great success over the past few years with two second and one first place finish over the large field of boats. This year would be much more challenging as the weather was calm and the fishing slow. The first day started very slow and we didn't have a single eligible fish until James got a nice tuna just before noon. There were a few boats catching fish, but nothing was happening for us and I knew we had to do something. I decided to make a long run south where a friend had been getting some nice fish. As we made the nearly forty mile trip the conditions went from bad to worse and I felt as if I made the wrong move. Finally we found some good water and with less than an hour left in the day we had to fish fast! We got our limit of kingfish and Greg got a nice tuna just before lines out and we were still in the running. With the long run back to port, we ended up being the very last boat to weigh our catch and had to wait in line as forty other boats weighed before us.

Day two of the tournament has shorter hours and lines are out at noon. I decided to fish a spot off Fort Lauderdale where I fished a lot with my dad, brother, and grandfather and always had good success. Day two was flat calm and made kite fishing nearly impossible. With my long time friend Mike Welter running the flat lines and everyone working together we had a great day. We got some nice kings and a tuna right away and everyone was confident. The whole team worked great together and we ended up with a limit of tuna and limit of kings and even a big snapper for Laurel just before lines out. As soon as the tournament ended we reeled up everything and raced for the weigh scales. Today the Frick and Frack would be the first boat to weigh in and there was no waiting in the dreaded weigh in line. Our second day catch gave us the top overall boat for the day and two hundred thirty-four total pounds. We finished second place overall in the tournament missing first by only three tenths of one pound. James was awarded top junior angler, Laurel got third for small fry and we ended up as third place family. It was another fun and successful family fishing tournament!

Ed And Barbara Grace Two Day Trip

2011-07-19T12:04:00.001-07:00

Ed and Barbara Grace fished with us last year. They are some of the nicest people we know and I enjoy fishing with them very much. With the tuna fishing better in the afternoon we decided to leave late and stay late. After getting a bunch of bait we ran to the north and found some good conditions. Again we put up three kites with three baits each along with some flat and bottom baits. Before long Ed got a nice king and then another and another. We then released a sail and got a big tuna so I knew we were in a good spot. As the afternoon progressed we started getting more and more tuna bites. Ed, Barbara and even Barbara's father got in on the action. The Grace family released a couple more sails and we were looking good. With most of the tuna close to thirty pounds, I asked Ed if he would mind if my daughter Laurel got one. The IGFA record for female small fry was twenty-six and I was confident we could beat it. A short time later, a big blackfin jumped out of the water on the left middle kite bait. Laurel grabbed the rod, reeled tight, and hooked the fish. The tuna raced offshore on the surface, taking a bunch of line! After that the fish went deep, but this tuna was no match for Laurels determination. After fifteen minutes her brother James had the leader and we gaffed the fish and pulled it in. The tuna would later weigh twenty-nine and a half pounds! Another pending IGFA record for Laurel! The Graces would finish the day with a few more tunas to give us nine total for the day and a lot of smiles.

Day two would prove to be a little slower, but we still managed a few snappers, a few kings, four amberjacks and three tunas. It was another great time spent fishing with the Grace family! Thank You both so very much!

Great Fishing For Gabriel

2011-07-19T10:44:00.000-07:00

Gabriel Baber had fished with other boats from our dock with very little success. So after seeing one of the catches from the L&H he decided to try his luck more time. On a half day fishing we got some nice kings, amberjacks, bonitas, and a triple header of big blackfin tunas. With good success on a half day, Gabriel quickly booked us for a full day trip. With a late start on the full day I felt the pressure to get a bunch of fish and keep Gabriel happy. We got bait and tried a few shipwrecks. Commercial boats were on the spots, but we were still able to get our limit of nice amberjacks. I ran the L&H south to a spot where there had been some tunas. The conditions were great and we put up three kites, some flat lines and bottom baits. It was hard to keep up with all the lines out, because we kept getting bites. Snappers on the bottom, kings on the flat lines and big blackfin tunas on the kites. After some nice snappers and our limit of kings, Gabriel got a real big sailfish that we kept for a trophy in his new house in Key Biscayne. As the afternoon wore on we released a couple more sails and started to concentrate on the kites and fish for the big tunas. With three kites holding three baits each there was still a lot going on. It was some of the best tuna fishing we had seen in a few years. Blackfin tunas from twenty-five to thirty-five were jumping out of the water on the kite baits giving us some outstanding bites!! It was so much fun to watch, we didn't even seem to mind if they got off. When the tenth big tuna of the day hit the fishbox, the lid would not close and there was no more room! It was time to go home. Back at the marina, another captain and his mate (who were fishing in the same area) watched as the L&H unloaded the catch and all they could do was shake their heads in disbelief! Needless to say Gabriel was pumped up and now he calls us to go fishing whenever he is in town.

Trevor And Martin Do It Again

2011-06-13T18:15:00.001-07:00

Trevor and Martin fished with us for two days last year and they caught a bunch of nice fish. They had high expectations for this years trip and I knew we had to produce. We got bait easily and ran to the south. There was a nice color change where we set up and things looked good. As soon as we put out the baits the guys started hooking fish. The action was great with nice size kingfish, bonitos and big barracudas. The kings were biting on the kite and in no time we had our limit. From there the L&H moved to deeper water and we dropped two big live baits near a shipwreck. Almost immediately both rods bent over. Trevor and Martin muscled the big fish to the surface and Mike was able to add two big amberjacks to all of the fish we already had in the fishbox. We stayed at the wreck until we had our limit of the big amberjacks. After that our plan was to do some trolling with artificial lures and we were rewarded with a mahi and two tunas. As the afternoon progressed we searched for the permit. As luck would have it we managed to catch a nice permit for Trevor and a nice permit for Martin! These two guys seem to come when the fish are biting and they know how to catch em! Thanks again for another great day and we look forward to seeing you again soon.

Another Great Day For Annie

2011-06-13T17:51:00.000-07:00

Annie and Greg Holcombe have been fishing with us for a long time and besides being great people to fish with they are very lucky. Today Greg could not make it so he sent his daughter Annie to try her luck. We looked for the permit for a while and finally found a very big one. This fish amazed us with its size and strength, but nevertheless was no match for the terrific angling abilities that young Annie Holcombe possesses! She battled the fish for a very long time and applied maximum pressure to the fish when necessary. As the permit got closer I could see its enormous size and hoped the fish would stay on. When we finally got the fish within range Travis was able to fully extend with the gaff and place a great shot. The permit would weigh in at over forty pounds and was one of the biggest I have ever seen. After everything settled down the L&H began searching again and soon I found another large permit. Although not as big as the first fish, it was a very big one. Again we battled the fish for a long time and again our team successfully boated a permit close to forty pounds. From there we moved to a shipwreck and found amberjacks that were biting. We caught our limit of these, including a sixty pounder that Annies friend (and my daughter) Laurel caught all by herself. The girls were doing a great job catching fish today and I was loving every minute of it! In the afternoon we did some trolling and caught a couple dolphin and two nice tuna. Today the girls proved that they could fish as good as the boys and with the size of some of the fish they put on the dock, maybe even better!

Bazen Family Two Day Trip

2011-06-13T17:24:00.000-07:00

I always enjoy seeing the Bazen family because they enjoy the water and are a pleasure to have on the boat. After getting a late start on the first day we caught the bait and started heading to the south. I wanted to try and get them a permit as this is one fish the Bazens have not caught yet. After a while we found a nice fish and Mike took the first shot. The permit made several spectacular runs and was a great fighter. After a tough battle Mike had his fish and our trip was off to a great start. We found another big permit and the team was able to boat this fish as well. From there we put the kites up and found a nice king and a few sailfish. It was neat to watch as Richard, Sidney, and James kept all the baits in position while waiting for a bite. When the fish came, the boys were doing everything from dropping back, hooking and fighting the fish all the way to the release without any assistance.

The second day was again great fishing with our friends. Sandra and Kent got into the action as well. Again we were able to catch some of the elusive, hard fighting permit! We also released three more sailfish, and got some nice kings, bonitos and a big amberjack. Again the boys showed how much they have learned and progressed with their abilities to do just about anything on the boat. It was a fantastic two days of fishing with our friends who make the days we spend together on the water so enjoyable for me!

Great Fishing With My Parents And Sister

2011-04-26T16:55:00.000-07:00

With calm seas all week it was a perfect time to fish for a few hours with my family. My sister Elyse, her husband Trey, and their children Nathan and Lea, along with my mom and dad jumped on the L&H. When we got offshore we were greeted with a stiff wind and choppy seas. I knew that our time would be short and we had to make the most of it. We ran down south to a ship wreck and in no time we were pulling up big amberjacks. Deb ran the boat while James, Trey, Nate, and my dad and I did the fishing. In short order we had our limit of these big fish and my dad even managed to hook one on a jig. It was great fun, but the boat was rocking a lot and we had to get moving. We ran for a little while to see if we could find a permit. After a few minutes my dad hooked a nice fish that took us offshore. The permit is a truly spectacular fish to catch and a fish that every one loves to get, especially my dad. He did a great job on the big fish and after a great fight we put his thirty-one pound permit in the boat. Now it was time to get one for Trey. From my perch in the tower I spotted another big permit. James threw the bait out there and the fish grabbed it. The bait came out of the fishes mouth and the permit was now determined to finish the meal. It charged after the bait on the surface making for an exciting strike. Trey hooked the fish and the fight was on. During the battle I went inside to get something and saw four year old Lea watching her dad through the salon window. "My dad has a big fish" she told me. "He sure does" I replied. Trey got his big fish much to the delight of every one onboard and we headed strait for the marina. I had a great time fishing with my family! Thank you so much for a great day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Christian And Quinn Three Day Trip

2011-04-26T16:17:00.000-07:00

Christian and Quinn fish three days with us every year and this time they invited famous swordfish captain and author Linda Greenlaw and her brother Chuck. The first day our plan was to get some action so we hit a shipwreck right off the bat. Every one caught an amberjack and the gang was happy pulling in these strong fighters. From there I ran way to the south to an area where the permit sometimes gather. As we got closer I could see alot of boats looking for the permit, but not finding them. I wondered if we had made the long trip in vein. I quickly found a few fish away from the other boats and in no time Christian was hooked up to a big one. After a tough battle Christian had his fish in the boat and then it was Quinns turn. Again I found the fish away from the other boats and Quinn boated another permit nearly the same size as the first one. From there it was time to get Linda a sailfish. We put the kites up and soon thereafter Linda was fighting her first sailfish. We released the sail, caught a few bonitas and kings and decided to call it a day.

The next day we went offshore looking for a sword. The first drop we had a good bite, but the fish pulled off. After a couple drops with nothing we were running out of daylight. On the final drop the rod bent over and we were hooked up. Captain Linda has caught thousands of swords, but this would be her first one daytime fishing and she was very excited. When the sword came to the surface it was lit up and racing all over. It wasn't very big, but a keeper none the less and we put it in the boat! After boating the sword, the sun had set and as I ran to the south, Mike spotted a big fish making a wake on the surface. I followed the wake and when we got close I could make out the fish and it was a big dolphin! James threw a bait out and the big bull swam over and engulfed it! Christian took the rod and the L&H backed down in hot pursuit of dolphin as it raced away on the surface. It was only a matter of minutes and we gaffed the biggest dolphin the L&H has caught in a couple years. Back at the marina the dolphin would weigh in at forty-eight pounds.

On the final day of our trip we left late and came in early. It was a fun day, but very slow paced where every one was just taking it easy. Linda got a nice permit and we got some blackfin tunas trolling with lures. It was a great three days of fishing and I would like to thank Chritian and Quinn for making it all possible!

