Monday, November 20, 2017

Swordfishing in the Sun

Did a little daytime swordfishing with Lee Williams and Zach Bowles, landing this 259lb behemoth -- the second largest swordfish in Virginia for the year!








Tuesday, November 14, 2017

Family Fishing with Cobia on the Fly


I'll let the photos tell the story! 










Inshore and Lakeshore



Been playing around with the fly when it' s too windy to get out. We'e on a fall bite right now in VA.






Tuna Time

Got out a few weeks ago for blackfin, the bite had been on. We hooked up first thing but it came unbuttoned. The next fish was a solid 30lb blackfin but broke me off in the prop. Then nothing for hours, until we convinced this blackfin to bite. Successful trip but was hoping for a bit more.


Photo by Hunter Southall 



Monday, September 18, 2017

Marlin with Marvin (Lee and Rob)

Got out with Rob, Lee and Lee's dad (Marvin) for another Marlin trip, getting Rob on his first billfish and congratulatory dip in the ocean. We made a quick pit stop before heading home, putting Marvin on a citation blueline tile for his birthday and lots of meat in the fish box. 










Tuesday, August 22, 2017

Creekin' like Clockwork

 We had a couple days of good weather here in Virginia Beach, so we got ready and charged to the deep. You could say it was a success.


We had two on the boat that had never caught a billfish, as well as a newcomer to Team Smoke Show, Hannah Drake. With four years of Marlin experience under her belt, Hannah ran the pit while Meghan and I traded off running the boat. We fished with the fleet, but no takers early on. Luckily they headed in around 2:30 and the bite really turned on for us. 


We caught three, and lost two -- one of which we hooked was a free swimmer that came in with Meghan’s first white marlin. Unfortunately it really wanted a tinker mac, but we didn’t have a live one bridled yet. However, we did have a live squid, so I ran the circle hook through it and tossed it behind the boat. While I went to bridle the mac, I heard the clicker sing, ran back, dropped back and hooked Larry’s first marlin. The next fish we saw tracked our bait for a few minutes then ate, I happened to be on the rod for this one and kept it for my first marlin citation of the year. Had another eat on my rod again but came unbuttoned after a long drop back, but that’s Marlin fishing. 


 


 
On Sunday we charged again and brought Billy to try his luck at catching a Marlin. It was slow going until Meghan noticed a fin that wasn’t a shark while she was at the helm. She put the boat in perfect position and the left flat popped and it was off to the races before anyone could drop back. The fish turned and smoked the right long. This one never jumped and was taking line pretty quick, I put Billy on the bow and chased it down for the release. Hannah leadered the fish for a few photos and it was let go. Not bad -- two trips and three people in the Creek!  

 



Tuesday, August 8, 2017

Started with a Fishing Trip

It all started with a fishing trip a little over three years ago, so it was only fitting that the next chapter of our journey kick off with an epic offshore adventure with just the two of us -- and a ring!


After a long day of trolling off the coast of Hatteras, and catching quite a few dolphin, we were just about to head home and try again the next day, when the flat line goes off. With the amount of drag coming off the line, we immediately got into our positions -- me on the rod, reeling in the fish and Meghan behind the wheel, maintaining speed while clearing lines and prepping for the big finish. After getting the fish boatside and gaffing it, we snapped a few quick pictures before it lost all color. It may have come late in the day, but we landed our first Wahoo and checked another species off the bucket list. Looking forward to more exciting things to come for #TeamSmokeShow!






On the way back to the inlet, we came across some floating debris and decided to check for mahi hanging around. Sure enough, they were there, and I had a chance to cast at them with the fly rod. They were competitive that afternoon, so I quickly hooked up and had a fun fight getting this one in the boat. 



And to make this a weekend Meghan would always remember, I had one last surprise in store -- horseback riding on the beach.