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Mako Madness
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No specified region.
April 7, 20091969-12-31 18:33:29
Mardi Gras is always the time for New Orleans and parades, but this year we decided to try something different. With the first year under our belt as “Team Blue Runner,” Mardi Gras had a whole new twist. It started off the weekend before Fat Tuesday. Captain William Wall called me and said he didn’t have a charter for the holiday. We gathered a crew of seven guys, had a good break in the weather, loaded up and headed to Venice.
Monday night was spent preparing for the trip, getting gear ready and a game plan. We headed out of Venice Marina at 6 in the morning follow Captain Wall’s itinerary for the day. The initial part of the morning consisted of throwing a cast for mullet. Once the live well was full, we began our journey out of South Pass. We hit a couple 100 feet of water at 20 miles out, the boat started to fill up. We had a limit of amberjack and snowy grouper, and caught and released a couple of gags. With the fever starting to build and energy running high, it was time to head to the tuna grounds. Upon arrival at the grounds, we were in good company of 15 other boats. Everyone was chumming and not catching. It seemed they weren’t there. 12:30 rolls around and it was as if someone flipped a switch. The tuna calls over the radio started coming in. We found ourselves moving up and drifting to where the bait was holding. Within an hour, two large yellowfins made their way into the chum. A good friend, George Monstead, hooked up for the fight; one hour and 45 minutes later, a 196 lb. tuna was in the boat. At this time we were resetting and got a call over the radio from Captain Eddie Burger about his hook up with an acrobatic Mako. The Blue Runner made its way over to rendezvous with Captain C.T. Williams in the midst of the madness. We dropped Captain Wall on Eddie’s boat to help out with their big Mako. Chumming resumed, and as off the wall as it sounds, we were running low on cut bait and began throwing Berkely gulp chum. All of a sudden, the monster came from the depths in the middle of the bait. My partner in crime, Chris Pierson, grabbed a steal leader and gave it to Mike Gray. Once tied on and secure, we hooked a bonito and pitched it and the big girl ate it. Anyone that’s fished offshore knows the gut wrenching feeling of finally getting a peek at what’s been pulling on the other end of your line. The mass of this Mako quickly caught the crews attention and prepared us for what was ahead. After feeding her for 20 seconds we gassed the boat and got ready for the fight of a lifetime.
The Blue Runner crew got on the radio and started asking for flying gaffs hoping for some help. Captain Rimmer Covington and crew made their way over and lent us theirs. Twenty minutes into the fight, we heard a call over the horn that Eddie and his group had lost their fish. They informed us that they were making their way back over to return our faithful Captain Wall to us as well as Captain C.T. The family was back together and about an hour had passed with small inches added to the drag. Everyone was having a blast. C.T. started filming. We stayed dizzy with the Mako, literally running circles around the boat to keep it out of the engines. By this time it’s getting late and starting to get dark. All the other boats out there with us began to head in and weren’t even close to being finished. Thanks to the other Captains and crews for checking on the Blue Runner to make sure we had everything under control.
Well into two hours of fighting, we caught our first clear glimpse of the beast on the other end of the line. At this point and time, it sinks in to the crew the magnitude of the Mako that I’ve been battling. The boat erupts and everyone begins to freak out with what is starting to become a historical trip. Continuing to inch her up, Chop got his hands on the steal leader and brought the fish close enough for Captain Wall to stick her with the flying gaff. Captain Mike Gray slipped a rope over her tail and we began protocol to drag her backwards. Once we knew it was safe, it took everyone on the boat to hoist her aboard. Finally, the monster of the deep that had given me the fight of my life was materialized in the back of the 35 Triton. With everyone exhausted and still full of adrenalin, we pulled into Venice Marina around 9:00 p.m. Assuming the Mako was around 500 or so pounds, we found a crowd of 30 people placing their bets on how much she weighed. Pierson found a forklift and hoisted her out of the boat; and with help from the crew of Venice Marina, we got our answer. The magnificent short fin Mako that danced with me for three hours weighed in at an astonishing 722 pounds.
This really was an unbelievable trip and could not have been possible without all the great people involved. Captain William Wall ( Pelagic Charters, L.L.C.
1-225-454-5365) is now my newfound idol, and I can’t express enough gratitude or admiration. Blue Runner Foods is grateful for everyone’s continuing support of our products and invites you all to enter and win the “Stop Wishing, Go Fishing.” We are looking forward to a lucky winner joining our great team for another unforgettable trip. Thanks again to everyone! These folks make fishing what it is and without them life would be absolutely boring. As Henry David Thoreau said, “Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not the fish they are after.”
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