Danny Has A Great Day

2011-04-26T15:58:00.000-07:00

Danny Huebsch fishes with us whenever his travels put him in our area. He has been fishing on the L&H for a long time and I have had several great trips mating for Danny when John Dudas was running the boat. It was important for me to have a good crew for Danny so I took my friend Mike Welter along. We met at the boat early and got a good start on bait before a lot of the other boats even left the dock. When we hit the edge Mike ran the boat and I worked the cockpit. With no wind we had to use helium to keep the kites aloft. We got a sail right off the bat and for the next couple hours Danny stayed busy reeling in fish. At one point we had a bait just feet behind the boat and a sail came up chasing the sardine all over the surface. When Danny hooked the fish it took off jumping like crazy! It was so exciting to see that fish tearing up the calm ocean. After some nice dolphin, another sail, and a few kings it was time to find Danny his first permit. Danny has caught a lot of fish on the L&H, but the permit is one of the few fish that has eluded him. The conditions were great for sight fishing and in about thirty minutes I saw the fish we were looking for. Mike made a great cast and the huge permit engulfed the bait and was off to the races. The fish took a lot of line and refused to come up. After a great job of angling I could see what was taking so long. It was one of the biggest permit I have ever seen. We finally were able to get the fish in the boat and back at the dock, Danny's fish would weigh just over forty pounds! On the way in Danny got another permit over thirty pounds, just to put an exclamation point on what was a great day of fishing on the L&H.

Busy Afternoon For Frank

2011-04-26T15:41:00.000-07:00

Our friend Frank Koenig invited his friend from Germany to fish with him one afternoon. Frank wanted to show his friend a good time and catch some big fish. After we got some bait I began heading to the south when I spotted a free jumping sailfish. I moved in front of the fish and in short order we hooked five of them. One of the fish jumped off but we managed to release the other four. A little while later we stopped at a shipwreck and the amberjacks and blackfins were there. As soon as we got down to the bottom the big amberjacks would bite and Frank and his buddy stayed busy lifting these big fish from the depths. While this was going on blackfin tunas were in our chum on the surface. We got a couple tunas and lost some to the sharks. With fish biting on the top and bottom at the same time it was difficult for the mate to keep up. He kept saying "There is too much going on", but Frank was enjoying it. When we got our limit of jacks we pushed in shore and got a few bonitas and another sail. It was a good afternoon of fishing and best of all Frank was able to show his friend a great time on the L&H!

Permit And Cobia

2011-03-31T15:36:00.000-07:00

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

2011-03-31T15:05:00.000-07:00

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

2011-03-31T14:26:00.000-07:00

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

2011-03-31T13:57:00.000-07:00

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

2011-03-31T13:06:00.000-07:00

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

2011-03-28T18:34:00.000-07:00

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

2011-03-28T18:09:00.000-07:00

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

2011-03-28T17:39:00.000-07:00

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

2011-03-28T17:18:00.000-07:00

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

2011-03-28T16:49:00.000-07:00

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

2011-03-28T16:11:00.000-07:00

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

2011-03-15T18:35:00.000-07:00

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

2011-03-15T17:59:00.000-07:00

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

2011-03-07T18:32:00.000-08:00

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

2011-03-07T18:19:00.000-08:00

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

2011-03-07T18:00:00.000-08:00

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

2011-03-07T17:04:00.000-08:00

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!

John Rutikus Two Day Trip

2011-02-26T18:37:00.000-08:00

John Rutikus joined us for two days and wanted to try for sailfish or whatever was biting. He and a few friends met at the boat after a long night and were ready to try their luck. Wes and I figured our best bet was to kite fish near a shipwreck where we saw some sails at the day before. As soon as we got set up we got a nice mutton snapper on the surface and we knew there had to be more. Wes and I set a couple lines down and began getting steady action with the muttons. Just before noon we got a double header sailfish on the kites and the day was looking better and better. After a few more snappers we caught two big sharks, back to back and the guys enjoyed this very much. Just before the wind died we caught another sail on the kite and this meant that everyone had caught a nice fish. We caught a few more snappers and a couple of kingfish and decided to call it an early day.

The next day we decided to change it up a bit and trolled offshore to look for some of the tuna that had been out there. It didn't take long before we started hooking up and the tuna were all nice size and boy did they fight. We were catching them on small lures and when we would hook up they would take a lot of line. This meant for a tough battle for our guys who were coming off their second big night in a row. After getting almost two-hundred pounds of the strong fighting tuna our team had enough and we came in a little early. It was a fun two days of fishing with these guys and the catching was pretty good also.

Record Sailfish Day

2011-02-26T17:52:00.000-08:00

Our friend Captain Kevin Nakamaru from Kona, Hawaii was staying with us for a couple days while he was in town to speak at the Billfish Expo. Kevin is a great fisherman who we look up to and have a lot of respect for. Two years ago we caught eight blue marlin and six big yellowfins in a single day fishing with Kevin on his boat Northern Lights. Last year we stayed with him for two weeks and got a bunch of blue marlin, spearfish and tuna. He made time to fish one day with us on the L&H before returning to Hawaii. Wes and I caught bait in advance so we were able to get an early start. Debbi, James, Laurel, Kevin, Wes and I left early in the morning and hit the edge at sun up. Conditions were good, with a brisk north wind and a little bit of current. After getting set up we hooked a double header sailfish on the kites and everyone was happy. We set back up and immediately hooked a triple. After releasing these fish, I took the L&H back inshore and spotted a pack of sails tailing down sea. Our team casted baits at the tailing sails everyone was hooked up. We had five fish on and sailfish were jumping everywhere behind the L&H! After some great angling and a lot of backing down, we released all five of them. By now it was only 8:30 in the morning and we already had ten releases. For the next few hours the fish kept tailing and we picked away at them and got some nice dolphin. By noon we had twenty sail releases, but our bait supply was getting low. My friend, captain Neil Orange Jr. was coming home from a tournament in the Keys and offered to give me his bait. We pulled the lines in and met up with Neil to replenish our live bait supply. After running back offshore and getting the kites back out we immediately caught a double. By now the wind switched out of the north east and the fish stopped tailing, but we continued to catch them on the kites. The bite slowed down a little but we were still getting plenty of bites. Later in the afternoon, Laurel and James joined me in the tower. I ran down to get something and as soon as I got to the cockpit a sailfish grabbed the right middle. I picked up the rod and hooked the fish. James backed the boat down after my sail and Laurel came down to grab the leader. This made me a very proud dad and I felt so very fortunate to be blessed with such wonderful children! We continued to catch fish and got another triple header just before sunset. This put our final talley for the day at thirty-three sailfish releases, some nice mahi, and a hammerhead shark. This was the most sailfish ever for the L&H and the most anyone has ever caught out of our marina. Best of all it was a wonderful day with family and friends and a fishing trip we will never forget!

Huge Tuna Day

2011-02-17T17:26:00.000-08:00

Troy Wartons and a few of his friends were in town for a party and decided to do a little fishing. They did not care what they caught, but just wanted some action. The edge was slow so we decided to go offshore and try our luck. After a little bit of trolling we found some birds over feeding tuna. There were tons of tiny minnows hiding under the sea weed and the tunas were having a field day. The fish were in a frenzy and biting everything in their path. We started getting double and triple headers and everyone was having a ball. As we got further south, the sea weed, the bait, and the tunas started intensifying. I would drive the L&H through the seaweed, blow out all the minnows, and there would be hundreds of tuna exploding behind the boat! Wes and I quickly figured out that the more rods we had out, the more tuna we would hook. Before long, instead of doubles and triples, we were hooking seven or eight tunas at a time. The fish were not real big, mostly five to ten pounds but it was so much fun! Blackfin and skipjacks were coming over the side faster than you could count. Wes was like a machine in the cockpit, constantly boating and unhooking fish. As the fishbox on the L&H began to reach the top I knew we would have to do the unthinkable and leave em biting. Our friend Kevin Nakamaru was coming to town so we were excited to have fresh fish for him and with a high demand for tuna at the marina none of the fish were wasted. Our final talley was seventy fish and several hours of work rerigging, respooling, and reorganizing, but it was a day we will all remember for a long time to come!

Big Mahi and Sailfish

2011-02-17T17:09:00.000-08:00

George Frederick is a good friend who had a great couple of days last year with us. This year he couldn't make it, but he sent a few of his friends to try their luck. After getting the bait we ran south to find the current. As we approached Triump Reef I saw a couple frigate birds that were on fish. As James and I looked into the water to see what was chasing up the flying fish I heard one of my favorite sounds. It was James's little voice full of excitement "Big Dolphin Dad!!!" he cried out! At first I saw one, than another and another, all big fish. It was a big bull and four cows. Wes hooked the first couple as James raced down the ladder and began hooking fish. In a matter of seconds, big dolphin erupted out of the water in all directions from the L&H. After some good angling and coaching from the boys we put all the fish on ice. The bull would later weigh in at forty-four pounds and the others from twenty to thirty! After everything settled down I decided to run back to the north where the sails were biting good. With the kites up we caught two nice tuna and started releasing a few sailfish. At the end of the day we got covered up with sails two different times and ended up coming back to the marina with ten sailfish release flags flying! It was a great day and I am sure we made our friend George proud.

Biting At Ocean Reef

2011-02-17T16:47:00.000-08:00

Our friends at the Ocean Reef Club invited us down for a half day. We were scheduled for a three hour trip and with a thirty minute run in and out there wouldn't be much fishing time. John Dudas was fishing here earlier in the week so I called him to get some advice. He gave me some numbers to start at, and we ran right there. As soon as we set out the baits we got a big sailfish and that took the pressure off. Then we got a nice twenty-five pound kingfish on the kite. After we put the king in the boat we got a big blackfin tuna and everyone was very happy. While fighting the tuna we got out deep so after boating our tuna I began to back slowly inshore. Wes left a flatline out and with the bait dragging off the bow something grabbed it and was off to the races. After a tough battle Wes gaffed the thirty-five pound wahoo and we could not believe our luck. Shortly after setting up again we started getting big kingfish one after another. The fish were twenty to thirty plus pounds and we were catching every one that bit. Seven kings that averaged over twenty-five pounds along with a few more sailfish releases and it was time to head back. When we dropped our group off and made the long trip back to Miami, Wes and I agreed that it was some of the best fishing we had seen in a while!

Jim Knapp Crushes Em Again

2011-01-26T16:27:00.000-08:00

Jim Knapp and his nephew Lad fished with us last June and had an incredible day with snapper, grouper, jacks, dolphin, wahoo, tuna and a big swordfish. He really wanted for Lad to get a sailfish and there had been some around so I felt pretty confident. When Jim and I were planning the trip he told me, "I would love to get ten sails, but we really need to get just one for Lad". After getting the bait we set up on the edge and with a good north current and east wind the conditions were right. Right away, Lad hooked a nice twenty-five pound mahi on the kite and the fish jumped and jumped. Jim's young nephew did a great job on the dolphin and after we put the fish in the boat I was sure Lad could handle a sailfish. After a couple nice kings, Jim hooked a sail on the right long and Jim's brother in law Paul hooked one on the left. After a tough battle, we released both fish and Lad had caught his first sailfish. Everyone was so happy and the pressure was off. We ran back to the south and caught a couple more sails and a bonita. As the afternoon wore on the seas got bigger and the sailfish started biting better and better. By 2:00 in the afternoon we were up to eight releases and double digits seemed within reach. Jim was doing a great job watching the baits all day and didn't miss any fish. On the ninth sail a strong gust of wind blew both kites in the water and as the L&H retrieved the kites the fish pulled off. I ran back to the south to get back in front of the fish and as soon as Freddie got the baits out we hooked a double. We were able to release both fish and Jim's wish of double digits came true. Our team put the baits back out and Jim released another sailfish for good measure before we headed for home. With the L&H sporting eleven sailfish flags back at the marina it was our best day so far this year (of 2011). Thanks alot to Jim and his guys for doing a great job and congrats to little Lad on releasing his first sailfish.

High School Friends Get Biggest Cobia In Years

2011-01-17T17:18:00.000-08:00

Louis Landi, Josh Agresti and I grew up together. We went to middle and high school together and were friends growing up. Today, Louis's brother Carmine joined Josh, Louis, James, Wes and I on a great half day trip. We got an early start and the bait came easy. Once we hit the edge and got the kites up we started getting kingfish bites. They would jump out of the water on the bait, but they were hard to hook. We managed to get seven of them in the boat and then Louis hooked a nice sailfish. The fish fought hard and showed beautiful colors when it jumped. Louis did a great job and we got the fish to the boat for some photos and then released it. After the sail we went offshore looking for dolphin. Before long we found some birds and a nice school of mahi. The fish were not biting great and would grab the bait and spit it right back out. We ended up getting most of them and I was feeling good about how the day was going. While trolling south we hooked some hard fighting bonita and the guys had good fun with these fish. Louis and Josh wanted to get some snapper, but the current was just too strong. The water was clear enough to look for cobia so we gave it a shot instead. After a short while we found some fish just outside the dirty water. I told Wes and James to hook as many as they, can as fast as they can, because I knew we wouldn't be able to stay with the fish for long. Josh, Louis, and Carmine were all hooked up and our team was working like a well oiled machine! Wes was hooking the fish, the guys were fighting them and James was doing the gaffing. Josh was fighting a fish and when I saw it I couldn't believe the size. We had five keepers in the boat already and only needed one more to get the limit. After a while, James came to the tower and asked "How big is it Dad"? I told him if it was fat it could go eighty. The fish stayed down and Josh did a great job putting maximum pressure on the fish the entire time. After thirty minutes the fish came to the surface and we could see it was foul hooked near the gill plate. I feared the hook could pull out at any second. Josh stayed smooth and did an outstanding job. Finally we got our chance. The fish came to the surface and I leaned hard on the throttles in reverse! Wes reached out as far as he could and made a great gaff shot. At that moment the big cobia turned toward the bow and with the momentum of the boat still going backward, Wes was pinned against the forward corner and stretched all the way out. He refused to let go of the gaff until James was able to get the second gaff in. Together they muscled the giant cobia in the boat! Back at the dock the cobia would weigh in at 82 pounds! What an outstanding catch! It was a terrific day fishing with my friends and a day I will not soon forget! Thanks Alot!

Lots Of Fish For The Ellis Family

2011-01-17T16:51:00.000-08:00

John, Richard, and James Ellis along with Mark Meranda fish with us every year. They are great guys who enjoy catching anything. I always enjoy fishing with them because they are always happy and know how to enjoy the day. After catching bait we stopped at a wreck and got a few bonitas and a nice king. With better conditions down south we pulled the lines in and made the move. After setting back up we came across a nice school of dolphin. The fish were on the kite at first then we started getting them on the spinners. Everyone was hooked up and fish were coming in the boat fast and furious. In the middle of the dolphin school, Mark hooked a sailfish on the kite, but unfortunately the fish jumped off. With dolphin in the fishbox, things were looking up. We decided to try another shipwreck and got a big amberjack right away. After a couple cudas we ended up losing a few nice fish. James had a big african pompano on for a while, but somehow the leader broke. When the action slowed, a shallow reef was our next stop. The barracudas were relentless. There were snappers there, but the cudas got the bait as soon as it hit the water. Our team was getting them three and four at a time until we finally had to leave or run out of bait. James and Wes put the kites back out and we were soon rewarded with a sailfish triple header and a skipjack. All four of our anglers managed to catch their fish. We put the lines out again and Mr. Ellis got a beautiful twenty-five pound blackfin tuna. It was a great ending to the day. As we were taking in the lines, Mark pulled up a nice snapper. The L&H team had alot of variety and a lot of action. A great time was had by all. Thanks again to Mark and the Ellis family.

Bazen Family Two Day Trip

2011-01-17T15:58:00.000-08:00

Richard, Sidney, Sandra, and Mike Bazen along with Kent Carrawag are from South Carolina and fished with us last year. They are a great family and we enjoy fishing with them. On the first day of the two day trip the fishing was slow and there were lots of boats on all the spots. We got a sail, a couple kings and the boys got a bunch of cudas and a couple mutton snappers for action. When the wind turned west the bite shut off so we decided to catch bait for the following day.

On day two our friends got to the boat early and with the bait already in the well we were the first boat to the edge. When the very first bait went over the side, Sandra got a sailfish and we were on our way to what would be an outstanding day of fishing. After releasing a few more sails (before 8:00 am), Kent hooked a nice wahoo on the left long kite bait. While Kent was fighting the wahoo, we hooked three sailfish. Our anglers did a great job (including Sidney who was on the bow all alone for most of the time with his fish) and we caught everything out of the quad. We added a couple more sails, plus a few nice kings and decided to go look for the cobias. The conditions were great for sight fishing and after about forty-five minutes of searching we found what we were looking for. Over the white sand off Key Biscayne there were at least thirty cobias, all on the surface. This was probably one of the biggest cobia schools I have ever seen. What was even more amazing was that the average size of the fish was over forty pounds. James, Wes, Kent, and the Bazens were hooking and fighting fish nonstop. We caught our limit and released a few others. With four fish over fifty pounds the fishbox was nearly full. Somehow, during all of this, Sidney landed on the bow again. Sidney and James fought two big fish up front for a long time. A friend who was on another boat told me later how neat it was to see the young fishermen both hooked up on the bow of the boat while everyone was so busy in the stern. Both boys eventually landed their cobias much to the delight of their proud papas! After the mayhem we put the kites back out, caught another sail (to give us a total of nine for the day) and a couple more kings. Back at the marina, people came from up and down the dock to see the catch. It was truly a great trip and it couldn't have happened to a better family. Kent Carrawag and the Bazen family are great people, and I truly believe that great things happen to great people! Thanks again for everything and we can't wait to see you in April.

Two Day Family Trip Pays Off

2011-01-11T16:30:00.000-08:00

Bernice and Alle Culbertson and Bill, Gary, Maggie, and Dave Schambach joined us for two days of fishing. They have fished with us before and are a very close family. The first day was challenging, because we had alot of nice fish on but for one reason or another they kept getting away. Broken lines, broken leaders, pulled hooks, you name it, it happened. We even lost a big fish after the rod broke. On the second day all of that changed. Right off the bat we started getting some nice kings and with fish in the fishbox things began looking up. After landing some kings and mackerel, Bernice got a beautiful thirty-eight pound wahoo on the kite! This was her biggest fish and everyone was so excited. We caught an almaco, a dolphin, and a couple cudas and then Alle hooked a big sail. The fish took alot of line and we chased it offshore. Alle did a great job getting the line back and finally we were able to release the fish. Later on we got a nice snapper on the bottom and now had a good variety of fish. Just before heading for home, Maggie hooked a nice fish on the deep line. The fish pulled hard on the bottom and then came to the surface. From the tower I could see it was a cobia, and a big one. Maggie worked the fish closer and Wes placed a perfect gaff shot. The cobia went crazy, but Wes was able to muscle the fish in the boat. Back at the dock the cobia would pull the scale down to sixty-two pounds! Just before taking in the lines, Dave got a nice blackfin tuna on the kite. It was a super ending to a great trip! It was very nice fishing with a family that is so close, as family is the most important thing me. Thanks alot everyone, look forward to seeing you again soon.

Good Fishing For Andrew

2011-01-09T17:48:00.000-08:00

Andy Greenfield has been fishing on the L&H for as long as I have. Over the years we have had many great days and today would be one of them. Andrew, Greg, Jay, and Alberto made quick work of the bait and we were off to try the edge. As soon as we put the kites out we had a double header sail and released both fish in short order. When we got reset, it was only a matter of minutes before we had another sailfish. Again, we released this fish and were off to a good start. With the baits out again, we caught a few nice mahi and then the kingfish started biting. As fast as the bait hit the water we hooked a king. In the middle of all the king action, Andy hooked a sailfish. The sail headed for the horizon and the L&H backed down in pursuit. After a tough fight, we released our fourth sailfish of the day. When we reset, our team got their limit of kingfish and it was time to try for something else. The plan was to go and look for cobia. After some time searching the clear waters, me came across a big school of the cobia we were looking for. All of the guys did great with multiple hookups and we caught our limit. Andy got the big fish of the school, a fifty-seven pounder that put up a great battle. It was a fun day on the water with a lot of laughs. Thanks loads to Andy and the boys and we look forward to seeing you soon.

Family Fun on Christmas Eve!

2010-12-24T12:09:00.001-08:00

Jack and Ann Hill took their daughters Margaret and Louise fishing on the L&H for a morning half day on Christmas Eve. Today the bait would be more difficult to catch than the big fish. We stopped at one spot and as soon as we hooked a bait, a mackeral would eat it and break our rig off. We tried for a long time and finally went to the bouy where they had been, but today the bouy was tough also. We went back inshore and finally managed to get enough. The conditions were perfect, with beautiful water, a strong current and a big swell. Mike and James could not get the baits out fast enough. Dolphin, kingfish, bonitas and sails were eating us up right away. We lost the first three sailfish of the day and a forty pound king right at the boat. From my perch in the tower I spotted five sailfish tailing down sea and moved the L&H to get in front of them. Seconds later, dad and both girls were fighting sailfish. After releasing the triple our team got into a groove. Dad and Margaret and Louise caught every fish that bit for the rest of the morning. By 11:00 the Hill family had caught eight sails, seven dolphin, two bonitas and a kingfish and they were ready to go home. As I headed the L&H for port I continued looking for tailing sails in hope of getting the magical double digits. Just seconds before we crossed over the reef I found a group of ten sailfish tailing down sea. Had Santa given us an early Christmas present? This was too good to be true! James and Mike threw the baits out and the sails raced each other to the easy meal. Dad and both girls had sailfish jumping in every direction while mom snapped away on her camera. A school of hungry mahi moved in and ate the rest of the baits before the sails could get to them. The father daughters team released the triple giving the L&H an unbelievable eleven sailfish released on a half day of fishing! It was an exciting, fun filled trip, and one that neither myself or the Hill family will soon forget!

Tom Gets Several Personal Bests

2010-12-24T12:08:00.000-08:00

Tom Kuljis, Tom Sr., Manlio Valdes, and Sergio Valdes joined us for and excellent day of nonstop action. Tom fishes with us whenever he can and is an excellent angler who can handle light or heavy tackle. He is one of those guys who makes you feel confident whenever the rod is in his hand. The bait fishing was as good as it gets and I was excited about the prospects for the day. We ran south to triumph reef and James and Wes put up two helium balloons, with three baits each. After they put out two deep lines and two flat lines I spotted a free jumping sail to the south. I told our crew we had to reel in EVERYTHING to run in front of the fish. With all the lines in the boat the L&H raced to get ahead of the sail. I stopped the boat and the kites went up and baits out in seconds. Then it happened. The fish we were trying to get in front of was not alone, but it was a whole group of sailfish! We had seven baits out and every one got eaten by a sail. Two of the fish got tangled and broke off but we released the remaining five fish! Everyone did great and the L&H had its first quintuplet of the season. For the next three hours, as fast as baits went out we had fish on. Lots of sailfish, kingfish, dolphin, bonitos, snapper and grouper kept Tom and his family fighting fish nonstop. When the action finally slowed I decided to try a shipwreck. As soon as the baits hit the bottom we were on. Tom got a big gag grouper on his first drop and a huge amberjack (on twenty pound spin) on the second. Again it was nonstop action. Then Tom hooked something different, after a tough battle we could see it was a big african pompano! What a catch! Then he got another pompano on the very next drop! Before we left, Tom hauled up a fifteen pound mutton snapper and all we could do was smile! It was our day. As James and I rode the tower home I really wanted to find one more sail. We had released nine up to that point and getting double digits would put and exclamation point on Tom's amazing trip. Just before dark, we spotted sailfish chasing bait. I pulled the L&H in front and Wes made a great cast. Two sails came up chasing the bait. He quickly hooked one of them and we released it in seconds giving us the tenth sail we were looking for! What a great feeling. For the day we ended up with ten sailfish, eight jacks, six dolphin, five kingfish, six cudas, a big grouper, two african pompanos and two mutton snappers. Tom set personal best records for most sails in a day, most sails at one time, biggest aj, mutton, pompano and possibly the most fun on a single fishing trip! It was an outstanding day and I want to give a special thanks to Wes, James, Tom and his family for all the hard work making it all possible.

Great Wahoo Fishing

2010-12-24T12:07:00.001-08:00

With James off from school for the Holidays I decided to take a family trip and see if we could find a couple wahoos. There had been some around and boats were seeing some every day. We loaded up our family boat Frick and Frack with my brother Freddie, son James and headed out early one morning. Our plan was to troll high speed lures on the edge of the reef and try to locate some of the speedy wahoos. Shortly after starting to troll the short bait went off and we were hooked up. I fought the fish to the boat in ten minutes and James sunk the gaff in the beautiful thirty-five pound wahoo! Thirty minutes later the short bait started screaming and we were hooked up again. A few minutes later a twin of the first fish came over the rail. Two nice wahoo in less than an hour had James, Fred, and I pumped up. The action stayed steady for most of the day and we also boated a double header. James handled most of the leadering duties for the day and he made his dad and uncle Fred very proud. I had a great time as I have fished with Freddie all my life and fishing together with my family is the thing I enjoy the most. We ended up the day with nine nice size wahoos and great fun with my son and brother!!!!!!!!!

Great Afternoon Fishing

2010-12-24T12:06:00.001-08:00

Jasmin and Danny Coyle and their friends Karl Ashcreoft, Ray Corso and Tom Coyle were referred to us by our good friend Chuck and Haddie Walker, so it was important to me to have a good day. The bait was a little tough, but after a while we had enough to go fishing. The wind was light so we had to use the helium to keep the kite aloft. Shortly after getting set up I saw a free jumper and moved the boat so we could get a bite from the fish. It worked, and we hooked the sail on the left middle. After a great fight we released the sail and set back up. We then caught a couple of big bonitas and a snapper. After that we released another sail and everyone was happy. By now our bait supply was getting low so we decided to get a few fresh ones so we could finish out the afternoon. As soon as our team put the fresh baits out we caught another sail and a snapper. With a little daylight left we set up one more time. Soon we had a sailfish hooked up then another and another. It was an amazing sight as sailfish were jumping everywhere and all of our anglers had bent rods and smiling faces! We got a quick release on one of the sails and then hooked a nice king and another sailfish. When all the dust settled we ended up releasing seven sailfish and added a coupled kings and a couple bonitas. It was a great afternoon of fishing and alot of laughs and smiling faces!

The Sailfish Kickoff

2010-12-18T06:56:00.000-08:00

The Sailfish Kickoff is the first big tournament in Miami of the season and a tournament in which I have enjoyed great success. A few years ago on the L&H, with Captain Neil Orange we set a tournament record releasing seventeen sails and a one hundred fifty pound swordfish on the first day and ended up finishing second. A couple years ago while fishing with my family on the L&H we won the Top Boat, James won Top Junior Angler, and Debbi won Top Lady and Top Overall Angler. This year I fished with my friends Hanibal Moya, Albert Castro, Ricky Querejeta, House, Louis Isaias, and Captain Scott Leon on Louis's beautiful fifty-nine foot Jichi.

The first day we fished south of Fowey Light and had good action all day. We landed seven out of nine sails and in the meat fish category we were leading with the heaviest tuna, dolphin, and the heaviest kingfish. It was a great start and we were feeling confident going into the last day. We caught a few fish early in the morning to take the lead. Then after hearing about our fish another boat ran up and stopped right in front of us and caught four sails. We decided to run south and find an area we could fish by ourselves. The plan worked and when we got down off Triumph reef we began catching sailfish one after another. Again, the other boat came and stopped in front of us but they could not keep pace with the Jichi. We were on fire! No misses today, every fish we saw, we caught. In frustration, the other boat left and we continued to dominate. We ended up going nine for nine on the day. Our total of sixteen fish for the tournament was good enough for first place!!!!!! Our dolphin, tuna, and kingfish hung on to win heaviest of each category. It was a great tournament and we all had so much fun. Thank you Louis and every one on our team!

Upgrade Turns Into Big Day

2010-12-18T06:28:00.000-08:00

Chris Scarlett and a few of his pals purchased a half day gift certificate in the CCA auction and upgraded it to a full day. This turned out to be a smart choice because it enabled us to go down south late in the afternoon and have an action packed variety filled fishing trip. After catching bait we started to head to the south when we found a school of big cobias. The fish were up on the surface and some very big ones were there. Wes did a great job assisting our anglers and before long we had our limit of cobias including a sixty-three pounder. This was a great start to our day and everyone was pumped up. As we resumed our journey to the south Wes spotted a frigate bird off in the distance. When we got to the frigate Wes hooked a nice dolphin on the first cast. Soon more and more fish startred showing up and before long everyone was pulling in the mahi mahi. Our team did great and we landed every fish in the school. After that we stopped at a shallow reef and had fast action with barracudas of all sizes. These fish were fun on the light spinning gear. Now it was time to try some kite fishing. With the kites set we soon hooked a big sail, but the fish jumped off. As Wes reset the bait a big wahoo grabbed it and we were hooked up. We had the wahoo on for a long time and just when we had the fish coming our way the hook pulled out. After setting the baits out again a big sailfish of almost eighty pounds grabbed the right long kite bait and took to the air. Another fish was with the hooked sail and Wes, the hero of the day made a great cast with the spinner and hooked the second fish. After a tough battle with the double header our team landed both fish. Our anglers would land two more sailfish that afternoon before the L&H returned to the dock sporting its sailfish flags and a box full of fish. A great time was had by all and we look forward to seeing you guys again.

Islamorada Sailfish Tournament

2010-12-07T17:12:00.000-08:00

Debbi, James, Laurel and I joined Ben Eclund, Scott Stokey, Jim Hendrix and Captain Paul Ross for three great days of fishing during the Islamorada Sailfish Tournament on the Relentless. Captain Paul and his crew are some of the best fishermen I know and we always enjoy fishing with them. This year most of the fish were in the shallow water so we would be doing alot of sight fishing which is one of the most exciting ways to pursue the sailfish. The first day we saw a dozen fish, hooked seven of them and caught five. The two fish we lost were only feet from the boat when the circle hook pulled free. The second day was a bit slower. We saw nine fish and they were very tough to get to bite. Out of six bites we were able to release three of them and that put is in the middle of the pack heading into the last day with eight releases to our credit. Shortly after lines in on the final day, Captain Paul found two sails swimming in the clear, shallow water of the Florida Keys. James and Jim Hendrix hooked up as soon as the fish saw the baits and both sails took off in opposite directions. After a long fifty minute battle both anglers were able to successfully release their fish. Paul steered the Relentless back to shallow water and we soon caught another sailfish, then another and another. On the sixth sail of the day the fish became tangled in the main line and broke off before we were able to touch the leader. We ended up with thirteen fish for the tournament and that was good enough for third place. James was awarded the top junior angler for his releases. It was great to fish with my family and the crew of the Relentless. Thanks a lot you guys for an awesome three days!

Cobias For Frank

2010-11-29T10:55:00.000-08:00

Frank Koenig, Gudrun Gornik, and Sebastian Gornik fished with us one Sunday afternoon and we found our first big school of cobias for the season. Frank has been fishing with us a lot lately so I was happy he could be on the L&H when we got the first limit of cobia, (for the fifth year in a row) out of all the boats from our marina. The weather was nice and after the baitfishing I decided to make a pass through the cobia area before we hit the edge. My wife Debbi and daughter Laurel joined me in the tower as we cruised the shallows. The water was a little murky, but still clean enough to see. After only a few minutes of searching we found what we were after! A big stingray glided along the bottom and the school of hungry cobia surrounded it. When we first saw the ray several of the fish came to the surface and Laurel exclaimed "Look dad alot of nice ones"! Our team sprang into action and we had three fish hooked right away. Every one was working together, with Deb and Adam hooking the fish and Frank and Sebastian fighting them on spinning outfits. When a fish would come within range, Debbi would sink the gaff and Frank would grab the handle and help her lift the fish over the side. It was poetry in motion and I enjoyed every second of it. Unfortunately the biggest fish, a 60 plus pounder broke off after a tough battle. Nevertheless we caught our limit of nice size fish and released a few others. What fun! After finishing with the school we hit the edge and caught a shark and a nice king. It was a great trip and hopefully the first of many cobias this season.

11 for 13 on 11/13

2010-11-26T16:22:00.000-08:00

John Fischetti, Jim Stern, and Ron Wilson joined my friend Mike Welter, my son James and I for some great fishing on my birthday(11/13). We started the day out kite fishing and caught a few sailfish, a couple nice kings and a tuna off Key Biscayne. When the action slowed we moved to the south and got a couple more kings including a forty pounder that hit the kite. Around mid day we tried our luck over a shallow reef and had nonstop action with barracudas of all sizes. This was great fun as our guys were hooking up immediately after the baits hit the water. After the cudas we hit a couple wrecks and caught two big jacks and lost a few other fish. We decided to run back to the north and try the kites again for the afternoon bite. It turned out to be a great move because after getting a happy birthday call from my daughter Laurel we caught sailfish one after the other, including successfully landing four sails at once. We ended up going 11 for 13 on sails and with all of the other fish it was an awesome day that gave us the record for the most sails caught by anyone at our dock so far this season! Thanks alot guys! This will be a birthday I won't soon forget.

Ben and his Crew...posted by Laurel David (age 8)

2010-11-18T16:41:00.000-08:00

Ben and his crew from Airbus Corporation went on a L&H trip. I (Laurel) rode along as the second mate that day. They caught a sailfish and I leadered the sailfish for my first time. Then they caught a black tip shark. Then we were fighting and fighting another fish and when we finally got it up we saw it was a big amberjack. It was almost the end of the trip we caught a baby sailfish and baby sailfish are rare, I also leadered that sailfish. As I was reeling in the right long kite bait to start heading in, my dad told me to put the rod in free spool and then he said, "Laurel reel you have a sailfish on!", after we caught that we headed in.

It was a great day on the L&H for my dad and I!

Thank You For Reading My Post

This Post Published By Laurel David

Dolphin Wahoo King and Sailfish

2010-11-08T14:28:00.000-08:00

Miguel and his crew wanted to learn about kite fishing and have some good action in the process. The bait came easy and with a strong north wind I felt good about our chances. The current was out a little deeper than yesterday so we set up in 200 feet. When the first bait went over the side it was immediately eaten by a nice dolphin. With the fish in the boat, Wes and James resumed setting up our kite spread. With everything in position we waited for a bite. After a while I spotted a sailfish tailing down sea directly toward us. I veered the L&H offshore a little bit and Wes flipped out a bait right in front of the sails path. The hungry sailfish lit up, charged the frisky live bait and we were hooked up. Our angler did a great job on the light spinning outfit and soon we had the fish at boat side for a clean release. A little while later we hooked another sailfish on the kite, but unfortunately this fish jumped off. After getting reset again, James hooked a nice wahoo on the kite. The fished raced away on the surface and the L&H backed down in hot pursuit. What a sight to see the wahoo swimming on the top all lit up as water came over the transom. After the wahoo settled down James got the leader and Wes made a great shot with the gaff. He pulled the fish over the side and everyone started celebrating. It was another great day of fishing for the L&H team.

Sailfish for the Brotz Family

2010-11-08T13:59:00.000-08:00

Scott Brotz and his family went on the L&H with us for a morning half day to try and catch something big. The weather was good with wind from the north and after catching bait we set up on the edge. After a while we caught a nice kingfish on the deep line. Shortly thereafter we hooked a big mahi on the kite and things were beginning to look up. From my perch in the tower I spotted a sailfish tailing down sea. I maneuvered the boat so the left side kite baits would dangle in front of the migrating sail. It worked perfect, and when the left middle kite bait passed in front of the sail, he ate it and we were on. The fish took off jumping down sea and put on a great show for everyone to see. We set up one last time and a few minutes later we hooked another sailfish on the left kite and again had a successful release. What started out a little slow turned out to be a great trip for the Brotz family.

Sailfish and Mahi for Max

2010-11-04T17:35:00.000-07:00

Max Puyanic and a few of his guests joined us for a trip on the L&H today. The bait came easy and we began to work our way south. When we got just below Fowie Light I spotted three nice mahi and our gang managed to hook all three in short order. After some great angling and good gaffing we had all three in the box and resumed our trek to the south. Way inshore and up on the reef there was a big flock of birds and we figured it was worth a look. When we got to the birds we could see a pack of big mahi chasing ballyhoo all over. The fish were full and would not even look at our baits. We finally managed to hook a nice bull dolphin, but unfortunately the hook pulled out just before the boys could sink the gaff. By now the rain was closing in from all directions and we wanted to try the kite before we got poured on. Within minutes of getting the baits out Max had a sail on the right long. Max did a great job on his first of many sailfish to come this season. Soon after we released the fish the rain came and after catching a few snappers we decided to cut the trip short. Our friend Max has several more days coming up so I am sure there will be more to write about soon.

Back To The Boatyard

2010-10-06T17:02:00.000-07:00

The boatyard is one of my least favorite places on earth. Unfortunately it is part of the job and in order to keep the L&H as the cleanest, neatest, and best maintained boat on the dock this is one thing that must be done. While working for John Dudas we would take the L&H to the boatyard every fall and I have continued to haul the boat out EVERY year in either September or October. Over the years I have learned alot about the care and maintenance of the L&H from John and also on my own. Some years we spend more time in the yard than other years. This year our time will be only a couple weeks. We will paint the bottom (as always) do some painting in the cockpit and paint the transom. Over the coarse of the season the bills of the sailfish and swordfish scratch, gouge and impale the transom and to keep the L&H looking her best it is necessary to repaint it annually. There is also work to do on the rub rail, in the lazarett, and in the engine room. The crew on the L&H will do alot of the work themselves, but we will also call on help from others as needed. We work hard and long and do our best to get back in the water and fishing as soon as possible.

Bottomfish Biting

2010-10-06T16:47:00.000-07:00

Henry Castellanos of Miami and Jim Smith, Danny Meinus, and Terry Harris all from Arkansas joined us on the day after one of the nastiest storms of the year. They timed the trip just right because the weather was beautiful and the bottomfish were biting like crazy! Henry had fished on the L&H before and had enjoyed success, so we wanted to keep him and his guests happy! Our plan was to fish on the bottom in deep water to try for action and boy did we get action. That day everything seemed to go our way and the fish were biting on all the spots. Everyone took turns pulling in fish and the boys did a great job keeping up. We seemed to have fish coming up and fresh baits going back down nearly the whole trip. By the end of the trip our fishbox was sporting the beautiful colors of silver snapper, red snapper, vermillion snapper, yellow-eye snapper, amberjacks, almaco jacks, kingfish and blackfin tuna. It was fun to see the fish biting like that and when we got back there was plenty of fish for everyone to share! Thanks alot guys and we look forward to seeing you again.

Big Mahi, Shallow Water

2010-10-06T16:08:00.000-07:00

Bennett Hoke and some of his friends were here in Miami for a bachelor party and when they got to the boat in the morning we could tell they had a big night. There had been some nice mahi around along with a few skipjacks so our plan was to find the birds and then find the fish. After we got the bait we began to work our way to the edge. Wes spotted a couple frigate birds in shallow so we decided to check them out. As I was heading to the birds I could see ballyhoo showering and when I slowed the boat down I could see four big mahi. Wes hooked the first fish and the fish took off jumping to the south. I started backing up quickly to stay with the hooked fish and get Wes in position for another cast. He hooked another big fish and we kept backing into the sea to stay with the pack. After some great teamwork we had four mahi from 25lbs to 35lbs all hooked up and going different directions. We managed to avoid a ship coming out of the port and a few crossed lines, but everything worked out for the best. With the big fish in our icy hold we steered toward another diving frigate. This time it was a single big mahi and Wes made a great cast and this fish joined the others in the box. Our team added a couple skipjacks to the catch to end up with a great morning of fishing!

Honeymoon Luck

2010-09-01T14:58:00.000-07:00

Kara and Kevin Gladstone from Rockchester NY were in Miami on their honeymoon. One night at a bar, they were asking some of the locals what boat they should try sportfishing with. Somebody told them, that the best boat to fish on in Miami is the L&H! They booked us the next day and we headed out early the following morning. We ran strait out to the edge and the fish were there waiting for us. Shortly after putting the baits out we began hooking kingfish and bonitas. The action was steady as both anglers took turns reeling in fish. We hooked a few doubles to make things interesting and everyone was having fun. A few hours into the trip Kevin hooked something bigger and stronger than what we had been fighting. To everyones suprise it was a big sailfish! Kevin was now hooked up to the biggest fish of his life and the sail was doing its best to get away. After a while the fish began to tire and we soon had Kevin's trophy at boatside. The rare summertime sailfish was all lit up as we took some photos and released the fish. All of us were so happy. It seems that whenever we are lucky enough to take honeymooners fishing on the L&H we always have good luck and Kara and Kevin were no different. We ended up catching a few more kings until we had our limit and enjoyed a nice ride back to the dock.

Jose Gets the Meat

2010-09-01T14:26:00.000-07:00

Jose Juara, Jose Jr., Jose Arcia, Eduardo Rodriguez, Eduardo Jr., and Marc Milian joined us for a full day on the L&H on what would be a great fishing (and catching) trip. Jose Juara Sr. has been buying fish from us for over twenty years and has become a good friend in the process. When he was planning the trip, Jose decided to wait until I returned from Hawaii so I would be able to run the boat. I took his gesture as a compliment, but the pressure was on to produce for these guys! Jose and I talked about the trip several times. I knew it was important to him since he had friends and relatives flying in from Spain and Zimbabwe with high expectations. The weather was beautiful and we caught bait easily and ran out to the edge. James put the first bait out, locked the reel up and we hooked up immediately! "This is good", I said to myself as we could hardly keep up with the nonstop action! Jose loves to eat kingfish and we were catching alot of them along with the bonitas. For over two hours we were getting bites as fast as we got the baits in the water and everyone was helping out and having a great time! When we got our limit of kings we ran offshore to look for dolphin and wahoo. About ten miles out James and I spotted a big coil of rope that was holding alot of bait. A few dolphin showed up, but wouldn't bite. Finally we caught a nice one and just before the gaff went in I saw some wahoo deep below the surface. We quickly shifted gears and began wahoo fishing. The bite was fast and furious. Before leaving the rope we put almost ten wahoos in the fishbox. Further offshore I found another floater with a big triple-tail and a few more nice dolphin. We caught the dolphin with no problem and began heading for home. Just before crossing the edge I saw a big board with a few more dolphin on it. As we were catching the dolphin, a school of at least ten wahoo swam up to us. Just like earlier that day, we changed tactics and added another half dozen wahoo to the fish box. It was a great trip with my friend Jose, and as we pulled into the marina everyone was all smiles!

Alain's Success Continues

2010-08-25T17:36:00.000-07:00

Alain Perrin has been fishing with me on the L&H for a long time and it seems that no matter what we try to fish for we are always successful. Normally he fishes with his daughter, but she was expecting a baby this time so Alain took some other guests. Our plan was to fish on the edge of the reef to try for action and maybe some fish for dinner. As soon as we set the lines we began hooking up right away. At first it was bonitas and everyone had a fun time fighting these fish. After a while the kingfish began to bite and when they did it was one after the other. On two seperate occasions during the trip we hooked five fish at once and managed to land all of them. Then, in the middle of everything, we hooked a big sailfish. Normally sailfish are not found here in the summer, but we were happy to see it. The sail jumped and jumped and I backed the L&H in pursuit. We got the fish to the boat and took some photos and released it for another day. After a few more kings our anglers were too tired to fight anything else. We took it easy heading back to the marina where we took some photos of the catch and cleaned fish for the happy fishermen. It was another great day for Alain and I.

Hawaiian Victory Lap

2010-08-25T16:36:00.000-07:00

As captain Kevin Nakamaru and I discussed the plans for our last day of fishing in Hawaii, he told me that now matter what happened it would be like a victory lap, since we already had such a successful trip. We decided to troll down south because there had been at least one big fish and some days as many as ten hooked down there for two weeks strait. Kevins mate Matt was on the other boat so it would be only the four of us joining Kevin on our final outing. James had fished on the Northern Lights for fifteen days so he knew the routine and had it down. As usual we left the harbour just after six in the morning. A couple hours into the day the was a big explosion on a small jet lure running behind a bird on the farthest line from the boat. James jumped in the chair as Laurel, Debbi, and I cleared the other lines. The fish didn't jump, and just continued to swim out to sea. After thirty minutes the big marlin made it's only jump and we knew James had a big one! For the next hour the fish never got more than a hundred feet from the boat. It would take some line against the heavy drag and then change directions and swim back toward us. It was an awesome sight to watch the fish swimming just below the cobalt blue Kona sea. Finally after two hours, the fish began to tire and Kevin stayed close with some unbelievable boat handling. With the big reel in low gear, James inched the fish closer until the leader was in reach. I have not pulled on something like this since the days when I used to fish for the giant bluefins and I didn't want to lose James' fish after such a long battle. I slowly pulled the marlin up as Kevin maneuvered the boat to keep up with the fish. A few seconds later Debbi placed the tag, but just before release the fish rolled over and went belly up. We had no choice but to take the fish. Kevin and I slid James' big blue marlin into the boat and with the measurements we knew it was over five hundred pounds! Father and son were exhausted and mom and sister were going crazy. We put the lures back out and a few minutes later we hooked another marlin. This time it was Laurel's turn and my eight year old angler did a great job on her second marlin of the trip. She did super in the chair and had the fish at the boat in fifteen minutes. We put a tag in the fish and released it. About thirty minutes after setting the lures back out, mom hooked another blue marlin. The fish jumped all over the place and then went down. Captain Kevin decided James was ready to wire his first blue marlin and what a better fish to do it on than his mom's. When the leader came up James reached out and took hold. He did a terrific job pulling up the 150 lb marlin. When James got the fish to the surface, I placed a satellite tag in the fish so we would be able to track its movements. Kevin yelled "You did it James"!!! I was so proud of my family! It was one of the best days of my life!!! An unbelievable ending to a great trip and a victory lap the I will never forget! Thank you so much to Captain Kevin Nakamaru for making this all possible and for everything you have done for my family and I. Thank you so much to my wonderful wife Debbi and my beautiful children Laurel and James for giving the memories that will be with me forever.

Two Marlin for Debbi

2010-08-23T15:58:00.000-07:00

Last year on our trip to Hawaii, the biggest marlin (out of the 11 we caught) was with Captain Steve Epstein on the Huntress! The Huntress is a gorgeous forty-two foot Merritt with alot of history. It used to be called the "Black Bart" and was run by the famous Bart Miller. It is responsible for four grander blue marlin including a 1656 pounder that is the largest blue ever landed in Kona. When we found ourselves with an extra day to fish Kona, we decided to try our luck again on the Huntress. Just like last year, we had some great fishing. After about an hour of trolling down south we got a bite on the long rigger. The fish ate a jet lure that was designed to run below the surface so nobody was sure what we had. Deb jumped in the chair and went to work with the heavy tackle. She did a great job, and applied alot of pressure, but the fish refused to come up. After about twenty minutes we finally got a look and were happy to see that it was a nice size blue marlin. It is rare to catch a marlin that never jumps, but this one refused to, nevertheless we pulled it up, tagged it and released it to fight another day. Within seconds of setting the lures back out we hooked up again. Unfortunately the marlin pulled off some line and jumped off. About an hour later Debbi hooked yet another blue marlin on the short outrigger lure. This fish put on quite a show for us. At one point the fish jumped clear of the water, behind the boat and Gabby and Juliana Nakamaru (who joined us for the day) both yelled "That is a big fish"!! Again, Debbi (who is one of the best light tackle anglers I have ever seen) showed her skill with the heavy tackle and had the blue marlin at boatside very quickly. We pulled the fish up and James put a tag in and we set the fish free. We ended up missing a spearfish four different times later that afternoon, but it didn't matter at all, because we had a great trip. Thanks alot to Captain Steve and his mate Mitch for another wonderful day on the Huntress.

James Gets Back to Back Blues

2010-08-23T15:32:00.000-07:00

My son James caught two blue marlin in two days of fishing. Catching a single blue marlin is often a feat accomplished only once in a lifetime by some of the best anglers. Catching a blue marlin two days in a row is something to be proud of. Quite possibly the only thing better than that is to be a father watching his son catch these beautiful blue marlin! Debbi, James, Laurel, and I joined Captain Kevin Nakamaru on the forty foot gamefisheman "Northern Lights" for two days of fishing, as a trade for taking Kevin fishing two days in Florida on our L&H. We had a great time fishing with Kevin and he is without a doubt one of the best I have ever fished with. The first day in Kona we raised a nice blue marlin on the short outrigger lure and after several attempts the fish finally got hooked. James jumped in the chair as the fish jumped almost thirty times! It was a quick fight and Laurel placed the tag in the fish. The following day the acton was good for some other boats but we could not get bit. Finally late in the afternoon we raised a fish on the short bait. The marlin snapped the lure out of the clip, but did not get hooked. Then a few seconds later the fish showed up on the short rigger lure ( the same one James caught the fish on the day before) and got hooked up solid. This fish was tougher than the one we caught the day before, but James hung in there and did a great job. We finally got the fish to the boat, put a tag in, and released it to fight another day. It was a great two days of fishing and Captain Kevin proved to us why he is one of the best there is!

Laurel's First Blue Marlin

2010-08-12T22:00:00.000-07:00

As most everyone who is reading this knows, my son James, who is only eleven years old, is a fisherman with the skills and experience well beyond his years. On this day, however, it was my daughter Laurel who is only eight, who showed she can more than just hold her own!

Debbi, James, Laurel, and I met Matt early in the morning and jumped on the classy 37 Merritt Northern Lights, eager to begin another day of fishing in Kona. We left the harbor and ran for less than five minutes until the water depths plummeted to over three-thousand feet. James and I quickly set the lures. As I glanced at the mountain, waiting for the sun to rise, I couldn't help but to feel so lucky to be fishing in such a beautiful spot. When I focused on the lures dancing behind the boat, I could not believe what I saw. The dorsal fin of a nice size blue marlin was racing toward the short outrigger lure. "Marlin!" I yelled just seconds before the fish ambushed the lure and became hooked up solid. As everyone frantically cleared the remaining lines I couldn't help but think, could this really be happening? Laurel was in the chair and we were in hot pursuit as the fish jumped repeatedly away from the boat. Laurel kept tight and gained back some line as the fish headed for the depths. We switched the reel to low gear as my eight year old angler slowly pumped the fish back to the surface. With a look of sheer determination, she inched the fish closer and closer. A short while later, the leader was within reach. As soon as the marlin felt the additional pressure I applied to the leader it threw itself into the air and charged directly at the boat. Then the fish changed its coarse and jumped away from us, with an awesome display of both power and grace. Again Laurel inched the fish closer as I thought to myself that if I was able to get a hold of the leader again I would not let go. A few minutes later when the fish came up again. This time it was much easier to handle and we slid Laurels prize into the boat. I was soooooo proud of my girl and it was a moment I will never forget. We pulled into the weigh station at 6:45 am. Laurel's blue marlin weighed in at 165 lbs and it made me the proudest father on earth!

Two Firsts For My Girls

2010-08-09T22:49:00.000-07:00

Kevin Nakamaru had a three day charter on his boat so he offered to let his mate Matt take us out on the 37 Merritt "Northern Lights". Debbi, James, Laurel, Matt, and I loaded up early one morning and headed out to the flat calm Kona waters to see what we could find. The fishing had been steadily improving so we were eager with anticipation as we watched the lures splash along the surface. Around noon there was a splash behind one of the lures, but the fish missed the target. Everyone watched and hoped the fish would come back and try the lure again. Then a few seconds later the fish came back, this time devouring the lure and getting hooked up solid. Laurel grabbed the rod, jumped in the chair and held on as the fish took line. The rest of us cleared the other lines and watched in amazement as a beautiful spearfish (the rarest of all the billfish) jumped completely out of the water. Laurel did a great job, reeling the fish to the boat and a couple minutes later the leader was within reach. As I gently pulled the fish closer, the rare spearfish displayed some of the most brilliant colors one could ever hope to see. James pulled the fish in the boat and everyone celebrated Laurels catch! After everything settled down we began trolling again and a short time later there was a big splash on the exact same lure. Again, the fish missed and nothing, we watched and waited. Then the fish came back, got hooked up and this time Debbi jumped in the chair. This fish acted entirely different than any fish we had encountered so far on this trip. Line peeled off the reel but the line angle went strait down. After we got everything cleared and organized and the fish settled down we began to see the thump, thump, thump of the rod tip, a tell tale sign of a tuna. Could Debbi be hooked up to her first big ahi? A few minutes later our suspicions were confirmed when deep down into the clear, blue pacific waters we could all see the big yellowfin tuna sporting it's long yellow streamers. My wife had applied maximum pressure with the heavy tackle, thus wearing the tuna down and making my job on the leader an easy one. I pulled the 130lb ahi within range and Matt and James quickly gaffed and hauled our catch onboard. This was Deb's first yellowfin and one to be proud of! It was another great day of fishing under the Kona sun and two great fish that my girls can now check off their lists. Great going Laurel and Debbi today was your day to shine.

Deb Gets A Blue

2010-08-09T21:51:00.000-07:00

Our friend Captain Kevin Nakamaru had a full day charter and it got cut short, so Kev invited our family to join his family for an afternoon of fishing. We met Kevin's wife, Elizabete, and their two girls, Gabby and Juliana, at the marina and headed out to try our luck. James had been fishing on the Northern Lights for six days strait so he quickly showed me the set up. As soon as we set the lines we hooked a big mahi mahi. Debbi made quick work of the fish on the heavy tackle and James gaffed the lively dolphin and threw it in the fish box. With dinner out of the way we resumed trolling and a short time later there was a big explosion on the left long lure. The line came tight and we were hooked up! Everyone sprung into action, clearing the remaining lines and Deb got strapped into the fighting chair. The fish was taking a lot of line so Captain Kevin turned the Northern Lights and began to chase the fish. Then a few hundred yards away a big blue marlin rocketed out of the water. Debbi began gaining line back and the fish started swimming out to sea. Captain Kevin spun the boat around and started backing up fast. Deb continued to fill the reel back up with all the line the marlin had taken from us. A short time later we could see the leader and everyone was impressed with the fishes size. A few seconds later I had the leader in hand. I wired the 300lb blue marlin alongside the boat and James placed the tag. We took a few photos and released the fish. It was a great afternoon of fishing for both families and a fun time was had by all! Thanks so much to the Nakamaru family and way to go Debbi!

Hawaii International Billfish Tournament

2010-08-08T00:25:00.000-07:00

My son James and I fished the HIBT on two of Kona, Hawaii's top boats, Captain Kevin Nakamaru's Northern Lights and the Marlin Magic with Captain Jason Holtz. James got off to a great start with a blue marlin double header, releasing a 250 pound blue, and boating a 392 lber. The second day was my turn and around 10:00 am a big fish ate a purple lure on the closest line to the boat. Captain Jason did a great job chasing the fish and we had the leader in just over a half hour. When the other mate, Brian Tomey grabbed the leader, the unthinkable happened. The line got wrapped around the top of the rod and our angler (a small man from Japan who spoke no english) had no idea what happened. If Brian were to let go of the leader and the fish ran off our angler would have been pulled overboard. Instead Brian took several wraps on the leader and pulled the big marlin closer as Captain Jason backed down hard to get the fish within gaff range. I reached out as far as I could and gaffed the big Pacific blue marlin in the shoulder. As soon as I sunk the gaff the marlin, it jumped out of the water all the way to the other side of the boat. The gaff rope came tight and again the big marlin jumped out of the water, but this time Jason sunk another gaff while the marlin was in mid air. We quickly secured our prize and slid the fish into the boat. Back at the scales the fish would weigh 531 lbs and on only fifty pound tackle it was a catch I will not soon forget. We finished the day with the tag and release of a shortbill spearfish (my first ever) and ended up winning the daily for that day. James also released a nice blue that day and we were both on our way to a strong finish. James and the Northern Lights team tagged and released a shortbill spearfish the following day. On the final day of the tournament we hooked a nice blue marlin after a spectacular bite on the short outrigger lure. After a tough battle the hook pulled just a few feet from the boat, but thats marlin fishing. It was a great tournament and an unbelievable experience for my son James and I. We will be here in Kona for a couple more weeks and I am sure there is a lot more exciting fishing to come. (1st pic is James with the tag stick, 2nd is the 531lber)

Great Summer Fishing

2010-08-07T23:55:00.000-07:00

Debbi, James, Laurel and I are on our annual trip to Kona, Hawaii, but it seems we are missing some red hot summertime action. Captain Neil Orange is filling in while we are gone and with Wes and Greg running the cockpit the L&H is not missing a beat. The guys fished a bunch of days so far and each and every trip has had a lot of action and plenty of eating fish. One great surprise for this summer is the sailfish action. The L&H team landed at least one sailfish six trips in a row. The kingfish action has been very consistent and as usual the bonitas are biting fast and furious. Captain Neil and the boys also have managed three big wahoos by either trolling or fishing with live bait. There have also been a lot of nice size mutton snappers biting live baits fished on the deep line. I am very proud of Neil, Wes, and Greg not only for the consistency they are having with great catches day after day, but also for all of their hard work keeping the L&H in tip top shape. Thanks a lot guys and keep up the great work.

Two Days Fishing Twice The Fun

2010-07-15T18:22:00.000-07:00

Allison Bowen, Mike Lawrence, Maurice Veissi and Monica Hernandez fished with us on the L&H back to back days and a good time was had by all. Due to trips already in the schedule our fishermen we forced to leave late one day and return early another, but they did not let that affect their fun or the fishing. On our first day the weather was beautiful and we enjoyed the run out. Everyone did great catching bait and in no time we had plenty. After leaving the bait spot I found something I have never seen this time of year. It was two nice cobias on the surface in only twenty feet of water over the white sand. I stopped the boat, Greg and James presented two baits and Allison and Monica went to work on the fish with spinning rods. Cobia are one of my favorite fish and although we see this type of thing in the winter and spring, to find something like this in the heat of summer was very exciting. The girls did great and with two cobias laying side by side in the fishbox we were off to find something else. With great conditions we decided to try for golden tilefish. When our rigs hit the bottom the tilefish were there waiting. That afternoon we found golden tiles to over ten pounds and even had a few doubles. All of the fish were nice size and that made for some great eating. After a few small dolphin we stopped on the edge of the reef for a few minutes. Our team quickly hooked four big bonitos and landed three. After a few more bonitos and a nice kingfish we made our way back to the marina.

Day two again provided us with great weather. After catching bait we decided to run south and try to find Mike a sailfish. As soon as we stopped we hooked a sail, but unfortunately he jumped off. After a few bonitas and a couple kings, Mike and Maurice found themselves hooked up to a double header sail. Both fish went opposite directions and after a tough battle, Mike's line got ran over by a small boat and Mo's fish broke off. Bad luck I guess. When we got the baits back out, one of the girls got a nice king all the way to the boat and then, like the others, it got away. I could see the shiny fish just laying down there so I grabbed the gaff and jumped in after the kingfish! I swam down, gaffed the still stunned king and returned to the surface with our fish and also some good luck. We reset again and Mike got a big king and things were looking up. Just before we began to pull the baits in, Mike got the sailfish he was looking for. It was a tough fight, but Mike was up for the challenge and did a great job. We took a bunch of photos and headed for the dock all smiles! Thanks alot you guys for two great trips and we look forward to seeing you again soon.

Persistence Pays for Grace Family

2010-07-15T17:35:00.000-07:00

Ed and Barbara Grace are first time fishermen on the L&H. They were recommended to us by our good friend Capt. Kevin Nakamaru from Kona Hawaii. Kevin led my family and I to 8 blue marlin and 6 yellowfin tuna in a single day last year and is definitely the guy to fish with if you are planning a trip to Hawaii (Northern Lights Sportfishing 808-960-1549). When Mr. and Mrs. Grace were in Hawaii earlier this year, catching marlin, Kevin recommended they try the L&H for sailfish and swordfish. The Grace's booked us for two days, which turned out to be the way to go. The first day started out stormy and would remain that way throughout the day. We tried for sailfish, but could only manage a couple kingfish and bonitas and cudas. As we made our way into the gulfstream our crew encountered several storms some with high seas and strong wind gusts. We made a couple of drops for swords, but with unfavorable conditions we cut it short. We ended up with a few dolphin, but all in all it was a wet, slow day.

Day two was much better weather and with Debbi and Laurel joining us I was sure we would do well. Despite calm seas and clear skies nothing would bite. We tried kitefishing in the morning with no bites, then we went nearly thirty-five miles offshore and all we found were a couple schools of skipjacks. When we arrived back inshore at the swordfish grounds Ed caught a big barracuda and a few small dolphin, but still no swordfish bites. Our time was running out! As I steered the L&H toward the marina I continued to search for the fish we were after for two days. Then all of the sudden, as if it were a gift from above, a sailfish free jumped off the bow! Then he did it again and again. I pushed all of the L&H's 1320 horsepower to the limit toward the sailfish. As soon as the boat slowed down, the team put the baits out and in seconds we were hooked up! What a thrill!!! Our team had tried so hard for this fish and now we finally had him hooked. Ed did a great job with the light spinning outfit as the L&H backed down in hot pursuit. Every-one cheered and screamed as the big, beautiful sail burst out of the water. A few minutes later James got the leader and showed his ever-improving skills as a wireman until we had the fish by the bill and were able to get some photos. I could not have been happier! After covering over one hundred miles in two days we manged to get the fish of the trip for the Grace's, only a few minutes outside the port, at the end of our second day. Thank you so much Ed and Barbara for spending such long hours with us and for all of your generosity toward my crew and I! We look forward to seeing you next May!

Fathers Day Fun

2010-07-01T17:43:00.000-07:00

Wendy Armstrong gave her husband Jim and a few of his friends a full day of fishing fun to celebrate fathers day and Jim's birthday and the crew on the L&H didn't let her down. We ran offshore and found several schools of dolphin, but most were undersized and we had to catch and release. After a while we found some skipjacks and that gave everyone something a little bigger to pull on. After catching the skipjacks we resumed the hunt for dolphin and found a few more schools. With most of the fish being on the small side, again, it was mostly catch and release. I decided that we should try for a swordfish since we were not that far from the spot and if we were able to catch a sword it would save the day. As soon as the bait got down we got a bite. The rod bent over double and it seemed like a good fish. This is too good to be true I told myself. One of Jim's friends was up on the bridge with me and I told him that if we were able to land this fish it would be a great fathers day present. The sword fought hard all the way to the surface and when we finally got the leader we could see that he was tailwrapped. Greg pulled the leader and and I ran down from the bridge and sunk the first gaff. We got another gaff in the fish and everyone helped pull until it was in the boat. I was so happy! That fish turned an ok day into a great one. We made another drop and had a bite but the fish came off. When we made it to the dock everyone was very pleased with the fathers day/birthday spent catching fish on the L&H!

Dolphin Wahoo Day

2010-07-01T17:24:00.000-07:00

Mike Quesada and his team from Link Construction Group have fished with us for the past few years. Ususally they are a large group and we find a few other boats to accomodate everyone. This year Mike needed five boats, Debbi did a great job organizing and everything went smooth. The weather was beautiful but the baitfishing was as tough as it could possibly be. After trying a few spots with very little success we decided to run offshore with next to no live bait. About ten miles out James and I saw a single bird picking and when we got to the area we found a big green cargo net. Dolphin began to swim up from all different directions and soon we had fish jumping everywhere. For twenty minutes we had it more or less to ourselves then boats began to come from all different directions. With so many boats the fish began to spread out and became tougher to catch. When the dolphin action slowed we changed tactics and caught four nice wahoo. A few hours later we found a large tree branch and caught another nice dolphin and four more wahoo. This was our best catch of wahoo this year and with bunch of nice dolphin to go with them everyone caught plenty of fish. Best of all everyone got to take home plenty of great eating fillets. Thanks again Mike and to everyone at Link Construction and we look forward to seeing you again next year.

Jim Knapps AMAZING Day

2010-06-24T17:08:00.001-07:00

I have known Jim Knapp for almost my whole life. When I was much younger, fishing tournaments on the Frick and Frack, with my grandfather, dad and brother, Jim's team was always finishing near or on top and they were the boat to beat. I had never fished with Jim before, so I was very excited when he called a booked a full day with us. He was only bringing two family members, Ken Hallstrom and Lad Lubanovich, both from Ohio so he had no problem with Debbi, James and Laurel coming along to help out. The bait came very easy so I decided to try some bottom fishing to get some action as well as a few fish for dinner. At our first spot as soon as the lines got down, we got bites immediately. This was a very good sign. We had nonstop action and in no time had fifty yellow-eyes, vermilion's and silver snappers in the box. When the action slowed we found ourselves at a new spot and caught several nice tile fish and a snowy grouper. When the grouper came in I decided to run to the south and try to find a few more of these tasty fish. Somehow our team on the L&H found ourselves in one of the best deep water grouper bites we had ever seen. We were catching them like crazy, sometimes three at a time and there were a lot of nice fish up to fifteen pounds. Every spot had them and they were biting. Just before everyone was ready to go look for dolphin we stopped and caught a few almacos, including a twenty-five pounder Jim caught on spinning tackle. With an amazing quantity and assortment of bottom fish, I then steered the L&H offshore. The sea was flat calm and you could see for miles. About ten miles out we came across a two foot piece of foam with dolphin all over the place. Our team went to work and soon dolphin were flying into the boat fast and furious. All of the sudden the school came together and hid under the boat. From our view in the tower Debbi and I watched as a mako shark nearly three hundred pounds raced up from the depths through the middle of the dolphin in an amazing display of speed. It was truly a sight to behold. Wes and Greg got the shark rod out right away, but the mako and the rest of the dolphin had left the area. Before we moved on we caught a nice wahoo to add to the nearly full fish box. A few miles away, Wes spotted some birds and when we got there dolphin were everywhere. Again the L&H team had dolphin coming in the boat like no tomorrow and in short order we had our limit. It seemed like everything we tried that day was working, so why not try for a day time sword. The first try we had a good bite, but didn't hook up. I was feeling confident that we could get another bite and a few minutes later we did. The rod doubled over and line melted off the reel, we had a big fish on! After twenty minutes we knew this was not fighting like a sword, more like a thresher shark. When we finally got the beast to the surface everyone was shocked to see a big swordfish coming in backwards. After we muscled the big sword into the boat we were shocked to see that it was not hooked, only the leader was looped around its tail. It was amazing to pull that fish all the way up with so much pressure and have it stay on all the way to the boat! As Debbi, James, Laurel and I rode together in the tower I felt so very lucky to have such a wonderful family, crew and friends to share such and amazing day with. We caught a couple nice tunas close to shore just to put an !!!!!!!!!!!! on the day and when we made it to the dock it seemed like it took forever to unload all the fish. When word of our catch spread, one boat owner was reported as saying "There is no way the L&H caught so much fish in just one day, my boat was out the day before and they only got a few dolphin". It is days like these that separate us from the rest of the fleet and that is what makes the L&H so special.

John's Tournament Day

2010-06-24T16:15:00.000-07:00

John Ouelette has been fishing on the L&H for twenty years and he knows our operation very well. He is very fun to have on the boat because he always has a positive attitude and loves to get involved and help out. For the past several years we have fished the Mechanical Contractors Tournament of South Florida, a dolphin tournament out of Ocean Reef and nearly every year we end up in the top five. The tournament is very hard on the boat and the crew, leaving in the dark and almost always returning in the dark, running the boat hard all day. There is no time to fish for bait so we must go out ahead of time and have the bait on the boat, but to see John try so hard and get soooooo excited when we hook a big fish it somehow makes it all worth it. The fishing had been slow leading up to the event, so when we picked up John and his family early in the morning at the Ocean Reef fuel dock we knew the odds were against us. I decided to run far offshore and not stop until we found something to fish to. When we reached two thousand feet of water off Key Largo we found a likely area and before long John spotted a piece of floating debris that we picked a few nice fish off. With something to weigh and dinner for the Ouelette family everyone was feeling good. Although we did not catch a ton of fish or a monster off the debris that John spotted, it was crucial to our success that day. The floater put us in the zone where the fish were and we stayed in that zone all day and caught more and bigger fish than almost anyone from Miami to Key Largo! For the next few hours we found school after school of dolphin some with as many as one hundred fish. Then just before lunch we came upon a set of birds that looked like they would be over the big fish we needed. Our anticipation turned to frustration when I spotted some big skipjacks under the birds. Seconds later James yelled "There's a big one dad"! A single big dolphin was mixed in with the skipjacks and Wes teased the fish in close. John delivered a perfect cast with the live bait and we were on! I threw the L&H hard in reverse and it was a little black smoke alot of white water and blood and in a few seconds the fish was in the boat. Everyone was celebrating, what a great feeling! John's son, Kyle followed his dads lead with another nice dolphin an hour later and we began the forty mile trip back to the reef. Just before lines out we found a nice bull dolphin, but unfortunately he ate the bait off the hook and we had to start running for home. Again I pushed the L&H hard and our team slid into the weigh scale with only four minutes remaining. When we pulled the fish from the fish box on the L&H I could see that Johns fish was long, but very skinny and that would cost us. We missed first place by a mere two pounds, to a boat that only caught one fish the entire day. Nevertheless John Ouelette and his team on the L&H ended up taking second, third, and fifth heaviest dolphin. When we finally made it back to Key Biscayne other boats had their catch on the dock. One boat had about thirty small fish and other boats had less than half that. When we threw our catch for the day up, people gathered around asking how long we had been out and where we were fishing. All I had to tell them was "Just another good day on the L&H with my friend John". Thanks alot to the Ouelette family and we look forward to seeing you again soon!

Captain Neil takes Frank to the Tunas

2010-06-21T18:20:00.000-07:00

Frank Koenig has fished with me a few times in the past couple months, but unfortunatly this time I was unable to make the trip. Captain Neil Orange Sr. is one of the few people who I feel confident enough to let run the boat. I know Neil will take good care of the boat and always does a good job finding fish. This time was no different. With Greg and his brother Chris as the crew Neil decided to run north to catch bait before making the twenty mile run to south of Triumph Reef before starting to fish, but that is beside the point. I met the crew at the dock when they returned (just before dark) and from the smiles I could tell it was a good trip. They ended up catching three big blackfin tunas, (one of which was nearly thirty-five pounds) a few bonitas and three sailfish. Unfortunatly one of the sailfish came up dead and Neil decided to take it. Everyone onboard loves to eat fish so Neil fillleted the sail and along with the tunas everyone had plenty of fish to bring home. Thanks alot to Captain Neil and Chris and Greg for working so hard, staying out extra late and showing these guys a great time!

Max and the Mutton Madness

2010-06-21T17:53:00.000-07:00

Lucky Max strikes again and this time he even surprised Greg and I. The weather for the day was a bit questionable so after catching bait we decided to try a spot close to home. As soon as we got the kites up Max hooked and quickly landed a twenty-five pound kingfish. From that moment on we never went more than fifteen minutes without catching a nice fish. After Greg and I reset the kites I dropped a bait to the bottom and the rod bent over instantly! The way the fish was fighting everyone was sure it was a nice bottom fish and a short time later we put a ten pound mutton snapper in the boat for Max. That is the way the entire morning went. Max and his friend Rick were either pulling up mutton after mutton after mutton from the bottom (sometimes double headers) or they were catching nice sized kingfish on the kite. With the weather getting better all the time we decided to stick it out. The afternoon fishing was almost better than the morning if that was even possible. The mutton snappers continued to bite and we even managed to get a few big yellowtails for Rick (much to the delight of his female companion). Late in the afternoon Max and Rick each landed a big blackfin tuna, both of which made spectacular strikes on the kite baits. With almost twenty mutton snappers, a few big yellowtails, a limit of kingfish, an amberjack, two big blackfin tunas, a big shark, and some bonitas, the fishbox was looking very good and our anglers very tired! Just before we pulled the lines in, Max landed a big sailfish that, like the tunas, took a live bait dangling from the kite. The sailfish put and exclamation point on what was already an unbelievable day of fishing only a few short miles from Max's backyard!

Ken Strochek's Trip

2010-06-21T16:55:00.000-07:00

Ken Strochek has fished with me dozens of times on the L&H and he is a pleasure to fish with. This time he brought his son Jason and the infamous Walter along. Ken has been fishing longer than I have been alive and always has great stories of past fishing adventures. He has caught his share of sailfish in his day and wants nothing to do with them. Ken only wants eating fish and lets you know this by deducting from the tip everytime a sailfish is caught. We got a ton of bait very easily and went to try for some kings first thing. While other boats were struggling with bait the L&H stayed busy with double and triple header kingfish in the ten to fifteen pound range. In the middle of the kingfish flurry I spotted a frigate bird diving in very shallow water. The boys pulled everything in and we raced to see what the bird was over. Our decision was rewarded with a pair of twenty pound dolphin that quickly made their way to the fishbox. Again we resumed kingfishing and shortly there after we had our limit. Just before leaving we pulled up a nice mutton snapper much to Kens delight. With good conditions I figured we should try for a permit, a fish that is one of Kens favorite. Again the decision was a good one and we soon found ourselves hooked up to a thirty pounder. After a tough battle the big permit was in the box. After another lengthy battle we pulled the hook on a second permit just feet from the boat. I felt as if our luck had run out. James and I searched and searched for one more fish, but nothing. Finally, just before we were about to head elsewhere we found a truly large permit well over thirty pounds. The fish inhaled the bait and we put alot of pressure on the fish right from the start. The tactic worked to perfection and in only fifteen minutes we had the monster permit in the boat. We decided to go look for dolphin and about fifteen miles offshore, found a piece of floating debris with thirty nice fish on it. Wes, Greg and James worked together with our anglers like a well oiled machine and we caught nearly every mahi in the school. It was a great day with ALOT of eating fish for our friend Ken, and without catching a single sailfish everyone was happy!

Eloy's Permit and Swordfish

2010-06-16T18:39:00.000-07:00

As far as I know there is no other boat to have caught a permit and a swordfish in the same day out of Crandon Park Marina. These fish are very different, they are caught in totally different areas, they eat totally different baits and the fishing methods are as similar as night and day. On this day, Eloy Garcia and his crew of Daniel, Gianni, Coach, Oscar, and David brought both fish together on the L&H. It was a beautiful day and the water was crystal clear. After leaving the bait spot I found a few permit on the surface in shallow water. Wes made a perfect cast and we were hooked up. After a tough fight we put the thirty pound fish in the boat and I began to look for the school again. Before long, I spotted the fish and this time Greg made the cast and again we were on! This time the battle was even longer but again we were successful and now had two big permit in the boat. As we moved offshore we came across a few schools of dolphin, but most were undersized and were released. Everyone enjoyed the action, but only a few were keepers so we kept heading offshore. Along the way we came across a few sailfish, but they would not take the bait. By early afternoon we found ourselves in the middle of the sword grounds and Ely was up to giving it a try. The first drop did not produce, but a few minutes into the second drop the rod tip began to bounce. Then suddenly the rod bent over and we were hooked up! Catching a swordfish in broad daylight is one of the most exciting moments any fisherman can ever have and this fish was no different. When I finally saw the fish for the first time I knew it was a nice one. This sword was tough and the L&H spun like a top to keep the fish from getting under the boat. Greg did a great job on the leader and Wes placed a perfect harpoon shot through the fishes gills. The rest of the team sunk gaffs and helped secure the fish and then we pulled the big sword in the boat. As we ran for home I couldn't help but to feel so lucky to fish in a place like Miami, where we were able to catch such amazing fish. Not just in the same day, but in our own backyard.

Huge Day on the L&H

2010-06-16T17:57:00.000-07:00

Mark Johnson, Beth McGinn, Jon and Alli Moses from Atlanta, GA were referred to us by another L&H customer and just so happened to be there for one of the best days of fishing I have ever had on the L&H!!!!! We caught bait easily and as soon as we hit the deep water we spotted and then caught a nice cobia. Could this be a sign of things to come? As we trolled offshore a small billfish ate the right rigger but came off, and this is quite possibly the only fish that got away the entire day. A few minutes later I spotted a twenty pound dolphin and in no time he joined the cobia in the fishbox. A little while later Wes and Greg spotted a big flock of birds with an even bigger school of tuna underneath. As we trolled by we hooked up instantly. Then we did it again, and again. From my perch in the tower I could see tuna busting on the surface as far as the eye could see. The tuna refused to go down and the school stretched for miles and miles. These fish were very hungry and aggressive. Our anglers caught them on live, dead and artificial baits and often when someone would get a tuna to the boat there would be ten or more tunas following the hooked fish. Just after lunch time while we were fighting a quad of tunas Greg pitched out and artificial lure and hooked a dolphin. Then thirty more nice dolphin showed up and things got very interesting. I often say that I have THE BEST mates on the dock with Wes and Greg, and the boys proved it this time! With almost perfection (except for dropping a gaff in the water) Wes and Greg guided our GA anglers to all four tunas and every dolphin in the school. By now the fishbox was nearly full with several hundred pounds of tuna and the dolphin and cobia and our anglers needed a break. I decided to run inshore and try a shipwreck to get them something different. When the lines went down they were bit right away. When two big amberjacks came aboard the 500 pound fishbox was filled to capacity and we could not close the lid. Everyone looked up at me like 'now what' and I said "drop em back down"! I quickly ran into the salon and emptied out the drink cooler and took it outside. After our team put five more big amberjacks and a big almaco in the drink cooler it too was filled and the lid would not close! On our way back home we found a big school of dolphin and the gang just started putting the fish on the deck we simply had no more room! We caught what we needed to get our limit and ran for the dock. A very tired and dirty L&H team arrived at the marina with nearly a thousand pounds of fish and a day I will never forget! Thanks alot to my anglers and crew!

Max, Alex and Sheldon

2010-06-16T17:34:00.000-07:00

Max Puyanic and his good friends Alex and Sheldon always seem to have a great day whenever they fish with me on the L&H and today was no different. I have fished with these guys for a number of years and we have grown to be good friends. Today my wife Debbi came along and with her great set of eyes and her excellent fishing sense she is definately an asset. With flat calm seas we decided to run offshore to the gulfstream. After trolling for a while Wes and Greg began to see birds and we could see tuna underneath. After a few passes with artificial lures we had four nice tuna in the box and resumed our search for dolphin. After venturing further offshore we hit the jackpot! We found a large tree branch with mahi mahi all over the place. Debbi and I watched from the tower as Max, Alex and Sheldon went to work on the hungry mahi. Wes and Greg did a great job keeping everything organized and in no time we had nearly thirty keepers in the fishbox. When we finished up with the school the guys went inside to cool off in the AC and we started heading toward shore. On the way back in we found a couple more schools of mahi until we had our limt and released the rest to fight another day. Just before we hit the reef edge we spotted a big bull dolphin and Max did a great job fighting the fish all the way to the boat. With the biggest dolphin of the year within gaffing range a person (who would rather remain nameless) sunk the gaff only to have the fish wiggle free, break the leader and bolt off into the depths. All we could do is laugh, it had been a great day and we werent about to let a fish ruin it.

Tom and Hunter's Trip

2010-06-12T18:05:00.000-07:00

Tom Angelo and his son Hunter fish with us on the L&H every chance they get and we have had some great catches. Last trip Hunter and his sister did great on the bottom fish and we were excited to try and get Hunter his first tuna next chance we got. When our tuna trip came the bait was hard to come by but before long we had enough. When the L&H crossed over the edge the water looked great! As soon as James and Greg got the baits out a big blackfin tuna jumped out of the water and and stole the bait off of the right long. Before we could react another tuna crashed on the right short kite bait, but somehow a sailfish grabbed the bait first and Hunter was hooked up. After some great angling, Hunter had the fish alongside the boat and James grabbed the leader and released the fish. Minutes later Tom and Hunter were hooked up to a double header. Tom's fish turned out to be a big bonita, but Hunter had something that was fighting much harder. After another great job of angling, Hunter had his first tuna, a 33 pound blackfin to leader and Greg and James quickly put the fish in the boat. By now the seas really started to pick up, but we decided to put the baits out one more time. Once again, as soon as everything was out we were hooked up! This time it was a triple header, two sailfish and another big tuna. The father/son duo made it look easy and we successfully landed all three fish. I headed the L&H toward home as Greg filleted the tuna for Tom and his son to take to a friends restaurant. It was truly a great trip and one that I am sure Hunter or his father will not soon forget. (PS the photo is of one of the Amberjack caught on a prior Angelo Family Trip)

Answorth Gets Em Again

2010-06-11T16:25:00.000-07:00

Answorth is one of the guys who handles the painting on the L&H every fall and is also a good friend of mine. He took a few of his friends for a long afternoon of fishing and we had great action the whole trip. Our plan was to fish by a shipwreck, get some action and also alot of fish for a party they had planned for the next day. When we got all set up the first fish we got was a sailfish and just before we released it Greg noticed the fish had been previously tagged. After retrieving the tag, we released the fish and resumed our goal of catching some eating fish. We soon had a double header of kingfish and a big amberjack in the fishbox and we were on our way. As the afternoon wore on the big blackfin tuna began to bite and this meant Answorth and his buddies would be hooked up to these strong fish again and again. Since the boat was anchored and we often had multiple fish on at a time and some of the fights would take place on the bow of the L&H! On several occasions Greg would yell "Give me the big gaff!!!! Answorth has another big tuna on the bow". It was great action and everyone was worn out by the end of the trip. After the dust settled Ans and the boys had landed a total of seven big tunas, two sailfish, several jacks and kingfish and a pile of bonitas! After taking a few photos at the dock we filled up several coolers of fillets and steaks of fresh fish for the fish fry that my friends would enjoy the next day.